A Surprise Favor – Chapter 23

I struggle to break free from his grip, but he’s too strong, his body an immovable wall of muscle and bone. His hand clamps onto my wrist like a vice, pinning me in place as he stares down at me.

“What are you doing? Get the fuck off of me!” I plead, but it’s no use. Eduardo doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, he leans forward until our faces are inches apart and whispers, “Don’t struggle.” He presses his weight down on me. “It’s always better to leave this universe quickly.” He cinches his wire around one of my wrists and jerks my arm so hard my shoulder zaps with pain.

My heart sinks as I realize what’s happening. He’s here to kill me. He clamps his hand down over my throat, and my kicking and struggling just barely keeps him from strangling me. The coldness of his grip seeps into my skin as he tightens his hold. I could give in and let this be the end. Do I want to end my life?

No.

I scramble around, desperately trying to break away, but Eduardo is relentless. I smack him with my free hand twice before he clocks me across the face and secures both of my wrists. I can’t breathe or scream — the only sound is a ragged gasp as he leans in even closer.

“Shh,” he whispers, “this doesn’t have to be painful if you just stop.”

My eyes dart around for help, searching for anything that can save me from this man’s iron grip, but there’s nothing. The beach is quiet, and there’s no one here to help, no way of escape. He pins both my wrists above my head with one hand while the other grips tighter around my neck. His face is expressionless, intent on finishing what he came to do.

Just as the world turns as black as the sky above me, his hands leave my throat and his body is gone.

My eyes blink open and air rushes into my lungs. I gasp and roll over as Nina throws Eduardo to the sand, her fists flying with a speed I never knew she had. His face is wide with shock, his hands up to protect his face and fight back.

Nina turns into a super soldier right before my eyes. He tries to buck her off, but she spins around and brings him back to the sand with a thump. Grabbing Eduardo in a choke hold, her face twists with determination, a vein popping to the surface on her temple. After several moments, he collapses to the ground like a rag doll. I scramble away, tears streaming down my face as I witness what I hope is the end of their struggle.

Nina finally lets go of Eduardo, unconscious and not breathing. She throws him to the sand and kicks him, and I flinch at the rage in her eyes.

“Go!” she yells at me. “Get safe in the house!”

My feet fly across the sand. I vaguely register passing Lia and Carlos, then Takemo, but I don’t stop. I race up to Declan’s bedroom, ignoring my pounding heart and every rational thought in my head.

Am I safe? Where is safe? Where? The closet. I dive for his giant walk-in closet and slam the door closed. There are no windows here — only four walls that surround me and hold me close, protecting me.

Minutes pass as I sit huddled in the darkness, shaking with fear and trying to make sense of what just happened on the beach. My mind races with questions as I try to block out the image of Eduardo looming over me and Nina fighting him off. I can’t help but wonder if this is my punishment for the issues between Mom and me, if there was anything I could have done differently to prevent it from ending this way. The house echoes with shouts and slamming doors; the sound of sirens in the distance fills my ears.

“Skylar!” Saif’s voice rings through the house. “Where is she?”

I press myself farther into the closet. If I don’t come out, I’ll be safe.

“Skylar!” This time it’s Kalvin. “We need you now!”

My eyes fill with tears. I don’t want to come out, but they sound desperate. Maybe we need to flee the house?

“Here!” My voice croaks, and my throat hurts. Eduardo came close to killing me, didn’t he? What if I need to defend myself again? Are there any weapons in here?

Tears spill out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I start sobbing, a deep, horrid noise that bubbles up from my stomach and makes me want to throw up.

Rumbling echoes outside the door, like elephants tumbling into the room. The closet door opens, and the bedroom light frames Saif and Kalvin.

Saif gasps. “Oh my God.” He approaches me cautiously, stepping between Declan’s shoes and hanging clothes.

“If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him again,” Kalvin says, his jaw set.

Saif reaches out for my neck, but I shy away. “Motherfucker,” he growls. “Sky, you’re safe. But you need to move quickly.”

“What? Why?” My voice cracks, and I try to clear my throat. It smarts with pain.

“Where is she?” Nina screams through the house. Kalvin goes to the door and calls her in. She runs to the closet and stumbles to rest at my feet.

“You can time travel,” she insists, her eyes wide. “You… you came to me.”

“I did?” I look from her to the guys. “What?”

My mind is racing, trying to put two and two together.

“Whatever you did, you have to do it again or things will fall out of place,” she urges me. “We screwed up the timelines too many times.” She swallows. “The military — we made too many mistakes.” She grabs my shirt and looks into my eyes. “No mistakes.”

My brain stutters and trips, trying to process this information. Is that how Nina found me on the beach?

“Where’s my bag?”

Kalvin jogs off.

“I came to you?” I ask Nina and she nods. “Where were you?”

“Out front. The car had just come.”

Kalvin returns with my bag. I throw it open and find the container with my little plant. “Shit.” The plant is withered and almost dead. The heat of Laguna really did a number on the poor thing.

But it must be okay, though, right? Because I used it.

I close my eyes and tip my head back. No. I want to crawl into a hole and never come out. I’m covered in sand. My throat is on fire. My back hurts from being thrown down.

“Skylar!” Nina yells in my face. I pop in surprise. “Get moving, soldier!”

I obediently pull the plant out, the last of it, and stick it in my mouth. Chew, chew, chew, swallow, and cry at the pain. I need to go to the hospital, not time travel.

Calmness flows over me and my pain fades. The world softens as the plant enters my bloodstream and soothes my aching body. Oh, I forgot how much I loved it.

I inhale through my nose and tell time to stop. Rewind.

Nina leaves backwards, and Saif and Kalvin follow her a few moments later. Getting to my feet, I leave the closet and go to the window in Declan’s room. It looks out over the front of the house, the driveway, and garden. An autocab waits in the driveway.

Okay. Nina said it had just arrived, right? So I run back time until it pulls backwards out of the driveway and backs down the street.

My head swirls and time sputters as pain returns to my throat.

Shit. The plant will not last long. I need to go.

I force my legs to move and leave the bedroom. Backtracking through the house, I head down the hallway, down the stairs, and out through the front door. I could stop to see what everyone else is doing, but there’s no time.

Time, Skylar? Time is a luxury, and it’s not on my side.

Out on the front path, Nina’s eyes are turned towards the street, watching for the car. I can already feel the plant wearing off, so I have to be quick. But I don’t want to restart time right in front of Nina. She’ll freak out. I take a few steps back, get in position, and start time.

“Nina,” I say, approaching her quickly.

She flinches. “Where did you come from?” Her eyes take in my disheveled appearance. My hair’s a mess and filled with sand. My face is streaked with tears, and marks are appearing on my neck.

“You need to help me,” I plead with her, coming right to her and grasping her upper arms.

“I’m not helping you with anything.”

“Listen to me.” I shake her and my voice cracks. “I can travel in time. I have a Rio plant that gives me the ability. And you need to go to the beach now and save me from Eduardo who’s trying to kill —”

Pop!

The world shifts, and my head spins.

Suddenly, I’m standing on the front walkway, police cars parked on both sides, their lights flashing in my face. I bring my hands up to shield my eyes from the onslaught of bright red and blue lights.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” a young woman police officer says, bumping into me. “I didn’t see you there.” Her eyebrows draw together in confusion. “Are you okay?” She leans in to look at me closer, her eyes skating over my neck.

“Sky!” Kalvin races out of the house and runs up to me. “That’s never not weird,” he says, dropping his voice to me. “Let me get her back inside.”

“Is this the victim?” the officer asks.

“I’m never a victim,” I say, raising my chin. But I allow Kalvin to direct me to the house.

Today, I’ll let him baby me.

“Come on, princess,” he says, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Let’s go back inside while we figure things out.”