Max Baker: Guardian of the Ninth Sector by Matthew Cronan Page B

He was holding a book and looked down at it when Max noticed him staring at the group. 
    The black fedora reminded Max of the man from the dream, and he squinted to see if it was the same man.  The man with the book didn’t look like the man from the dream; his face was much younger, and Max couldn’t see any scars from where he was sitting.
    “Noah,” Max said, tapping him on the shoulder.
    “What?” Noah’s hoarse voice asked from the palms of his hand.
    “Look,” Max said, motioning toward the man with the book.
    “Who is that creepoid?” Noah asked, looking toward the man.
    “I think that’s the guy that’s been following me.”

Chapter 11
Donovan Reese
     
    With the two of them staring at the man, it didn’t take long for him to notice.  Without hesitation, he placed the book that he had been holding back onto the shelf and headed toward the table.  Kennedy turned around in time to see the man headed in their direction.
    “Who is that guy?” she asked.
    Max stood up to face the pursuer. Noah quickly followed suit.  Max didn’t know what was about to happen, but he knew that his week was about to get a whole lot worse.  After both of the dreams, and then Corey punching him in the stomach, some creepy guy chasing him around seemed to be the icing on the cake. 
    “Mister,” Max said, a mixture of fear and anger coating his voice, “I don’t know who you are, or what you want, but you better start talking now.”
    “Or what?” the heavily accented voice said.
    “Or I’m calling 911 and telling them that there’s some creepy pedophile stalking my best friend up and down the streets of Forest Valley,” Noah snapped, whipping his cellphone out of his pocket.
    “Wait, this guy is stalking you?” Kennedy asked, finally standing up and backing away from the man with the fedora.
    As the man reached the table, he removed the fedora to reveal his face.  He was much younger than Max had initially thought; perhaps 30…35 tops.  He had spiky brown hair that was cut short on the sides. His face was clean shaven.  He was taller than Max and Noah, eclipsing them by at least half a foot.  He wasn’t a bad looking man, and Max felt a small wave of comfort wash over him.
    “Sit down,” the man said as he walked around the table to the empty seat.  “You are calling unnecessary attention to us.”  The man waved off the librarian, who had stood back up and looked to be moments away from approaching their table again.  She glared at the group.  The man in black sat down without being invited.  He tossed his fedora onto the table and motioned for all of them to join him.
    “Why have you been chasing me?” Max asked, nervously sitting down.
    “Because I have been looking for someone very specific,” the man in black said.  “From the data that I have gathered, I believe that you are that someone.”  The man paused and looked up at Noah who was still standing at the table; Noah’s finger hovered over the send button.  “And as for you, Mr. Allman, would you please do me a favor and sit down.  I promise you that your threats of calling the local law enforcement are not intimidating in the least bit.”  The man talked slowly and, despite his heavy accent, pronounced every word perfectly. Max still couldn’t place the man’s origin and that bothered him.
    “You as well, Miss Coleman, please sit down.”
    “How do you know my name?” Kennedy asked, clearly offended.
    “Look hombre, I’ve already dialed the nine and the one,” Noah said with his finger on the phone.  “You try anything and Forest Valley’s finest will be introducing you to a six by nine cell with your name on it.”
    “The fat, little police officers that patrol this town do not frighten me my friend.  However, there is something on the horizon that is very terrifying, so please sit down. You are wasting our very limited time.”
    “Well I see this has nothing to do with me, so I will be on my way,”