Page 87 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

“Rune’s Stang has LoJack,” Sarah said with a smile. “Backup GPS, and your car still isn’t here, so you really don’t have an option.”

“Okay.” I nodded and got up to grab clean clothes before I thought better of it.

I put on my jeans, but I kept Rune’s shirt, planning to add a few pieces of Sif’s jewelry. I wanted to see if I could play her game. Show her I had been in her room, through her things, and was wearing not only pieces Rune gave to her, but his shirt too. I even still smelled like him. Maybe her anger would throw her off.

My phone dinged.

Small Blonde

Head north on the 51. Let me know when you are at Bell. I’ll tell you the next steps.

I read the message twice. She could send me anywhere. It would take me about twenty minutes to get there.

“Okay. She is sending me to 51 and Bell. I’m supposed to wait there for the next direction.”

“51 and Bell,” Sarah repeated.

I went towards the door to head out with Sarah right behind me. We snuck into Rune’s empty room. He must’ve been still passed out on Sif’s bed. His keys were on a small silver tray on his dresser.

His keys were literally waiting for me on a silver platter.

Sarah walked down to the garage with me. We were both silent until I opened the door.

“This is the dumbest thing you have ever done in a long history of dumb things.”

“This wasyouridea,” I reminded her.

“Having the idea was not dumb. Following it is dumb, so this is onyou.” Sarah closed the door behind me, her hands on the open window, hanging on like she didn’t want me to go.

“I prefer to think of it as brave.” I attempted a smile to make her feel better.

I wasn’t fooling anyone.

Sarah’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet when she said, “It’s only brave if it works and you live.”

“Well, then, I guess I better live.” I started the car.

“What promise?” she asked before letting go of the car.

“When I was jumped at the bookstore, I promised Rune I wouldn’t do anything stupid that would put myself in danger again.”

“Oh yeah, we are shattering the fuck out of that promise.”

* * *

I was pulling his car out of the garage in minutes, headed down the street. It was early enough the sun hadn’t quite risen yet and the streets were empty.

When I passed Greenway, I slowed down and sent Sif a message.

She responded instantly with a new location.

She had me driving in circles all over the valley for over two hours. I didn’t know if it was a tactic or if she was just playing a sick little game. The highways were filling up. The sun was glaring over the horizon, but thankfully Rune kept a pair of sunglasses tucked in his visor. Phoenix morning sun was no joke in the summer.

Finally, she had me on the I-17 going north out of Phoenix. I prayed she wouldn’t make me drive all the way to Flagstaff.

She had me pull off just after I passed the signs to Anthem, onto a little dirt access road to the Black Canyon Dog Track.

The dog track had been abandoned in the ‘80s, and it showed. The arena was falling apart, and the T in Track had fallen off the building years ago. Someone had spray painted a large C where it had been, so the sign now lovingly read Black Canyon Dog Crack.

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