Page 55 of Addicted in Blood
“What’s his condition?Is he still crazed on the Poppy?I want to see him.”
“Simone will be back in the morning.I’m sure she’ll share what she can about Devon and our plans for the Council.”
“So, it’s like that.Where’s Anna?”
“She went with Simone.”He went back to packing files, then he stopped and gave me one of those glares that didn’t scare me anymore.“The next couple of days are going to be difficult.And it will mostly likely be worse after the Council’s deadline.I suggest you take this time to recuperate from your training.Find a good book or paint your toenails with Ginger.”
Oh, yeah.Two could definitely play this game.
I stormed out, slamming the office door with a satisfaction I hadn’t felt in a long time.I hadn’t expected my request to be easy, but refusal to talk to me about anything, well—I thought we’d gotten past that.After all this time, they seemed to have forgotten who they were dealing with.Pandora didn’t take shit from anyone.Besides, I had my own plan cooking.
I strode through the manor—a woman on a mission.There were plenty of vamps, just not the ones I needed.I went back to my room and changed into a pair of black jeans, a comfortable sweater of the same color, and sneakers.I stuffed a few items into a backpack and set it next to the door.The necklace was around my neck, my wallet in the backpack.I glanced around for my cell and spotted it on the nightstand next to my day planner.When I grabbed my cell, I knocked the planner to the floor, dumping several business cards and sticky notes.I was shoving everything back in when two cards caught my eye.
One was Harlow’s card.I twirled it through my fingers then stuffed it back with the rest of the stack.The other was a silver business card I’d been given weeks ago.That one I stuffed in my back pocket before shoving my phone in the backpack.
When I opened my bedroom door, I was in for a surprise.A vamp was stationed outside my door.There was one in front of Ginger’s as well.
The vamp turned to me when I stepped into the hall.“You’re only allowed to visit your friend.You can go downstairs when called for dinner.”
That asshole.Sergi did know who he was playing with.I crossed the hall and pounded on Ginger’s door, doing my best to hide my sneer.If Sergi thought a vamp guard was going to stop me, he hadn’t covered all his bases.At least, I hoped he hadn’t.
Ginger’s door flew open.When she noted the two guards, her expression changed from annoyance to sheer pleasure.“Oh, good.They just brought up two bottles of wine and a slew of DVDs.Let’s get hammered.”
She pulled me in, slammed the door behind us, then turned up the speakers on her TV.“I’ve already called Lucas, but he can’t override Sergi’s orders, which Simone approved.”
“Damn it.It’s because of me.”
She nodded.“They consider you a flight risk.”
I snorted.“Well, they’re not wrong.”I paced her room.As usual, it wasn’t easy.A tornado had obviously come through here.“I’m pretty sure I can get out of the manor, but I don’t know if I can snag a vehicle.”
“Have you ever checked out the neighboring yard?”
“No.Why?”
“Remember when you told me there was a thin path where the perimeter wall meets the cliff?”
I grinned.“I do now.I’ve never had a reason to check it out.”
“I did out of curiosity.The property next door looks as secure as this place, but what about the wall itself?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s no razor wire; it’s just a wall.A tall wall, but the brick is eight to ten inches wide.”
“I can walk across the top.”I ran through what I remembered of the long wall.“You were thinking to climb up from where it ends at the cliff?”
She nodded and nibbled her bottom lip.“But it’s a long walk to the front of the property.”
Her plan wasn’t much different than what I’d been thinking.“The arbor.I can climb to the top of the wall from there.”
“The arbor doesn’t extend to the wall.Nothing does.”
“That’s true for the most part.But I was thinking about its leaves, which will block a portion of the wall from most points on the property.Five minutes at most is all I need.
“They’ll be watching for you.”
“Maybe.But it’s not like they’re going to shoot me.”
