Isabel was speechless.
Alex continued to grin at her.
He hadn't. He had! Isabel thought about storming off in a huff. But she was discovering that Alex had pretty amazing hands-and she kind of wanted to see what he'd do with them next.
Isabel shot Michael an evil glance. Then she rested her head on Alex's shoulder and closed her eyes. Michael laughed. It was good for Izzy to get put in her place once in a while.
And that night hanging out with Alex had been pretty fun. They had eaten their way through every flavor of chips-Michael had dipped his in chocolate sauce-while they came up with really gross images of Isabel to put into the guys' dreams.
They had done their strategy session in the cave, not at their homes, because it turned out that Alex's dad was pretty much a jerk, too.
"Max and Liz look amazing together," Maria said. "He has that whole blond-Viking thing going, and she has that dark, dark hair and eyes." She sighed. "Isn't it romantic?"
"So a guy is sort of like a walking accessory? You just choose one that looks good with your hair? Is that it?" Michael teased. "Because if it is, you should be dancing with me. I have that dark, dark hair, and you're almost blond enough to be a Viking. I can definitely picture you in one of those helmets with the horns."
He pulled her out onto the floor. She smelled good. Sweet, like vanilla.
"Are you sure I'm not too innocent for you?"
Michael stared down at her. "What are you talking about?"
"That day at Michael and Isabel's. You said I was too innocent to know all the ways Valenti could make someone talk," Maria reminded him.
"You make it sound like I called you something horrible." Michael didn't get it.
"Innocent is like cute," Maria insisted. "A word you use for kittens."
"Well, I hate to tell you this," Michael said, "but I think you're cute, too."
Michael pulled her closer and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He heard her give a little sigh as she snuggled up against him. Just like a little kitten, he thought. A nice, soft, warm kitten. But he didn't bother telling her that.
He glanced at the clock. About twenty minutes to go before we start the plan. He felt his stomach tense.
"Are you okay?" Maria mumbled.
"Yeah." He let himself relax in the sparkling blue of her aura. Yeah, he was okay. Because no matter what happened, he wouldn't have to face it alone.
The connection Max had formed among the six of them in the cave hadn't completely broken, even though it had been two days. He could still feel the others around him. It was like he finally had a family. And he would do whatever it took to protect them-all of them.
Maria scanned the gym wildly. Where was Kyle Valenti? She had to find Kyle, now.
She spotted him near the stage and ran toward him, pushing people out of her way. "Kyle, call your dad! Someone stabbed Alex in the neck. He's out in the parking lot. Hurry!"
Kyle didn't say a word. He turned around and bolted for the pay phone against the back wall.
Half the people in the gym were trying to shove their way over to the big double doors leading to the parking lot.
"This way" Liz appeared at Maria's side. She grabbed her hand and dragged her out the side door. They ran down the hall, their footsteps echoing in the empty building. They burst out the main entrance and tore over to the parking lot.
"Let us through," Maria begged. She and Liz squeezed their way past the rows of people crowding around Alex. He sat on the ground, a dazed expression on his face.
"I thought you said he was stabbed," Liz cried.
"He was," Maria insisted. But there was no wound on Alex's throat. And the blood on his skin was already starting to dry.
"I want all of you back in the gym," a loud voice ordered. Maria didn't have to look to know that it was Sheriff Valenti. "Now," he barked.
"I guess we'd better go back," Liz said. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked Alex.
"Yeah. Go on."
Valenti pushed his way through the retreating crowd. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked Alex. "I got a report that you were stabbed, but that's obviously not what happened. "
Alex pushed himself to his feet and leaned against the closest car. His legs felt a little rubbery. "I came outside because the gym was really hot. Some guy came up from behind me and told me to give him my wallet. I told him to forget it."
Valenti made a circling gesture with his hand. He obviously wanted Alex to get to the point a little faster.
"The next thing I knew, I was on the ground," Alex said quickly. "He tackled me, I guess. And then I saw the knife. The guy stabbed me in my throat. That's all I remember. Maybe I blacked out or something."
"Do you want to try to explain why you aren't dead?" Valenti asked. "There are a lot of veins and arteries in the throat, and you're not even bleeding."
"I don't know. I guess the guy just nicked me. Maybe I passed out from fear. Pretty humiliating," Alex answered.
Valenti shone the flashlight in Alex's face, studying him for a long moment. Then he moved the beam down onto Alex's throat.
"You want to tell me the rest of the story?" Valenti asked.
He saw the mark, Alex thought. He saw the silver handprint.
"I told you I don't remember," Alex answered. He wished he could see Valenti's eyes. Who wore sunglasses at night?
"Will you remember better if I bring you back to my office? We can go back there and have a nice long talk," Valenti said.
"You're not going to believe me, all right? What's the point of telling you?" Alex cried.
Valenti didn't answer. He just stared at Alex from behind his shades.
Alex sighed. "Okay, this is what happened. The guy stabbed me in the throat, and then he ran off because he heard someone pulling into the parking lot. This other guy came over to me, and he put his hand over the hole in my neck, and it… it just closed up. So are you going to take me to the mental ward now?"
"What did this other guy look like?" Valenti asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I was bleeding to death. That kind of had my complete attention." Alex could tell Valenti didn't like that answer, but he didn't push it.
"What about the car-what was he driving?" Valenti demanded. Alex looked at the ground, thinking. "It was an old green pickup. I saw it when he pulled back out of the lot. He turned left, heading out of town, I guess. But shouldn't you be asking me about the guy who tried to kill me?"
"Later." Valenti turned and strode toward his cruiser. He climbed in and closed the door with a quiet click, then pulled the car out of the parking lot and turned left. Heading after the green truck.
What did I just do? Alex thought.
Max heard the high scream of a siren behind them. He glanced over at Michael. "Valenti," they said together.
"Let's see what this baby can do," Michael said.
Max tried to increase his concentration. He could see the molecules that made up the old truck spinning around them. He shoved them forward-without letting them break apart-moving the truck forward with his mind.
"You are helping me push, right?" Max asked.
"No, I'm just here for the ride," Michael shot back. "Of course I'm helping you push."
Max checked the rearview mirror. He could see the lights of Valenti's cruiser in the distance. "Well, push harder. He's gaining on us." If they didn't make it to the Lake Lee overlook before Valenti caught up to them, it was all over.