step behind her, their words growing more lewd, more suggestive.
She glanced around, looking for help, but there was no one else to be seen. The stores she passed were all closed, and now she was approaching a vacant lot.
Fear made her stomach queasy and coated her palms with sweat.
What to do, what to do? She knew instinctively that she couldn't outrun them even as she knew that running would only whet their appetite for the kill.
Oh, Lord, she was so afraid! Every lurid tale of rape and murder she'd ever read about in the papers rose up to haunt her, making an abduction by an alien seem almost tame in comparison.
I'm coming, Lainey.
His voice cut through her fear as cleanly as a knife through butter.
Hurry, please hurry! The silent plea screamed inside her mind.
And then he was there, rounding the corner ahead of her.
"Micah!" She sobbed his name, tears of relief welling in her eyes as he pulled her up against him, sheltering her against the indomitable wall of his chest.
The two young toughs who had been following her came to an abrupt halt.
Lainey's breath caught in her throat when she got a good look at them. They both wore the distinctive colors of a local gang. One of them, a kid of about sixteen clad in baggy pants and a loose-fitting black shirt, held a gun in his hand. Held it as if he'd been born with it. The other boy, who was perhaps a year or two younger, casually tossed a switchblade from one hand to the other.
"Hey, she's ours, man," the kid with the gun said.
"No," Micah replied, his voice loud and clear. "She is mine."
"If you won't give her to us, we'll just have to take her."
Micah shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Uglyand stupid," the kid with the knife said. "That's a bad combination."
Micah took a step forward, putting himself between Lainey and the two punks.
"Micah..."
"Don't worry, Lainey."
The kid with the gun laughed. It was a dry, humorless sound, like leaves skittering over a grave. "Hear that, Griff, he told her not to worry."
"Told ya he was stupid," Griff replied.
"Go home," Micah said, his voice calm. "I don't want to hurt you."
The boy with the knife snorted disdainfully. "You'regonna hurtus ? Man, you really are stupid."
Lainey glanced around, hoping to see a police car, as the guy with the knife took a step forward. As usual, there was never a cop around when you needed one.
And then she glanced at Micah, and time seemed to stand still. Voices and images seemed to blur. She watched in horror as the kid with the gun lifted the weapon as if to fire, and then, as if struck by an invisible blow, he stumbled backward. The gun turned red, then white, and he let out a high-pitched shriek as the glowing metal burned the skin off the palm of his hand.
The other punk uttered a vile obscenity, then began backing away when he realized Micah's attention was now focused on him.
"Hey, I didn't mean nothing, man," he said. He risked a glance at his companion, who was writhing on the ground cradling his injured hand against his chest. "I didn't mean nothing," he said again, and dropping the switchblade, he turned and ran.
Lainey stared at the boy on the sidewalk, then at the gun, which glowed and pulsed like a white-hot flame.
Micah held out his hand. "Let's go, Lainey."
She nodded, too stunned to speak, as she took his hand. The fingers that curled around her own trembling ones were warm and strong.
They were several blocks away before she found her voice. "What happened back there? How did you do that?''
Micah shrugged. "Just a little trick I know."
"Some trick," Lainey muttered. "How did you know I was in trouble?"
"I felt it." He squeezed her hand. "Where did you go?"
"To the library."
He lifted one brow. "The library? Do you always go there to hide?"
"No, I... I did some research on UFOs."
"I see," he said, keeping his voice and face impassive. "And did your research convince you that I'm telling the truth?"
"No, it only confused me more."
They were home now. Opening the front door, Lainey went into the living room. Everything looked the same as when she'd left, and yet she knew that nothing would ever be the same again.
Hands clasped together, she turned to face Micah. "So, are you really a little green man, or a monster?"