The chair felt shaky beneath me, until I regained my equilibrium. Leather vest had let go of my shoulder and I wished I could rub my arm to distract from the pain. No luck. My wrists were still zip tied together and the plastic sawed at the skin.
Leather vest pulled the hood off my head, and the sudden movement made me startle. He put the hood in his back pocket and stood in front of me with his arms crossed, tattoos displayed. This was definitely his intimidating stance. Behind him was the man, who gave me the creeps, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, very casual, but his very existence unnerved me. I hadn't seen him act, but his potential for evil exuded from him in every way.
The room was bare and grey. The light source was in the ceiling alongside some ventilation. Was this the smokers' equivalent to the dome af the Duncans'? A training facility.
Neither man said anything. We were waiting for Galvan. What was going to happen, once he came? Panic wasn't a good option. I counted my way around the box again.
Galvan entered the room with a kind smile on his face, showing off his dimples. Leather vest straightened and the creep gave Galvan a nod. Galvan was head honcho. He locked eyes with me, but kept his countenance kind.
"A chair." He ordered, and leather vest immediately left the room and came back with a chair. Galvan hadn't looked away from me and it felt like a bright light being shone in my face. I knew now what a deer felt, caught in a car's approaching headlights.
"Thank you, Perez," Galvan said, still studying me with the same expression. If I had passed him on the street, I wouldn't have been scared of him, but despite the smile, my pulse jumped in my neck. He could be a handsome dad to kids younger than me, if it wasn't for the insistent stare. And the company and the underground interrogation room.
"Welcome to my home, Harper Scott. I see Perez has restricted your hands at the moment, but when you answer my questions, I am sure we will clear up that issue."
My throat was dry. He spoke as if we were having a normal customer service conversation. I wasn't fooled.
Galvan turned in the chair to rest an elbow on the back.
"You were at a party in Milton Crest." Galvan paused as if he expected me to volunteer information. I bit down on my tongue. I didn't want to say anything until I knew what he was asking. Think before answering seemed like a good strategy, even though I itched to fill the awkward silence.
"You were seen with Brandt Duncan. How do you know him?"
What should I answer? Option A: he's my boyfriend, I think. B: deny knowing him. C: I met him when he was killing a smoker. Lying when tied up and facing three men didn't make me morally corrupt, did it?
"He was a cute guy." That wasn't really lying.
Galvan's smile faltered for a second, where his countenance turned murderous. He put up a facade again, without the smile. Galvan was a chameleon. As kind as he looked when smiling, as deadly serious did he look without the smile. From jovial to assassin in a heartbeat. He changed the position he was sitting in. His patience was waning.
"You see, Harper, someone I know died at that party by Brandt Duncan's hand. And I received some unsettling information. Brandt was in the company of a smoker."
The pulse in my neck pounded so much that it must be visible. I pulled against the zip ties behind my back. Did Galvan know that I knew about the empowered? Perhaps he and the smokers had some knowledge about my power. He couldn't have. Neil Duncan didn't even know about my power and I had been in the dome with him. For all Galvan knew, I could be a normie, clueless to the world of the empowered.
"I don't smoke. It's hazardous for your health."
I tried to sift through what Galvan was saying, to identify the puzzle pieces and the finished picture at the same time. Curtis had died at the party in the fight with Brandt, but that seemed a matter of fact. Perhaps Juanito had witnessed it from a hiding place at a distance. I hope he didn't see his brother die. Galvan was asking about another smoker. Someone he didn't know.
Galvan was staring at me intently as if my every thought rolled across my forehead as news headlines.
"Get Abuela Angela." Gavin ordered. The way he gave orders to someone behind him without turning was scary. They listened to Galvan's every word.
The creep pushed away from the wall.
"Perhaps I could be persuasive." That sounded ominous in my ears.
Galvan chuckled softly.
"I know you can, my friend, but Abuela has a softer touch."
The creep leaned back against the wall, saddened not to get this opportunity. I didn't want to imagine the power he had and how he could be persuasive.
Leather vest, or Perez as Galvan had called him, left and came back shortly, assisting an elderly woman, whose skin resembled that of a raisin. Her steps were hesitant, the soles of her shoes scuffing against the sandpaper concrete floor.
Galvan offered her the chair, he had occupied. Abuela Angela padded his hand in gratitude. Leaning over, Galvan spoke directly in her ear.
"Harper here is having difficulty answering my questions. Would you help her?" The dimpled smile was back. Abuela nodded and whispered "si, si" under her breath.
She reached for a small pouch had was attached to the belt on her dress and pulled out a small handful of brown, round seeds. She carefully feed herself the seeds from the palm of her hand. The room was quiet. I could hear the sound of Abuela crunching the seeds and the wet saliva moving around her mouth. I looked up and noticed that Galvan, Perez, and the creep had all moved back.
YOU ARE READING
Crossfire - a sizzling slow burn with supernatural powers
Teen Fiction"I... I didn't see anything." I tried, not knowing where to look. I was curious enough to take glances at him. His dark hair was flopped into his face to obscure his chiseled jaw. He laughed out loud. "What exactly didn't you see, Harper?" He said...
