by Imogen Rose
“We don’t know that anyone was murdered for sure.”
I nodded, burying my face back into his chest and closing my eyes. I hoped he was right. Simla was just a girl. I wished that I had made more of an effort to get to know her. I was always so busy with cheer stuff. If it wasn’t games, it was practice. She had made so many attempts at trying to hang out with me at school. I had never totally blown her off, but I had put her off with promises to hang out later because I was always busy. I wished I had taken the time to go to one of those movies she’d asked me to go see with her. Or even had her come join the team on one of our nights out. But I hadn’t. And now it might be too late. The tears broke through and soaked into Kellan’s shirt.
“Shrimp, Harry’s just waved goodbye to those ladies and is walking toward the exit. Let’s follow him.”
I nodded, letting go of him and drying my eyes with my sleeve.
“You okay?”
“Not really. Let’s go find out if Harry knows anything new.”
We followed Harry to the Bellagio fountains–the fountains we’d seen dancing in the dark last night from our suite window, before all this happened. Harry had stopped in front of the fountains and was gazing at the water jetting up through the nozzles. We walked over and stood beside him.
“So?” I sidled closer to him.
“It’s what we guessed. But all she knew for sure was that the cops were at the hotel earlier, and a body was removed. She didn’t know whose body, though, or what happened.”
I froze. The confirmation that someone had actually been murdered, someone we knew–whether Simla or Rowena–was simply horrifying. My knees turned to Jell-O, buckling under me. Luckily, Kellan caught me before I fell.
“We have to get away from here,” Harry said suddenly. “I mean, there’s a chance that we’re in danger.”
“But what if it was Rowena that killed Simla and she’s looking for us to take us back to Gramadea?” I whispered. “Shouldn’t we try to find her?”
Harry closed his eyes, clenching his jaw. He looked totally stressed out.
“We’re going to have to do both.” Kellan crossed his arms. “We can’t take the chance and hang around here. If we’re in danger, we need to lay low. But let’s keep our eyes open for Rowena.”
“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “And we need to figure out a way to make some money. Who knows how long we’re gonna be stuck here? Let’s walk down the strip and try to figure out a plan.”
“Why don’t we just try to get home?” I suggested. We needed to be back there for Mom. And for Dad… he must be falling to pieces. And we needed to find Ella. Gramadea had mentioned that she was with Sally. Hopefully, they’d left her there.
Harry nodded. “That does seem like the best option. We’re still going to need money, even if it’s just to rent a car. Then there’s gas and food….”
“I could maybe get a job waitressing?”
“I doubt it. You’re the only one without an ID. No one will hire you,” Harry mused. “Plus, I don’t want you to be out in the open on your own. One of us needs to hold onto you at all times in case Potomal’s group tries to whisk you away again.”
I looked down at my hand, which was firmly grasped in Kellan’s again. I did feel safer, more grounded in the knowledge that should someone try to wander me off, Kellan could pull me back. But could he? “Harry, if someone tries to grab me, will this really help?” I pointed to Kellan and my entwined fingers.
“It’s got to be better than nothing, right?”
“I suppose.”
“There’s no way I’d let go of you, Shrimp. No matter what,” Kellan stated emphatically.
I looked at him and believed him completely.
“Now, Clara mentioned that she would find me a job this evening. We don’t have a lot of money left, and I don’t think whatever Clara will come up with will pay enough for our room and food and leave any left over for a car rental. However, this is Vegas….”
“Poker?” Kellan looked around at all the hotels surrounding us. I followed his gaze. Each one had a casino.
“Yep. I’ll need to get a fake license, first–”
“Why? Won’t your driver’s license work?” I asked.
“Nope, you have to be twenty-one.”
“That sounds like you could get into a lot of trouble, Harry. You better not.”
“You’re right, but we could be stuck here for a long time if I don’t.”
“What about Abercrombie?” I blurted, as we walked past the store. Another light-bulb moment. All of us had done our fair share of modeling, and Harry and Kellan were the Abercrombie stereotype.
“You’re kidding?” Harry laughed.
“No. Just think of it as modeling.” I grinned.
“Yeah, go on, Harry.” Kellan guffawed. “You’ll enjoy every moment of the longing leers.”
“You do it!” Harry shot back.
I instinctively squeezed Kellan’s hand. There was no way, I thought, as a twinge of… something seared through me. The thought of a bunch of hormonal teens leering at my brother filled me with giggles, but I felt a sense of hurt, of anger, at the same image with Kellan in it. Why was that?
“Harry, I’m hungry,” I said, changing the subject. “Can we get something to eat?”
“Yeah. It’s going to have to be something cheap again.”
We walked into the Fashion Show Mall food court and opted for Subway. I got a veggie delight and dug into it. We sat by a window that faced the strip. Once Harry had finished his Philly cheese steak, he nodded. I raised my eyebrows.
“Thinking about it, it might be fun, and I may get a discount on the clothes. Working at Abercrombie, I mean.”
“You’re going to give it a go?”
“I think I have to. We’re down to our last five dollars or so. What are you and Kellan going to do while I work?”
“Well, we don’t know that you’re going to get a job there for sure, yet.”
Harry smiled his mega-watt grin. Okay. There was absolutely no way they wouldn’t hire him. They would have to be made of stone. I rolled my eyes.
Kellan smirked. “Well, I don’t want to head too far in case you need to get hold of us, since we don’t have cell phones. How about I take Arizona to the balcony overlooking the frog waterfall at the Wynn? We won’t be able to get into the Parasol lounge, but the balcony overlooking the falls has some comfy seats where we can hang out.
“Where is it exactly, if I need to find you?” Harry chugged his coke.
“Right above the lounge, but on the first floor, behind the reception lobby.”
“Okay. I may be a while, especially if they need me to start right away. Let’s decide on a time to meet back up, and I’ll try to get away for a break or something. How about five o’clock? If I don’t get there in time, wait.”
“We will,” I promised, and hugged him before he left.
Kellan, still with my hand in his, pulled me up, and we walked over to the Wynn together. I could feel the electricity from his touch, but tried to ignore it. Thank goodness he couldn’t read my thoughts like David.
The Wynn hotel loomed ahead. I had never stayed there before, never even been inside it. It was so over-the-top fancy–I was amazed as we made our way inside. We walked through the shopping plaza, stopping at the windows to admire the awesome stuff, including a diamond-encrusted cell phone. We walked down, or rather stood on, the curved escalator, which took us down to the Parasol lounge. We weren’t old enough to get in, but we peered at the waterfall through the glass doors.
Kellan nudged me. “Come on. Let’s go back up and sit in the balcony upstairs. It has the best view of the falls.”
It did. We got a great view of the huge curtain waterfall and of the statues peeking out from the water in the shallow manmade lake.
“The show starts at seven. Hopefully, we’ll catch it. It’s free.”
We made ourselves comfortable on the cushion-covered wicker chairs and sipped our water. Kellan
moved his chair so that it was touching mine, and he sat down with my hand in his.
I turned to face him. “Kell, do you really think someone’s going to grab me again? Don’t you think this is kind of overkill?” I shook my hand.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Why? Does it bother you?”
“No, but my hand is getting a bit sweaty, or is that yours?” I laughed.
“You’re right. Let’s swap them around.” He stood, and we swapped seats. “Better?”
“Yes.” I squeezed his fresh, unsweaty hand. I felt calm and protected by his touch. I also felt almost… anxious. My heart beat faster, and I felt a tingle. The tingle turned into full-blown trembles of excitement when he put his head on my shoulder. I moved awkwardly, my lips brushing against his forehead. My heart thudded so loudly that I thought my chest would explode.
“You okay?” Kellan suddenly moved his head back so his lips accidentally brushed mine. He didn’t move. I thought I was going to die. So embarrassing! What now?
I froze. I felt something grab my shoulders. I instinctively tightened my grip on Kellan’s hand, hanging on to him for dear life. I felt his hand tighten.
“Kell,” I whispered hoarsely, my lips brushing against his. “I think someone’s trying to grab me. Don’t let go of me. Please.”
He put his arms around me, stiffening his grip. His facial muscles hardened as well, his eyes glaring into mine. The pull at my shoulder intensified, with Kellan immediately increasing his pressure to hang onto me. I felt like a rope caught in the middle of a tug of war. As much as the pressure on my shoulder increased, Kellan’s grip around me was unyielding. Then I heard a whisper–a whisper so soft against my left ear. I’ll be back. The pressure lifted, and I slumped against Kellan. The voice had been unmistakable. Simla. “We’ve got to go! She said she’d be back!”
“Who? Who was that?”
“Simla!”
“Simla?” He sounded shocked. “She must have learned to wander….”
“No kidding! Please, Kell, let’s go!”
He nodded. “Okay. Don’t let go of my hand, even for a second. If you feel anything at all, yell.”
“I will.”
We stood, still entwined in each other. I was afraid to let go; Kellan seemed to be, as well. He brought his right arm around my back and grabbed my right hand while still holding on to my left with his. I felt protected as we ran out the Wynn toward the Fashion Show mall. We ran up the escalator and tore into Abercrombie looking for Harry.
Kellan spotted him first. “Over there, by the changing rooms.”
I looked over to see my beaming brother surrounded by a pack of teenage girls, one of them holding a dress up against herself, clearly asking for his opinion. Snort. Like he ever had opinions about dresses! Still, whatever he was saying had her drinking in every word, her mouth set in an inviting pout, and her eyes spellbound by his. “Hurry, before I hurl.”
Kellan managed a smile, but I could tell it was forced. He was feeling the stress of having to keep me safe. I was as well. We walked over to where Harry was.
His flirty demeanor changed immediately when he saw us. He grabbed some stuff from the rack beside him. “Mr. Fox, I have your things right here. Please follow me. Ladies, I’ll be back soon.” He smiled at them and led us into a storage room at the back of the store. “The store manager’s on vacation at the moment. In fact, I was lucky to get hired at all! Good thing they were so short-staffed. But it’s only for the day, and they’re paying me in cash to get around the paperwork. You can hide out in here. What’s up?” he asked, as soon as he closed and locked the door behind us.
We sat down and I hurriedly described what had happened at the Wynn.
“I’m guessing that’s why you have her in that grip? Let me take over for a while. He swapped places with Kellan, who looked relieved. Kellan stretched his arms over his head and paced about, shaking out his muscles.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
Harry shook his head. “Not sure. Did you see Simla?”
“No, I just felt her and heard her.”
“You’re sure it was her?”
“Yeah.”
“And she said she’d be back.”
“Yes.”
“Question is, how did she find you?”
“How do you think?”
“I’m assuming she’s been hanging out around here since she killed Rowena, looking for you,” Harry mused. “And she must have spotted us and followed you, waiting for an opportunity to strike.”
“You think she killed Rowena?” I was having a totally impossible time believing that meek, little Simla could hurt anyone. Why would she?
“Not just that,” Kellan said. “But now we also know that she can wander! How the heck did that come about? I mean, just a few days ago, she was claiming that she couldn’t, that she’d been abandoned by Potomal….”
Harry ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. She’s quite the little actress. It looks like this might be another one of Potomal’s schemes. Maybe that whole thing was a hoax, just a plan to lull us into a false sense of security so that he could strike again.”
I had no idea what they were talking about. Again? “Care to update me?” I snapped. I was, after all, the one that they seemed to be after.
“Potomal wants control of the Sigma-W. He wants you as leverage to take control. We’re not exactly sure how, but Raj and Simla seem to be involved in his scheme,” Harry explained.
“Why me?”
“You’re one of the grandchildren of the Sigma-W leader.”
I closed my eyes. This was a minefield. I decided for now to accept it, just so we could move on. But I did have to know one more thing. “Why me? Why not you or Ella?”
He shrugged. “I could be wrong, but I don’t think it is just you. I’m guessing it’s just been more convenient for them to take you.”
“How?”
“According to Gramadea, Potomal isn’t out to hurt anyone. He simply wants power and needs leverage to take it from Granddad. Taking a little kid like Ella would present him with a bunch of problems he wouldn’t have to deal with if he took someone older like you or me. Between you and me... you’re easier, that’s all.”
“But they’d take you, if they can’t get to me.” That made sense. “So, we both have to be really careful. Simla did say that she was going to be back. She might have gone to get help.”
“Yeah, but it means that for now she’s not tracking us, so we need to make a run for it,” Kellan said.
“I want to finish my shift first. We need the money,” Harry added. “You two can hide out here for now. I’ll keep a low profile.”
I snorted.
“What, Shrimp?”
I shook my head. Harry keeping a low profile in a store full of hormonal teens was beyond laughable.
He rolled his eyes. “Kell, ready to take over?”
As Harry and Kellan swapped me over, I felt my heartbeat quicken again. Was it in response to a feeling of impending doom? Was I scared that once Harry let go of me and walked back outside Potomal’s group would take him away? Or was it in response to Kellan being so close again?
Whatever it was, I didn’t want to let go of Kellan. I held on, resting my face on his chest while he supported his own on my head. I closed my eyes.
Raj felt like his head was about to explode. As much as he loved her, all he wanted to do at the moment was slap Simla. In a matter of ten minutes, she’d practically ended any chance of a good future of any kind for him. All that remained was a future on the run, not just from the FBI, but also from Sophie and Dan, since they had turned up in the Bahamas looking for him. He had no idea how they’d been able to get there. But they were there. They’d left a message with the receptionist at his motel asking him to call them. He hadn’t, but now that they knew where he was, he couldn’t go back there. They wanted their money. He didn’t have any. So he had to run–from them, the FBI, and now Potomal, apparently.
>
“Simla, stop! Stop with the hysterics! I can’t understand what you’re saying! What do you mean, Potomal’s going to kill you? Are you still working for him? How? Why? And if that’s the case, why on earth was I dumped back in Mountain View?”
Simla wiped her face with the back of her hand. She’d appeared out of nowhere at his motel, just when he was on his way out. They were standing facing each other in the parking lot. It was not a good place to talk. Besides, Dan and Sophie might be back any time. They might, in fact, be there already. He had to get out of there. He grabbed Simla by the arm. “Come with me.”
He walked her toward the beach. He’d figured out where all the isolated spots were. They’d be as safe as they could be hidden away in one of his spots.
~
Sophie saw Raj coming down the stairs from the motel they had managed to track him to. “There he is.” Sophie murmured. It hadn’t been easy to find him. Nothing had been easy since they had come back through the portal.
First of all, they hadn’t expected to run into Larry Fox at the other end. That had been a shock. for Larry as well, judging by the look of utter horror on his face. Once he recognized Sophie, his shock had turned to anger, and he’d almost hit the panic alarm. She’d begged him not to and, when she saw his hesitation, she’d jumped on him and with Dan’s help managed to restrain him. They hadn’t meant to hurt him; he’d sustained some cuts and bruises, but he would be okay. They had tied him down on one of the metal chairs and taped his mouth to keep him from squealing. The one benefit from running into Larry had been that they’d been able to find out where Raj was hiding out. Larry didn’t know the exact location, but was able to tell them, or rather write down for them, that Raj was in the Bahamas.
Sophie’s first priority after they left Ames was to see her daughter. It had been a year. Would Tiff even remember her? She welled up at the thought that she might not. They’d taken Larry’s car and, after dumping it in a supermarket parking lot and borrowing a Ford Escort someone had conveniently forgotten to lock, driven to Sophie’s mom’s house. They’d parked outside and watched the house for a while. Then Dan asked to leave. His house wasn’t far, and he wanted to visit his wife. Be careful, Sophie had warned him, a lot could have changed in a year. It would be silly to go rushing in thinking everything was the same. The woman might even have remarried! She didn’t suggest that last idea to Dan, though, no point in getting him worried. She just asked him to meet her back at the car in an hour.
