Misfits, Inc. (7 page)

“I’m not part of the deal,” she lashed out while
feeling her cheeks become hot and red.  Everyone was now staring at them. 
“We’ll talk when you’re ready to act professional.”

Hailey turned away from the table and nearly
collided with Rafe, who was now standing directly in her path.  Hailey met his
gaze with hostility.  She wasn’t in the mood and didn’t mind making a scene
with the handsome, hired goon.  To her surprise, Rafe’s lips curled in a
strange, twisted sort of smile.  He politely stepped out of her way.  She swore
his look almost praised her hostile outburst.  Hailey tried not to smile, but
she was secretly grateful for the tiny glimmer of encouragement he showed her. 
Maybe there was a human heart beating inside him after all.  She stormed across
the terrace without looking back.

H
ailey spent a better part of the afternoon on the beach with
Mel and two of her three new friends, Desi and Penny.  Hailey was hoping to
avoid her boss after her meeting with Brody.  She knew the incident with Nevin
Brody was a deal killer and possibly a career killer for her as well.  It only
seemed natural to enjoy what might be her last day at the tropical island
resort.  All four lie on their lounge chairs soaking up sun while sipping on
strong, fruity drinks.  Hailey, like Desi and Mel, wore a conservative bikini. 
Penny wore yet another ‘barely there’ bikini.  Her ample breasts were
attempting to break free from the tiny material barely containing them.  Despite
the perfect afternoon, Hailey just couldn’t relax.  Her mind continually
strayed to her earlier altercation with Brody and the thought of losing her job
because of it.  She knew she was in the right, but it didn’t ease the sting of
potentially being unemployed.

Her mind occasionally strayed from her self-pity,
allowing her eyes to shift to the path in the woods.  She couldn’t shake the
image of Amy on the path.  Her condition was alarming, yet it seemed
inconceivable she’d disappeared so easily.  Hailey wasn’t above citing her
overactive imagination for what she’d seen that morning.  If Amy had truly been
injured or in danger, she would have walked toward Hailey, not away from
potential help.

“Where is Amy anyway?” Penny finally demanded while
looking around.

Hailey felt uncomfortable by the question, but she
wasn’t about to admit to what she may or may not have seen, especially if it
had been all her imagination.

Desi grinned and raised her brows with suggestion. 
“She was getting pretty hot and heavy with that cute guy from the club last
night.  I’m thinking they’re sleeping in after a full night of extracurricular
activity.”

“Please!” Penny loudly protested.  “Amy doesn’t do
that sort of thing.”

“I don’t know,” Mel swiftly interjected.  “She did
just dump her boyfriend.  Revenge sex is a powerful motivator.”

“She had a lot to drink too,” Desi informed her
friend.  “After that many drinks, morals take a backseat to a guy with a great
ass.  And that guy had a great ass.”

Penny considered both comments, conveyed her
defeat, and groaned softly.  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Maybe someone should check on her,” Hailey
suggested and shifted uncomfortably on her lounge chair.

If she knew Amy was in her room sleeping, she might
be able to enjoy her afternoon a little more.  Personally, Hailey didn’t know
Amy well enough to be knocking on her guestroom door.  What if she was sleeping
off a night of great sex?  Hailey would feel quite foolish.

“And interrupt something kinky?” Desi remarked
while casting a look at Hailey from over her sunglasses.  It was almost as if
she read Hailey’s mind.  “No, thanks!”

“She’s your friend,” Hailey remarked while
shifting.  “Someone should make sure she’s okay.”

“If she’s still not around before dinner, I’ll
check on her,” Penny announced.  “She could be nursing the world’s worst
hangover.  I know I’ve been there before.”

Desi laughed softly.  “Yeah, you’ve been there a
lot since you started college.”

Hailey felt a little better that Penny would check
on her friend.  It was getting close to dinnertime anyway.  If Hailey didn’t
get something to eat soon, the alcohol would start hitting her harder than
she’d like.  She had no intention of getting drunk anywhere near Lucinda.  She
didn’t trust the barracuda not to sacrifice her drunken body to Nevin Brody.

†

T
he lobby seemed fairly empty a little before dinnertime, as it
usually was at that hour.  Hailey stepped out of the elevator a little after
five that evening now freshly showered and changed for a casual dinner.  She
knew she couldn’t avoid Lucinda forever and would probably run into her around
dinnertime.  There were only so many places to eat at the resort.  Guests could
get bar food in the lounge and at the poolside cabana or have dinner in the
dining room.  Room service was an option, but Hailey didn’t need to add
additional expenses to her room, in case Lucinda decided to play hardball with
her and make her pay for her tab.  As she walked across the lobby, she was
immediately greeted by Skyler, who was just getting off work.  The look on his
face and his spastic movements conveyed deep concern.

“Where have you been all afternoon?” Skyler
suddenly asked while fidgeting more than usual.

He appeared unable to stand still, telling her
something had gotten him worked up beyond his usual issues.

“I was on the beach with Mel and her friends
cooling off in the hot, tropical sun,” she informed him.

Skyler appeared baffled by her comment, causing him
briefly to stand still.  The moment was short lived.  His baffled look almost
humored her, causing her to hold back her own laugh.

“I’ll tell you all about it later.”  She studied
his expression and wondered what had him riled into a state of constant
movement.  “Is something wrong?”

“I saw a woman killed in my dream,” he informed her
in rushed speech, barely able to contain the news.  “I know I’d seen her at the
hotel.”

Hailey stared at him as her mind reeled from his
announcement.  She didn’t know why, but she was getting a strange image in her
head, and it troubled her.

“A short, blonde girl around my age?”

“How did you know?” he suddenly asked as his eyes
widened with alarm.

Something seemed strange about his premonition,
which oddly coincided with what she’d seen earlier.  She didn’t like the
thoughts going through her mind.

“I followed her into the woods this morning,”
Hailey announced as her heart rate increased at the thought that Skyler had a
vision involving Amy.  “She’d been injured.  I tried to talk to her, but she
kept walking and then disappeared.”

“The woods?” Skyler suddenly gasped louder than
anticipated and nearly jumped out of his skin.  “That’s where I saw the woman
killed in my dream.”

She shouldn’t have believed him.  Everything
indicated their reasoning was insane, but she couldn’t help feeling something
was terribly wrong.  What if Skyler had foreseen Amy’s death after she’d
wondered off into the woods?  Hailey suddenly felt terrible for not pursuing
the injured woman.  If something unfortunate happened to Amy and she could have
prevented it, she’d never be able to live with that guilt.

“We have to find her, Skyler,” Hailey suddenly
announced, feeling overwhelming concern.  “I should have gone after her.  I
should have made sure she was okay.”

“Show me where you last saw her.”

Hailey hurried across the lobby toward the main
entrance with Skyler on her heels.

†

H
ailey and Skyler entered the clearing in the woods and looked
around the knee-deep grass covering several acres, which was surrounded by more
woods.  It seemed almost impossible they’d find her beyond the thick grass and
with so many adjoining trails.  Hailey couldn’t help wonder how she disappeared
so quickly.  Where did she go so fast?  The better question almost seemed to
be, why would the injured woman return to the woods rather than seek help? 
She’d seen Hailey, and she was sure she’d heard her calling to her.  Why not
let her help?  Skyler touched a thick blade of the tall grass and stared at
what was possibly dried blood.  He appeared alarmed while looking around and
released the blade of grass.

“That’s blood,” Skyler gasped with concern.  He
then indicated more blood on some grass a few feet away.  “There’s more this
way.”

Hailey scanned the area and saw some blood in the
opposite direction.  “It goes this way too,” she announced.

Skyler gently parted the tall grass with a stick
and followed the blood trail.  Hailey walked in the opposite direction,
following her own trail.

“She can’t be dead, Skyler,” Hailey insisted as
they drifted further apart.  “She was alive when I saw her, which was after
your dream.”

“My visions aren’t an exact science,” he announced
without looking back at her.  “In my dreams, dead could just mean injured or
missing.”

Hailey straightened and looked toward the nearby
woods.  Something darted into the shadows and growled at her.  Hailey gasped
while taking a quick step sideways, stumbled over a rock, and fell to the
ground, landing in the thick grass.  From where she lie, she stared at the
decomposing body of a young woman only inches from her.  The woman’s eyes were
open and there was a large amount of dried blood from several scratches along
her shoulder to her chest, slicing her tattered dress.  Her right arm was
missing, having been seemingly ripped from her body.  Hailey cried out and
scrambled to her feet, unable to take her eyes off the butchered woman.  To her
surprise, it wasn’t Amy, but she somehow looked familiar.

Skyler ran toward her, saw the body, and
immediately clung to Hailey from his own fright.  Hailey stared helplessly at
the dead woman, and was suddenly aware that she was missing the lower half of
her body as well as her arm.  It looked as if something had been feeding on her
decaying corpse.  Skyler also stared at the body and alternated clutching
Hailey’s arm and pulling on her shoulder.  She was almost certain he wanted to
jump into her arms, so she’d carry him.  There was more growling from the
nearby woods, causing them to freeze in place and stare at the woods’ edge.

“Did you, uh, hear something?” Skyler asked without
taking his eyes off the woods.

It was possibly the first time he remained
motionless for more than a second.  Something large and black jumped from the
dark shadows for them.  Before either could get a good look at it or even react
to the animal leaping for them, it was tackled into the tall grass by a black
panther.  Skyler grabbed Hailey’s arm and pulled her to his side, possibly due
to his own fright more than attempting to protect her.  They could hear loud,
vicious snarls as the panther and creature fought in a massive, black ball
mostly hidden within the tall grass.  Hailey had no idea what she’d just
witnessed, but she was certain the creature wasn’t any animal she’d ever seen
before.

Both watched the grass sway beneath their fighting
bodies.  Hailey was almost unable to move, wanting to know what sort of creature
had come close to attacking them and the fear of it chasing them if they ran. 
Skyler had ideas of his own.  He grabbed Hailey’s hand and nearly pulled her
off her feet while hurrying her back for the path.  She had little choice but
run behind him with his hand nearly crushing hers.  She found it difficult to
keep up with his long, fast strides, but he wasn’t about to release her hand. 
She could hear the vicious sounds from the fighting animals in the clearing
growing faint the further they ran.

T
he lounge was practically empty and void of life during the
popular dinner hours as most guests were in the dining room.  Logan played a
soft ballet on the piano while keeping his attention focused on the small
group, who had collected at the bar.  Tam leaned on the bar, listening
intently, with her mouth partially opened.  She watched Hailey and Skyler, who
sat across from her.  They attempted to hold their drinks in trembling hands
while they recounted what happened to them in the woods.  Lucinda sat on the
other side of Hailey and stared as well.

“What sort of wild animal was it?” Tam asked.

“It wasn’t any wild animal I’d ever seen,” Hailey
insisted while glancing at the bartender.  “It was hideous; some sort of
beast.”  She shook her head defiantly, not believing her own words.  “I didn’t
get a real good look at it, but it sounded nasty.”

“All I saw was a black blur, but I heard it,”
Skyler quickly interjected, talking almost too fast to be understood. 
“Whatever it was, it was larger than that panther that attacked it.”

 “And you think either this creature or the panther
killed the girl?” Tam asked.

“I don’t know,” Hailey replied while taking another
swallow of the special cocktail Tam created for her.  Despite its potency, she
took large swallows.  “She had slash marks across her chest.  Something had
been eating her body.”

Tam and Lucinda stared with horror in their eyes
then simultaneously made faces.  Marcus, Delaney, and Talbert entered the
lounge and approached them at the bar.  Rafe followed in less of a hurry. 
Skyler saw them, appeared panic riddled, and jumped up from his bar stool.  His
eyes were so wide, they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

“Did you see it?  What was it?” Skyler demanded.

“We didn’t find anything,” Marcus informed him in a
low, firm tone while staring him down.  “No creature, no panther, and no dead,
half eaten girl.”

Delaney and Talbert wore looks of annoyance on
their faces and withheld comment.  Hailey could tell they doubted her story of
the creature killing that woman.  Hailey jumped up from her seat to defend what
she saw.  Lucinda gently pulled her back down to her seat by her shoulder. 
Skyler was clearly wound enough for both of them.

“Did you look by the ravine?” Skyler demanded while
throwing his hands around in frantic gesture.

“We searched the entire area including several
paths and the ravine,” Marcus informed him while folding his arms across his
broad chest.  His look was cold and disbelieving.  “We didn’t find anything.”

“We didn’t imagine this, Marcus,” Hailey firmly
insisted, despite Lucinda attempting to keep her from reacting.

Hailey hesitated briefly and considered her
comment.  She was almost positive they hadn’t imagined it, but she knew how
ridiculous they sounded.  The strong drink was going to her head, and she was
having a difficult time collecting her thoughts.  Marcus turned his attention
on Hailey and showed more compassion than he had for Skyler.  She was grateful
that he wasn’t playing the tough guy act on her after what she’d been through
that afternoon.  Just another reason to like the hardened man.

“I’m sure you saw something, we’re just not sure
what,” Marcus replied with a sympathetic look.

Lucinda glared her disapproval at the imposing head
of security.  It was the first she offered an opinion of the incident, and
Hailey feared what that opinion might be.

“If there’s something out there killing and
eating
my guests, you’d better damn well figure out what it is,” Lucinda growled in a
tone that surprised Hailey.

Marcus fidgeted slightly to her comment then held
up his head proudly, not wanting to disappoint her.  Despite Lucinda being his
boss, Hailey was surprised he submitted to her.  She expected a little more
fight out of the tough man.

“It’s too dark to see anything more tonight,” he
announced reassuringly, attempting to please the barracuda.  “We’ll go back out
when it’s light and have another look around.  If there’s something out there,
we’ll find it.”

Lucinda remained displeased, but she accepted his
assurances.  Hailey was grateful Lucinda was at least willing to believe her
story even if she had to berate Marcus to prove it.  Marcus attempted to regain
his tough guy act then turned and indicated for Delaney to follow him.  Hailey
watched them leave and could almost hear them mocking her on their way out of
the lounge.  Hailey couldn’t believe they didn’t find the woman’s body.  They
couldn’t have looked very hard.  They had to have missed her somehow.  The dead
woman didn’t get up and walk away, considering her legs had been eaten along
with the rest of her lower body.  Could the creature have dragged her body away
to finish its meal?

She suddenly recalled her nightmare on the
helicopter ride the day they arrived.  Something pulled a woman back into the
woods by her ankles.  Hailey could almost hear the woman in her dream
screaming.  Images of the dead woman’s face were burned into Hailey’s mind. 
Could it have been the woman from her dream?  Was that even possible?  Was her
nightmare actually a premonition?  She was starting to think she’d been hanging
around Skyler too long.  As if reading her mind, Talbert glared at Skyler and
shook his head with irritation.

“No more scenic tours, okay?” Talbert announced in
a civil tone, although it was obvious he wanted to berate the man, but he was
too professional to do it in front of guests.

Skyler reluctantly nodded while frowning.  There
wasn’t much he could say in his defense.  They already thought he was crazy. 
Talbert didn’t even bother looking at Hailey.  He’d already formed his opinion
of her as well.  He left the lounge almost as quickly as he’d entered.  Lucinda
gently patted Hailey on the shoulder then quickly stood and hurried after
Talbert.  Hailey saw Lucinda’s stone pendant necklace on the floor by her
stool.  She picked it up and hurried after Lucinda.

“Lucinda,” Hailey called after her.

Lucinda and Talbert turned and saw Hailey holding
the necklace.  Lucinda subconsciously touched her bare chest, groaned, and
snatched the necklace from Hailey.

“Damn that Melana,” she scoffed.

“Why don’t you lock it in your room safe,” Talbert
announced.  “No point in losing your jewelry over a broken clasp.”

Lucinda handed the necklace to Talbert.  “You still
have a key to my suite, don’t you?”

Talbert forced a smile and nodded while accepting
the necklace.  “I’ll take care of that for you.”

Hailey passed Rafe and returned to the bar in time
to see Tam straighten and shake her head while sneering at Skyler.  He wasn’t
winning any points with anyone today.

“Just another one of your delusional fantasies,”
Tam scoffed.  “I should have known.”

Tam walked away from them and began wiping the top
of the bar.  Hailey collapsed onto her bar stool and exchanged looks with
Skyler.  Both appeared defeated.  Rafe approached them without a word and
placed a gold earring on the bar in front of Hailey.  She eyed the earring then
looked at Rafe with surprise.

“Where did you get this?” she suddenly demanded.

His expression never changed while staring at her. 
“Where you claimed you saw the girl’s body.”

Hailey felt her entire body twitch with her rising
blood pressure as she stared at him with astonishment.  “Why didn’t you tell
Marcus you’d found this there?”

“The former police sergeant turned hotel rent-a-cop
would never listen to me,” he replied.  “I only went along to cover my ass and
make sure I wasn’t accused of anything.”

They stared into each other’s eyes only briefly. 
She actually understood his reasoning.  He was probably used to being accused
of things.  Rafe walked away without further comment.  Hailey and Skyler
studied the earring she now held in her hand.  The piano music abruptly
stopped, although neither had noticed.  Logan appeared alongside them at the
bar, startling both.  The look on his face was serious.

“Tell me about the panther,” Logan suddenly
demanded.

They stared at him with the same look of surprise
on each of their faces.  His question was odd, to say the least.  Out of
everything they told the others, why was he so curious about the panther?

“There’s not much to tell.  A black panther fought
with the creature,” Hailey informed him and thought back to what she had
actually seen and heard.  The more she thought about it, the less she’d
actually seen, but she had definitely heard it, and so did Skyler.  “By the
sounds we’d heard, I’d say that panther may have met his match.”  She
maintained her odd stare at Logan.  “Why are you so interested?  Have you seen
a panther on the island before?  You should tell Marcus, if you had.”

“No, I’ve never seen a panther, and I’ve been all over
this island.  With all the tourists, someone would have reported seeing one by
now,” Logan insisted.  “That’s what makes it so strange.  I know how this is
going to sound, but this is starting to mimic my fable.”  He leaned on the bar
near them and stared both in the eyes.  Despite his farfetched comment, his
look was serious.  “The Protector takes on the form of various animals to
protect the princess and can’t be destroyed as long as she lives.”

Hailey and Skyler stared at Logan.  Hailey was
amazed.  Finally, someone sounded crazier than she sounded.  Hailey’s mouth
fell open from his comment.  She wanted to laugh, but his look was so serious,
she found it difficult.

“You can’t seriously think some mystical creature
was protecting me,” she announced.

“I know how it sounds,” Logan protested firmly,
“but I know what I wrote.”  He hesitated while staring at both.  “And I know
what I’d left out.”

“What do you mean?” Hailey suddenly asked.

“My original manuscript was over four hundred pages
and not meant for children,” Logan informed them.  “My publisher edited it down
to a twenty page fable.  In the original manuscript, there were large, black
beasts with claws and fangs.  The beasts were sort of like guard dogs for their
evil master.  The princess also had her Numinous to guide her.”

“Numinous?” Skyler asked while tilting his head. 
“What’s this Numinous?”

Logan’s brows suddenly arched as he studied him. 
“Her
psychic
advisor.”

Skyler appeared stunned.  His mouth fell open in
response, and he abruptly straightened.  “What is this fable?”

Hailey held her head and groaned softly.  She
couldn’t believe her day could get any worse, but she was wrong.

“Great,” she scoffed, “now you’ve sucked him into
your delusion.”

Skyler quickly turned toward Hailey with a serious
look and defiantly shook his head.  “Something about this seems very familiar
to me, Hailey.”

“This entire conversation is insane,” she retorted.

“I know it’s insane, but I’m willing to take the
evening off and discuss it,” Logan replied firmly.  “I’ll dig out the original
manuscript so we can look at it.  If nothing else, we can have a good laugh in
the morning.”

Logan and Skyler stared at Hailey and waited for
her response.  She was feeling ganged upon but managed a dreary sigh and gave
in to their insistence.

“Okay, but there had better be alcohol being
served,” Hailey informed them then held her head.  “It’s not as if I’m sleeping
after this anyway, so I may as well get silly with you guys.”