Josh stared at Bonnie, trying to think up a response.
“I think the movie’s starting,” Cam said, tugging on Josh’s sleeve. “We better get in there. Nice to meet you, ladies.” They veered away from the two girls, and Josh’s last glance at Bonnie got him a smug nod.
“Gee,” Cam said, “I never knew your ex-girlfriend was such a pretentious you-know-what.”
“She wasn’t pretentious in high school.”
“It still seems weird that you guys were together.”
Josh shrugged. “She was pretty and she asked me out. Though now she’s a total—”
“She asked you out?” Cam groaned.
“Okay, it wasn’t my finest moment,” Josh said. “But that was ages ago. What gives her the right to berate me in public?”
“Not the kind of confrontation I’d want to have with one of my exes, for sure.”
“Seriously, does she think she’s better than me, or something? She thinks she has it all figured out? What a—”
“Shake it off, bro. Shake it off.” Cam gave Josh a hearty thump on the back. But Josh’s hand was clenched around his drink as he and Cam approached Chloe and Alex.
“…and your jeans,” Chloe was saying. “I’ve wanted some of those for ages, but I can’t afford it. Aren’t they like three hundred dollars a pair?”
Alex shrugged, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “They were a gift from my dad. He kind of spoils me.”
“Oh, Alex. I’d kill to have your life,” Chloe said wistfully. “Why couldn’t my parents be rich like yours?”
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Alex said, but Chloe’s attention had wandered, and Josh was pretty sure she’d stopped listening.
“Ready to see the movie?” he asked.
“I need to stop at the restroom first. Be right back!” Chloe hopped away.
“Probably a good idea,” Cam said, following her.
Alex met Josh’s gaze, giving a cursory, polite smile.
Josh’s pulse accelerated as he grasped for something to say. “So…your family’s well off, huh?”
“Just my dad. He got this big inheritance when his aunt died—she was, like, a millionaire or something.” She sighed. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Right. Um…so, how do you like Colorado so far?”
“It’s beautiful, but I’m still adjusting to the cold.”
“It’s only October. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Just then a slender, red-haired man strode up to them. “Excuse me, miss. I need to speak with you for a moment.”
Alex frowned and crossed her arms. “What? Why?”
The man leaned in closer to her, getting in what had to be her personal space. He was barely taller than her, and his black hoodie didn’t look like an employee uniform.
“What’s going on?” Josh asked, his hackles rising. This guy was creepy—especially the way he looked at her with those pale, gray eyes.
The man ignored him, grabbing Alex’s elbow and angling her away. “I just need to ask you a few questions.”
Alex opened her mouth to speak, but halted, her face softening into a passive expression. A look came over her eyes that was alien, nothing like Josh had seen on her before.
“Come with me,” the man said, tugging her arm. Alex didn’t protest, but her legs moved automatically, almost as if she were under some spell.
“What do you need her for?” Josh asked.
“Give us just a minute, then she’s all yours,” the man called to Josh, not looking away from her face. He steered her toward one of the theater’s dark hallways.
“Wait,” Josh said, following. “Alex? Is this guy bothering you?”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard.
Josh clenched his jaw. He might regret this later, but something weird was going on, and he wouldn’t forgive himself if he let some creeper harass her. Josh yanked the guy’s arm, hoping to loosen the grip on Alex.
The man didn’t let go. Instead his jaw clenched, and he finally addressed Josh, still not looking his direction. “Just give us a minute and you can have your girlfriend back.” He spoke through his teeth, his voice transformed from the polite formality to a sharp bite.
Heat flamed up the back of Josh’s neck at the suggestion that he and Alex were a couple, but he wasn’t letting this guy off. “It’s really bothering you that I’m here, isn’t it? What is it you want with her, anyway?”
The man broke his eye contact with Alex and turned toward Josh. His voice morphed into a forced softness, the words even and controlled. “You should go to the restroom.”
Josh frowned, trying to figure out this change of tactics. The man met his gaze, widening those strange, pale eyes. He paused for a moment, as if searching. “I said, you need to use—”
Josh didn’t have time for this. He looked back at Alex. She was like a statue, her gaze frozen on where the man’s face had been a moment earlier. Josh pushed past the man and grabbed her arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” At the shove, the man’s grip fell away, and Josh didn’t hesitate. He pulled her out of the hallway, glancing behind at the creep.
The man leapt forward like he was going to grab her again, but after several paces they were back into the busy corridor, and his pale eyes looked hesitant, darting around anxiously. After a moment, he ducked back into the side hallway, away from them.
Josh tugged Alex back toward the restrooms to meet Cam and Chloe. Her legs stumbled forward though Josh wasn’t walking fast. When they stopped, he grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes, searching.
“Alex? Are you okay?”
For a moment her expression remained blank, but then she blinked, startling when she found him staring into her eyes. “Huh? What?”
“I asked if you were okay. You didn’t know that guy, did you?”
“What guy?”
Josh’s hands felt suddenly heated by the contact, and he released her. “What do you mean ‘what guy?’ That red-haired dude who just tried to, I don’t know, accost you or something.”
She frowned. “I don’t remember a guy. But I feel…weird. Like, my brain’s sorta fuzzy or something.”
“Wow, that’s creepy,” Josh muttered. He shook his head. “I knew something was whacked with that guy.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know, exactly. This guy came up saying he needed to talk to you and then you got all…” He couldn’t think of a word for how she’d looked.
“All what?”
Josh dug his toe into the carpet. “I don’t know. It was like you weren’t there. You were just walking off with the guy like you were gonna do whatever he told you.”
Her eyes were wide. “Okay, that’s the freakiest thing I’ve ever heard. I’d say you were crazy, only I feel pretty bizarre. So how did you get him to go away?”
Josh blew out a breath. “Well, he pulled you down the hall over there—I guess he probably wanted to get you somewhere that no one would see—and I wasn’t sure what to do. I finally ended up grabbing you and dragging you back here. Sorry ’bout that.” He rubbed his temple and gave her an apologetic grimace.
“Why sorry?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m fine. Anyway, if I’m being lured away by some crazy perv, I’m pretty okay with you doing what you got to do.”
“Right. Okay.”
“Who’s the crazy perv?” Cam asked, rejoining them.
Josh waited for Alex to explain, but she looked hesitant. “Uh…”
“Oh my gosh, the line was forever long!” Chloe said, hurrying up to them. “Are you guys ready? The show’s about to start.”
“Let’s go,” Josh said, locking eyes with Alex as they followed the others. When they passed the hall where the man had gone to hide, Josh paused, glancing down it. The hall was empty, but Josh’s eye landed on the exit sign at the far door.
Alex followed his gaze and arched an eyebrow
at him.
“That’s where it happened,” Josh said under his breath.
She nodded, her mouth a tight line.
“Come sit by me, Alex,” Chloe said as they filed into the theater.
Alex shrugged as she passed Josh and joined Chloe. Cam followed the girls, and Josh sat at the end of the row.
What a weird day. His mind flicked from Bonnie and that awkward confrontation to the creepy red-haired guy.
A dull thudding on his chair distracted Josh from his thoughts. It felt like someone was kicking his seat. He glanced behind him, but that spot was empty. Focusing on the on-screen car chase, he tried to get into the movie. The kicks didn’t stop. Tiny vibrations shook his chair ever so slightly in a regular pattern. Josh glanced at Cam, but he seemed engrossed in the flick. Past him, Chloe was similarly unaware of the movement. That’s when Josh noticed Alex. In the flickering brightness from the screen, her could see her crossed legs and her right foot bobbing idly. The heel of her shoe struck the side of her chair with each kick. It reverberated down the row and through his own chair. Josh tried to focus on the onscreen woman yelling at her boyfriend, but all he could think of was Alex kicking his chair. What would’ve happened if he hadn’t intervened when that man had tried to drag her away? And where had the guy disappeared to? The whole incident unnerved him, and yet there was nothing to report, and anyone he told probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.
Before he knew it, the lights went up and the credits were rolling. He’d missed the whole thing. At least now he could get out of here and get his mind off Bonnie and the guy in the hoodie.
Chloe began to chatter about the movie as they all rose to leave. Not having the energy for her cheerfulness, Josh hung back. He made a pit stop on his way out, more for a moment of peace than anything else.
~
Nic recognized the trio loitering in front of the theater. His eyes narrowed at the brunette with the freckles—the one he’d been waiting for.
Overhearing about her rich daddy and the regular drafts to her bank account had snagged his attention. The movie title had been an omen, and she was the prize. All he needed was her bank account information.
A quick session with her would’ve given him access—if he was lucky, not just to her account, but to her father’s as well. But that stupid kid had gotten in his way and ruined the plan. Nic couldn't captivate more than one person at a time. His greatest flaw—his only flaw. Without their attention, he had no control.
He wouldn’t let her off that easily. He needed a new strategy, and he was watching them, waiting for it.
Four had gone in the movie, but only three had come out, and with the lanky, dark-haired kid missing, Nic felt his chance creeping closer. The brunette wouldn’t remember him—they never did after he’d used his power on them. And the other two hadn’t seen him, so he was safe. He just had to act before the lanky guy came back. Time was running short.
The buff guy was laughing, trying to block the blonde as she took pictures with her phone. The target stood a little way off, engaged in her own phone—the latest, most expensive model, of course. It was highly likely that everything Nic needed was on that phone. There was his new plan. Now he just needed access.
“Aw, geez, Chloe. Not in my face.” The guy tried to shield himself with his hands.
Nic stepped in to take advantage of their distraction. He touched the brunette’s hand, and her head swung up in surprise.
“Hi,” he said softly, smiling at her. There was a beat while he waited for her eyes to absorb the look in his own. She didn’t answer, but after a silent count of three, her eyes went hazy and distant.
“I need this,” he said, almost under his breath, snatching the phone away. The brunette gave a slight nod, but other than that didn’t react. The other two were still in their own world. It looked like the blonde chick had finally managed to snap a photo of the dude.
A mass of people began exiting the theater, spilling onto the street. Nic backed into the crowd, keeping his eyes on the target until the last instant when he darted out of sight. Navigating the sea of people was easy, and he zigzagged deftly through the clusters. She wouldn’t realize she’d been robbed or think clearly enough to look for him for another few minutes—plenty of time for him to disappear.
“Hey! Where’s my phone?” Alex’s frantic voice was the first thing Josh heard when he exited the theater.
He made his way toward her, swimming through the chaos of people until he found his siblings. Cam was in a trance, his face blank, while Alex looked frightened and Chloe, confused. Chloe lowered her phone and eyed Alex. “What?”
“I feel…weird.” Alex blinked pointed into the crowd. “It was that guy again—I know it! And my phone’s gone! I think he just ran off with it.”
“The same man?” Josh asked.
“I think so…” Alex’s brows pulled together, and she met Josh’s gaze. “I have that same, strange feeling, like I’m missing a few minutes of memory.”
“I didn’t see a man,” Chloe said. “And what’s this about missing memory?”
Unresponsive Cam looked like he was stuck in another one of his déjà vu episodes, but he’d be fine. That wasn’t important at the moment.
“It happened just now?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, like a minute ago. It’s so weird, I was…” Her brow wrinkled, but she didn’t finish the thought.
“Are you sure it was someone? You didn’t leave it in the theater?” Chloe said.
“We need to call the police—” Alex began.
Chloe held up a hand. “Okay, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. What guy from earlier?”
Calling the police wouldn’t help if the mugger got away, and they didn’t have time for Chloe’s questions right now, either. Josh put a hand on Chloe’s arm. “If you see a short, red-headed man wearing a black hoodie, watch out.”
Before she could ask what he meant, Josh darted into the crowd. He scanned the sea of faces as he jogged between them, looking for anyone in a black hoodie. A couple holding hands forced him to skid to a stop. He ducked between them, and the woman let out a cry of surprise.
“Sorry,” he called behind him.
A teen on a skateboard coming right for Josh veered out of his way at the last moment but then crashed to the ground when he couldn’t regain his balance. He hurled a string of curses, but Josh had already moved on, weaving through the pedestrians. After a block or so the people had thinned dramatically, leaving just a few here and there. He glanced back to see how far he’d come and realized the theater was quite a way behind him.
Josh turned and tripped over something, landing flat on his face. A little girl cried out. Her father knelt down next to her, glaring at Josh.
“My bad,” Josh mumbled, hurrying off again. Ahead there was a line of people waiting to get into a club. Josh slowed as he neared them, examining all the black-clad individuals. Women wore black lace tights under ripped miniskirts, and men wore black collared shirts tucked into their dark-washed jeans, but he saw no one in a hoodie.
Then he looked beyond the crowd.
Past the club entrance a lone hooded figure dressed in black hurried away. Josh scrambled through the line of people, receiving angry jabs from those waiting. Once in the clear, he raced toward the lone figure and snagged him by the hood.
The guy yelled and fell backward, cursing as he landed on his rear. “What do you think you’re doing?” His hood had fallen back, unveiling a face with multiple piercings that was too young to be the man from earlier.
“Sorry,” Josh said. “Thought you were someone else.”
The kid pulled himself up and gave Josh a dirty look, brushing himself off and pulling his hood back over his head. He mumbled more obscenities and strode off.
Josh turned in a circle, making one last effort to spot Alex’s mugger. He didn’t see anyone else that resembled the guy. No matter how much he hated to admit it, the man had probably gotten away by now. Josh cursed under
his breath and headed back to Alex.
~
Alex explained everything to Chloe, who had called the police. Then Alex noticed Cam, frozen as if stunned. “Is he okay?”
Chloe waved her hand in front of his face, but he didn’t respond. “Yeah, he’s just having an episode. My phone’s flash probably triggered it.”
“Oh.” Alex watched his face, in awe. If she hadn’t known about his episodes, she probably would’ve just thought he was zoning out.
Finally, he blinked and met her eyes.
“Cam, Alex lost—” Chloe began.
“I saw him,” he said. “The guy who took your phone.”
“You saw it happen?” Alex asked.
He nodded.
“Josh went after him.” She pointed the direction he’d disappeared.
“That’s the wrong way,” Cam said. “This guy went through the crowd, but then he darted down that alley.” He pointed at a gap between the buildings in the opposite direction from where Josh had gone.
“The police are on their way,” Chloe said.
“But he’ll be gone by then,” Alex said.
Cam nodded. “The guy’s fast.”
But Alex knew she was faster. She took off running, going the long way around, circling the crowd. The world blurred, but she could still see where she was going. To any onlookers she’d be the blur—but only for an instant, before she sped to her top pace. Then she’d be nearly invisible.
She flew down the street, past the next block and into the alley where Cam had pointed. There he was, crouched behind the dumpster, scrolling through her cell phone. That bastard!
She could’ve just dashed by him, plucked it from his fingers, and darted away. But she wanted to teach the creep a lesson. She grabbed the phone and halted suddenly. She wanted him to see her, to know he couldn’t treat her that way. “You jerk!”
His hands balled into fists and a look of fury reddened his pasty face. But she didn’t wait for a response. When he began to rise, she ran around him, first one lap and then four more, zooming in circles like a mad bumblebee. It felt a little good to let her crazy-fast feet vent her fury. Out of her pocket she pulled the trusty can of pepper spray her dad always insisted she carry. She screeched to a halt right in front of the guy, and before he could make a move, she blasted him full in the face.
Outsider: The Flawed Series Book Two Page 3