did best—along with killing.
His brush lay on the sink; Alex used it even though the mingling of his golden strands with her light brown made her edgy. After wrapping herself tightly in a scratchy hotel towel, Alex opened the door. A fresh set of clothes lay on the floor just outside.
She snatched them up without even looking around. The clothes, obviously his, fit badly. The jeans were huge—she threaded a length of what appeared to be telephone cord through the belt loops to hold them up—the tank top, too. She didn’t really want to wear his boxers, but what choice did she have? The long-sleeved shirt, heavy socks, and bulky, tree.-hugger sandals were also too large. She managed by pulling the straps as tight on her feet as they’d go.
When Alex stepped into the room again, the first thing she saw was Barlow staring out the window. The night had turned gray as dawn approached. In the distance she caught the twinkling lights of LAX, so numerous and bright they seemed like stars that had fallen to the earth.
The room smelled of smoke—but not cigarettes— reminding her of the small towns she and her father had passed through, places where they’d burned their garbage in the backyard. The scent made, her ache with the echo of loneliness.
Every dusk had brought another monster; every dawn had brought another town. They never got friendly. It didn’t pay. Who knew when the kid you’d struck up a friendship with might turn out to be the next werewolf victim, or perhaps the next werewolf.
“We should get to the airport’ Barlow murmured without turning. “We leave in an hour.”
Alex opened her mouth to question him, then thought better of it. She’d know soon enough where they were going. All she’d have to do was read her boarding pass.
Except they didn’t fly commercial. Barlow had his very own plane.
They also didn’t leave in an hour. Something needed to be adjusted, and when dealing with planes Alex was all for adjusting it, however long that might take. She sat in a hard plastic chair and watched Barlow pace. He seemed more like a wild animal now than when he’d been one.
At last the pilot motioned for them to board. Alex reached for her ID, then remembered she’d left her license on the table in the hotel when she’d gone into the shower, then she’d never seen it again. The scent of burning waste in the room suddenly made a lot more sense.
“You burned my ID?” she. whispered furiously.
“You won’t need it where we’re going.”
“Just because you have your own plane doesn’t mean we don’t have to show ID.”
He smiled. “It does on my plane?’
“But—”
“If you have enough money you can buy anything. Especially anonymity. I’d think you would have learned that from Mandenauer?’
Barlow got on board, leaving Alex to follow or not. Though she had no doubt that if she chose not, he’d make her.
They flew away from the sun, out over the Pacific. Just when Alex had begun to obsess about landing in China or Russia or some Stan country with a lot of caves and disappearing forever, the pilot turned toward land, then tilted the nose north.
“You’ll see Fairbanks before you know it’ he announced through the headphones they’d all donned along with their seat belts.
Alaska?
No wonder Edward had never found them.
Several hours later they flew over Fairbanks. The pilot
couldn’t help playing tour guide.
“Fairbanks has one of the largest population centers this far north in the world. About thirty thousand in the town, and another eighty-four thousand in there?’ He pointed to the acres upon acres of trees. “Place is surrounded by hundreds of miles of subarctic bush?’
“How cold does it get?” Alex asked.
The guy grinned, enjoying himself. “In January down to sixty-six below; in July it can hit ninety-nine.”
“What about right now?”
“September is a strange one. We’ve had snow, temps in the teens. Today it’s probably forty.” He waved
His brush lay on the sink; Alex used it even though the mingling of his golden strands with her light brown made her edgy. After wrapping herself tightly in a scratchy hotel towel, Alex opened the door. A fresh set of clothes lay on the floor just outside.
She snatched them up without even looking around. The clothes, obviously his, fit badly. The jeans were huge—she threaded a length of what appeared to be telephone cord through the belt loops to hold them up—the tank top, too. She didn’t really want to wear his boxers, but what choice did she have? The long-sleeved shirt, heavy socks, and bulky, tree.-hugger sandals were also too large. She managed by pulling the straps as tight on her feet as they’d go.
When Alex stepped into the room again, the first thing she saw was Barlow staring out the window. The night had turned gray as dawn approached. In the distance she caught the twinkling lights of LAX, so numerous and bright they seemed like stars that had fallen to the earth.
The room smelled of smoke—but not cigarettes— reminding her of the small towns she and her father had passed through, places where they’d burned their garbage in the backyard. The scent made, her ache with the echo of loneliness.
Every dusk had brought another monster; every dawn had brought another town. They never got friendly. It didn’t pay. Who knew when the kid you’d struck up a friendship with might turn out to be the next werewolf victim, or perhaps the next werewolf.
“We should get to the airport’ Barlow murmured without turning. “We leave in an hour.”
Alex opened her mouth to question him, then thought better of it. She’d know soon enough where they were going. All she’d have to do was read her boarding pass.
Except they didn’t fly commercial. Barlow had his very own plane.
They also didn’t leave in an hour. Something needed to be adjusted, and when dealing with planes Alex was all for adjusting it, however long that might take. She sat in a hard plastic chair and watched Barlow pace. He seemed more like a wild animal now than when he’d been one.
At last the pilot motioned for them to board. Alex reached for her ID, then remembered she’d left her license on the table in the hotel when she’d gone into the shower, then she’d never seen it again. The scent of burning waste in the room suddenly made a lot more sense.
“You burned my ID?” she. whispered furiously.
“You won’t need it where we’re going.”
“Just because you have your own plane doesn’t mean we don’t have to show ID.”
He smiled. “It does on my plane?’
“But—”
“If you have enough money you can buy anything. Especially anonymity. I’d think you would have learned that from Mandenauer?’
Barlow got on board, leaving Alex to follow or not. Though she had no doubt that if she chose not, he’d make her.
They flew away from the sun, out over the Pacific. Just when Alex had begun to obsess about landing in China or Russia or some Stan country with a lot of caves and disappearing forever, the pilot turned toward land, then tilted the nose north.
“You’ll see Fairbanks before you know it’ he announced through the headphones they’d all donned along with their seat belts.
Alaska?
No wonder Edward had never found them.
Several hours later they flew over Fairbanks. The pilot
couldn’t help playing tour guide.
“Fairbanks has one of the largest population centers this far north in the world. About thirty thousand in the town, and another eighty-four thousand in there?’ He pointed to the acres upon acres of trees. “Place is surrounded by hundreds of miles of subarctic bush?’
“How cold does it get?” Alex asked.
The guy grinned, enjoying himself. “In January down to sixty-six below; in July it can hit ninety-nine.”
“What about right now?”
“September is a strange one. We’ve had snow, temps in the teens. Today it’s probably forty.” He waved
Similar Books
