"We have better accommodations than the local PD will offer him."
Austin aims a heavy gaze at Arizona, tucked under my arm and hanging on to me for dear life.
"I take it he didn't tell you anything more useful than he's said since we caught up to him?"
Zona shakes her head.
"He just kept saying they aren't wolves and that he was going to prove to someone that he didn't let the women go."
Austin sighs, running his hand up his neck and into his hair.
"Would have been helpful if he'd given us a hint of where these not-wolves took the women from."
"And how many women they took," I add.
Austin nods, pulling his phone out of his pocket when it buzzes a notification from the satellite messaging app we all use.
My eyes catch on his lock screen before he reads the incoming message.
"Cap's back at the house with Harlan," he informs me. "Says they got pizza."
"Is that a bad thing?" Zona questions, echoing my thoughts.
Austin sighs again, turning his head toward the oncoming headlights of the SUV headed our way.
"Means the boss is in a talking mood. Maybe you can tell him how you're settling in while I get some actual work done. We have a lot of new aerial video to sync up with Sag's tracking today. Hopefully we can figure out where these assholes have set up shop."
The tired look Austin gives Arizona doesn't go unnoticed. It's clear he's got opinions about us, but he seems a lot less mad about it since we found her tied to a tree with a mad man screaming about demons.
"Can I ask you about something?" I tap his shoulder before we climb into the SUV while Leo and Zona wait on us.
"Yeah, what?"
I gesture toward his phone.
"Who's in the picture on your lock screen?"
Austin pauses with one foot on the step rail, his hand on the open passenger side door, as he levels a cautious look my way.
"Family. Why?"
"I've seen that photo before, is all."
At that, Austin turns fully toward me, his hand catching me by my shoulder before I can get into the back seat with Zona.
"Where?"
"Base back east, few years ago. Kid named Meyers? He was going in, I was coming out... we didn't really interact much, but I remember him printing that photo out because he wanted a hard copy to keep with him when he deployed."
Austin's lips silently repeat the name I gave him, a pained expression crossing his face.
"You guys getting in? Boss has pizza waiting. Cap's back. Let's go," Leo shouts at us from behind the wheel, pounding the headrest of the empty passenger seat to hurry us up.
Arizona
Leo drivesus back to town, blasting heavy metal from the Jeep's speakers while Austin is lost in his phone. Talon's hand holds mine but there's no point in trying to talk with Leo screaming all the wrong lyrics above the music.
"Fuck you!" Leo screams at a random house on our way through a nice neighborhood on the outskirts of Paradise Point, his middle finger aimed proudly at the pretty, red brick house with the camellia bushes filling the front flower beds.
