Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) (17 page)

“It looks like a bowl of black spaghetti,” Idric commented.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Sally asked. “They’re not going to stay in there forever.”

“I know,” Yasif said impatiently. He pulled a few wires loose, referring to the diagram on the back of the panel to find the ones connected to the headmistress’ office. Once he’d figured out what wires he needed, he instructed Sally to grab a spare speaker off the shelf. He connected it. “Okay, as soon as I turn this on, we have to be very quiet. I can’t do this without a two way connection.”

They nodded agreement and flipped the switch on the speaker. “…we understand your concerns, gentlemen.” Mrs. Padilla’s voice was calm and collected. “We are taking every precaution to protect our students.”

“You realize this could threaten the safety of everyone at the school. I strongly recommend evacuating the building until we are certain we have a handle on what is happening here.” Sally knew that voice. It was Agent Dawkins.

“That is something I cannot do, gentlemen. I understand the risks, but we have nowhere else for these children to go, and many of their parents are unavailable. Mostly overseas.”

There was silence for a moment or two before Dawkins spoke again. “Here is a list of recommendations. I highly encourage you to follow these. Any students with information should be directed to us. It would not be prudent for you to question them yourself.”

Another moment of silence passed. “These recommendations could carry much more urgency if I were forced to declare a threat to Homeland Security and lock down the school.” His voice was more direct this time.

“I assure you gentlemen, that will not be necessary,” Mrs. Padilla acknowledged.

“We will be keeping an eye on things,” he said.

Idric sneezed.

“What was that?” Agent Thompson’s voice came through the speaker clearly. He must have been the closest.

Yasif flipped the switch. “Idiot!”

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t exactly help it!”

Yasif scrambled to undo the wires. “We’ve got to go, now!”

They rushed out of the room, their shoes screeching on the polished tile.

“Hold it right there!” Agent Thomson called after them.

They raced toward the exit doors. Idric, being the smallest, took the lead, Sally directly behind. Yasif struggled to keep up. He’d always hated sprints

It was no use. The two agents were gaining. He just wasn’t a good runner. Idric and Sally had already made it to the back door and were almost out of the building when Yasif felt a sharp prick in his back. It felt as if something had bit him. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, his muscles twitching uncontrollably.

“Get away from him!” Sally’s voice seemed so far away.

Yasif’s cheek was mashed against the cold tile. He tried to move his head to get a better view until Agent Thompkins’ boot appeared in front of him. He knew he was in for it when the man kneeled in front of him and smiled.

“We could have done this the easy way.”

JAKE WATCHED WITH AMUSEMENT
as Lani pulled a bobby pin from her hair as they approached the door to the man’s apartment. She glanced up and down the hall to make sure no one was watching, and then bent the pin, ready to pick the lock.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.” He chuckled, pointing at the keycard slot.

“Damn it!” Lani cried. “Technology. What happened to the good ‘ol days?”

“Do you have a credit card?” Jake pulled his phone from his pocket.

Lani fished in her bag and pulled out a worn plastic card. Jake took it and retrieved a wired connector from his pocket. “I like to be prepared.” He connected the attachment to his phone and clipped the ends of the wires to the side of the card. A few minutes of fiddling, then he slid the card into the lock.

“I used to do this at the hotel in Athens,” he said.

Lani responded with, “Why?”

“Just ‘cause I could. I was a bored kid who was pissed off at his father.”

“Good thing you’re one of the good guys now, eh?”

He laughed as he fiddled with the contraption. It took only a few seconds for the indicator to turn green.

“How did you do that?” Lani asked.

“All buildings have a standard access code for emergencies. Having done so much work with these things, I know the codes for most of Atlanta.” He smiled and pushed open the door. “My father’s company installs the networks these things run on.”

Lani glanced around. “Everything looks so ordinary. What would the shape-shifters want with this guy?”

“I thought that’s what we were here to find out,” Jake replied.

Lani disappeared into a bedroom, leaving Jake to scope out the living room.

He’d never seen a cleaner home. This guy’s apartment was spotless, not a single thing out of place. It looked like a showroom rather than a person’s apartment. There were no papers lying around, no bills, nothing that could help them figure out what this guy was about.

Jake moved into what looked like an office where he found a large mahogany desk. Inside the drawer, everything was neatly organized, but he found nothing of consequence. Finally, he came across a file drawer. He flipped through the folders until he found one labeled Genome Synergistics.

“Lani!” Jake called out. “I think I found something.”

He showed her the paper. It was a memo about paid time off, but what interested him was the address at the top. “This seems a bit odd. Why would he keep something like this and nothing else?”

“Given the looks of this place, I’d say he’s pretty efficient. It’s pretty recent, too.” Jake pointed at the date.

Lani eyed it suspiciously before snapping a picture with her phone. “Well, now at least we have an idea of where to find him.”

IDRIC STARED HELPLESSLY,
his face pressed against the glass doors at the back of the school as the two agents took Sally down with a Taser. She’d turned back to help Yasif, but it had been no use. The agents had knocked her unconscious before she’d made it halfway. It wasn’t pleasant watching two people twitch in pain. One of the men glanced up, and Idric acted instinctively, giving a wave of his hand as he muttered, “
Odwende
.”

The man’s eyes glazed over. He shrugged, dismissing whatever it was he thought he’d seen. He assisted his partner in picking up the two unconscious teens. As they approached the back door, Idric searched for a place to hide. If the agent got too close, the spell wouldn’t hold and he’d be captured, too. He took refuge behind a nearby tree and watched as the men carried Sally and Yasif to a black van. Neither were particularly gentle as they placed Sally and Yasif into the back. They bound and gagged the teens as Idric racked his brain for something he could do. He couldn’t attack them as they we’d done with the flying creature. That would only harm Yasif and Sally. He could come up with something to distract them, but then how would he carry both Sally and Yasif?

Then a thought came to him.

He concentrated on the trace convergence, something fleeting, but still coherent enough for him to use. He picked up a small rock and darted closer to the van.

“
Modo kente.
” He drew on the fading energy, channeling it into the stone. It glowed momentarily with a faint reddish light. He then tossed it into the back of the van just before the men returned to close it up.

The man who’d glanced at him earlier looked in Idric’s direction. He wore a puzzled look as though he’d seen something. He squinted into the trees, then shook his head and went around the side of the van.

Idric breathed a sigh of relief as they drove away. The tracking spell would keep tabs on the van, but Idric had no way to follow them. He needed to get word to Jake or Lani. If they didn’t hurry, the energy in the stone would fade, and he worried they’d never see Sally or Yasif again.

YASIF AWOKE TO INTENSE PAIN.
Whatever the men had done, he was in no rush to repeat the experience. His mouth felt as though his tongue were twice its size; they’d shoved a rag into it. He tried to move, but found he couldn’t. Panic rose in his stomach as he realized his arms and legs were tied to a chair. Sally was next to him, unconscious and bound just as he was.

At least he wasn’t alone.

The room was dark, only enough light for him to see it was a hotel suite or apartment. The men were nowhere to be seen.

Terror filled him and his body began to shake. Tears trailed his cheeks. He felt completely helpless. The ropes were tight. He struggled against them, but all he accomplished was burning his wrists. His legs were bound just as tightly. Nothing he did seemed to make any difference.

On top that, he really had to pee.

A stream of light cut across the floor as one of the men entered the room. Yasif couldn’t yet see the man’s face, but he knew who it was. Thompson.

“You’re awake.”

Thompson came over and saw Yasif’s tears. “Awww, is the little Arab boy crying?” He used the long “a” sound, drawing it out with his Southern accent, which only made it sound that much more offensive. “All ya’ll turban-heads are the same. Little pussies with big guns doing stupid shit like blowing yourselves up. You’ll be charged with terrorism. I’m sure whatever secret prison they stash you away in will be just as comfortable as home.”

If the guy was trying to intimidate him, it had worked. Terrorism? Him? He couldn’t so much as steal candy from a vending machine. Yasif tried his best to control his fear, even though his whole body was now shaking.

Thompson got right in Yasif’s face. “That’s right, kid. You’d better be scared. I hear they really like little boys in those places.”

Fear drove horrible images through Yasif’s brain. The thought of some dark cold prison chilling him to the bone. He imagined angry-looking men with large arms and tattoos standing over him, eyeing him like a piece of steak.

Tears welled up in his eyes once more despite his efforts to hold them back. He didn’t want this guy to see him so weak, but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t strong like Sally. He wished she were awake to protect him.

Yasif sensed movement beside him.

“The feisty one awakens!” Thompkins said, more excitedly than he’d probably meant.

He’d barely managed to remove the gag when Sally began yelling at him. “What the hell are you doing? Let me go! I demand to speak to my lawyer!”

Thompkins laughed. “You’re in no position to make demands.”

Sally eyed him. “Let me go—now!”

Yasif couldn’t help a faint smile.

“Cooperate, and there may be a chance that you won’t rot in a prison for the rest of your adult life.” He moved closer. “Continue your defiance and you’ll be lucky if you make it to a cell.”

“Prison?” Sally asked. “What for?”

“Interferin’ in a federal investigation involving national security. That should earn you a nice stay in a federal prison.” Yasif suddenly found the man in his face again. “And as for you, you little terrorist, you’re not even an American citizen. Oh, the things we’ve got in store for you. If you think water-boarding was torture…”

Terror filled Yasif once more. Was he serious? Yasif had seen plenty of shows on TV where men were tortured for information, but things like that weren’t real. Were they? Surely there were laws to protect him.

Yasif’s stomach clenched. He felt like throwing up. His entire midsection was as hard as a rock. Desperately, he tried to convince himself this was all a scare tactic, that none of what the man had said could really happen. But the hatred in Thompson’s eyes was clear. He looked as if he’d make damn sure he carried through on his threats.

This wasn’t happening. He had to be trapped in some horrible nightmare. He’d never been so terrified in his life. He swallowed hard, pushing past the baseball-sized lump in his throat. His entire body was shaking. Tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping off his jaw. It wasn’t until the wetness began to cool on his jeans that he even realized he’d lost control of his bladder.

The man laughed a deep belly laugh.

Yasif’s fear became embarrassment. Heat rose in his neck and cheeks. What would Sally think? Thompson was right; he was a wuss. Sally would never talk to him again. He’d give anything for her to be anywhere else but there. He couldn’t even turn to look at her.

While Thompson continued to joke at his expense, Yasif went to a very remote place in his mind where his fears were darkened anger. He hated this man, hated him with every fiber of his being. Vengeance pushed aside his despair, giving back him a bit of control. Yasif eyed Thompson through tear-soaked eyes. Never before had Yasif wanted to hurt someone, but given the opportunity he’d have beat this man with everything he had. Thompson continued to laugh, taunting Yasif into an angered frenzy. If he could only reach out, grab the man’s throat and—

“Cut it out, Thompson!” Dawkins entered.

Thompson frowned, and the two men became embroiled in a heated discussion. Yasif didn’t care. His gaze remained locked on the blond man.

“Are you okay, Yaz?” Sally called to him.

He’d only barely registered what she’d said, but it was enough to bring him away from his morbid thoughts. But he couldn’t answer her; he was still embarrassed about having wet himself. He didn’t want her to see him like this.

“Yaz? Please tell me you’re okay.”

“Take the girl first,” Dawkins said.

Thompson passed in front of Yasif, blocking his view of Sally. “Pansy,” he whispered quietly enough his partner couldn’t hear and then went over and untied Sally.

Sally, of course, didn’t go quietly. She let out a few grunts of protest as he led her still bound from the room.

Yasif couldn’t bring himself to look up as she passed, staring instead at the carpet, too mortified to face her.

The door closed, plunging the room back into darkness. All the anger, frustration, embarrassment, and humiliation came bubbling out of him in violent sobs that rocked his body. Tears dripped off his face as he sat in the cold wetness of his urine-soaked pants. Gone were all thoughts of the disappearances, shape-shifters, and flying creatures, replaced with white-hot anger and resentment. Thompson would pay for making him feel this way. For the first time in his life, he wanted revenge.