Trent nodded tersely. “I’d have to make one jump to the traffic island and then another one to the other side, but I reckon I could do it. Hopefully they’re all too distracted by the crocodile to pay too much attention, or they’ve been indulging in enough day drinking to think they’re imagining it.”
“Jump?” Maisie said, laughing nervously. “Like a kangaroo or something?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” said Trent with a light laugh. “Though I won’t be shifting this time – it’s just that I never skip leg day, so I’m pretty handy in this form as well.”
“Enough,” Rhys said. “You get her over there and onto the boat. Euan and I will hold them off if they catch up before we can cross – leave without us if we don’t make it back. Getting Maisie out of here is the priority.”
Trent nodded again, not even protesting the idea of leaving the others behind, and despite everything, Maisie took a moment to be impressed by their professionalism.Shecertainly didn’t want to leave them behind!
She wanted to protest, but could see that it would be pointless. She’d simply have to trust that the other Agency agents wouldn’t harm Rhys or Euan if they captured them.
Swallowing, she nodded in agreement, before giving Rhys a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Stay safe,” she said, and Rhys nodded.
“I will.”
“Okay,” she said to Trent. “Do your thing.”
She felt herself lifted into the air, and gasped in surprise.That was quick!
Below her, Rhys and Euan and the crocodile stared up at her, mouths open.
As did Trent.
Huh. That’s weird. I thought Trent was supposed to be the one carrying me? Does he just astrally project as a kangaroo?
They got smaller and smaller as she watched, and, she realized, Rhys was yelling her name.
It was at that moment that she became aware of the tight grip around her upper arms. She looked down at her arm in surprise, to see that it was encircled by an enormous, cruelly-clawed talon.
Talon??
The figures on the ground were quite small now, the wind whipping her hair around, and Maisie suspected that possibly she wasn’t being bounced across the road by a kangaroo man.
Gulping, she looked up directly above her…
… And saw the most massive, monstrous bird she had ever seen in her life.
Chapter 18
Maisie. Maisie.
There was only one thought running through Rhys’s head as he sprinted down the street with Euan and Trent by his side, trying to keep the rapidly disappearing shape of Maisie and the enormous bird that had taken her in sight. That, and the furious shrieking of his griffin.
As soon as he reached a slightly quieter place, he would shift and fly after them. There was a park coming up ahead with a fair few trees in it where he should be able to at least shift while hidden from view.
His phone buzzed with an email notification, and he yanked it from his pocket.
Michael.
Maybe he’d finally sent those files he’d promised now that whatever quokka-looking tour group he’d been performing for had moved on.
Rhys tapped at the screen impatiently, not breaking his stride.
hey,it read.here are those files i was talking abt. becus ur technologically iliterate, iv scrubbed the identifing info fromthe data. fwd it to whoevr u need to. in anticpation of ur enormous gratitude, i will say ur welcome in advance.
Rhys scrolled quickly through the documents, but there was just way too much for him to sift through right now. He knew, however, that Michael wouldn’t have sent them through if they hadn’t been important.
