Creature of Unknown Origin

25

“Tell me, tell me everything. Show me why I should trust you, why I shouldn’t just throw

myself out the car door right now.”

Spencer snorted a short laugh, flashing me a smile. My stomach lurched with the jerk of

the truck as we hit a rut in the dirt road. “ Well, for one, you’d probably break every bone in your

body if you did that, and secondly, the people after us now tried to hire me to find you. I don’t

know what they want, but they, Dr. Richards , said she could help you. Don’t ask me how or why,

but that’s what she said. They ended up hiring Kelman, the man I shot that day in the woods. I

know I should’ve told you, but I—”

Spencer’s cellphone rang over the truck stereo. He answered it with a grumble. Delia

huffed, panting on the other end of the line.

“We’ve got a problem. Howie says they found your cabin. Nice property, by the way,

would’ve loved an invite,” she gushed in between breaths.

“Damn it!” Spencer banged his hands against the wheel. The truck came to a screeching

halt, nearly throwing me into the dashboard.

“Spence?” I watched him with wide eyes, rubbing my chest where the seatbelt had jerked

me back against the seat. The calm man I’d come to know melted. Even Delia had gone quiet, her

ragged breaths the only indication that she hadn’t hung up.

“Take care of yourself, Delia.” Spencer dragged a hand through his hair.

Delia’s voice dripped with the smirk she undoubtedly wore, even though her ragged voice

spoke of exhaustion. “Have you ever known me to do anything else?”

The call ended with a dull beep , but still, Spencer didn’t speed off again. “Spence?”

“You still have the pistol from your walk this morning?”

“Uh…” I stopped for a moment, considering everything that had happened since.

Apparently, the occupied holster sti ll sat on my side. “Yeah…”

“Good. I know I promised to tell you everything, but there’s no time for it now. I’m going

back to the cabin, about a quarter- mile that way, you’re going that way, and don’t you dare look

back,” He finished gravely, gesturing in the direction he meant for me to take.

“ And what, exactly, do you plan to do? How do you know they won’t follow me from

here?” I asked, uncertainty twisting in my gut.