My eyebrows shoot up. I know that voice. Thatfemininevoice.
“Pandora?” Samantha asks, her voice quivering.
I wonder how they kidnapped her last time. Was it with a gun to her head? Is this a repeat of the last bad experience?
I raise my hands up to my head. I wish I was one of those women that hid weapons in her hairstyle, but today my hair is loose and the only hair accessory I’ve got is a beanie. Because it’s cold.
“Kind of a low blow, going for Samantha,” I say. “I would have respected you more if you’d gone for River.”
Lynx—Bobbi—laughs. “Maybe I will have him, after I’ve killed you. How’s his stamina? Better than in the arena?”
Anger hazes my vision. Red snow starts to fall from the skies, but I can’t deal with that right now,I can’t lose it, Samantha is in danger.
“You aren’t his type,” I answer. “He told me so as he was fucking me up against the tunnel walls.”
“Pandora,” Samantha whispers again. “Ican’t.” Her voice is unsteady, and so is her breathing.
I wonder if hallucinations are closing in on her, as they are for me.
“Oh, come on,” Bobbi mutters. She shakes Samantha’s shoulder, which only makes the gun dig deeper into her skin. “If you’re going to be a sad sack, I might as well shoot you and spare you your pathetic existence.”
My anger sparks again.
Samantha isn’t pathetic. She’s strong.
But she isn’t handling this well. Her eyes tear up, and in this temperature the tears freeze on her eyelashes.
“You want me, right?” I snap at Bobbi. “Let Samantha go. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
Bobbi rolls her eyes at me. “I should let a witness go? Nope. You’re both coming with me.” She jerks her head toward the nearby parking lot. “That way, Pandora. You first. If you make any sudden moves, your friend’s brain joins the rest of the sludge on the streets here.”
Samantha is hunched in on herself, her breathing coming in short gasps.
She’s going to hyperventilate at this rate.
I don’t see how to get out of this. I can’t reach my knife or my phone, the coat means I’ve got limited movement, and anything I do could lead to Bobbi shooting Samantha.
Patience. I need patience.
But I’ve never had a good track record with that.
I take a step in the direction Bobbi told me to go. I end up walking sideways so I can keep an eye on Samantha as I walk.
Bobbie pushes Samantha forward.
“Who put you up to this?” I ask as we approach the parking lot. “George Bouchard?”
“None of your fucking business,” Bobbi answers.
“Is he your sugar daddy? Do you suckle at his cock while waiting for orders?” I ask. “I won’t judge if you do.”
I was hoping to get a rise out of her, but Bobbi laughs.
“You really want to get mouthy with me right now? While I’ve got your friend’s life in my hands?”
Samantha’s eyes are still wide, too wide, with terror. “I can’t go back,” she pleads. “I can’t do this again. I’d rather die.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
