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“Wrong answer,” Dewey said.

“You aren’t kidding, my little friend,” the driver said.

Paige’s heart skipped a beat. She snapped her head toward the door locks as they clicked shut.

“Sorry, Paige Turner,” the man said, “but I can’t take you to that airstrip after all.”

CHAPTER 22

Paige’s eyes widened as the car sped down the empty highway away from Shadow Harbor.

“Great going, Paige,” Dewey growled. “You got us caught on my first time out of the library.”

He wriggled around inside the carrier. Paige grabbed the door handle and pulled frantically. The door wouldn’t budge.

The driver growled an evil, maniacal laugh that sent chills racing up Paige’s spine. “You can’t get out, Paige.”

“Wh-what are you going to do to me?”

“Let’s just say your tenure as librarian will be short-lived.”

Dewey clawed at the carrier’s mesh. “Let me out of here.”

“Don’t worry, little guy. We’ll make sure we put you out of your misery first,” the driver said.

“No!” Paige said, her eyes blazing with anger at the driver as she clutched the carrier tighter to her. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll die protecting you.”

“Let me out!” Dewey shouted.

“No!” Paige insisted. “You aren’t sacrificing yourself, Dewey. I’ll protect you with my life.”

Dewey whispered, “No, dummy! Let me out and open the window. I’ll fly away and get help.”

“Ohhhh,” Paige said, pushing her glasses up higher and arching an eyebrow. “Oh, wait, that’s a good idea.”

Paige slid her seat belt off and depressed the window button. Nothing happened. She pressed it again, jiggling the button around.

“Child lock is on. You can’t put the window down. Sorry, little friend. You aren’t escaping either.”

“It wasn’t to escape. It was to go for help. I’d never leave Paige to die.”

“Unfortunately for the both of you, you’ll be dying together.”

Paige’s face fell. “What are you going to do to us?”

The man’s lips pulled back into a vicious grin. “Let’s leave that as a surprise, shall we? It’ll be more fun that way.”

Paige’s stomach flipped at the threat.

The man flicked open his console and withdrew a black handgun. “Now, pass the little fellow up to the front. I don’t want you letting him loose to bite me.”

He waved the gun at Paige.

Tears welled in her eyes as she set the carrier on the center console and pushed it forward. He elbowed it into the passenger’s seat.

“Ow!” Dewey protested.

The sound of his claws prying at the mesh seemed to unnerve the driver. He struck the carrier a few times with the butt of his weapon.