Replica(29)

He grinned. “You want me to feel you up?”

“Do it, wolf, and do it now. We’re running out of time,” I snapped. I didn’t do vulnerable well and this was as about as exposed as it got. Nothing but underwear, no weapons, asking a man I was intrigued by to run his hands over my body while the bad guys were hot on our tails.

I pointed to where the demon dog had hit me. “Side, thigh, lower back.”

Ivan started on my back, his big hands super-heated on my cooler than normal skin. I let out a low hiss.

“Don’t you two get kinky on me,” Rachel said. I glanced at her, horrified at the thought. And realized she’d said it to break the growing tension.

“Nothing,” Ivan said as he moved to my side, cupping my waist. “Not here either.” Down to my thigh he went, all but caressing my skin. I closed my eyes, knowing already—

“Got it. Rachel, hand me a knife.”

I kept my eyes closed as he pressed the blade to the meat of my thigh. “Do it. I won’t flinch.”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” he murmured. The knife cut in with a quick flick. His fingers slipped in and I grimaced as they pulled on me, tearing at the edges of the cut.

“Rachel, my hands are too big.” Ivan held my thigh open. I looked back at her. Blue eyes narrowed.

“I did not sign up for this shit,” she said, but she was already at my side, her hand sliding into my open wound. The train continued to slow as the seconds ticked past. Time was almost up.

“Got it!” she yelled as she yanked the red blinking, small button-sized device from my flesh. Ivan grabbed his shirt and ripped off a piece to wrap around my leg. I pushed him away. “Leave it. I’ll heal.”

“You know that reopening the demon-dog wound will probably slow the healing—make it human-slow.”

He was right, of course. The bioengineering makes their saliva and claws the perfect weapon against supernaturals.

Already the burn of the injury was spreading up my leg to my hip. Why hadn’t I already thought of that? Fuck, I was slipping up. I jerked my leather pants out of my bag and pulled them on. They would hold the wound tightly. Hoodie shirt back on, I strapped on my weapons in seconds.

Scooping up the tracer device, I nodded at the window. “Rachel, I like your idea. High ground has always worked for us before. You ready?”

She grinned. “You bet your red panties, I am.”

I rolled my eyes but still laughed. “They were on sale.”

“Sure, sure.”

Ivan opened the window and glanced back. “Since when do panties go on sale?”

We pushed him out first, and he hung off the roof, holding a hand out to us. Rachel’s eyes met mine, serious once more. “Do you trust him?” she whispered.

“Not like I trust you.”

She jerked in surprise. “You trust me?”

“With my life.”

Why was she surprised? And then it hit me. Whoever had given her the silver stake had warned her against me.

Fucking hell, I did not have time for her to get nervous. She went out the window first, and Ivan hauled her to the roof. Before I could clamber out after her, the door behind me burst open and several guns were pointed at me.

“Put your hands up!”

I lifted my hands, a grin sliding over my face. “If you say so.”





CHAPTER 14





RACHEL



My mind was already spinning as Ivan hauled me to the top of the train. If we jumped off, we’d be seriously behind schedule to catch our flight in Philadelphia. But at the moment, I was more concerned with surviving.

I glanced behind me. “Where’s Lea?”

“She’s still in the room.” His brow lowered as he leaned further over the edge.

“Be careful,” I said. “You’re going to fall off.”

He shot me a grin, but I could see the worry in his eyes. “Aww…you care about me.”

“No, but Lea seems to. I’d hate to have to explain why I let you fall off the damn train.” He looked back over the edge again, and I said, “You really care about her, don’t you.”

His head jerked up. “She’s important.”

“That’s such a bullshit answer.”

Rather than respond, he leaned over and hauled Lea up with him this time. She had several fresh blood splatters on her hoodie.

“Run!” she shouted, already racing toward the roof of the next train car.

Ivan took off after her and I followed. The crack of a gunshot behind me gave me a new burst of energy. The source seemed to come from several cars down, thankfully, which meant they had a better chance of missing us, or more specifically me. I was the most fragile of all of us.

That thought must have occurred to Lea too, because she slowed and reached for me when she got to the end of a car. “Get down and head to the dining car. I’ll meet you there.”