I shook my head. “No, Katie. This is Maximillian. He’s one of the members of the directorate. He wouldn’t b—.” Stopping in mid-sentence, I reached for Leo’s arm.
“Oh my God,” Leo said. “Maximillian is Mark.”
I gave him a confused look. That’s when it dawned on me. He’s a member of the directorate and he’s dating Katie’s neighbor. Leo’s father knows enough to bust him for it.
Katie gasped. “Joe! Mark framed Joe.”
The photo of Maximillian’s girlfriend from the newsletter and then Serena’s image flashed in my mind. The eyes. They had the same eyes. Had he brought his girlfriend back to life? “He did it all for Serena,” I said.
Neither Katie nor Leo paid attention to me.
“Why now?” Katie asked. “Why frame Joe now when he’s known us for years?”
Leo shook his head. “My father could identify him at the Summit.”
“We have to call somebody,” Katie said. “We have to let them know that Joe is innocent.”
I pulled out my cell and dialed my mother.
“Hello,” my mother said. “Jen, what’s up?”
Beside me, Leo exclaimed, “He could be here any minute, and the door is unlocked.” Leo scrambled for the door.
“Mom!” My mind raced to determine the best way to explain this to her.
“Jen,” Katie hissed. She nodded toward the door.
I turned to see Leo, hands up, backing slowly toward us.
Maximillian himself stood with a gun trained on Leo.
Instinctively, I brought my hand down to hide the phone behind my back.
“Hands up,” Max ordered. “Both of you.”
I let the phone slip from my fingers and land on the soft carpet before raising both hands to mimic Leo’s pose.
“What are you doing, Mark?” Katie asked, her voice shaking. “Where’s Serena?”
“Shut up, Katie! You idiots are messing everything up for me!”
He was going to kill us! Being trapped in a bottle was bad, but getting shot? That’s a whole other story. Leo moved to my side and stopped.
I could feel a sneeze coming. My Karmic cold had no respect for the precariousness of my position.
I stopped breathing in hopes of keeping the sneeze at bay.
When the sneeze came, I tried to regain focus and see Max’s reaction. He jumped, startled, and squeezed off a shot.
The noise was deafening, and I couldn’t tell for sure what had happened. I’d ducked at some point. Katie and Leo had too. Was Leo shot? Was I?
Katie stood, pointing at the top of my head. I grabbed at my forehead.
“Up there,” she said. “It went high.”
I turned to see a hole in the wall. The hole was a few inches higher than the top of my head. Black spots clouded my vision, and I fell to the carpet on my knees.
“Jen,” Leo said, crouching beside me.
“Enough!” shouted Max. “Stand up or I’ll kill all three of you right now.”
Leo pulled me to my feet.
“I’m okay,” I said, though standing was a struggle.
“Hand’s up, Leo,” Max snarled.
Leo let go of me and raised his hands. I raised mine slightly, unable to find the strength to reach above my head.
“We’re getting out of here now,” Max said. “The police will be on their way.”
The police and the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. security teams. They’d be monitoring any violence at Katie’s place, and they’d know that a shot was fired.
Could we stall without getting killed?
Max grabbed Katie by the arm and yanked her in front of him. He held her in place with one arm around her neck and pressed the gun against her temple. “How will Daddy feel, Leo, when the love of his life is dead?”
“Leo,” Katie cautioned.
The man with the gun was getting too jumpy. “I don’t have time for this merda! I’m counting to three and I’m pulling the trigger. One. Two.”
“Don’t shoot her,” I said. “We’re moving.”
“Out the door and down the stairs. Katie first, then Jen, then Leo.” He shoved Katie toward the door and then motioned to me and Leo with his gun. “There’s a black Lexus in the parking lot. If you alert anyone, you’ll be signing their death sentence.”
The elusive black Lexus crossover. All that searching and the friggin’ thing had come to us.
I suddenly wished I’d practiced that beaming thing so we could get the heck out of there. Maybe Leo had a plan.
We reached the bottom of the stairs, and Max said, “Across the lot.”
“What are you going to do with us?” Leo asked as we moved closer and closer to the vehicle. “You can’t frame us too.”
“I can’t have you ruining everything,” Max growled from behind us. “If I can’t find a way to erase your memory, I’ll erase the three of you.”
I can’t tell you how badly I was hoping for the memory thing.
“We can’t get in the car,” Katie whispered. “They always say that decreases your chance of survival.”
Could he erase our memories? Would he even try? And if he did, what would happen to us? Katie was right. We were doomed, and we had to stay out of that Lexus.
The parking lot was dark, cold, and deserted.
“Can we beam out of here?” I whispered to Leo as he moved closer to us.
“No. I can’t handle all three of us.”
Where was the cavalry?
Leo turned to Max, startling all of us by yelling, “We aren’t taking another step you psychotic bastard!”
Max narrowed his eyes and pointed the gun at Leo’s chest.
Leo stood calm and resolute.
The gun morphed into a taser just as Max fired.
The taser charge hit Leo without any effect. He pulled the probe from his arm, and then Leo charged toward Max.
Leo was brilliant!
“Worthless piece of merda!” the older man shouted. He tossed aside the weapon and Leo knocked him to the asphalt.
Max’s fist connected with Leo’s head.
As they scuffled, I frantically searched for some way to help. I stumbled away from them. As I took a step, I accidentally kicked Max’s stun-gun.
I bent down and grabbed it. The taser wouldn’t work on us, but maybe it would work on Max.
“Stop,” I yelled, training the stun-gun on Max and Leo. “Stop now.”
Max looked up at me and sneered. He bit Leo’s arm and when Leo recoiled, Max pinned him to the ground with his elbow in Leo’s throat.
“Do it,” Katie urged. “Shoot him.”
Leo punched him in the jaw and rolled over him.
I walked over closer, ready to fire.
Leo smashed his fist into Max’s stomach and rolled out of the way.
I fired. A probe launched into the front of Max’s right shoulder.
Max seized and screamed in pain.
Leo got to his feet and touched his hand to his split lip. His jacket had protected his arms, but his jeans were ripped and his right knee was bleeding.
“Jen,” Leo said, “stop pushing that button. I’m afraid you’re going to shock him to death.”
Katie harrumphed. “I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”
I clutched the trigger tightly in my hand. Oh. That’s why Max was still thrashing on the ground. I eased off and he calmed. “What if he gets up?”
“He won’t,” Leo said. “And if he does, you can just hit the voltage again.”
A car turned into the lot, and my heart stopped.
Did Max have friends? Or had the authorities finally responded to the gunshot?
How on earth were we going to explain the man writhing on the ground?
“I’ll pull him between the cars,” Leo said already reaching down and grabbing Max under the armpits.
Katie and I moved to stand between the car and Max, in hopes of obstructing the view.
A silver minivan drew closer with my father behind the wheel.
>
Thank God because we needed some serious help. He pulled up next to me. I glanced down to see that Max was still easily seen.
Mom jumped out of the passenger side. “Jen! What’s happening? You stopped talking and then we heard a gunshot!” She stared at Leo and then turned to me in dismay. “A male genie?”
“Mom,” I said, pointing to Maximillian. “He framed Leo’s dad.”
“I—” Mom’s mouth snapped shut as she took in the man on the ground. “You attacked a member of the Directorate?”
“He attacked us,” Leo said. “And he’s been dating a woman in this building. My dad had seen him, so he panicked. He framed my father.”
“Joe Fuller’s son,” Mom said, staring at Leo. “You’re the Leo who’s been playing drums in Ian’s band?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Leo said, holding out his hand. “Sorry about the deception.”
Mom shook his hand. Then she gave me a stern look. “You’ve been up to all kinds of mischief, haven’t you?”
“Are we going to be banished to the other realm?” I asked, terrified to hear her answer.
“I hope not.” She pulled her genie phone out of her pocket and hit speed dial. “Roger, how far away is Genie Security?” With a glance at Maximillian, she added, “Better convene the Directorate and the Oversight Committee. We have a big problem.”
She hung up and turned to Dad in the van. “Park somewhere, Mike, we’re going to be here a while.”
Dad pulled away.
“Is there somewhere we can get out of the public eye?” Mom asked.
“My place,” Katie offered. She motioned to her condo. “Second floor.” She held out her hand to my mother. “Joe’s girlfriend. Nice to meet you.”
Mom shook her hand. “I’m Laura, and my husband is Mike. I guess we should get moving, then. Leo, I’m assuming you can transport Maximillian to the apartment. Discretion is the priority here.”
Wait a minute. Was she telling him to use magic?
“Yes, ma’am,” Leo said. He leaned down and grabbed Maximillian’s arm. Then the two of them disappeared.
Mom put her hand on my arm. “Let’s get Dad and you can show us the way.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said. Then I threw my arms around her. It had been a long couple of weeks.
Mom squeezed me tight. “And here I thought you were the one I didn’t need to worry about.”
“I’m sorry.”
“C’mon,” she said.
“Want to explain what’s going on?” Dad said, as we met him at the van.
Mom tried a brief summary as we walked up the steps to Katie’s.
We followed Katie inside to where Leo stood over the groaning form of Maximillian.
“He’s one of your honored thinkers from history?” Dad asked.
“Our system isn’t perfect,” Mom said with an irritated tone. “Apparently, he’s been dating your neighbor?”
Katie nodded. “For years. Joe and I have spent quite a few evenings with them.”
“Money or love,” Mom said. “It’s always one of the two.”
Katie glanced nervously at the figure on the floor. “What should we tell Serena? She’ll be devastated.”
“Nothing. Keep her in the dark until we determine exactly what Maximillian was up to.”
“Does this mean Joe will be released?” Katie asked, putting her arm around Leo.
“Probably,” Mom said. “It should be easy to show that Maximillian’s been violating his vows.”
“Thank God,” Katie said, swaying with relief.
A loud knock at the door drew our attention.
“I’ll let them in,” Mom said. “If that’s okay with you?”
Katie waved away her concern. “Please do.”
Genie Security came in wearing plain black pants and jackets. There were three of them, a woman and two big men.
They handcuffed Maximillian who was starting to become more alert.
They pulled him to his feet and beamed out of the apartment.
“Why didn’t the police come?” I asked.
“We took care of it.”
“What took you so long, Mom?”
“I’m sorry, honey. We came as quickly as we could.”
My father glanced at the bullet hole in the wall and then hugged me.
Mom said, “Katie and Leo, I’m afraid you’ll have to come in to make your statements.”
“Will we be able to see Joe tonight?” Katie asked anxiously.
Mom considered for a moment. “I think we’ll be able to swing it. His minor son has been through a traumatic experience. I wouldn’t expect his release tonight, though. The statements and paperwork may take several days.”
“Days?” Katie’s face fell.
With a sigh, Mom said, “I’ll make some phone calls. See if we can get some pressure applied to the right people.”
“Really, Mom? That would be great!”
Mom turned to Katie. “Would you like to ride down with us?”
Katie motioned to Leo. “We’ll follow in my car.”
“And we,” Mom said squeezing my shoulder, “need to talk.”
Uh oh.
Dad gave me a pitying glance.
I was so dead.
We barely hit the car when my mother started. “Jen, you can’t be anywhere near a male genie. And you certainly can’t date one! Are you insane?”
“I’m sorry, Mom. He came to me for help. And we aren’t dating.” We weren’t exactly dating. Kissing a little. A few sparks flying. I wished we were dating.
“Jen, no matter who you’re dating, you shouldn’t hide it from us,” Dad said.
“Do you realize what danger you’ve been in? Not just from Maximillian but from defying the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E.” Mom frowned. “I find it very disturbing that you have developed a relationship with one of the few people you have been forbidden to come in contact with. You could date any other boy—”
“We aren’t dating, Mother.”
“I thought you liked that irritating boy in Ian’s band.” Dad was always several steps behind.
“Let me get this straight,” Mom said. “A total stranger comes to you and asks you to help his father, also a total stranger, by breaking…how many rules?” She started ticking them off on her fingers. “Being in the presence of a genie. Lying about that disposable phone. Lying about your whereabouts.” She gave me a hard look. “Have you even seen Alex in the last few weeks?”
“Yes. Just not quite as much as I, um, led you to believe.”
With a huff, she moved on. “Eating dinner with complete strangers. Although, I have to admit Katie seems very nice.”
“Mom, this is what happened.” So I explained about breaking into her office and driving around Atlanta to find the culprit.
“Jennifer Farrelly. I cannot believe you’d violate my trust by breaking into my office.”
“Me either,” I said.
“Do you realize the kind of trouble you could have gotten into running around Atlanta by yourselves? You could have just asked me about the people I work with.” She stopped. “You did ask me, didn’t you? And the newfound interest in the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. and the Techno Echo…It was all just a way to find out more for Leo.”
“Yes, and no. Mom, I’m really interested in everything now. I understand what Dad always says about the dangers of sticking your head in the sand.”
“When we get home, I want a full confession of everything you’ve been up to.”
I winced.
“I can get your statements from the debriefing if I want, Jen. I’d rather you come clean with me.”
Uggh. “What’s the debriefing going to be like?”
“Long and tiresome. Your father will stay with you the whole time. I have a million other problems to attend to.”
Now I was just another problem for my mother to deal with.
“It should help that you were able to find the perpetrator,” my dad said. “They ought to take that into account when tallyin
g your offenses.”
“Mom, do they have iced tea in the other realm? And crushed ice?”
Mom laughed. “That’s a good one, Jen.”
“Wait a minute.” I desperately needed an answer. “I’m totally serious. Do they?”
“Oh,” Mom said. “Um. I really doubt it.”
Crap.
“They’re far more likely to take away your powers for a decade. Or two,” Dad said.
“Speaking of powers, Mom. You knew all along that I could get away with doing all kinds of cool stuff. Like teleporting. But you kept it from me.”
“Other genies have gotten away with a lot, Jen. But I was afraid they’d be watching you closely.” She sighed. “I guess I overestimated the surveillance. The fact that you’ve spent the last week with a male genie seems to have slipped by them.”
“Well, they’ll know now.”
“True. Jen, I thought you knew better than to hide things from us. I thought our relationship was stronger than that.”
“It is, Mom. This was just…” What was this? How could I explain that Leo had needed me? Without sounding like a moron or a lovesick girl?
Mom rolled her eyes. “What did you let him talk you into, Jen? Breaking into my office. If that boy had said genies couldn’t get pregnant the first time they had sex, you’d probably believe that too.”
My cheeks flamed. I can’t believe she said that in front of Dad. “No, Mom, I’m not an idiot.” Of course, if Leo was watching me with those killer blue eyes and talking in that soft, husky way he had…who knew?
“You’ve made some pretty poor choices lately, Jen.”
“Not that poor, Mom.” I was going to pretend the kiss hadn’t happened for now. She’d probably buy me a chastity belt if she heard about the smoke we’d made.
“We can talk about all this later,” Dad said, as we pulled into the parking lot at Genie Communications. He nodded toward the dozens of cars that weren’t normally there after dark. “Looks like they’ve called in the troops.”
It hit me that I was going to be grilled by some pretty scary people. Suddenly I couldn’t quite breathe. “Mom?”
She patted my hand. “You’ll be fine. Dad will be right there.”
All of Dad’s ranting from the last seventeen years came back to me. No rights for genies. He’d spent hour after hour arguing with Mom about the dangers.
The Karma Beat Page 14