All Chapters of Mindreader: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Tiffany’s POV I told Mercer what happened. I held my hand up toward the camera first, still faintly red under the loose bandage Scars had wrapped earlier. It looked worse than it felt, which was saying something because it already stung every time I moved my fingers. “It’s fine,” I said quickly, flexing them once just to prove a point. “See. I can still move my hand perfectly.” Mercer’s expression changed the moment he saw it. The pen in his hand stopped mid-air. “That is not fine, Tiffany,” he said, voice low, controlled but sharper than usual. “How did that even happen?” I explained it. The cup slipping from my hand. The sudden burn. The way everything happened too fast to stop. And Lucas just sitting there. By the time I finished, Mercer was already leaning closer to the screen like he could physically reach through it. “You should have been more careful,” he said. “I’m okay,” I said. “Really.” What I did not say was how it bothered me that Lucas did not even ask if I was

Tiffany's POV A heavy arm locked around my waist and yanked me backward into a pitch-black alcove. I thrashed instantly. I drove my elbow backward, aiming for ribs, and brought my heel down hard, completely forgetting I was barefoot. My heel slammed into something solid. The man grunted but did not let go. “Stop fighting,” a harsh voice hissed right next to my ear. “I work for Mercer.” I froze. My pulse hammered against my ribs, but I forced myself to stop struggling. The hand slowly moved away from my mouth. I spun around, my back hitting the cold steel wall of the alcove. The man standing in front of me was tall, dressed in a faded mechanic uniform that blended into the shadows. “Prove it,” I demanded, keeping my voice barely above a whisper. “Why should I believe you actually work for Mercer?” “Captain Dean Mercer sent your file before you boarded,” he said quickly, glancing down the corridor behind me. “Yours and Detective Hale’s. I know who you are, so do not start doing th

Tiffany's POV The silence stretched between us until Lucas let out a short, mocking laugh. “Right,” he said, turning around and grabbing the strap of his duffel bag. “Keep lying. That’s real convincing.” “I’m telling the truth!” I stepped forward and grabbed his arm. “I swear to God, Hale.” He ripped his arm away. “You can read every damn thing in my head. Every single time. You do it without even trying. And you’re telling me you can’t read his? Yeah, right. Keep playing games.” “I’m not,” I yelled. “I have never been able to hear a single thing inside his head. From the very first second I met him in that ballroom, there was just dead silence. I have absolutely no idea what he is thinking.” Lucas stared at me, searching for any sign that I was lying. The rigid anger in his shoulders slowly began to crack as he realized I was telling the truth. Then his expression darkened even more. “Then you lied to me from the very start,” he said, his voice completely flat. I swallowed ha

Tiffany's POV [Listen to me, Barbie. I’ve got a clean shot at his foot. And trust me, I want to put a bullet in his skull for putting his hands on you. But Mercer needs him breathing for the long game, so I’m keeping it smart. Keep him talking. Keep him calm so I can take the shot without putting you in danger.] I didn't know where Lucas was, probably hidden somewhere on the upper decks, moving with the chaos and the crowd. But I trusted the timing. If he said he had a shot, he did. “Dominic, breathe.” I said, keeping my body as still as I could. “You’re panicking. I get it. But this? Shooting me, jumping off this ship? It's not going to fix anything. You know that.” Dominic’s breath came hot and uneven against my ear. “Shut up. You don’t know shit about what I’ve built.” [Good. Keep him talking.] Lucas’s voice cut in through my mind. [And stay balanced so neither of you goes over the railing into the water.] “I know you're scared,” I said softly. “But killing me just gives Zane

Tiffany's POV “Whoa, Tiffany, slow down.” Mercer was clearly caught off guard. He masked it quickly, his voice going soft and steady to ground me before I completely lost it. “Breathe, kid. I know what happened out there. My informant filled me in. Trust me, Hale is going to be okay. I’ve seen that stubborn boy survive a lot worse than a bullet to the shoulder. He’ll bounce back. So stop beating yourself up. None of this is your fault.” I tightened my grip on the phone until my knuckles went white. “Of course it’s my fault,” I said, my voice shaking. “Hale got shot, and the whole ship… God, Captain, it went down. Criminals or not, there were families up there, kids. So many people. I could hear them screaming when the explosions started and I just stood there like…” “Tiffany.” [Okay, she’s not breathing. She is definitely not breathing.] “…like it was nothing. But it wasn’t nothing. I should’ve seen it coming. If my stupid gift had just…” “Tiffany, stop.” His tone sharpened ju