With my head against the headrest, I looked around as best as I was able, but still jumped when the other door to the back opened and a scrawny-looking guy with dirty blond hair came in.
He had a sandwich box in hand, the cheap plastic kind you got from the supermarket.This one looked like cheese.He was smiling.
“Hi.I asked if you could have one, but Josh slapped me.I’ll share the next one with you, okay?I’m sorry, I’m really hungry.Haven’t had anything in two days.”
I just stared.Then I noticed his clothing was dirty and consisted of a sweatshirt and pants so threadbare you could barely call it clothing.He didn’t have shoes either.
“Are you…are you the werewolf?”
He bowed his head.“Yes.They don’t call me that.You smell kind of funny, do you know that?Sweet.It’s a really nice smell.”
He pulled the plastic open and pulled out one half of the sandwich.It took him barely three bites to finish it, and I wasn’t sure he swallowed in between.He was slower with the second half, but not by much.He glanced up from his food once, giving me a sheepish look.
He licked his lips.There was about two bites of the sandwich left.
“If…if you’re very hungry, I suppose I can give you the rest.I think they’re happy, so maybe they’ll give me a second one today.Here.”
He held the remainder of the sandwich out to me.It took me a second to realize he was waiting for me to take it.
I shook my head, flinching when that caused pain to shoot all the way from my shoulder down to my fingers.“N-no.Thank you.You go ahead.”
He beamed and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.I watched him, unable to tear my eyes away.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then folded the plastic over the sandwich box closed.
“They’re not too bad.You can get used to it.”He licked a speck of mayo off the corner of his mouth.“If you try to run away, they’re going to hurt you, bad.”He leaned in closer.“I’m not saying don’t run, but be really sure.”He pulled on a necklace that was tight to his skin.“These don’t come off easy, and if you cut it, there’s an alarm.”
“Is that a collar?”
The expression on his face, the blankness in his eyes cracked for just one fraction of a second, but I saw it.Anger, hurt.Pain.Then it was plastered back over by his benign, uncaring smile.
“It sure is.So I don’t get lost.”
Then the doors in the front opened, and Steven got in on the passenger side, the other guy taking the wheel.
“Off to Camelot,” he said.
Wherever they were taking us, I didn't want to go.
34
We knew where they were.At least we knew where they were.I hadn’t heard from Dom—he hadn’t texted and I couldn’t reach him—but the A-Team had managed to use a satellite they shouldn’t have been using to find the SUV convoy.We’d seen their ATVs and a truck, and they’d just been able to confirm that only the ATVs had been loaded in the truck.
We weren’t concerned about that.We were following the SUVs.
“Are you going to be okay?”
Smith was driving.He’d taken his work car when he’d first done the lock change and had come out here in the armored one.Smart choice.
It took conscious effort for me not to snap at him.“I can handle this.”
The team had only been able to borrow the satellite for a few minutes, but they’d been able to track the SUVs after.I didn’t need a detailed rundown of every camera or cell network or whatever else they were using.They were really fucking good at this.
Night was creeping over the world like Death herself in a long black coat.They were on the highway, heading west, and we’d had to come up with something, and fast.
I didn’t like the plan, not one bit.
“I can do this,” I said, not in response to Smith.
