Frowning, Adrian reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He powered it on for the first time all day. Being so close to the border, he was afraid of anyone other than someone from Erya being able to locate him. If he was lucky, there would be a message or at least some new instructions waiting for him. He’d make his own way to Stormbreak if he had to, but the plan had been for someone from the Royal Guard to intercept him.
There was no message, but a call immediately rang through from someone he’d not been expecting to hear from.
Melita Rey’s warm-caramel laugh filled his ear. “Are you the asshole crouched up next to the trees outside of town?”
Adrian chuckled in response as he scrubbed a hand over his face. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Tomas Soto was the head of the Royal Guard, and Melita was his right hand in everything, especially after the attack by New Rosanthe on the capital. “Only if you’re one of the assholes in those gas-guzzling behemoths driving around the town like you own it.”
“Come down, and I swear I’ve got a double-decker club sandwich from Delmont’s Deli waiting for you.”
Adrian’s stomach automatically growled and his mouth watered. A sandwich from Delmont’s Deli was the best thing outside of palace food. There was nothing better in all of Stormbreak, in his opinion. The wait to get inside to simply place a takeout order was ridiculous, and you couldn’t tell any of your coworkers you were going, or you’d get stuck picking up something for the entire Royal Guard. Delmont’s was heaven, and just the idea that Melita would mention the deli put a lump in his throat.
“Did you get the barbecue chips too?”
Melita groaned. He heard movement and he narrowed his eyes to see the front passenger door of one of the parked SUVs open. A tall woman climbed out and turned in his direction. “How can you go to Delmont’s and not get the chips? What do you take me for?”
“Did you eat my pickle?” Adrian teased.
“Adrian, get your scrawny white ass down here and find out for yourself,” she ordered with a wealth of warmth, laughter, and relief in her voice. “And don’t worry. We’ve got your back.”
He ended the call and tucked his phone away. Even with her reassurance, Adrian was slow to leave his cover. It didn’t matter that she’d already spotted him. He had to be sure there was no one watching him who shouldn’t be watching him. Not only did he carry important information, but there was no one else who could lead them to Caelan and the others in the Ordas. It was critical that he stay alive.
He crept along, sticking to cover as much as possible. As soon as he was forced to break into open ground, Erya Royal Guard in plainclothes moved to meet him. They greeted him like old friends, but their eyes were constantly moving and hands remained close to hidden weapons.
At a brisk walk, he was taken over a single block to where Melita was still standing outside of her vehicle. She gripped him in a brief but rib-cracking hug before shoving him into the rear of one of the SUVs. She climbed in after him and slammed the door shut. As soon as it was closed, the driver floored it and they raced out of the town, heading north.
“Whoa! You are ripe!” Melita complained, waving a hand in front of her face.
Adrian shoved his backpack between his feet on the floor and slouched as much as he could behind the driver. “What did you expect? I’ve been on the move for…” he paused and then shook his head. “Fuck, I don’t even know how long anymore. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired in my life.”
Melita reached over at patted his shoulder. “Let’s get a little farther north. We’ll secure a place to crash for the night. You can get a shower and sleep in a bed. After that, we have to push straight to the capital.”
Adrian grunted. He was surprised she was willing to even stop for the night, though he expected to be rousted from his hotel bed before dawn. That was fine. He understood the rush, probably better even than General Morgan, who was waiting on him in the capital.
“What about my sandwich? That better not have been a lie. You’re not that cruel, Melita.”
He looked over at her, catching the wicked grin on her handsome face as she reached between the front seats. The guard in the front passenger seat leaned forward and grabbed a small cooler.
Adrian nearly cried when she handed it over. There were two enormous sandwiches, carefully wrapped so that icepacks didn’t make the bread soggy. There were even two bottles of Delmont’s famous orange cream soda. The chips were in a separate bag.