The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5)

by Christine Kersey

  A gust of cold air followed her in and I shivered. When I looked at her face I immediately knew she didn’t have good news. “What did he say?”

  She bit her lip, then reached into the pocket of her slacks and pulled something out. “I’m so sorry,” she began, “but he said no.” She held out a wad of cash. “Here’s some money. Maybe that will help?”

  Hopelessness, uncertainty, and terror nearly swamped me, and as I stared at the bills in Cami’s hand, my hand refused to reach out and take them. I lifted my gaze to hers. “What are we supposed to do?”

  Shaking her head, she set the money in my lap. “I don’t know.” Obvious guilt wrenched her face. “I’m really sorry, but he’s just not willing to take the risk.”

  And neither are you. But I couldn’t blame her. To be honest, I didn’t know if I would have been willing to take the risk for a stranger.

  “So you’re just going to send us out there by ourselves?” Amy said, leaning forward so that she was nearly between Cami and me. “How can you do that? We’re just kids.”

  Cami’s brows pulled inward as she stared at her lap, then she met Amy’s accusing stare. “I’m sorry for what’s happening to you, but there’s nothing I can do to help you.” She gestured to the pile of money in my lap. “That’s all I can do right now, okay?”

  “No,” Amy said, her voice growing louder. “No, it’s not okay. You’re just like everyone else. A coward.” She glared at Cami, then she opened the door nearest her and climbed out, slamming it behind her.

  It was done. There was no changing Cami’s mind. I knew that and Amy obviously knew that. Gathering the money into my hands, I straightened the pile into a neat stack, pausing for a moment in the hopes that Cami’s guilty conscience would force her to invite us to her place, but she was silent. I tucked the cash into my pocket and looked at her.

  “Good luck,” she murmured without meeting my gaze.

  I looked out the window and saw Amy standing on the sidewalk, her hands jammed into her coat pockets. At least we have each other. I pulled my door open and stepped onto the asphalt of the parking lot, then softly closed the door. The engine turned on and I walked over to Amy. Cami backed out of her space and drove off.

  I stood next to Amy and stared at the road down which Cami had disappeared.

  “This sucks,” Amy said.

  “A few hours ago we had less than we have now,” I said, trying to cheer myself up as much as her.

  She laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She looked around. “Maybe we can go to a motel or something.”

  “I think you have to be at least eighteen to rent a room.” Even if I was old enough, I wouldn’t want to show my ID to anyone—not that I even had an ID.

  “Oh.” She rubbed her arms. “Where should we go then?”

  I shrugged. “Let’s just start walking. At least that will warm us up.”

  Cars occasionally drove past us as we walked along the sidewalk, which didn’t surprise me since it was Saturday evening, but at least no one paid any attention to us. Ten minutes later I sensed someone following us. Alarmed, I whispered to Amy. “I think someone’s behind us.”

  “Maybe it’s just someone who’s out walking too,” she whispered back.

  As much as I wanted to believe that, things hadn’t exactly gone our way that day, so I tended to imagine the worst. Not only that, but I had no idea where we were. We could be in the worst part of town, the part where gangs would attack you just for being there.

  My thoughts began to spiral out of control, and I had an overwhelming urge to run. I grabbed Amy’s hand and yanked her forward. “Come on,” I whisper-screamed. We dashed forward, and over the pounding of our feet I heard another set of feet charging up behind us. Hysteria climbed my throat. “He’s going to catch us.”

  “Wait,” a male voice called out.

  We picked up speed.

  “Stop,” he said, his voice getting closer.

  We ignored him.

  “Morgan,” he called out. “I want to help you.”

  That got my attention, but also spurred me to run faster. For all I knew, his help involved the Enforcers.

  “Cami is my brother’s girlfriend,” he called out, his breathing ragged.

  That was unexpected and I slowed my pace, but I didn’t stop as I considered the possibility that he was lying. But why would he lie about that? And how would this stranger even know anything about Cami bringing Amy and me here?

  “I want to help you,” he said again as he drew alongside us.

  “Stop, Morgan,” Amy said. “We’ve gotta stop.”

  Amy’s command cut through the confusion in my brain and I stopped and faced this unknown person. The three of us stood on the sidewalk at the edge of a darkened park, but the darkness didn’t scare me. The darkness was a blanket that would wrap around me and hide me from the cars that drove by, their headlights casting a spotlight over us.

  I looked the boy over, assessing his level of danger. He wore a hoodie and he had the hood pulled up onto his head. I guessed he was close to my age, maybe a little older. From what I could see of his hair, it was dark and brushed the tops of his ears. I couldn’t tell the color of his eyes in the dim light, but when he turned his head to look at the cars driving by, part of a tattoo peeked out of his collar on the right side of his neck. He may or may not have been a dangerous person, but as far as being a danger to me, he didn’t seem the type to interact with Enforcers on purpose.

  “Let’s go over there,” I said, pointing to a bench hidden in the shadows.

  “Fine,” the boy said.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The three of us faded into the darkness of the park and headed towards the bench. A moment later Amy and I sat on the metal slats while the boy stayed standing.

  “What do you want?” I asked, having a hard time believing anyone would voluntarily help us.

  He sighed, then squatted in front of me. “Like I said, my brother is Cami’s boyfriend. I heard them arguing about you, and when my brother refused to help you, I knew it was up to me.”

  Did he know about the money Cami had given me? Was it actually his brother’s money? Did this boy want it for himself?

  “Why would you want to help us?”

  “You don’t trust me. I get that.” He laughed. “You’re smart not to trust anyone.”

  For some reason, his praise pleased me. Maybe it was because I’d been feeling like such a failure, or maybe I was just desperate for any scrap of approval that I was doing at least one thing right. Whatever the reason, I found myself smiling. “Thank you.”

  “But you can trust me,” he said softly as he leaned closer to me, and even in the shadowy light I could see he was really cute.

  “Why should we trust you?” Amy said, freezing any warmth that had begun to develop between this boy and me.

  He shifted his attention to her. “Because I haven’t called the Enforcers.”

  “Yet,” she spat out.

  His lip curled into a sneer. “I wouldn’t call those jerks if my life depended on it.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Why not?”

  The boy stood, then sat to my right, putting me between him and Amy. “Are you telling me you would?”

  I laughed, but it came out as one syllable. “Not likely.”

  His sneer turned to a smile. “There you go.”

  “Oh,” Amy said, “so just like that we should trust you? Because you claim you would never call the Enforcers?” She jumped up from the bench. “Okay, then. I guess we’ll tell you everything now.”

  “Stop it, Amy,” I said, my voice coming out sharper than I’d intended. It wasn’t everyday that a stranger offered to help us, and I didn’t want to scare him away.

  She stared at me, her eyebrows pulling together. “Can I talk to you, Morgan? Alone?”

  My gaze shot to the boy beside me, then back to Amy. “Okay.”

  “I’ll just be over there,” he said as he stood.

 
We watched him walk a short distance away, then Amy sat beside me. “Who is this kid?” Her eyes narrowed. “And why did it seem like you were defending him? Do you trust him?”

  I shook my head slightly. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know yet. But we have to trust someone.” I sighed. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  She tilted her head. “What do you mean you don’t know what else to do? You hid from the Enforcers before. What did you do then? Why don’t we do that?”

  I so wished I could tell her the truth, but there was no way she would believe me. I hardly believed it. “Look, this time is different, okay?” That much was true. In many ways. Not only had I never been in a F.A.T. center, I’d never escaped from one, or hidden from Enforcers. But more than that, this time they thought I’d murdered one of their own. They had to be laser-focused on capturing me.

  A shudder burst over me at the thought. I couldn’t begin to consider the possibility that they were right, and that DM actually had killed Enforcer Hansen. I had to believe she had nothing to do with it.

  “What do you mean?” Amy asked.

  “We’re on our own this time.” I glanced in the direction the boy had gone and saw him leaning against a tree, his back to us as he stared at the road. “We can use any help we can get.”

  Amy stared at me. “Do you think we can trust him?”

  I thought about it a moment. “Yeah. I think we can.”

  A small smile curved her mouth. “Okay. If you do, then I will.” Amy looked at the boy. “Hey, you,” she called out. He turned in our direction. “Come back here.”

  “You’ve gotten really bossy, little sister,” I murmured.

  Amy grinned.

  The boy stood in front of us. “What?”

  “We decided we’d let you help us,” Amy said.

  He laughed. “Well maybe I don’t want to anymore. You two aren’t exactly friendly to those who offer their help.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I frowned. “Maybe that’s because we’ve been screwed over too many times.” My frown deepened. I thought about Nick using me as a distraction earlier that day, and how the reporter, Jessica Walker, had been more than happy to get the scoop interview with me. Yeah, I’d been using her too, but still . . . “Everyone seems to have their own reasons for helping us,” I said. “What’s yours?”

  “Maybe I want to get back at the Enforcers. Maybe I think they deserve whatever misery comes their way.” His voice hardened as he spoke. “Maybe I want them to suffer like I’ve suffered.”

  That was good enough for me. “Okay. Well, if we’re going to spend time together, maybe you should tell us your name. You already know ours.”

  The anger he’d shown moments before seeped away, and he smiled. “My friends call me Falcon.”

  Amy’s nose crinkled. “Like the bird?”

  He laughed. “Just like the bird.”

  “Falcon,” I said, trying out the unusual name.

  “Why do they call you that?” Amy asked.

  “Do you know anything about falcons?” he asked her.

  “No.”

  “Do you?” he asked me.

  I shook my head.

  “Falcons are birds of prey, ladies.”

  “Uh,” Amy said. “I don’t get it.”

  Falcon rolled his eyes. “I’m like a bird of prey. I attack my enemies when they least expect it.” He grinned. “You see?”

  I held back a laugh. I wasn’t sure if he was dangerous or ridiculous. What I did know was that I felt comfortable around him and I was starting to like him more and more.

  “Here,” he said as he tugged the right shoulder of his hoodie downward so that more of his tattoo showed. “Check this out.”

  Amy and I peered at the ink on his body.

  “What is it?” Amy asked.

  “A falcon, of course,” he said.

  “Oh,” she said.

  He pulled the hoodie back into place.

  “We should have nicknames too, Morgan,” Amy said.

  This time I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  “Hmm.” She pressed a finger to her cheek. “Let’s stick with the bird theme. I remember learning at school that crows and ravens are pretty smart. Which would you rather be?”

  I glanced at Falcon. “Uh, I like the name Raven better.”

  Amy smiled. “Okay then. You’re Raven.”

  “What about you?”

  “I think I should be Hummingbird. You know, small and fast.”

  I laughed. “I like it.”

  “Raven and Hummingbird,” Falcon said with a grin. “You girls are crazy.”

  “No crazier than you,” Amy said. “You’re the one offering to help us.”

  Afraid Amy would scare him off, I jumped in. “Do you have any idea where we can go? I’m kind of freezing.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “While I was waiting for you to decide if you’d let me help you . . .” He stared meaningfully at Amy, who rolled her eyes. “I thought of a place we could go.”

  Great. “Where is this place?”

  “Not far.”

  “Is it safe?” That’s what mattered the most.

  “Yeah. I think so.”

  “You think so?” Amy asked.

  Falcon glared at her. “Maybe you should stay here, little hummingbird, and I’ll just take Raven.”

  Though flattered that he was willing to risk his safety for me, I knew I couldn’t let him talk to Amy that way. Not after all she’d done for me. I put my arm around her shoulder and faced him. “Where I go, she goes. Always.”

  He smiled. “That’s cool.” Then his smile faded. “But I don’t appreciate the attitude.”

  “You have to understand,” I said. “We have to look out for ourselves. If we don’t, who will?”

  “Yeah, I get that.”

  “Good,” Amy said. “Then you understand why I have an ‘attitude’.” She did air quotes on that.

  He shook his head. “Whatever.” He glanced at me. “So, are you going to come with me or not?”

  Once again, I didn’t see that I had any other options—unless we wanted to sleep in the park and freeze. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  “About time,” he muttered. Then he turned and walked away, with Amy and me hurrying to follow.

  Chapter Twenty

  Twenty minutes later we were still trudging along, which only gave me more time to worry about where this boy named Falcon was taking us. Was his show of hatred towards the Enforcers an act? Was he leading us into a trap? Had I let his friendliness distract me from my core goal—to keep Amy and myself safe?

  “Here we are,” he announced, stopping in front of a three-story building that looked abandoned.

  “What is this place?” Amy asked, doubt evident in her voice.

  “This place, little hummingbird, is where you will be safe and less cold.”

  Less cold wasn’t warm, but it was better than freezing.

  “Quit calling me that,” Amy spat out.

  Falcon laughed. “You’re the one who came up with the name.”

  “I never said ‘little’. I’m not little.” I could almost hear her adding You jerk. “I came up with Hummingbird because they’re small and fast—like me.”

  “Little, small.” He frowned. “What’s the difference?”

  “The difference is that little implies young and inexperienced, of which I’m neither. I’m just not as tall as some girls.”

  When Falcon sighed, clearly exasperated, I wondered how much experience he had with younger sisters. Not much, I guessed. I held back a laugh. Amy had become quite formidable, and I was glad she was on my side.

  “Okay, Hummingbird.” He emphasized the lack of the word little. “Do you want to go inside where it’s less cold?”

  Amy smirked. “Less cold is good.”

  “Yes,” I added. “I’d also love to get off the street.” Every time a car passed, I wanted to melt into the sidewalk.

  “Okay,
then. Follow me.” Falcon walked to the doorway, pulled a small flashlight from his pocket, then flicked it on. The space in front of the doorway illuminated, then Falcon opened the door.

  “Why was that unlocked?” Amy asked, her voice showing her suspicion that this was all a set up.

  “What?” Falcon asked as he held it open for us.

  “The door,” she said. “Shouldn’t it be locked?”

  He laughed. “That just means one of my friends is here. Whoever gets here first picks the lock, then leaves it unlocked for the other two.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said, alarmed. “Who else is here?”

  “I don’t know yet. We’ll have to go see.”

  I took a step back.

  Falcon obviously understood my reluctance. “Don’t worry. They’re all cool.”

  “Who?” Amy asked. “Who’s cool? Who’s in there?”

  “Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I said.

  “I don’t have anywhere else to take you.” He sighed. “Tell you what. Come into the foyer, then wait there while I check it out. Okay?”

  Not thrilled, but exhausted and cold, I nodded. “Just don’t tell them my name.”

  “Duh, Raven.”

  I smiled, liking my new name—especially when it came from Falcon’s mouth.

  He shook his head, then he vaulted up the stairs and disappeared.

  “He’s kind of a jerk,” Amy said. “Don’t you think?”

  I tried to hide my smile. “I guess.”

  Amy tilted her head and sighed. “Great. You like him.”

  “Is that so terrible?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  A few minutes later Falcon returned. “Both of my buddies are up there. I told them I was bringing some new people up, and they’re cool with that.”

  They might have been cool with that, but I wasn’t so sure. “Maybe we can wait until they leave or something.” I wasn’t eager to be back on the street, but facing a new pair of strangers was just as scary.

  Falcon’s mouth quirked into a half-smile. “They’re not going anywhere.”

  “What, do they live here or something?” Amy asked.

  “No, but they just got here, so they won’t be leaving for a long time.”