“Can I what?” he murmurs in bemusement, his incredibly smooth voice not muffled by the mask as it should be.
“Nothing,” I grumble to myself, now feeling slightly foolish. “Why do you save me and hide your face?”
“Because my identity needs to remain a secret for now… until you’re ready to learn the truth.”
“Are you the commander?” I scoff, and he lets a chuckle free.
“Not even close. Roll down your window, and spit your blood out. They’ll need a trail to follow,” he murmurs while motioning to the panel of buttons on the door.
I tilt my head curiously, and then I do as he says because it benefits me. I lean back in, but I leave the window down to offer me some fresh air as he barrels down the road to who knows where.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe, somewhere away from the men after you.”
Thanks for the insight.
I spit out more blood, keeping the trail alive.
“Who are they? The scorpions, I mean.”
“I don’t know. I just know they’re the ones behind this. I’ve been tracking them, following their damage, but I can’t get close enough to find out any of the specifics. You know most of what I know, considering I gift-wrapped it for you.”
I huff out, thinking back to the phone call that helped me find the girl they were draining on that video.
“They want the blood of emergents. How do you know about us?”
“It’s a long story that won’t benefit you. All you need to know is that these people have the numbers, the money, and the ability to do whatever they want. They’ve also got insiders, as you learned very well tonight.”
“How did you know it was a setup? Why didn’t you just tell me that?” I ask while trying to find a more comfortable position, spitting out more blood.
"That's enough of a blood trail. I can't have them find you where we're going. This is where I'll drop you when we're done," he says while rolling my window back up. Then he continues.
“I followed your trail before you did. I watched the other tracker very carefully because she seemed suspicious. That trail was originally the one I had been tracking, but it didn't feel right. The tire treads were all wrong. She didn't catch on, and that made me all the more suspicious of her.
"The ones in charge didn't find the other girl tracker qualified enough to finish the job. She wasn’t upset, offended, or even the least bit concerned by their lack of confidence in her, and according to her file, she has applied for a higher rank fifteen times in the past five years. Someone trying to move up in the ranks is going to get pissed when pulled off of a big case.”
He sounds like me.
“Okay, there’s part of my answer. Why didn’t you tell me it was a setup?”
“Because I didn’t know for sure. And if you had told the others it was a trap, that girl would have been alerted. I was planning on following her, bugging her phone, and tracking her every move. Either way, now that plan is blown.”
“Sorry,” I mumble while slumping down in my seat. “Why do this alone? Why not join the United? You’re clearly qualified. You’re already ahead of us in this investigation.”
He glances out the window to the side, holding his silence for a second before answering me.
“It’s complicated. For now, all you need to know is I’m trying to help. From now on, listen to me when I tell you something. I can’t follow them around if I’m saving your ass.”
He almost sounds angry with me, and it’s kind of refreshing. My mother and Rex gripe at me, but they always back off before pushing me too far. Most everyone else avoids conflict with me because I avoid it with them. I just wish I knew who the hell I’m trusting right now.
He turns into a wooded area, and the car slows down as he presses a button that makes a door lift from the ground.
“Is it too late to tell you I’m not crazy about underground areas anymore?” I murmur jokingly.
He actually lets a bit of a laugh free, and then he turns his lights off as the place lights up around us. I hear the door dropping back down behind us as we drive through a lit tunnel.
“Where are we?”
