"Far away," Mathias says, looking out through the trees and although his expression doesn't change, he feels a brief, overwhelming fit of panic. It's gone a moment later and he looks at Veronica again.

"How do I know you're not taking me out to the middle of nowhere to get rid of me?" he asks, teasing softly. "What's the phrase? To whack me off?" He's not sure that's quite right, but he expects she understands what he's getting at.