The Wild One (19 page)

“What are you doing here?” she whispered.

“I'm your brother. Where else would I be?” he answered. He grabbed her hand and led her out of the room and down the hall. She hesitated before each step, as if she'd almost forgotten how to walk.

“Little Red Ridinghood doesn't have a brother,” she mumbled.

Max tilted her chin up. “You'll go faster if you don't stare at your feet,” he told her. She obediently
kept her eyes locked straight in front of her, but her steps were still slow.

“Remember how you used to beg me to give you piggyback rides?” he asked. He scooped her up and carried her to the exit that led straight out to the parking lot.

When he set her on her feet, she seemed a little less out of it. She pulled in deep breaths of the night air. “Where's Nikolas?” she asked.

“I don't know,” Max answered. He couldn't tell her the truth. Not fight now.

Maria heard a long, shrill scream, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “That's Liz!” she cried. She raced out of the drugstore, Michael and Alex right behind her.

Another scream echoed through the mall. It sounded like it was coming from the lower level. Maria dashed to the rail around the upper walkway and peered down.

“There!” Alex pointed toward Macy's. Liz was running down the main walkway below them. And Valenti was dosing in behind her.

They had to do something. But they would never make it downstairs before Valenti caught Liz.

“Come with me,” Maria ordered. She had an idea. But they had to move fast. She darted back into the drugstore. She needed something. Something she could throw. Where? Where?

She spotted a stack of soda six-packs. That could work. She grabbed three of them and tore back to the
railing. She ripped off one of the soda cans and hurled it at Valenti. It didn't get close to hitting him.

“You're a genius,” Michael exclaimed as he ran up to the rail with a couple of six-packs. He didn't bother pulling off one of the cans. He threw the whole thing at Valenti. It slammed into the sheriffs back. He stumbled and went down.

“Whoa,” Alex cried.

“Power,” Michael explained.

“Just run!” Maria yelled. She raced toward the escalator. She felt something slide under her foot—and then she was on the ground.

She started to shove herself to her feet and felt something cool and hard under her fingers. A gold ring. As she watched, it began to glow.
Glow
.

Maria stared at it, drawn into the deep golden light.

“Maria! Are you okay?” Michael called.

Maria's head jerked back up. “Yeah.” She stuffed the ring into her pocket, leaped to her feet, and sprinted down after Michael and Alex. She didn't think that Valenti would be down for long.

Max stared at the doors. Come on, come on, he thought. We have to get out of here. It's not safe.

He wondered if he should go in after Liz. But the mall was so big that it would be easy to miss her. She could end up out here waiting for him.

And besides, he couldn't leave Isabel alone. He shot a glance at his sister. She was staring into space. She didn't even look that scared. Just totally
out of it.

Max shifted from foot to foot. He wanted to do something. But there was nothing he
could
do.

Did Valenti have them all? What would he do with them if he did?

The double glass doors flew open and Maria, Michael, Alex, and Liz raced out. “He's right behind us,” Maria shrieked.

The doors burst open again, and Valenti tore through. He reached out and grabbed Liz by the arm. She tried to twist away, but the sheriff wouldn't let go. Max started forward. He wasn't just going to watch this happen.

A loud crack of thunder rocked the parking lot, and a ball of bright white light exploded around the entire mall.

Max dashed up and grabbed Liz, yanking her away from Valenti.

“What's happening?” Alex yelled.

“Look at Valenti!” Maria cried.

Max stared at the sheriff. He stood inside the circle of blazing light—completely motionless.

“That should hold him for a few minutes—and he won't remember a thing,” a calm voice said from behind them.

Max spun around and saw Ray Iburg. His crazy boss.

Ray scratched his head. “Did I forget to tell you? I'm not from around here, either.
”