'Wait here,' Michael ordered as he pulled up in front of the Albuquerque bus station. He leaped out of the Jeep and raced inside. 'Did the bus from Roswell come in yet?' he called to the woman behind the ticket counter.
'That's it out there,' she answered. She pointed out the back window at a bus. An empty bus.
'Did the people already get off?' he demanded.
She blew a big bubble, and Michael got a whiff of grape gum and garlic. 'Do you see anyone on it?'
He rushed up to the counter. 'When did it get in?' he asked.
'Not more than a few minutes ago.' She blew another bubble, this one so big, it. obscured half her face. Michael resisted the urge to reach out and pop it.
'Did you see a girl get off?' He was talking so fast, his words were tumbling out on top of each other. He forced himself to slow down. 'She's tall, about five-ten, thin, short red hair?'
'Answers to the name of Cameron?' a voice asked from behind him.
He spun to face her.
'If you decided to give me another thirty seconds, forget about it,' she told him. 'I have nothing else I want to say to you.' She started toward the door.
Michael lurched forward and blocked her, grabbing her by the shoulders. 'Where is she?'
Cameron tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. He was not going to let her go until she'd told him everything. She jerked up her head and stared him right in the eye. 'Where is who?'
Truly an excellent liar, Michael thought. 'Isabel. And Adam. You know where DuPris took them.'
'Last time I saw them was in the museum with you, okay? Now let go, or-'
'Or what?' Michael interrupted. 'Or you'll find the Albuquerque sheriff and turn me in?'
Her eyes darkened, and he felt the fight go out of her. She stood there passively, no longer trying to get free of him. 'If I knew where they were, I would tell you,' she said. 'I would do anything I could to try and make up for… I just don't know. I don't.'
Michael started to shove her away, then he saw something that made him tighten his grip until Cameron winced. 'You don't know where they are,' he repeated. 'Then you want to explain to me where you got Isabel's necklace?'
Cameron's hand flew to her throat. 'A little girl dropped this in my lap as she was getting off the bus.'
'Is there some kind of problem?' the woman behind the counter asked, cracking her gum.
'No,' Cameron answered.
She could have said yes. She could have tried to get him booted out of there. But she didn't.
Michael released her. 'A little girl? Was she alone?'
'She was with a guy in his twenties, her dad, I thought. There was a little boy with them, too.' Her eyes widened. 'Do you think it was them? You think DuPris changed their appearance?'
'I think it's possible.' Thank God, Isabel had found a way to drop him a clue. 'Where did they get off? What stop?'
'It wasn't one of the scheduled ones,' Cameron explained. 'They got off near this old ranch house in the desert. The bus driver didn't want to stop. It was kind of an issue.'
'Can you show me?' he asked.
Cameron nodded.
'It's over there. See it?' Cameron pointed to the left and Max could just make out the moonlit shadow of a low ranch house in the near distance.
'Should I drive right up?' Michael asked.
'Why not? We're just here to make a little trade. We come in peace, right?' Alex said.
'I think that's supposed to be my line, earthling,' Michael told him.
Max ignored them. He was trying to get ready for whatever he was going to have to do in there.
'You okay?' Liz asked him.
He nodded without looking at her. Looking at Liz was the last thing he needed right now. If he had to open the wormhole, he might never see her again. For him death didn't mean obliteration. He knew that now. If he had to… make the sacrifice, he'd join the others of the consciousness, join Ray and his parents, live on as part of the billions.
But he'd never be able to touch Liz again. Never be able to smell her hair. Never be able to see that dimple that appeared and disappeared in her left cheek. What else was death but losing all that?
Maybe the plan will work, he told himself as Michael pulled up in front of the house.
'Is there anything you want me to do?' Cameron asked.
'Wait out here. You can be the getaway driver,' Max answered as he climbed out of the Jeep. Michael had seemed basically okay with her when they came out of the bus station, but Max hadn't been able to find out exactly what her deal was yet. Until he did, she wasn't anyone he wanted around in a dangerous situation.
Michael led the group over to the door. 'Do I knock or what?'
Alex reached out and rang the doorbell. 'Candy-gram,' he called softly.
Maria started to giggle. She shoved both fists up to her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter.
'Oh, very intimidating,' Liz told her.
Her giggling stopped abruptly as the door swung open and a handsome, blue-eyed young man appeared. Max's eyes immediately sought out the man's right hand. He'd been able to regrow the finger.
'I do nice work, don't I?' the young man asked, noticing the direction of Max's gaze. It was DuPris-and his shape-shifting skills were impressive. If he was at all afraid that Max was going to attack him again, he didn't show it.
Max did a quick check of his group, not allowing his eyes to linger on Liz. They were doing pretty well at the show-no-fear thing themselves. 'We came to make you an offer,' he said.
'Well, do tell,' DuPris drawled. As he spoke, his face returned to its usual shape. 'I used that ridiculous southern accent for too long. I'm having trouble getting rid of it.' He stood away from the door. 'If we're going to do business, you might as well come inside.'
The place hadn't been used in years. There were sheets over the furniture in the living room DuPris directed them to, and a layer of dust coated the wood floor.
'I'm surprised you were able to find me,' DuPris admitted. 'I didn't think you would have mastered the lavila this soon after your akino.'
Max shrugged. He had no clue what DuPris was talking about, but there was no reason for him to know that. If he wanted to think Max had more powers than he actually did, great.
'You want the ring. We want Adam and Isabel. If they aren't here, we have nothing to talk about,' Michael said. The polite chitchat was obviously driving him crazy.
A door at the other end of the living room swung open, and a little boy and girl stepped through. As Max watched, they began to change. The girl's dark hair turned to a deep wine color, then to a rusty brown, then lightened quickly to Isabel's honey blond. Her eyes lightened and brightened to Isabel's blue. Her body stretched up and grew curves, not something Max especially wanted to see. In an instant the transformation was complete.
But not. Isabel's eyes were the right shade of blue, but they were empty. Her face lacked any animation. She and Adam were like the most expensive mannequins ever created.
'Release them,' Max ordered. 'You're not getting the ring unless you can prove they're unharmed.'
'You have a lot of demands,' DuPris commented.
'I have the ring,' Max answered. A worthless ring that would basically kill anyone who used it. He hoped his expression wasn't betraying any hint of that little fact.
'You have a point,' DuPris conceded.
And then Isabel was running to Max. She grabbed him and held on to him so hard, it hurt. 'You're okay,' he whispered in her ear. 'We'll be out of here in a couple of minutes.'
She pulled away. 'Is Adam…?'
