Olympus Drive Book 3: According to Plan

Chapter 72

Detective Stamos

I wake up in the back of a truck. Not like in a seat, in the truck bed. My suit is distinctly damp and ruined, and I can hear Rhea grunting next to me and making sad snake noises.

The truck drives for some time. Of course I'm bound, and blindfolded. But it's past midday by the sunlight on my face. Yes, it's late afternoon I've been out all day. Damn it, what is going wrong back in Winfell? I'm sure a lot, but what specifically?

Probably murder, Thyme is back and Basil won't be sending him off he'll feel sorry for him and we already had one murder and now one kidnapping. I hate being kidnapped, by non-family members especially. Especially when I don't clearly know why. I mean I assume it's to do with the case but honestly there could be other reasons. This feels awfully extreme considering that I was just wanting to question people.  I wonder if I'll find out before they kill me.

The truck comes to a halt, and someone throws us from the bed. Another two people hop out. And then the truck starts driving away. Beautiful. I've watched enough crime films on mute while comforting a sick child to know that this is what an execution looks like. Or rather sounds and smells like, I can smell fresh earth. I'm pretty sure I'm lying next to my grave.

"That's really polite of you digging our graves for us I absolutely hate when they expect us to do that ourselves I'm not much one for manual labor—"

"Did you just---eat ---your gag??" the kidnappers are upset. The blindfolds come off. Rhea has clearly just eaten his gag.

"No," Rhea says, calmly, as he kneels, also bound up. I'm working on the restraints but these guys are good. Not a lot of wiggle room. They look like professionals.

"Who is he anyway?"

"I don't know he was with the cop."

"Now look I'm going to recommend you let me and my friend here go, and then your lives will be exponentially longer, all right?" Rhea asks, politely.

"Gag him again," the one who seems to be in charge says, drawing a gun, "I don't want him starting screaming."

"Oh, I won't be the one screaming," Rhea says, and as the kidnapper's hand comes close to his mouth to gag him, Rhea, with lightening speed, bites the hand and tears it cleanly off with a jerk of his head. The kidnapper starts howling in pain, predictably, while I find out what it's like to throw up while gagged. It's not pleasant. Nor is watching someone bleed out screaming. 

The one behind me shoots at Rhea, who just manages to roll away, and when he straightens up he's out of the binds and upon the final executioner so quickly I can't even comprehend how he did it. He gets this one by the back of its neck like a naughty kitten. It does occur to me after I don't close my eyes that I should have closed my eyes. But it's too late. Rhea takes a bite of the man's forehead, and sucks the skin cleanly off of his face while the man screams in agony.

"There, sorry about that Detective," helpfully undoing my gag and wrist restraints  while I gag and spit vomit onto the ground.

"You—could have gotten out that whole time?" I spit out, trying not to look at the dying men on the ground.

"Lucifer no, I needed the blood, that's why I bit his hand," Rhea says, casually, going back to the one that's not got a face anymore to bite his neck.

"That's ---okay," I can't actually complain because he saved us. Oh wait yes I can. "Do you need to do that?"

"Figured since they were already dead and you'd object to me killing more," he grunts, a little perturbed, licking the blood off of his face.

"Yeah, no, good point," I say, wincing and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand then trying to wipe that on the tree.