Page 45 of Lucas
What the hell?
Sure, no problem. Just take some time to catch up on your banking.
Then I considered why a bank. The vamps he’d killed had a lot of money on them. Lucas still had his own stash. The money I’d spent on supplies barely touched it. Maybe he just wanted to be ready in case of another emergency.
I locked the car and marched into the store, turning my focus to simple shopping. I bought a case of water, two bottles of orange juice, bananas, apples, and, finally, road trip snacks for me. Ten minutes of staring out the car window dragged by before Lucas stepped out of the bank and hurried to the car.
“Let’s go,” he said as he closed the door. “At the light, make a right. There’s a used car dealership a couple of blocks down.”
“You’re going to buy a car?” My voice squeaked.
“No one will be able to track us. Sergi included.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.” It was a great idea to keep the bad vamps away, but he was making Bella’s task harder to find them. Although, she’d most likely consider it an acceptable challenge.
An hour later, with what had to be the fastest sales transaction the salesman ever made while he unknowingly donated half a pint of blood, I drove out of the lot in a ten-year-old white panel van. There weren’t a lot of conveniences, but it wasn’t all bad. The van had an upgraded radio with satellitestations, drove smoother than I expected, and the seat was higher so I could see over the top of most cars.
We bypassed the interstate, found the state highway, and headed west. A few hours later, Lucas selected a small town for us to overnight. We picked up dinner from a grocery store and found a nondescript motel on the edge of town next to a diner. At least we’d have something hot for breakfast.
I eyed him as we ate premade salads while an old musical played on the TV. “You seem quite capable of slumming it.”
He glanced up with a mouthful of salad and washed it down with a swallow of wine from a plastic cup. “You think I can only survive in five-star hotels?”
“They’re the only ones you’ve taken me to.” I held up my hands, fork waving. “Not that I mind. I just thought that’s how vamps always traveled.”
“It’s common for the House Leader, cadre, and many others in the Family, but there are times when surveillance dictates other accommodations.”
We finished the bottle of wine and watched TV until it was time for sleep.
“Come closer. I haven’t been able to hold you for days.” Lucas held the sheet open for me, and I curled up next to him, his arms holding me tight. “I owe you so much.” He kissed my forehead, my cheek, and then my lips. It didn’t last long, but it was passionate.
“Why do you think you owe me anything?” I asked.
“Because, my sweet angel, if you weren’t as smart and quick as you had been that night, I’d be in the afterlife looking down on you, sad for all the days I would miss having you in my arms.”
I clutched him tight, the import of his words reminding me of what I’d refused to consider. I’d almost lost him. And our mission was far from over. For the first time since Lucas mentioned it, I was happy Bella and Jacques were on their way.
We’d been watchingthe same grocery store for three days. Thank god it wasn’t an open-all-night store or we’d be sleeping in the van. At least I’d talked Lucas into buying an air mattress, just in case. The day before, we thought we’d found Fiona, but it wasn’t her. At least, she wasn’t a vampire, and Lucas assured me only vampires could be library custodians.
“How long are we going to try this approach?” I asked while picking through an assorted nut mix, searching for the last hazelnut before switching to almonds.
“At least a week. Bella will find us soon, and then we’ll have more options. The store has a delivery boy, and I’ve been considering following him on one of his runs. Fiona might stock up on dry goods, but she’ll eventually need fresh food. Whether she’s with Philipe or not, she’s been living on the run for too long to ignore its necessity. She’ll also require blood and could take it from the delivery boy if he doesn’t visit her often, otherwise, she’ll need to come to town.”
“So, either the delivery boy or some other unsuspecting human ends up their unsuspecting donor.”
He shrugged. “A minute to mesmerize, take the blood, leave them with a pleasant thought, then send the human on their way. No fuss. No muss.”
“What does it say about me that I’m no longer fazed by that?”
He grabbed my hand, kissed it, then stole the can of nuts. “It says that you’re intelligent and understand more of how the world works.”
“I guess.”
“Think of it this way. When you were trying to keep me safe, not knowing how to stay hidden, what if you didn’t have money to buy food, rent a room, or buy gas?”
Money had been one of the first things I took stock of once I checked on Lucas and hid the dead vamps. I didn’t have to run through the situation we’d been in to know what I’d have to do. I would have risked the call to Sergi, but it would have been at least a day or more before he could get to us. Lucas had a credit card, but using it would have left a trail the bad vamps could have picked up. The bottom line was that I might have done something I wasn’t proud of to keep Lucas and me alive.
“When you put it that way, I would have done things I thought I’d left behind in the Hollows.”
