Minor Inconvenience

"Rise and shine, my little mutton chops!" Haut's booming voice crashes through my dream like a bass drum, jerking me awake.

Beside me, Tris sits upright, blinking in confusion. The dark room messes with my sleep-fogged brain, the only light coming from the bathroom.

With a groan, I flop back onto my pillow. "Why are you such a morning person?"

Tris snuggles back down with me, pulling the blanket over our heads. "Five more minutes."

"No can do. It's time to hit the road." The cover whisks away, letting the cold air of the room in, and Haut grins down at us with far too much cheer for this ungodly hour. "We've got miles to drive today, so get a move on!"

Legs curling to my chest, I glare up at him through the screen of my hair. "You're a monster."

A hand wraps around my ankle, dragging me to the end of the mattress. "Fee-fi-fo-fum."

"No!" I reach for Tris, who rolls over, mashing his face into the pillow.

"Wake me up when you're done." The words come muffled from the depths of fluffy down.

Shocked by his betrayal, I gasp. "You are quickly losing your place on my BFF list!"

Haut drags me off the bed, shoves clothes into my arms, and pushes me toward the bathroom with a swat on my ass. "Don't worry, he's not getting those extra minutes."

I hustle inside, Tris's alarmed shout following me, "Okay, okay! I'm awake!"

Balance not being the best while still half asleep, I wobble from one foot to the other as I exchange my sleep shorts for green-suede leggings and swap my nightshirt for a cream camisole and an oversized, cable-knit cream sweater.

I leave in the braid from last night, wrapping it around my head like a crown and pinning it in place to keep it out of the way.

As I brush my teeth, Tris limps into the bathroom, looking more ruffled than he did when he first woke up. He already wears a pair of dark-wash jeans and a brown hoodie that brings out the strands of gold in his unruly hair.

He hip-bumps me to make room at the sink and makes faces at me in the mirror as he brushes his teeth.

A giggle escapes, and I bump against his side, earning a jostle in return.

"Stop playing!" Haut shouts, and our gazes jump to the empty doorway in unison.

How does that evil man know everything?

I rinse and spit, then drop my toothbrush into our overnight bag, and Tris's follows. He runs his hands under the faucet before scraping back his hair in a half-hearted attempt to tame it.

"Let's roll!" Haut drags our luggage to the door. "Levi and Aspen are already getting breakfast downstairs, so if you want any say in what you eat, get a move on."

I zip up our bag. "Who invited him on this adventure?"

"You." The reminder comes with a glare from Tris.

A second later, the door latching sounds from the entrance.

My eyes widen in shock. "Did he just leave us behind?"

We rush to put on our shoes and race out into the hall in time to see Haut stepping onto the elevator. Tris and I run to catch up before the doors close.

I lean against the wall, gasping for breath. "What happened to not leaving us alone?"

Haut arches a brow. "Are you alone?"

Tris stuffs the bathroom bag into Haut's duffle. "Only because we ran after you!"

His other brow joins the first. "You're more awake now, right?"

My racing heart says yes while the urge to murder tells me to strangle the smug-ass man. This road trip will not be how he finally tames us.

We disembark from the elevator and trail after Haut like little ducklings to a small dining room, where Aspen and Levi already sit at a little round table, wrappers and the remnants of fruit in a little pile at the center.

Stomachs rumbling, Tris and I rush forward to check out our options, only to find ourselves face-to-face with a sparse continental breakfast.

"Seriously?" Tris stares mournfully at the empty chafing dishes with signs that announce bacon and eggs for those who arrive after seven o'clock. "We rushed for this?"

When I lift the lid next to the waffle maker, there's no batter inside. "Even the food gods think it's too early to be awake."

"At least they have a muffin basket." Tris lifts a chocolate with chocolate chips. "This is as good as it gets, sparky."

Accepting the offering, I add a banana. "After we get back home, we're never stepping outside Hartford Cove again."

"Agreed." Tris selects a blueberry crumb top and an apple for himself. "Nesse's Diner or bust."

"Grab me a poppyseed muffin," Haut directs as he fills to-go cups with coffee from the carafe. "Rowe, you've got tea or milk as options."

"Neither." I peel off my wrapper. "We need to find a drive-thru ASAP."

"Seconded," Levi rumbles in agreement, and Aspen nods, silently joining the Better Beverage Alliance.

"Fine." Haut scowls at his defeat. "We should get going. The sooner we're on the road, the sooner we arrive."

Haut tucks the to-go cups into the thermal bag balanced on my suitcase. "If there's one open on the way to the freeway, we'll stop."

Levi and Aspen dispose of their trash, and we head out to the front desk, where we drop our keys into the quick-checkout box before heading outside.

A dark parking lot greets us, along with a cool morning, our breath forming fog. Our ride sits a few spots down from the single streetlight.

Tris and I munch on our muffins at the back of the luggage train.

As we near the van, though, Haut's steps slow, as do Levi's, and the two men turn their heads to examine our surroundings.

Alarm shoots through me at their sudden tension. "What's wrong?"

Haut points at the front driver's side. "Someone let the air out of our tire."

I press against Tris. "Is it possible we ran over something?"

Aspen leaves his bag on the sidewalk and kneels beside the flat. "They stole the valve cap."

Tris's arm comes around me. "Could it be the same creep from last night?"

"Seems likely." Levi scratches the scruff on his chin. "Someone is trying to slow us down and mess with us."

"They were stupid, then." Haut sets our luggage next to Aspen's and strides to the back of the van, popping the trunk. "They would have had more success if they let the air out of all the tires."

Tris and I join him at the back as he pulls out what we left in the van overnight.

Bewildered, I stare at the growing pile. "What are you doing?"

"We need to change the tire so we can drive to the nearest gas station and refill the flat one." He lifts the floorboard to reveal a compartment below with a small spare.

Levi takes it from him while Haut frees the carjack from another cubby.

He and Haut make quick work of swapping on the spare. It looks cartoonishly small compared to the size of the van, but it holds the weight.

Levi tosses the flat into the back, and we load up our bags.

All in all, the incident only delays us for fifteen minutes. It's disturbing, but as Haut said, more of a nuisance than a hindrance.

Cautious of the spare, Haut drives slowly toward the freeway and pulls over at the first brightly lit gas station we come across.

He stops in front of a pump. "Might as well top off while we're here."

"I'll fill the tire." Levi hops out of the passenger seat. "If they don't sell valves, we can use the one on the spare."

Haut twists to stare at me and Tris. "Promise to behave, and you can go get snacks from the convenience store."

Bouncing in place, I hold up three fingers. "Promise!"

Tris mirrors my pose, and we're released back into the wild.

"Try to buy something healthy," Aspen calls after us.

"Where's the fun in that?" Tris shoots back before we disappear inside.

We pause at the entrance, figuring out the layout.

"I'll take candy and chips." Tris points to the left, then swings his arm to the right. "You grab drinks and pastries."

"Aye, aye, captain!" I salute, and we separate.

On my way through the aisles, I check out the pastry case, trying to decide if they're super fresh or very stale. Then a flashing sign at the back catches my eye, a glimmering beacon of sugary joy.

A slushie machine.

Excited, I look for Tris, but he's nowhere in sight, probably off making important decisions between cheese puffs and potato chips.

Good thing I know what he likes. I am such a good BFF, eternal spark, and bonded life partner.

When I grab the extra-large cup, my fingers don't meet, even using both hands. Bucket O'Sugar, here we come.

I place it under the spout for cola, filling the bottom, followed by a generous layer of blue raspberry.

As I nudge the cup toward the pi?a colada, a prickling sensation creeps up the back of my neck, like someone's watching me. When I glance around, though, there's nobody in sight.

Must be the pool and tire incidents making me twitchy.

Tris's voice drifts from near the front. "Rowe, do you want sour worms or lemon drops?"

"Worms." I pull the lever for the coconut and pineapple concoction. "Grab some peanuts for Aspen."

"The candy-covered ones, right?" Tris laughs at his own joke. "I'll get beef jerky for the carnivores."

That prickling sensation intensifies, the fine hairs on the back of my neck rising. I look around again, and movement in the security mirror above the slushie machine catches my attention.

The convex surface reflects the store in warped miniature, and I spot a man slinking toward me from one of the side aisles. He crouches as he walks, setting off my alarm bells. He obviously doesn't want to be seen, and while his hands are hidden from view, it looks like he's holding something.

My pulse quickens, the urge to flee pounding through me, but my body remains frozen in fear. Time slows, then speeds up in a rush as the man lunges around the shelf.

I glimpse brown hair, wild eyes, and the flash of a blade before instinct kicks into overdrive, and I hurl my slushie into his face. It connects, ice crystals and syrup getting in his eyes.

He stumbles, the hand with the knife waving wildly.

I duck and scramble out of the way, knocking over a display case of corn nuts and sending the small bags flying before I bolt down the aisle, my legs pumping.

"Hey!" the cashier shouts, his tone filled with annoyance. "You'll have to pay for that!"

"Call the cops!" I shout back, grabbing Tris by the arm as I pass him near the counter. He clutches a mountain of chips and candy to his chest, looking bewildered. "We've gotta go! Now!"

Tris drops his hoard, goodies falling to the ground as he stumbles after me, the cashier's protests following us out the sliding doors.

"Haut!" I scream, my voice cracking with panic when I don't see our van out front.

"What's going on?" Tris peers back at the mini-mart. "I think he's really calling the cops. What did you do?"

Before I can answer, Haut sprints around the corner of the station, leaping over the hood of a car like some kind of superhero. "Where?"

"Guy from the pool!" I point frantically behind us. "He has a knife! Brown hair! Dark hoodie!"

"Go to the van by the air pump. I'll handle this." Rage twists Haut's features, and he races into the store, looking for blood.

Tris takes half a step to follow, but I pull him in the direction Haut had come from. "There's only room for one hero."

Tris shakes his head in bewilderment. "How did that creep find us here?"

"I don't know." Pulse racing, I tug him along with me as we sprint around the corner of the building.

Levi glances up at our approach, coals lighting in his eyes before he recognizes us and returns to changing the newly filled tire, moving with supernatural speed.

He must have heard what I told Haut, and he's working furiously to ensure we're ready to make a getaway.

"Hey, what happened?" Aspen peers past us. "Where's Haut?"

"Rowe had a run-in with the guy from the hotel." Tris shoves me against the van and stands in front of me, facing the danger. "He came after her with a knife."

Concern sweeps Aspen's brows together. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… shaken." I press a hand over my racing heart. "Haut went after him."

"Do you think this was his plan all along?" Aspen's fingers twitch, but his wand remains sheathed for now. "Create a reason for us to pull over and wait for us to separate so he can attack?"

"It's possible." Levi tightens the last lug nut and releases the jack to drop the vehicle back to all four tires. "This is the first gas station on the way out of town. It's the most logical place we'd stop."

He tosses the wrench and car jack into the van, gestures for us to climb in, and slides behind the wheel. Aspen takes the front passenger seat, and Tris crawls into the back. I scoot over, leaving the seat closest to the door available for Haut.

A moment later, he comes running around the corner of the building, his face tight with frustration, but uninjured, which relieves me.

"Did you get him?" Hope mixes with dread inside me.

If he killed the man, we need to make an escape before the police arrive.

"He went out the other door. Must have had a car waiting." The muscle in Haut's jaw ticks as he jumps in and slides the door closed. "But I caught his scent. It's the same person from last night."

"He's stalking us." Voice grim, Levi puts the van in gear and pulls onto the empty street.

"Now that we know, we'll be on alert for anyone following us." Aspen twists to stare out the back window. "He won't take us by surprise again."

Haut reaches out to grip my hand. "You thought fast and got out of there. Good job."

"Thanks." I slump lower in the seat. "Are we still stopping at a coffee stand?"

He squeezes my fingers. "Let's get out of town first. This place is unlucky."

I nod and clutch his hand in my lap, needing the physical contact to feel safe.