Page 5 of Own

Checking the time again, I stored the empty bottle in my bag. Other than the splashes on the ground, I didn’t want to leave any sign of us. Giving into the need, I hugged Goblin and he tucked his chin onto my shoulder.

Stroking my hands over him, I petted him thoroughly one more time. I needed to know he hadn’t gotten hurt for real. Though, he could be bruised. Fuck knew, I was. The harness was a little twisted so I leaned back to unclip and reclip it. One of the straps had been turned over.

It didn’t quite lay correctly, so I ran my fingers over it to flatten it out and felt something harder slid into the nylon strapof the harness itself. With care, I pulled the thumb drive out and stared at it.

“I really wish you could tell me what this is,” I told him as I studied it. “Should I put it back? Or put it in my pocket?”

Was it just info on Goblin? Like microchipping only on a thumb drive? That might make sense if he was separated from Alphabet. Or was it something else? Had AB given him that to carry out of the house?

Worry was a permanent burn in my gut. I had so many questions and not enough answers. I finally stuffed the thumb drive into my pocket.

“We’ll ask Boney Boy when he gets back.” He could make the call. Chances were, he’d know exactly what it was. Finally, I pushed up to stand and stretch my legs. At least they weren’t trembling so much.

Goblin moved when I did and he adjusted to sit closer to my legs, positioning himself between me and the opening that led back out into the garage. This narrow little slip behind the stairwell was hardly a fortress, yet being out of direct sight settled me on a really primitive level.

Having Goblin right there, ears perked forward and his gaze focused but body relaxed also did wonders for the shakiness in my soul. Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes and focused on calming my breathing.

Deep, slow inhales. Long, easy exhales. One after another until the deep, thunderous rhythm of my pulse finally settled. Goblin let out a low, almost inaudiblewoof. Eyes snapping open, I gripped the taser and shifted my attention to the opening.

Tires hushed over the concrete, not squealing so much as whistling a little? I strained to catch the sound of the engine, but there was nothing. Maybe a hum? But did engines hum?

The soft thump of a car door closing made me jump. I slapped my free hand over my mouth to stifle the near screamof surprise. Thankfully, it was my freehand and I neither clocked myself in the mouth with the taser nor stunned myself.

That would have been painfulandembarrassing. When Goblin’s tail began to wag a few seconds ahead of a very noticeable scuff of shoe, relief spilled through me.

“Don’t shoot,” Bones said in a dry, almost droll tone. “I come in peace.”

An inelegant snort escaped me as he followed his voice around the corner. Like earlier, he’d pushed his sunglasses up and he swept me from head to toe with a look.

“Cleaned up, changed, and ready to go.” Hopefully I sounded more confident than I felt. I was half-torn between thanking him for coming back and complaining that he’d taken forever.

He really hadn’t, but my seesawing emotions were just not prepared to be reasonable at the moment. With that in mind, I clamped my lips together.

“You didn’t doctor that,” he said, gesturing toward my neck. I frowned. When he touched two fingers to my chin, I froze in place and then tilted my head when he nudged my face upward. “It’s still angry.”

“Oh, the cut.” I’d forgotten about it. “It doesn’t really hurt that much. It doesn’t hurt at all at the moment.”

“It’s not bleeding. Did you clean it out?” The heat burning in his fingertips threatened to leave marks on my skin. No sooner did he withdraw them, though, than I almost shivered from the absence.

“I washed up as much as I could. I had water, no soap. But I tried to get rid of any blood. So I think we’re fine for now. When we get wherever, we can look at it again.”

The weight of his gaze said he was assessing me steadily, but he finally nodded. “We can.” Then he reached for the second duffel before he took mine. “Let’s get you two out of here.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. As soon as he led the way, I was right behind him. The parking garage felt so much bigger, and a little brighter, with his presence. Or maybe the sun had just shifted because there were shafts of light illuminating the gloom.

Probably just the whole rotation of the Earth and its axis and all that.

Bones hadn’t parked right next to our hiding spot. I scanned the area as we crossed to the other side from where he’d dropped us off. The car he returned in wasbrand newand shiny. The Peugeot e-308 looked glossy as hell and sat, backed into its spot, nose facing out and looking really sharp.

It looked freshly polished and it was a weird color. Almost turquoise on the right side where the sunlight seemed to touch it, but red on the driver’s side where it was tucked into the shadows.

Electric car.

That was why I didn’t hear an engine. They were damn near silent.

“Where did you get this?” I exhaled the question as he dropped the bags into the trunk.

He paused at the backdoor, where he tapped his leg before opening it. Goblin glanced at me and then trotted over to climb into the backseat. “I bought it.”

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