Ghost Bird

18: Sunset Duet

~North's POV~

I keep a few cars between me and the blue sedan I'm following. The wind whips around my jacket, but the hot summer sun keeps me warm. When the car pulls into the exit lane, I do the same after a few seconds.

Arms tighten around my waist. "Where are we going?" Luke asks through the comms system linking our two helmets. He rests his head on my shoulder.

"Back off," I growl. Luke chuckles, sitting up straight again. "And I don't know. Silas wouldn't tell me."

"We're following Silas?" he screeches. I wince at the scratchy sound it makes in my ear.

"Who did you think we were following?" What did he think we were doing when I told him to make sure the blue sedan never got too far ahead of us? Did he not recognize Silas's car?

Luke pauses before responding. "I didn't think about it. I was just reveling in the fact that you picked me as your partner in crime."

"We're not committing any crimes today."

"Except stalking," he quips.

I grunt, not bothering to respond. So what if we are technically stalking Silas on his date with Sang? It's for their protection. After Sang got some very... suggestive messages on Twitter, I offered to look through them for her so she didn't have to. Most of them were from snively creepers wanting to know her bra size or where they could meet her for various adult pastimes, but one user in particular stood out for being both aggressive and oddly creative with their messages.

Otlovvolto—clearly a poorly disguised reference to Volto, which makes it even more suspicious since the general public has no clue he exists. He isn't even in this upcoming season. I have my suspicions about who's running the account, namely a certain acid-spewing devil spawn by the name of Jealous Bitch, but I don't have any proof. When I kindly asked Victor to trace the account for me, he reminded me that it was highly illegal, and more importantly, he didn't know how to.

Luke taps my side, pulling me out of my thoughts. "They're pulling into the parking lot for Sunset Duet," he says.

Chagrin washes through me that I got so distracted and almost lost them. That's like motorcycle safety rule number one or something. I pull into the parking lot and park a good distance away from Silas and Sang, hiding behind a conveniently placed shrub.

"What type of restaurant is this anyway?" Luke asks.

I look at it and have to wonder the same thing. The name doesn't give anything away, and the eclectic exterior with its plethora of chicken sculptures gracing the front sidewalk doesn't, either.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a packet of adhesive mustaches and hand one to Luke. "Put this on. It'll help us remain incognito."

He smirks when he sees it, one eyebrow going up. "It's brown. My hair's blond," he protests.

I scowl at him. "I didn't want to waste money buying two mustache packets. Now put the damn thing on already!"

The cheap hair fibers tickle my nose after I press the mustache into place. Beside me, Luke is clearly having the same problem, as his nose twitches delicately. He looks ridiculous with his bushy brown mustache and long blond hair. I, on the other hand, exemplify the height of manliness with my new friend. Maybe I should grow a mustache for real.

Silas has already opened the car door for Sang, so I watch as he leads her inside. "Stay alert," I remind Luke.

He rolls his eyes. "I'm the expert spy, remember? You're probably going to screw this up, not me."