“Yeah,” Spike replied. “What does the note say?”
“Note?” Razor asked.
“A note was left under his hand,” Reyes explained. “From the Fox.”
“Fuck,” Razor swore. “You’re not saying that. . .”
“The Fox has Sunny,” Duke said numbly, looking up from the note he’d just read. “And according to this note, we have until sun-up to find her.”
23
“Wakie-wakie, sweet girl,” a voice murmured.
She groaned. She was having the nicest dream. Duke had been holding her in his arms and rocking her back and forth. She didn’t really want to wake up.
Something was pressed to her forehead. Something cold.
“No, don’t!” She reached up and grabbed it, flinging the wet cloth away.
“Now, that was a bit naughty. Would your Daddy spank you for that, I wonder?”
That wasn’t Duke’s voice. Fear flooded her, making her heart race. She opened her eyes, and looked up into a stranger’s face.
Hazel-colored eyes stared down at her from a tanned face. He looked to be in his late-thirties, there were few wrinkles on his face and no grays in his neatly-trimmed dark hair.
Who the hell was he?
Sunny sat up, noticing she was lying on a soft bed. She scrambled backward, away from the man studying her with interest.
“Who. . .who are you?”
“Why, sweet girl, I’m disappointed. Don’t you recognize me?”
Sweet girl? She knew of one person who called her that. . .but that couldn’t be right. Marv was homeless. He had long, straggly dark hair and blue-green eyes. He was far older than this man.
And yet. . .
“Marv?” she whispered.
He smiled at her. His teeth, rather than being yellowed, were a gleaming white. “Clever girl, Sunny. Far smarter than those biker friends of yours.”
“Marv? What’s going on? Where are we? Why did you bring me here?”
Had Marv rescued her? She’d just finished peeing when Horse had practically disappeared. Then someone grabbed her and there had been a prick. . .she raised her hand to her neck.
“Ahh, sorry about that, sweet girl. I had to drug you to keep you quiet.”
“But why?”
He tilted his head. “Can’t you guess?”
She shook her head. She didn’t understand any of this. She thought he was homeless and yet here he was, looking so different she could have passed him on the street and not recognized him.
“The homeless thing was an act?” she whispered.
She took another look around the room. There were no windows. She was sitting on a four-poster bed in the corner of the room. Next to it sat a small bookshelf with what looked to be a collection of children’s stories. In one corner of the room sat a white desk and chair. In the other corner there was a rug on the floor and a pile of stuffies along with a beanbag.
“Do you like your room?” Marv asked. “I had it done just for you. Thought it would make you feel more comfortable while you’re waiting for Duke to rescue you.”