Free Worth Dying for (A Dying for a Living Novel Book 5) by Kory M. Shrum Page B

what?”
    “I don’t know. She only said he was busy and that we need to come to Louisiana now while we have the opportunity, and get there as fast as we can. Nikki said she’ll fly us.”
    “Can’t we drive?”
    Sure we don’t have a car, but there are cars everywhere. We can borrow one. Okay, I have no intention of bringing it back, but someone would find it. Eventually.
    “It’s a twenty-hour drive. Do you really want to be in the car with Winston for that long?”
    “How long does it take to fly?”
    “Just under three hours.”
    Shit. “Fine. She can fly us as long as she leaves us the hell alone after that.”
    Ally bites her lip.
    “Oh god, what? You married her? I turn my back for five minutes and—”
    Her face pinches with anger. “Don’t be insane.”
    “Too late.”
    “I don’t think she’s simply going to go away.”
    “She will if I burn all that pretty blond hair off her head.”
    “She can’t. Jeremiah has ordered her to track us and offer assistance if needed. She won’t go against his orders.”
    Convenient. I bet she begged Jeremiah for these orders. Follow my ex around like a lovesick puppy? Yes, please! “She will if her life depends on it.”
    “Jess, come on. I know it’s not ideal, but I could use the help. I’m still trying to find the seventh partis.”
    “I help!”
    “I’m not saying—”
    I leap up from the stiff couch and slap the fake plant’s leaves. Dust billows into the air. I whirl away trying to breathe fresh air. I guess no one has time around here for dusting. “How the hell did Nikki track us? Gideon’s fancy gadgets were supposed to make us invisible.”
    Sasquatch appears in the doorway. “Rachel was going out alone.”
    I rub my irritated nose. “Bullshit.”
    I’m about to lay into Nikki for lying, for trying to stir up grief and chaos at the worst possible time. I flash Ally an angry look but stop. Her face is crumpled with concern. “You believe her?”
    Ally licks her lips. “I saw Rachel leave the apartment one night, alone. I’d gotten up to get a drink of water. I was standing in the kitchen nook, in the dark, because I didn’t want to turn on the lights and wake everyone. She crept right past me and slipped out of the suite. I didn’t think too much about it. I confronted her later telling her that I realize she’s probably sick of all of us, but she can’t go out alone. It’s not safe.” Ally shrugs. “She promised not to do it again.”
    “That doesn’t prove anything. Even I can understand wanting to get away from someone for five minutes.” I shoot a pointed look at Nikki.
    “She’s going to kill you,” Nikki says, leaning against the frame.
    “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”
    “No.”
    “Because you want to do it yourself?”
    Nikki says nothing.
    “She has a point,” Ally says. She lays her laptop on the sofa and stands.
    “Which is what?”
    “Rachel’s angel could be telling her to kill you. You told me once that Gabriel—”
    “Al!” I exclaim. “Are we really going to do that here?” I jab a hand at Nikki. “In front of her ?”
    Ally presses her lips together. “Regardless of why she’s been doing it, the fact remains that Rachel has been sneaking around, and because of that, we’ve been detected. It’s careless.”
    Careless. Reckless. I’ve noticed the uptick in these two words lately. Why does everyone think Rachel and I are acting so unhinged? I think I’m holding it together pretty well, actually.
    Why did she sneak out? My mind races with the possibilities. Maybe she did want to talk to her angel. I get a little antsy when I feel like I should talk to Gabriel, but can’t. Or maybe this has to do with Brinkley, our dead handler. Before he died, he asked Rachel to escape the asylum and team up with me against Caldwell. Maybe that isn’t the only thing he asked her to do. Maybe she’s on some secret mission he tasked her with. Who knows! I’m not going to let this soldier Barbie come