Chapter Six #2
The Jukebox began playing Bad Boys as bullets whizzed in every direction.
God sure had a weird sense of humor.
A firestorm of energy surged into my head and the entity’s power became mine. I was suddenly playing whack-a-mole as I mentally beat the crap out of the goons with the tables, chairs and unbroken bottles of booze.
The gunfire stopped abruptly.
I peeped over the bar. All El Jefe’s goons were sprawled on the floor and pieces of broken furniture littered the area. Whew! They were unconscious and wouldn’t be hurting me anytime soon.
The gun battle outside stopped too. My dad yelled, “Get your hands up.”
There was a loud click and Pentatonix’s “Hallelujah” blared from the Jukebox.
A wave of relief rolled over me. I might live to see eighteen after all.
“Are you injured,” the entity whispered in my head.
The entity was the scariest thing I had ever met. I was almost afraid to talk to it and how did it know I needed help?
A goon moaned.
I smacked him with a broken chair.
“Are you injured?” the entity demanded.
Shit! I could sense Kaelen and someone else. Had he merged with Zarek? “Kaelen?”
“How badly are you hurt?”
A myriad of aches and pains made themselves known. “I’ll live. Thanks to you.”
“We will find you.” The link snapped.
“Wait! Come back. I have so many questions.”
The front door slowly opened and a man in camouflage stepped inside with his gun raised.
I hit him with my telekinesis and hurled him back outside.
“Knock it off Lexi. He’s one of ours,” Quinn growled.
“How the hell am I supposed to know that?”
Uncle Saul, Dad, Quinn and Jake walked into the bar. They stared at the carnage in disbelief.
Dad shook his head. “Damn, Lexi, you’re getting stronger.”
“I had help.” I popped the top off a beer and took a long drink.
Uncle Saul’s head snapped around. “Who? Kaelen?” He took the beer away from me and handed me a bottle of water.
“Him and I think Zarek.” To my utter disgust Uncle Saul drank my beer.
Dad tilted my head up. “Who hit you?”
“El Jefe. He likes raping women, and he’s holding a Siren captive at his Hermosilla, Mexico compound.”
Uncle Saul’s mouth tightened. “We’ll send someone to rescue her.”
Fire ants danced across my mind. I reached out mentally and scanned for the problem. “Holy shit! We have four Tai-Kok battle cruisers entering our solar system.”
“I’ll contact Central Command,” Uncle Saul said grimly.
Quinn pulled out his satellite phone. “I’ll confirm the sighting.”
Did the jackass think I was lying?
“C’mon Lexi, let’s have the paramedics check you over,” Dad led me out of the cantina. “And you can explain why no one can touch you but Kaelen.”
I shrugged. “Dunno. It’s just the way I feel.”
“Did Kaelen use some kind of psychic mojo on you?”
“I’m not sure, but when I needed help, he was there.” Nine handcuffed men sat in the parking lot next to several obviously dead bodies. Huh? Mister Stinky wasn’t one of them. “You are missing one.” I sent Jake the mental image of Mister Stinky.
“Thanks.” Jake shared the picture with the other psychics and followed us. “Ever thought about becoming a cop, Lexi?”
“Aren’t I a little young?”
Dad gave him the stink eye.
“We’ve lost so many people to the Tai-Kok; age doesn’t matter anymore, and you have some unique skills we can use,” Jake replied.
After listening to all of Kaylee’s wild stories, being a cop sounded like a lot of fun. “I like helping people.”
Dad ushered me over to the paramedics. “We’ll discuss it later.”
“How about I go back to being a traveler again and killing the Tai-Kok.”
His green eyes shimmering with suppressed amusement, Jake added, “Lexi would have to go through the police academy like everyone else. Once she graduated, she would be partnered up with an experienced officer.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Dad snapped.
Jake shot back, “More dangerous than blowing up Tai-Kok ships?”
“You were a cop once and you told me how satisfying it was to put the bad guys behind bars,” I added.
An aggravated expression in his eyes, Dad got in Jake’s face. “Lexi’s escapades make Kaylee’s exploits look like child’s play. Are you that sure you can handle her?”
I rolled my eyes. “Hey! I can take care of myself, and you make me sound like Calamity Jane.”
“Sit down and let the paramedic check you over,” Dad growled.
“But…”
“Not another word.” Dad pointed at the gurney. “Sit!”
What crawled up his butt and died? I sat.
The pretty blonde paramedic gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m Beth.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Lexi.”
“Got popped in the mouth, huh?”
“Yep.” I gestured at the nicks on my arms. “And some cuts from the shattered glass when the idiots started shooting up the place.” I grimaced. “They do sting a bit.”
Beth sniffed me. “It’s the Tequila.”
“I guess I smell like I’ve been on an all-night bender.”
“Just a bit. Is that your dad?” Beth casually asked as she started treating my injuries.
“Yep. Good looking, isn’t he?”
Beth sealed a long laceration on my arm with surgical glue. “He is.”
“And he’s single,” I added with a grin.
She stared at Dad’s ass. “Is he?”
“Yep. Want his number?”
Beth grinned. “I would.”
One look at the savage rage etched into Quinn’s features and I groaned. “Trouble’s coming our way.”
“Could I get his number too?”
I blinked in disbelief. “His number? He’s an ass.”
“Bet he kisses like a dream,” Beth gushed as she bandaged my arm.
Bile rose in my throat. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Beth studied my face. “You are a bit pale. You’ve had too much sun, and you’re probably dehydrated.
Drink this.” She handed me a bottle of water and sauntered over to Quinn.
“Your Siren’s injuries are minor, and she can return to duty.
” She handed him a business card. “If you have any questions, call me.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Quinn handed her card back and strode over to me. “Your sighting is confirmed.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the expression on Beth’s face. “You sound surprised.”
“Quinn rubbed a hand over his face. “I was hoping you were wrong. Those ships have enough firepower to destroy every living thing on our planet within two days.”
“Shit!” I shot to my feet. “Then we had better use the portal to blow them all to hell.”
Something feral gleamed in his eyes. “I agree.”