Page 23 of Running with Direwolves
Tarl also laughed quietly. “As the saying goes, let sleeping dogs lie.”
****
A few hours later Sienna locked her apartment door for what she believed would be the last time. The most likely scenario was in a few hours the NYPD would be knocking on it, looking for her, the most wanted zookeeper of all time.
“Come on,” Grady said, looking up at the sky. “The sun will be rising soon.”
Tarl hitched his rucksack on and then checked a strap on Sienna’s. “You okay?”
“I’ve got to be.” She gave him a half smile.
“You’re gonna be great.” He took her hand. “And if you wobble, we’ve got you.”
Soon they were hurrying toward Penn Station. It was a lengthy walk but it had been decided it was best to keep Sienna’s identity as low-key as possible.
When they finally got there, she pulled down her cap as the tickets were checked and then averted her face from a few other passengers as they made their way to their sleeper carriage.
“This should do,” Tarl said, stepping in and shucking off his rucksack into a corner.
“It’s cozy,” Sienna said, looking at the small space that really was just a bed and a tiny table. There was a note on the bed saying to ring the bell to have it turned into two sofas.
Grady looked left and right along the corridor then stepped in and shut the door, clicked the lock. He checked a door to his right. “Ah, a tiny bathroom, well, a toilet and sink at least.”
“That’s good.” Tarl nodded. “It means we can keep Sienna hidden right to the border.”
She sighed, removed her cap and winter coat, then sat on the bed, which was softer than she’d anticipated. “I am quite tired.” She hadn’t slept all night.
“Then close your eyes,” Tarl said. “I’m going to go to the canteen carriage as soon as this thing starts moving. Get us some food.”
She kicked off her boots and lay down.
Grady pulled the curtain so anyone walking on the platform wouldn’t see in.
Her phone buzzed from her coat pocket.
“What’s that?” Grady asked.
“A message?”
“Should we look?” Tarl pulled it out.
Sienna supressed a yawn and took it. “It’s from Bethany.”
“Who is Bethany?”
“She is a junior member of staff on the canine team.” As she’d spoken her mouth dried and she opened the message:What the hell? The direwolf is gone and they are saying you were the last one with him. Everyone is going mad around here. Call me. Call someone.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh, fuck.”
“What?” Tarl asked.
“It’s started. They know you’re gone.” She looked at Grady and passed him the phone.
His jaw tensed and his eyes flashed. “We knew they’d discover my disappearance at some point. We have to be grateful we got this far. The chances of them looking here before we pull out of the station are slim.”
“Let’s hope so.” She squeezed the bridge of her nose.
“They’ll be searching the park, then going to your place,” Tarl said. He glanced at a round brass clock on the wall. “And we’ll be on our way in ten minutes with luck.”
