by Ryan Hill
“You have a gun?” She held up her hands and knelt down, eyes watering. “Don’t hurt us, mister. Please. We’re just kids. I almost died of cancer. Please don’t do this! My mom would be so disappointed!”
“You did?” Percy looked at her, his mouth unhinged.
Even with the anxiety telling Bailey to run or curl into a ball, he forced himself to help. “She went bald and everything.”
“Oh, man. I’m not going to. I’m sorry.” He ran, stopping only to pick up his hat, before disappearing out of the alley.
Bailey and Alexis didn’t move, afraid Percy would come back. Bailey relaxed, leaning against the museum’s wall.
“If that were any closer, I’d need a change of underwear,” Bailey said.
Alexis stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I should’ve gone out for drama.”
“That was amazing. I can’t believe you did that. Are you okay?”
Alexis bent over, hands on her knees. She cried some more. “I will be. Just give me a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.” Bailey wasn’t sure if he should pat her back, but he did it anyway. When she didn’t brush him away, he leaned in closer.
“I hate going there.” Alexis stood up and pulled the aviators over her eyes. She looked like nothing ever happened. “I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Bailey looked at Alexis in a new light. Simply amazing. He didn’t think she’d do that if Percy busted them, but she did. It was impressive. Bailey did feel ashamed he didn’t do more to protect her. Guys were supposed to do that, even if the girl was more than capable of taking care of herself.
“If he’d touched you, I’d have gone down swinging,” Bailey said.
“I know.”
“I mean it. If he’d even breathed on you, I’d have pummeled his face.”
“I’m positive, though I think he breathed on me a little.”
The deadpanning made Bailey smile. “Really?”
“I think it was more smoke than him. Does that count?”
Bailey and Alexis walked back to her car, taking care to stay within earshot of other people in case more trouble came their way. Bailey’s phone vibrated with a text from Marshall, saying they needed to talk ASAP.
“Interesting.” He showed Alexis the phone.
“Very. So, we’re definitely coming back tonight to catch that jerk in the act, aren’t we?”
“Of course.” Bailey hated the idea, but he couldn’t say that.
CHAPTER TEN
Best Laid Plans
Franklin’s bladder wanted to explode. He’d been sitting in the same spot for five hours, his back was sore, and he couldn’t take it anymore. Things had gotten so uncomfortable he’d contemplated smoking to distract himself, even though a cigarette hadn’t touched his lips in over seventy years. Never mind that he didn’t have a smoke on him.
“Hell with it.” He started his car. Finding a bathroom became his sole quest in life. And getting some food. In that order. If Percy showed up in the next few minutes, there’d be an infinite amount of hell to pay.
Franklin turned the Mustang to the right and drove back toward Mooresville. He remembered seeing a McDonald’s nearby. The thought of using one of their bathrooms gave him a sick, coppery taste in his mouth. That place was beneath him in so many ways. Anything he ate there would probably make his stomach explode like Hiroshima. Since the only alternatives were a mom-and-pop gas station or Hardee’s, what choice did he have? He swallowed his pride and decided to take his chances with the golden arches. The alternative only seemed more destructive to his intestines.
A black van approached in the opposite direction.
That better not be Percy.
Even if it was, Franklin couldn’t wait much longer. Otherwise, he’d need a fresh pair of pants.
Damn.
Franklin could spot that stupid hat of Percy’s anywhere. Franklin needed to turn around and follow the turd, but the pain in his bladder was too great. He squeezed the steering wheel and pushed down on the gas pedal. Time, on too many levels, was of the upmost importance.
Three minutes later, he walked out of that McDonald’s bathroom feeling like a million bucks. He drove back to Percy’s, an Oreo’s McFlurry in hand. Franklin parked in the same place as before. The A-Team van was nowhere in sight. Franklin took off his jacket, got out of El Cid, and went for a looksee. Not wanting to get too close, he walked down the sidewalk across the street from the building. The van looked like it had been parked underneath the raised complex, but he wasn’t sure. He ran across the street, taking cover behind a Toyota Corolla. A quick peek around the car brought a smile to his face.
Got him.
Percy’s van was parked under the building.
Franklin walked into a stairwell and marched up to Percy’s place on the fourth floor. Cars passed by on the street below, making a faint whoosh. One of the windows to Percy’s condo was cracked open. Franklin slid along next to it and waited. He didn’t have to wait long.
“Yeah, it’s there at the museum,” Percy said. “Just like you said it’d be. I did good, didn’t I?”
“But what about these kids? Do you really think they followed you?”
Franklin recognized that raspy voice of Mr. Lovell’s anywhere. The Blade of Hugues de Payens was wrapped around Franklin’s leg, but there was too much risk to use it in the daylight.
And kids? What, did Percy steal their lunch money? Franklin didn’t see any reason why kids would go Scooby-Doo on these two.
“If they did, I scared the living daylights out of them,” Percy said. “Those two see me coming, they’ll run the other way. No doubt.”
“Let’s hope so.” Mr. Lovell coughed. It sounded scratchy and thick, like his body tried to get rid of some phlegm.
“You all right?”
“Fine. My guest is just antsy for the Awakening.”
I’ll bet, Franklin thought to himself.
A station wagon pulled into the parking lot. An overweight couple and three kids poured out, making all sorts of noise. If they didn’t shut up, Percy or Mr. Lovell might close the window. Franklin leaned in a little closer, trying to hear every morsel of conversation.
Percy laughed. “I guess you shouldn’t tell him that we’re picking up the Conch Shell of Doom later. That’ll really make him hopped up.”
A pit opened in Franklin’s stomach. He didn’t know the Shell was close by. He was so wrapped up in finding Mr. Lovell that it slipped his mind. Of course it was here. The Awakening always took place by the ocean, the power source for the Shell. Franklin cursed under his breath.
You’re slipping in your old age, Franklin. You know better than that. At least they don’t have it yet.
Forget destroying Trenton piece by piece. None of that mattered. Trenton was a monster, but the Conch Shell of Doom was his God. It brought the twisted little shit back from the dead. If Franklin controlled the Shell, he controlled his brother.
“Tell me again why we can’t just go get the Shell now?” Percy asked.
“Too many people would see us,” Mr. Lovell said. “And my appearance can leave an impact. Better to get the Shell after the museum closes.”
The family disappeared into the far stairwell, but Franklin had heard enough. Only the Shell mattered. The nautical museum couldn’t be hard to find, so all he needed to do was break in and steal the Shell before midnight. That would be easy enough.
Franklin even thought about leaving a note: Sorry guys. Best to my brother.
Alexis and Bailey decided to meet up again at eight thirty to stake out the museum, and he insisted on picking her up. Alexis was already waiting outside her house when Bailey arrived a few minutes early. She’d changed into a gray shirt with the Gryffindor house logo on it from Harry Potter.
“Be careful,” Alexis said as she got in the car. “Dad’s about to cook out.”
“Huh?”
Chuck flung himself on the driver�
�s side window, screaming. He held up a fleshy stump where his hand used to be. Bailey jerked back, terrified, and honked the horn.
“Go away!”
“Why?” Chuck yelled. “Why? And why do I want to grill it so bad?”
“Hilarious, Dad.” Alexis stared off to the side, waiting for the torture to end.
Chuck frowned, disappointed neither of them laughed. Bailey rolled down his window, but remained on guard in case Alexis’s dad had more shenanigans planned.
“It was just a joke.” He took the raw meat off his hand, which remained attached to his arm. “You got it, didn’t you Bailey?”
“I did,” Bailey said. “It was funny.”
“Oh, we got it,” Alexis said. “That wasn’t the problem.”
“See Bailey,” Chuck nodded toward his daughter. “This is what’s known as the ‘I’m too cool for my parents’ phase of puberty. She can’t say the joke was funny, because that’s admitting on some level she’s a lot like her parents, and there’s way too much insecurity running through her for that conversation. Maybe when she gets to college.”
Alexis gave her dad a crazed look. “Dad! Mom said no psychoanalysis outside of the dinner table.”
“Love you too, sweetie.” Chuck grinned, giddy at the sight of his embarrassed daughter. He rolled the raw meat into a ball. “You guys want to stick around? Primitive man about to put fire to meat.”
“We have some stuff to do,” Alexis said. “It’s kind of why I’m in Bailey’s car.”
“She’s right.” Bailey held his finger over the power windows button, ready for the “prank” to end. “But thank you for the offer.”
“You sure you don’t want to stick around for a dog or two?” Chuck tossed the meat ball in the air. “We were supposed to have a bunch of people over, but they all stood us up. I guess everyone’s freaking out over this storm that might hit in a couple of days. It can’t be my sparkling personality.”
“Charles Robert Carrington,” Debbie called from the patio, a beer in hand. “Stop messing with them and cook me some meat. Momma’s hungry.”
Chuck pointed to his daughter. “Let us know if you’re staying out late. Tell the ninja the same if you see him.”
“I will.”
“Kiss your father goodbye?” Chuck puckered up and stuck his head through Bailey’s window.
“Seriously?” Alexis moved as far away as she could. “I fake hate you so much right now.”
“That’s okay.” Chuck kissed Bailey on the forehead. “Have fun.”
“Whoa!” Bailey yelled.
Chuck ran up to the patio before another word could be said. Alexis rubbed her forehead and sighed.
“Go. Please.”
Bailey drove off, mildly freaked out about Mr. Carrington’s kiss. He’d always pulled pranks, but the kiss was something new. Bailey was sort of flattered, he guessed, but not even his dad kissed him. Like at a certain age, it just became an unspoken agreement between father and son. It was weird, but on the whole nothing new. Bailey figured Mr. Carrington’s job as a lawyer stressed him out so much the jokes were just his way of coping.
There was an awkwardness lingering in the car. It made Bailey uncomfortable. He decided to focus on other things, like the stakeout.
“Do you think we should wear disguises?” Bailey asked. “I feel like we should get some fake mustaches or something.”
“Normally, I’d say yes. But it’s nighttime. Shouldn’t be too hard to stay out of sight.”
“Right. Duh.” Bailey felt stupid for even bringing it up, but at least it got Alexis talking instead of fretting.
The traffic light at the next intersection turned red. Bailey’s phone vibrated with another text from Marshall.
Where you at? Don’t say jerking off, you jerkoff.
Bailey typed. Out and about with Alexis. What’s up?
The response came almost immediately.
Stop trying to hold her hand. Need to meet. Super important. She can come. Tim’s with me.
“Marshall wants to meet up,” Bailey said. “It’s super important.”
Alexis laughed under her breath. “The only super important thing to Marshall is Marshall.”
Truer words had rarely been spoken. Whatever Marshall wanted, it could wait. Bailey and Alexis had a stakeout to run. The museum closed at nine. They needed to be ready.
The light turned green. Bailey tapped the accelerator. His phone vibrated again. He groaned and handed it to Alexis.
“Can you ask turd blossom what he wants?” Bailey asked. “I have a hard enough time driving without texting.”
“Only if I can call him a turd blossom.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
Alexis typed a message to Marshall. “I told him you hoped he was wearing a netted shirt so you could see his rippling muscles underneath.”
“You did not.” Bailey reached for the phone, but she kept it out of reach, laughing the entire time. “Tell him it was you. I’m serious.”
“You asked me to text for you.” She smacked his hand away. “Focus on driving.”
“I didn’t ask you to say that.”
“And I didn’t. I was just messing with you.” Alexis held her mouth open in mock surprise.
“Seriously?”
“Of course! If anything, he should be asking to see you in a netted shirt.”
“I swear.” Bailey shook his head, pretending he was disgusted. “If it’s not you, it’s your dad. I can’t get no love.”
Alexis awed and patted his arm. “Is that better?”
“A little, yeah.” A lot, actually.
The phone vibrated.
“That didn’t take long,” Alexis said with a laugh.
“What?”
“Marshall knows it’s me. And I didn’t even say anything bad.” She leaned closer to the phone, giving her face a ghostly white glow. “He also says this has to do with last night, and that you may not be crazy.”
“That was big of him.” It wasn’t like Marshall to own up to something like that. The phone lit up. Another text.
“Wait. He forgot to preface that. You’re still crazy, just not–gross, Marshall–flinging poo at people crazy.” The phone’s display light turned off. “Only he didn’t say poo.”
“I figured.”
Another text arrived.
“What should I say?”
“Ask him if they want some ice cream.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Stake Out
Bailey and Alexis made it to Nice Dreams ten minutes before closing time. They walked in, the only two customers there. Bailey loved the place. The checkered floor, framed pictures of ice cream and candy hanging on the walls, the smell of milk and sugar; it was like traveling back to a simpler, happier time.
“Are you two together?” The manager wore a white apron and, upsetting the old school vibe, an Atlanta Braves cap.
Bailey hadn’t thought of that. They were there, together, ordering food, but did that mean they were on a date? If so, should he pay? He didn’t have that much money. Shouldn’t he have dressed up? Been charming? Bailey didn’t feel like being charming. He didn’t even think he could be charming. He just wanted to enjoy some chocolate chip ice cream with his friend and not worry about anything until Marshall and Tim showed up. Bailey pulled out his wallet, ready to pay for both of them.
Paying for both of them definitely made it a date, even though technically they were on a stakeout. Killing time before a stakeout. Whatever! If he got both of them, it counted.
“We’re separate,” Alexis said.
Bailey glanced at her, unsure if he should be thankful or disappointed. “I can get it if you want.”
“No, that’s okay. It’s not like this is a date or anything.”
Disappointment it was. Despite the sort of denial, there were worse things in the world. Like having parents that might or might not be in cahoots with a monster. Yes, a goodnight kiss would’ve been great, but lifting t
he pressure of a date from his chest was a godsend. There was enough pressure surrounding the stakeout. Throwing a date together at the last second was too much for one guy to handle.
“Buck up,” she said. “If you took me here for a date, it would be the last time you ever took me out on a date.”
“Hey,” the manager said, not happy.
Alexis apologized. “Maybe for a dessert, but we’re not twelve, you know?”
Bailey wasn’t sure how to respond. On the one hand, he’d never take Alexis there for a date. Maybe if they were walking the boardwalk and happened to stop in, but Bailey liked to think he had more class than that. He also didn’t want to be defensive and tell her everything was fine, but she picked up on his disappointment. Crap.
Alexis solved Bailey’s problem by moving past him and ordering. The manager scooped up some birthday cake ice cream into a cup for her. Bailey watched the manager pack the ice cream down with the scoop, wondering how talking to someone Bailey had known for years got so complicated. Oh! That’s right. Women.
The manager handed Alexis the ice cream and then moved over to the register. She struggled to get money out of her purse while holding the ice cream.
Bailey reached out. “I can—”
“I’ve got it, thanks.” She set the cup down on the counter, and handed the manager her debit card. “I’ll be outside.”
Bailey got two scoops of chocolate ice cream and then sat down opposite Alexis at a table outside. Neither said a word as they dug in, until Alexis grunted and rubbed her forehead.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Brain freeze.” Her face was scrunched, trying to fight off the pain. It let up after a short while.
“You need to walk it off?”
She smiled. “I’ll live. That’ll teach me not to eat like a lady.”
“It’s a hard lesson to learn.”
Bailey saw Marshall and Tim walking toward them. Bailey checked his phone for the time. Two minutes past nine.
“They’re not going to let you in.”
“Watch us,” Marshall said. He pulled on the door. Locked. “Come on.”