“Seems like a trap,” whispers Heath. From the front, Rosa nods emphatically.
“It isn’t,” Elijah says quietly. “He’s talking about me.”
“About you?” Heath asks, turning toward us. “What do you mean?” Everyone else in the car looks puzzled, but I immediately understand.
“They think we are trying to smuggle you in to attack them or something?” I ask Elijah in a whisper.
“I just know Marlon is paranoid. They know my scent, and we came in in a van, they can’t see me. I can easily see how he would jump to that conclusion.”
I unbuckle my seatbelt and the group stares at me. I can tell they’re still wary, but I suspect that refusing would make the situation worse. I convey my decision over the mindlink as I shuffle over Elijah and out the car door.
As my feet hit the concrete of the drivew
