“How many?” I asked.
“About twenty.” Carlos got out and opened the back door for Luke, who quickly slid in with Bethi.
“I call front,” I said, already sliding into Carlos’s warm seat.
The car dipped as Carlos got in back. Grey had the car in gear as soon as the door closed.
“How close are they?” I asked.
“Close. We’ll be there in two minutes,” Grey said.
“You mean you’re going toward them?”
“Yes. Gabby says the Urbat are closing in around Salt Lake City now. The rest of our group is heading south toward Canyonlands National Park. They’ll make it through without running into any Urbat. We wouldn’t if we tried going back that way. Instead, we’re going over the mountain and punching through the band heading our way. Once through, we’ll go around the long way.”
“Isabelle likes punching,” Bethi said from the back. She leaned forward suddenly and grabbed my hand. Her cold fingers wrapped around mine.
“This is just like the dreams,” Bethi said sleepily. “Holding hands while we die.”
My mouth dropped open. Not once in all her rambling recounting of deaths had she mentioned anyone holding hands. That had to be it. After Charlene’s display of power in New York, I’d asked more questions about our gifts, and Michelle had mentioned something about her powers changing when she touched Charlene.
I looked at Grey, and he winked at me.
“It’s about damn time, Bethi. And, we’re not dying; we’re running.”
“Toward our deaths. Just remember your promise,” she said, her eyes pleading with me.
“I remember,” I said. If things looked bad, I’d promised to steal everything from her, so she died high as a kite. I wouldn’t just ease her passing, though. I’d do that for all of them. And then kill the fuckers who caused me to do it.
“But, there’s only twenty,” I added. “I don’t think we need to worry about anything.”
“I’ve let the others know we have our answer,” Grey said. “And that we’ll meet them in the desert.”
Nineteen
OLIVIA…
My back burned fiercely. Landing on the floor, having Jim run with me, and then his wild driving had ripped some of Winifred’s bandaging loose. I could feel something tickling down my lower back. It was only a matter of time before Jim noticed the scent of my blood.
“Blake’s people tried to attack the hotel, but Mom stopped them,” he said.
“Was anyone hurt? Are all the Judgments okay?”
“Gabby, Mom, and Michelle are fine. Isabelle and Bethi are still on the mountain.”
He paused for a moment.
“According to Gabby, the Urbat were in clusters to the north before the attack. Now the Urbat are moving south. Isabelle and Bethi will need to go through a cluster before they’re in the clear. Gabby also thinks Blake’s flying into Salt Lake City.”
I exhaled slowly and focused on Blake’s location. That feeling of close, yet still far away, now made more sense. As soon as his plane started to descend, I’d feel his presence grow stronger.
“The rest of our group’s heading to the national park that Michelle saw in her dreams.”
“Is it getting dark out, yet?” I asked. We’d eaten breakfast and those pastries, but I wasn’t sure if that had been a snack or lunch and if the restaurant would have counted as dinner.
“Yes, the sun’s just starting to set.”
“Ask Michelle if it was day or night in her images.”
