Page 32 of Crimson Storm

It was true. We weren’t friends. I’d coerced him into being there. It would be foolish to invest too much trust in him.

But he definitely didn’t feel like an enemy either—not the way the prison guards had been. Or his uncles. Or those Coalition headquarters bombers, whoever they were.

“Okay then. Let’s hope we don’t get pulled over with a human passenger trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey,” Curtis said.

He put the truck in gear and navigated the city’s tight, busy streets until we reached Highway 80 east. Just outside the city, he took an exit and parked in a truck stop lot.

“What’s going on?” Heather asked. “Aren’t we dropping you off at home?”

“Nope. Those alerts about you three are everywhere. It’s best you get as far away from here as you can as quick as possible. Lisa can come pick me up—she’s the woman I’m dating now. I’ll just go in and have a drink till she gets here.”

Extracting a wallet from his back pocket, he drew out some bills and offered them to me. “You’ll need this for gas. This truck’s served me well, but it has one hell of an appetite.”

I looked longingly at the money. He was right. We did need it. But he was unemployed now. How could I take it from him?

I waved it away. “We can’t take that. We’ll figure something out.”

“Like what? Putting those little outfits to use? Don’t worry about it. I’ll add this to your tab. You said you’d send me the money when you got to Virginia. I know you’re good for it.”

After I reluctantly accepted the cash, he turned to Shane. “And you—you take care of my girls. Anything happens to them, you’ll have me to deal with, understand?”

“Got it, though...”

“Though what?” Curtis frowned in a way that made him look scary for the first time since, well maybeever.

“Maybe you should be more worried about what’s going to happen tome. I’m the one who’s handcuffed and traveling cross country with three vampires.”

Curtis held his gaze for a long moment then burst into laughter. “I like you, kid.”

Wishing us luck, he hopped to the ground and strode toward the neon signs of the truck stop’s restaurant, swinging one hand over his shoulder in a casual wave.

Kelly slid into the driver’s seat. “Okay, let’s see how far we can make it before daybreak. You two should crawl into the back and get some sleep. You were up all day long while we slept. I’ll wake you both when we get to the first border checkpoint.”

17

Dangerous

It was a strange feeling to be on my way back to the Bastion. Honestly, I’d thought I’d never see it again.

The enormous cavern in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley served as the seat of the Crimson Court and the headquarters of the vampire resistance movement. That was only part of the reason I’d left.

No, my philosophical disagreements with Imogen hadn’t been pleasant, but it was the constant temptation that had ultimately driven me away.

An image of Reece’s dark-rimmed lilac eyes insinuated itself on my attempts to fall asleep. That and the discomfort of the colored contact lenses were making it an impossible task.

I stared up at the ceiling of the 18-wheeler’s sleeping compartment, trying to keep still so at least Shane would be able to sleep.

“I thought silver was harmful to vampires,” the quiet voice intruded on my thoughts.

Sitting up, I stared across the sleeping cabin at Shane. “What are you talking about?”

“Your necklace. It’s silver, isn’t it? You play with the pendant constantly. I thought it was supposed to burn you or something.”

I looked down at the chain around my neck and the small silver dagger-like ornament hanging from it. Rubbing the red orb in the dagger’s hilt, I answered him.

“Silver is fine. It’s platinum that weakens us—that’s what the cuffs are made of. It doesn’t burn to the touch though.”

“What about the pendant?”

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