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Sure enough, Nicky’s low voice came through the speaker. It was gruff, just the way I remembered. My mouth went dry, causing my tongue to stick to the roof of my mouth.
“We have a change of plans.”
I coughed to clear my throat. There was no way we’d change our meeting. Gideon had been very specific about the location and time.
“What do you mean?”
“I need to move our meeting up. Let’s do midnight at the station.” Nicky didn’t sound angry or worked up. His voice was smooth and controlled.
“Wait, why?”
There had to be a reason for the change. Maybe Nicky knew the SI was onto him. He was already getting suspicious.
“Let’s just say, I needed a little insurance.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. The kind of insurance that Nicky was talking about could get someone killed.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“I know the SI is pressuring you, Aya. I’m not stupid.”
His words made me tremble. Nicky had been watching me. For how long, I couldn’t guess.
“I moved our meeting up so that we don’t have any unwanted company.”
If Nicky wanted to meet earlier than planned, I could simply warn Gideon and they could adjust. It’d be an easy fix.
“Sure, Nicky, whatever makes you feel better.”
“I knew you’d understand.”
There was a scuffle in the background of the call, as if someone was wrestling. I heard a dull thump and then a moaning groan.
“Oh, and Aya? Please come alone. I’d hate to have your roommate get hurt. He’s my other insurance policy.”
Nicky had Johnny! The phone slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor. By the time I picked it up again and pressed it to my ear, the line was dead. The only noise in the room was the incessant beating of my heart against my ribcage. I’d never even considered how much danger I was putting my friends in when I agreed to this meeting. And now, Johnny was paying the price.
I ran around the room, tearing off my work clothes and putting on a more sensible pair of worn jeans and t-shirt, ditching the red pumps for my black leather boots. My little snooze session on the couch had cost me. I had less than an hour to get to the station, meet my brother, and save Johnny.
There were no weapons in my apartment. Nothing that I could take to defend myself with. I considered calling Gideon, but that thought quickly passed. If I told him about Johnny, Gideon would still insist on coming along. His prime objective was in capturing Nicky, not in saving my roommate. I couldn’t trust what he’d do. It was one thing to use myself as bait, but to add my friend in the mix? I just couldn’t let that happen.
I snagged a taxi and had them drop me off a block from the North Central station. The white stone building loomed out of the darkness, its arches beckoning me. I’d taken the train to this side of town a time or two. The wooden benches and old tile floor had never seemed odd to me before today.
But now, as I stepped inside the station, they reeked of suspicion. Every little noise, every little creak of the hundred year old building called my name. I found myself turning in circles, desperately searching for a sign of my brother or his hostage. But the station was silent and eerie.
Settling down on the edge of a bench, I looked at my track phone. No new messages. There were only three minutes left until twelve o’clock. Nicky was never punctual in our youth, either. I had to be the one that dragged him out of bed in the mornings, and to school before the first bell rang.
Unfortunately, we didn’t always make it in time, no matter how hard I tried. Our attendance records were often shattered by the end of September. According to the rules, we both should’ve served multiple detentions for our tardiness, but all Nicky had to do was flash our principle his charming smile and she’d let it slide.
I looked up at the glass ceiling of the station. No stars were out tonight. Only clouds rolled over the building, their grey masses blending into the inky black of the night sky. The pale light of the crescent moon occasionally permeated the clouds, shining its weak light down on me. Despite the terror teetering on the edge of my conscious, my eyelids grew heavy. The hollow emptiness of the train station was like a quiet lullaby, humming me to sleep with its song.
The echo of footsteps brought me back to Earth. I sat straight up, turning wildly to find the source. Nicky stepped out from behind a giant white stone pillar on the other side of the lobby. Although we were still a hundred feet away, I could already spot several ways he’d changed since I last saw him.
The brother I remembered couldn’t grow a beard. This Nicky had a dark scruff that covered his chin and jaw. His jet black hair was longer, too. It fell in a soft wave across his eyes, and was tucked behind his ears. He’d also put on a layer of muscle which sculpted his arms and chest into that of a man.
I blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t a hallucination. When his figure didn’t disappear, I stood up from the bench, uncertain what to do next. Nicky hadn’t moved from his pose near the pillar. There was no sign of Johnny. I didn’t want to think of what that could mean.
“Where is he?” My voice echoed in the openness of the station.
