If my glower was a furious serpent, his was Medusa. “No, it’s too dangerous.”
“I’m the only one who might be able to talk him down.”
“I said no, Amy!”
Josh raised his hand. “She has a point.”
“No one asked you,” Ethan snapped, his furious gaze flying to Josh and back again.
Josh crossed his arms. “Right. But if you all go and she’s here alone or without adequate protection, what is to stop Sarah from coming here and grabbing her?”
Ethan stilled as if he hadn’t considered that possibility.
“Joshua makes a valid argument,” Michael said. “Given the circumstances, we can’t leave her here, even with guards.”
Ethan growled, “Fine, but you stay exactly where I tell you to stay.”
I wasn’t sure where that would be, or who that would be with, or if I wouldstayanywhere. I wasn’t a fucking dog.
But I nodded.
Chapter 69
The Warehouse
The car ride there seemed to take forever. The engine roared, and tires squealed occasionally as Ethan navigated through the tight winding roads following Michael through the streets of Portland.
Georgie’s fingers were white-knuckled to the back of the leather seat, and she had her eyes squeezed shut for most of the way.
Nerves bundled in my stomach, congregating like a group of old men at a Viagra convention. But it was nothing to do with the speed Ethan was driving. It was the dread of what Karson had done to Marg and of seeing Sarah again. If Sarah loved her mother as much as Ethan said, she might trade herself without a fight.
We’d have our freedom back. Karson and I could laze in bed all morning, or watch the sun fall over the mountain at night. We would be able to go out on dates, walk down the street together, our arms entwined. It was the little things, the moments that seemed inconsequential at the time, those were the things I had missed. And the big thing—we could all go home.
I reached across and squeezed Georgie’s arm. Her skin had gone from pale to green. She peeked out of the corners of hereyes at the buildings blurring past and groaned before shutting them again.
“Don’t worry, Georgie,” Josh teased, twisting his head from the front seat. “If he crashes the car, I’ll save you.”
“I’m not going to crash.” Ethan looked at us through the rear-vision mirror. “You throw up though, and I will rub your nose in it.”
“Not helping,” Georgie muttered.
I glanced out of the window, watching the fog wrapped around the streets crawling up the sides of heavily graffitied buildings. The streets were empty of cars and the usual throng of people. Trash littered the gutters. A solitary homeless man was huddled by a small fire lit in a drum. The area had a desolate and ruined feel. Perfect for a hidden war.
My fingers slipped to my knives concealed at my side. Knowing I had them wasn’t a comfort though.
We pulled up beside Michael, and three other cars parked behind the ring-lock fence with rolls of barbed wire curling over the top. We climbed out, clicking the doors shut. Frail moonlight straggled through the churning clouds. The air was still and silent. I scanned between the buildings, searching for any signs that we were not alone.
“Hear anything?” Ethan asked Michael.
Michael shook his head. “No, Rodney and the others have gone to check the area to make sure we aren’t walking into a trap.”
“Do you feel anything?” Ethan asked, turning his attention to me.
I blinked. I never thought to feel … It was stupid really, to live with skills and barely use them, even when I needed to. I closed my eyes and felt for a cold, heavy vibration. I felt it, of course, standing next to three vampires, but I imagined my energy moving out through the fence, across the concrete yard,searching for something thicker. I felt something; it pooled in my stomach, settled in my bones. Dread. But I couldn’t feel vampires. Though my energetic reach had its limits, if they were at a distance or behind thick walls, I wouldn’t feel them. I opened my eyes. “Maybe he’s not here.”
“Only one way to find out.” Josh headed to the gate, padlocked with a thick chain.
“Wait,” Ethan ordered, stopping Josh as his hand wrapped around the chain, ready to break it. Ethan turned to Michael. “What are we going to do with Amy and Georgie?”
