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Authors: H. P. Mallory
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turn up the heat and silently thanked him as I rubbed away the goose bumps from my arms.
"I'll do you one better," he answered simply.
"What does that mean?"
He shrugged. "I'm about to have a meeting with Christina; and wouldn't you know it? She requested your presence too."
I frowned at him. "Hmm, well then, I guess it's a good thing that I happened to run into you out in the middle of nowhere, isn't it? Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't."
He glanced at me and smiled innocently. "I would have come to get you."
I didn't lose my frown and suddenly felt annoyed that he seemed so comfortable, so nonchalant, especially when things between us weren't exactly kosher. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"
He faced the road as the Denali strained over the crest of the hill, a dust cloud spreading behind us once we were on the dirt path again. "Because you're naturally suspicious."
"At any rate," I grumbled, "what were you up to that required the cloak of darkness? What were you unloading in those crates?" Just call me nosy.
He glanced at me and smiled again, like this was some big game. "Liquid antidote to Draoidheil ."
"Liquid antidote?" I repeated with surprise. Draoidheil , the illegal potion my father had planned on introducing to the streets of Splendor and surrounding areas (the import which I'd flubbed when I'd blown the cover of my father's plan) was the most addicting and potent potion currently available. One whiff caused hopeless addiction, and worse; being airborne, anyone within the immediate vicinity could become instantly addicted. As far as I knew, the only antidote to the miserable stuff was a little white pill. Apparently, however, I was wrong.
"Yep, liquids enter your blood stream faster," Knight responded.
"I'm aware of that," I grumbled as my attention returned to the number of crates Knight had just finished unloading. He'd easily unloaded ten crates that held probably twenty jars of the antidote. Obviously, Christina still considered the Draoidheil a big threat. "So you think my father is still going to try and attack us with the Draoidheil ? "
He nodded. "It's the best threat your father has up his sleeve, which is why we're doing our best to distribute the antidote to everyone on this side." He glanced over at me and smiled. "We figured syrup was the easiest way to disguise it."
"Disguise it?" Then something dawned on me. "You mean you aren't telling people what it is? You're just pretending it’s pancake syrup?"
He shrugged as though it was no big deal at all. "Syrup is just one camouflage. It's also in the creamer, and any of the juices you find on all of our bases. It's even in the baked goods you see around. Apparently, it remains as potent baked as it does raw."
"Why aren't you telling anyone what they're consuming?"
"Ask yourself that question, Ms. Regulator," he answered with an expression that said I should already have figured that one out.
I frowned, aggravated that he'd donned his managerial cap. "Because you're afraid of moles."
He nodded and smiled at me handsomely. "Bingo. Trust no one—that's our motto."
"Well, you should be more careful about being inconspicuous when you're unloading the stuff," I replied gruffly.
"Touché," he said with a little laugh, which faded away as he faced me. " Dulce , I really hope you believed me when I told you I regretted everything that happened between us."
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it." I had way bigger, more important things on my mind.
"We aren't going to talk about it," he said resolutely. "I just want you to know that I can't get it out of my head; I can't get you out of my head."
I swallowed hard and focused on the bleak darkness outside my window.
FIVE
The "conference room," or so it was termed, wasn't located in Compound One. In fact, just where it was located I had no clue—it was hush-hush, as were the locations of the various other compounds within The Resistance.
"I'll do you one better," he answered simply.
"What does that mean?"
He shrugged. "I'm about to have a meeting with Christina; and wouldn't you know it? She requested your presence too."
I frowned at him. "Hmm, well then, I guess it's a good thing that I happened to run into you out in the middle of nowhere, isn't it? Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't."
He glanced at me and smiled innocently. "I would have come to get you."
I didn't lose my frown and suddenly felt annoyed that he seemed so comfortable, so nonchalant, especially when things between us weren't exactly kosher. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"
He faced the road as the Denali strained over the crest of the hill, a dust cloud spreading behind us once we were on the dirt path again. "Because you're naturally suspicious."
"At any rate," I grumbled, "what were you up to that required the cloak of darkness? What were you unloading in those crates?" Just call me nosy.
He glanced at me and smiled again, like this was some big game. "Liquid antidote to Draoidheil ."
"Liquid antidote?" I repeated with surprise. Draoidheil , the illegal potion my father had planned on introducing to the streets of Splendor and surrounding areas (the import which I'd flubbed when I'd blown the cover of my father's plan) was the most addicting and potent potion currently available. One whiff caused hopeless addiction, and worse; being airborne, anyone within the immediate vicinity could become instantly addicted. As far as I knew, the only antidote to the miserable stuff was a little white pill. Apparently, however, I was wrong.
"Yep, liquids enter your blood stream faster," Knight responded.
"I'm aware of that," I grumbled as my attention returned to the number of crates Knight had just finished unloading. He'd easily unloaded ten crates that held probably twenty jars of the antidote. Obviously, Christina still considered the Draoidheil a big threat. "So you think my father is still going to try and attack us with the Draoidheil ? "
He nodded. "It's the best threat your father has up his sleeve, which is why we're doing our best to distribute the antidote to everyone on this side." He glanced over at me and smiled. "We figured syrup was the easiest way to disguise it."
"Disguise it?" Then something dawned on me. "You mean you aren't telling people what it is? You're just pretending it’s pancake syrup?"
He shrugged as though it was no big deal at all. "Syrup is just one camouflage. It's also in the creamer, and any of the juices you find on all of our bases. It's even in the baked goods you see around. Apparently, it remains as potent baked as it does raw."
"Why aren't you telling anyone what they're consuming?"
"Ask yourself that question, Ms. Regulator," he answered with an expression that said I should already have figured that one out.
I frowned, aggravated that he'd donned his managerial cap. "Because you're afraid of moles."
He nodded and smiled at me handsomely. "Bingo. Trust no one—that's our motto."
"Well, you should be more careful about being inconspicuous when you're unloading the stuff," I replied gruffly.
"Touché," he said with a little laugh, which faded away as he faced me. " Dulce , I really hope you believed me when I told you I regretted everything that happened between us."
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it." I had way bigger, more important things on my mind.
"We aren't going to talk about it," he said resolutely. "I just want you to know that I can't get it out of my head; I can't get you out of my head."
I swallowed hard and focused on the bleak darkness outside my window.
FIVE
The "conference room," or so it was termed, wasn't located in Compound One. In fact, just where it was located I had no clue—it was hush-hush, as were the locations of the various other compounds within The Resistance.
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