Shattered: A Psychic Visions Novel Read Free Page A

fast.”
    “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
    “It is. We do checks to make sure nothing jumps out at us, but really we don’t have time to go through each of the thousand applications sitting on the desk at any given day, and we can make mistakes too. Maddy has a special program going on, but it’s not like she can expand it to help everyone. She’s doing what she can.”
    “How about training people to do what she does?”
    “We’re working on it.” Stefan smiled. “England has asked for a sister wing in London.”
    “Sure, but one can’t just duplicate Maddy and her world.”
    “Exactly. If they get the healers together and can manage to find a coordinator like Maddy to guide the energy and do what must be done, then maybe it can work.”
    “Right. Let’s go meet your mystery killer.”
    Stefan laughed as he walked to his kitchen counter and snagged up his keys. “Except for one thing – it’s not me she killed.”
    *
    No.
    She couldn’t be hurt. She’d suffered enough. They all had. This had to stop. She’d done everything she could to protect her girl. But it had all been for naught. Now she was helpless. A pawn. Like all women were pawns in the world of men. They saw women only as possessions. Chess pieces to be moved at will to their pleasure. Her life had been no different. Her life was one big board arranged and rearranged.
    But not now. Now she moved freely.
    And could connect to many people – talented people. More talented than she was. But she was learning. And now that she’d found someone she could talk to. More than talk to…
    Thank heavens.
    Little had gone as planned in her life. Including this. But she was learning.
    The men in her life would have laughed and said didn’t it figure. Couldn’t arrange the one thing in her world without a man’s help.
    They were wrong. As a woman, a child of their whims, she’d been nothing if not adaptable. And adapt she had. She could operate without them knowing.
    Now if only she could help the one who needed her. Before the others took her out of their game. Permanently.

Chapter 3

    H annah opened her eyes, her gaze slow to focus. When she realized the brightness in the room she bolted upright.
    “Damn it,” she whispered to the empty space. She’d planned on sneaking out after the nightly rounds and before the security guard who walked the hallways came by. Instead she’d fallen into a deep sleep – and missed her window of opportunity.
    She groaned and flopped backwards.
    “There, nice to see you’re awake. I’ve checked in on you a couple of times but you were fast asleep.” The nurse bustled around and plumped up the pillows helping her to sit up. “And you missed breakfast…”
    Damn it. That meant it was later than she thought. She gave the woman a sleepy smile. “I slept well, but I’m hungry.”
    “Good,” the nurse said. Hannah read the woman’s name tag. Tammy. Yeah she looked like a Tammy, pink cheeked and short curly blonde hair with a comfortable huggable frame.
    “I’ll see about rousting you up some food. And how about a coffee?”
    Hannah brightened. “Coffee would be lovely.”
    Tammy finished her ministrations, checked Hannah’s blood pressure and temperature then disappeared.
    Coffee would be excellent. It would help her to get moving.
    Hannah couldn’t remember much of last night and wanted to ask Tammy for details but knew better.
    She relaxed back, letting her body wake up that little bit more. And then wished she hadn’t. Last night things hurt. Today they throbbed. She also had to go to the bathroom, but the thought of doing so scared her.
    The nurse returned holding a real china mug. Nice. Hannah brightened. She hated those plastic cups they always seemed to bring.
    “Now let’s get you to the bathroom.”
    Hannah winced. “How did you know I hadn’t made it there yet?” she muttered.
    Tammy laughed. “Because you were staring at the room as if trying to figure out how to make it