I rested my hand on Rune’s muscled back and rubbed in soothing motions. “Think you can make it back to our seats?”
He lifted a finger, sucking in oxygen, tears running down his face. Gradually, he straightened to his full height, hiccups now attacking his body while he brushed off his face. He puffed on air, grinning like a fool, and gasping. “I need to put your address in first. Go ahead and sit down.”
I took my seat while he typed in my address to the main panel. The clean blue energy stirred, powering up, and we lifted further into the air. Rune took his seat next to me and took the liberty to press the button on my chair. I smirked as the footrest lifted and the backseat reclined.
I mumbled, “You sure do know how to charm a girl.”
He snorted and held up a quick hand. “Don’t make me laugh again. My stomach is still killing me.”
I winked. “I’ll be gentle.”
Except…his attention shot forward. He inhaled heavily, his nostrils flaring.
Then, as one, all the men inside the train stood up and stared at one another.
“That motherfucker,” Cassander hissed.
“He’s taking over the damn train again,” Wolfe growled. He raced to the main panel, but it was black—void of anything. He tore into the casing around it. “I don’t know if I can stop it in time.”
Poppy stood to her feet, a calmness about her that was frightening. “What’s happening?”
“Gas,” Theron explained. “Mr. Valentine is filtering a sleeping agent into the air.”
She pulled a knife from the sheath on her right leg, glancing at Wolfe. “Need a smaller knife than what you’ve got?”
He held out a hand, and she tossed it to him. He then jammed it into the side of the panel, through the wood, cutting into the actual train. “The access wires are back here.”
I swallowed and grabbed Rune’s hand as I pushed up from the recliner, wobbling on my feet. “How long until we’re out?” How they knew there was gas in the air, I hadn’t a clue. But, oddly, I trusted them.
“A minute. Maximum,” Rune stated softly, kissing my forehead.
“I should have taken a different train,” I mumbled—a bit deliriously. I grabbed at my forehead, my vision starting to blur. Rune’s face was at a bizarre angle, his lips to the right and his eyes to the left. It was a picture of him that belonged in a museum. “I think I’ll sit back down.”
He helped me sit on my seat, his strong hands gripping my biceps. “It’ll be okay, beautiful.”
I shook my head. “That madman chops people up for fun. It won’t be okay.”
Suddenly, all of the men’s silver bracelets chirped in alarm. Bells ringing in the air.
If there were a bird next to my ear, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I closed my eyes and giggled. This gas was trippy.
Theron’s voice exploded into the air. “God’s gone.Fuck!”
“I can’t get it. I can’t get it! My goddamn fingers are too big,” Wolfe snarled.
With my eyes still closed, I tilted my head to the side. This was cozy.
Thumpshit the ground, a symphony of background music as I fell into peaceful slumber.
