“That’s a hazard if he pukes. Which he might if it turns out he’s very claustrophobic. Which he might be, since I’ve never known him to go indoors while in breaker form.”

“Ah, I know someone like that. Except not being tied up. She freaks out and sometimes even barfs every time she gets tied up.”

“Puke and taped mouth means not being able to breathe. For now, let’s keep it simple,” I said.

“As funny as it would be to see him freak?” Aroa asked.

I pushed her the rest of the way into the van.

The other two Heartbroken climbed into the back.

“The dogs will help keep you on the road. Don’t pull too far ahead,” Rachel said.

“Got it,” Precipice said.

“You say dogs,” Candy chimed in, “But Yips is barely a dog.”

Rachel slammed the door in Candy’s face.

“Yips?” I asked.

Rachel indicated one of the animals. The smallest and gangliest of the monster hounds. It was still large enough that when it walked by the van, its spine was level with the top of the vehicle.

“Where to?” Rain asked, leaning out the window.

I checked the disc. “Direction of Fairfield, looks like.”

He nodded. The armored van started up. It rumbled to life, then started forward, a little jerky. It almost immediately braked, skidding a few feet.

Even from outside the vehicle, I could hear the heckling from the Heartbroken.

“Problem?” I asked, raising my voice.

“Checking the brakes, getting a feel for the weight of the vehicle.”

More heckling from inside.

Rachel still hadn’t left. She was bundling up, drawing a blanket that I’d taken as a saddlecloth around over her legs instead, so the corners met at her lap, the blanket covering her legs. She had leather mitts that looked comically oversized, more like boxing gloves than regular wear, and added protection for her face: a hood with fur trim pulled up, ski goggles for the eyes, and a face cover for the lower half, a dog’s features stamped onto the cloth.

Her henchman had a similar setup. Where Rachel rode the largest beast, the teenager rode the middle one.

Rachel’s voice was muffled. “If we have to body check the van, you’re going to need to pull your leg up. Don’t lash in too tight.”

“That’s terrifying,” the henchman said.

“There’s still time to ask to ride inside.”

The henchman shook her head, pulling her hood up and hunching over, mittened hands at the chains that served as reins.

I flew up to the top of the van, standing on top as it pulled out of the parking lot. Being grounded and in contact with it helped keep me in tune with its movements while I checked my phone.

No signal.