door finally retracted enough to reveal her jailer.
A short, very pregnant woman. If Annabella was exhausted, the woman looked ready to pass out. She was deathly pale, dark circles under her eyes, both aspects accentuated by white-blonde hair pulled back in a day-old ponytail.
Annabella fought to hold on to the outrage and obscenities she planned to hurl at whoever came through that door for kidnapping her and locking her in a creepy basement. Not to mention she was starving to death. She’d just danced for four hours.
The woman gave her a little smile.
“Oh, damn it,” Annabella said, surly. “Let me get the chair for you.” She turned to offer it, but, of course, the damn thing had fallen in on itself again.
The woman chuckled and waddled forward. “I appreciate it.”
“Well, you look ready to pop,” Annabella grumbled, getting the metal chair unfolded again. “Here.”
“Not for another two months. Twins.” The woman used the table to lower herself down. The metal door slid closed and locked with another loud scrape.
“Uh…” Annabella looked at the door, her body flushing with anger again.
The woman squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m Adam’s wife, Talia. We won’t be in here long. He’s spying on Custo now, but he checks on me all the time.” She sighed heavily. “All the time,” she emphasized with a roll of her eyes.
Annabella wrestled with the second chair. “Where is here? And why the hell am I being held hostage?”
“You’re not a hostage. And you are just north of New York City, at one of Segue’s holding facilities.”
“This is criminal.”
Talia shrugged. “The president himself has granted us the authority to apprehend and hold wraiths.”
“I’m not a wraith,” Annabella shot back. The president?…of the United States?
“But you believe it anyway.” Talia flashed that tired smile again, pulling her hand back with a satisfied sigh. “Want to tell me why?”
Why? Like she’d have any clue why the world suddenly became crazy-scary. First the wolf, then the surreal encounter with Custo, and then the soldiers dragging them both away from that hideout in the city.
Talia lifted her eyebrows in friendly interest. “How about starting with how you met Custo?”
“How about letting me out of here?”
“Custo first,” Talia said. “Besides, I promised Adam that I wouldn’t release you from the cell.”
In spite of her anger, Annabella felt herself crack a smile. “But left out the fact you planned to join me?”
Talia shrugged again. “He’s a little distracted with Custo’s return, and I took advantage.”
“Will you catch hell?” The woman seemed so whipped already. It would be just like that SOB Adam to stress her out some more.
“Adam will want to yell at me so bad the little vein on the side of his head will bulge, but he won’t. Poor man has it tough these days.”
“Poor man? He frisked me! As in… everywhere! ” Annabella lifted her brows to make sure that Talia got her meaning.
“Lucky. I wish he’d frisk me.” That tired smile again.
Annabella gave Talia a once-over. “Looks like he frisked you just fine seven months ago.”
Talia’s smile lifted further and lit her eyes. “He did at that. Our belated honeymoon to Paris was very good to us. Tell me about Custo before Adam gets back or someone tattles on me.”
Custo? What about a little freedom first? A little due process?
Annabella met Talia’s steady, weary gaze, and felt the last of her anger crumbling. “Oh, fine.”
She thought back to the moment she first saw him. It was only a flash really: The dress rehearsal had been typically good and bad. She’d barely started the final solo when the wolf appeared. She’d ignored the animal, figuring that if he were real, it was already too late to run, and if he weren’t, she didn’t have anything to worry about. She’d spotted Custo on the other side of her, hidden behind a bit of scenery.
“He came out of
A short, very pregnant woman. If Annabella was exhausted, the woman looked ready to pass out. She was deathly pale, dark circles under her eyes, both aspects accentuated by white-blonde hair pulled back in a day-old ponytail.
Annabella fought to hold on to the outrage and obscenities she planned to hurl at whoever came through that door for kidnapping her and locking her in a creepy basement. Not to mention she was starving to death. She’d just danced for four hours.
The woman gave her a little smile.
“Oh, damn it,” Annabella said, surly. “Let me get the chair for you.” She turned to offer it, but, of course, the damn thing had fallen in on itself again.
The woman chuckled and waddled forward. “I appreciate it.”
“Well, you look ready to pop,” Annabella grumbled, getting the metal chair unfolded again. “Here.”
“Not for another two months. Twins.” The woman used the table to lower herself down. The metal door slid closed and locked with another loud scrape.
“Uh…” Annabella looked at the door, her body flushing with anger again.
The woman squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m Adam’s wife, Talia. We won’t be in here long. He’s spying on Custo now, but he checks on me all the time.” She sighed heavily. “All the time,” she emphasized with a roll of her eyes.
Annabella wrestled with the second chair. “Where is here? And why the hell am I being held hostage?”
“You’re not a hostage. And you are just north of New York City, at one of Segue’s holding facilities.”
“This is criminal.”
Talia shrugged. “The president himself has granted us the authority to apprehend and hold wraiths.”
“I’m not a wraith,” Annabella shot back. The president?…of the United States?
“But you believe it anyway.” Talia flashed that tired smile again, pulling her hand back with a satisfied sigh. “Want to tell me why?”
Why? Like she’d have any clue why the world suddenly became crazy-scary. First the wolf, then the surreal encounter with Custo, and then the soldiers dragging them both away from that hideout in the city.
Talia lifted her eyebrows in friendly interest. “How about starting with how you met Custo?”
“How about letting me out of here?”
“Custo first,” Talia said. “Besides, I promised Adam that I wouldn’t release you from the cell.”
In spite of her anger, Annabella felt herself crack a smile. “But left out the fact you planned to join me?”
Talia shrugged again. “He’s a little distracted with Custo’s return, and I took advantage.”
“Will you catch hell?” The woman seemed so whipped already. It would be just like that SOB Adam to stress her out some more.
“Adam will want to yell at me so bad the little vein on the side of his head will bulge, but he won’t. Poor man has it tough these days.”
“Poor man? He frisked me! As in… everywhere! ” Annabella lifted her brows to make sure that Talia got her meaning.
“Lucky. I wish he’d frisk me.” That tired smile again.
Annabella gave Talia a once-over. “Looks like he frisked you just fine seven months ago.”
Talia’s smile lifted further and lit her eyes. “He did at that. Our belated honeymoon to Paris was very good to us. Tell me about Custo before Adam gets back or someone tattles on me.”
Custo? What about a little freedom first? A little due process?
Annabella met Talia’s steady, weary gaze, and felt the last of her anger crumbling. “Oh, fine.”
She thought back to the moment she first saw him. It was only a flash really: The dress rehearsal had been typically good and bad. She’d barely started the final solo when the wolf appeared. She’d ignored the animal, figuring that if he were real, it was already too late to run, and if he weren’t, she didn’t have anything to worry about. She’d spotted Custo on the other side of her, hidden behind a bit of scenery.
“He came out of
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