Page 39 of Glass

16

POPPY

I yawn long and hard, squirming in my seat in an effort to comfort my aching limbs. My drive from South Dakota to Maine already wreaked havoc on my body. I’m barely surviving the second long drive, especially after factoring in the stiffness from the car accident and all the anxiety I’ve been carrying for the past few hours.

I still screen Gabe’s calls even though they come through like clockwork about every twenty minutes. Surely if he was trying to be helpful, he could have reached out to one of our other siblings and had them call on his behalf at this point.

I’m starting to worry this might be a situation like the one between Paxton and Callie last year when she mistakenly led danger to his doorstep by trusting the wrong person.

It’s the only excuse I can think of for why he would be so desperate to reach me but so reluctant to share why. None of it makes any sense, and my tired brain isn’t helping matters any. It’s been days since I had a proper night’s sleep.

But we’re almost there now.

We move with the flow of New York traffic as Felix announces, “We should make it to my apartment in about ten minutes. I haven’t seen any sign of your brother yet.”

“He’ll be waiting for us at the apartment when we get there.” I can feel Felix’s eyes skim over to me, but I don’t meet his gaze. I know my brother, and I’m sure he’ll have had no problem finding out about Felix’s apartment in the city. He’ll know it’s the place we’re most likely headed for.

“Most people aren’t hard to find. Everyone goes home eventually.”Gabe told me that once after a source who was helping look for the kids mysteriously vanished. Gabe searched him out for me; but when that guy finally came home, it turned out he didn’t know anything after all. Yet another dead end.

Still, the words stick with me now like a warning.

“You can’t leave with him,” Felix blurts out. His face reddens, though I’m not sure if it’s embarrassment over the outburst or anger at the thought.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise. The hopeful way he glances over at me is misplaced. I carefully remind him, “After we figure out the Frank situation, I’m going back to Acadia for the kids.”

Guilt gnaws at me as his expression shutters, the hopefulness fading away. I hate to cause him pain, but I need his expectations to be in check. The youngest Glass siblings and the oldest all deserve the chance to make up for the years we lost.

Felix doesn’t say anything else, driving in silence for the last few minutes until he stops at a parking garage. There’s an attendant at the gate, and I straighten in my seat. I’ve been to New York before. I know what things cost, and I know the signs of serious money.

I expected a run down studio in Brooklyn. Not a parking garage with security. Now I’m wondering where the hell we were and wishing I focused more on my surroundings as we pulled up.

“Mr. Slaughter,” the attendant greets him by name on sight. And considering Felix doesn’t seem to frequent the city—and this isn’t even his own car—it only adds up to more dollar signs in my head. This has to be quite the upscale place for the garage attendant to recognize people on sight.

Now I’m not only second-guessing my own brother, I’m growing suspicious of Felix as well.

I wait until we pull into the garage to ask, “What’s going on? What’s with the special parking?” Accusation weighs heavily in my tone. I haven’t felt this suspicious of every person’s intentions since my parents first left us to start over with the second batch of kids.

“Take a good look behind us at the man who just let us through and tell me what you notice.” Felix says calmly. He slows the car to a crawl so I can swivel in my seat to get a good look out the back window.

I can see immediately what he wants me to notice. The attendant moves with the telltale slinking motion of a shifter. He’s one of us.

“There’s special parking because the whole building is shifter-owned. I’m not hiding a massive horde of wealth somewhere if that’s what you’re thinking. The pack does well in the fishing industry around Acadia, but we distribute that money to help support the whole pack. And when there’s extra, we invest or send Doc out to help shifters who need it.”

I feel like a jerk.

Felix accelerates again. “You won’t find The Lost living in excess, Poppy. It’s not what we’re about. We have a few apartments here because it’s the only shifter-owned building in the city. A couple of our pack members stay here regularly, and we keep one apartment open for others to come-and-go for official business.”

“I shouldn’t have assumed,” I admit quietly.

“I’m not mad at you for reading into small details. After all, that’s the skill that led you to your siblings, right?” He notably doesn’t mention it also led me to him, though the unspoken thought hangs heavily in the air between us.

“Right.” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip to keep from sighing.

Things shouldn’t feel so melancholy. I barely gave us the chance to appreciate our bond before pulling away, and I’m starting to feel the tickle of guilt working its way up my spine. But I don’t get much more time to dwell on it because as Felix ascends to the third floor of the parking garage, a figure steps out of the shadows.

“Shit,” Felix snaps, slamming the brakes of the car.

I’m already unbuckling my seatbelt. In spite of my suspicions, it’s nice to see my brother healthy and alive after the months apart.