“Dammit,” Daniel muttered. “My bad, Charles.”
“I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way,” Charlie replied, glancing toward the house. “But?—”
“Go,” Matthias ordered tiredly, jerking his head toward the house.
Danny transferred Matthias over to his brother just as the scruffy Boucher rounded the house. Not Danny or Ambrose, so it must’ve been either Beau or Chance.
“Shit, Matthias,” the Boucher brother grimaced. “How bad?”
“Not bad,” Matthias answered as Josiah helped him up the steps. “The women?”
“Alive.”
“Good news,” Josiah said, stepping over a body.
My stomach cramped suddenly, and a fresh wave of sweat beaded on my forehead.
“I realize that you’re dealing with some shit,” I said on a wheeze, wiping my face with the sleeve of my shirt. “But if I could borrow a car? I need to get home.”
Danny’s gaze swept over me. “I’ll drive you.”
“You don’t have to?—”
“What can you tell us about the men in the garage?” his brother interrupted.
“Chance, now’s not the time,” Danny chastised.
“No better time,” Chance countered. “Details while they’re fresh.”
“Well, the rat-faced one was partial to Thai food,” I replied tiredly. “And the one with the beard and the huge mole next to his nose liked gas station fried chicken.”
Chance just stared at me.
I had no idea how much they already knew, so I had no clue how much to tell them. If they were already dealing with the human militia, then they’d clearly stepped in shit already, but that didn’t mean that I was authorized to start blabbing. Loose lips sink ships and all that.
“I don’t know anything,” I lied. “When I got home from work on Thursday, some guys threw a bag over my head.” I gestured at myself. “It took three of them to get me into the van. Theremust’ve been something on the cloth because I passed out, and when I woke up, I was in that chair.”
“Did they say why they took you?” Daniel asked doubtfully.
“They didn’t really say anything. They fed me and took me to the bathroom three times a day. Like clockwork.” I huffed. “I’m pretty sure they set an alarm so they didn’t forget. It worked in my favor, though, because at least I knew what time of day it was.”
“And they didn’t fuck with you?” Chance asked.
“They pretty much ignored that I was there.”
“You seem very calm about all this,” he said slowly.
I forced my body not to tighten as Chance glanced at Daniel.
“I’m good in a crisis,” I replied flatly. “But I’d like to go home now.”
“I’ll take you,” Daniel said.
He and his brother had some kind of silent conversation. Eventually, Chance shrugged and turned back toward the house.
“Let’s go,” Daniel said, throwing open the passenger door for me. I brushed past him as I climbed inside, and everything inside me lit up like the fucking Fourth of July. Swallowing hard, I primly pulled on my seat belt as he shut me inside.
I hadn’t showered or brushed my teeth in a week. My hair was tangled. The thighs of my jeans were crusty from the food I’d spilled while trying to both eat and hold the paper plate steady a few days before. I stank. I stank so badly that even I could smell it, and I’d been sitting with it for days.
