squeeze and the international superstar hugged him back just as tightly.
“Good to see you, big guy,” said Jonah.
“Yeah,” said Phoenix happily, the
tears still shiny on his face.
“How’d you get here so fast?” asked
Ian.
“Private wings,” said Hamilton. “It’s definitely something I could get used to.”
“Was it really bumpy?” asked Evan.
Jonah said, “Yeah. I thought we were going to crash a couple of times. I asked the pilot about it. He said his instruments went nuts. He finally had to fly and then land the plane manually, and even then he said it was a nightmare.”
They all sat and Evan filled them in on what they knew.
“Aren’t you Jonah Wizard?”
They all looked up at the tall, plump, middle-aged waitress who stood in front of them.
Jonah inwardly groaned as she gazed
at him in adoration. But he smiled and said convincingly, “Actually, I get that a lot. But I’m not Jonah Wizard. Can’t even
carry a tune.”
“Really?” she said, though her tone was not disappointed. “I think you are Jonah Wizard.” She turned to the others.
“And you’re Evan and Ian and Hamilton and of course poor little Phoenix.”
They all stared up at her in astonishment.
She pulled aside her apron, revealinga gun in her right hand.
“And that’s a Cobra .45
semiautomatic chambered with wicked Silvertip ordnance that will blow very large holes in all of you. So unless you want extra perforations in your heads, I suggest you quietly follow me outside.
Now!”
The boys stood and walked outsidewith the waitress trailing them.
There was a van parked there. In thedriver’s seat was Casper Wyoming. Sandywas in the passenger seat.
“Excellent work, Cheyenne,” he said.
“Cheyenne!” exclaimed Ian as heglanced back at her.
She whipped off her wig, popped outcolored contact lenses, and spit out cottonballs from her mouth. “A little bodypadding to add twenty pounds, face puttyto make wrinkles, and voilà, evensomeone beautiful can be made to lookugly,” she said.
“You are ugly,” shot back Phoenix. “On the inside .”
She grabbed his collar and threw him
in the van.
She pointed her gun at the others. “Get in. Now!”
They all climbed in and Cheyenne shut the door. The van’s windows were
tinted so no one could see them. Casper drove off, while Sandy covered the others with his gun. Cheyenne used zip cuffs to bind the guys’ hands. Then she put hoods over their heads so they couldn’t see where they were going.
“Excellent,” said Sandy. “I’m impressed with how well our little operation went. But then again, the opposition was particularly amateurish and thus underwhelming.” He looked at Ian. “You know, Ian, your mother would be so disappointed that you turned against the Kabra family.”
“She’s not part of our family. Not
anymore,” snapped Ian.
“Excellent,” said Sandy again. “It’s
so much easier to kill non–family
members.”
By prearrangement Amy and Dan met upwith Jake and Atticus at the hotel in DCwhere they were staying. When Amy told Jake and Atticus how she had nearly died, Jake paled, rose from his seat, and put hisarms around her.
“Ames, that was way too close.”
“I’d be dead if it weren’t for mysupersmart little brother,” said Amy,gazing at Dan, but hugging Jake.
Jake released Amy and shook Dan’shand. “We all owe you big for that one, Dan.”
“Hey, she’s my sister. She doesn’tget to leave me by myself. I’ve got yearsleft to make her life miserable.”
Amy could tell that Dan was sayingthis just to lighten the moment, to putfirmly in the past how close he’d come tolosing her. Well, she thought, he wasmostly doing it for that. Little brotherswere little brothers, after all. And at timeshe certainly did make her life miserable. But he had also just saved it. So he couldmake her as miserable as he
“Good to see you, big guy,” said Jonah.
“Yeah,” said Phoenix happily, the
tears still shiny on his face.
“How’d you get here so fast?” asked
Ian.
“Private wings,” said Hamilton. “It’s definitely something I could get used to.”
“Was it really bumpy?” asked Evan.
Jonah said, “Yeah. I thought we were going to crash a couple of times. I asked the pilot about it. He said his instruments went nuts. He finally had to fly and then land the plane manually, and even then he said it was a nightmare.”
They all sat and Evan filled them in on what they knew.
“Aren’t you Jonah Wizard?”
They all looked up at the tall, plump, middle-aged waitress who stood in front of them.
Jonah inwardly groaned as she gazed
at him in adoration. But he smiled and said convincingly, “Actually, I get that a lot. But I’m not Jonah Wizard. Can’t even
carry a tune.”
“Really?” she said, though her tone was not disappointed. “I think you are Jonah Wizard.” She turned to the others.
“And you’re Evan and Ian and Hamilton and of course poor little Phoenix.”
They all stared up at her in astonishment.
She pulled aside her apron, revealinga gun in her right hand.
“And that’s a Cobra .45
semiautomatic chambered with wicked Silvertip ordnance that will blow very large holes in all of you. So unless you want extra perforations in your heads, I suggest you quietly follow me outside.
Now!”
The boys stood and walked outsidewith the waitress trailing them.
There was a van parked there. In thedriver’s seat was Casper Wyoming. Sandywas in the passenger seat.
“Excellent work, Cheyenne,” he said.
“Cheyenne!” exclaimed Ian as heglanced back at her.
She whipped off her wig, popped outcolored contact lenses, and spit out cottonballs from her mouth. “A little bodypadding to add twenty pounds, face puttyto make wrinkles, and voilà, evensomeone beautiful can be made to lookugly,” she said.
“You are ugly,” shot back Phoenix. “On the inside .”
She grabbed his collar and threw him
in the van.
She pointed her gun at the others. “Get in. Now!”
They all climbed in and Cheyenne shut the door. The van’s windows were
tinted so no one could see them. Casper drove off, while Sandy covered the others with his gun. Cheyenne used zip cuffs to bind the guys’ hands. Then she put hoods over their heads so they couldn’t see where they were going.
“Excellent,” said Sandy. “I’m impressed with how well our little operation went. But then again, the opposition was particularly amateurish and thus underwhelming.” He looked at Ian. “You know, Ian, your mother would be so disappointed that you turned against the Kabra family.”
“She’s not part of our family. Not
anymore,” snapped Ian.
“Excellent,” said Sandy again. “It’s
so much easier to kill non–family
members.”
By prearrangement Amy and Dan met upwith Jake and Atticus at the hotel in DCwhere they were staying. When Amy told Jake and Atticus how she had nearly died, Jake paled, rose from his seat, and put hisarms around her.
“Ames, that was way too close.”
“I’d be dead if it weren’t for mysupersmart little brother,” said Amy,gazing at Dan, but hugging Jake.
Jake released Amy and shook Dan’shand. “We all owe you big for that one, Dan.”
“Hey, she’s my sister. She doesn’tget to leave me by myself. I’ve got yearsleft to make her life miserable.”
Amy could tell that Dan was sayingthis just to lighten the moment, to putfirmly in the past how close he’d come tolosing her. Well, she thought, he wasmostly doing it for that. Little brotherswere little brothers, after all. And at timeshe certainly did make her life miserable. But he had also just saved it. So he couldmake her as miserable as he
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