BooksBarbecue
Back Vortex
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. Epilogue
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. About the Author
  60. Also by Catherine Coulter
  61. About the Publisher

It was one of the two men she’d seen on the corner. Mia caught her breath, forced herself to breathe deeply until she stopped shaking. But she couldn’t stop her heart kettle-drumming or the nausea rising in her throat. She swallowed convulsively. She wouldn’t vomit, she wouldn’t. Okay, better. “Thanks for chasing him off.” How could that be her voice, all calm and together? When he helped her sit up, she kept hold of his arm. “I’m glad those garbage cans were full, and the bags didn’t burst open. If they’d burst, can you imagine what could have come flying out? And on me? This is the wool coat my parents gave me for Christmas.” She sucked in a breath. “Sorry, I’m babbling. If you hadn’t been nearby I-I don’t know what would have happened. Really, thank you.”

Mia saw her rescuer’s face for the first time under a streetlight. He was dressed head to foot in leather with a heavy black leather coat, black leather gloves, and chunky black boots. He didn’t even look to be voting age yet. He stared down the street, shook his head. “You’re welcome. The moron was drunk, or maybe high on something, hallucinating, maybe. I’ve seen it before. He saw you, thought you were the devil or something. Do you want me to call an ambulance? 911?”

Mia did a mental check of her body parts, moved her arms, her legs. “No, I’m okay. You really think he didn’t just lose control?”

“Can’t say, but I doubt it. There’s nearly a full moon, and that’s when the wackos come out of their caves. Good thing your coat’s so heavy, or you’d be all scratched up, or worse. My name’s Lex—my friends call me Lex Luthor, you know, like Superman’s nemesis.”

“Sure, I always rooted for Lex as a kid. Didn’t seem fair Superman had all those powers.” She blinked. Where had that come from? She shut up. Her brain was tripping with adrenaline.

Lex helped her stand up. Thankfully, her legs held her. “Thank you,” she said again and shook his gloved hand. “I’m Mia Briscoe. I don’t suppose you saw his plates, or at least the make? Those headlights pretty much blinded me.”

“Not really. I was more concerned about whether you were all right.”

“Not much point in calling the police, then, I guess. By the time they get here, he could be well on his way into New Jersey. I know I wouldn’t hang around. Where’s your motorcycle?”