The brakes squealed as we came to a stop.
“I need to check those,” Shepherd muttered.
Blue pulled her loose hair out from the oversized hood of her blue cloak. Both Shepherd and I had on our black leather coats, while Claude was in his brown suede. Even Christian had worn a trench coat, and his pockets must have been stuffed with candy as he unwrapped another butterscotch and popped it into his mouth.
I looked at Blue’s knee-high boots. “Are those comfortable?”
She crossed her legs and patted one. “They’re waterproof. I’ve got a regular walking pair in my bag.”
“Are they hot?”
She tipped her head and gave me a “no shit, they’re hot” look. Blue’s brown skin was flushed and dewy. The sun was heating up the van like an oven, but she looked hotter than the rest of us. While blessed with a womanly body, her features floated between feminine and masculine. Long lashes framed her sapphire-blue eyes, but her thick eyebrows and bone structure gave her the face of a warrior.
I glanced down at my black sneakers. “I was hoping we weren’t going to Canada again. If we are, I’m screwed.”
“You can never tell with Viktor. What did you pack, amigo?”
Niko raised his head. “Sandals.”
I chuckled. “Sometimes I can’t tell when you’re serious or joking.”
Blue’s smile was as relaxed as her attitude. “We’ll soon find out, and I’m afraid someone here will be ill-prepared.”
“Or maybe we’re all screwed, and Viktor is taking us to a palace,” I suggested.
Viktor turned in his seat. “We’re not going to a palace.”
Blue uncrossed her legs. “Thank the fates.”
Shepherd thumped Christian on the knee with his hand. “Guess that means you should toss your ball gown out the back.”
I could already tell by the banter that this was going to be a lively trip.
Viktor leaned around to look at us. “Your comfort is not my concern. This will teach you a valuable lesson on how to pack lightly for any situation I might throw at you. If you choose poorly, that says less about me than it does about you.” He turned to face the front. “Are you missionaries or tourists?”
We all held back a laugh, certain that Viktor had meant to saymercenariesand notmissionaries. That would have been a whole different kind of trip.
“Down here?” Claude asked.
“Slowly,” Viktor instructed him. “Keep the lights off.”
Darkness enveloped the van as we descended a ramp. By the squeal of the tires as we made slow turns, it sounded like a parking garage.
“Make room,” Viktor said.
Room?I thought.Room for what?
“Weapons,” I whispered to Christian.
He retracted his arm, and I scooted directly behind the passenger seat. “I don’t think that’s what we’re doing.”
“What makes you say that?”
Viktor got out of the van while Claude kept the engine running.
Christian cocked his head to the side, and I stayed quiet so he could listen.
“Jaysus wept,” he whispered.
