Page 20 of Burn

My place. He was talking about my place.

“We’re playing follow the leader at the moment, and trying to get out of the conga line. How far are you guys from Manhattan?”

More silence.

Lunchbox turned left abruptly and if not for the seatbelt and bracing, I’d have flung off the seat. Goblin made a little whining noise. Yeah, he wasn’t a fan either.

“Sounds good. We’ll be there.” A pause. “Do you care how we deal with them?” Pause. “Good. Talk soon.” He ended the call.

“Head to Jersey,” he said to Lunchbox. “I’m going to make our friends a cocktail or two. It’s a little early for happy hour, but we should be ready by the time we’re out of here.”

Alphabet climbed between the seats. He slipped through like he wasn’t six foot plus, with broad shoulders. It was more like watching a contortionist as he seemed to shrink himself down, ducking his head to avoid the roof of the vehicle, while elongating his limbs to get past the tight squeeze. He might have been a bit clumsy in the execution but there was a kind of ease to it too. “Hey Pixie-girl.” The wink did not settle my nerves. “Goblin’s good for hugging, isn’t he?”

He paused to scratch Goblin’s ears, then he reached over into the backseat and pulled a case up.

“Need Goblin on the floor for a couple,” he said and I loosened my hold. Without complaint, Goblin slid down into the well. There he sat and pressed his head against my leg. It was nice to just pet him.

It also left me alone on the backseat with Alphabet as he popped open the case. I still had the blanket and photos so I pulled them to me and hugged them in lieu of Goblin, even if I kept one hand on him.

“What are you doing?” I asked. He had a glass canning jar, likeMamanused when she made preserves.

“Putting together a little cocktail for our friends. They’re being very pushy. They need to understand that we are not that into them.”

“In the tunnel in three,” Lunchbox warned. We were slowing down, but still moving. I swore my stomach fell to my feet. Atthis rate, the people following us would be able to run up to the car. The lights helped, but it still felt ominous and oppressive.

When he was done, Alphabet closed the jar and sealed it. “Think you can hold this for me?” He held it out to me and I stared at it. Then I wrapped a hand around it. It meant letting go of the blanket. “Thank you.”

He twisted to put the case behind the seat again and stared out the rear window. A muscle ticked in his jaw that was utterly at odds with the casual tone he’d been using. We slowed even further.

“Dude,” Alphabet warned.

“I know,” Lunchbox said. “I don’t have much choice. There’s a bit of traffic in here, but we’re close to the exit.”

The thud of my heart echoed in my ears. Was I going to get these guys killed? I’d seen bodies in the warehouse. More outside the truck. Then the ones in my place. How many bodies were going to fall?

“Deeper breaths, Pixie-girl,” Alphabet said as Goblin whined. The dog was leaning all of his weight against my leg. The pressure helped. The shallow, sharp pants hurt my chest. It was harder to make them deeper. “That’s it. Just take them nice and slow.”

“Don’t worry, Gracie,” Lunchbox said over his shoulder. Unlike Alphabet’s shaggier look, Lunchbox’s hair was closer clipped, though it had a suggestion of curls to it. Maybe he had to keep it short to avoid them. The color was more burnished copper than brown, but that could also be the way the sun hit it. “This is just a little snag in the plan. We’re going to be in Jersey soon, then we’ll be able to shake them.”

My mouth was so dry, but I got my breathing under control.

“Get back up here,” Lunchbox ordered, then Alphabet grimaced.

“Hang onto the jar a minute longer,” Alphabet said. He had a little bit of a harder problem getting between the seats on the way back. When his leg got stuck for a second, he swore and bumped his head on the roof. The messy blond hair kind of stuck up in the back anyway. Still swearing, he yanked it forward and sat.

When he reached back for the jar, I passed it off. Goblin returned to the seat and crawled into my lap so I was laying over him and hugging him.

Eyes closed, I rubbed my cheek against Goblin’s fur. The sable and white dog with his short, square muzzle and rose-shaped ears that perked up kept me sane as we suddenly emerged into the daylight once again.

Gradually, we began to speed up. But not too fast.

“On our right,” Alphabet warned.

“Yep.” Lunchbox hit the gas and we accelerated as he began to weave in and out of traffic. “Come on, take the bait.”

Take the bait? They were insane.

Certifiable.

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