His face had changed and gotten older, which wasn’t surprising since in his life, two years had passed, while for her, it had only been a matter of days.
Even though he looked more mature, he was still the prettiest boy she’d ever seen. His bright blue eyes pierced her soul. His raven-black hair was different than she remembered—trimmed short in back and over the ears, but long and shaggy in front.
It was a good look for him, she decided. Then again, he could’ve shaved his head bald and she’d still want to jump him right then and there.
“Daddy. Me,” Julius said from the depths of her consciousness. Then her baby continued, this time shouting feverishly in her mind. “Daddy! Hug! Now! Love! Safe!”
She held back the hug that Julius wanted her to wrap around Derek’s neck, obviously drawing on the thoughts and emotions associated with the hug she had shared with Nora. Emily had more pressing thoughts on her mind. Mainly, the fact that she was pregnant and Derek had a son.
“Hey, babe,” he said with just a hint of swagger, but uber cool none the less.
Emily covered her mouth with her hand, trying to keep it together with all the emotions, hormones, and thoughts swirling inside her. She had so much to say to him but she was afraid to open her mouth and let any of it out.
Derek looked her in the eyes and gave her the smile that melted her heart. He took her hand and pulled it away from her mouth, then leaned forward and kissed the back of her fingers, like a noble gentleman in an old-fashioned fairytale.
“Daddy! Hug! Now! Love! Safe!” Julius said again, sending a powerful wave of emotions her way. Her baby was upset—that much was clear—throwing his first temper tantrum in order to get his way.
“Oh my God,” she said as a jump tingle began inside.
“What’s wrong?” Derek said, looking confused. He now had both of her hands in his, squeezing them tightly.
Before she could answer, a new revelation hit her. The jump process wasn’t forming in her spine. It was in her belly.
“No! No! No!” she snapped while looking into Derek’s eyes, realizing the tingle was coming from her baby. Her eyes went wide as fright took hold of her. She worried that since the jump process had started with Julius, he was going to jump. And since she wasn’t feeling the tingle in her spine like normal, she feared he was going to jump without her.
How could her tiny baby survive outside her womb?
Would she be torn to shreds by the blue fire when it came for Julius?
The terrifying thoughts continued to stream into her mind as the tingle grew and grew, filling the center of her body like butterflies on steroids.
“Are you okay?” Derek said, just as she ripped her hands away from his.
“I—” she stammered, stepping back to protect him when the blue fire came. “I don’t know.”
She wanted to tell him more, but stopped when the tingling sensation jumped to the base of her spine and began to rise, fast—much faster than it should. It was both good news and bad news, all rolled up into one panic-stricken moment.
It meant she and the baby were going to jump together. The terror of Julius jumping without her was replaced by a feeling of relief, which was quickly replaced by frustration at the fact that she was about to jump and leave Derek and her friends again.
“Derek, I think I’m about to—you know.”
“What? Now?”
“Yes, and I don’t think I can stop it,” she said, taking a few more steps back.
When the tingle reached the middle of her shoulder blades, an idea came to her. Since the jump process originated with Julius, maybe she could convince her baby to help her stop it. For that idea to work, she’d need to distract him from the swell of anger so he could focus with her.
The baby had wanted her to hug Derek, so that’s what she did. She ran to Derek and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.
“That’s better. You had me worried there for a moment,” Derek said softly into her ear.
“I’m sorry,” she answered, speaking to both Derek and the baby.
She sent loving thoughts to Julius and wrapped them inside a virtual blanket of warmth, hoping to calm down her child enough so the two of them could quash the jump process together. But the tingle continued to grow. Her ploy wasn’t working. She needed more of a distraction.
She craned her neck back and brought her lips around, kissing Derek hard on the lips. He kissed her back, sending a flood of passion into her heart. It felt wonderful and scary at the same time. If the kiss didn’t work, she was screwed.
Their lip lock ended a moment later, then he pulled her in for another hug. “It’s okay, Em. It’s all good. I’m just glad you’re back and safe.”
Emily closed her eyes and focused on the tingle, trying to snuff it out. But it was still there and gaining strength.
She was out of options. A jump was coming and she wasn’t going to be able to stop it. She pried herself free from Derek’s arms and ran to the middle of the grassy area in front of Duane and Nora’s house.
Derek started to follow her and so did Duane and Nora.
“Everyone, just stay back!” she screamed, feeling the jump pain increase tenfold. “Derek—” she said, looking at his sad, puppy-dog eyes, “I’ll try to . . . be back soon.”
She took a mental snapshot and fixed the moment in her mind, gathering up everything she was seeing, feeling, and thinking about the yard, the house, the cars, Duane and Nora—and bound it to the bounty of emotions pouring in from Derek. She wrapped it all together and sent it telepathically to Julius in one last attempt to stop her son from taking them on a time jump.
When time began to slow down around her, she had her answer. The jump would arrive in a second or two. She dropped to the ground and curled into a ball, waiting for the blue fire to come and take her.
To take them.
It did, and she and Julius were gone in a flash.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
3D57 turned the steering wheel of the BMW 5-series that he’d commandeered from the proximal neighbor’s garage and eased it into a slow stop next to the sidewalk. He’d arrived without incident at the residence of Jim Miller, located at 333 North Glassford Street, and parked across the street.
His revised mission protocols had guided him with precision to the designated interrogation point. He grabbed his particle weapon and the CART briefcase from the adjacent seat and got out of the vehicle.
A quick scan of the neighborhood by his visual and auditory sensors told him there was no movement.
“Proceed with caution,” his tactical response system reported. “Level 5 awareness protocols have been activated across all sensor input channels.”
3D57’s cognitive summary report dictated that he avoid being prematurely detected by the reporter residing in the home. A previous infiltration unit, 2C49, had been sent on an earlier mission to this same address but was decommissioned with prejudice by the target.
Before its destruction, 2C49 was able to stream a final communication burst to HQ in which it identified the subject, Jim Miller, as having advanced tactical skills and weaponry.
As a result, The Authority re-classified the interrogation target as lethal, with a high probability of resistance.
3D57 followed his mission specs, walking one block left to traverse the length of the neighborhood, then made a ninety degree right turn.
He followed the roadway until the alley that ran behind Miller’s home could be located. After it was, he turned right again, using the dirt corridor for a covert approach. Once 3D57 was in position behind the subject’s house, he peered over the fence and ran a visual scan of the backyard and residence.
“Target Identified,” his tactical systems reported.
Red crosshairs appeared in his vision, landing on Jim Miller as he stood in the kitchen. The home’s rear-facing windows gave 3D57 a priority view inside multiple rooms. He didn’t see anyone else in the domicile.
3D57 dropped be
hind the fence and waited while his Encrypted Action System streamed a mission update to HQ. He planned to take action the second he received an authorization to engage from his handler.
***
When the ball of blue energy first appeared around Emily in his front yard, Duane had the instant sensation of his body being stuck in molasses. His eyesight blurred for what he thought was a full second, then it returned to normal and so did his mobility. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but his heart was beating at full tilt.
He was standing in his driveway near the front of the Impala. Nora was at his side and Derek was fifteen feet away in front of the two of them, just inside the edge of the grassy area. All of them had been looking at Emily when the blue fire came.
Now the blue fire was gone and so was Emily. She’d been in the center of the grass, but then just vanished. The only explanation he could come up with was that the blue fireball took her away—somewhere.
Derek stumbled, Nora shuddered, and the three of them started speaking at the same time.
“What the hell was—” Duane started to say.
“Oh my God,” Nora said, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Damn it!” Derek snapped, swinging his head around to look at Duane. His eyes narrowed. “She just got back!”
Duane ran to Derek’s position and so did Nora, all three of them huddling together and staring at the spot last occupied by Emily.
There was a black charred circle in the grass, like a scar from an old fire pit. Small blue flames were still dancing around the edge of the circle, then disappeared when a faint breeze blew in from the west.
“That’s how it happens?” Nora asked with eyes flared, looking from Duane to Derek, and then back to Duane.
Duane shrugged. “I guess so. That’s the first time I’ve seen it. Actually, to be accurate, that was the first time I haven’t seen it. Did anyone else get blurry vision when the blue fire showed up?”
Nora nodded.
So did Derek. “Yeah, it must be what happens when she—does whatever it is she does,” he said, pointing at the charred area on the lawn. “I’ve seen a mark like that before. It was back when I first met her. We were handcuffed in the back of the police van when she just vanished. One second she was there and then poof. I can’t believe she’s gone already. I never got a chance to—”
“I don’t like this one bit,” Nora said, interrupting Derek.
“Do you think Emily summons the blue energy somehow? Or does it just come for her on its own and take her away?” Duane asked the group.
“No clue,” Derek said.
“I better go check on the kids,” Nora said in a commanding tone, turning her focus to Derek. “When I get back, you have some explaining to do, young man.” She spun in the grass and crossed the yard with purpose in her steps, then went inside the house.
“What did she mean by that?” Derek asked.
Duane shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine. But whatever it is, it isn’t good. That much I can guarantee. I’ve seen that look before. And that walk. She’s in mama-bear mode and pissed about something.” He patted Derek on the back and couldn’t hold back a grin. “I’m just glad it’s you this time, and not me.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“Don’t mention it,” Duane said, with a twisted smirk on his face. “I’d better go find my cell and call Jim. I’m sure he’s wondering what’s going on. You should stay out here for a while and let my wife cool down.”
“Seriously? It’s that bad?”
“Yep. Trust me. You don’t want to tangle with the Nora Train right now.”
“But I don’t even know what I did wrong.”
“Doesn’t matter, Derek. She’s pissed at you and that’s that. You’ll find out soon enough.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Jim Miller was in the kitchen of his Roosevelt Row bungalow downing his second can of Mountain Dew when his cell phone vibrated on the counter. He’d been waiting for an update from Duane, so he snatched up the phone before it rang a second time, never bothering to look at the caller ID.
“It’s about damn time,” he said into the device, staring out the window at his disaster of a backyard. The grass was mostly dead and needed a good watering. Well that, and a proper weeding.
“Hey Jim,” Duane said.
“What’s the word? Nora back yet?”
“Well—” Duane said, stammering a bit. “Nora’s back. But it’s complicated.”
“How so?”
“Derek showed up.”
“That’s no surprise,” Jim answered, figuring a bunch of drama was unfolding with the two lovebirds. “That kid never listens to anyone. So what’s going on? How’s Em?”
“Well . . . She’s gone again.”
“What?”
“Yep. Poof. Just like that.”
“But she just got back.”
“I know. That’s what Derek said, too.”
“What the hell is going on with that girl?”
“Not sure, but this time she vanished in front of all three of us. Right there in my front yard, if you can believe that.”
“What happened?”
“Well, Emily and Derek were having their little reunion, when all of a sudden she gets all squirrelly and backs away. Then, out of nowhere, this blue energy ball appears all around her. Next thing I know, Emily’s gone. Never seen anything like it.”
“Holy shit.”
“That’s an understatement. Right when it happened, everything seemed to freeze a bit. You know, like I couldn’t move my legs or arms. Plus my vision blurred until the blue fire took her away. I can’t explain it exactly, but I think time might have slowed down for a second or two.”
Jim wanted to respond, but couldn’t find the words. His mind was still processing the last sentence that fell onto his ears.
Duane continued after a short pause. “Is that what happened in your backyard when you shot that Orange Man? You know, right before your porch exploded.”
“Which part? Time slowing down or the blue fire?”
“Uh, both, I guess.”
“I don’t remember seeing anything like blue fire, or sensing that time had slowed down, but I do remember not remembering some of the stuff that happened next. If that’s what you mean?”
“At this point, I don’t know what I mean. Not sure what to think about any of this.”
Jim figured it was time to move the conversation along. “How’s Derek? He still with you? He must be a total wreck after all that time waiting for Em to return.”
“He’s here and I’m sure he’s hurting,” Duane said, pausing. “Right now he’s out in the front yard, staring at the scorch mark in the grass.”
“Scorch mark?”
“Yeah. The blue fire really did a number on my lawn. I’m gonna have to re-lay all that sod.”
“How big was it?”
“About ten feet in diameter.”
“Hmmm. Same as in my yard after the explosion. I thought the burn mark was from the house fire after the detonation.”
“Guess not.”
“That must’ve been where she vanished from.”
“Yeah, makes sense. The blue fire comes and takes her away, wrecking our lawns in the process. Especially yours.”
“To tell you the truth, my backyard was already a federal disaster before all that happened.”
“Yeah, I know. Wasn’t going to say anything, but since you brought it up—”
“Sure, kick a guy where it hurts. I’ve been meaning to fix the landscaping after the explosion, but just haven’t gotten around to it.”
Duane laughed, but didn’t respond.
“I’ll tell you what, Duane. How about when you order new sod for your place, you get some extra so you can come over and take care of my mine when you’re done? I’m getting tired of looking at it.”
“I feel your pain, brother. Nora’s gonna be on my ass for weeks until I fix it.”
“So, that
’s a yes, then?” Jim asked.
“Sure, why not? I’ve got nothing better to do,” Duane said in a playful tone.
“Thanks, bro.”
“Anytime.”
“So let me ask you this. Why do you think Emily disappeared this time? Can’t be because of what we thought—negative emotions and all. Seeing Derek and everybody else must have been a positive experience, right?”
“Should’ve been, but I don’t really know for sure. Something’s going on because Nora seems really pissed at Derek.”
“I’m guessing some secrets were shared between the girls on their way back from Scottsdale. They did have plenty of time to chat.”
“Then whatever they were talking about must have been what triggered the blue fire. Now that I think about it, it all happened right after Em came face to face with the kid. Then she backed away like she was afraid or something.”
“Yeah, that’s gotta be it.”
Duane’s voice slowed and turned much more serious when he said, “You don’t think the kid laid a hand on her, do you? Is that why she disappeared that last time, after watching our house that night?”
“Doesn’t sound like Derek, but you never really know. He did have a rough life growing up and has a short fuse, so maybe. But I’ll say this. If he did hit her, I’m gonna kick his ass. No man should ever raise a hand against a woman.”
“Roger that. If he did, I’ll be standing right there behind you for round two.”
“Let’s hope we’re wrong about this. We’ve got a lot invested in that young man.”
“So does Emily,” Duane said, hesitating before he spoke again. “So I take it you’re coming over?”
“10-4. We need to get to the bottom of this, pronto. Hold down the fort until I get there.”
“That’s easier said than done. If Nora’s on the warpath, all hell’s about to break loose.”
“Then I’d better double time it.”
“Probably a good idea.”
Jim disconnected the call and was about to cruise out the front door and head to Duane’s. However, as he went to turn his head, something caught his attention outside—a blur of motion—a change in light between two of the wooden slats of his back gate where there should only have been a still shadow.
Glassford Girl: Boxed Set (Complete Series) (Time Jumper Series) Page 47
