Page 41 of Lucas
“I was a bit shaky at first, and I admit the walk to the bathroom and bringing the coffee over was a bit taxing. But I’m past the danger zone.”
She took two food containers out of the bag and passed one toward him. “I asked them to add some fruit.”
He opened the container, and his stomach growled in appreciation. It looked good. He took the first bite and nodded. “Not bad for a diner, I suppose.”
“I thought they might squabble about an egg white omelet, but they didn’t bat an eye.” She dug into her scrambled eggs and munched on bacon.
The coffee was better than what the motel provided, and he felt better once he pushed the empty container away. Neither had spoken while they ate, but Ginger picked at her food as she watched him. She was measuring his stamina, still the observant caregiver.
“I checked us out of the room.”
He nodded. “That’s good. I’d like to get back on the road. Do you have a cell?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t used it for anything other than the internet.”
“It’s time to call Sergi, but I’ll do that while we’re on the road.”
“Where are we headed?”
“Fayetteville.”
“Not Hazel Green?”
“We’ve been given both cities as her last known location. They’re fifteen miles apart by interstate. Fayetteville’s a larger city, so we’ll have more options for motels. We can start our surveillance in Hazel Green, and if we don’t catch any leads we’ll try Fayetteville.”
“Which will be more difficult with it being larger.”
“It does seem more daunting now that we’re getting closer.”
“You need a donor.”
“I’m feeling better than I expected. The food helped. But you’re right. And I happen to know a place where I can get a full feed.”
She grinned. “You’re not getting addicted to my blood, are you?”
“No. Just you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Bella lounged in a chair,one booted leg thrown over the arm, as she reviewed the security changes Sergi had sent out that afternoon. It wasn’t required reading. The updates would only be good for three days, and the chance of her being home before then was slim. But knowing what the old plan entailed could help her identify possible security threats once they returned. Anyone using an old protocol would be considered suspect. It was a rare moment for someone in the Family to get their procedures wrong. But it happened on occasion, which was why she waited for answers to the security questions before attacking.
Jacques squatted on a bar chair playing video games on his tablet, eating nuts from a can. The occasional groan signaled each death of his avatar.
She glanced at the time on her tablet, surprised to see it was a couple minutes past one. Romero was late.
The knock came on the heel of her thoughts. Still punctual considering he was a busy House leader.
She glanced out the peephole. Romero and two of the bodyguards from the tea house stared at the door. She unlocked it and opened it slowly, peering around the door to confirm itwas just the three of them. When she was satisfied they were alone, she swung the door wide. “Come on in.”
The three vampires followed her to the main living area where Jacques now sat on one of the chairs framing the sofa. No tablet in sight.
Romero glanced around. “They’ve updated the decor since I’ve been in one of their suites.” He wrinkled his nose, which turned him from handsome to absolutely adorable.
“Turquoise not your color?”
“Can’t say that it is.” He looked around and then at the hall that led to the two bedrooms. “Do you mind?”
“I’d be worried if you didn’t ask.” She waved for the bodyguards to have a look around and ensure there weren’t other vampires lurking about. Devon would have asked the same.
