The Skylar Experiment : Dead Ending (second draft)

Chapter Twelve-Deal With The Devil

LUC

I APPROACHED the vehicle with my hands shoved in my pockets, my anger pulsing higher with each step closer. They didn't move as the distance shortened between us, but the car lights flashed again as if to encourage my initiative—or to warn me not to continue further. I knew Jeremiah had admonished me from doing this kind of thing, but he didn't understand it like I did.

If he'd seen the way Ethan dropped and convulsed on the ground right after the red flare hit him, and if he had a sister coming back from the dead, he'd be doing the same. I needed to act and defend my people against these men, and I also needed to get as many details as possible about my sister. They had to know what was going on with her and why she was here—why she'd been gone all this time.

I stopped and shamelessly knocked on the driver's window. It rolled down without me having to insist until I was facing a gaunt agent with a constipated expression. He scanned my broad smile warily and I leaned in. Based on our last encounter, it was now common knowledge that cars made a magnificent weapon for me and he was sitting in one.

"Tip if you don't want me to track you down after school and demolish all of you, stay the hell away from us," I said, not even bothering to sound condescending or overly sweet. I was too furious to put up with false pretences.

"Now, now, no need to get all nasty so soon," a feminine voice chimed in from the backseat.

The door locks clicked, and I sprung back in case an arm would snake out of the car and drag me inside. Instead, a woman draped in a black trenchcoat stepped out, her hair wrapped in a severe ponytail. Just looking at it made me want to yank and smash her head through the glass. She should be afraid to be so close to me. 

Amber eyes blinked up and she smiled coldly, stretching out a gloved hand. I stared down at it.

"Elena Caldwell," she announced. "And you are Lucas Montgomery. I am pleased to finally meet you."

I continued to look at the offering glove. My eyes narrowed. "Can't say the same on my part."

She realized I wouldn't shake her hand and dropped it with a sigh. The woman stood straight next to the car, a superior flair to her face, and the desire to smash her through the window itched me harder. In terms of strength and capacity, we all knew who had the upper hand. Weapons didn't always work and they were too close to school to pull out the big guns. I could handle everything else on my own. This Caldwell person had the gall to stand up to me like she could subdue me with sheer force, and it was laughable at best.

"That's not a very wise decision," I sneered. "Coming out of the car unprotected like this."

"Oh, you won't do anything," she replied with a dripping satisfaction I ought to punch out of her. An odd gleam flashed through her eyes, and she stared at me like the effort was only cute. "You think I don't know how to deal with your kind after working on you all for years? If I can handle Lauren, then the rest is a piece of cake."

The air froze in my lungs and a brief mirth played on her lips. She knew she had a grip on me at the simple mention of her name—it was undeniable to the point not even I could bluff through it.

"What have you done to her?" I asked, the angry impulse warring with a deeper, stronger need. That had not been my sister back at the warehouse. She'd never hurt anyone or even be able to pull off those incredible stunts—to bring an entire horde of hunters to their knees. Not even I could do that. "Where is she?" 

The woman rested her fingers along the rim of her pockets with a thoughtful look. She sized me up for a few silent seconds, a harshness carving her jaw and a crease rutting her forehead. Whoever she was, she wasn't the kind of person to take orders or to let matters work out on their own. No, she was a woman of action. In that faint lapse, a strange, discrepant sense of danger shuddered through me. There was something off-kilter about her. I couldn't put my finger on it.

"She did everything to herself, Lucas. We have never forced her hand into any of it. This was all her choice." Her lips thinned into a line and I didn't believe her for one second. Lauren didn't choose this. Nobody in their right mind would. "We don't know exactly where she is at the moment, but we know she's not far. I'm actually glad you decided to come speak to us. I have an offer to make."

I laughed sarcastically. "Gee, I'm so wonderfully lucky."

Caldwell slanted a hip and tipped her head. "You want us to leave your people alone? We can do that. But we are going to need your help. I wouldn't trust anyone else with this, and I know you'll take my offer. You don't want to refuse this."

"Try me," I goaded all the while my shoulders stiffened in the anticipation. She was dangling a string in front of me, baiting the promise of laying off my family—the one thing I wanted more than anything. In all honesty, I've never drawn a limit as to what I'd do to keep them safe. "You want my soul or something along those lines?"

"Of course not. There are many details to explain and it's not an easy task, but I believe it's in your competencies. Together, we can make a good team. I suggest we go for a ride around town to discuss those terms. In exchange, I'll let you ask me anything during the drive." She smiled. "I'll make sure you return on time for lunch period if you have any concerns on that matter. You have my word."

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Sorry for this shorter chapter, but it wouldn't make a clean cut if I added more. So what are your thoughts on this dialogue between Luc and Caldwell? How do you feel about this mystery woman finally showing her face in broad daylight?