her backpack, and then slung it over her shoulder and immediately headed out of the room.
The hall was empty, and she hurried to the stairs. Jo jogged down them, pausing as the sound of voices reached her from the kitchen. She hesitated, eyes moving longingly to the door, but knew there was nothing for it. Alex had driven her here and she needed Alex to take her home.
Muttering under her breath, she set the backpack on the floor by the front door and then headed up the hall. The closer
she got to the kitchen, the clearer the voices became.
"I still don't understand why we can't just explain everything to them," Sam was saying. "Others know about you. Cripes, Bricker says there's a whole town two hours south of here that knows about you guys."
"Knows what about you guys?" Jo asked as she stepped into the room.
Dead silence was her response as Sam and Mortimer turned to peer at her from where they sat at the kitchen table. Sam looked alarmed, she noticed, but Mortimer just looked irritated.
"Here you are."
Jo turned to find Bricker entering the kitchen behind her. His gaze sought out Mortimer as he said, "Sorry, I only stepped away to go to the bathroom and she was gone when I got back to her room."
"I have a guard now?" Jo asked with disbelief. She scowled at Bricker and asked, "And how did you know I'd left my room? Did you go in there?"
"No. I just cracked the door when I couldn't hear you snoring anymore."
"I don't snore," Jo snapped.
Bricker grinned and shrugged. "Okay, I cracked the door when I couldn't hear your very loud snorting, snuffling breathing as you slept."
"Ha ha," Jo muttered.
"Do you want a coffee?" Sam asked, getting up to retrieve a cup for her from the cupboard.
"Yes, please, but I'll get it," Jo muttered, moving to meet her at the coffeepot. She murmured a "Thanks" as she took the cup from Sam. "Where's Alex? Not up yet?"
"Oh yes. She was up and out of here early," Sam said, returning to the table.
"What?" Jo whirled to gape at her with horror. "She was supposed to drive me home."
"I know, but I told her I would," Sam said soothingly.
Jo frowned and leaned against the counter, her eyes moving warily from Bricker to Mortimer as she lifted the cup to take a sip. She stiffened when Bricker suddenly moved toward her, but he merely opened the cupboard door beside her and retrieved a small bottle that rattled as he plucked it from the shelf.
"What's that?" Jo asked when he offered it to her.
"Pills Sam had me pick up for her the last time she had a headache," Bricker said, opening his palm for her to read the label.
Jo accepted the pills slowly, her narrowed eyes searching his face. "How did you know-?"
"You have that same squinty-eyed look Sam gets when she has a headache,"
he said with amusement.
"God, you're a charmer this morning, aren't you?" Jo said dryly, making an effort to remove the "squinty-eyed look" from her face. "I don't remember you being this insulting when we first met."
Bricker grinned. "Yeah, but you're practically family now. At least you're Sam's family, and she's like family now."
"Great," Jo muttered, setting down her coffee to open the pills. When she struggled with the chore, Bricker plucked the bottle away and opened it for her, forcing her to mutter another "Thanks" as he shook out a couple of pills and handed them over. She picked up her coffee and swigged down some with the pills as Bricker resealed the bottle and put it away.
She then glanced to the table to see Sam and Mortimer still watching her.
Sam was biting her lip as if there was
something she wanted to say, but Mortimer was looking a bit wary.
"Do you want some breakfast?" Sam asked finally.
Jo shook her head, and then winced at the pain the action sent shooting through her skull. She must have bruised her brain or something last night when she hit the wall, Jo thought with disgust, and wondered if you could bruise your brain.
It certainly felt tender this morning.
"No... thanks," she
The hall was empty, and she hurried to the stairs. Jo jogged down them, pausing as the sound of voices reached her from the kitchen. She hesitated, eyes moving longingly to the door, but knew there was nothing for it. Alex had driven her here and she needed Alex to take her home.
Muttering under her breath, she set the backpack on the floor by the front door and then headed up the hall. The closer
she got to the kitchen, the clearer the voices became.
"I still don't understand why we can't just explain everything to them," Sam was saying. "Others know about you. Cripes, Bricker says there's a whole town two hours south of here that knows about you guys."
"Knows what about you guys?" Jo asked as she stepped into the room.
Dead silence was her response as Sam and Mortimer turned to peer at her from where they sat at the kitchen table. Sam looked alarmed, she noticed, but Mortimer just looked irritated.
"Here you are."
Jo turned to find Bricker entering the kitchen behind her. His gaze sought out Mortimer as he said, "Sorry, I only stepped away to go to the bathroom and she was gone when I got back to her room."
"I have a guard now?" Jo asked with disbelief. She scowled at Bricker and asked, "And how did you know I'd left my room? Did you go in there?"
"No. I just cracked the door when I couldn't hear you snoring anymore."
"I don't snore," Jo snapped.
Bricker grinned and shrugged. "Okay, I cracked the door when I couldn't hear your very loud snorting, snuffling breathing as you slept."
"Ha ha," Jo muttered.
"Do you want a coffee?" Sam asked, getting up to retrieve a cup for her from the cupboard.
"Yes, please, but I'll get it," Jo muttered, moving to meet her at the coffeepot. She murmured a "Thanks" as she took the cup from Sam. "Where's Alex? Not up yet?"
"Oh yes. She was up and out of here early," Sam said, returning to the table.
"What?" Jo whirled to gape at her with horror. "She was supposed to drive me home."
"I know, but I told her I would," Sam said soothingly.
Jo frowned and leaned against the counter, her eyes moving warily from Bricker to Mortimer as she lifted the cup to take a sip. She stiffened when Bricker suddenly moved toward her, but he merely opened the cupboard door beside her and retrieved a small bottle that rattled as he plucked it from the shelf.
"What's that?" Jo asked when he offered it to her.
"Pills Sam had me pick up for her the last time she had a headache," Bricker said, opening his palm for her to read the label.
Jo accepted the pills slowly, her narrowed eyes searching his face. "How did you know-?"
"You have that same squinty-eyed look Sam gets when she has a headache,"
he said with amusement.
"God, you're a charmer this morning, aren't you?" Jo said dryly, making an effort to remove the "squinty-eyed look" from her face. "I don't remember you being this insulting when we first met."
Bricker grinned. "Yeah, but you're practically family now. At least you're Sam's family, and she's like family now."
"Great," Jo muttered, setting down her coffee to open the pills. When she struggled with the chore, Bricker plucked the bottle away and opened it for her, forcing her to mutter another "Thanks" as he shook out a couple of pills and handed them over. She picked up her coffee and swigged down some with the pills as Bricker resealed the bottle and put it away.
She then glanced to the table to see Sam and Mortimer still watching her.
Sam was biting her lip as if there was
something she wanted to say, but Mortimer was looking a bit wary.
"Do you want some breakfast?" Sam asked finally.
Jo shook her head, and then winced at the pain the action sent shooting through her skull. She must have bruised her brain or something last night when she hit the wall, Jo thought with disgust, and wondered if you could bruise your brain.
It certainly felt tender this morning.
"No... thanks," she
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