Page 24 of Bound By Water
The guy stops and motions to his other companions to do the same. “We’re here for her, and one way or another, she’s coming with us. You pick. Alive or in a bag.”
“She’s not going anywhere,” Lionel shouts back. He raises his hand to cover his mouth. “Brad put burner phones in the pack. Grab one. We need to let him know we’re in trouble. It’s a long shot, but maybe I can hold them off until he gets us some help.”
I strip off the windbreaker and backpack, then dig into it. Pulling out one of the small black phones, I start to hand it to Lionel, but he shakes his head. “Dial 555-4906. Let me know when someone answers.”
With shaking fingers, I dial the number. “Carl’s Pizza Parlor.”
I hold out the phone to Lionel, but he again shakes his head and whispers the following words. “Track the target. Falcon and little bird. Snafu. Out.” He motions to me, and I quietly murmur the words into the phone.
“10-4. Sit tight.”
“Now, hang up and turn it off,” he tells me. “Put the pack and your jacket back on.”
Confused, I wonder how they’ll find us without a phone, but I do as he orders. What do I know? I’ve never been on the run.
The men in front of us cluster together, and I see them talking quietly.
Lionel tenses.
“This isn’t going to end well for you,” the lead guy calls out with a broad smirk on his face. He dips his head and one of the guys disappears into thin air.
“Fuck!” Lionel says, throwing his hand out. The gas flowing between us ignites and the flames race from one end of the gas station to the other, covering almost the entire surface and creating a nearly impenetrable wall between us and our enemies.
With the fire providing cover, he turns to me. “Your dad would never forgive me if I allowed those bastards to kill his only daughter. The second I fan the flames higher; I want you to take off into those trees. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.”
I vehemently shake my head. “I’m not leaving you, Lionel. I’ve already lost one father. I’m not losing another because of this stupid psychic bullshit.”
Suddenly, something hard is pressed against my temple. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see a man’s hand. I’m guessing it’s a gun.
“Drop it or she’s dead,” a calm voice orders Lionel.
Lionel freezes for a split second, his eyes assessing the man beside me. Then he slowly places his gun down on the pavement. He stares at the man the entire time, and as he rises, I see a small movement behind him.
Slightly behind his leg, Lionel circles his finger round and round in slow motion. I frown slightly, wondering if he’s using his power or trying to signal to me, but I can’t tell. Shuffling my feet, I try to move a little to the left to see it better, but the guy grabs my elbow and jerks me close.
“Kick it away,” the man orders, his voice completely emotionless.
Lionel kicks his gun toward the trees.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask breathlessly, the smoke making it harder to breathe. “You have powers just like me. Why are you working for them?”
“You know nothing. Less than nothing. They’re everywhere. No matter what you do, they’ll track you down. You might as well come with me and save yourself a world of pain,” he mockingly sneers, but there is a gravity of defeat in his low tone. “Start moving.”
Instead of taking a step back, Lionel moves forward, startling the guy. “You’re not taking her.”
The guy presses the barrel of the gun into my temple, and I wince. “Either she comes with me, or I’ll shoot her. Vince doesn’t tolerate failure. Neither does Hightower.”
Lionel takes another step forward.
Something tickles my hand, and I look down and see a small green weed or a vine, slithering up from the ground. It glides silently along the side of my body like a snake until it starts to encircle my wrist. I raise my hand to take a closer look and watch the small plant wind itself around my arm as it moves higher. Is the guy next to me doing this?
He starts coughing, and it galvanizes me into action. I immediately pull on the thin green rope, hoping to get it off. It loosens but instead of falling to the ground, it heads up my arm to my shoulder. I try to turn my head to look at it, but the gun barrel stops me. All I can do is stand there and stare at Lionel, praying he can do something.
Lionel’s brows crash together at the sight of the vine on my shoulder. Turning back to the guy, he pulls up a string of fire from the ground. “Burning alive isn’t pleasant. Let her go.”
The plant wraps around my throat once, and I inhale sharply. Lionel’s curses. Terrified, I raise my hand to jerk it away, but the vine moves even faster, avoiding me to latch onto the barrel of the gun. It jerks it away from my temple. The gun goes off with a roar, and I scream, then clap a hand over the pain in my ear. Quickly shoving away from the guy, I watch the vine disappear into the ground.
After I move, the guy’s pants ignite, and with a yell, his attention immediately shifts to his legs, but the second he looks down, Lionel launches forward, tackling him to the ground. Horrified, I watch the flames crawl up their bodies as they roll around on the ground, each one trying to get the upper hand. Darting a glance around, I look for something to put out the fire, but an agonized yell makes me turn back to the two men.
