Tempest (#1 Destroyers Series) (6 page)

“I’ll talk to your teachers, honey. We’ll get
your work out of the way ahead of time.” He plucked a shiny
brochure from under a pile of papers. “We’ll be at this hotel. Nice
restaurant, swimming pools. See for yourself.”

Janelle took the brochure and rubbed her
fingers across the smooth paper. She had to make sure it was real.
She paged through it, barely reading any of the text and gawking at
the photos. Palm trees. Bright blue lagoons. Perfect beaches. This
might not be so bad, even if she had to go with her dad. Was this
his apology? Maybe. She couldn't wait to tell Leslie about this.
“Tell me. What are we doing there?”

“Well, for starters, we’ve got a private
scuba diving lesson with my friend, Deon. He hasn’t been in the
business for years, but I convinced him to come out of retirement.
He knows a beautiful spot where there’re some coral reefs.” He
stared down at his crackling cereal. “I thought you’d enjoy
checking out the marine life.”

Janelle took a bite of her cereal, letting
the marshmallows dissolve on her tongue. She had to be dreaming.
“This is going to be so cool. So what’s the bad news?” Was he about
to tell her whatever he hadn't wanted to tell her? She gripped the
table in anticipation.

Her father raised a spoon to point across the
street. “We’re helping Ed clear out that fallen tree today.”

* * * * *

Sweat made Janelle’s shirt stick to her back
as she dropped another load of branches into the wheelbarrow. She
couldn’t believe the sheer number of them—they covered almost all
of Ed’s lawn. She peeked at the thermometer on the side of the
house. Eighty-eight degrees. No wonder everyone in Florida had air
conditioning.

The chainsaw screamed as Ed and her father
took turns operating it. Every time the men went inside to rest,
she got to listen to Ed’s granddaughter, Serena, complaining.

“This is so much fun,” Serena said, tucking
her hair behind her ears. “This is my last summer break and I’ve
got to clean up this whole yard. Man, how did you miss getting hit?
Everyone on the street took some damage except you.”

“That’s what I’d like to know. At least we
didn't get the hard job.” Her dad had been so sure that the
hurricane wouldn’t hurt them—and against all that was sane, he’d
been right. It had even kept that telephone pole from coming down
on them. Maybe the storm really hadn’t wanted to cause them
harm.

That little voice popped up in her head
again.
No, Janelle, that’s stupid.
Leslie would tell her the
same thing if she were here.

“Well, this was nice compared to Andrina.
Remember watching that on the news?” Serena plucked a pair of
sunglasses from her shorts pocket and put them on.

Ed and her father came back out, wiping their
foreheads with washcloths. Janelle grabbed the rake and swept up
some leaves, trying to imagine what Bahamian beaches looked like,
but something kept bugging her. Gary. If she didn’t get back to the
hospital now, he’d go home today and she'd never be able to press
him for answers again. Her father was closed to revealing a thing.
His phone call last night had confirmed it.

Okay. One last try.

“Dad,” she called, “I want to go back and see
Gary. I want to keep in contact but didn’t get his full name. Plus
I still have to ask about volunteering at the hospital after
school. Can we go up when we’re done?”

“Are you crazy, girl?” Ed dropped a log near
the side of the street with a
thud
. “I know I don’t want to
see Gary ever again.”

“Not the hurricane, the guy we pulled out of
the hurricane.”

“The poor kid needs his rest.” Her father’s
voice left no room for argument. “There’s no need for you to go
back up there.”

“But you wanted me to go yesterday.” Janelle
let her voice rise. She couldn’t take this crap any more. “Now
you’re keeping me away like he’s a murderer?”

Her father shot her that warning look that
meant
keep your emotions in check.
“I said no, Janelle.”

Ed swallowed, no doubt sensing the tension in
the air. “I think you girls have done what you can until we clear
this. Take a break for a couple of hours.”

“Sure.” Serena’s voice gushed with relief.
“Can I show Janelle the beach?”

Ed opened his mouth to say something, but her
father interrupted. “No. I’m sure it’s got to be filthy with glass
and debris everywhere. I don’t want you going anywhere near there
while the cleanup’s still going on. We’ll have plenty of time to
hit the beach in the Bahamas.” He turned on the chainsaw and went
back to work.

“You’re going to the Bahamas?” Serena asked a
few minutes later as she dug through the fridge for bottled water.
“I’m so jealous.”

“With my dad. But I guess it beats not going
at all.” Janelle accepted one of the bottles and gulped the cold
water down, savoring every drop. “I’ll have a huge load of homework
when I come back, though. You know how merciless teachers are.”

Serena took a seat at the table and sagged in
her chair. “I do
not
want to go back out there. Come up with
an excuse so we can go before they decide they need us again.”

Wait. There was her chance. Serena had a car,
parked on the side of the street. “That's a good idea.”

“Good thinking.” All the sullenness left
Serena’s voice. “Anywhere you want to go? I don’t care if it’s the
furniture store.”

“Can we go up to the hospital for a few
minutes? We could say we’re going somewhere else and my dad will
never know the difference. I have to ask Gary something.” Hot guilt
boiled up inside her. She’d never lied to her dad like this.

The little voice returned.
But he lied
to
you.
Is that okay?

Serena cut into her thoughts. “Hey, I can
always say I’m taking you to the mall. I go there all the time, so
my grandpa won’t ask questions.”

Janelle stood. Decked out in designer jeans
and a tank top, she definitely seemed like the mall type. This
might work. “Serena, you’re a lifesaver.”

Ed thanked the girls for their help as Serena
unlocked her car, which belched out heat like an oven. Janelle
asked her father if he had any money she could use at the mall, and
he handed her a twenty. She had to look innocent or he’d never let
her go.

He returned it after a long, tense second.
Good. If he suspected anything, he sure didn’t care too much.

Serena merged onto the freeway minutes later.
Palm trees flew past outside and fluffy clouds cast huge, moving
shadows on the ground. Janelle even got her first peeks of the
ocean between buildings. It was a huge contrast compared to their
first full day here.

But Janelle paid no attention. She was going
to force answers out of Gary if she had to threaten to suffocate
him with that teddy bear, and she wasn’t going to leave until he
opened up. He knew something about their birthmarks, and she
deserved the truth.

Serena chatted about the Palm Grove high
school and which teachers were going to suck. Janelle closed her
eyes and tried to listen, but an ugly image reared up: the twisting
center of a hurricane. Okay. She’d leave them open.

“Now where do we park?” Serena turned the car
into the hospital lot. “They’re charging four dollars? People are
here to see their sick family members! What a rip!”

Janelle agreed. That was robbing people. She
opened her mouth to comment, but stopped.

There.

Someone sat in a wheelchair near the
Discharge Pickup doors. Purple shirt. Black hair with long, messy
bangs.

“Stop!” Janelle pushed the car door open
before Serena had even hit the brakes. “Gary!” When the car
squeaked to a standstill, she leapt out and ran towards him.

Gary pulled his gaze from the ground and
stiffened in his chair. The freckle on his nose stood out in the
sunlight as his eyebrows rose. “Janelle? What are you doing back
here?”

“There’s a lot of questions I want answers
to. Sorry,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. It was best to
hurry before Serena came over here. “I want to know what these
birthmarks are and why you appeared out of nowhere right in front
of me. My dad seems to know, but he’s not telling me anything. So
it’s up to you. I need the truth."

Gary rose until he was level with her.
“You…you don’t know anything? Any of it?” The tone of his voice
said that he already realized that, which meant he was stalling for
time.

Well, duh
. “Know anything? I’m going
out of my mind, wondering why I’ve broken everything I’ve touched
since I moved here. And I’m not talking toasters and can openers.
I’m talking brand new doors on
steel hinges.
"

Seizing her arms, he stared hard at her with
those hazel eyes. “I’m sorry I blew you off yesterday. Really, I
am. Your dad told me to keep quiet about it all before you came up.
But now’s not the time for that. I’ve got a major problem.”

Her dad had sworn Gary to silence? No wonder
he'd pretended to fall asleep yesterday. “And what’s that?”

“Get me away from here, please. I think my
guardian’s literally going to kill me.”

“What?” Janelle swallowed a bitter taste in
her mouth. Murder? He was talking murder? “I don’t believe that. If
she’s going to kill you, why are you sitting here waiting for her?
If it were me, I’d be getting the hell away from here before she
swings by.”

Gary glanced at the four dollar parking ramp.
“She’s got people here, so I can’t go anywhere or they’ll call her.
And she’s inside, waiting for someone. I think it’s you. She came
back in my room with her assistant right after you left yesterday.
She wouldn't tell me anything, but I'm not stupid. I'm sure she was
hoping to catch you. She must've figured out you're one of us."

“Me?” A thousand questions exploded inside
her. The sun beat down on her like a giant spotlight as she
surveyed the lot. A mom herded her kids through the entrance. But
behind them, a shiny black van had parked by a pair of yellow
traffic poles. Two shadowy figures sat behind the tinted
windshield.

Janelle’s fingers went cold and clammy under
the hot sun. Crap. This wasn’t good. Best to look casual, in case
whoever was over there hadn’t realized she was the one who’d
visited yesterday. Fat chance, but she shrugged and forced her gaze
from the van. “Please say this is a joke.”

Gary took a step closer. “Come on. I bet
they’ve called her. She’s using me as bait.”

“What’s going on?” Serena called from the
car.
Click.
She’d put it in park. "I can't sit here for
long."

Janelle shifted leg to leg. Gary’s ashen face
and wide hazel eyes gave away the fact that this was no joke.

The black van started up, growling like
distant thunder.

Her father had broken the speed limit
yesterday for a reason. She should have listened to him and stayed
away. “We’re getting out of here.” Janelle seized Gary’s wrist.
She’d ask questions later.

The exit doors to the hospital squealed
open.

And the rude woman in gray stepped out as
they swung shut behind her.

Janelle’s breath caught in her throat.

A breeze whistled through the air as Gary’s
guardian smiled and clapped her hands together. Her suit flapped
against her, but she didn't seem to notice. “Janelle,” she spoke
with relish. “I know that’s who you are. I’ve been waiting for you
for
years
. I thought I’d lost you yesterday. You’ve got no
idea how happy this makes me.”

A chill raced over Janelle’s skin even in the
muggy heat. This woman’s smile reminded her of a shark. She spit
out a strand of hair the wind had pushed into her mouth. “What the
hell’s going on here?”

“Oh, you don’t know? How typical.” The woman
twisted her features into a look of mock concern. “And your time
has almost come. Oh, well. I'll tell you everything you want to
know, Janelle. I know you have lots of questions. It'll be my
pleasure to answer them for you. A girl your age should definitely
know the truth by now."

Janelle couldn't move off the sidewalk. It
was almost tempting, to give in and say yes. The woman stood there,
dangling the truth she was seeking about everything in front of her
face. She blinked. It was bait. This woman in the business suit was
like one of those deep-sea angler fish that lured in prey with
pretty lights and moved in for the kill.

Another gust snapped through the air, trying
to push her closer.

Janelle yanked her feet from the pavement,
seized Gary's arm, and tumbled into the car. “Serena, let’s
go!”

Gary climbed in and slammed the door, shaking
the whole car. “Drive!”

“What?” Serena stared at the approaching
woman. “Are you in trouble with your mom?”

“That’s not my mom!” Gary said.

The wind started to whistle, trying to push
its way through the doors of Serena's car. Janelle froze and stared
out the window. “Oh, god.”

Gary’s guardian hadn’t been joking. She
sauntered right at the car, patience lost. Her voice deepened into
a growl that rolled right over them. “Get out, both of you!”

“Who is she to tell me what to do?” Janelle
locked the door and beat on the glove compartment. That woman
wasn’t normal. Or human. “Drive, Serena!”

“Ok. I’m scared. I’m going.” Serena tugged on
the gearshift and hit the gas. The car sped towards the exit,
sending Janelle crashing back into the seat. This was her first
time riding without a seat belt, and she vowed never to do it
again.

The black van surged forward to block the
roundabout. Serena slammed on the brakes and pulled on the
gearshift again. “What did I just get myself into?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Janelle said,
twisting around.

Rude Woman ran after the car, jacket
flapping. The wind strengthened into a howl. Papers blew past.
Shrubs bent towards the ground. An old couple dodged into the front
doors, trying to avoid the sudden anger in the weather.