The Sphinx Project by Kate Hawkings Read Free Book Online Page B

flew around saving the day.
    By the time Guy came back, Briana and Mouse were silently snoozing in the back seat and Nicole was starting to nod off.
    "You all right?" he asked gruffly, climbing in beside Mouse.
    "Yeah, we think we got everything," I replied.
    "We'll keep going for another hour until we hit the next town. There's a little motel there where we can crash for the night." He looked ready to pass out.
    "Are you sure you're all right?" Mouse asked, awake again.
    "Yeah, they patched me up." He held out his heavily bandaged arm as if to prove a point. "I told 'em a dog bit me."
    He leaned between the front seats and picked up his phone off the dash. "Now, you need to follow this road until you get to the intersection. Go left then take the second right and the next left. Then keep going until you see the sign for the motel."
    Sitting back, he flipped open his phone and pressed two buttons before holding it to his ear. He spent the entire hour conversing with someone on the other end of the phone, talking about a cabin out west where we'd be safe until we could get ourselves sorted out in the real world. Even with my enhanced hearing, I couldn't decipher whether he was speaking to a man or woman. The person was using some sort of filter to distort his or her voice.
    As Nicole turned to the right, I noticed a motorbike trailing behind us without any lights on. I kept my eyes on it in the rear view mirror until we turned into the parking lot of the motel.
    She flicked off the engine and moved to pull the key from the ignition. I reached across, trapping her hand.
    "Just wait," I said softly, as if the person on the motorbike could hear us.
    We sat silently and waited. Instead of driving down the road, he turned down the next driveway. I saw the shadows move. Whoever it was ducked around the big bush at the end of a long brick wall that shielded the driveway from our view.
    "We're being followed." Nicole went to switch the car on again but I gripped her hand more tightly.
    "If we go, they're going to keep following us. We need a plan," I said.
    "We need another car." Guy's tired eyes made him seem more exhausted than he had before.
    "And we need to get into it without him realizing," Briana piped up, stating the obvious.
    The front of the motel was devoid of any sign of life. Apart from the main reception, all of the windows were dark, and except for our car, the parking lot was empty.
    "Wait here," Guy said, moving to push his door open.
    "What are you doing?" I asked.
    "Pretending to check in. It'll make them think we haven't seen them and give me a reason to scout around the back."
    He walked to the reception door and pushed it open. It didn't take long; he came out again in less than five minutes.
    "Drive the car around the back," he said, sliding in.
    Nicole started the engine again, maneuvering the car around the corner of the building.
    "There are no guests. All of the keys were still on their hooks." I surveyed the empty space behind the building. "We're going to have to try another way to get away without them noticing."
    The multi-level building in front of me gave me an idea. "I'll do it."
    The other three didn't argue. I climbed out of the car and went around to the trunk. Finding my bag, I yanked it open and extracted a silver canister.
    Shutting the trunk silently, I climbed on top of the station wagon and sprang from the car to the roof of the building. I caught the gutter pipe overhanging the second floor before hoisting myself onto the old tiles.
    Slinking across the old roof, I crouched low so no one could see me from the road. I moved carefully to the opposite side of the building where I'd noticed the eves overhung a tall stone wall. With every step, I tested the roof with my foot before putting my whole weight on it; some of the tiles were old and worn, and I really didn't want to fall through them.
    I lowered myself down from the roof onto the narrow row of bricks. Pausing, I listened carefully. I