Rebecka giggled. “Oh, I am, huh? Well then, let me just move out of the way for you. I wouldn’t want to hinder your ability to play.” She took an exaggerated step to the left. “Is that better?”
He glanced sideways at her and grinned. “Much better.” He leaned over the table and lined up the cue stick. “Now then, let me show you how to win…” He cut his sentence short and straightened.
Rebecka looked at him, puzzled. “What was that? What were you going to show—”
“Shh…” He held a finger up to his lips. “Someone’s coming.”
They simultaneously stepped toward each other, until they stood side by side. “Did you hear something?” she whispered.
Toby shook his head. “No, I had a brief vision. Hold on for a second.”
She looked at him as he closed his eyes in concentration.
He opened his eyes a few seconds later. “It’s that guy who came to my room…Jesse.”
“You saw Jesse? Where?”
“He’s down the hall, and…” He closed his eyes again. “He’s walking this way. He just passed the stairs. Is there anywhere else besides here that he could be headed?”
“I doubt it. There’s a dance studio, but other than that, every other room is empty.”
“So basically what you’re saying is, we’re sitting ducks.”
“Um, yeah…I think we’re screwed.”
“We’re not screwed. I am…you’re not. Get out of here. Now.”
Rebecka shook her head. “Toby, I can’t just leave you.”
“Yes, you can. There’s no sense in both of us getting caught. They don’t know that you use your abilities to move about this place. Don’t blow your cover now. Get out of here.”
She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “The author’s name is Patricia McCormack.”
He pulled her into a bear hug and whispered back, “Thank you. Now go.”
She took a deep breath. He was right; she needed to go. But still, she regretted leaving him behind. Still held in his embrace, she whispered back, “I’ll see you soon.” Then she closed her eyes and focused on her room. Just when the tingling sensation reached her head, she heard the door begin to open, and then she was gone.
CHAPTER 13: FLAGSTAFF
A row of aspens that lined the drive, greeted them upon their arrival. The trees, swaying gently in the breeze, relinquished their hoard of snow, which resulted in a rhythmic splatter on the roof of the Jeep, as they drove up the long, winding lane. With luck, the kidnappers wouldn’t expect their return, to Eddie’s hometown. The confusion would hopefully buy them time while they waited for guidance and direction from Toby.
Tyler glanced over his shoulder to the back seat. Liliana had used his fleece pullover as a pillow. Snuggled against it, she slept in momentary escape from the tumultuous situation that engulfed them. He was hit with a sense of guilt as he watched the peaceful countenance of her face. He silently questioned the wisdom of bringing her along. Maybe she would have been better off in Seattle.
“They would have found her, you know,” Eddie said. He glanced at Tyler. “If we had left her there, she would probably be locked up with Toby, by now.”
Tyler turned to him with curiosity. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“It doesn’t take mind-reading skills. I see the way you look at her. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re starting to care about her. And besides,” he continued, “I was thinking the same thing. She’s a sweet girl, not the type to run away from home or do anything crazy like that. But it’s true…They would have found her. She’s better off, for now, if she stays with us.”
Tyler sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
Liliana awoke when Eddie brought the Jeep to a stop, in front of the house. “Are we already at your place? I can’t believe I slept the whole way!”
“Don’t worry about it,” Eddie said. “We’re all tired from the trip. No sense in staying awake when you could be resting.”
She handed Tyler the pullover. “Thanks for this. I think you’re going to need it. It looks a bit chilly outside.”
“No problem.” He pulled the fleece over his tousled hair and shivered as he looked out at the fresh, untouched snow. It was hard to gauge from inside the vehicle, but he guessed there was at least two feet on the ground.
A tall, skinny girl bounded down the cement steps of the house. “Eddie! You’re home!” she shouted. She grinned from ear to ear as she ran toward Eddie. Tyler guessed this must be the sister he had mentioned.
Eddie swept her into a giant bear hug and swirled her around. When her feet were planted back on the ground, she turned to the newcomers. “Who are you friends?”
“This is Tyler and Liliana.” Eddie indicated them each by turn and then placed an arm around her shoulders. “This is my sister, Abby.”
“You were gone forever,” his sister scolded.
He smiled down at her. “Not forever. Only three days.”
“Well, three days too many.”
“Ha! I missed you too, little sis.” He turned to Liliana. “Why don’t you go on in and get warm. Tyler and I will grab the bags and be right in.”
“All right. Thanks.” Liliana smiled and turned to follow Abby up the steps.
Once she was in the house, Tyler turned to Eddie. “Do you think we’ll be safe here?”
“As safe as anywhere else, I suppose. If they tracked my credit card, they’ll know we flew to Phoenix, but after that, there’s virtually no trace of us.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Hopefully, once Sarah and Grace get here, we’ll be able to formulate some sort of plan.” They hadn’t actually spoken with Sarah, but through a continuous circuit of phone tag when Eddie had taken the risk to occasionally turn his phone on, he had determined that she had somehow located Grace, and together, the girls were on their way to Flagstaff.
“I’m curious how Grace and Sarah found each other,” Tyler said. “That seems like an odd coincidence.”
“Yeah, no kidding. My grandmother says there’s no such thing as a coincidence. If they found each other, they were brought together for a reason. Hopefully they don’t run into any problems along the way. I imagine they should be here soon. You haven’t heard from your brother?”
Tyler shook his head and frowned. “No…I haven’t.”
“Well, come on. We might as well go inside. You can meet my family, and we’ll make lunch. If there’s nothing else that we can do besides wait, we might as well relax.”
Once inside, the house presented an illusion of safety. Eddie’s father sat in a recliner and watched TV in front of a warm and inviting wood stove. Off to the other side of the house was the kitchen, where Eddie’s mother stood in front of an open refrigerator and put groceries away. The entire scene was refreshingly normal, and Tyler was thankful for the temporary sanctuary.
“Hey, son, welcome home!” Eddie’s father waved from the chair. “How was Tucson?”
“It was good. I brought some friends home. This is Tyler, and Liliana is around here, somewhere. Abby already stole her away. I told them they could stay with us so they wouldn’t have to get a motel room.”
“That’s fine. Your friends are always welcome. Hi, Tyler, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, sir,” Tyler replied.
His dad smiled. “You can call me Mannie.”
“And I’m Claire,” his mother said as she entered the living room. “It’s nice to meet you, Tyler.” She extended a hand in greeting.
“Thank you for allowing us to stay here.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Claire said. “Have you boys eaten?”
“No, we’re starving,” Eddie replied.
“Good. Why don’t you go ahead and find the girls. I’ll make lunch.”
*****
“Well,” Eddie said once they had finished lunch, “I guess all we can do is wait. As much as I hate to say it, I should probably get caught up
on homework. I don’t want to fall behind any more than I already have. I’m going to call my lab partner to find out my missing assignments. Do you two think you can entertain yourselves for a couple of hours? You’re welcome to watch TV with my dad, or if that prospect doesn’t excite you, I can loan you some snow boots and coats, and you can explore the property.”
“I like the idea of staying warm,” Tyler said.
“Oh, come on! Where’s your sense of adventure?” Liliana elbowed Tyler in the arm. “Let’s go outside and play in the snow.”
“I’ve got warm clothes you can borrow,” Eddie told him. “In fact, we’ve got a couple pairs of snowshoes in the garage. Have you ever gone snowshoeing?”
Tyler shook his head. “Nope, can’t say that I have. I’ve lived in the desert my whole life, and my foster family never took me anywhere.”
Liliana grinned. “Let’s try it! It sounds like fun!” Don’t be a wuss, she thought to him.
Excuse me? Tyler retorted, silently. I am not a wuss!
Good, then come out with me, she thought back.
You’re on, Tyler thought in return.
“We’ll go snowshoeing,” she told Eddie.
Eddie looked back and forth between them and smiled. “Why do I feel like I just missed something?”
“Nothing important.” Tyler glared at Liliana and then turned to Eddie. “Do you have a pair of boots that will fit?”
*****
Almost an hour had passed when it occurred to Tyler that he had forgotten about the cold. He admitted, only to himself, that he was glad they had decided to explore the winter wonderland. He stood back for a moment and watched Liliana follow a hawk that flew from one tree to the next. Her excitement and wonder for life made him smile. If the search for his brother hadn’t been at the forefront of his mind, he would have openly admitted his attraction for her.
Caught up in her enthusiasm for bird watching, he found himself looking skyward at the fleeting bird as he trudged through the snow to catch up to her. He had almost reached her when his left ankle gave way. He stumbled forward over a bulging tree root and landed face-first into the snow.
Startled by his hollers and exclamations, Liliana turned and trudged toward him. She plopped down beside him and helped him into a sitting position. A hint of a smile was quickly replaced with a frown as she wiped snow from his forehead. “That was quite the face-plant. Are you okay?”
Tyler sensed that her apparent concern was a mask to hide her amusement.
“I’m great,” he mumbled.
From out of the blue, Toby’s thoughts invaded his mind. What are you doing? his brother inquired.
Oh, thank God! Tyler thought in return. Liliana raised her eyebrows in silent question. “It’s my brother,” he explained. She wouldn’t be able to hear Toby’s end of the conversation, but at least she’d be able to hear his own thoughts.
“Good!” She sat up straighter in alert attentiveness.
We were just out for a little snowshoeing adventure, Tyler thought to his brother.
You and the girl, huh? Toby replied with a hint of amusement.
He scooped up a glove full of snow and crushed it into a tight ball. Yeah, we, uh, just sat down to take a breather, he thought.
Liliana chuckled. “Yeah, sure…That’s exactly why we sat down.”
A wave of pain emanated from his left ankle; he grimaced slightly at an attempt to bend it but decided not to mention it, lest he worry his brother.
I think I might have a lead for you, Toby thought. It turns out that the people who are looking for you guys are from an agency called the IIA. They’re serious, and they mean business.
The IIA? Does that stand for something?
Yeah, it’s short for Indigo Intelligence Agency. It’s a long story, but the main thing you need to know is that they’re determined to find you. They want to use our gifts for their own intelligence purposes. Basically, they want to use us as spies.
Spies? Really? That’s…interesting.
Interesting to say the least, Toby thought in return.
So did you find out where they’re keeping you?
No, not yet. From what I gather, I’m in the middle of nowhere, but that’s all I know. I think we might have a good lead for you though. There’s someone on the outside who might know where we are.
‘We’ might have a lead? Tyler queried. Who’s the ‘we’?
I’ve met someone else who wants to help. Her name’s Rebecka. They kidnapped her, too. She’s been here a bit longer and has a little more inside information.
That’s cool, Tyler thought. We can use all the help we can get.
Speaking of help, were you able to find everyone on the list?
Yeah, just about. Sarah and Grace should be here, soon.
Where is here? Toby asked.
We’re back in Arizona, at Eddie’s house, in Flagstaff.
That’s perfect, because the next person I want you to find is in Sedona, not too far from there. Her name is Patricia McCormack. She’s the author of a book about Indigo Children. I don’t think she’ll know where I am, but she knows someone who does. There’s a tracker who used to work for the agency, and he bailed on them. He took off, and they don’t have a clue where he is. The author wrote about him in one of her books, and there’s a good chance that she might know where he is. If you find the tracker, then he can tell you where they’re keeping me.
Nice. We just have to wait for Sarah and Grace to show up and then we can head out to look for her.
Thanks. Please be careful. Word is, these guys are keeping a close eye on her, hoping that the tracker will return. If they see you there, the gig’s up.
No worries, Tyler reassured him. We’ll think of something, and we’ll keep our eyes open.
Thanks, bro. I knew I could count on you.
Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll be coming to see you soon.
After Toby was gone, Tyler filled in the pieces of conversation Liliana had missed.
“That’s awesome!” she replied when he had finished explaining the details. “At least now we have a lead.”
“Sure, but that’s assuming she’s been in contact with the tracker. Toby doesn’t know for sure.”
“Well, it’s better than nothing. Do you want to go back to the house and tell Eddie?”
Tyler hesitated, “Um…yeah.” Once again, he attempted to flex his ankle, but took in a sharp breath and froze when he was assaulted by the increased pain.
Liliana frowned. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. My ankle really hurts. I think it might be sprained.”
“Are you kidding? Let’s see if you can stand.”
With snowshoes still on so that his ankle wouldn’t sink two feet into the snow, Tyler accepted Liliana’s arm and carefully got to his feet. When he was steadied, he slowly put his weight on his left leg and was immediately met by pulses of sharp, piercing pain.
“Ow!” He immediately forced the majority of his weight onto the opposite foot. “I don’t know if it’s sprained or broken, but there’s no way that I’m going to be able to walk back to the house.”
“Here, sit back down.” Concern was evident in her eyes, as she helped him to the ground. “Can you take your boot off?”
“Sure, if you can help me figure out how to get this snowshoe off.”
It took a few moments, but eventually the snowshoe was removed. Tyler winced in pain as he maneuvered the bulky boot off of his foot.
“Rest your foot on my leg so that it’s not sitting in the snow.” She scooted in beside him and slid his pant leg up to his calf. “All right, let me see. I’m going to let you roll your sock down. I don’t want to hurt you.”
With his sock rolled down, the appearance of his ankle revealed the truth. Already it was swollen and had turned an assortment of colors.
“Ooh, that does look like it hurts,” Liliana cooed, sympathetically.
“I think you’re going to have to go
back to the house to get Eddie. Maybe they have a snowmobile or something that he can bring.”
“I could…” Liliana began, “but I have a better idea.” She grinned. Do you trust me? she asked silently.
Tyler looked into her eyes. Oh yeah, he trusted her. He was surprised to realize that he trusted her about as much as he trusted his brother, and that was saying a lot.
“Let me see if I can help, okay?”
“Um…okay.”
“Just relax and lean back.”
With her help, he scooted back to the base of a large pine and leaned against it. His foot remained propped on her thigh, and she gently cupped his exposed ankle, in both hands.
“Will this hurt?”
“You know, I’ve never tried it on a human, but I’ve never had an animal complain.”
Her tone remained even and calm, and Tyler couldn’t tell if she was serious or joking. He laughed in a poor attempt to hide his nerves. “Great, so I’m a guinea pig?”
She chuckled softly and said in the same, calm voice, “If that’s the way you want to look at it…yes.”
“Hmm, that certainly helps to instill a lot of confidence.”
“Just hush and lean back,” Liliana chided. “This shouldn’t take long.”
Gingerly, her cupped hands slid up and down his ankle. Tyler watched with curiosity. When she seemed to find the right spot, she closed her eyes and held her hands firmly in place. Her eyes remained closed in focused concentration. Tyler smiled. She truly was beautiful.
His skin grew warm beneath her gentle touch, and just when he thought his ankle would become uncomfortably hot, the heat subsided, and she opened her eyes.
They made eye contact then. Tyler found himself entranced in her gaze, held by her beauty, and frozen with an unfamiliar sense of passion.
Liliana sat, equally immobile, as she met his gaze with her own.
All sense of practicality and reason was momentarily gone. Tyler gulped and slowly leaned in. He no longer thought about the fact that he shouldn’t be attracted to her. He was no longer thinking at all. His motions were directed entirely from his feelings.
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Page 14
