Page 10 of Rook

“Found him on our side of the Mojave,” Marika answers, crossing her arms. “But given the sand in his lungs, he had a desert detour.”

“Damn,” I exhale, sinking the needle into dead flesh. “That’s not good.”

Aisling cocks her head, grey eyes sharp. “Why’s that so bad? Aside from the obvious.”

Marika chuckles, and it sounds like gravel under tires. “You’ll find the Mojave’s got its own special brand of hell these days.”

“I know it’s a desert,” she shrugs. “We had books…”

“Look, Aisling, the Mojave isn’t just some vast stretch of sun-scorched earth,” I say as we step away from the corpse, leaving Marika to tuck it back into its cold berth. “It’s a minefield now, littered with alpha packs that have lost their damn minds. Going there? It’s like throwing yourself into a pit with starved dogs.”

She nods slowly, her gaze fixed on the floor for a moment before meeting mine. There’s a flicker of something in those grey eyes—resolve, maybe, or the steel edge of curiosity. “So if we’re heading into the Mad Max zone, we better gear up.”

“Exactly.” I pocket the vials of blood, making sure the caps are tight. “We’ll need more than just water and sunscreen.”

We shuffle out of the morgue’s chilly embrace, leaving behind the stench of formaldehyde and death. Marika waves us off with a smirk, her laughter trailing behind us like a bad omen.

Outside, the city claws at the sky with its broken skyline, but it’s what lies beyond that’s got my attention—the desert, with its secrets buried deep beneath the sand. We slide into my two-door car, the engine growling to life under my touch. The familiar feel of the leather steering wheel and the weight of Aisling beside me is comforting, but it can’t shake the unease crawling up my spine.

“Let’s hit the road, grab some grub on the way back,” I suggest, trying to keep the mood light despite the darkness we’re flirting with. “My treat.”

“Sure, food sounds good,” she says, though her voice doesn’t quite hide the tension winding through her.

We merge onto the thoroughfare, the city’s pulse throbbing around us as we head toward Celestial Hills. That’s when I catch a glimpse in the rearview mirror—a car, nondescript, maybe a sedan, hugging our tail a little too closely.

“Got company,” I mutter, taking a sudden turn down a side street. The car follows, confirming the itch at the back of my neck wasn’t just paranoia.

“Friends of yours?” Aisling asks, her tone lighter than the situation warrants.

“Wrong kind of friends,” I reply, watching the sedan mirror our every move. “Looks like we’ve piqued someone’s interest.”

“Or they don’t like where we’ve been poking our noses.” She glances over her shoulder, studying our shadow.

“Either way, we’re not shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries.” I press down on the accelerator, the car responding with a surge of power.

“Guess it’s time to see if your driving’s as good as your morgue-side manner,” she quips, a half-hearted smile playing on her lips.

“Strap in, Stargazer,” I say, pushing the car faster, weaving through the traffic. “This ride’s just getting started.”

Chapter five

Aisling

Of course we’re being tailed.

I can’t fucking go out without some disaster happening.

We play it cool for a hot second, but the pursuing SUV keeps getting closer—and they don’t look friendly. There are two guys wearing sunglasses in the front seat, and they look like they’ve got murder on their minds.

“What do we do?” My voice is calm, grey eyes scanning the rearview mirror for any sign of salvation. “Try to lose ’em, or fight?”

“Back to my place,” he says, knuckles white on the wheel. “The drones’ll handle it.”

“Sounds like a plan—“ I start.

Then the SUV fucking rams us.

We both jolt forward, Rook cursing as I look back at them. They’re getting aggressive—probably got an ID on us. A dark figure leans out their window, an assault rifle in hand, making my blood turn icy.

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