“What is happening?” I hissed quietly at Kaye. “We’re back at that same ticket booth.”
Kaye struggled to move into a position that gave her a better view of the front seat, turning just in time to watch with me as Roberts pulled a wand out of his pocket.
It was different from the one Kaye had lifted from the old safe house. Hey, was it possible she’d brought that thing with her before we headed out from the motel? I sure hoped so, because it would’ve been mighty helpful right about now.
Roberts held up his wand, and then pulled a piece of dark fabric from a bag at his side.
“Put this on her,” he said in a deep, oily voice that was actually kind of perfect for a con. He threw the cloth to his angelic partner without even looking at her.
And she immediately climbed into the back, smiling brightly at me as she said, “It’s okay, kitty. I’m not going to hurt her.”
I backed up, trying to look like a real cat, all freaked out. I didn’t know how to make my fur fuzz up, though. Trying made me feel like I needed to poop, so I settled for glaring at her as she put the pillowcase in her hands over Kaye’s head.
“Sorry,” the woman whispered. “He insists.”
After my dark angel settled the sack, she returned to the passenger seat with a heavy sigh.
Kaye sighed, too, then slumped against the van wall. “Well, this is a fantastic turn of events.”
We drove in a large, slow circle, and Roberts flicked his wand, following the same path as we went.
Then, with a shiver of magic, the world around us melted and then rematerialized so that we were on the same gravel drive but facing the opposite direction.
“What just happened?” I asked, bracing myself with each of my four legs splayed out in all directions.
Kaye shrugged and shook her head. “Portal,” she murmured against the cloth.
“Portal?” I asked, taken aback. That was a new one, even for me.
“Shh, Moss, it’s okay. Stop crying, buddy.” She nodded as she spoke.
“We could be anywhere in the world,” I muttered. “And that explains why this place looked exactly like the other one.”
She kept nodding as she reached out and scratched my chin with her bound hands.
There wasn’t much I could think of to talk about since she couldn’t really respond to me, so I crept forward and looked out the window. We were still in the woods, but I had no way of knowing where.
So, our guy could do portal magic. That explained a lot, actually.
The ability to open up the sky in one place and pop out in a different place was incredibly rare. Not even MCS had someone able to do it, and until now, I’d assumed it was just a myth. No wonder Kaye’s agency had struggled to keep up with this guy.
“Did you remember to set the slow cooker?” Roberts asked suddenly, completely throwing my thoughts off track.
The woman nodded. “Of course. Don’t I always?” She shot him a glare, one that told me she didn’t much like him. But if she didn’t like him, why was she working with him?
“You forgot once,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t like getting home hungry.”
“I know,” she said through gritted teeth.
Maybe we could use this. Put them at odds with each other to throw their focus off us.
“They seem to hate each other,” I said to Kaye casually, hoping it would make my meows sound small. “We need to keep that in mind.”
My partner inclined her head just a little in acknowledgement. At least we were on the same page, even if our captors weren’t.
Our van turned off the winding mountain road and onto an even narrower one.
“My stomach doesn’t appreciate all these twists and turns,” I muttered. If I’d been in the front seat it probably would’ve been fine, but as it was… I felt terribly sick, and that feeling was only becoming more intense the longer we drove.
After another half an hour of driving straight, Roberts turned onto yet another gravel drive. We passed several other small roads along the way. Private driveways, I suspected.
“I’m dying to know where we’re going and how soon we’ll get there,” I said.
Kaye reached her hands forward, and I pressed my side into them so that she could feel my fur. That she could know I was right there with her and would make sure we both got out of this safe and sound.
“I’d tell you more about what I’m seeing, but so far it’s just been mountain roadways. I haven’t spotted any street signs, or even landmarks.”
“It’s okay, Moss. I’ll be able to hold you soon, don’t worry, buddy.”
I didn’t know if Kaye was trying to tell me she had a plan, or just making noise to cover my talking. But either way, I appreciated her for it.
Moments later, the gravel drive opened up onto a nice, middle-class house with white siding and gutters that needed a good de-gunking to flow properly again.
I’d only noticed the gutters because of a nearby trellis that led straight up to the roof. A good escape path for me, if I needed it. Even Kaye should be able to handle it, if it didn’t collapse under her weight.
Roberts turned in his seat and glared at Kaye. “We’re here,” he announced in that same gruff voice. “In a minute here, I’m going to let you out. If you attempt to fight or flee, I’ll kill you without giving it a second’s thought. You’d be dead already if it weren’t for my softie partner Amy here.”
The woman sniffed, but didn’t say anything. So the angel had a name, and it was Amy. Good to know.
Roberts rolled his eyes. “Behave yourself, Agent. You decide what happens to you now.”
“I will,” Kaye murmured from beneath the pillowcase. “But is the hood really necessary? With these ropes, I can’t use my magic, and I’m obviously no physical threat to you, either.”
Roberts glared back at us. “It is, if I say it is. So stop trying to logic me.”
“Don’t argue,” I added quickly. “It’s making him angry.”
Amy climbed out of the van, and a few seconds later, opened the back to let me out. I hopped down and walked around the yard, surveying my surroundings.
Which did me absolutely no good.
I had no idea where we were or even which direction I should run if I were to mount a daring escape.
With the hood still in place, Amy led Kaye in through the front door. I trotted after them like a good kitty.
Roberts had already gone in ahead of us and was now out of sight. Good riddance.
The house didn’t look very big from the outside, but thanks to the work of magical expansions, the inside was quite a good deal bigger.
The front door led us into a spacious open-floor plan living room, dining room, and kitchen combination.
Even though they were trendy, I’d always hated open floor plans. No privacy. No place to hide secrets.
“Smells good in here,” Roberts called from another room.
Even I had to agree that the swirl of scents coming from the kitchen made my tummy growl. A Tex-Mex chili, if I had to guess. One of my favorites from my human days. Ah, that seemed like so long ago now.
Amy guided Kaye through a doorway on the right. I darted behind, staying close so that I didn’t get stuck on the other side of a closed door.
The three of us made our way down a deep stairwell. Amy guided Kaye down a few steps, then stopped, using her body to block the path back up the stairs. “I’m going to remove your pillowcase now,” she said quietly.
Kaye sucked in a deep breath. “Thanks. I hate stale air.”
“Me, too.” Amy glanced back worriedly when something thumped on the other side of the door.
“C’mon,” she said, yanking the hood off Kaye and then hurrying us the rest of the way down the stairs.
Next we came upon a long, dark hallway. We walked past five or six doors before Amy stopped and opened one, ushering us inside. “You’ll be safe in here,” she said with a small smile. “You have a bathroom and even a TV with some DVDs. But for your own good, don’t try to escape and don’t try to remove the ropes, either.”
Kaye and I moved into the room, which admittedly was much nicer than the motel where we’d spent the previous night. We had a twin bed and an armchair, along with the aforementioned TV.
Our jailor opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more, but Roberts yelled something from above us.
“Just stay quiet, and don’t make him mad,” Amy whisper-yelled before hurrying out the door and clicking a series of locks into position.
Kaye plopped down on the bed and stretched her arms above her. “Well, I can hazard a guess about where the other agents are,” she said.
“Yeah, behind those other doors,” I muttered. They’d been missing for who knew how long and still hadn’t managed an escape. That didn’t bode well for us.
Kaye nodded thoughtfully. “Moss, they may not have gotten out, but we will.” It was eerie how well she could read my thoughts so early into our acquaintanceship. For our sake, I hoped there weren’t any hidden cameras that could spot us talking freely. The last thing we needed was to be separated. Divide and conquer was a winning battle strategy for a reason, after all.
“What makes you so sure we stand a chance if better agents are still down and out?” I asked, jumping up on the armchair and cocking my head at her.
“Mostly because I’ve got something they don’t.” She grinned wide and whispered, “You.”