Part 2 (2/2)

Annja nodded. ”I get it.”

The lead man regarded her for one more second and then turned. The three men walked toward the trees that bordered the clearing. In minutes, they had vanished back into the gloom.

Annja frowned. She turned and pulled one of the young men to his feet. ”What the h.e.l.l is going on around here?” she asked him.

”Who are you?” he said, sounding terrified.

”I'm Annja Creed. Where is Jenny?”

”Jenny?”

”Professor Chu,” Annja said.

Although he was big and strapping, the student looked frightened. Probably hasn't had the experience of being shot, stabbed and blown up, Annja thought

”Professor Chu went out on a hike this morning. We haven't seen her since.”

Annja looked around. ”None of you have seen her?”

”No. And those guys showed up about an hour ago. I guess they just got tired of waiting for her.”

Annja peered out into the woods. ”Maybe.”

”Maybe?”

”Perhaps they were only supposed to deliver the message. Maybe it's a scare tactic.”

”Those guns looked real enough.”

Annja smiled. ”They were.”

”Hey,” a voice called out.

Annja turned and saw Joey standing behind her, sliding his backpack off.

”Where the h.e.l.l did you disappear to?”

Joey grinned. ”Creeping Wolf, remember? I can disappear in the blink of an eye.”

”Yeah, well, thanks for sticking around to defend the weak and all that jazz.”

Joey smirked. ”Yeah, right. You defenseless? That's a joke. And besides, I don't do guns, man. I'm a lover, not a fighter.”

”Great. So, my creeping friend, maybe you can tell me what happened to Jenny?”

”How could I do that? I've been gone all day getting supplies,” Joey said.

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