Page 28 of Running with Direwolves
There was a knock at the door.
Grady got up, his movements swift and efficient. “Tarl?”
“Yeah, let me in.”
Quickly Grady opened the door. “Heard anything?”
“Yeah, everyone’s phones are blowing up with it.”
“What are they saying?” Sienna pushed to sitting and then proceeded to dress.
“Residents of New York have been told to stay indoors because of a dangerous beast on the loose.”
Grady shrugged. “Good advice. If I hadn’t had that pizza I’d be damn hungry.”
Tarl held up his hand, his expression serious. “Your face is everywhere, Sienna. Not that we should be surprised.”
“Everywhere?”
“Yeah, it’s a good thing we’ve got this private cabin. Ten minutes out there and you’d be recognized.”
She slapped on her baseball cap, went to the window, and stared out at the passing wilderness. “So, what are we going to do?” She fought down a rise of fear. Her image was everywhere. The entire nation was looking for her. She was the “wanted” person who’d released the dangerous direwolf.
Grady picked up a packet of crisps and opened them. He sat back, one ankle crossed over the other knee, and began to eat.
“I suggest we get off at the next stop,” Tarl said and pulled a leaflet from his pocket. “We’ve made good progress andit’s a small town, we could run north and be over the border in an hour from there.”
“Gosh, we have made good progress,” Sienna said.
“In all truth, you’ve been either asleep or writhing in ecstasy.” Grady raised his eyebrows at her.
“Best way to be.” She grinned, even though anxiety was rapidly knotting in her stomach.
“How long until our next stop?” Grady asked.
“Twenty minutes. We’ll wait until the last minute to get off and just make a dash for it.”
“Yeah, and if Sienna keeps her head down, cap on, hood up, shielded by us, hopefully no one will spot her.”
“Do you think that will work?” she asked.
“It’s the best plan we have.” Tarl set his hand on her shoulder. “Make sure you’ve had a snack and are ready to go. But remember, we’ve got your back, it will be okay.”
“We’ll make damn sure it is.” Grady crumpled up his crisp packet and tossed it into the trash. “Our lives depend upon it.”
As the train slowed and then came to a halt, Sienna stiffened with anticipation. They had to pass through an entire carriage of people to get to the nearest exit. Tarl had done a check, and she’d need to go quick, head down, just in case anyone saw that she was America’s most wanted woman and raised the alarm.
“Stay close to me,” Grady said, stepping in front of her. “Hold my sweater, here.” He tugged the hem that sat over the rise of his ass. “That way you won’t have to look where you’re going. I’ll guide you.”
“And I’ll be right behind, so don’t stop,” Tarl said.
She reached out and steadied herself as the train came to a complete halt. The absence of noise, the wheels clacking on the rails, was suddenly loud.
“Just keep walking,” Grady said. “Let’s go.”
She did as he’d instructed, following tucked in behind him, she spotted passengers in her peripheral vision. They were reading books, looking at phones, chatting. As each one passed, she felt a little safer. Nearly there.
Then, just as they were about to step off, a shout came their way. “Hey, you there! Wait.”
