want her delivered and… There’s no need, she’s not going anywhere.”
“Tell him he’ll never have me,” I said.
Logan stared straight ahead, but his eyes shifted just a fraction in my direction.
“I’m a Chitah, are you saying my word is no good?” He gripped the stick shift and squeezed.
Silence.
“No, I did not agree to this and I don’t like that you’re changing the rules. Tell me why you’re backing out of the agreement?” He focused outside the window and lowered his voice. “Let’s get one thing clear: I am not a delivery service.”
I wondered how fast I could whip my foot around and break the key in the ignition.
“Be that as it may…”
His fingers curled around the wheel and he sighed. “I will accept that offer. Where?”
The engine roared to life.
Several minutes crept by. Over the silent hum of the tires spinning along the asphalt, Logan’s throaty voice broke the silence. “He said you have something that belongs to him.”
“I bet he did. Does he come with a name?”
“We never got to the introductions.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“I expect nothing, except an answer to my question. What do you possess that’s his?”
“I have something he wants, but it doesn’t belong to him.”
Logan squeezed the ends of his wet hair and turned the wheel with a sharp yank. A terrified squirrel dashed through the headlights and scurried into the brush.
“Maybe you should give it to him.”
My nature would have been to lash out at him, but I sat quietly in my seat. Power and age should have brought wisdom—but in this world, all it brought was greed.
“What he wants is my light.”
“A juicer?” he asked in disbelief.
“Call it whatever you want.”
“Maybe I’ll call it… bullshit. I can’t blame you for trying,” he sang.
“To be honest, I don’t care what you think, Mr. Cross. You’re the least of my concerns.” I held my tongue and focused on leveling down the energy that was beginning to surface. The low decibel hum was a symptom, as thirst is to one who is dehydrated. I needed to be alert, and seek an opportunity to lay it on him.
And boy , did I want to lay it on him.
“There was a change of plans. I’ll be trading you off up ahead.”
“Why not take me directly to him?”
“We negotiated over the phone to meet, but he changed his mind at the last minute. I suspect as a Mage, he fears me.”
“How do you trust a man you’ve never met?”
“Who said I trusted him? We will be square after tonight.”
“Ah, that explains a lot,” I said. “So you are the fool that owes him.”
“I pay my debts.”
“You should quit getting yourself in a position where you owe people. It makes you look inept.”
His eyes flashed at mine. “You sure are a noisy little bird,” he snapped.
“Bite me.”
He made a frightening sound—deep and low. I knew I was instigating trouble, so I turned my attention on the locking mechanism.
Plan A: I somehow manage to open the door with my hands tied behind my back and roll across the highway, losing skin and breaking bones.
Plan B: I knock him out. What’s the worst that could happen? The car flips over, crushing my body between the door and asphalt. Then, a fire sparks from the gas leak, and I slowly burn to death.
Neither was an option. I wiggled in my seat, trying to loosen his impossible knot. I looked out the window and saw we were heading deeper into the woods. A low fog covered the ground like a soft breath.
“We’re nearly there,” he said.
I was running out of options—and out of time. “Will you take a bribe?” I asked reluctantly. That piqued his interest.
“What do you offer?”
“I have no money on me. What will you take?”
His lower incisors rose as if they were hands volunteering.
When the car pulled off the road, we got out. My stomach twisted into a tight knot as he gripped my upper arm. What Pandora’s box did I just open ?
The rain tapered off to a fine
“Tell him he’ll never have me,” I said.
Logan stared straight ahead, but his eyes shifted just a fraction in my direction.
“I’m a Chitah, are you saying my word is no good?” He gripped the stick shift and squeezed.
Silence.
“No, I did not agree to this and I don’t like that you’re changing the rules. Tell me why you’re backing out of the agreement?” He focused outside the window and lowered his voice. “Let’s get one thing clear: I am not a delivery service.”
I wondered how fast I could whip my foot around and break the key in the ignition.
“Be that as it may…”
His fingers curled around the wheel and he sighed. “I will accept that offer. Where?”
The engine roared to life.
Several minutes crept by. Over the silent hum of the tires spinning along the asphalt, Logan’s throaty voice broke the silence. “He said you have something that belongs to him.”
“I bet he did. Does he come with a name?”
“We never got to the introductions.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“I expect nothing, except an answer to my question. What do you possess that’s his?”
“I have something he wants, but it doesn’t belong to him.”
Logan squeezed the ends of his wet hair and turned the wheel with a sharp yank. A terrified squirrel dashed through the headlights and scurried into the brush.
“Maybe you should give it to him.”
My nature would have been to lash out at him, but I sat quietly in my seat. Power and age should have brought wisdom—but in this world, all it brought was greed.
“What he wants is my light.”
“A juicer?” he asked in disbelief.
“Call it whatever you want.”
“Maybe I’ll call it… bullshit. I can’t blame you for trying,” he sang.
“To be honest, I don’t care what you think, Mr. Cross. You’re the least of my concerns.” I held my tongue and focused on leveling down the energy that was beginning to surface. The low decibel hum was a symptom, as thirst is to one who is dehydrated. I needed to be alert, and seek an opportunity to lay it on him.
And boy , did I want to lay it on him.
“There was a change of plans. I’ll be trading you off up ahead.”
“Why not take me directly to him?”
“We negotiated over the phone to meet, but he changed his mind at the last minute. I suspect as a Mage, he fears me.”
“How do you trust a man you’ve never met?”
“Who said I trusted him? We will be square after tonight.”
“Ah, that explains a lot,” I said. “So you are the fool that owes him.”
“I pay my debts.”
“You should quit getting yourself in a position where you owe people. It makes you look inept.”
His eyes flashed at mine. “You sure are a noisy little bird,” he snapped.
“Bite me.”
He made a frightening sound—deep and low. I knew I was instigating trouble, so I turned my attention on the locking mechanism.
Plan A: I somehow manage to open the door with my hands tied behind my back and roll across the highway, losing skin and breaking bones.
Plan B: I knock him out. What’s the worst that could happen? The car flips over, crushing my body between the door and asphalt. Then, a fire sparks from the gas leak, and I slowly burn to death.
Neither was an option. I wiggled in my seat, trying to loosen his impossible knot. I looked out the window and saw we were heading deeper into the woods. A low fog covered the ground like a soft breath.
“We’re nearly there,” he said.
I was running out of options—and out of time. “Will you take a bribe?” I asked reluctantly. That piqued his interest.
“What do you offer?”
“I have no money on me. What will you take?”
His lower incisors rose as if they were hands volunteering.
When the car pulled off the road, we got out. My stomach twisted into a tight knot as he gripped my upper arm. What Pandora’s box did I just open ?
The rain tapered off to a fine
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