Chapter 6: Good News, Bad News

"C-Condemned?" I stammered.

Michael nodded.

I was about to ask just what he meant, but at that point the co-pilot came over the speakers announcing our imminent arrival. The flight attendants worked their way up and down the plane, making sure everyone had their seatbelts fastened and their food trays stowed away properly. Apparently, I had slept longer than I thought.

The girls looked over and smiled at me, especially Mandy. I smiled back, not wanting to scare them. If Michael wanted me for what I understood, then as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I would have to get them to leave while I stayed to confront him. He said I was condemned, and to me that meant someone would try to execute me. Michael was in the perfect position to do just that. Why he hadn't already was curious but didn't alleviate my anxiety.

I had too many questions though to just jump into a fight with a total stranger. How did he know me? Why was I condemned? Why was he being so polite about all of this? Why did he call me his friend?

Could I honestly do something to someone that had done nothing more than frighten me and ensnare me in a mental illusion? I didn't know. I might be able to find out what he knew, but could I ... kill to survive?

After we touched down, I intentionally held up my row, making sure my girls filed out in front of me. Michael stayed right behind me, just as I wanted. Mandy, Savannah, Yvonne and Chloe pulled ahead of me and finally, I just stopped in the middle of the concourse.

Michael was still standing behind me with that knowing smile.

After the passengers and pilots passed, I said, "Let's get this over with."

Michael's expression became thoughtful. "What do you mean?"

"You said I was condemned. I will not let you or any of the others do anything to my girls. So if you're here to take me in, or down, or whatever, get it over with."

Michael's smile widened and then he broke out in a short laugh.

I was confused. "What's so funny?"

He looked at me and whipped away tears. "Oh, Ral, so courageous, so unselfish. You will be so much fun to work with." And then he stepped past me, still chuckling.

I just stared at his back, completely confused with what he was talking about.

Following Michael to the exit, I found the girls waiting.

"Did you forget your book?" Mandy asked. "We've got to get Savannah to her connection flight."

The others looked excited, but Savannah looked anxious. I nodded to Mandy. "Lead the way." As the girls started off again, I turned to find Michael but he was nowhere to be seen. "What the hell?" I muttered to myself as I ran to catch up to the girls.

We followed Savannah to her connection flight. Each of us gave her a hug. I was reluctant but she reached for me. A hug couldn't hurt. Wait, strike that.

Savannah gave me a kiss on the cheek and smiled for the first time since we had left her house. I smiled back, hiding the anxiety and fear I had felt for her. "Take your time and enjoy yourself," I suggested. She nodded and boarded the plane.

Mandy looked around to the rest of us, an eager grin on her face. "Road Trip! I'm driving!"

Mandy and Chloe giggled as they cantered toward the car rental booth. Yvonne hung back with me and asked quietly, "Who was that man you were talking with?"

I looked around, wondering if she had seen him. Then I looked into her brown eyes and gave a sigh. I couldn't lie to her. I didn't know if he had actually left or was just hiding. Since I hadn't noticed him right away on the plane, he might have been standing just a few feet away, willing me and possibly all of my girls to not notice him. I didn't like it, but honesty had been one of my foremost personal rules with the girls. There were things I didn't tell them, but that amounted to surprises. They had handled everything else that was happening pretty well. Why couldn't they handle this? I felt bad enough that I didn't tell them about him earlier, but now that he was out of sight, I felt more comfortable telling her.

"He's another Mind Mage, but," I said quickly as Yvonne's eyes widened, "he's already told me he's only interested in me. As far as he's concerned, none of you are involved."

"Involved in what?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. He said something about working with me but not really much else that made sense." Okay, I could keep some part of the truth from her. I wasn't about to tell Yvonne that Michael had said I was condemned, especially not knowing what he meant by it.

Yvonne and I went to claim everyone's baggage while Mandy and Chloe got the car. With everything loaded onto one of those rent-a-carts we got to the booth and waited just as Mandy finish filling out the paperwork. She handed over a credit card and the salesman stood up with the keys.

The smile on his face told me plain as day how interested he was in Mandy. Apparently she had used her own charm to speed things up. My gut told me he wasn't a threat. He would never have a chance with her. And as he led the way toward the lot of cars, she looked back at me and winked.

After she got the car, a 2007 Dodge Charger, Mandy admitted freely to using her womanly charms to persuade him to upgrade her free of charge, which basically translated into her showing off generous portions of cleavage.

Mandy drove, as she had claimed, but I had to ride shotgun. The backseat was too short for my height. Most of our large suitcases fit in the trunk, but the few smaller items the airline wouldn't allow us to carry on were now in our laps. I had considered pulling out my laptop but decided against it. There really was no need just for the drive.

Even with the music cranked up, we were all having problems staying awake. Mandy swerved once or twice, keeping us from going off the road or into a rail. I turned off the radio and turned as far as my seatbelt would let me. We needed to talk, something to keep us active until we arrived, especially Mandy.