Outsider: The Flawed Series Book Two

by Becca J. Campbell

  “He shot me.” She shuddered for a minute and winced as he brushed the hem of her jeans. She clenched her teeth and paused a moment before she could continue. “I was in the practice space. He must’ve knocked me out. I woke up here.” She scrunched her eyes closed.

  The pain had to be intolerable. Watching her made Josh’s heart ache. “I saw two guys throw you in the trunk and leave, so I followed them here. I didn’t get a very good look though.” He frowned. “Did you see them?”

  “It was the guy who ran you down with the car—the same guy who tried to steal my phone.”

  Josh thought back. “What—back at the movie theater, like over a month ago?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He told me.”

  “What about the other man?”

  She shook her head. “I only saw one.”

  Finally the tape was off. She placed her hands behind her and tried to prop herself up a little but cried aloud at the change of position. Josh started to put a hand behind her to help steady her back, but she pulled away.

  “No! Josh—don’t touch me.”

  “It’s okay, I’ll be careful.”

  “No!” She let herself fall back to the floor.

  He gaped at her for a second, pulling his hand back.

  She gave him a pained frown. It looked like she was about to cry. “Josh, you can’t touch me. You know what it’ll do—to you.”

  That’s what she was worried about? He sighed. He did know what it would do—all too well. He’d barely healed from his last wound, and it was fresh on his mind.

  “He shot you in the legs?”

  She nodded and gritted her teeth. It seemed difficult for her to talk, but she must be pretty tough to handle that kind of pain this quietly. Her eyelids fluttered.

  “I—I was right outside,” he whispered. It sounded like five or six shots.”

  She didn’t answer immediately. At first it looked like she was thinking, but then he realized she must be lightheaded. She spoke thickly. “Sounds about right. It hurts everywhere. My knee… ’specially.”

  His eyes traced her legs. There was blood everywhere—he couldn’t tell where it was coming from because every inch of her jeans was soaked red. She’d lost a lot and would keep losing more unless he did something. He pulled off his jacket and the flannel shirt he wore over his T-shirt. Using the pocket knife he began to cut it into strips.

  “We need to stop the bleeding.”

  While he worked, Josh searched for the wounds. There were several punctures in her jeans where bullets must have entered. The knee of her pants was ripped open. He pulled the fabric apart gently, making her wince. Sharp bone fragments jutted out through her flesh. Her knee was completely shattered.

  His own head lurched, and he took several deep breaths to clear the nausea.

  With all the blood everywhere and still seeping out, he wasn’t sure if Alex would make it. Even if he could get her to hospital—would she ever be able to walk again? The thought pained him, stopping him cold.

  “How bad am I?”

  He tried to swallow, but his throat was completely dry. “I don’t know. It’s hard to see much around all the blood. Just hang in there, okay?” He took a strip of his shirt and paused, preparing to bandage her legs.

  The truth was, he could tell she was bad—really bad. If Alex couldn’t use her legs…she’d never run. She’d never be able to play the drums again. Her ability would be useless, and everything she enjoyed most would be gone.

  Josh had to look away. He kept the flashlight low where she couldn’t see the tears welling up in his eyes. How would he feel if he couldn’t play music? Music was everything to him—without it, would he even want to live? Torment at her loss ripped at his insides. He wanted to pummel the man who did this to her.

  But through his anger, his frustration, and his fear for her, he realized he was wrong. Music wasn’t everything to him. There was something more important in his life—his family and friends and her—Alex was more important to him than being able to play. More than he needed his music, he needed her. He suddenly realized that he had to keep her alive.

  All this time he’d been a fool and a selfish idiot, wallowing in his own self-pity and guilt. Wasn’t guilt just another way to focus on himself instead of others? He’d always wanted to be something special, to be famous, or to make a difference in the world. It had always seemed an okay goal—noble, even. But now the truth hit him like a ripping force, unveiling his own motives: behind his desire for greatness, he was just an insecure kid looking for affirmation.

  He would do it. He’d give up his own future—maybe his life—to save her.

  Once Josh had decided, a huge weight lifted off his chest. It didn’t matter if she cared for him or not. It didn’t matter if they even ended up together. What mattered was that he cared about her and he couldn’t let her die.

  He turned the flashlight on the floor between them so that he could see into her face. “Alex.”

  Her eyelids fluttered. She could hear him, but she was fading quickly. He had to hurry.

  He yanked off his belt and used it as a tourniquet around his left thigh—that looked like her worst side. Shining the light on her waist, he check and found she was wearing a belt, too. Good, that would help.

  Clearing his throat, he touched the buckle. “Uh, I’m going to need your belt. Tell me if I’m hurting you.”

  Her head lolled to the side, and she mumbled something incoherent but didn’t protest when he unbuckled the belt and began to slide it out from under her. Bent over her, he forced himself to focus on the task. Mind out of the gutter, Josh. The girl is seriously wounded. He fastened it tight around his other leg and turned back to her.

  He kept his words even, measured. “These strips of cloth will do for bandages. I don’t know where they’ll need to go, but we’ll find out soon enough. You need to get them around me as soon as you can. Do you think you can do that?” His own voice had a calm firmness filled with determination that he wasn’t used to hearing.

  She looked at him, brows pulled together in confusion at first and then her eyes widening as she understood. She shook her head. “No. No, Josh. You can’t!”

  When he grabbed her arms tightly in his hands, her long-sleeved shirt still kept their skin from touching. Josh searched her face for a sign of understanding. He was going to do this either way, but he needed her to get him bandaged afterward, if he was going to have any chance at surviving.

  “Listen. You’re hurt bad, but I’ll be okay. You get those bandages on me, and I’ll be fine until we can make it to a hospital.” That was hope and a long shot, but he was trying to stay positive, and she didn’t look coherent enough to reason with him anyway. Unblinking, he boldly held her gaze in a way he never did with anyone.

  She stared back at him but seemed paralyzed. It could have been pain or confusion.

  Taking a deep breath, he tried to put on a reassuring smile, though it was probably more like a grimace. Now was the time—before he lost his nerve.

  He released her arm, placing his palm gently against her cheek. Shock registered on her face and she started to speak, but Josh didn’t catch her words.

  Like a freight train, pain stormed over his body, destroying every thought in his mind, screaming louder than every other sensation. First in his calf, then bashing up and down his legs like a sledgehammer. The fire spread from his toes to his hips. He heard a howl echo through the chamber and dully recognized it was his own, agonized voice. He clenched his eyes shut and sunk his fingers deep into Alex’s arm, only letting up when he realized he was probably hurting her.

  A sticky, wet warmth spread over his legs. His breathing grew ragged, and his mind fogged. The surroundings faded and the pain lessened to a dull roar as his world turned to blackness.

  ~

  After wreaking the first part of his vengeance on the witch, Nic drove back to the crummy motel where Ethan was staying. The place was
outdated and tacky, but it had a kitchenette, and it looked like the man had been living there for a while. The closet was full of clothing, and there was even an animal cage in the corner where Ethan kept his pet scorpion—not your small, everyday variety, but a large black one that didn’t look native to the continent. Nic would bet money the staff hadn’t approved that and probably didn’t know that creature was in here. It looked like the room hadn’t seen a maid since he’d moved in, what with the grimy sheets and the layer of dust coating the corners of the room and edges of the furniture. Nic knew Ethan had been weird when they’d lived at the blind school, but he hadn’t grasped the full extent until he’d seen this place.

  Ethan sat at the table in a hard-backed chair. Nic briefly considered perching on the edge of the nearby armchair, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he paced, checking the clock every few minutes.

  “Would you stop that?” Ethan said without looking at him.

  “What? I thought you couldn’t see me.”

  “I can hear your feet shuffling against the carpet. It’s quite irritating.”

  Good. A little irritation would help balance out their arrangement, considering the filth Nic had to endure for the next twenty hours. Nic ignored the complaint and let his mind work through the details one more time. His fingers tapped against his legs, antsy for the pinnacle to his plan.

  “We’ll leave around 12:30. I want to get there before he does. I’ll have the phony address ready for him.” Nic tapped his chin, thinking. “Hmm, probably should pick an actual location in case he tries to Google it or something. And we’ll make sure it’s nowhere close to where we’re actually keeping her. That, and far from our meetup spot. That way I’ll have plenty of time.” He rubbed his hands together, anticipating that moment.

  “So,” Nic continued, still pacing. “I’ll swap the address for the money while you wait in the car—”

  “I should be the one to make the swap.”

  “What? This is my deal. Why would I let you do the swap?”

  Ethan let the question hang for a moment before answering. Nic wasn’t sure if he was trying to think up a good reason or if he were calculating something else, but he didn’t like the weight in that silence.

  “As you said, it’s your deal, so of course you make the final decision. I was merely suggesting it might be more beneficial for you to let me handle the more dangerous position. Whoever stays in the car will be better protected.”

  Nic thought about it. Ethan did have a point, though he hated to give him credit for anything. “Yeah, okay. I’ll stay in the car and you make the swap. But you don’t get a gun.”

  “I didn’t suggest—”

  “Now shut up so I can think. I’m going to find a good location to send Mr. Jim Hailey after I get his money.” Nic’s lip curled as he thought of the man’s face when he went to the address and didn’t find his precious Freckles.

  She had no idea yet, but her time with Nic had only begun.

  “Josh—are you okay?” Alex’s soft but frantic voice nearby brought him back to the present.

  Josh groaned and turned his head as he came back to consciousness. His mind felt like mush. He opened his eyes.

  She squatted above him, her eyes fixed with fear and worry.

  He tried to smile at her to show he was okay, but the pain stopped him halfway. Thoughts were trying to peck their way through his brain like a flock of ravens. One thought clarified: Alex was…on her feet. It had worked?

  He pried his eyes wider, then managed to lift his head to get a better look. “You’re okay.” The words came out in a slurred mumble, but managing them at all was a major thing.

  She nodded.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. She was healed.

  “But you aren’t.” She glanced at his legs. He followed her gaze and realized she’d done what he’d asked. The pain must have made him pass out. Tight wraps striped his jeans, already soaked with a good deal of blood. Three on each leg.

  “I’ll be all right. Thanks for bandaging me up.”

  She shook her head again, her deep frown almost painful. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  He tried to shrug, but the pain climbed into his chest and shoulders. He winced.

  “Lie down. You need to rest.” She put a hand on his chest, lightly pressing into him until he eased back onto the floor. Despite the pain, he was aware of her fingertips brushing his hand.

  Once down, he took a few deep breaths, savoring the relief that she was okay. Her hand lingered on his.

  “Alex?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Is the pain totally gone? And the wounds?”

  She pulled her hand back. The set of her jaw was grim. “No pain. No scars.”

  Not even a scar? Wow.

  “It’s really amazing what you can do,” she said. “I wish you hadn’t, but it’s pretty amazing.”

  “You wish I hadn’t?”

  “It wasn’t your place. There’s no reason for you to heal me. It doesn’t solve the problem. One of us is still hurting.” She placed her hand on his arm. “And now it’s you.”

  He tried to focus just on the feel of her hand, to push all the pain away. The softness of her fingers against his skin helped a little.

  “So your wounds are gone—what about the bullets? You were shot, right?”

  She nodded, holding her hand out to him. There was something in her palm. He leaned up on his shoulder, stretching his neck, and saw the six small pieces of metal in her palm. His jaw dropped.

  He stared in amazement. “The bullets?”

  She nodded. “It was so weird—a few had gone all the way through, but the one in my knee was lodged into the bone or something… I actually saw it pop out of my leg when the flesh was healing.”

  “Wow, that’s totally creepy.”

  “Maybe. But pretty cool, too.” She spoke softly as if still in awe. “It was crazy amazing. Watching myself get put back together…the bones realigning…the skin repairing itself.”

  Josh wished he could’ve seen it. He sucked in a breath of amazement, making a sharp bolt of pain jog up his spine. He winced again.

  Alex sighed. “You’re really hurting. I know—the pain is still so fresh in my mind.” She rubbed her legs up and down. “Weird feeling.”

  He glanced at the door. “So we’re locked in here?”

  She nodded. “Once you were bandaged, I tried to open it. There’s no handle of any kind. I banged and yelled, but it’s thick. I don’t know if anyone can hear us in here.”

  “I don’t understand. So that guy’s ticked off at you or something? But why would he kidnap you?”

  “It’s my dad.”

  He stared at her blankly.

  “The guy had me talk to my dad on the phone—before he shot me. I think he’s trying to hold me for ransom.”

  “Kind of sloppy job considering how he wounded you, don’t you think?”

  “I think there’s more behind it. He knew about my ability. And he said I’d hurt him.”

  “What? The pepper spray?”

  “Maybe. He said he used to have magic eyes, but I ruined them. Maybe he had some special power too, and now it’s gone.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Josh, I’m really worried about my dad. He’ll have the money that guy wants. But what if something happens to him?” She rubbed her face with her hands. “I wish I had some way to tell him not to do it. To stay in California and not come here.” Suddenly her eyes widened and Josh saw a flicker of hope. “You don’t have your cell phone, do you?”

  “If I did, you think I’d just be lying here in pain?” He gave her a wry look, then shook his head sadly. “Left it in the car. Dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”

  Her shoulders drooped again. “That’s okay. I figured you didn’t.”

  “Where’s yours?”

  “I must have left it at the practice space. I didn’t take it out of my pocket, but maybe it fell out. I can’t find it anywhere.�
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  “I doubt that.” Josh shook his head. “They probably took it from you.”

  She nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess that makes more sense. So, is there anything we can do besides just sit here and wait?”

  “I don’t know. You’ve taken care of me for the time being. I think we just have to pray that someone finds us soon.” Before the kidnapper came back.

  They sat in silence for a few long minutes. The old Josh would have spent the time stewing over his mistakes, lamenting his unfortunate circumstances. But despite the intense and unceasing fire in his lower half, he felt lighter, buoyant compared to how he’d been the past few weeks.

  After a long time, Alex spoke again. “What do you think’s going on out there?”

  Josh knew what she meant—that somehow the world felt so distant, so far away as they sat trapped in this cell. “Well, it’s getting late. I don’t know what time exactly, but Chloe’s probably noticed that you’re gone by now.”

  “Which means she’s panicking and has started looking everywhere for me. I bet she’s already been to the practice space.” She shuddered. “You don’t think they will go back there, do you?”

  “It would just be risky. I bet those guys steer clear of that building or your apartment from now on.”

  “My apartment! Do you think they’ve been following me?” A look of panic swept across her face.

  “I have no idea.”

  “But he knew my name—and he had my dad’s phone number.”

  Then they probably had been tailing her. But Josh couldn’t say it out loud. “I wonder if Chloe knows I’m with you,” he said.

  “If she doesn’t, I bet she’s looking all over for you, too. If she was worried about me, she would probably go to you first.”

  “She’s never going to find my car.”

  “Why? Where did you leave it?”

  “In that old junkyard a few blocks down the street, next to its second cousins.”

  Alex gazed at a spot across the room. “My dad’s probably hunting down a way to get the money. The banks are closed, so he’ll have to make arrangements first thing in the morning. He’ll fly out here tomorrow…”