Misfits, Inc. (24 page)

†

H
ailey hurried into her suite and suddenly stopped just inside
the doorway.  Rafe was reclined on the sofa with his feet crossed at the ankles
on the broken coffee table and his eyes were closed.  Blood soaked his torn
shirt, and she could see more blood surrounding the gashes on his thigh. 
Hailey hurried to the sofa, sat alongside him, and gently touched his face. 
His eyes slowly opened and a smirk crossed his face.

“You should see the other guy--”

Rafe gave a slight mocking nod to Marcus lying on
the floor, impaled through the chest with a wooden table leg.  He attempted a
laugh, clutched his bleeding chest, and cringed with pain.  Hailey placed her
hand on the deep gashes.

“Oh, Rafe--”

He looked at her and offered a tiny smile.  “It’s
too late for that, Hailey.  We both know it.”

Hailey met his gaze with tears in her eyes and a
determined look.  “I can save you.”

“You already have,” he replied gently and offered a
tender smile.  “I can’t think of a more noble cause then dying for the woman I
love.”

She stared at him and could almost feel her heart
stop beating.  It couldn’t be possible.  He couldn’t die.  Could he?  He
suddenly appeared humored and attempted to laugh, although it was obviously too
painful.

“Hey?  Isn’t this how we first met?” he teased. 
“You standing over my bloody carcass?”

She felt the irony, but it suddenly gave her hope. 
“I brought you back once,” she replied softly.  “I can do it again.”

“I don’t think I get nine lives.”

She shook her head with conviction and fear that
resembled anger.  “I won’t let you go, Rafe.”

“Be as stubborn as you want, but you really don’t
have much choice.”

Hailey fought her tears and kissed him warmly on
the lips.  Rafe pulled her closer for a more passionate kiss.  She returned his
kiss as tears ran down her face.  She kept her hand on his wounds without
breaking off the kiss.  Rafe’s head slowly fell against the back of the sofa. 
Hailey pulled her head back and stared at him with tears streaking her face. 
She kept her left hand firmly on his chest wound and placed her right hand to
his temple.  Her look conveyed her determination. 

“I won’t let you go,” she whispered.

S
kyler and Logan stood by the half wall and stared at the
motionless tree containing the panther and Delaney.  Delaney could still be
heard yelling, although his struggling against the vines wasn’t doing any
good.  With little warning, the black panther leaped from the tree, tackled
Logan to the roof floor, and sat on him with the necklace dangling from his
mouth. 

“Awe, he likes you,” Skyler teased.

Logan stared at the panther sitting on his large
chest, having knocked the air from him.  “Yeah, well, us brothers got to stick
together,” he gasped.

Skyler took the necklace from Kitty’s mouth and
pushed the panther off his friend.  Logan groaned.  Several feet away from
them, the large bats still swarmed around the crouched and cowering Lucinda. 
Vance stood nearby and allowed one of the larger bats to dangle from his hand. 
He turned his head upside down to study the creature.

“Who’s the pretty little bat?” he cooed.  “You’re
the pretty little bat.”

Lucinda slowly lowered her arms from her face and
looked at Vance through the swarm.  Her claws and fangs were now gone.  Her
eyes seemed darker and almost innocent.

“Make them stop,” she pleaded softly to him.  “I
give up.  You win.”

Vance allowed the bat to fly away and looked at
Lucinda with arrogance.  “I guess you should have thought about that before you
got all rowdy.”

“I never knew that beneath that handsome exterior
was a man of great power,” she said in a seductive tone.  “I submit to you,
Vance.  You are superior to me.”

He laughed at the comment.  “If you weren’t such an
evil bitch, I think I’d be turned on.”

Their eyes only met briefly, but that was all
Lucinda needed.  As she stared into his eyes, Vance stared back.  His smile
faded and he appeared almost helpless to her hypnotic gaze.  Lucinda maintained
her seductive smile despite the swarming bats.

“A characteristic flaw of the Charmer is the
inability to refuse
my
charm.  That makes you my slave,” she informed
him.  “Now, my love, call off your pets.”

Vance waved his hand, allowing the bats to fly away. 
Lucinda straightened with a satisfied smile.  Logan and Skyler saw the bats
flying past them then turned to see Lucinda free. 

“Vance, no!” Logan cried out.

Vance pointed to Logan and Skyler.  The bats took
their cue, changed direction, and swarmed around them.  Both men ducked and
shielded their faces from the tornado of bats

“What’s wrong with him?” Logan cried out,
displaying his fear of the mammoth, flying creatures.

“He appears to be under some sort of spell,” Skyler
announced while attempting to get a closer look while shielding his face. 
“Hailey!  We have a problem!”

Lucinda casually approached the men and their
swarming bats.  Her devious grin was frightening.  Vance obediently followed in
his trance-like state.

“The necklace, Vance,” she ordered sweetly.

Vance reached through the swarm and snatched the
necklace from Logan, who reluctantly released it.  Lucinda took the necklace
and seductively touched Vance’s face.

“Come along, handsome,” Lucinda announced.  “We
have a helicopter to catch.”

Vance followed Lucinda to the helicopter.  Hailey
ran through the open doorway from the stairs in time to witness Lucinda and
Vance heading toward the helicopter.  Lucinda opened the helicopter door,
looked back at Hailey, and smiled sweetly. 

“Vance, darling,
kill
that woman.”

Vance turned toward Hailey and approached her. 
Hailey uncertainly backed away.  The black panther attempted to come to her
rescue but the bats kept it low to the ground.  Kitty hissed at the bats and
even swatted at a few.

“Vance, what’s wrong with you?” Hailey suddenly
asked with concern while avoiding his approach.

“He’s under her spell,” Logan cried out.  “She did
something to him!”

Hailey stared at Vance, although he avoided looking
directly into her eyes.  Despite the spell he was under, that part of him still
remained.  The helicopter started, alarming Hailey.  She had to do something
fast or Lucinda would get away.  Hailey took a quick step closer to Vance and
placed her hands firmly on his face. 

“No, Hailey, run!” Skyler screamed.

Vance grabbed Hailey by the throat.  Hailey gasped
as he applied pressure, cutting off her air.  Despite his grip, she forced him
to look into her eyes.  His grip tightened, and she was having a difficult time
catching her breath.  They stared into each other’s eyes for only a few
seconds.  His expression suddenly dropped, and he pulled away from her as if
she’d sent lightning through him.  Vance clutched his head and dropped to his
knees.  Hailey slowly kneeled before him and gently touched his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

Vance lowered his trembling hands and looked at
Hailey.  He stared helplessly into her eyes for the first time and appeared
almost horrified. 

“What happened?”

“A mild case of impotence, but it’s only temporary,
I promise,” she replied.

Vance looked at his shaking hands and appeared too
weak to stand.  The helicopter began to lift from the pad, alarming Hailey. 
She quickly straightened.

“Vance, release the bats!”

Vance weakly lifted his hand and the bats flew
away.  It was all he had.  Logan and Skyler quickly straightened.  Vance
remained kneeling on the roof floor unable to move and stared helplessly at his
trembling hands.  The helicopter lifted a few feet from the ground and was
about to take off.  Vines suddenly entwined around the rungs.  The helicopter
pulled up and easily snapped the vines.

“Damn it,” Logan cried out.

The helicopter suddenly jolted but remained
hovering in place.  Hailey and Logan looked at Skyler, who held his hand out
and kept the helicopter in place with an invisible force.  Hailey jumped onto
the half wall, teetered a moment to catch her balance, and then hurried along
the wall toward the elevated helicopter. 

“Hailey, no,” Logan called after her.

Logan leaped onto the half wall near him and
skillfully ran along it from the opposite direction for her.  Lucinda pulled
sharply on the controls.  The helicopter jolted from the throttle and Skyler’s
hold.  The back end of the helicopter spun slightly and headed directly for
Logan.  Logan cried out and plummeted over the edge.  A vine entwined around
his ankle and stopped him from falling to his death.  He dangled from the vine
while screaming.  Skyler’s eyes narrowed and his hand trembled.  The
helicopter’s engine was heard revving loudly, but the helicopter remained held
in place by Skyler’s invisible force.  Hailey made her way along the half wall
just near the helicopter.  Lucinda attempted to pull away from Skyler’s
telekinetic hold.  The helicopter bucked.  Skyler gasped and closed his fist. 
The helicopter remained steady.  Hailey opened the passenger side door to
reveal Lucinda aiming Marcus’ discarded gun at her.  Rafe suddenly appeared and
tackled Hailey to the roof as the gun fired, narrowly missing her.  Skyler
sneered and violently released his telekinetic hold on the helicopter.

The helicopter suddenly jerked from Lucinda’s
pressure on the throttle, spun wildly out of control, and dropped over the side
of the building.  The helicopter crashed through several trees as it plummeted
toward the ground twenty stories below.  It struck the ground and exploded into
flames.  Skyler fell harshly to his knees and wiped the blood from his nose
with disgust. 

“Never underestimate a freak, bitch,” Skyler
muttered.

Rafe moved off Hailey, helped her into a sitting
position, and then pulled her into his arms with a gentle groan.  She clung to
him and laughed softly.

“You sure know how to make an entrance,” she
announced as relief swept through her.

Rafe kissed her forehead then grinned and helped
her to her feet.  Vance placed his hand on Skyler’s shoulder and weakly
collapsed alongside him.

“Very effective, Numinous, but remind me never to
fly with you,” Vance announced.

There was a faint voice from over the side of the
building.  “Uh, could someone give me a hand?” Logan was heard outside the
building just below the wall.

Everyone hurried for the half wall and looked over
the side.  Logan swayed back and forth by the vine attached to his ankle.  The
panther stood on its hind legs with its front paws on the half wall, watched
Logan sway, and playfully batted at him.

T
he storm had passed, leaving the beachfront hotel virtually
untouched.  Unfortunately, plenty of damage had already been done earlier that
day.  The moonlit night on the terrace was calm, and the guests were having a
good time despite all that had happened.  It was unclear if anyone was sober by
that point.  The soft sound of music soothed guests’ frayed nerves.  Tam tended
the makeshift bar, hastily nailed together.  Logan sat before a portable
keyboard attached to speakers and played a romantic melody while Hailey and
Rafe slow danced in the shadows just beyond the terrace on the sand.  Vance sat
at a severely bent table sipping one of many fruity drinks.  Brody pulled out a
chair and joined him at the wobbling table.  Both steadied the table until it
no longer rocked. 

“This was my first day as partner of this lovely
beachfront property,” Brody cheerfully informed Vance.

Vance snorted a laugh as he worked on finishing his
fourth drink.  “Certainly one vacation no one will forget,” he replied while
hiding his grin.

“I know I never will.”  Brody nodded toward the
couple dancing in the shadows.  “My ‘all work’ bodyguard just resigned in favor
of ‘all play’.”

“Yeah, nearly dying can change a man,” Vance
remarked while grinning.  “Third time’s a charm.”

An attractive woman passed them and smiled at
Vance.  He met her gaze and flashed his own smile in response.  So began the
pre-foreplay dance.  He looked back at Brody.

“I think I’m being paged,” Vance cheerfully
informed him.  “Was there something I could do for you, Brody?”

He sighed heavily with defeat.  “According to the
terms of the contract, I inherit Lucinda’s half of the resort.  Unfortunately,
I also inherit the hotel’s debt, which will potentially bankrupt me.  I’m in
desperate need of a partner.”  He stared at Vance and his agenda surfaced.  “I
took the liberty of having you checked out, and learned you’re a man of
considerable wealth with no real estate investments.  I thought you might be
interested in trying the hotel industry.  You might like it.”

Vance considered the idea, tilted his head, and
then grinned in response.  “Life in paradise?” he suddenly asked.  “How much of
a good thing is too much?”  He chuckled softly.  “I think I’d like to find
out.”

Vance extended his hand to Brody, who eagerly shook
it, sealing their deal.  Vance smiled and stood, indicating the woman who’d
just passed.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Vance announced.  “I
have to make sure I haven’t lost my touch.”

Brody smiled and laughed as Vance hurried after the
attractive woman.  Skyler appeared on the terrace from the side door,
approached Logan at the keyboard, and sat next to him.  He set the manuscript
down near him.  Logan eyed the manuscript and appeared curious. 

“Did you actually read that?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t care for the ending,” Skyler
announced with little interest.

“What was wrong with the ending?” Logan suddenly
demanded, appearing insulted.

“It didn’t make sense,” Skyler replied.  “It seems
like there should be more.”

Logan stopped playing his portable keyboard and
snatched the manuscript.  “Everyone’s a critic.”

Talbert approached Skyler and looked around with
disgust.  “Considering the circumstances, I guess you can have your old job
back.”

Skyler stood with his head held high and looked
Talbert in the eyes.  “Sorry, but I already have a job.”  He grinned proudly. 
“I’m Numinous.”

Mel approached Skyler and affectionately clung to
his arm.  “You promised me a moonlit walk on the beach.”

Skyler grinned and walked away with her.  Talbert
watched him leave with Mel and frowned.  Logan flipped though the ending of the
manuscript with a puzzled look on his face.  Talbert glared at Logan and
indicated the keyboard.

“Play something, will you?” he snarled with
annoyance then walked away.

Logan glared after Talbert, sneered, and gave him
the middle finger.  Hailey and Rafe continued to slow dance in the sand despite
the absence of music.

“What now?” Rafe asked while hiding his humor.  “It
seems we’re both unemployed.”

“According to Skyler’s latest psychic analysis,
Vance will become Brody’s partner here at the resort,” she informed him.  “They
will mutually agree to fire Talbert and hire Skyler as hotel manager.  Brody
will then beg you to be head of security.”

He laughed at her analysis then turned serious. 
“What becomes of the princess?”

“The princess falls in love with the new head of
security and, strangely enough, becomes Brody’s assistant.”

“I think all that power has gone to Skyler’s head,”
Rafe remarked and grinned.  “He’s losing his touch.”

“Actually, I already accepted the position,” Hailey
informed him then shrugged.

Rafe grinned and pulled her against him as they
stopped dancing.  He looked into her eyes and gently touched her face.

“Tell me more about happily ever after.”

Hailey smiled warmly and brushed her lips past
his.  He eagerly moved his mouth closer to hers to accept her teasing kiss.

“Hailey--” Logan called out.

Hailey pulled away from Rafe as if caught doing
something wrong.

Rafe groaned with disgust.  “Next time we leave the
kids at home.”

Logan hurried toward them with the manuscript in
his hands.  Vance and Skyler heard the odd urgency in his voice and approached
as well.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Logan
announced.

“Is something wrong?” Vance asked and cast a glance
at his lady-in-waiting to make sure she was still waiting.

“It’s the ending,” Logan informed them.

Hailey grinned lustfully and moved closer to Rafe,
gently running her hand along his chest.  Rafe eagerly pulled her into arms and
against him.

“We’ve already figured that one out,” she teased.

Logan shook his head while staring at her.  “No,
there’s more to the story…”

The End