Read Raines of Fire: The Alexa Raines Chronicles Online
Authors: J.L. Masters
Raines of Fire: The Alexa Raines Chronicles (6 page)
Felicia awoke, still on the floor. But she had been covered, at least, with a blanket. “Good to see you’re awake.”
A small, bookish man with round glasses took out a knife. The sight of the metal brought back everything that Edgar had done to her—all the cuts he’d made, the pain he’d put her through, how he’d violated her,
forced her to say she wanted more—it all flooded back to her and she shrieked and pulled away. The blanket fell away, and between the humiliation and the pain she was still in, she couldn’t decide which was of the two was worse and her indecision paralyzed her. All she could do was cry.
Michael Rollins
knelt, and cut her bonds. And then stood up, went over to his bag, and pulled out a square packet.
“Miss Grant,” he said, presenting her with a
loose fitting jogging suit and sandals. She accepted them wordlessly, too surprised to thank him for them.
He went back to Alexa’s body as she dressed. He began to tie her limbs together. “Is she all right?” Felicia asked, her voice shaking. “I saw—I don’t know—“
“You saw nothing,” the man said. “She rescued you, but Edgar killed her and now he’s gone.”
“You mean he’s still out there?” Alexa wailed. She curled into a ball, quivering. “I can’t—no. I saw her burn him—I saw him—
“It made no sense, what she’d seen—Alexa, turning into pillar of fire; Edgar freezing her flame; Edgar shattering.
Had
she seen what she’d seen?
“Miss Grant. He’s gone.”
Something about the way he said “gone” made her realize that it really was all over—that Edgar Faust was no more. She felt a little stronger at that. “And—and Alexa?”
“I’m afraid your friend is dead
again, Miss Grant. I’ve come to collect the body,” he said, as he rolled Alexa’s limp body onto a stretcher board. He quickly strapped her body to the board, attached a pair of wheels to the end and said, “Good day, Miss Grant. If you should recover enough to want to visit Alexa again, you may find her here.”
He gave her a card, and she took it, not knowing what else to do. “
If you decide to notify the police concerning what has transpired here, please leave Ms. Raines out of your story. They would not believe you anyway” he said, as he wheeled her out.
“Wait!” Felicia said. But it was too late. He was already
moving back through the tunnel, and Felicia was all alone.
Felicia looked at the card: it was plain
looking, with only three words written on it. “Raines Adjustments” on the top line, “California” on the bottom. She realized, then, that he’d given it to her as a way to dismiss her. It was a taunt:
You’ll never find us
. Alexa was out of her life again, for good. But there were too many questions about her that Felicia just couldn’t stop asking. What was she? Who was she? And if Alexa could cheat death once could she not cheat death again. If she was even dead at all. “You think you’re the only one who can play this game?” Felicia murmured. She was not backing down. Not this time.
The black one and the white one were waiting outside. Michael swallowed, but pressed on. They moved aside while he loaded Alexa’s body into the back of the van. “She doesn’t look too bad,” the white one said. “How long do you think it’ll take?”
Michael shook his head as he closed the van. “I only follow her orders.”
“And now you’re following ours, aren’t you?”
Michael pressed his lips together, but the black one slammed him against the back of the van, while the white one rolled up his sleeve
s. “Do I really have to remind you, Michael?”
Michael shook his head frantically. “Please!” he burst out. “Yes, I’m following your orders. Yes, I’ll—I am your bitch.” He had to grit his teeth as he said the words, but they liked that.
They enjoyed his torment.
“Good. How long?”
“I don’t know. It’s different every time she is reborn.”
The white one looked at the black one and sighed. “Well, what good is he, then? We should just kill
him and be done with it.”
At this, panic gripped Michael’s heart. “You promised—
“he began, wishing to God he didn’t sound like a five-year-old child, but unable to contain the fear he felt for his family and himself.
“Very well,” the black one said. “But you’d better keep your promise to us,” he hissed into Michael’s ear. “We don’t like cheaters, either.”
Michael buried his face in his hands, to quell the panic and get a grip on his emotions. When he raised his head again, the two had disappeared. He looked at his forearm—the tattoo of his wife and two children that the two had magically imprinted — were still smiling. He breathed a deep sigh of relief. As he climbed into the van to begin the long drive back to California, though, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about betraying Alexa. But what else could he do?
Copyright 2013 – J.L. Masters
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.
It is the intention of this book to only offer entertainment
. This is a figment of my imagination. No real person or persons are represented in this work of fiction.
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