Lost Energy

by Lynn Vroman

  I tilted my head to meet his eyes. “Stop crying. We got bigger things to worry about.”

  He gave up on the shirt and pulled it off, giving the old bitties sitting on their porch next door a peep show. Their whistles and suggestive offers went unnoticed. “Like?”

  “Looks like my Exemplian stalkers are camping here at night.”

  “You sure?”

  “The old man says he sees people looking in the windows, even heard the wind and saw the sky open.” I shrugged. “We should at least check it out.”

  Farren’s eyes shined. “Well, why don’t we come crash the party?”

  Crazy Ginger. I ran up the hill. “Sounds like fun.”

  CONFRONTATIONS

  The storm calmed from a frenzied temper tantrum to a whimper, and the sun beat down on our backs during the run home. No surprise, when we reached my steps, Belva sat on the porch scrolling through her phone. Her headphones blared so loud I heard the beat of her hip-hop from three feet away.

  I stood in front of her and waited until she noticed.

  Finally, she pulled her earbuds out with a smile. “You’re kinda wet.” Her gaze drifted around me to shirtless Farren. “And you’re kinda hot all wet.”

  Didn’t that create a raging blush on poor Ginger’s face?

  Shaking my head, I step around her, unlocking the door. “You got a key, pal. You should use it some time.”

  “And miss the free show? Don’t think so.” She whistled as she stood.

  I happened to turn my head to investigate when Farren stalked up the three porch steps, a feral look gleaming in his dark eyes, despite the blush. He slowed his momentum, never taking his eyes off my shocked friend, who no longer smiled, but worked hard to pull in air, clutching her phone to her chest.

  Ha! Not feeling so in control now, are you?

  He stopped when their bodies touched, strong bare chest against heaving tank top. A long finger trailed down her cheek. “You’re playing dangerous, little girl.” He bent to whisper loud enough in her ear that I heard every word. “Don’t start the game if you’re not ready to follow the rules.”

  His smug face–one eyebrow raised as if saying she asked for it–met my surprised one as he circled me and headed up the stairs. I turned to Belva with mouth wide open and an oh, my God on my lips.

  Her trembling hand followed the path of his finger, but as quick as any professional player, her poker face slammed into place. “Well, then let the games begin.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Saturday was as busy as Friday, with people lined up down the sidewalk to buy tickets, ignoring the dark sky threatening a repeat of the afternoon storm. As soon as we made it inside, Jake rushed us all into our places. He signaled for Belva to go in the kitchen with Farren, but she shook her head. “Can you switch with me tonight, Jake?”

  My boss opened his mouth, probably to say no, but then Farren joined in. “I like that idea, man. Need to talk to you, anyway.”

  Jake’s face tensed. “Ah, yeah, sure.” He pointed to Belva and me. “You two hit the registers.”

  Belva grabbed my hand, leading me up front. Once we punched in our codes, I nudged her shoulder. “What was that all about?”

  She shrugged, smiling. “I need to give him space, make him miss me.”

  I swiped a credit card and handed tickets to a couple teenagers. “Make him crazy, you mean.”

  Belva turned on the charm for some interested college kids, taking their money and rejecting their cell numbers. “Hopefully.”

  After a good forty-five minutes, and about three cell number refusals later, the herd thinned out enough for us to talk a little more. I cleared my throat, trying to find a good reason to give for leaving before the late showing when Belva gave me an annoyed glare.

  “Jesus, Lena, spit it out.” Subtlety and patience were not virtues my gorgeous friend had.

  “I…um… Farren and I are gonna be heading out soon. Some…yeah…some kids have been messing with Dad the past few nights.” Close enough to the truth for me not to feel too guilty.

  She raised a perfectly waxed brow. “So? Maybe they’ll give him a heart attack. He deserves it.”

  “He’s broken now, nothing like before. Harmless.” A trip to another dimension where a sadistic jerk ruled over squid did that to a person, but I kept that little ditty to myself. “Can’t let any predators swoop in on vulnerable prey. It wouldn’t be right.”

  Her cheeks reddened some, making me regret my words. My little nickname for her in school was “pretty predator.” She didn’t like it all that much.

  Straightening her tank top, Belva tilted her head. “You know what I think?”

  “Not a clue.” I punched the lock code on the register when the last in line straggled in and waited for the “don’t rub it in my face” lecture.

  Surprised, she instead pulled me in for a hug. “I think you’ve got to be the most amazing person on the planet.”

  “It’s a pretty big planet.” If she knew how big…

  “Stop it. You forgave me, and you take care of that bastard. I think you’re in at least the top ten.”

  Wanting awkward intimate time to go away, I headed for the counter and my mom. “Maybe the top one hundred. Top ten’s pushing it.”

  She came up beside me, smoothing her hair. “Nah, top ten–at least you are in my world. And as far as I’m concerned, my world is all that counts.”

  Had to give her props; she was honest. “Don’t I know it.”

  We sat around the counter, talking to Mom and ignoring the drooling-Belva leers from a couple cute boys at a table, when Farren and Jake walked out from the kitchen. Both men seemed relaxed, which was surprising if the conversation about leaving early was an honest one. But when Belva spotted Ginger, she switched gears from ignoring the idiots at the table to sauntering over, pulling up a seat, and giving the cuter of the two her undivided attention.

  Yup, that cured all the calm off Farren’s face. The way his jaw tightened when he glanced in my friend’s direction gave me a distinct feeling he was the one who would have some trouble with the rules. Belva’s eyes stayed on the guy, who leaned in closer. If I knew her at all, I’d bet my secret cash stash her entire focus was on Farren’s reaction. Her deep smile and sexy lip bite when angry Ginger took a few steps closer to the table proved my theory.

  Here we go. I turned to Jake. “He tell you what’s going on?”

  He pulled Mom close, kissing the top of her head. “Yeah, he did. Be careful, all right?”

  “Wait, what’s going on?” The worry flooding Mom’s eyes had me contemplating lying, but I’d decided after my second Arcus trip, she’d always hear at least an outline of the truth.

  Squaring my shoulders–and moving to block Farren’s view of Belva–I answered with complete honesty. “Dad saw Exemplians outside his place last couple nights. Probably the same Guide I felt yesterday.”

  Mom’s bottom lip trembled, but she lifted her chin. “Remember what Farren’s been teaching you, and…and actually, why don’t you stay behind him when you find the jerks.”

  I bent to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for the advice.” I turned to Farren–and the steam coming from his ears. “Let’s go.”

  He didn’t respond, his body tight. When Belva snatched the guy’s phone from his hand and plugged in her number, Farren’s fists clenched. I punched him in the arm. It probably hurt about as bad as a feather whipping, but it got his attention.

  “What?” His tone would’ve had a lesser person cringing.

  “Let’s. Go.” When he still didn’t budge, I grabbed his arm, attempting to drag all that muscle out the door.

  A death stare targeted my invading hand. “Wait a second.” He pried my fingers off his forearm and stalked to the table…and the unfortunate guy who was busy with Belva’s phone.

  Farren snatched her phone from the guy’s hands, handing it back to her. Then with the lethal calm of a sociopath, Farren picked up the scared kid’s phone from the table and sq
ueezed until it fell on the thin carpet in pieces.

  “She’s not interested, clear?”

  The guy couldn’t nod fast enough, his once tan face as white as snow.

  Farren held out his hand to Belva. “Time to get up.”

  I turned to Jake, shocked as hell, and motioned for him to do something. My boss shook his head, smiling.

  Belva ignored Farren’s hand as she stomped to the kitchen. She yelled over her shoulder before pushing the door open. “You better make up your damn mind, ‘cause I’m not gonna wait forever!”

  Pretty sure the entire lobby felt the heat from those words and the ice from the kitchen door slamming in Farren’s face when he tried to follow her. His huge back heaved a few times as he stood at the frame, hands on either side, squeezing the wood until it creaked. By the scrambling in the lobby, I’m sure everyone heard the wood splitting, too.

  Damn. Belva didn’t understand how dangerous a Protector game was.

  UNWANTED VISITORS

  “Want to say something, or am I gonna have to invest in a new steering wheel?”

  Farren answered by gripping the wheel tighter, his cheeks flaming. I probably shouldn’t have let him drive, even if the deep scowl on his face indicated he’d have taken off my head if I refused to hand over the keys.

  I let the silence, flashing lights from other cars, and stoplights fill the space between us for another block before trying again. “Why don’t you give in already?”

  He laughed until he yelled, stabbing me right in the eardrum. “You think I don’t want to be with her?”

  “Well…not after tonight.” I kept my tone neutral, practicing the same calm skills Tarek always had.

  He smacked the wheel and yelled one more time. After another red light, Farren’s softer voice filled the car. “I used to work for the authority, Lena.”

  I really believed this was going somewhere. But…damn. “I got that when you tasered Tarek, remember?”

  “Okay, and so I know how they operate, what they do to defectors and rogues…traitors.”

  Shit, this didn’t sound good.

  “When Guides stray, they’re easy to kill, especially if their Protectors don’t stick around after transport.” He took a deep breath and continued on the exhale. “Someone always knew something, and willing or forced, they’d end up telling us where the traitors went.”

  “Farren, you don’t have to–”

  “I’ve ended more Guides’ cycles than I care to remember.” He shrugged, his fingers still white on the wheel. “Always a one-man operation. Get in, get out, careful not to disturb the dimension when you’re butchering somebody. Killing a traitor, well, that was honorable, right? They’d recycle somewhere else, pay for their sins.”

  Yeah, like me…

  “Farren–”

  “But Protectors are a different story, not so easy to kill them.” His eyes, a little wild, glanced my way before focusing again on the road. “They still had to pay, though.”

  He didn’t have to finish. The conclusion to the story was obvious. A savage urge to protect my best friend settled in my gut. “I get it now, really.”

  He pulled into the trailer park, shaking his head. “I see all their faces every time I close my eyes. Every single person I…” He killed the engine when we pulled behind Dad’s place. “I believe in karma, Lena, and it’s waiting to bite me in the ass. Can’t take the chance with her. Won’t.”

  I sighed. “Maybe you should let her go, let her talk to other people without scaring the shit outta them. Stop giving her hope.”

  He rubbed his smooth face and let out a half-groan, half-growl. “She doesn’t make it easy.”

  I opened the door, ready to let him off the hook. “No, no she doesn’t.”

  Farren got out, pushing the lock button on the keychain, and headed toward the front of the house. Before I opened the door, he grabbed my arm. “I’ll control myself next time, promise.”

  I palmed his cheek. “Someday, all this, it’s gonna be over. They’ll get tired of bothering with us. But until then, you’ve got Wilma here to help you.” I gave him a light slap on his red cheek before things became too emotional. “Maybe you should trust Belva, too. She’s stronger than she looks.”

  He tilted his head. “Always the optimist, aren’t you?”

  “Somebody’s gotta be.” I lowered my voice before opening the door, more than ready to change the subject. “Look, he spooks easy. Try not to act so, ah, scary, okay?”

  Farren smiled, or rather gave a sneer that curled the right side of his mouth. “No problem. I’ll stand in the corner…make sure he knows I’m there.”

  “Yeah, that won’t terrify him.” I went inside.

  As usual, Dad sat in his chair. His happy relief turned to horror when we walked in and his eyes shifted from me to Farren, who closed the door and stood there as promised. With his arms crossed and looking like a menacing biker without the hot tattoos, angry Ginger made a point to give my shaking father a stare-down.

  Before I had a yellow puddle to clean up, I scowled at Farren and went to kneel in front of the wicker chair. “Hey, look at me.” My voice didn’t get his attention, and so I grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look. “He’s here to help, okay? No need to be scared.”

  Dad’s body quaked so hard, I feared the chair might collapse. “He’s almost as big as the other one. They ain’t human, girl.”

  A snort came from the Big Red peanut gallery. “Almost, huh?”

  I whipped my head around and mouthed for Farren to shut up, and then made an effort to soften my face before turning back to the shell in the chair. “He’s human, and so is the other one. But he won’t hurt you; I won’t let him.”

  “How you gonna stop him?”

  Ugh! Dammit! I turned to Farren. “Don’t hurt him.”

  Farren scratched his head with a grin. “Ah, yeah, whatever.”

  Patience wasn’t one of my virtues either. A groan escaped my lips when Dad whined and pleaded for me to make him leave, but I cut him off. “He stays, and you’re gonna stop acting like a baby, got it? We’ll need him if those people show up again.”

  I stormed into the kitchen, rinsed out the coffee pot, and started fresh. Farren stayed at the door while Dad hunkered under his blanket, never taking his eyes away from the almost as big guy in the corner.

  Yeah, not the most ideal way to spend the evening.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  An hour, and another, ticked by. Farren and I eased into our usual banter, him saying something stupid or annoying and me calling him on it. We laughed a little, argued a little more, and didn’t bother to acknowledge the trembling sack of bones in the wicker. After a while, Dad reverted to the silent Indian-wall observer, ignoring us, too.

  “…and it’s not funny. She did say–” Farren’s passionate defense of some starlet’s recent brush with the law using his tabloid research stopped. “They’re here.”

  He went for the window, all traces of relaxed gone. Thirty seconds later, the fuzz entered my brain, too. I moved from the kitchen counter to join Farren at the window.

  “Dad? Go in your room and be quiet. Don’t come out.” I could fake calm with the best of them. But when he didn’t get up, I dragged him from his chair and heaved him in the room. “Stay here.” Not waiting for a reply, I shut the door and went back to Farren.

  Two figures who definitely didn’t belong to the white trash mafia strode down from the graveled hill leading into the park. Both were female. The smaller one sporting a less obvious leotard-like outfit Tarek used to call his warrior suit walked in front of a taller, thin woman wearing a flowing dress that didn’t look comfortable in the sweltering July heat.

  By the tension in their faces, they knew we were there, too.

  “I’ll be damned.” Farren scrubbed a hand through his hair. “This isn’t good.” He met my questioning face. “Looks like the Synod decided to make a personal visit.”

  “This is an ‘oh shit’ moment, isn’t it?”
>
  Farren’s attention went back to the window. “I’d say it’s the moment. You see that Protector?” Like I could miss her… “She’s five-cycled and ruthless as hell, and her Guide’s been a Synod member since before my first cycle.”

  “What do you think they want?” As if I didn’t know that.

  The “you have to be kidding me” glare Farren threw showed he thought the question just as stupid. He closed the curtains and went to the door. “The best thing we can do is go out there, confront them.”

  I stumbled into the kitchen. “Ah…disagree. Going out the back window and getting in the car sounds better.”

  Farren stomped over, grabbed my hand, and went to the front door. He stuffed the car keys into my front pocket. “In case…”

  He tugged on my hand, but all he got was a no-go, my feet planted on the floor and sprouting roots. “No.”

  Farren bent down to my ear. “Running won’t work; they’ll keep coming back.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Wilma?”

  “Love to, but I don’t think they’d be willing to wait with us.”

  I really hated when he made sense.

  “Stay behind me. If shit goes down, take off. Avery won’t do anything to you.”

  “And Avery is?”

  “The Guide. She’s the Synod’s Creation Lab overseer, the person who controls incoming and out-going energy. A fucking big shot. But you Guides aren’t known for your strength,” he tapped his temple, “just this.”

  “What are you gonna do?”

  “Try not to let Nicolette kick my ass too bad.”

  Well, what could be said to that?

  We stepped off the cement blocks as the women approached. Nicolette stopped short. Her clear blue eyes shot to Farren then behind him, past me, and into the house. “Where’s Wilma?”

  “Around.” Farren sauntered over to face her, all arrogant with confidence I really hoped he had. “Better question is why are you here?”

  Her eyes narrowed as she widened her stance. “Doing my duty, Protector.”

  Farren rolled his shoulders. “Sticks and stones, Nikki. But let me make something clear.” He stood two inches from the woman, cocking his head to the side as he looked down at her. “You’re not getting anywhere near the girl, got it?”