“Eating chocolate,” O’Donnell said, her mouth full, a smudge of chocolate on her front teeth. “Why? What’s the matter?”
“You don’t eat Kit Kats like that! You break the fingers one by one.” Zoe unwrapped her own chocolate and demonstrated by breaking a Kit Kat finger.
“It’s unbelievable. You’re patronizing even when it comes to chocolate.” O’Donnell shook her head, still smiling.
Zoe shrugged and took a bite. She shut her eyes, the sweetness mixing with the leftover saltiness from the nuts. So good. She let the aftertaste linger and then ate two cashew nuts, followed by more chocolate. “These mix really well together.”
“You’re weird, Bentley.”
“You can call me Zoe.”
“Okay then.” O’Donnell took another bite from her own chocolate. “You’re really weird, Zoe. But you’re right. I needed chocolate.”
CHAPTER 17
The van’s interior smelled of cigarettes and rotting food. The man in control breathed shallowly through his mouth, trying to ignore the stench. They’d cracked down the windows, despite the night’s chill, to make the wait more bearable, but it would take a lot more than that faint breath of air to get rid of the smell.
He’d wanted to take a good rental, but Daniel had insisted they rent this used van for cash, leave as little trace as possible. And he trusted Daniel’s intuition.
His friend sat in the passenger’s seat, biting his nails. He’d been jittery all afternoon, had almost canceled the hunt. Daniel’s photo had been circulated on some local news websites. They got his name wrong, calling him “Rod Glover,” which should have been good news, but it just made Daniel angry. He’d even snapped once when they were getting ready, though he had quickly apologized.
The man in control understood. Everything was difficult when it became public.
The train station’s parking lot was almost empty now; most of the vehicles had left during the early evening. They had been there for the past four hours because Daniel had said it was important to enter the parking lot during the busy hours to avoid any attention. When the eleven p.m. train had arrived, they’d both tensed, but all the passengers who had passed through the parking lot had walked in groups, except for two men. And besides, there were still too many people.
The midnight train was better. His heart thrummed when he watched the few figures crossing the parking lot. One was alone—a woman. But Daniel shook his head, not saying a word. She was the wrong kind of woman. Daniel had a way of knowing which was the right kind.
The man in control fidgeted. The one-thirty train was about to arrive. The seconds ticked slowly. Daniel didn’t seem to mind; he sat in his seat, hardly blinking, his lips somewhere between a grimace and a grin.
He kept thinking about that baby. It would have been so easy to grab it. At the time, he’d lost his nerve, but would it have really been so risky? It had been dark; he would have grabbed it and dashed off before the woman could even react. And there was nothing purer than a baby. People shoved endless shit into their bodies as they grew up. Junk food, sugar, cigarettes, drugs. Their blood changed as a result, became tainted. But a baby would be different. It would—
He shifted in his seat, trying to break the train of thought. They weren’t here for a baby. They were here for a woman.
“What if it’s a bust?” he asked Daniel.
“Then we’ll come again tomorrow,” Daniel said. “This is a good place to wait. Trust me.”
He did. Except he needed someone soon. He needed the blood. “Okay, but—”
“Just focus on the plan. Do you remember the plan?”
“Yes.”
“You walk after her. Not too close. If she screams, it’s over, you got that? If you see her calling someone, you get that phone before she has time to say a word.”
“I remember.” He did. He was in control. He remembered.
“I know you do.” Daniel turned to him, gave him a smile. “You’re as cool as ice, you know that?”
The man in control was glad for the darkness, as he felt his face getting warm.
The screech of the train behind them made him clench his jaw. He’d always been terrified of trains. As a kid, he’d throw a fit every time his mother tried to take him on one. As a grown-up, he’d avoided them completely. Until he met Daniel, he’d never thought trains had other uses. You didn’t have to ride them. You could wait for them to come