CHAPTERNINETEEN
I rose to my feet and pressed a command on the panel to open the door, preparing to yell for Finn’s help in this plan.
The door didn’t open.
“Access denied, Ms. Kramer.”
My head snapped in all directions, searching for the intruder. “Hello?”
“Hello, Ms. Kramer,” the voice stated. “How may I be of service?”
My brows furrowed as I walked in a slow circle and opened the bathroom door so hard it banged against the wall.
No one was in the train cabin with me.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Choo-Baby-Choo, Ms. Kramer. Mr. Baker’s personal advanced train system.”
“What company installed you?”
“I am owned and operated by Cooper Corporation. Installation and programming are maintained by Cooper Corporation. If you are unsatisfied with my service, please contact your service manager at Cooper Corporation within normal business hours.”
Mr. Wolfe Cooper’s new update on Finn’s train.
I dropped my head back and stared up at the ceiling, sighing in frustration. My eyelashes fluttered at the view. There were tiny white dots on the smooth surface, barely recognizable as they blended with the ceiling. My eyes narrowed, and I questioned, “Can you see me?”
“Yes, Ms. Kramer.”
“Are you recording this right now?”
“Yes, Ms. Kramer.”
I flipped off the cameras plastered all over the ceiling, shoving my topnotch breeding aside in my frustration. Then I lowered my hand, asking, “Where are the speakers?”
“In the cameras, Ms. Kramer.”
I sighed. “Can you call Mr. Baker for me?”
“Hold, please.”
My arms crossed as I waited.
“Little busy, Mina.” Finn’s voice filled the cabin.
I kept it simple, even if my annoyed tone was clear—trapped inside his train. “I have an idea for getting Poppy out of there. Will you come back to the train? I can’t do it without you.”
He grunted, his voice breathless. “Will it work?”
“Possibly. It would be a lot faster than what you gentlemen are doing.” I cleared my throat—loudly. “Or I could just ask…Choo-Baby-Choo…for the help.”
Finn shouted in pain. “You motherfucker!” He growled, the noise definitely not human. “Hold on, Mina. Just give me a second and quit bluffing. You know my kickass train won’t obey your orders.”
My shoulders tensed as I listened to him fight.
By how winded he was, this battle was much tougher than the fight yesterday. Finn grunted and growled—a white tiger’s growl—too many times to count. He finally hissed, “Get away from the door, Mina.”
I rushed to the back of the cabin, only catching glimpses out the windows. There were even more golems outside than when we had arrived, each new one stumbling out of the woods as if the wilderness was housing them.
