Project Starfall (Completed)

Chapter 14

"Omelet?" Knox asked when Pierce walked into the living room the next morning. The tall hybrid stood in the kitchen, cracking eggs into a pan. Elliot and Grey were already there, sitting around the kitchen table eating omelets and bacon. Grey smiled at her, the previous day's awkwardness gone from his face. Pierce felt an odd flutter in her chest and shoved the feeling aside—There was too much to think about.

"Sure," Pierce answered Knox. "Then we should discuss our next move. Starfall will catch up with us soon enough."

"If only we knew who Darius was working for," Grey said after finishing a bite of his omelet.

"But we don't," Pierce said pointedly. "So we need to figure things out on our own." She sat at the table and rested her face on her hand. "Any ideas? Because I've got nothing."

Madigan walked into the living room. "Who's cooking bacon?" she asked with a yawn.

"If you want food it's going to cost you," Knox said.

The tiger hybrid snarled. "Whatever. I don't want any of your terrible food, anyway." Madigan grabbed a box of Cheerios and poured herself a bowl. When she sat down at the table Elliot slid her a piece of bacon, and she gave him a grateful look.

"We were just talking about what we should do next," Pierce told Madigan. "Thoughts?"

"Sorry." Madigan shrugged. "What we need is to leave the country, but I don't see any way we can do that."

Knox set a plate with an omelet and a side of bacon in front of Pierce. "Bon appètit," he said.

Sighing in frustration, Pierce dug into the food. Being hungry was only making it more difficult to come up with a good plan.

"I might know a way we can get out of the country," Grey said hesitantly. "But only as a last resort."

Pierce swallowed a bite of omelet. "I think we've reached the point for last resorts," she said. "What is it?"

"Well, there's this guy in Tampa," Grey began. "He owns a boat and uses it to smuggle people and things to and from Mexico.... But I don't trust him. I've only met him once, but that was enough."

"How much would we have to pay him?" Pierce asked.

"My estimate is ten grand per person," Grey replied.

Knox let out a low whistle. "Anyone have a secret stash of gold we can dig up?" The tall hybrid chuckled.

"Not exactly," Grey said slowly, "but I have a storage unit in Chicago with enough valuables in it to pay for the ride."

"Of course you do." Knox snorted. "How is it that you've come across so much money?"

"It's not really mine," Grey admitted. "My father earned it. I only inherited it."

"Lucky," Knox muttered. He dumped the omelet he'd been cooking onto a plate, then shoveled a pile of bacon beside it before sitting down with everyone else.

Pierce finished her food and stood. "We'll have to risk trusting this guy. I'm going to start loading stuff into the car," she proclaimed, and began gathering up the food they had purchased the day before. "We'll leave for Tampa in about ten minutes." Elliot and Grey joined her, and between the three of them it only took one trip.

The air outside was humid, and the sun beat down relentlessly. In the distance was what appeared to be a flock of birds. "Well, this was nice," Pierce said to no one. Grey and Elliot had gone inside to get Madigan and Knox.