Last Chance (19 page)

Connor shook his head no and told them to get going before their mom got back.

As Jack and Cassie went out the front door, Cassie turned back to the brothers and said, “Welcome to our planet.”

Matthew looked to Connor and threw a pillow at him. “You idiot! You had the memory boots on outside the house.”

Connor threw the pillow back and said, “It all worked out and now we have some help finding out about the Currys. Just don’t tell Mom about it.” Matthew agreed and the boys headed back to their room.

Monday started as any other day at school would have started, except for a few obvious differences. Five members of the football team had been suspended from school for a few days for fighting, which was great for Matthew and Connor. Their last week in Travis would be bully free. The boys’ prowess on the dance floor had spread through the school, and it seemed that more students knew their names. Cassie and Jack were nowhere to be found, as they were busy gathering information.

Matthew wasn’t sure what to expect from Amanda on Monday morning, so what he got was a pleasant surprise. As Matthew rounded the corner to his locker, there she was. What a beautiful sight first thing in the morning.

“I thought you were never gonna get here. Do you wanna walk me to class?”

Matthew was overjoyed to walk Amanda to class. This gave him multiple chances throughout the day to talk to her and try to figure out a way to get the charm from her.

Connor was still embarrassed that Matthew was able to get the girl from him. Several students asked him why his brother was with Amanda. He focused more of his time with Jack and Cassie Jenkins. Amazingly, they had already researched a ton of information on the Curry home, and they shared it with Connor and Matthew.

“Look at all the paths that lead from the house,” said Connor.

Jack explained that the main road that ran in front of the house had only been there for twenty years. There was an old service road that ran right up to the rear of the house, back in the day.

Matthew asked, “Where does that road lead now?”

Jack replied, “Basically, it’s an old side road that was shut down, but it can still get you to the main highway, as long as you don’t mind crossing a small ditch.” Jack pointed out the side road and ditch on the map.

The roads weren’t the only findings of the gifted Jenkins kids. They also explained that the house was constructed back in the days of the Civil War. Cassie began to speak at an accelerated rate, as her excitement couldn’t be contained.

“There are hidden rooms all over this house. Some are behind bookcases, some behind staircases, and then the basement.” She circled spots on the map that illustrated general locations of the rooms.

“This entire area here is located under the main floor of the house, but it can only be accessed from the outside through this door.”

Connor and Matthew strained to see what she was pointing at and asked, “What door? All I see is the ground.”

Jack sported a big grin and told his sister to tell them. “It’s hidden under some fake brush, right about here.”

Connor asked, “Is it still there?”

The brother and sister didn’t know. Cassie continued, “If it’s still there, it’s an easy way into the house.”

The twins continued to disclose what they had found about the construction of the home, its history, and who had lived in it. They only broke the pattern of information long enough to ask the boys questions about their alien race. “So, what does your spaceship look like? How long does it take to get to Earth from your planet?”

Cassie focused more on the biology. “Are you two anatomically similar to us humans?” The boys decided it was better to keep those questions unanswered for now, for the twins’ own protection. For the anatomically correct question, both boys blurted out, “Yes!”

The days passed by, and Matthew felt that he was no closer to getting the charm than he was when they first fell out of the tunnel. He tried a local custom of giving her his new letter jacket, just to see if she would give him something in return. Both Connor and Matthew were awarded the jackets during a practice from Coach Dane. Little did Coach Dane know that Matthew and Connor would never play a snap in a real game.

It was already Friday morning, and April had to have a talk with the boys before they headed to school. “We’re down to the last couple of days, boys. You have to get that charm today.”

Matthew didn’t seem overly confident. “I don’t know what else to try, besides telling her the truth.”

Connor jumped in. “You know you can’t tell her the truth. She’ll know that the future is going to get messed up and then we end up changing the past.”

April took a seat on the couch in the living room, and Matthew asked what he should do next.

“You have today at school to get the charm from her. If you don’t, I want you to tell her that her family will be killed if she doesn’t give you the charm.”

Matthew was stunned by his mother’s comments and asked, “So, you want me to scare her into giving me the charm?”

April dipped her head and said, “If it’s the only way to get it, then that’s what you have to do. Tell her whatever it takes to get it, give her the fake charm, and we’re on the road to head back to Georgia.”

The boys left in April’s car. They had learned to drive with their mother teaching them after school. They discussed what April had told them and decided they would do what was needed, but only after trying every other avenue first.

Matthew spent as much time with Amanda on Friday as he could. Lunch was a good time to talk with her. There were pep rallies in the afternoon, and Amanda was wearing her cheerleading uniform in preparation. Matthew tried to convince Amanda to give him the necklace before the pep rally so that it didn’t get damaged.

“If you wanna give it to me for a little while, I’ll hold it so it doesn’t get messed up during the pep rally.”

She replied, “I wear it all the time, even during games. It’ll be fine.”

Just before the pep rally, Matthew tried another approach. “You know, my uniform would look really cool with your necklace around my neck. That way everyone knows that you’re my cheerleader.”

Amanda sported a confused look and asked, “What is your deal with this necklace today? Don’t worry; everyone knows that we’re together.”

She popped a kiss on his cheek and said, “They’ll really know after the game tonight when I run out to you and give you a big wet one on the fifty-yard line.” She flashed Matthew a wink and ran out to the center of the gym to start the rally.

Matthew and Connor sat together on the bleachers during the pep rally as the cheerleaders jumped around, chanted some catchy slogans, and got the crowd of students and faculty fired up for the game that night. Connor leaned over to Matthew and said, “Let’s try to catch Amanda at her car after the rally’s over and we’ll have the talk with her.”

As the pep rally ended, the school gym became a maze of students and teachers just trying to get out of the building and head to their vehicles or buses for the ride home. Matthew and Connor were held up for a moment but were able to make their way to the school parking lot where Amanda’s vehicle was still sitting. The boys waited for over half an hour, but there was no sign of Amanda.

Finally, another cheerleader, by the name of Brittany Thigpen, walked onto the lot. Matthew rushed to her and asked if she had seen Amanda.

She replied, “Oh yeah, she left about thirty minutes ago with Beth. I think they had to run some errands before the game.” She smiled at the two boys. “It’s so sweet you were waiting for her.”

The boys rushed back to April’s car and decided to head out to the Curry homestead to catch Amanda before the game. Connor told Matthew, “I’ll stand off to the side while you talk to her. I don’t want her to think we’re ganging up on her.”

The boys were coming down the road that led to the Curry home and noticed three men blocking the road. There was one quite large man in a black on black suit. He had a scar that ran the length of his face and greasy hair. He was flanked by two smaller men in similar suits.

They pulled up and asked what was going on. One of them asked Matthew if they were headed to the Curry home and he told them no.

“We live on down the road a few miles from the Currys. Do you need us to help you with anything?”

The man replied that they were just having some engine problems and already had help coming. The boys pulled away slowly and continued toward Amanda’s house.

As they got closer, they realized that there were even more cars parked in front of the home. Matthew pulled the car on down the road and parked behind a tree. “I think the best thing to do is come up on the house by foot to see what’s going on.”

Connor agreed and the boys walked through a side lot that was heavily covered with foliage. Connor pulled out the mirror glasses. “Maybe we can see and hear what’s going on in the house.”

Using the mount that Matthew had placed in the house the week before, Connor was able to hear what was being discussed in the living room of the home. Matthew asked, “What do you see?”

Connor put his finger to his mouth and said, “Shut up so I can hear.”

Connor saw that Keith Kellington was in the Curry home with several other men wearing black or gray suits. He heard, “Listen, Mr. Curry, we simply need to speak with your daughter and then we’ll be out of here.”

Mr. Curry replied, “She’s just running a little late from school. I just don’t understand what you could possibly need to talk to her about. I’m her father and I have a right to know what the government wants with my kid.”

Keith responded, “We simply think that she may have something that belongs to us, and we just need to question her about it.”

While he got up and moved toward Keith Kellington, Mr. Curry told his wife and son to stay in the dining room. “I want to talk to your superior,” he said. Keith pointed to an adjoining room and Mr. Curry made his way toward it.

Connor couldn’t see into the adjoining room, but he could faintly pick up what was being said. “You just need to stay calm, Mr. Curry, and this will all be over quickly.”

Connor concentrated as much as possible and heard one more comment from the hidden man. “Control is only what we make of it.”

Connor thought, “Do I know whose voice that is? It sounds awfully familiar.”

Connor removed the glasses, and Matthew asked him what he saw.

“The three guys up the road are probably there to make sure Amanda is led into the house. They’re acting like they work for the government and need to talk to her.”

Matthew scratched his head and said, “This can’t be right. Walter said that the necklace was taken on Saturday, not Friday.”

Connor replied, “I don’t care what Walter said. If we don’t get to Amanda before those guys on the road do, we’re not gonna get the charm.”

Matthew agreed and said, “We need a plan.”

Chapter 14

trust me

“You think we’ll get paid extra for actually gettin’ that girl in the house? Did you see the picture of her on the mantle? I know she’s only sixteen, but I wouldn’t mind having some alone time with that.”

The three men waited at the end of the driveway for Amanda to show up and passed the time by making rude comments and suggestions about Amanda and her family. “The mother’s pretty hot, too.” They all shook their heads in agreement, and the largest of the three men pulled a pistol from his coat. He rubbed the end of the barrel along the scar that divided his face.

“I wish I knew how Kellington does it.”

One of the others asked, “How he does what?”

The largest of the men continued, “I’ve only been working with the guy for a few months, but he isn’t what he seems to be.”

The scarred man explained that he’d had an altercation with Keith Kellington a few weeks after he started working for him. There had been a disagreement between the two, and Keith told him that if he wanted to do something about it to take a swing at him.

“I’m at least twice the size of Keith Kellington, and that man threw me down like I was a sack of crap.” He pointed to his scar and said, “He gave me this and told me that his orders were nonnegotiable. I won’t ever mess with that guy again. I think he could take all of us at the same time.”

The man with spiked hair and a strong Italian accent said, “I heard he treats some guys different. If you’re in his circle, you get certain perks.”

The scarred man replied, “Well, he’s one dude I don’t question when he asks me to do something. Between him and those Elliott guys, you just keep your mouth shut and do as you’re told.”

An engine revved in the background, and the three men looked up to see a car coming down the road. It pulled to a stop where all three men could see inside. The larger man looked into the window and only saw Matthew at the wheel.

“You headin’ back out already?”

Matthew grinned at the man and said, “I see your buddies haven’t shown up yet.”

The man smirked and replied, “They’ll be here soon enough, son. Why don’t you head on down the road.”

Matthew shut off the engine and started to get out of the car. “You guys could really help me out with a problem.”

The three men walked to the side of the car and told Matthew, “You need to get back in your car and get going—now!”

Matthew replied, “Really, this won’t take but just a second. I just need you to help me get something out of my trunk.”

One of the men responded, “Look, kid, if you don’t get out of here, we’ll dump you in the trunk.”

Matthew chuckled and said, “Real funny, guys. It will literally take a minute to help me here. I’m just not big enough to pick it up by myself.” The scarred leader of the men could see that Matthew was not a threat. He was no bigger than his own left leg, so he gave in. He told the other two to go help him with the trunk.

“I’ll make sure you don’t get run over.”

The two men followed their leader’s direction, but grumbled as they did. They reached the back of the car and Matthew popped the trunk open with his key. The two men looked into the trunk and didn’t see anything.

“What’s your game, kid? Trunk’s empty—there’s nothin’ in it.”

Matthew replied, “Of course there is. You just have to look deeper into the trunk.”

Both men stuck their faces in and could smell the residue of the road and rank carpet of an older vehicle. They did see something, but the surrounding darkness confused them. “What’s that little round thing floating there?”

A quick snap was heard and the two men felt a crush, like a large tidal wave had barreled into their chests. It took their breath and their consciousness and launched them onto the hard gravel at the center of the road. At that moment, Connor released the camotape that he was touching on the back of the trunk. He immediately appeared to Matthew.

On the other side of the car, the largest of the three men yelled out, “What the hell’s going on back there?” He made his way to the back of the car, toward Matthew.

Connor emerged from the trunk and Matthew said, “Don’t worry. I got this.”

The scarred man saw his two comrades lying motionless in the road and reached out his hand toward Matthew.

Matthew pressed a button on his watch and raised his hand to block the man from his approach. Matthew heard a beep and realized that he had hit the wrong button. Before he knew it, the large man had his hand around Matthew’s neck and had picked him up off the ground.

Matthew, gasping for air between words, motioned to Connor and rasped, “Connor…help…hit…wrong…button.”

Connor knew that he couldn’t use the snap ring without hitting Matthew, so he tried to tackle the large man. Connor gave the man a good shot but ended up knocking himself for a loop. The man laughed, grabbed Connor, and tossed both of them onto the ground by the car.

“You OK, Matthew?” Matthew couldn’t catch his breath and shook his head no. He pointed to the large man who had now pulled his pistol and pointed it at the boys.

The scarred man said, “I don’t know who you boys are, but I bet my boss will want to find out.”

A noise was heard in the distance and the large man and both boys looked to the other end of the road. They could hear the tires throwing gravel to the side of the road. The boys realized that it was Beth Perry’s car.

Matthew motioned to his brother to use the snap ring. The gun flew from the man’s hand from the force of the shockwave. Another snap and he was pushed up against the boys’ car. He wasn’t knocked out, as the other two men were, but he was stunned and struggled to get up. Connor ran over and kicked the gun down the road as Matthew rushed out to stop Beth’s car.

Matthew jumped up and down in the middle of the road and tried to get Beth’s attention. She finally hit the brakes, just feet in front of him. The girls saw the men lying in the road and watched as Connor ran toward them. Both girls got out of the car and ran to Matthew, but Matthew was only concerned with Amanda.

“What’s going on? Where are my parents?”

She noticed the gun lying in the road and began to lose her composure. Matthew stopped her and said, “Amanda, you have to trust me and come with us—right now.”

Amanda pulled away and replied, “I’m not going anywhere until I see what’s going on here. Where’s my dad?”

Connor realized that the largest of the three men was making it to his feet and yelled to Matthew, “We have to leave now!”

Matthew pleaded with Amanda: “
Please
trust me! We have to
go
!”

Amanda again resisted and pushed Matthew away. “I’m going to the house.”

Matthew yelled to Connor, “Just grab her!”

Connor grabbed Amanda and threw her into the backseat of the car. Amanda struggled and yelled at Connor, “Stop it! What are you doing? Let me go!”

Matthew jumped in, started the car, and sped off, with Beth Perry banging on the window. She avoided the flying gravel and jumped back into her car to follow the boys. As she pulled away, she could see the large man in the background stumbling over to his pistol.

“Get off me, Connor!”

Connor kept a tight hold around Amanda’s arms as he held her in the backseat of the car. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. You’ll slug me the second I let go.” Matthew steered the car onto the highway and made his way back home.

“Something happened to my parents, didn’t it?” she exclaimed, as a small tear rolled down her cheek. “Answer me, Matthew!” Matthew tried to calm her, knowing that these next few moments would make the difference in getting the charm or complete failure.

“Listen, your parents are OK for now, but we couldn’t let you go into the house. Those men you saw lying in the road are bad news, and the men that are in the house are even worse.”

Amanda began to calm herself and told Connor that she wouldn’t slug him. He slowly released her from his clutches, and she rolled to the side of him and slapped him in the face.

“Jerk!”

Connor could feel the sting of the cheerleader’s hand across his face. He rubbed the exposed area with his hand and pleaded his innocence. “I only did it because Matthew told me to. Why don’t you slug
him
?”

“What’s going on?” she demanded. “Who are they?”

Matthew explained that the man in the house was the same one they had run into after the movie the other night.

“You know how he wanted to buy your necklace? Well, he’s upping the ante on getting it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense; it’s just a novelty.”

Matthew pulled the car into the driveway of his home and said, “You better come inside for a minute. I’ll let you know everything we know.” Matthew reached into the backseat and caressed Amanda’s hand. “I promise everything’s gonna be OK.”

They arrived at the boys’ home and walked to the front door. The red patch on Connor’s face had subsided. Another car came screeching into the driveway and Connor realized it was Beth Perry. Connor expressed his frustration. “This is all we need.”

Beth emerged from her car and said, “What the hell are you guys doing? Amanda, are you OK?”

Amanda assured Beth that she was fine and told her that she needed to go home.

Beth replied, “I’m not leavin’ you here alone with these two weirdoes.” Beth invited herself into the Chance home and stood there waiting for an explanation.

April emerged from the kitchen and saw the boys and two girls. “It looks like we have some things to talk about, don’t we?”

Beth Perry gave her an earful. “We sure do. Who do you people think you are? You kidnap Amanda, scratch up my car, and then act like it’s not a big deal.”

April looked to Connor and said, “We really need to speak to Amanda alone.”

Connor replied, “Say no more.” He picked up Beth Perry, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her to April’s room.

“Put me down! Let me go!” Connor pulled April’s door closed and locked it from the outside.

“I’ll let you out after we get done talkin’ to Amanda.” The muffled sounds of a very irate teenager could be heard coming from April’s bedroom. Connor said, “She knows some flashy words, doesn’t she?”

April looked at Amanda and said, “Sorry about that, but she doesn’t need to hear what we’re gonna tell you.”

Amanda examined the boys and their mother and said, “Just tell me what’s going on. Why can’t I go home?”

Matthew wanted to let Amanda know as much as he could, without giving away too much. “This Keith Kellington has figured out a way to use that charm as a weapon and he wants it. It’s nothing you did or your parents did. He’ll do whatever he has to do to get that necklace.”

Amanda walked around the room and grabbed a hold of the charm that dangled from her neck. She asked, “Why didn’t he just come after me and take it from me? Why’s he holding my parents and my little brother?”

Matthew knew he had to be careful and decided to focus on the how and avoid the why. “The only way Keith can actually get the charm from you is to have you actually hand it over to him. If he simply takes it from you, it can’t be turned into a weapon.” Amanda shook her head, both confused and in disbelief.

Matthew continued, “He’ll threaten to hurt your parents, or maybe your brother, if you don’t give him the charm.”

April jumped in before Amanda could respond. “You have to understand that this man will kill your family just to get that charm. He’ll have no remorse and he will torture them until you give it to him.”

Amanda had tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked to Matthew and asked, “What am I supposed to do?”

Matthew put his hands on Amanda’s shoulders and walked her away from Connor and April toward the kitchen. He took a moment to wipe the tears from her cheeks, making sure to take a mental picture of her beautiful face. He knew this would be the last time he spoke with her. He slowly took the charm in his hand and said, “I need you to give me your necklace.”

Amanda backed away from Matthew and glared into his moist eyes. Matthew took the fake stone that Mr. Wainright had given to him and said, “You need to give Keith, or whoever else wants the necklace, this fake one. If you give this to him, he’ll think he has what he needs and leave your family alone.”

Amanda took a step closer to Matthew and said, “How do I know you and your family aren’t after the weapon, too?”

Matthew shook his head slowly and simply said, “You don’t. All I can ask you to do is trust me and know that I only want to keep you safe.”

Amanda didn’t hesitate and made her decision. She reached behind her neck and unclasped her necklace. She held the charm and necklace out and dangled it in front of Matthew’s face. She quietly said to him, “I do trust you. You take the charm.”

A yellow light emitted from the charm as it pulled from the setting of the necklace. It was thrust from the small setting and Matthew’s Hathmec was exposed from under his shirt. The charm maneuvered its way into a rectangular spot at the top left of the pendant. Within seconds, Matthew felt that something was different.

Amanda couldn’t believe what she had seen but had enough sense to place the fake charm into her necklace setting. She reclasped the necklace and asked Matthew, “Are you OK? What just happened?”