From the backseat, Thane leans forward. "What's happening?"
"Valek left," I say, still processing. "Just...left. To Canada."
PLAGUE
The timing is suspicious.
WHISKEY
No shit, Sherlock. We literally just snuck Ivy out and now he's gone?
Wow.
All that panic, all that rushing around, hiding in hotel rooms and sneaking through fire escapes, and the bastard just leaves anyway.
Part of me wants to laugh at the absurdity. The rest of me wonders what the hell he's really up to.
THANE
Follow him.
I glance back at Thane, whose expression has gone from surprised to calculating in about two seconds flat.
Pack leader mode, activated.
WHISKEY
What? Like, spy on him???
THANE
Yes. If we can find something, anything, we can use it to get rid of him permanently. At the very least, kicked out of the pack house.
PLAGUE
That's actually not a terrible idea.
WHISKEY
Bro trip to Canada? Fuck yeah! I'm gonna get maple syrup!
PLAGUE
You can get maple syrup here, too, Whiskey.
WHISKEY
I'm sure they've got secret sauce up there they don't let any other country SNIFF, let alone taste.
Another change, another shift in the constantly moving pieces of my fucked-up life. Which threats are real? Which ones are just shadows I'm jumping at because I've been running so long?
My head hurts trying to figure it all out.
"You okay?" Thane asks from the back, probably noticing my sudden silence.
"Yeah, just..." I trail off, not sure how to articulate the bone-deep weariness of never knowing who to trust, what to fear, when to run. "Processing, I guess."
Wraith's massive hand leaves the steering wheel briefly to rest on my knee, a silent gesture of comfort. The warmth of his rough palm through my jeans soothes my nerves immediately.
