Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
It’s forthright. It’s anticipatory. It’s candid. It’s kak. Even if he is telling the absolute truth, I am not comforted by it. Because there are any number of other ways we could be delivered to… wherever it is we are going. This isn’t about our comfort and it’s certainly not about our safety, it’s about continuing to illustrate to us that we are not in charge. And the formation is curious. Picking Christine and Eliza to be transpo’d together. And me and Danny. It could be arbitrary, but the likelihood of anything being arbitrary falls somewhere in the realm of negative integers.
But my hands are, as they say, tied. I’m in no position to seize control. So, I flash glances to the other three, letting them know that I’m aware it’s far from ideal but I don’t see an alternative, and say, “Yeah, all right, man. Lead the way.”
He smiles, appearing relieved, and starts off down the platform. We follow him in the direction of the now low-hanging sun and as we’re just about to pass through the exit to the outside world, I glance back over my shoulder to see the silhouetted shapes of Nigel the conductor and Nigel the butler standing just beside the train, watching us go, and am overtaken by an unclassifiable feeling of dread. Which is not at all what I want to be feeling.
So, I slap myself out of it mentally.
And I feel myself start.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
&
DANNY
“Mr. Fortnight, sir. Will you come now, please?”
“Shut the fuck up and gimme a minute!”
If I’ve got to do a bunch of shit that someone else is demanding and I have no way of avoiding, I’m not gonna be rushed while I’m doing it. This asshole in his fancy suit and his stupid glasses can wait all goddamn day.
“If something feels off by even a fuckin’ millimeter, you do what you have to do,” I tell Christine, leaning in close.
“I will.”
“I’m not fucking kidding.”
“I don’t think you are.”
“Mr. Fortnight…” comes his voice again from over by the car where he is waiting. I ignore him this time. The driver of the Mercedes that is intended to carry Christine and Eliza stands by the rear door, holding it open, waiting for Christine to enter. Eliza is already in the backseat, staring out the window, also waiting. Not waiting patiently. But waiting. But I need to say what I need to say, so everybody else can just fucking give me a second.
“Christine—” I start before she cuts me off.
“Danny, stop. You need to stop. I’ll be right behind you, we’re going to the same place, I have my phone, and if anything gets weird I’ll handle it. I can still handle things. I’m still me. Right?”
I sigh out through my nose and nod my head discreetly. I want to kiss her. Hold her. Wrap her up in a hug. Take her hand even. But I can’t. I can’t show anyone that there is any amount of vulnerability they can exploit. Even though I don’t think you’d have to look at me that hard right now to see that it’s there.
I feel like an asshole. I don’t mean to be all fragile and delicate at the moment, but I find myself not being able to help it. I know what I know. And I can’t un-know it now. I fuckin’ wish she weren’t here. That Alec and I could just handle whatever this is alone. But that’s not how it works. We are a unit, the three of us. We have put in too much effort not to be. And, besides, there seems to be some unique knowledge of these people and this place that Christine possesses and which may be useful in short order.
“Right,” I say, answering her. She is still her. She can still handle things. Of course she can. And I need to let her.
I nod once more and give her a wink. She smiles and kind of half rolls her eyes. I know that she likes it when I wink at her. And, despite herself, she can’t help but be moved by it. At least that’s how I’m taking the smile and eyeroll. As opposed to her thinking I’m being an overly worried ninny or some bullshit.
She steps to the car that’s waiting for her and the driver closes the door behind her once she takes a seat. I move up to the curb where Alec and… Hans? Sure. Why not? Where Alec, Hans, and our driver wait.
I walk slowly. Just to be a dick.
When I finally find myself standing next to Alec, who is waiting by the open rear door, I see him wanting very much to ask me things. And then I see him very much decide not to.
Instead he just holds the door open for me, waits for me to get inside, and then winks at me kind of like I just winked at Christine. And when I roll my eyes at him, I know for certain it has nothing to do with me feeling butterflies in my stomach and everything to do with the fact that I just want this all to be over. So, so fucking bad.