Timesurfers by Rhonda Sermon Read Free Book Online Page A

shrugged. “Mortez wasn’t pruning the
roses at her house this morning, and I didn’t recognise anyone else, so no leads there.
But you saw her at the bus stop, and then there’s her name.”
Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.
    What’s the deal with my
name?
    Austin shrugged. “Even if it is her, Naitanui
will never sanction an intervention. We could be tracking her
indefinitely. Are you listening for her, Rafe?”
    “Yes! Get off my case. If she is who we think
she is, why would Jonah try to strangle her?”
    “That’s exactly what I’d do,” Rose said
quickly. “To cover up Mortez had ordered him to abort his mission
to protect her precious Catherine. Mortez would only do that if
someone crucial and irreplaceable to her
plans was in danger. She’s sacrificed hundreds of her people at a
time without flinching. There are only two people that important to
Mortez, Jonah and Catherine. So my money’s on Cate here being that Catherine.”
    Who did they think she was? She’d never heard
of anyone called Mortez, and the only person who called her
Catherine was her father. She’d had no contact with him since her
family relocated to Tempus Falls.
    “What are you doing?” Eve said near her
shoulder.
    Cate overbalanced and tumbled onto the floor.
She scrambled to her feet.
    “Who are you texting? I’m right here. Come
on, I’ve got our food.” Eve marched past and settled between Rose
and Rafe.
    Cate let out a breath she didn’t know she’d
been holding. Her finger hovered over the send button. She was in a
crowded cafeteria. How dangerous could it be? Texting the distress
word would be a last resort. She wouldn’t set those wheels in
motion unless she absolutely had to.
    Rafe’s head jerked up when he realised she was near their table.
He tilted his head to the side, listened, and rubbed his ears.
Something had him perplexed.
    Cate surveyed her new lunch group. Rafe was
giving her furtive glances. Eve gabbed at a million miles an hour
to Rose, who added an appropriate nod and occasional word when
required. Austin was casing the cafeteria. He had sized up everyone
in the room and noted all the exits. It was possible he was
currently identifying potential weapons and arranging them
alphabetically in his head. No, alphabetically would be lame.
Potential deadliness would be a much cooler way to organise them.
    For now, she would play along. It was time to
be herself, not the manufactured bland girl who blended in that
witness protection required her to be. She chomped on her hamburger
and stared at Brittany and the other cheerleaders.
    Rose tapped Brittany on the shoulder. “So,
Brittany, being a cheerleader must be really fun?”
    Austin groaned. His fingers brushed Cate’s neck as he laid his arm along
the back of her seat. Rose glanced at Austin’s hand and
shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
    “I’m not a cheerleader. I’m the cheerleader. Cheer captain,” Brittany replied with
a tight smile.
    “Impressive,” Rose said. “I’d love to try out
for your team.”
    “You’ve missed tryouts.” Brittany flipped her
hair.
    The buzzing started in Cate’s ears again. She
heard a soft snick and the static disappeared. Rafe’s voice came in
loud and clear, inside her head.
    Let Rose try out. Insist
she bring her friends along. Having Cate and Eve on your cheer
squad is a lifelong dream.
    “Over my dead body,” Cate muttered.
    Austin’s hand squeezed her shoulder, wrapping
her in a blanket of tingly warm feelings. He bent his head and
whispered to her. “So you can hear Rafe doing his thing now?
Interesting. I know you couldn’t hear him this morning, because he
kept throwing in requests for you to flash your boobs at him, and
you didn’t smack him.”
    Cate kicked Austin hard in the shins under
the table.
    “I’ve changed my mind,” Brittany said. “I’d
love for you to try out. Bring Cate, and Eve with you.”
    Eve spat her drink over the table. “You
cannot be serious!” she