Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology (30 page)

Holy. Shit.  He was an alien. I was sure of it. I swallowed, but kept my body very still. I could not give away that I knew he wasn
't human.  I glanced at the IDs, but didn't really process what they said after that. I needed to get out of this office and tell Tate.

"
So, Ms. Montgomery, if you're satisfied with our credentials, could you tell us where you were last Thursday night?"

"
I was babysitting for the Powells."

"
And then what?"

I locked my eyes on Agent Rhodes, both wanting to see if he was an alien too and hoping the eye contact would make me seem more trustworthy.
"I drove home, but my piece-of-crap car broke down halfway here. Fortunately, Tate was driving by and offered me a ride home. But you already knew that since he was just in here, so I'm not sure why you need to hear it again from me."

Agent Rhodes didn
't even so much as blink. He was a tough cookie to crack. "And about what time was that, Ms. Montgomery?"

I blew out a long, exasperated breath.
"I don't know, I didn't realize I was going to be questioned by the FBI, so I didn't take copious notes detailing my evening."  I paused, but still I got no reaction. Agent Samuels clicked his pen rapidly, but I didn't turn my gaze. "It couldn't have been too late, maybe seven-thirty or eight. The sun was going down. Sorry, but that's all I can remember."

Agent Rhodes wrote my answers in his little book as I waited impatiently for him to finish so I could get the hell out of there. 
"Is Tate your boyfriend, Ms. Montgomery?"

"
What?!" I shrieked. "No! Why would you ask that?"

Agent Rhodes looked up and smirked. 
"You sure?"

"
Yes I'm sure. I'd think I'd know if I had a boyfriend."  He didn't respond, but the smug look on his face told me he thought he had something on me. "This is stupid. You're not even asking me about Vice Principal Evans, and my personal life—or lack thereof—is none of your or the government's business. Can I go back to class now?"

"
Suurreee," he drawled. "But we may have a few follow-up questions later."

I didn
't wait to hear anything else, gathering up my things and practically sprinting out of the room. I flew out of the office and headed straight for the girls' bathroom, locking myself in the handicapped stall. I dropped all my books and hoisted myself up on the window ledge, using the toilet as a footstool. It was the one spot in school that had good cell reception. I pulled out my cell and began furiously typing. Not even three minutes later, I heard the bathroom door open and Tate calling, "You in here?"

I hopped down from my perch.
"Yeah, but let's not talk here."

Tate nodded and grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers as he pulled me out the door and toward the student parking lot. I tried not to read too much into the gesture, but my heart sped up a bit. He was acting nothing like the Tate I
'd known him to be, and I didn't know what to make of that. Maybe it was just the situation that was bringing us together, but I liked this sweet side.

Once we reached his car, I slid in the passenger seat as he started the engine. We were a good five miles outside of town before either of us said a word. He pulled into a small parking lot for an abandoned feed store that went out of business a few years ago. Now, kids used it as a kind of hangout, building bonfires in the large field behind the building or sneaking into the side entrance to drink or whatever if the weather was bad.

I leapt out of the car, needing fresh air and to move.

"
Krissy, what the hell happened in there? You're freaking me out!" Tate tried to pull me to him, but I shrugged away. My emotions were all over the place, and I needed to sort out the thoughts racing through my head before anything else.

"
Just…give me a minute to think. To decompress. That—whatever that was back there—freaked me the hell out and I need a minute to deal with that."

Tate seemed to understand, letting me have my space. After several minutes of soul searching and attempting to make sense of the last few weeks of my life, I was no closer to acceptance or understanding. I wasn
't sure I ever would be.

"
Tate, I'm pretty sure those guys weren't with the FBI."

"
No shit," Tate remarked, kicking at a rock. "I'm betting some secret government agency out of Roswell and Area 51."

I paused my pacing and faced him.
"The one agent was an alien. I'm sure of it. I don't know about the other, but it's entirely possible. I'm pretty sure they know or at least suspect something, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were tailing us right now."

"
Woah. Back up for a minute. One of them was an alien? Are you sure?"

"
Yeah. His eyes glowed just like Anusha's did, just for a second."

"
Holy shit! This is crazy. Do you think they're the ones who hurt her? Or are they the ones that she told us to give the stone to?"

"
They gave me the creeps, and I don't trust them."

"
Don't worry, Krissy." Tate stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms. "I won't let anything happen to you."

As if my head wasn
't already swimming enough, now I had Tate—warm, delicious-smelling, sexier-than-hell Tate—not only being nice to me, but also being wonderfully protective and affectionate.  I'm pretty sure if I looked up, I'd see pigs flying.

We were still embracing when a voice startled us.
"Not your boyfriend, huh? What else have you been lying about, Ms. Montgomery?"

Tate

My eyes flew open and Krissy gasped, stumbling backward. How the hell had Agent Rhodes found us here? I hadn
't heard anyone approaching, there wasn't a car around, and we were a good five miles from the school.

"
You have what I'm looking for, don't you, Krissy?" Rhodes snarled, his hands fisting as he flexed and unflexed.

"
Shut the hell up! You have something to say, you say it to me!" I growled. Krissy clung to my shoulders and back and I could feel her shaking. I didn't blame her, I was scared too. I remembered what Anusha looked like, and I knew whoever did that could—and would—probably do a lot worse to us.

"
How sweet. Your boy here is defending you. Maybe it's he who has it. Is that what it is, Mr. McCallister?" He paused to look at me, eyeing me inquisitively, like he was reading my mind. "Yes, I think so."

"
I don't know what you're talking about. We just came out here for some privacy. You know, just a little alone time."  Krissy took my hint, snuggling closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her temple, using the opportunity to whisper softly in her ear. "Reach in my back pocket."

Agent Rhodes smiled, holding his hands up in surrender.
"I don't want to hurt you kids. I think you got yourself mixed up in a situation that is far beyond anything you could have imagined. So it's time to stop playing and let the grown-ups handle it. Now, where's the heir?" Agent Rhodes took several slow steps toward us as he spoke, causing Krissy and me to back up—straight into the warehouse. We were trapped.

"
I really don't know what you're talking about. Please, you can take the car. Just leave us alone."

Behind me, Krissy had taken the knife out of my pocket and pulled the blade open. It wasn
't much of a defense, but it was all we had.

"
Here, take it." Her voice was shaking as much of the rest of her.

I shook my head once.
"Keep it, just in case."

"
I'm only going to ask one more time. And then you'll force me to do something I really don't want to do. Where. Is. The. Heir?"

"
What the hell are you talking about? What heir? I can't give you something I know nothing about."

Agent Rhodes
' nostrils flared, the veins in his forehead popping. "I'm tired of these games!" His fists pounded the hood of my car, crushing the hood like a tin can. "Give me the fuckin' heir!"

Rhodes charged at us, closing the distance with each angry step. I turned, pushing Krissy toward the highway.
"Run, Krissy! Now!"

I never saw the first blow coming. Agent Rhodes picked me up and tossed me like a ragdoll onto the hard, cement parking lot. My body ached, but I didn
't think anything was broken. I rolled onto my stomach, struggling to stand.  Rhodes picked me up again, pulling me to his face. My eyes burned looking into his, like looking into the sun.  I slammed them shut, but I could still feel my skin boiling—bubbling up as blisters formed where he held me.

"
Your mistake was underestimating me, little boy. I gave you so many chances, and now—"

There was a loud
"thwack," and suddenly Rhodes' grip loosened. I looked around and couldn't believe what I saw. Rhodes was on the ground, and Krissy held a large two-by four like it was a baseball bat. She raised it over her head and swung again with a grunt, striking Rhodes across the shoulders.

She dropped the piece of wood and helped me to my feet.
"C'mon! We need to get out of here. God only knows how long he'll be out."

"
Where's the knife?"

"
Here, it's here." She pushed the closed blade into my hand. I grabbed it and pushed passed the pain, running without feeling, not stopping. Driving my car was no longer an option, and we didn't even slow down to try. We ran for a good mile without stopping, neither of us saying word. It was times like this when I craved city life. The ability to get lost in a crowd and blend in.

Krissy slowed, bending in half and placing her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
"Wait, Tate. I just need a minute."

I rubbed her back.
"Take slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. We only have a minute, that thing could be back any—SHIT!"

Rhodes came out of nowhere, grabbing a hold of Krissy by her arms.
"You little bitch! You're gonna pay for that stunt."

Krissy screamed, kicking and struggling to free herself from his hold, but he never budged. I looked around for something—anything I could use as a weapon, but we were standing the middle of a street, surrounded by nothing but desert.

Until I remembered the knife.

I pulled it out and flicked the blade open with one flick of my wrist. Rhodes
' arms were squeezing the life out of Krissy—I could see her turning blue from the strain and lack of oxygen. My only clean shot was to go for his back, maybe strike his kidney. That might be enough to get him to loosen his grip so she could get away—or at least breathe.

Rhodes
' focus wasn't on me, and I used his distraction to approach him from behind. I gripped the blade and withdrew a breath. I knew I'd only get one, maybe two shots at the guy. I couldn't afford to miss or only knick him.

With one quick thrust, I jabbed the knife into the left side of his back, just below his ribcage. The knife sunk in to the hilt. I expected Rhodes to scream or grunt in pain. At the very least, I thought having a four-inch blade jammed into his side would make him loosen his grip, but he barely budged.

"Tsk, tsk, little boy. Did you really think your mortal weapon could stop me?" He slowly turned his head and glared at me. "As if I could ever be that weak."

One glance at Krissy, who was no longer conscious in his arms, and I backed up a few steps and charged at him like a linebacker, aiming my shoulder directly where the blade was positioned. Blinding, white-hot pain rain through my body as I struck, traveling down my arm and back. I knew the impact from the knife
's hilt tore something, but I got back up. Rhodes had stumbled slightly, but not enough to lose control of Krissy. I readied myself for a second run at him when the sound of squealing tires turned both of our attentions.

The car never slowed, aiming directly for Rhodes. I dove out of the way as did Rhodes, who dropped Krissy. I scrambled to her side and dragged her to me, thankful for the car that now idled between us.
"Krissy! Wake up, beautiful. Please wake up." I checked her neck for a pulse, thankful to find one though it was weak. I watched carefully for the rise and fall of her chest, but it never came, so I started mouth-to-mouth. I'd spent years imagining the moment my lips would finally taste hers, but never thought it would be to save her life. "Breathe. You gotta breathe for me."

After several arduous moments, she sucked in a deep breath, coughing.

"Oh, thank Jesus." I cradled her in my arms, only then remembering the mysterious car and Agent Rhodes. "Just breathe, and try to stay quiet. I'm going to check out what's going on."

Krissy only nodded, still coughing painfully. I stayed low, listening for sounds of movement. Besides some rustling, and a grunt every now and then, it was silent.