Page 10 of Lucas
“So, we go to San Francisco first?” I asked.
Devon nodded. “But we need to minimize the ability for anyone to follow your movements. Sergi will be creating multiple identities for you. We’ll need to update your photos for proper IDs, and I’d like that taken care of after dinner. As far as the mission itself, it will be up to you to follow where the leads take you. Sergi will be your single point of contact for any assistance you need, but I want specific check-in times established.”
“What if the vamps that attacked us are there again?” The attack had been an adrenaline rush at the time. Afterward, it had shaken me. It all worked out, but I wasn’t sure I could have disabled the vamp who attacked me if Lucas hadn’t been there. I glanced at him, and his slow smile spoke volumes. It gave me more assurance than I expected. If he believed I could do this, I wouldn’t let him down.
“You know what you have to do. You’ve been trained for this.” Devon stood and laid a hand on my shoulder. “Lucas has confidence in you, and so do I. Finding this book is critical to our success.”
I nodded, unable to string words together.
“We’ll see you at dinner.” Devon nodded to Lucas, and they strode out.
I stared at the wall where Lucas had been leaning. He’d been so confident. Not just about the mission, but about my role in it. I took Devon’s words to heart, though it wasn’t easy to align what I felt in my heart with what I heard in my head.
Cressa put an arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “That little chat just made it real.”
I snorted. “Ya think?” I leaned into her, and she leaned back.
“I never meant for you to get so involved in Family business.”
“I’m not sure when it happened, but somewhere I crossed the line. Maybe it’s my need to pay Devon back for everything he’s done for me. I mean, he could have just given me money and told me to find a new start someplace else.”
“He wanted us to have each other. His way of ensuring I didn’t lose my best friend. I doubt he understood exactly where the path to remove his censure would take him. I don’t think any of us would have considered war.”
I stood, fluffed my hair, and tugged at my dress before straightening my shoulders. “Enough wallowing. Lucas and I can do this. We’ll find the book or Philipe.”
“But not at any cost.” She hugged me. “I can’t lose you, so watch your backside and listen to Lucas. If all else fails—run like hell.”
Chapter Five
Lucas watchedthe entrance to the San Francisco annex of the Renaud Library before returning to his scan of the parking lot. He reached for Ginger’s hand.
“I think it’s best if you stay in the car while I go in.”
“Should I keep the motor running for a quick getaway like they do for bank robberies?” she teased.
Her eyes were enormous and darted about in her own search for the vampires who’d attacked them in the parking lot a couple of weeks earlier. Her knee bounced, a ball of pent-up energy just waiting to be directed someplace.
“I think you can keep the engine off, but you should be in the driver’s seat.” He didn’t want to scare her, but she was already aware of the stakes. The vampires that had attacked them could have been Lorenzo’s. If they were, they might still be there. Lorenzo had been quiet since the raid on his island and the rescue of his long-term prisoner—a powerful dreamwalker who’d been kidnapped and held in a cell for a century.
“Do you think the same custodian is still in there? Maybe today’s his day off.”
He grinned. She still had so much to learn. “Custodians don’t have days off. Not in the same way as humans.”
“Sounds like they need a union.”
“You’re still thinking like a human. You know vampires can go long periods without sleep or rest, and custodians have a passion for their work. But they’re given time once a year for a sabbatical, which can last up to three months.”
“Wow. Let’s hope he didn’t leave on one of those. Or, based on your previous meeting with the curator, wasn’t forced on one.”
“Nowthatmatches my concern.”
“On the other hand, if you speak with a different custodian who isn’t aware of your meeting with the curator, maybe they’ll be more willing to give you the information you’re looking for.”
He lifted her hand to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss, his thumb caressing its tender skin. “A wonderful suggestion.”
But he required more from her before he tested either possibility. He pulled her toward him until he could kiss her properly. A hot, urgent kiss. A kiss a soldier gives his lover before going into battle. It might seem overkill for a trip to the library, but these were no longer normal days. And while Lorenzo and the Council might not know it, House Trelane was already at war.
“I won’t be long.”
