The banter suggesting favors changed to worried, darting glances as the driver sped up. I struggled to stay awake—despite my promise—as we drove another twenty minutes in silence. With a sudden jerk of the steering wheel, the driver pulled over to drop me off near a department store. The door had barely closed before the car pulled away. I watched the car shrink in the distance. They were idiots but idiots who may have saved my life. I should be harder to track in a town this size.
Walking a short distance to a sub shop, I ordered food and sat down to plan my next move. I hadn’t been eating much since running, so I wolfed the sub down in seconds. People paused in their own eating and stared. Focused on picking the pieces of lettuce off the paper, I stopped paying attention to everyone around me. So, I jumped a little when someone slid into the booth and nudged another sub toward me.
Looking up, I froze with a piece of lettuce still pinched between my fingers. My stomach flipped in a sickeningly pleasant way, and my heart gave an excited beat before I could suppress my reaction.
Luke sat across from me. His hair was windblown, and he had a thread of worry in his eyes.
“Did they take your money?” he asked with a slight growl.
I flicked my eyes around the small seating area. No other men. Well, a few men sat with their families, but they didn’t count. He’d come alone again.
“What are you talking about?” I asked quietly, narrowing my eyes. This cat and mouse game made me edgy. When would the others appear?
“The car pulled over halfway here, and you all stood on the side of the road. Why?” He paused and his jaw clenched briefly before he leaned forward slightly. In a quiet, low voice he asked, “Did they hurt you?”
Hurt me? I frowned at him. He was worried they’d pulled over to what? Have a good time with me? My temper flared.
“Why are you doing this?” I said as I tried to keep my voice down.
My dreams had taught me to stay quiet to save lives. Through self-sacrifice, I saved others. Life after life...death after death, I had learned the people who tried helping me always died. I realized I hated my life as much as I wanted to cling to it.
He leaned back and studied me. “Because I want to help you,” he said with a slightly confused smile. He lifted a hand as if to reach across the table and touch me.
I jerked back suppressing the urge to punch him in the face. How dare he mock me by feigning ignorance and sympathy.
“If you want to help me, die.” My gaze remained locked on him, ready for anything.
His eyes flared slightly, and he dropped his hand. “You are very hostile for someone your age.”
I snorted. “Just how many teenagers do you know?” He looked like he’d passed eighteen several years ago. I guessed he had to be in his mid-twenties.
He sighed and scratched his jawline. After a moment he said, “Perhaps we started off poorly. I’m Luke Taylor. My friend, Gabby, sent me to find you. She thinks you may have something in common with her.”
I felt a tug of sympathy for Gabby. “How is she?” I murmured before I could stop myself. If they had her, she would already be suffering; and I really didn’t want to know the extent of it. It would just hurt more.
“Last time I saw her, she was weak but recovering.” He nudged the sub toward me again. “Eat. You’re too thin, and you’ll need your strength.”
Weak? I remembered all the torture his kind had inflicted upon me. He wanted me to be strong enough to endure. “You son of a—”
He cut me off by reaching over the table and gently clapping a hand over my mouth. He looked annoyed for the first time. “Hush,” he warned when I would have moved away to keep talking. “The decisions you make and the words you speak influence the people around you. Be aware of your influence.”
I scowled at him. What was he talking about?
He sighed and answered my question as if I’d spoken it aloud. “There is an adorable little girl just behind you. She can’t be more than two.”
When I turned, he dropped his hand. Two seats away, an admittedly cute little girl watched us with curiosity. Taking a calming breath, I turned back toward Luke.
He was gone. The cell phone rested on the table, a number already punched in. I stared at the phone for several heartbeats. What was with this guy? Appearing, disappearing. Letting me go. Giving me money and now food. As much as I wanted to know about Gabby, I wouldn’t...couldn’t call. They would use her to trap me just like they would use my mom. Besides, she might not even be one of the others I dreamed about.