Page 46 of Magic's Rise

His other brow joins the first. “You’re more awake now, right?”

My racing heart says yes while the urge to murder tells me to strangle the smug-ass man. This road trip will not be how he finally tames us.

We disembark from the elevator and trail after Haut like little ducklings to a small dining room, where Aspen and Levi already sit at a little round table, wrappers and the remnants of fruit in a little pile at the center.

Stomachs rumbling, Tris and I rush forward to check out our options, only to find ourselves face-to-face with a sparse continental breakfast.

“Seriously?” Tris stares mournfully at the empty chafing dishes with signs that announce bacon and eggs for those who arrive after seven o’clock. “We rushed for this?”

When I lift the lid next to the waffle maker, there’s no batter inside. “Even the food gods think it’s too early to be awake.”

“At least they have a muffin basket.” Tris lifts a chocolate with chocolate chips. “This is as good as it gets, sparky.”

Accepting the offering, I add a banana. “After we get back home, we’re never stepping outside Hartford Cove again.”

“Agreed.” Tris selects a blueberry crumb top and an apple for himself. “Nesse’s Diner or bust.”

“Grab me a poppyseed muffin,” Haut directs as he fills to-go cups with coffee from the carafe. “Rowe, you’ve got tea or milk as options.”

“Neither.” I peel off my wrapper. “We need to find a drive-thru ASAP.”

“Seconded,” Levi rumbles in agreement, and Aspen nods, silently joining the Better Beverage Alliance.

“Fine.” Haut scowls at his defeat. “We should get going. The sooner we’re on the road, the sooner we arrive.”

Haut tucks the to-go cups into the thermal bag balanced on my suitcase. “If there’s one open on the way to the freeway, we’ll stop.”

Levi and Aspen dispose of their trash, and we head out to the front desk, where we drop our keys into the quick-checkout box before heading outside.

A dark parking lot greets us, along with a cool morning, our breath forming fog. Our ride sits a few spots down from the single streetlight.

Tris and I munch on our muffins at the back of the luggage train.

As we near the van, though, Haut’s steps slow, as do Levi’s, and the two men turn their heads to examine our surroundings.

Alarm shoots through me at their sudden tension. “What’s wrong?”

Haut points at the front driver’s side. “Someone let the air out of our tire.”

I press against Tris. “Is it possible we ran over something?”

Aspen leaves his bag on the sidewalk and kneels beside the flat. “They stole the valve cap.”

Tris’s arm comes around me. “Could it be the same creep from last night?”

“Seems likely.” Levi scratches the scruff on his chin. “Someone is trying to slow us down and mess with us.”

“They were stupid, then.” Haut sets our luggage next to Aspen’s and strides to the back of the van, popping the trunk. “They would have had more success if they let the air out of all the tires.”

Tris and I join him at the back as he pulls out what we left in the van overnight.

Bewildered, I stare at the growing pile. “What are you doing?”

“We need to change the tire so we can drive to the nearest gas station and refill the flat one.” He lifts the floorboard to reveal a compartment below with a small spare.

Levi takes it from him while Haut frees the carjack from another cubby.

He and Haut make quick work of swapping on the spare. It looks cartoonishly small compared to the size of the van, but it holds the weight.

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