Read Online The Green Children: A Sycamore Moon Novel (Sycamore Moon Series Book 3) by Domino Finn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Domino Finn
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alarm sounded. The harsh sun blinded him. At the last second he noticed a quick movement to his side. Something smashed him on the head and his vision changed from white to black. Diego slammed to the floor and threw his arm up to block the following blow, but it never came. Jason Bower retreated back into the bar.
The biker reeled on the asphalt. The padded arm of his riding jacket supported him, shards of glass embedded in the leather. Half of a jagged Miller bottle rolled to a stop next to his head.
Diego shook his head and came to his senses. He picked himself up and lurched back inside.
His senses were being put through the ringer. Light, dark, light, dark. He was disoriented and still not fully in command of his balance. But he saw Jason leaving the bar with his bags slung over his shoulder.
"Stop," commanded Diego.
Jason broke into a sprint, and Diego lunged ahead. The biker picked up an empty barstool and spun his body around, sending it flying into the man's back. Jason tumbled to the floor and Diego pounced on him.
Everything was going according to plan, more or less, until the bouncer got involved.
Chapter 15
Maxim kneeled beside the teenager. The boy sat on the couch, head down, staring at his fidgeting hands. His father, a well-muscled but short man, stood over them both.
"You won't get in any trouble, Bryan," promised the detective.
"Speak for yourself," said the father. He eyed his son harshly. "Bryan, you're grounded no matter what you do, but you'd better tell this police officer everything you know right now. If I find you left anything out, I'll send you to your grandmother's for the summer."
"No, Dad!" he cried. "Please!"
The urgency in the boy's voice caused Maxim to smirk. The old lady must've been a real hag.
"Okay," said the boy. "I was with Annabelle. But only at first. The whole thing was like a prank."
The father huffed and tensed his crossed forearms over his chest. Maxim nodded reassuringly to Bryan.
"What was a prank? The disappearance?"
"No, the whole thing. The camping." Bryan glanced fearfully at his dad. "You know, she's always talking about leaving town for good. Hitchhiking to Los Angeles. Living off the streets if she needed. So a few of the guys thought, you know, it's a long weekend. Grady's parents were out of town, and he convinced Allison and BT to go. We all kinda thought it would be fun to run away for the weekend."
"Run away my ass," said his father, shaking his finger. "You charged seventy-five dollars to my credit card, and you're gonna work every penny of that off. With interest."
" Okay , Dad. I'm sorry."
Maxim bit his tongue. As a minor not charged with a crime, Bryan was only talking to the detective at his father's pleasure. Maxim didn't like the man interrupting his progress, but he was wary of getting on the father's wrong side. So far, they both were cooperating completely.
"Did you stay at Quiet Pines?" asked Maxim.
"No. No campsites. We wanted to be off the grid. To prove we could live off the land. That we didn't need our parents."
The father scoffed.
"It was just for fun, Dad."
Maxim nodded again. "So where did you stay?"
"BT knew a place just south of Sanctuary. A tree that got hit by lightning last year."
Maxim knew the place. As with Hazel Cunningham, Annabelle had last been seen north of the Interstate, although Quiet Pines was fifteen minutes to the west.
"And you never went into Flagstaff for a concert?"
"No, I never heard anything about that. All I knew was, she was cool for the weekend. But Annabelle's always lying to her parents like that. They don't care."
The kid may not have been far from the truth. Maxim glared at the boy pointedly. "So what happened to her?"
"Man, nothing! We just kissed a little. If she says anything else then that's a lie!"
"I'm talking about her disappearing, Bryan."
"Oh," the boy said meekly, glancing at his father. "Everything was fine Friday night. We slept in separate tents and
The biker reeled on the asphalt. The padded arm of his riding jacket supported him, shards of glass embedded in the leather. Half of a jagged Miller bottle rolled to a stop next to his head.
Diego shook his head and came to his senses. He picked himself up and lurched back inside.
His senses were being put through the ringer. Light, dark, light, dark. He was disoriented and still not fully in command of his balance. But he saw Jason leaving the bar with his bags slung over his shoulder.
"Stop," commanded Diego.
Jason broke into a sprint, and Diego lunged ahead. The biker picked up an empty barstool and spun his body around, sending it flying into the man's back. Jason tumbled to the floor and Diego pounced on him.
Everything was going according to plan, more or less, until the bouncer got involved.
Chapter 15
Maxim kneeled beside the teenager. The boy sat on the couch, head down, staring at his fidgeting hands. His father, a well-muscled but short man, stood over them both.
"You won't get in any trouble, Bryan," promised the detective.
"Speak for yourself," said the father. He eyed his son harshly. "Bryan, you're grounded no matter what you do, but you'd better tell this police officer everything you know right now. If I find you left anything out, I'll send you to your grandmother's for the summer."
"No, Dad!" he cried. "Please!"
The urgency in the boy's voice caused Maxim to smirk. The old lady must've been a real hag.
"Okay," said the boy. "I was with Annabelle. But only at first. The whole thing was like a prank."
The father huffed and tensed his crossed forearms over his chest. Maxim nodded reassuringly to Bryan.
"What was a prank? The disappearance?"
"No, the whole thing. The camping." Bryan glanced fearfully at his dad. "You know, she's always talking about leaving town for good. Hitchhiking to Los Angeles. Living off the streets if she needed. So a few of the guys thought, you know, it's a long weekend. Grady's parents were out of town, and he convinced Allison and BT to go. We all kinda thought it would be fun to run away for the weekend."
"Run away my ass," said his father, shaking his finger. "You charged seventy-five dollars to my credit card, and you're gonna work every penny of that off. With interest."
" Okay , Dad. I'm sorry."
Maxim bit his tongue. As a minor not charged with a crime, Bryan was only talking to the detective at his father's pleasure. Maxim didn't like the man interrupting his progress, but he was wary of getting on the father's wrong side. So far, they both were cooperating completely.
"Did you stay at Quiet Pines?" asked Maxim.
"No. No campsites. We wanted to be off the grid. To prove we could live off the land. That we didn't need our parents."
The father scoffed.
"It was just for fun, Dad."
Maxim nodded again. "So where did you stay?"
"BT knew a place just south of Sanctuary. A tree that got hit by lightning last year."
Maxim knew the place. As with Hazel Cunningham, Annabelle had last been seen north of the Interstate, although Quiet Pines was fifteen minutes to the west.
"And you never went into Flagstaff for a concert?"
"No, I never heard anything about that. All I knew was, she was cool for the weekend. But Annabelle's always lying to her parents like that. They don't care."
The kid may not have been far from the truth. Maxim glared at the boy pointedly. "So what happened to her?"
"Man, nothing! We just kissed a little. If she says anything else then that's a lie!"
"I'm talking about her disappearing, Bryan."
"Oh," the boy said meekly, glancing at his father. "Everything was fine Friday night. We slept in separate tents and
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