Page 67 of In the Nick of Time
When they arrived at their door, Doug started to slide the key card through the reader but Nick grabbed his arm before he could open the door.
“I’m getting tired of this,” Nick grumbled.
“Of what?”
“We’ve done this twice already.”
“Why am I not remembering? I’ve remembered when you’ve changed time before.”
“My best guess is that it has something to do with our new friend who got to the room before us. Let me go in first. You have to trust me on this.”
From the tone of Nick’s voice, Doug suspected he had not followed instructions the previous times they’d entered the hotel room.
“I trust you.”
“That’s exactly what you said last time.”
SEVENTEEN
NICK
Nick wants to know, just what kind of benefits does a subparhero get?
“That was exciting,”Nick said cheerfully.
“If you say so,” Doug replied as he rubbed his temples.
“I do say so. I just said it. You heard me. I’ll say it again if you need me to.”
“I’m good, thanks. Frankly, I’d prefer it if, in the future, you leave the hero antics up to me.”
“Hmm.” Nick tapped his nose. “Maybe. It was kind of fun. I can see how a person might get addicted to the power and fame of it all. But I like that you’re thinking about the future.”
“I was talking to Tim.”
“Hahaha.” Nick chuckled and looked down at the tortoise, who’d hidden under the bed during most of the excitement. “Thanks for the assist, Tim. It was good just knowing you were there.”
“Thanks, I guess.” If tortoises could roll their eyes, he just had.
Among other things that evening, they’d confirmed that Lady Luck had no effect on reptiles or Nick Sedgewick. Unfortunately, the first two times they’d opened their hotel room door, Doug had ignored Nick’s instructions and rushed inside the room. He’d immediately fallen to his knees with tears streaming down his face, begging someone called Todd not to die, promising Todd that help was on the way. His pleas were soon followed by a terrible silence that Nick knew was Doug realizing Todd was dead. Twice, Nick had to watch Doug being tortured.
Nick couldn’t allow Doug to keep reliving the worst day of his life. Stopping Lady Luck was up to him,AgentNick Sedgewick. Turning back time was tiring, and he hadn’t been sure if he’d be able to keep doing it, but he’d known he had to get past Doug and into the room first.
Hoping the third time would be a charm, Nick had darted around Doug—who once again had moved quickly, unable to squash his instinct to protect Nick. He’d immediately collapsed onto the carpet, just like he had the first two rehearsals, leaving Nick to confront Lady Luck on his own.
For what felt like eons, they’d stared at each other. Sizing one another up. Flexing their muscles.
“I can’t feel you,” a raspy seven-packs-a-day voice had said.
Nick knew he should’ve been affected by the words because, like at the club, his skin felt tight and twitchy, but that was all it was. He wasn’t writhing on the floor like Doug.
“I’m your worst nightmare,” Nick had replied. He’d always wanted to say that.
He hadn’t had the first clue what to do. He hadn’t wanted to touch the being, but he forced himself to move closer while it shied away, moving backward.Okay, he’d thought,she or it doesn’t want to be approached by me. Against his basic survival instinct, he’d continued inching closer and closer, trapping it between the bed and the bathroom.
Nick still didn’t know who’d been more surprised, himself or the demon.
The demon had kept up its muttering. After it switched away from English, Nick hadn’t understood what it had been saying, or rather, incanting. It had been frozen in place by fear, maybe something even worse that Nick couldn’t comprehend—something deeper than fear.
