Chapter 644 Chapter 644
Asher walked down the aisle again. She hadn’t mentioned marshmallows, but hot chocolate was always better with those, in his opinion. He hadn’t drunk much of it in the last ten years. He took the box of the instant mix out of the handheld basket and read it again. Dropping it, he walked with long strides to the dairy section and grabbed some milk. His Nan always made it with milk when he was a kid, and it never tasted watered down. The room didn’t have a hotplate, but it did have a tiny microwave, so he’d figure out how to heat it up.
As he turned to go to the chip section, he spotted marshmallows on a bottom shelf and grabbed one. He wasn’t sure what kind of cheezies she liked. Was it the soft ones or the crunchy sticks? Scowling at them, he put each bag into the basket and then a bag of Doritos.
By the time he reached the cash, he’d added chocolate bars and some kind of gummy candies. He didn’t know what she might want to try, but at least now she had options. The clerk looked like he’d rather be a home sleeping, and Asher didn’t blame him there. It was the middle of the night. With a cordial smile and a slight nod of his head, he picked up the bag and went outside.
When he reached the corner, he spotted a car that had been parked near the motel when they checked in. He looked around. There was nothing open but the store he’d just left in this halfway town. The window was down, and someone was sitting inside it. His cat was suddenly on alert. Asher moved to the other side of the street and inhaled a deep breath. A shifter. It was a shifter in that car.
Flipping his jacket out of the way, he put his hand on the gun he’d jammed into the back of his jeans and approached the car from the street. When he reached it, the door opened, and a large man with deep, orange-colored hair in a brush-cut style got out. He was holding a phone. Asher stopped.
“Is okay. Is okay.” He said with a deep accent. “Talk to your man Illios. I believe we are from same team.” He smiled and held up the phone.
“Who is from the same team? Dobry, who are you talking to?”
Asher recognized Illias’ voice. “Illias? It’s Asher.” He still didn’t trust to move any closer.
“Asher? You made good time.”
Asher nodded. “Did you send someone here?”
“No.” The big man shook his head. “I am heading to meet up with my brother, Demir. We are to look for your king.”
“It’s true, Asher. He was just checking in because he stumbled across some shifters, which I’m guessing is you and Journee.”
Asher looked around to make sure no one else was around. “Yeah, we stopped for the night to grab a shower before the final push.”
“You’re making good time.” There was a voice in the background. “Next op goes down in three hours, so try to be near a signal then.”
Asher doubted they’d be on the road before then. “I’ll hang back here until after.”
“Sounds good.” He cleared his throat. “Dobry, Taggart says your brother is already on a trail, and you are to pick up the pace.”
“Ya ya, I will. I was in another country when he called.”
“You made good time.”
“I will go now and see him soon.” He held the phone toward Asher as if to tell him to say his goodbyes.
“I’ll talk to you in three hours, Illias.”
“Yup, that works.” The line went quiet.
Dobry put the phone in his jacket and tucked his hands in his pockets. “You should be more careful. Your woman and your scent is very easy to notice in small places like this.”
Asher nodded. “I needed to stop and rest, and it’s easier than sleeping in the car.”
“Ya, I get it.” He nodded. “I go now to find my brother and your king.”
“Did your brother find where he is?” He hoped for good news about Shepard Addison.
“No, but we will.” He tapped his chest, “no one is better than the Pradham twins to find lost peoples.”
All Asher could think was that there were two of him, which was a bit intimidating. “That’s good.” He motioned toward the motel. “I should get back.”
“Ya. Taggart say you have a whole island to find.” He grinned, “is much easier than one people to locate.”
Asher smiled. “I guess it is.” He inclined his head, “Good to meet you, Dobry.”
“To you too, Asher.” He got back in his car.
Asher made a quick beeline for the sidewalk again and headed to the motel. He looked around, feeling like he was exposed now. He should have thought to stay someplace more populated. Their scents wouldn’t stick out like they did.
When he reached the door, he turned and checked every direction he could see to make sure there was no movement. So much for sleeping now. Paranoia was going to prevent that from happening.