Doppelganger

Chapter 14

The next morning, Alec was woken up by his cell phone vibrating on his bed stand. He glared at the offending piece of technology and rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head. It didn't work. He could still hear it vibrating. Damn his genetically enhanced hearing. Groaning, he reached over and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Max's voice said. She sounded way too awake, but the morning pissy-ness factor was right. Except she always sounded that way to Alec. "Get up."

"What happened to please, if you could?" Alec said as he flopped back onto the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. "And I don't have to get up for another hour, Ms. Sunshine."

"You have to get up now if you want to go to Joshua's and get back to Jam Pony in time for work."

Alec propped himself up on his elbow. "Why the hell am I going to Joshua's?"

"Because that's the safest place for Quip right now if one of us isn't with her," Max said, "She's wanted by Russian mobsters, remember?"

"Sort of hard to forget," Alec replied. He looked out into the living room; nothing was moving so he assumed that the kid was still asleep. Good, she needed it. "You really think Joshua's is better than Jam Pony?"

"I don't know, but at least I'll know she's with someone I trust," Max said. There was a pause. "And there's always a chance that this guy has someone at Jam Pony."

"Slim chance," Alec said. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up in the same fluid motion. Barefoot, he padded over to the open doorway and leaned against the doorjamb. Quip was still sleeping. The tip of her mop-top blond head was showing, but the rest of her little body was buried beneath the covers, curled up on herself in a tight ball. "Look, Max, I love the big guy and everything, but I'm not sure Josh is exactly the best babysitter material."

"You left her with Normal yesterday, and you're complaining about Joshua?"

She had a point. Leaving Quip with Normal had been an unintentional form of mild torture for the kid, but she'd been through worse. A lot worse. "Yeah, but Normal doesn't try to eat acrylics or think that macaroni and cheese makes up the entire food pyramid."

"Joshua only tried that once, and the man is not a chef," Max said. She huffed, and Alec could imagine the glare on her face. "Seriously, Alec, if you haven't killed her yet, then Joshua shouldn't have any problems."

Alec scowled at the opposite wall. What was that supposed to mean? Of course he hadn't killed Quip, he wasn't a moron. He knew what to do for her...sorta. "Geez, Max, glad to know you trust me so much."

"She's a little girl, and you're you," Max said, "Sorry if the combination doesn't sound like a good one to me."

He glanced toward the couch. Quip was awake. Her sharp eyes were on him as she pushed the blankets off and sat up, kicking the covers farther down to the end of the couch.

"Joshua will probably like having company anyway," Alec said, suddenly not in the mood to argue any more. "I'll see you at work, Max."

"Later."

Alec flipped his phone closed and walked into the living room, his feet sticking on the cold floor. As he came toward her, Quip slipped off the edge of the couch.

"Who was that?" she asked, glancing at the phone.

"Max," Alec replied, "She said you annoyed the hell out of everyone at Jam Pony, so you're not allowed back."

Quip put her hands on her hips, looking a little too Max-ish for him at the moment. "Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh," he said, indulging in a moment of childishness.