“You mean these?” Bennett reached into her pocket and tossed a wad of empty bags in Lisa’s direction. “They’re expired.”

“That’s impossible.” Lisa slipped between the captain’s chairs and knelt on the carpeted floor of the van. She turned on the overhead light and picked up a bag. “Bennett, it says right here this is good for another thirty days.”

“Look at the label under the label.”

“What?”

“Jesus Christ.” Bennett yanked out her phone, and turning on the flashlight, she held it behind the bag Lisa was holding. “Look again.”

Lisa looked at the label now backlit by Bennett’s phone and saw another label covered by the first. “What the hell?”

“And they’re all like that. I checked the ones in the fridge and the ones in the hazmat container. Someone relabeled them, and they’re all expired. I have had nothing but that in over four weeks, Lisa, and tonight it was all I could do not to sink my teeth into Ruby’s neck,” Bennett said, her expression darkening even further when she caught a whiff of blood. “Christ, are you bleeding?”

Lisa screwed up her face, and then a second later, she looked down at the Band-Aid wrapped around her finger. “I…uh…I cut myself earlier tonight on a knife when I was washing dishes.”

Bennett fisted her hands, taking several deep breaths to fight off the demon she felt awakening. “Lisa, for the love of God, bind my wrists. I’m not sure how much longer I can fight this.”

“Bennett, you’re scaring me.”

“Then do as I say,” Bennett said, holding out her hands. “Restrain me because I cannot control it much longer, Lisa. I just can’t.”

Lisa had never heard terror in Bennett’s voice, and a chill ran down her spine. Fumbling between the seats for the package of zip ties, Lisa pulled one out and cinched it around Bennett’s wrists.

“Pull it tighter and then put on another.”

“Bennett—”

“Goddammit, Lisa. Do it.”

Lisa blinked back her tears and did what Bennett asked. “There. How’s that?”

Bennett held her hands up to one eyehook welded to the side of the van. “Now, tie them to this.”

“What?”

Bennett looked over at Lisa. Her eyes were shiny with tears, and Bennett’s misted over as well. “I’m sorry, but this is necessary, Lisa. Please just do as I ask. You’re not hurting me. You’re saving me and everyone else around here from me. I’m sure your father told you what could happen if—”

“He did.”

“Good, then stop arguing and do as I say.”

Lisa shuddered in a breath, and once she’d shackled Bennett with zip ties to the hook, Lisa sat back on her haunches. “What now?”

“In the inside pocket of my coat is a box. I need you to get it and open it.”

“Okay.”