that kind of thing. Gets us all flusterpated.'
'Uh huh, sometimes young impressionable Newbies fixate on their more experienced instructors… oh wait. Why does that sound kind of familiar? How was it we met again?' Julie gave me her best playing-dumb look. 'Which bimbo was it?'
'Dawn the Texan.'
She nodded. 'Oh, she is pretty. She was like Miss Houston or something. Pity, I have to murder her now.'
'Don't worry, you're the only one for me,' I responded dryly. 'Even if I am a dashing specimen of manhood and there's plenty of Owen Pitt to go around. You guys take care of the trolls. Grant and I can hold down the fort here.'
'You promise to play nice with him?'
I raised my hands defensively. 'You have my word, no assaulting Grant.' Unless he gives me a good reason, I added mentally. 'Seriously, I think we're cool. Seeing him was a surprise though, wasn't it?'
Julie shrugged uncomfortably. 'I didn't expect to ever see him again, especially not here. Not after what happened to him and the way he left so suddenly.'
I turned serious. 'You okay?' She and Grant had been pretty tight last year. It was still an awkward topic of conversation for us. I knew that there was still a part of her that felt guilty about the timing of our getting together so shortly after we'd assumed Grant was dead.
She stood, came around the desk, and kissed me lightly. 'I'm fine
… Now those trolls aren't going to off themselves. I've got to go before the client calls back and screams some more. Love you.' That was code for I don't want to talk about it right now.
'Love you too,' I responded. 'Be careful.'
'I will. And don't forget to call your parents.' Julie Shackleford smiled her perfect smile as she left the office. 'Stay out of trouble!' she shouted from down the hallway.
'Always,' I responded, but she was already gone.
It was approaching sundown when I was finally able to break away from the routine. I had been out on the obstacle course assisting while Grant Jefferson yelled at the slower Newbies. Agent Franks stood just outside of bad breath distance the entire time. The trainees kept casting a fearful eye at the brute behind me. Even among brand-new Hunters, Franks was already a legend.
The compound seemed relatively quiet without Team Harbinger and Team Paxton. Skippy's tribe was gone too, but they were virtually invisible even when they were here anyway. The Alabama spring air was thick with enough pollen to make my eyes water and fireflies were beginning to flicker through the chain-link-and-razor-wire fence surrounding the compound. Since it was relatively peaceful, I decided to call my folks while sitting on one of the benches outside the main building. I would need to think of another excuse as to why they couldn't meet my bride-to-be yet, but with a bunch of psychos stalking me, it was pretty rotten timing.
The ever-present Franks sulked ten feet away. He crossed his arms and scowled as I pulled out my phone. 'Can I have some privacy?' I asked in exasperation.
He looked around. We were alone. There were no possible threats in view. He looked back. 'No.'
'You're such a douche bag.' I sighed as I pulled up my folks' number. Franks didn't bother to respond. He was the immovable object.
It wasn't that I didn't love my parents. We just didn't communicate well. My mom tended to talk a lot, but seldom about anything important, and my father talked at me, rather than to me. Speaking with him was always awkward, as I was more used to him giving orders and training me for the inevitable fiery apocalyptic end of the world than anything approaching a normal relationship. I had to admit though, if my war-hero father hadn't spent all those hours teaching me to fight, then I wouldn't be alive today. Thank goodness for paranoia.
It rang three times before someone picked up. The voice was raspy and unfamiliar. 'Who's this?'
'Who's this?' I responded, glancing automatically at my BlackBerry's display. Sure enough, it read Mom, so I hadn't misdialed.
'Well, hello, Mr. Pitt,' replied the man with a chuckle. 'That's some good timing. Your parents have a nice little home here in the country. You really should visit more.'
A cold lump formed in my stomach. The look on my face must have telegraphed my distress, because Franks immediately perked up, one big hand unconsciously moving under his coat. 'Who are you?' I demanded.
'No one important.' There was a hoarse laugh. 'I am but a mere acolyte of the shadows, but I bear a message from the High Priest of the Dread Overlord. We have your parents. He is willing to offer a trade: your family, for you.' There was a shout in the background, an impact thud followed by a crash, and a woman cried out in fear. Somehow I knew it was my mom. 'If you don't do exactly as we say, we'll feed them, bit by bit, to the mighty shoggoth.'
My stomach lurched. I was speechless. Franks realized what was going on, pulled out his radio and started barking commands, but that was just a gray, background, buzzing noise as my world spiraled out from under me. 'I… I…'
'You will do exactly as I say, Mr. Pitt, for we are the spear of the Old Ones' righteous fury. We- Hey, watch the old guy!' Glass shattered, there was some crashing, then something that could only have been a gunshot, and the phone went dead.
'NO!' I shouted, but the signal was gone, and I was only screaming at the silence. 'Damn it! Franks! My parents! They've got my parents!'
'On it,' he said calmly as he listened to his radio. Apparently their vast files told them right where to go. 'Local law enforcement has been dispatched.'
Panicked, I redialed. The phone just kept ringing, but nobody picked up.
I found myself pacing back and forth. This couldn't be happening. They had nothing to do with this. This wasn't their fight. They didn't even know what I really did for a living. They were hundreds of miles away. The feeling of helplessness hit like a sledgehammer. A painful minute passed, and I honestly didn't know what to do. I wanted to puke.
'Agent Myers,' Franks said, holding out his radio.
I snatched it from him and slammed down the transmit button. 'Myers, you son of a bitch, you better go get them!'
'Calm down, Pitt. My men are on it. If they escape before we arrive, we'll cordon off the area. My chopper is warming up now. I will personally oversee the search.'
'Damn right you will. This is your fault!' I raged.
'Just stay calm and stay at the compound,' Myers ordered.
I hurled the radio back to Franks. He effortlessly snatched it out of the air before it hit him in the face. I started running for the main building.
'Where are you going?'
'I'm going after them,' I shouted back.
'It'll take hours to get there,' the giant stated.
'Shit!' He was right, of course, but that didn't change the fact that I had to do something. Who did MHI have in the area? Julie would know. I pulled out my phone and hit speed dial J. I walked in a circle as it rang repeatedly.
'Hi, you've reached Julie Shackleford, business coordinator for MHI. Please leave a detailed message at the beep.'
I swore. Of course she wasn't answering her phone; she was hunting trolls. At the tone, I left what I was sure was an incoherent and panicked message about cultists kidnapping my folks.
My phone chirped. I switched to the incoming call. 'Hello?' I said quickly.
'Son?' The gravely voice was winded.
'DAD!' I shouted. 'Are you okay?'
'Yeah,' heavy breathing, 'some assholes kicked the door in, started tying us up. Talking all kinds of craziness. Fucking amateurs.'
It was like I could breathe again. 'Is Mom okay?'
'Sure, she's fine.'
Oh, thank you God. 'What about the cultists?'
