I was losing the battle. “Joshua, it will only take a moment for you to answer Poppy’s questions—”
“Did you not hear me the first time?” Hard brown eyes glared right into mine. “Or is it impossible for you to shut up today?”
“I doubt you want to be around us any more than we want to be with you. I don’t—”
“Shut up, Ms. Harvey,” he interrupted again.
He walked straight out the back door of the store without paying, the five large ropes looped over both of his shoulders. I guessed the hardware stores actually took a loss every time he entered one of their establishments.
Poppy grabbed my left bicep this time when I just stood frozen furiously in my spot and yanked me out the back door with her. We kept running until we walked in his shadow again. Our pace slowed the busier the streets became. It was almost noon now, local employees dashing to grab their lunch or rushing to quick appointments.
I sighed, and grumbled, “Where are we going now?”
“My train,” he hissed. “As I said, I have a lot planned today.”
“Awesome.” I snapped my eyes to my silent comrade. “We’re getting in a transport with a killer. Great fucking idea, Poppy.”
She cast a quick glare in my direction. “You can leave.”
“Yeah, let me leave you alone with him. Even better plan.”
“I’m getting my answers.” She raised a delicate red brow. “Only he can provide them. Unless you have a better idea?”
Joshua grunted in front of us, eavesdropping.
Dumbfounded, I sputtered, “Ask the other seer? You know, the nice one? I’m sure he would know the answers.”
Poppy nibbled on her bottom lip, and then quickly shook her head. Very quietly, she mumbled, “I don’t want him to know.”
Dry, oh so, dry words. “Seriously?”
“Shit, I don’t know! Not right now, for sure. I don’t want him to freak out when he just came back from the dead-dead. He’ll think it’s his fault and it’s not.” She pointed a finger at the back of Joshua’s head. “It’s his. And mine. So I’m figuring this problem out.”
“We can wait until Cassander’s in a better state of mind…”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Not with my job.”
“This isn’t smart,” I argued again.
“I know.”
“I really don’t like it,” I muttered. But I kept moving.
* * *
“Where the hell are we going?” I asked harshly, not expecting a reply since I hadn’t received one since we’d gone airborne. The train we were flying on had no windows. None at all. And there were no lights inside the train. I held Poppy’s hand next to me, just to know she hadn’t disappeared in the void. “You have officially reached the next level of cracked. I don’t think there is a diagnosis for you. All of the boxes would be checked withKill This Fucker Nowhandwritten at the top.”
Poppy sighed. “You are not helping, Noelle.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I’ve reached my limit.” I leaned forward on my chair where I thought he sat facing us. “Speak! I know you have a tongue unless you’ve cut it out in the past ten minutes.”
Joshua sighed. “I still prefer Faith over all of you.”
He was right in front of me where I thought he was.
I bared my teeth. “From what I heard, you tossed Faith overboard into a raging sea. If you like her the best, now I know why we’re having such fun with you.”
Joshua sighed again, long and loud this time. “Good heavens, will you please shut up. If I make you quiet, you won’t return from it. Would you like that, Ms. Harvey?”
