Page 30 of Crimson Bond

Any Other Reason

Abbi

I hadn’t seen Reece this irate since he’d first been brought into the med clinic at the Bastion.

It was hard to blame him, but still I felt the need to talk him down from his enraged state.

“There are other ways of fighting, you know. Sadie’s media appearances and peaceful protests were making some headway with public opinion. And the VHC employed a whole team of lawyers who fought unfair policies in the courts.”

Reece rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I was gonna be one of those someday—before I was turned and my college career ended.”

“You wanted to be a lawyer? I would have thought you hoped to play professional basketball.”

“Nah. I mean, sure, that could have been fun, but players like me were a dime a dozen. I’m tall, but I was nothing special.”

He gave a sad laugh. “Now I could run circles around the other players and dunk with one finger. Of course, vampires aren’t allowed in the NBA—or college hoops.”

“I think you would have made a great lawyer,” I said, once again trying to distract him from the unfairness of it all. “You’re incredibly smart, and you’re a voracious reader. You’re also very persuasive when you want to be.”

He slid a glance at me, and the edges of his mouth turned up in a reluctant smile.

“Also, you’re really good at arguing,” I teased.

Reece’s smile grew. “Iwasthe president of the debate team in high school.”

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

I studied his profile, so strong and handsome—even more so when he smiled like this. God, I loved looking at him. If hewereto become a lawyer, there wasn’t a jury on the planet that wouldn’t side with him every time.

“You know, with all those skills, you didn’treallyneed me to come along and help you talk to Sadie,” I said.

Reece’s smile dropped, and he sat straighter in his seat. “I wasn’t sure she’d even speak to me without a go-between.”

“She would have. She’s willing to listen to anyone who has something valuable to say. And an offer of cooperation with the Crimson Court is valuable.”

The icy precipitation increased, and Reece seemed to want to focus on the road, which was smart. I stopped talking so he could concentrate.

Unfortunately, the rain and sleet turned into heavy snowfall. The highway department’s salt trucks couldn’t manage to keep up with it. The road conditions steadily worsened until the Charger’s tires were sliding more often than they rolled.

We weren’t the only ones having trouble. The farther we went, the more cars we saw in the median or off on the shoulder.

When the wind picked up, turning the snowstorm into whiteout conditions, Reece put on his turn signal and started making his way to the right lane.

“We’re gonna have to get off the road for the day, let this storm pass. We’re only a few hours away, but it’s too hazardous to keep going in this.”

“Okay.”

Though it would mean another stay in a hotel room, he was probably right. A collision could result in a car fire or even one of us being decapitated, both of which were deadly to vampires.

At the very least, a car accident could leave us without a working vehicle, and public transportation was out of the question.

This time the hotel room we checked into did have two beds. Which was a good thing. Really.

So why did I feel a sinking sense of disappointment when the clerk had cheerfully announced he could accommodate Reece’s request?

Don’t be stupid, Abbi. Mind on the mission, remember?

As we unpacked and got ready for bed, my mind was actually on something else—our conversation from earlier about Reece’s excellent persuasive skills and the fact he’d interceded with Imogen and asked to bring me along on his mission.

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