Page 29 of Lucas
“He must have abandoned the car and rented a new one. Then they went off-grid.” Simone studied the map, and Sergi waited for her suggestion, which didn’t take long. “Let’s get Bella and Jacques to New Orleans. At least they’ll be within easy reach.”
“Agreed. I’ll contact Bella now.”
Simone stood. “I want to check on Lyra. Anything I should know before I go up?”
“So far, all has been quiet. And I realize that doesn’t mean everything is good.”
Simone snickered. “Until this war with Venizi is over, nothing will be good. Just better or worse than the day before.”
Sergi couldn’t agree more. He texted Bella before returning to stare at the map. If Ginger had been injured, Lucas would have told him, and would probably have returned home or found a healer. But Sergi didn’t see Lucas going dark for that.
What if Lucas had been injured? What would Ginger do? He was still considering that fateful scenario when a knock came. Bella stuck her head in.
“You wanted to see me?”
“That was fast.”
“I just left the safe house and was on my way to the new one.”
“Come in. I want you to take a look at this.” He filled her in on his discussion with Simone and their deliberations on where Lucas and Ginger might be.
Bella sat back, arms crossed over her chest as she studied the map. She appeared almost casual in her assessment, but her leg bounced with boundless energy. “If he picked up valuable information from House Beall, then maybe he’s getting close to something. That would explain an increase in attacks. Whoever’s sending the teams of vampires might be getting nervous, and they’re most likely increasing the size of the teams. Lucas could be hiding, waiting them out.”
“Why wouldn’t he check in?”
She shrugged. “If they don’t know how they’re being tracked, maybe they’re not confident with the burners.”
“That’s a possibility. What if one of them is injured?”
Bella slid him a glance, knowing quite well the other reason no one reached out was because they were both dead. “You want me to go find them?”
“It’s a long shot at best. But if we get word, I’d rather they have a friend close by.”
She nodded. “Am I taking Jacques?”
“Yes. Keep a low profile. Simone and I agree they’re most likely heading south. I sent you the list of locations where they might be headed in addition to where their last rental car was ditched. Maybe you can pick up a trail.”
“Doesn’t Lucas have a friend in New Orleans?”
“Two, actually. Lafitte and Romero, but he’s closest with Romero.”
“Do you think he’ll mind if I reach out?”
“No. I’ll give him a heads-up and send you his favorite meeting spot. He’s not aware of the book as far as I know.”
“Understood. When do we leave?”
“There’s a red-eye that leaves in four hours. I’ll have the flight information and your list of aliases within the hour.”
“Got it.” She rose and was almost to the door when Sergi stopped her.
“If Lucas is injured—”
With a feral smile, Bella finished his statement. “Then the only thing standing between him and a team of vampires is a human female.”
Chapter Twelve
The beast hoveredbetween wakefulness and sleep. The healing had begun, but the beast was hungry. It felt his master stir, but it wasn’t his time.
