I stepped close and peered over his shoulder at the daggers lined up on the middle shelf. “Yep. But the big one—that’s yours.”
His eyes lit up, and he grabbed it immediately. It was still in its sheath and attached to the leg holster. It wasn’t my favorite; I was more attached to the smaller push daggers that fit in the palm of my hand. Those little blades were my go-to weapons. I put two back in the sheaths on my belt and the rest in my backpack along with my phone.
“Be careful. I recently sharpened it,” I cautioned him as he pulled it free. “It’s a genuine stunner. If your uncle or Breed catches you with one of these, it would be bad news.”
“They’re not illegal,” he argued.
“No, but humans aren’t supposed to have them. Don’t you know?”
While he stabbed thin air and reenacted a fantasy where he was the greatest warrior alive, I pondered my situation. I was officially out of the mission, and while I felt compelled to return home and help Niko, I couldn’t bring myself to leave without knowing what Major had planned. Was he here alone, or was General around?
I glanced at the pile of clothes in the bottom of the locker and then to the keys hanging from hooks at the top. There were four, the fifth key still in Willie’s hand.
I turned away, and an idea sprang to mind. “Say, Willie, how would you like something else besides the dagger?”
He turned around and sheathed the weapon. “What do you mean?”
I jerked my chin toward the inside door. “Do you know what the most valuable commodity is in the Breed world? Even more valuable than weapons?”
He chewed on his chapped bottom lip and looked up. “Money?”
“No. Favors. It’s like a rule everyone follows—even criminals. If we didn’t put so much value in them, most of us would be dead. If you let that guy out, he’ll trade you a favor. You can stage the escape to look like a break-in. Guys like that always have friends on the outside, so your uncle will never suspect a thing. Favors are a big deal. You can hold them in your pocket for as long as you want and then ask for anything you need.”
Willie gave me a skeptical look, his light eyes narrowing. “Anything?”
“Within reason. It usually has to be the same value. Granting a man his freedom is big. I bet he’d agree.”
Knife still in hand, he folded his arms. “Like… what could I get?”
“That’s up to you. Maybe down the road someone denies you a loan. All you’d have to do is call this guy up on the favor, and he’d find a way to get your loan approved. That’s how it works. Or maybe you’re in jail or some other sticky situation, and you can’t get out. Or hell, maybe you just wanna become Breed. I bet he could arrange that.”
“You think? My uncle said the Mageri don’t want a minimum-wage worker. I have to be someone special or have some great big job.” Willie shook his head and huffed out a breath. “What do they know?”
“Maybe they’re right. Your uncle’s just looking out for you. I should probably just keep my mouth shut. Nobody wants to be a Mage. Sure, we can run super fast and have all these magical gifts, but who wants to live forever? Long after you’re dust in the graveyard, I’ll still be walking around. And I know you wouldn’t want to be a Vampire. They have all that sonic hearing, and that could probably get annoying. Not to mention night vision and never having to sleep. Though I once saw a Vampire lift a thirty-foot trailer. But people don’t trust them anyhow.”
Willie struck me as the kind of guy who had to think that everything was his idea if he was going to go along with it. Maybe his uncle had made too many decisions and this kid just wanted to feel like he was behind the steering wheel for a change. I almost felt bad I’d be getting him into trouble. But he was an adult now, and maybe this blowout with his uncle needed to happen so he could live his own life.
I pivoted on my heel. “Forget I said anything. You probably don’t need any big favors. You’ve got a steady job, live in a nice town… Anyhow, thanks for letting me out. Take good care of that dagger. She’s been in a lot of battles with some of the toughest criminals alive. Well, most of them aren’t alive anymore. See ya!”
I swung my backpack over my shoulders and jogged out the door and past Willie’s car. A thin sheet of filtered sunlight shone through a heavy blanket of clouds. I flashed down the road to find a good hiding spot. If Willie was tempted by my suggestions, Major would come out this way. Maybe his brothers would be waiting for him, but I still couldn’t be sure if this guy had company or not.
Amid all the forest green and timber, a silver object caught my eye—a sedan parked in an open patch to the right. When I opened the door and peered in, I took note of the keys in the ignition and a metal lion’s head dangling from the rearview mirror.
“This is too good to be true.”
By the looks of all the tire marks, Officer Barnes used this clearing to store the cars of the men he locked up in his Breed jail. This had to be Major’s vehicle. A quick search yielded nothing except for a map of Cognito, an ice scraper, and napkins. I popped the trunk and walked around to check things out. The trunk was empty, but suddenly I remembered something that Wyatt had mentioned. After looking around, I located the emergency trunk release.
“This couldn’t be more perfect.”
Worst-case scenario, Willie wouldn’t take the bait, and I’d have to get out of the trunk and steal the car. Either way, it was a win-win in my book.
“Worth a shot,” I muttered while climbing in.
I curled up in a fetal position and stared at the trunk release. Fifteen minutes must have passed before I finally heard something outside. It wasn’t a car, so that was promising.
Even though Major was a Shifter, I concealed every drop of my light to be on the safe side. No sense taking any chances. Some people were more sensitive than others to electrical impulses, which could spike with adrenaline. When the car jostled and the door closed, I held my breath.
“It’s me,” I heard him say. “No, just some jackass cop. It’s under control. Where are you?”
