Invited

Twenty-Three - Wicken

I don't remember what time I'd fallen asleep at. Late, I knew that much. I'd been watching some movie on the TV and dozed off on the sectional – which was really freaking comfortable, I should add. When I woke up and checked out the clock, I saw the time and uttered a stream of curses as I repacked my backpack. The press conference was starting in two hours. When I checked the earpiece, I didn't hear Timber anymore. In fact, I didn't hear much of anything. Not at first. Quiet shuffling from the bathroom could be heard, and soon I recognized Talia's haunting voice humming a tune.

Girl could sing, that's for sure. For a moment, I got lost in the sound, and then I had to remind myself to focus. She zipped up a bag.

"Keys, bag, purse, I think that's everything," she said. A dog barked. "I'm sorry, Katana. I have to get home so I can get the rest of my stuff. I'll see you again soon. Paul is going to come by soon and take you to your new home, then your daddy will be back. Okay? Soon, I promise."

I had to think fast. Talia was leaving too, and if Paul was coming back for Timber's pets, that meant neither of them would be returning. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out the door. Sure enough, Talia was in the hallway as well. Keeping things casual, I followed her into the elevator. She didn't acknowledge me, and I didn't acknowledge her. If she thought I was a fan, she might freak out and start moving faster.

Rather than exit the hotel from the front, she went to the back. I remembered the small group of paparazzi out front. Smart girl. If they were smart, they'd head to the back as well. She'd notice me following her. I watched her head down the hallway while I went to check out of my room. That bought me enough time to gain a safe distance. Hopefully not too much. Losing track of her was losing the whole game.

I ran through the hallway and out the back door designated for the employees to enter through. Once outside, I expected to see Talia making her great escape in a taxi. What I found instead floored me. Talia was in the midst of a full-on cat fight with a tall, leggy, curly-haired blonde. Unlike most girl squabbles I'd witnessed, however, these two were doing more than just pulling hair. Then I saw the gun in the blonde's hand. Talia was desperately trying to keep the barrel off of her face.

Without even thinking, I grabbed the first thing I could find in my backpack. The skillet. Worked for me. I swung at the blonde, the flat bottom of the pan connecting with her shoulder. The force was more than enough to knock her to the ground. The gun fired as she fell. Both of the women shrieked and my hands instinctively went to my ears at the loud bang. My ears rang for a few seconds, but I didn't let that stop me. I grabbed Talia, lifting her off of the ground and pulling her closer. The blonde regained her bearings and made a grab for the gun.

I didn't have much time. Digging deep into my pockets, I pulled out the extra bracelet and slapped it onto her thin wrist. The cool black metal clasped instantly, a small green light flickering on. Looked activated to me. I grabbed the teleportation stick and pressed the button just as the crazy blonde pointed the gun at my chest. Another shot blasted. The sound seemed to travel with us because when we returned to the metal halls of Persistence, I'm positive the blaring sound ricocheted off of the walls. My hands went to inspect my body, paranoid the bullet had somehow made the journey as well.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice loud and overwhelming for even me to listen to.

Talia gazed up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. "What?"

"Are you okay?" I repeated.

"I think so." She blinked away her tears. "Thank you."

"No problem," I said.

A rough coughing pulled my attention away from her. Layla stood a few feet away, hands on her hips, lips pursed, and foot tapping. I'd seen my mother make that look before. It never meant anything good.

"That sure don't look like a hunky superstar, love," she seethed.

I swallowed. "It's not, but I can explain." I waved toward Talia. "Meet the hunky superstar's girlfriend. Leverage."

Layla's death glare faded into wide eyes of surprise. "Leverage, hmm? Now this I would like to have explained."

"Can we get her some place to relax first?" The way Talia was trembling against me, I was concerned she was going to go into some kind of shock.

"Okay, honey, we'll get her settled first. Then we're going to talk."