Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
B ursting with unsettled energy, I walked into the garage.
I hadn’t decided how, but the rest of whatever was ahead was going to be on my terms or not at all.
Britannia smirked from the shotgun seat as Wald messed around in the back of the black SUV.
The pressure in my head ratcheted up to explosive, and my ears were probably the color of flaming beets as I walked up to the car.
“Out,” I said, opening the passenger door.
Britannia crossed her arms and pouted, digging the spiked heels of her boots into the carpet, as if I might try to drag her out. Smart girl. I had that planned. Apparently, I needed a new tactic.
I walked around to the back of the car and readied my best approach. “Why the hell is your sister coming with us?”
Wald straightened up with a cordless power drill in his hand. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow.
“Agatha and Britannia have a special relationship, so it’s extra leverage.” His voice lowered, and he leaned into me. “Besides, it's better to keep an eye on her. ”
God, that made sense, but I still didn’t like it.
“Fine, but I’m riding up front.” Beside Wald was a suitcase, a matching pair of black duffel bags, and a black cooler.
He’d been screwing the velvet-lined box to the sides of the trunk.
The outside was perforated stainless steel so that the whole box breathed. I was such an idiot.
I couldn’t tell his reaction because he had his sunglasses on.
“Do you have to wear those?”
“My eyes are very sensitive. Britannia also has a problem with back seats, so she usually prefers the front seat. But if you get nauseous, let me know because I can help with that,” he said with a slight shift of his head.
His lips twitched and parts of me twinged in reaction.
Goddamn it. I was smitten with the bastard.
“Fine, I’ll drive then.”
“That’s not a good idea and you know it. I have a physical license which is not attached to a crime inquiry.” He set the drill inside the box.
The bastard was right. I didn’t have a driver's license. It was in my purse. Of course, that didn’t matter unless we got pulled over.
“Let’s get on the road then. I can’t get there fast enough.
” Annoyance itching at me, I walked back around the car to the passenger side and opened the door.
Like the bratty child she was, Britannia held on to it so I couldn’t open it all the way.
“Get out. You’re sitting in the back.”
“How about no.”
You know how they say eyes flash daggers? Britannia had that look down. I clawed at my throat, choke-screaming as the pressure of invisible fingers crushed my windpipe.
“Stop it, Britannia. Get in the backseat,” Wald ordered as he opened the driver side door and slid in .
With a grunt, Britannia slammed the door shut but squeezed between the seats, her hands sliding over Wald’s arm.
I ripped open the door and glared at her as I got in.
She hissed and kicked the seat as I put on my seatbelt.
“Stop it.” I twisted around.
“Britannia behave yourself,” Wald snapped, starting to back out of the garage.
I shot Britannia a smug smile. I’d won for now. “How far is Vegas?” I asked Wald.
“Depends on how fast I drive. Under twelve hours.”
“That’s forever.” I groaned. But at least we had a destination and a whisper of a plan.
T he house faded into the trees, and we hit the dirt roads again.
The silence in the car lasted until we made it to the highway when Wald turned on music.
I don’t know what I expected. Maybe industrial with a heavy beat?
Instead, his music choice was acoustic strings with the screech of electric guitar in the background. Mesmerizing in its repetitiveness.
“Tell me about Aunt Agatha.”
“You’ll like her. She’s quite complicated.” He rubbed the steering wheel with a gloved hand.
Maybe it was me, but it felt like he filled the car with his presence. I breathed in his scent. “That isn’t descriptive.”
“Likely not. But you’ll understand what I mean when you meet her.”
“Jeezus, can you ever just tell me? What does she do in Vegas?”
His fingers stroked the edges of the wheel. “Agatha has a magic show. ”
I twisted the ends of my hair. God, he was abyss-level vexing. “That’s her specialty, then, magic? Like Maverick?”
“Agatha is from Victoria’s side of the family.”
“Not a magical magician then?”
“Not in the way you are thinking. Agatha is rather special.”
“You are so crystal clear. Can you please just tell me?”
“Some secrets are like presents. They are best revealed as a surprise. And if I were clearer, you would ask fewer questions.”
“If you weren’t driving, I’d be killing you right now.” I seethed.
“I might enjoy that.” He shifted in the seat, glancing in the rearview mirror, and I turned to check on Britannia.
Her eyes were closed. Either she was sleeping or pretending to be asleep.
I got the message though that we had an audience.
Maybe Wald wasn’t trusting Britannia either.
Could it be a keep your enemies close , or was it a sister thing?
I didn’t have the sibling firsthand knowledge.
Only child of an only child. Solitary was in my DNA.
Wald calmly focused on the road ahead. With the speed Wald was driving and the road vibration, the music was oddly soothing. I closed my eyes and relaxed. For the moment, I was safe.
I must have fallen asleep because Wald opening the driver’s door roused me.
“Where are we?” I croaked.
“Pit stop in Hiko, about two hours from Vegas,” Britannia said from behind me .
Wald was pumping gas. Why the hell was I finding that sexy? I was apparently insane along with everything else. Bathroom and a drink sounded good.
I opened the door, realizing for the first time how screwed I really was. “I need money,” I said to Wald, as if he were Dad and I was asking for basic needs on a road trip. The irony was not lost on me, and I was spitting mad about it.
“Britannia will accompany you and get you what you need.”
“No way. I’m not going anywhere with her.”
“Don’t make a scene,” he said, smiling up at the cameras. He held out a pair of sunglasses that were similar to his own.
I looked away from the camera, throwing my hair over my face while I hooked the surprisingly light sunglasses over my ears.
The world took on a pink cast, and everything was sharper, as if my eyes had leveled up on taking in detail.
I could also see farther away, and the low light areas were brighter. “Whoa. I might never take these off.”
Britannia was wearing a similar pair. She smirked as she led the way into the gas station, making sure she was between me and the cameras.
The bathrooms were the one-person kind. I opened the door, and she pushed past me.
“Hell no. You can wait outside.”
“I don’t take orders from you. Besides, Wald asked me to hold your hand, and I’m doing my job. Don’t worry. I won’t watch,” she said as I entered. She locked the door and turned her back on me.
“What do you want to drink or eat?” she chatted as I peed.
“Water, lots of it, and something crunchy, preferably not BBQ flavored.”
I flushed, then washed my hands, glancing in the mirror. The sunglasses had a rose-red cast to them and looked decent on me.
Britannia opened the door, and I headed for the chip aisle, but she grabbed my arm.
“Wald said we shouldn’t stay here long,” she whispered, steering me to the front door and walking me back to the car. Wald had finished pumping and was sitting behind the wheel. I slid into the passenger seat, and Britannia went back into the shop.
Tilting the sunglasses up and down turned the world from its normal dullness into crisp and vivid. I craned my neck around to check on Britannia. The clerk was handing her a bag at the checkout.
“Your sister is a bitch.”
“Britannia is not an easy person to understand. We have a complicated family.”
“Tell me about it. That was part cliché, part question, in case you wondered.”
“There are lots of things I’d like to tell you, but my family is not my favorite subject,” he purred back, running a gloved hand up my thigh. The effect was the same as if he brushed between my legs. I leaned away.
“How about fishing? I saw the pole in your room.”
“Fish are delicious.” He laughed, lacing his fingers with mine and sending tingles up my arm.
“No, really, I like being out in nature. It’s soothing, and the serenity appeals to me.
I value standing still and taking in a moment.
” His low gravelly tone wasn’t suggesting fish.
“Time moves both quickly and slowly, so savoring experiences is something I take seriously.” He leaned over and brushed his lips over mine. The back door opened.
Wald pulled back, and I unhooked my fingers like we were teenagers getting caught by parents .
“Got you something,” Britannia said as she slammed the door closed. She tossed a brown bag over the seat, hitting me in the crotch like an anvil. I nearly threw it back at her, but I was hungry and curious.
Wald started the car.
“Damn it,” he said in unison with me. He was looking into the rearview mirror. I was looking at two packs of BBQ chips and a root beer. I hated BBQ nearly as much as root beer.
B ehind us was another an electric car with a man and a woman in it. They were close enough that I could see the woman was eating chips out of the bag. They were salt and vinegar. I whipped the open bag of BBQ chips back at Britannia, who squealed and ducked, pawing chip pieces out of her hair.
The car swerved onto the ramp at breakneck speed. I pulled the glasses down and peered at the car again. I could see headlights. Man, these glasses were good.
“What’s up? That couple doesn’t look too menacing,” I said with a laugh.