When Fanny looked up at us, for the first time her smile was forced, and that was after she’d admitted to knowing Chase hadmurderedus.
“Where are we going now?” Hunt asked.
“To see Magnum. He has something he wants to show you before we call it a day.”
The sun was getting lower in the sky, and my empty stomach had been loudly reminding me I hadn’t eaten since I’d died—at the hands of this guy. As often as I could, I reminded myself of the kind of person we were dealing with here. We might not be prisoners, but he’d also admitted he wouldn’t let us go willingly.
“That sounds ominous,” Layla told Fanny.
Fanny shifted on her seat, crossing her ankles. “Yes, well, with Magnum, things often appear that way. You’ll get used to it.”
Would we, though? And if we did, how could that possibly be a good thing?
“Any more questions while we drive there?” Fanny asked, putting more effort into her smile.
“Yeah,” Griffin said. “Who else will be here with us?”
“The staff, obviously. But as to fellow students, you’re the first to arrive. You’re Magnum’s priority.”
She consulted her tablet again.
“And what kind of student doesMagnumanticipate bringing here?” Griffin pressed.
She looked up. “Others like you, obviously.”
“How many others like us are there?” Brady asked.
“Not many. None exactly like you, anyhow. But Magnum is resourceful. I’m sure he’ll find what he needs. Eventually, anyway.”
“I’m just sure he will,” I muttered.
When she only returned to her tablet, far less forthcoming with this line of questioning, I said, “The campus looks pretty complete from what we saw. What’s missing?”
“Security, definitely the security.” She nodded for emphasis. “And then small details, lots of those too. But don’t you worry, Magnum won’t let anyone get to you.”
“Oh, we’re not worried about that,” I quipped. “He’s the one we’ve been trying to get away from.”
Fanny stared at me for a beat, blinked, then finally said, “A piece of advice?”
“Sure, why not?”
“It’s far easier to go along with him.”
“You do recall hekilledus, right?” Layla asked.
“Yes, but you came back, and he knew you would. Heed my warning. Fight him and it won’t go well for you.”
“It’s already gone about as bad as it can for us,” Brady said.
“No, Brady, it hasn’t. Trust me on this. Go along with him and you’ll get something good out of it. Don’t, and … well, just go along with him.”
“Oh, we’re here! That was quick, Don,” she said in a high pitch I didn’t like.
“Don’t wanna keep the bossman waiting,” replied Don, his back ramrod straight behind the wheel.
“No, we certainly don’t,” Fanny said, hopping from the cart with an agility I was loving in the older woman. Her tablet once again tucked under her arm, she gestured with both hands for us to hurry.
It only made the five of us slow down to a crawl.
