The bump in Seth’s throat bobs, and he squeezes my shoulder. “Fine, it’s a deal.”
“I’ll get paper!” Jumping up, I grab a notebook and pencils from my backpack and am back in seconds. I shove them into Seth’s lap and sit facing him. “I was talking with Miles about all the people showing up here to make Radiasure and then suspecting us of knowing too much. I think we should cover our tracks.”
Seth makes a big scratch across the paper, and then he looks me right in the eye. Angry, of course. “You can’t avoid trouble for more than a few months, can you?”
I frown. “C’mon, look how close it was for you today. What if they find our trails out there in places they don’t think we should be? What if they find our prints at the factory or something we left by accident? They’ll keep coming at us until they get what they think we have.”
“Maybe…” He starts on a fresh page, making a clumsy attempt at a head. I almost want to ask if my skull is really that lumpy, but he’ll just glare at me. He looks at my face again, then back to the page. “I mean, we don’t have any real information for them, do we? I’ve never seen anything at the factory but twisted metal…though maybe some of that metal had traces of Radiasure. Who knows?”
I nod, thinking. “When Miles told me about the real formula, he said the public version was missing a top secret element. Whatever that is, any evidence would be at the factory, and if we saw it…even by accident…these people don’t strike me as the type who’d let witnesses go.”
Seth works on my eyes, which already seem too big for the head he drew. “I hate that you’re probably right, but it’d be seriously dangerous even to hide our tracks.”
“I know. Major Norton told me not to go out there anymore, like that wasn’t gonna make me curious.”
He snorts. “He told me that, too. I don’t think he’s the smartest guy around.”
“Clearly.”
“Let’s talk to The Pack about it. If they’re in, we’ll have enough people to cover our butts.”
I purse my lips, thinking. “I’d rather not put them at risk, though.”
“We’re all at—” Seth drops the pencil, and his eyes fill with terror. I turn to see what has him so freaked out and gasp. It’s like a nightmare, but this is all too real. The Phantom stands in my living room, seeming pleased with our surprise.
Chapter 8
The Phantom looks around before his eyes fall on me. “Is your mother not home yet?”
As scared as I am, I somehow find the strength to stand. “Why do you want to know?”
His laugh is quiet as he pulls a glowing blue pill from his pocket. He swallows the Radiasure dry, and I wonder if he took it just to intimidate me. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“How about you go back out and knock like a decent human being?” I put my hands on my hips. “Then I’ll answer my door and your question.”
“Fiona,” Seth hisses.
“Your boyfriend seems properly afraid of me.” The Phantom comes closer, his chin tipped up in a challenging gesture. “Why not you?”
I don’t have an answer that is more sophisticated than “instinct kicking in.” Every day of my life I’ve lived with fear—if I always gave into it I’d be nothing but a puddle of whimpering and shaking. “It’s not exactly the first time I’ve met someone with a terrifying ability who pops Radiasure like it’s nothing, is it?”
“This is true.” Another step closer, to the point that he’s almost in my personal bubble. “Speaking of extraordinary abilities, I’ll only ask one more time: Where’s your mother?”
“I’m not telling.”
“We’ll see about that.” Before I can react, The Phantom charges for me. I brace myself to be tackled, but instead am met with a cold sensation that makes my whole body shudder. That’s when I realize he’s walking right through me, and I let out an involuntary scream.
By the time I recover and turn around, The Phantom has a knife to Seth’s throat. I can’t breathe, can’t think, knowing how easy it would be for him to slice my boyfriend’s neck right open. “This boy seems to hang out with you a lot. I could get rid of him if you want.”
I force down the lump in my throat. There’s no other choice now. “Let him go. I’ll take you to her.”
“That’s better.” The Phantom lowers his knife and points toward the door. “Shall we?”
“Yes.” I hold out my hand to Seth. “Can I borrow your keys?”
Seth gives me the “you’re crazy” look, but he gives them to me anyway. “You’ll be back, right?”
“As long as she listens well,” The Phantom says. We go outside and get in Seth’s black truck. My skin crawls being so close to Juan’s most prized henchman, the feeling of him walking through me still too fresh in my mind.
I try to focus on driving, on the heat rippling the horizon and the deep blue of the late afternoon sky. Madison is still as small and boring as ever, but the stucco houses and rocky yards we pass have become a sign of home. As we hit Main Street, where the old diner, dry cleaners, bar, and other stores seem to be stuck in the seventies, a strange sense of responsibility comes over me.
This is my town.
No one touches my town.
My eyes go wide as I realize I sound just like my dad. Is this how it starts? People threaten the stuff you care about, and you go to whatever lengths necessary to keep it safe. As I pull into the bowling alley parking lot, I shake it off. It’s not the same thing—I’m only trying to stay out of harm’s way. And kind of failing so far.
The Superbowl looks like a disco inside, with nonstop flashing lights and loud, party music. I suppose the owners think this will make bowling seem less lame, but everyone knows it doesn’t work. Lucky for them, it’s the only entertaining place in town minus the pool. I’d go more often if The Pack wasn’t banned.
“She should be around here somewhere,” I say, scanning the shoe rental, snack bar, and small arcade section. Really hope she didn’t ditch out like a few days ago.
“Lauren McClean, working here…” The Phantom clucks his tongue. I can’t disagree with him. Mom, even as a non-criminal, is talented and smart and not exactly bowling alley material. “Such a shame.”
“Better honest money than illegal.” I walk down the main pathway, looking at each group of people in hope of finding her. People gape back at us, seeming horrified to see me with one of Juan’s tattooed men. I can hear the rumors now. Just when people were starting to be nice to me.
“Are you having trouble finding her?” The Phantom says when we reach the middle lanes. “Please don’t tell me this is a diversion—she hides now, you disappear at the first chance. This would make me very unhappy.”
I gulp, thinking of how quickly he went for his knife before. “No, that’s not it at all.”
“Better convince me.” The Phantom’s voice has lost all playfulness. He’s getting tired of batting at his prey, and I don’t want to know what happens then.
There’s only one place left to check. “She’s probably in the break room.”
I head that way as everyone else packs up and starts to leave. No one told them to get out of here, and yet it’s like they know not to be anywhere near Juan’s people if they can help it. When I open the door, Mom’s sitting at a round table with her phone in hand. She smiles when she sees me.
“Fiona! I didn’t know you’d be vi—” The moment Mom sees The Phantom come in, shock hits her face. Once it washes off, she pulls me behind her and glares at him. “How dare you use her to get to me.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I just want to discuss certain matters with you and your daughter. It’s not my fault you made it so difficult to locate you. I had to follow your little girl instead.”