Holidays are Hell

"So your brother and his wife were among the scientists working on a molecular destabilizer, this John creep zapped her, your brother got zapped pulling her out of the beam, and they both suddenly found themselves able to shift shape?"

Jill nodded.

"I get why they told their boss, this Dr. Cohen, that the machine didn't work and convinced him to break it down. It's obviously dangerous… But then why on earth would he rebuild it in his own basement?" he asked with disbelief.

"Kyle and Claire are worried their cells might now be unstable or there might be other problems they can't foresee. Kyle wanted to test the effects on animals with faster metabolisms. They have no idea what pitfalls or problems could be in store for them or Beth and he wanted to find out and hopefully find ways to avoid them," she explained.

"But then why did he bother to convince the company he worked for that the original didn't work? He wasted years rebuilding this new one. Wouldn't it have been faster to just admit that he and his wife had been zapped and were changed?" he reasoned. "He would have been able to experiment right away."

Jill frowned. "He didn't realize it would take so long to rebuild it, and he thought it was too dangerous to let them keep working on the original. He was afraid of what they'd do with such technology. He also feared once they realized he and Claire had been zapped, the two of them might end up the lab animals, being experimented on."

Nick nodded in understanding, and then said, "That John fellow probably took your niece downstairs and placed her behind the machine to get you under the beam."

Jill glanced at him with a start as they paused at the mouth of the alley. "I hadn't thought of that. Do you really think so?"

Nick shrugged. "He tricked your sister-in-law under the beam. And he admitted to you that he wanted to zap you to have someone to experiment on. It probably isn't just a happy coincidence that you ended up knocked out under the beam."

Jill supposed it was too much of a "happy coincidence." John probably had taken Beth downstairs and used the child to get her under the beam.

"You're right. We can't go to the police," Nick said suddenly, drawing her gaze again. He was looking grim and determined. "We can't risk revealing all this to the authorities and having you and your family locked up in cages to be experimented on. We'll have to deal with this ourselves."

"I need to talk to Kyle," Jill said quietly. "I tried to call him earlier, but there was no answer at the house. He and Claire must have taken Beth and gone to get new locks for the basement door or something. I need to talk to him to figure out what to do."

"Yes, we can—" Nick's hand suddenly tightened on hers. Startled, Jill glanced up to see him looking past her. They were standing at the mouth of the alley and a glance over her shoulder made her suck in a sharp breath as she spotted John weaving his way through the crowd toward them.

Chapter 3

"He must not have been able to pick the front lock," Jill said with alarm.

"More likely the cop scared him off again, so he's coming around to try the back," Nick said dryly.

"We have to hide," Jill said anxiously, catching his hand and trying to pull him away, but he stayed still.

"We don't have to hide. You already are hiding," he pointed out, his gaze moving over her face with fascination.

Jill frowned at his expression. She liked this man and didn't want him to see her as some weird creature, but it seemed that's what she now was. Pushing the concern aside for the moment, she said, "Nick, we have to hide. He's been watching Kyle and I think me too. He may have seen me with, you. He might know who you are and then know I'm me despite…" She gestured vaguely to the form she'd taken.

Nick scowled at this possibility, but then suddenly smiled.

"What?" she asked with bewilderment, her gaze shifting nervously between his expression and the approaching John. Fortunately, he'd been slowed by a group of teenagers goofing around and taking up most of the sidewalk. He was still two buildings away, trying to weave his way around the kids.

"They say the best place to hide is in plain sight."

Nick's words brought her head back around and she opened her mouth to ask what he was thinking, only to gasp in surprise when his lips descended on hers. Jill stood still in his arms for a moment, and then clutched at his upper arms as he suddenly backed her up against the brick wall of the building behind them. She felt the hard, textured brick press into her back and was reminded that while she might appear dressed in winter gear, it was all just her. It was her skin pressing into the cool brick.