Lord of Lightning by Suzanne Forster

Author:Suzanne Forster [Suzanne Forster]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780553440874
Amazon: 055344087X
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media LLC
Published: 2011-10-29T13:00:00+00:00

Nine

STEPHEN SENSED THE presence of someone in the house even before he heard the soft click of a metal latch bolt. The sound had come from the direction of the living room, and the cabin’s front door. He went still, listening intently, his hands poised on the sensor assembly of the device he was calibrating. A floorboard groaned under the intruder’s weight, and then the cabin went silent again.

Moving quickly and quietly, Stephen positioned himself against the wall next to the door frame and waited for the door to open. He had an idea who the intruder was. He’d gone into town for supplies that morning, and the stares he attracted weren’t just curious, they were hostile. He’d come out of the store to find Buck Thompson leaning against the Land-Rover, a dangerous smirk on his face. That was Buck’s first mistake. His second was ignoring Stephen’s suggestion that he move.

As a shuffle of footsteps neared, Stephen crouched to pick up a piece of metal tubing. The partially closed door crept open, and a shadow streamed across the floor. Still in a crouch, Stephen swung out the tubing. A muffled scream sounded. The intruder pitched forward in a wild flurry of motion, flailing the air. Only as Stephen collared the prone form and yanked him to his feet did he realize he was dealing with a young boy.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

“I’m Danny Baxter.” The boy’s face pinched into a grimace, and his pupils shrank with terror. “I wasn’t going to steal anything—honest!”

“What are you doing here?” Stephen said, releasing him. He felt a twist of guilt at having roughed up the boy, but given the sensitive nature of his work, he would have tackled anyone coming through that door.

“I—I came to get you,” Danny said, urgency in every word. “We need you down at the school.”

Adrenaline jolted through Stephen. “Is something wrong? Is it Lise?”

“No—yeah! Everything’s wrong! The maglev train won’t run and the science fair’s next week and you’re the only one who can fix it!”

“The maglev train? That’s what you came all the way out here for?” Stephen noticed the boy’s grimy exhaustion for the first time, and realized he’d probably ridden his bike the entire distance, over twenty miles and most of it uphill. “Does Miss Anderson know you came out here?”

“No, it was my idea. She’s been upset the last coupla days. I think she’s worried about the train.”

Danny’s concern was so palpable that Stephen felt himself wavering. He hadn’t planned on ever getting within touching distance of Lise Anderson again, but he was carrying a load of guilt about the way he’d left her. Maybe this was his opportunity to repair some of the damage he’d done. Beyond that, how could he justify letting down an entire fifth grade class because he couldn’t keep his hands off their ravishing teacher?

The class was in a state of incipient pandemonium by the time Stephen and Danny arrived. Totally unnoticed, Stephen took in the carnival atmosphere for severed moments.

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