Gerran glanced into the backseat. “Or we could just knock him out.”
“Or we could do that,” he agreed.
“How much time do you think we have before Seraphina gets suspicious?”
He shrugged. “Between Penelope not showing up for work tonight and the brother missing, I doubt we’ve got long.”
Reidar snapped his finger, unmuting the human.
“If I take the tape off, you think you can be civil?” he asked, not bothering to look back at him.
A rumble sounded.
He took it as an affirmative, then snapped his fingers to have the tape falling away and the ropes unwinding from Oliver’s wrists and ankles.
“Who are you?” he demanded the instant he could speak.
“Angels,” Reidar told him simply.
“Are you high?”
He didn’t dignify the idiocy with a response.
“Look. My father’s got money. If you just let me call him, I’m sure he’ll pay whatever ransom you want.”
“Believe it or not, we’re taking you to your sister,” Reidar informed him.
“My sister?” Oliver’s voice shifted to a rough growl. “What did you do to her?”
Gerran chuckled. “Humans,” he huffed. “Always thinking the worst.”
It was true, they were a suspicious lot.
“ANYCHANCEWECOULDSTOP?” PENELOPEPROMPTEDObsidian, doing her best not to cross her legs in agony.
She had to pee like a racehorse, but she’d been holding it for the past hour, hoping they’d come to their destination before she had to ask him to make a detour. They’d been on the road for four hours, so she figured she’d held out long enough.
“Of course.”
“I really need to stretch my legs. Maybe grab something to eat.” Both were true, though her bladder was making the loudest request.
Granted, she hadn’t seen any signs of civilization for quite some time, so Penelope wasn’t even sure there was a place for them to stop.
As though conjured out of nowhere, a sign for a truck stop appeared, making her breathe easier.
When Obsidian pulled up to the gas pump, she couldn’t hold it any longer. Even as he called her name, she made a beeline for the inside, heading right for the restroom.
A few minutes later, she emerged to find Obsidian leaning against the wall in the hallway, his face intense, eyes shielded behind those dark glasses.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, feeling her face heat with embarrassment. “I couldn’t wait.”
A smile formed as realization dawned on his face. “My apologies.”
Taking her hand, he led her through the store, snatching up snacks as he went.
“How much longer?” She wondered if they had time to stop for a real meal.
“I wish I could say we’d make it before dawn, but that won’t be the case. We’ll have to take shelter for the day.”
