Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
The pub was reminiscent of what I thought a pub should look like. Not the fancy ones intent on encouraging the happy hour crowds with electronic dart boards and flashy video games. The food would be the typical fare you’d find in any chain restaurant regardless of the name on the building.
This pub was dark, smoky, and narrow, with dark-green walls and tables with wooden bench seats with tall backs so you weren’t staring at the back of someone’s head in the next booth. A scarred and drink-stained bar ran the length of the building against the wall to the left.
In the far-right corner, two men stood next to a pool table with a single red lampshade hanging over it. They watched a third man take a shot, and they leaned to the left as the ball rolled toward the pocket as if they were encouraging its progress. When it hit the edge and bounced away, their moans could be heard above Johnny Cash singing about a boy named Sue. Music my father listened to when we lived in Nevada before the family moved to Seattle.
Lucas selected an empty booth in the middle of the room and sat so he could watch the door. Neither of us expected vamps to make a move in a human bar, but we weren’t taking any chances. He’d already checked the back exit and ensured we had a clear path to it.
After leaving House Beall, Lucas drove south until the sun was close to setting. He didn’t want to put the House in jeopardy by staying too close. I wasn’t sure it made a difference, but Lucas had taken a state highway that headed the same southerly direction as the interstate, hoping to stay off the vamps’ radar.
“What do you think of Beall’s story?” I asked the question because he hadn’t wanted to discuss it while driving. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes Lucas required complete quiet to untangle a knotty problem or work through a strategy. Basically, he was in his head, and his blank expression was his “do not disturb” sign.
“His story carries the startling authenticity of the truth.” He stole my leftover pickle and took a swig of beer. “I’m disappointed with the Council…something that’s becoming more common the further we pursue Devon’s mission.”
“You expect more from your government? It’s not much different on the human side.” I nibbled at my fried cod, pleased at how tender and juicy it was, while glancing at Lucas’s salad. Only with vamps would the male be eating a salad while the female human was stuffing fried food in her mouth. My only excuse was that comfort food reduced my stress levels. I was going to gain an easy five pounds before this trip was over.
“The only thing I’ve learned is Remus has been right all along, though I shouldn’t be surprised. It matches Devon’s vision.”
“Of a combined Council?”
“It’s only fair. Equal representation.”
“That would only be true if the dreamwalkers get their fair number of seats.”
Lucas grimaced and stabbed at his salad, piercing the tender leaves as fiercely as if they were enemy combatants. “And that will be a hard sell with the current Council.”
“Not if we find the book, and Beall gave us the best lead we’ve had so far. Except it doesn’t match what Sergi gave us.”
“But it’s close enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to start using your GPS map. Though the two cities are in different states, only fifteen miles separate Hazel Green and Fayetteville.”
“I must not be getting enough sleep. I should have known to check that out during our drive.”
Lucas shrugged as he chewed, giving the room a quick scan. “I’ve been thinking about how the vamps are finding us.”
“You think they’re tracking us rather than just tailing us?”
He nodded and pushed his plate aside. He hadn’t been eating well and hadn’t sourced a blood donor since the morning we’d left Santiga Bay. But in his current mood, he wouldn’t take my concern to heart, so I’d wait.
He finished his beer and looked at the check. “I think we need new supplies. A couple of streets over, there was a grocery store and one of those places that has a little bit of everything. Let’s stop there on our way out of town in the morning.”
“At least we have a destination.”
He left cash on the table and kept a hand on the small of my back as he steered me out the rear exit of the pub. We circled the building to find three vamps positioned around our rental. Lucas pushed me back until we were out of sight.
“It’s not too far to the hotel. Did we leave anything critical in the car?” Lucas peered around the corner.
“No. Everything is in the duffels we left at the hotel.”
“Let’s walk back and hope there aren’t any vamps waiting for us.”
“You think they’ve been tracking the rental?”
“Maybe. Worst case, we check into a different hotel and then regroup in the morning.”
We traveled the backstreets, and halfway there I was thanking the heavens I wore my comfortable boots that were good in a fight. I might start sleeping in them. When we got to the hotel, we went directly to the bar, which was busier than I expected—until Lucas mentioned an insurance convention. We found a lone table in the middle of the group, and he left me there while he checked the room. I wasn’t happy about him going alone, but his mood hadn’t improved, so I didn’t push.
I nursed a vodka martini and flirted with a group of salesmen while I waited, hoping to fit into the crowd. But as time ticked away, I worried about Lucas. He’d been gone twenty minutes when he finally strode through the crowd, casually putting an arm around my shoulders. The salesmen collectively sighed and lifted their drinks. Lucas bought them another round on our way out.
“What took so long? I was getting worried.” I put an arm around his waist as we walked through the lobby, keeping an eye out for anyone who appeared suspicious.
“I checked all the floors and the staircases. Our room looks the way we left it. I think we’ll be safe for the night, but we should reconsider our transportation.”
“Can the hotel get us a new rental?”
“That might be best. I’ll report the other one stolen.”
When we reached the room, we secured the door, placed our daggers within easy reach, climbed into bed, and spent the next few hours channel surfing. By two in the morning, we were both still a little wired, knowing three vamps were out there.
Lucas lowered the volume on the TV and shut the lights off. We cuddled next to each other, my head resting against his shoulder. I couldn’t stop glancing toward the door, watching the doorknob to see if it turned.
“Neither of us is going to get much sleep tonight.” I held his hand. A simple gesture, yet I grew strength through his return grip.
“Let’s give it a try while we wait for morning. We have a long drive tomorrow and can take turns napping in the back seat.”
“Then we should get a real pillow. The duffels aren’t a great substitute.”
He chuckled. “Add it to the list.” After a few seconds, he kissed my temple. “It was a good thing I showed up in the bar when I did. I thought I might have to fight my way to your table.”
I poked him in the ribs. “You weren’t jealous by the attention I was getting, were you?”
He rolled over, surprising me with a rather passionate kiss. “I was insanely jealous.”
I giggled. The conditions weren’t right for us to get busy, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t flirt.
“I have to admit, I thought insurance agents were a bit more straightlaced. But I bet they’d still be partying if the hotel bar didn’t shut down at one a.m.”
“I think you’d turn heads at a convention for priests.”
“Now that’s just the sweetest thing to say.”
We both laughed, and he hugged me tighter. “You know I never meant for you to get so deeply ingrained in the Family business.”
“You make it sound like you work for some mob boss.”
“Some days it feels like that. Minus the drugs, extortions, and sex-slave trading.”
“Cressa said the same thing just before we left for San Francisco. But honestly, what was my life before this? I was living in the Hollows. Even with Bulldog’s protection, every day was a toss-up as to whether I’d get caught in a drive-by shooting. I thought I knew how to protect myself, but these last weeks, I learned I wasn’t anywhere near capable.” I nestled deeper into his strong arms. “But I am now. I might get a bit wigged out with the fighting and the decapitations, but I think I’m handling it pretty well.”
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re handling it beautifully. And you were perfect with Beall. He liked you.”
“I wish there was a cure for him. I can’t even imagine what he’s gone through these last hundred years.”
“No one is immortal. Some of us just live a lot longer, but it doesn’t mean our end won’t come eventually. Now, let’s try to get a couple hours of sleep.”
I snuggled against Lucas and closed my eyes. I didn’t know where this relationship was going or how long it would last. What had started as curiosity of what it would be like to fuck a vamp had turned into something much deeper. He had become a significant part of my life. When Devon had been readdicted to Magic Poppy and was stuck in his beast form while the House faced sanctions, Lucas had considered going rogue if the inevitable happened. Afterward, once everything had returned to normal, he’d told me what he’d been planning at the time. If he was forced to go rogue, he would have asked me to go with him.
And as soon as he told me that—even with having to leave Cressa, as painful as that would be—I knew I would have said yes. That realization had shaken me to the core. I’d never been as close to a human male as I was to Lucas, and for now, there wasn’t any possibility of letting this vamp out of my sight.
An early-summer storm hit us the next afternoon. The rain came down so hard, Lucas turned off the highway and drove a couple miles to a sleepy little town and found a bar at the edge of it. The plan was to grab a meal and wait out the storm.
They were cheap burgers, the meat questionable at best, and I studied Lucas when he pushed the plate away after a couple of bites.
“You need a blood donor.” It was difficult to tell how pale he was in the dim glow of the bar light, but it had been almost two weeks since we’d left Santiga Bay, which was when he’d last fed.
“I’ll take care of it when we get to New Orleans. I’ll be fine until then.” His tone was defensive, and I let the matter drop.
“I think I saw a grocery store a little farther down the street. Why don’t we pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables? We can snack on them until we get to a larger town and find you a better meal.”
He squeezed my hand. “That’s a great idea.” He fished in his pockets. “Some solid sleep would help. Damn. I left my wallet in the car.”
“I can get it.”
He pulled me back when I stood. “I’ll be back before you know it. Eat your fries. They’re somewhat edible.”
I laughed. He hated french fries. He wasn’t much for any type of cooked potato. But I was like that with tomatoes unless they were on a burger. I watched him walk out the door. He might be paler than normal, but he still had his vampire swagger going on.
After five minutes, I began to worry. I fished in my purse, breathing a sigh when I found the emergency stash of cash Lucas had given me several days before. Exhaustion was taking its toll on both of us not to remember it.
I dropped a twenty on the table and raced out of the bar. The torrential downpour had lightened to a heavy rain. Lucas had parked at the far edge of an expansive dirt parking lot, out of sight of the street. The bar was probably the only one for miles, and while the lot looked dismally empty now, it was probably jam-packed on the weekends.
After checking the street to make sure no one was lurking, I kept my head down as I rushed to the car, only lifting it to confirm no one was following me. I was halfway across the lot when I saw the bodies.
I ran the rest of the way, slipping on the mud but managing to stay on my feet. My heart pumped so fast it was difficult to catch my breath.
Red pools of blood had mixed with the heavy rain and mud, leaving a macabre scene.
Two of the vamps were headless. My heartbeat escalated to a jackhammer staccato. The hair appeared dark rather than Lucas’s blond hair but, being wet, I couldn’t be sure.
Please. Please. Please. Don’t be Lucas.
I wanted to close my eyes, but I forced myself to look at the faces.
Thank the gods. They weren’t him.
I almost collapsed with relief, but I had to find him.
Lucas lay at the back of the car, face down in a puddle. He couldn’t drown, but it didn’t stop the panic when I noted how red the puddle was. He grimaced when I turned him over, and I leaned over him to shield his face from the rain.
“Lucas. Lucas. Can you hear me?”
His arm barely lifted an inch before it fell to his side. His clothes were sliced in dozens of places. It was impossible to tell how bad it was, but the cuts had to be deep if he could barely move.
I glanced around the parking lot, thankful the rain kept people indoors. Or at least kept their heads down.
Think. Damn it. Think.
A cool chill swept over me as I slowed my breathing.
What would Cressa or Simone do?
I took off my light jacket and covered Lucas’s face then turned to the two dead vamps. I found the keys to the rental in Lucas’s pocket and opened the trunk. My steps were slow as I approached the first headless body. I’d helped Lucas move two bodies in a similar condition a couple of days before. I could do this.
Before dealing with the bodies, I grabbed all the weapons I could find, whether lying in the mud or on their person, and dumped them in the trunk. Next was checking pockets for wallets. Neither had any identification on them. They might have left it in their car, wherever that was. But they were carrying money, and I took it all.
I stood and surveyed the lot. We had parked by a small stand of trees, which turned out to be the best spot to dump bodies. I dragged the first one under the canopy, then leaned against a tree as I struggled for breath. The mud hadn’t made it any easier to move the dead weight. Once the second body had been laid by the first, I collected their heads and dropped them in between the vamps. I had no idea which head belonged to which body, and it didn’t matter to them now. The local sheriff would have a headscratcher with this one.
Next was how to get Lucas in the car. I tried to rouse him, but he was barely conscious. It had been difficult enough to drag the vamps. Lifting Lucas into the car would be next to impossible. I pulled out my dagger, and without a second thought, slit the fleshy part of my hand below my thumb.
I pressed it to his lips. “Drink, baby. Come on. Some nice donor blood. You need your strength. We need to get you in the car.” I held his head up and after a long minute, I felt the pull and a tingling sensation as he began to drink.
He must not have realized who he was drinking from; otherwise, he wouldn’t have drunk so deeply. Maybe I was wrong because he’d only taken a few swallows before he stopped. Though he might have passed out. I glanced at my cut. It was going to hurt like hell. I hadn’t thought this through. I’d sliced my best hand for wielding a dagger. Sergi trained me to use both hands, but my right hand was the strongest.
I glanced where the dead vamps had laid. So much blood. Then it hit me, shocking my brain like jump-starting a battery.
Blood worked both ways. Human blood nourished vamps, but their blood carried healing properties. I found a fresh pool of Lucas’s blood where it dripped onto his jacket. I pressed my hand into it, not sure how long it took. After a minute, I wiped the blood away and checked the skin. The cut was no longer bleeding, and it was beginning to scab over. The skin would be pink in another minute. Crazy.
Lucas stirred. “Ginger?”
“I’m here, baby. Do you think you can stand long enough to get in the car? We can’t stay here.”
“The others?”
“You killed two. If there were more, they’re gone.”
“Just the two.” His breaths were short rasps.
“Don’t talk. Let’s get you in the back seat so you can lie down.”
I opened the back door, then squatted behind his head and pushed him to a seated position. He was lethargic, but with some inner strength that I attributed partly to the beast and the rest to my blood—meager as the amount was—he half stood, half crawled into the back seat. He rolled over and collapsed before he got his legs in.
I raced around the car and yanked open the passenger door. I grabbed him under the arms and pulled him the rest of the way in, then stuffed the softest duffel under his head before closing the door and rushing back around to push the rest of his legs in to get the door closed. The last thing I could think to do was confirm no evidence had been left behind other than the pooled blood. Footprints were already fading into the mud.
Once in the driver’s seat, I checked to ensure my purse was on the passenger seat and Lucas’s wallet was in the console. I drove the car over the area where the fight had gone down, covering as much of the scene as I could before turning for the street.
The rain was still heavy, and there wasn’t a single person in sight. Even the street traffic was light. The gas gauge showed more than half a tank. I took a slow left turn out of the parking lot and kept within the speed limit as I headed for the main highway.
“Lucas? Are you with me?”
A groan would have to satisfy for now. We’d barely had the rental for one day, yet the damn vamps were still tracking us. Until I found out how they were doing it, we were in grave danger. I considered calling Sergi, but he was hours, if not a full day away. He’d have to fly commercial since Lorenzo was probably monitoring Devon’s jet.
I had to remain focused. Stay calm and leave the emotions on lockdown until we were safe.
First things first. Find a secure location and check Lucas’s wounds. Then find a way to get the vamps off our trail.