Page 16 of Inextricably Tied

Clearly, the scientists underestimate this woman’s ability.

Once the SUV pulls back onto the highway, most of the drive is spent ignoring Agony. Harbinger reads through the case files, touching her bare fingers to the few bits of evidence. With each one, her scowl deepens.

“Nothing incriminating. This is all they found? Where did this guy keep his stuff?”

Agony tries peeking over her shoulder, but she stuffs the box back to the floor. Boredly, his eyes rove the car’s interior for anything interesting.

Leftover cup. Fine.

Broken sun visor. Sigh.

The driver’s manual. Gods.

But his persistence is rewarded by the keys in the ignition, a dangling leather patch painted with a worn purple flower.

“Cute keychain.” He scrutinizes Flint. “It suits you.”

Flint glares at the road. Harbinger glances toward him. “When you told the OID we’d check in with them every week…”

Flint snorts a laugh as he types into the GPS. “Yeah, we’re not fucking calling them.”

Agony’s feet twitch to an unheard beat as he looks out the window. “Got a driving playlist?”

They both ignore him. Boring.

“They have to know we’ll head to Reid’s house first.” Harbinger’s voice filters through her helmet. “They’ll catch up to us there.”

“Maybe.” Flint checks mirrors as he changes lanes. “But they won’t know when. We’ll stay a couple hours away and keep an eye out for another tail while we’re there.”

Scenery whizzes past the windows. It’s different than Agony’s used to. Not just the landscape of concrete, cars, and buildings. Everything in the physical world is more focused, vibrant, solid, not the dreary overcast that permeates dreams.

Even Harbinger’s dreams. She didn’t get much sleep last night. She doesn’t realize how much her touch connected them, but Agony was there as she slept, when the OID building cleared out and left him in the dark.

There was a new trail in his dream world. Off the beaten path, leading Agony to a place he’d never seen before.

Even when he couldn’t quite make Harbinger out, he could feel her, a steady energy focused on things Agony didn’t recognize: a dais in a pool. A suburban house with the door cracked open. A restaurant with checkered floors.

His presence unsettled her more than she cares to admit. He can sense her wariness through all those protective layers, past the catsuit and gloves and helmet.

And Agony wants more of that: more pain. More fear. More shivers.

As they drive, she moves to lift her helmet off her shoulders, but she stops as if she thinks better of it. Above the collar of her suit, Agony can make out the bone-white skin of her neck. A tendril of black hair peeks out beneath the helmet.

“Don’t stop on my account,” he grins. “That can’t be comfortable.”

“Neither is riding with a night terror in the backseat.” She turns back to the road, Flint bristling beside her. “I’ll survive.”

Perhaps.

“I’m happy to relocate.” Agony rights himself, leaning his forehead against the caging between them. “Squeeze between you two. Or you can sit on my lap.” His smile swings to Flint. “Both of you.” Cuffed wrists tap against the cage. “Just have to take a few things off first.”

Flint doesn’t look his way. “Not a chance.”

Agony’s mouth hovers against the grate behind Flint’s neck. “You let me know if you change your mind.” Flint’s wings twitch as Agony reclines. “You know where to find me.”

“Instead of being a nuisance,” Harbinger retorts, “tell us what you know about Reid. The casefile says he didn’t get along with many people.”

“Would you expect a serial killer to get along with people?”