Page 116 of Black Bird

Sarah huffed a laugh. “Yes. They were given to each of them by Nick Specter.”

Both Wren and Rhaena gaped and yelled their shock at the same time. “What?!” Sarah nodded.

“Oh, I’ll kill that little roach!” Rhaena seethed, gripping the wheel so hard Wren thought it would snap.

“No,” Sarah sighed. “He’s mine. And when Athan finds out, he’ll behistoo.”

“Sarah, he’s not gonna take that very well, I’m gonna go ahead and put that out there.” Rhaena said, glancing over at her.

“I know that. Let me handle it, okay?” Sarah soothed.

Wren’s fingers tangled around each other in her lap. “What about Brent?”

Sarah’s head snapped around the back of the seat. “Why do you care so much, Wren?” She could feel her face heating and couldn’t come up with a quick enough answer. Sarah’s brows were lowered and then retreated as if she had pieced it together. “Oh, my God.”

“What?” Wren asked, pulling her hair back.

“You like him.”Sarah’s eyes grew wider. Rhaena glanced at the mirror again and Wren could feel her stomach ache.

“Oh, shut the fuck up. You know better than that.” Wren dismissed them both, looking at anything she could distract herself with out the window. Rhaena busted out laughing.

“Oh, noooo …Wren!” Rhaena moaned in dismay, leaning into the steering wheel. Sarah just stared and Wren had heard just about enough.

“Okay, stop!” she yelped, throwing her hands out. “I donot, inany way, have a thing for your ex. When I think of somebody knocking my head against a headboard until I see Christ? Brent fucking Stratford isnotthe guy I’m picturing. You know that better than anybody. I just found it extremely odd and out of his perfectly poised character to be the way that I saw him today. That’s it. The only reason I’m asking now, is because if he knows about frickin’vampiresroaming around Boston, are you not worried that he’s gonna run his big ass mouth about it?”

Sarah turned herself forward again and slunk down into the seat. “I don’t think he’d do that. He probably just needs some time to digest everything. You know … kinda like me.”

Another long silence between all of them. Thank God they were pulling into the parking deck outside Rhaena and Athan’s place. Wren was dying to get the hell out of this truck.

“Alright, you two. In and out. We’ve gotta get outta Boston. I don’t have any doubt that the Feds know where Athan and I live, so … let’s not wait for them to find us first.” Rhaena parked and they all stepped out to head upstairs.

Athan had just finished packing up what he could and plundered through a small space in the back of his closet to find a smaller cage he usually only used to transport Poe to the vet. His bird would be very irritable this week in the confines of this tiny thing. He heard voices through the wall from Rhaena’s apartment and knew Sarah was probably with them. The image of that body this morning burned into his mind. Dahlia knew. Somehow, she had known. The only thing that made sense to him was that she’d left the club for the first time in God knows when and had either tracked him down or had been after Sarah the entire time she was out last night. He silently thanked God that he’d been there, not wanting to think of what she may have done to Sarah had he not picked up the phone and called when he did.

If that was true, however, then that would also mean that she knew what he felt for her. He nearly lost his shit when he’d spotted the calling card she’d left in that victim’s mouth. Foley would most likely put it together. Another victim that was meant to look like Sarah, with a black bird in her mouth to lead the world to the idea that it would be the same person who’d attacked Sarah outside a club with the same name. Did she know that he’d done it? She had called him out the night he’d been in her office about his festering hunger. She was baiting him. And using Sarah to draw him out. He would never let this shit happen.

Poe trilled and sputtered as Athan coaxed him into the small cage with a piece of raw meat. A soft knock at the door distracted him, and the tug in his middle was enough to know who stood on the other side. He answered it and Sarah stood, her face half-hidden beneath a dark hood.

“You look ominous,” Athan breathed, unsure of what to say now that she was standing in front of him … awake.

“Remind you of anyone?” Sarah half-smiled. He huffed through his nose and stepped aside to let her in. She kept her hands in the front pocket and stared forward, no doubt remembering the account of everything that had happened the last time she’d been here. “I’m not coming in. I came to see if you were ready to leave.”

Athan stiffened and he nodded slowly in understanding. “I’m ready. How long until they are?”

“Not long. They’re arguing about what to do about Denver.”

“I’ll take care of it. Look, Sarah … I hate to say this, but … I need you to take the battery out of your phone and leave it here. I bought four burners in case we need them. If we don’t toss these, it’ll be a day—maybe notevena day, before they find us.” He was surprised to see her shrug as if it didn’t matter to her at all, pulling her phone out and handing it over. He pried the back off and slid the battery out, taking his own phone from his pocket and doing the same.

Rhaena and Wren were busy bickering on their way out of her apartment door with their bags and the chubby black cat in a carrier. “What’s going on?” Wren asked, looking at them both.

“He needs your phones. We’ve got burners.” Sarah nodded toward him.

Rhaena sighed, dropping her shoulders after she locked up her door. “Shit … I didn’t think about that. Let me write down Brandon’s number.” She dropped her bag to the hallway floor and pushed past him into his apartment.

“Wow, Rhae … that was the most millennial thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Wren chuckled. Athan snorted.

“Rhae?” he echoed.

Wren grinned. “She likes it. It was either that, or Fleabag.” Athan tried to hold in his chuckle. Even Sarah found that one funny.

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