“Red-brick house. Two stories. White trim. Different from the others,” Voodoo said between panted breaths.
“That could describe hundreds of houses around here!” I exclaimed as I swung my arms wide.
“Look, I need to speak to Voodoo and Phoenix. Alone,” the first guy demanded.
“Okay, you’re Raptor’s family, but who the fuck are you exactly?” I asked, still unwilling to blindly trust these guys.
“I’m Evan—Adrien’s—well, Raptor’s cousin.”
I looked to Voodoo for guidance, knowing we had a rapidly ticking clock.
He nodded. Though he tried to hide the wince, I knew he was in pain. Just as I knew he hated that he couldn’t go after Sloane himself.
Niara was reluctant to step back, but she did. Rooster didn’t question and immediately guided her out of earshot.
Evan glanced at them, then at us. “We know where they’re heading. We have someone following them. Get on your bike and follow us, Phoenix. Raptor said we could trust you—that you’d understand and keep our secret.”
“Of course,” I agreed, curiosity bleeding through my tone. I watched as he walked around the side of the building that backed up to a heavily wooded area. The angle from where Niara and Rooster were to that area prevented them from seeing anything. The crazy motherfucker stripped out of his clothes and rolled the pants up. Dick swinging, he set them down, and a violent shiver shook his body.
After the shit that had happened with Chains’ mom, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I sure as fuck was. The guy dropped to a crouch. His back arched, head dropping, then he contorted before our eyes. A screech filled the air, and his skin darkened, seemed to ripple, and then he lifted his head to stare at me. That’s when I realized I was no longer staring at a man, but instead, a very large red-tailed hawk.
The bird spread its wings and took off into the air, a small bundle clutched in its talons. It circled above us, filling the sky with the call of the hawk. The other two followed his flight as he soared and dipped to swoop over where we stood.
“You’re wasting time,” Voodoo ground out, completely unfazed by the shit we’d seen.
“Fucking hell,” I mumbled. Focusing my attention on Niara, I pointed at her and Rooster. “You watch him. Anything happens to him—”
“Phoenix! We’ve got it! Here, take my car—just in case. It’s out front.” She tossed her keys to me, and I caught them midair. “I can read lips. Just so you know. Go!” she urged.
Ignoring my protesting thoughts at leaving Voodoo behind, I took off in the direction she’d indicated. A press of the key fob showed me which car was hers. I looked up to see three hawks hovering above me. Within seconds, I raced down the road following three brown-and-white birds of prey—raptors. How fucking ironic.
I really hoped they would know exactly where we needed to go because Christ, there could be dozens of red-brick houses with white trim, and I had to pick the right one.
No pressure.