Page 51 of Seer

“Did Lloyd have a job at TWIST? Will his leaving cause a problem for your mom?”

“She’ll be fine. He was in charge of getting newly-rescued Wonders settled and acclimated. There are several other people who can take over.”

“Where do the Wonders get rescued from?”

“Some of them are just unaffiliated and need a place to stayfor a while.” I grimaced. “But the others are victims of trafficking.”

Cal’s head shot around again. “Like human trafficking, but with Wonders? How is that happening and there haven’t been any photos of Wonders on the internet?”

“Because the perpetrators are always billionaires,” I said grimly.

“I’m sorry, what?” His surprise leaked through the connection.

“Billionaires, and usually not the newly-made kind. We’re talking old money. One of them a long time ago found out about Wonders and kidnapped some. Now it’s a global problem. The billionaires boast to each other if they have a Wonder, and they either try to kidnap more or buy them off one another.”

“That’s fucked up!”

“I agree. Part of what TWIST and the other groups like it do is find and liberate the captive Wonders. My brother Dominic heads up that part of the organization. We have a liaison at the FBI who alerts us if they or other government agencies come across any Wonders. One time a billionaire in Dallas captured a family of fauns. The DEA found them because the asshole had ties to a Mexican cartel. We got them out and relocated them.”

“Fuck,” Cal said. “And the DEA agents or whoever don’t tell anyone about the Wonders?”

“Not so far.”

We were almost to Blanco, where we’d leave the highway behind and travel the rest of the way on two-lane roads. I clenched the steering wheel tighter. A small delay wouldn’t make much difference.

“Uh, I need to stop and stretch my legs. You want some coffee or a Coke?”

“Sounds good. Do you want me to drive from here?”

“Nah, I’m okay.” Sort of.

I exited the highway and wound around a couple of streets until I reached Buchanans Coffee House.

“Cute,” Cal commented.

“It’s great.”

Cal offered to get the coffee since I was driving, so I left him to order and went to the restroom. Was I dawdling? Yes, yes, I was.

But I didn’t want Cal to worry I was indisposed, so I made myself go back out to the SUV. He’d put my coffee on the hood and was leaning against the passenger side, sipping his.

“Thanks,” I said.

“It’s good.”

I took an obligatory sip of my coffee, but it sat uneasily on my already roiling stomach. I put it in the cupholder, where it would stay until I remembered to throw it away. Cal’s cup smelled of chocolate and milk. Probably would’ve been a better choice for me than my Americano.

I didn’t bother getting back on the highway. I cut through town to the small road that would take us to TWIST.

“We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

Cal nodded. “How long has it been since you’ve been there? You grew up at TWIST, right?”

I inhaled and exhaled, staring forward through the windshield. “It’s been six years since I’ve been back.”

He looked at me but didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Um, I don’t want to pry into your business, but will this be a difficult visit for you?”

I barked out a slightly manic laugh. “Yes.” Tension was crawling up my back.