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Authors: Jennifer Rardin
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him who sent you."
The Suit was pale, clammy, barely conscious. Which is maybe why he slipped. "He'd kill us," he whispered. His eyes closed. A tear trickled down one cheek. Would you believe I felt sorry for him?
I kept my voice low, trying not to startle him into silence. "Who?"
No answer. I shook him, but he'd passed out, and it looked like he'd be spending the next couple of hours that way.
"Get the car started while I deal with him," said Vayl. "I hear sirens."
----
Chapter Five
I coaxed the battered Lexus off the highway at the nearest exit and headed south. I'd never used the roads I now took, never even seen them on a map. But I'd get us back to the hotel all the same. Evie liked to tell people I'd gotten a GPS implant. Neat idea, but untrue. My uncanny sense of direction had come to me along with my Sensitivity—after. It made sense in a way. My life as I'd known it had changed in every way it could 14 months ago. It seemed right the way I perceived life should change too.
"It's only two o'clock," I told Vayl. "Do you want to go back to Assan's house?"
Vayl shook his head. "Not tonight. I feel I should know this vampire ally of Assan's, and yet I do not recognize his face. Until we have some background information on him, we need to wait. To plan." Vayl slumped in his seat. "When we left Ohio all we thought Assan had was a heinous hobby. Now we know he has an undead ally and a potentially deadly virus. It seems to me they must also be destroyed."
"I agree. But should we add more targets to our list now that we've become targets ourselves?"
"Something else to consider before we make our next move," Vayl said, shrugging. "We must ensure that our little problem is not putting this entire operation into jeopardy."
"What are you saying? Are you saying we should abort the mission?"
"I do not know."
That shut me down. Vayl got quiet too, considering our options, maybe. Or maybe just recharging. In the silence the banging of our bumper took center stage like an American Idol loser, making me cringe. Graybeard and company had really done a number on the Lexus. We'd had to bend the back fenders away from the tires before we could even drive the thing, and I wouldn't bet on the axle still being in mint condition. I felt an evil thrill at the thought of those four. By now they'd all be strapped in their roller beds, and in another ten minutes hospital personnel would be trying to figure out how one of them could've picked up a sword wound outside of a circus sideshow.
"That was a smart move back there," Vayl said.
"Oh, the snake thing? Thanks. Yeah, that did the trick."
"I noticed. Ah, could you refrain from trying it again in the future?"
I glanced over at Vayl. I'd blinked off my night vision, so only the moonlight glancing through the windows showed me his expression. It looked tight, the way men's faces will when they're either feeling or remembering pain. I'd seen it often on Albert after diabetes had forced him to retire, and on David the night we'd stopped speaking. That look went straight to my heart and squeezed.
"You, uh, don't like snakes very much?"
"No."
"Well quit looking all pinched and aristocratic. I'm not making fun of you."
"I am just somewhat sensitive about my phobias."
"You mean there's more than one?"
He jerked his head toward me. I held up one hand. "Okay, okay, backing off. Um, I suppose this would be a bad time to ask you to talk to Pete for me, you know, about the car?"
His eyes widened. I could almost hear him thinking,
of all the nerve
! "You were driving," he said.
"But he likes you so much better than me."
"That is because I don't keep wrecking the rentals."
"Jesus Henry Christ, Parks, why is it that every time I send you out on assignment something explodes?"
Only Pete called me Parks, and only when he was mad. He called me Parks an awful lot. "The car didn't explode, Pete, it crumpled. In the back. About six inches all the way across."
A strangled scream from the
The Suit was pale, clammy, barely conscious. Which is maybe why he slipped. "He'd kill us," he whispered. His eyes closed. A tear trickled down one cheek. Would you believe I felt sorry for him?
I kept my voice low, trying not to startle him into silence. "Who?"
No answer. I shook him, but he'd passed out, and it looked like he'd be spending the next couple of hours that way.
"Get the car started while I deal with him," said Vayl. "I hear sirens."
----
Chapter Five
I coaxed the battered Lexus off the highway at the nearest exit and headed south. I'd never used the roads I now took, never even seen them on a map. But I'd get us back to the hotel all the same. Evie liked to tell people I'd gotten a GPS implant. Neat idea, but untrue. My uncanny sense of direction had come to me along with my Sensitivity—after. It made sense in a way. My life as I'd known it had changed in every way it could 14 months ago. It seemed right the way I perceived life should change too.
"It's only two o'clock," I told Vayl. "Do you want to go back to Assan's house?"
Vayl shook his head. "Not tonight. I feel I should know this vampire ally of Assan's, and yet I do not recognize his face. Until we have some background information on him, we need to wait. To plan." Vayl slumped in his seat. "When we left Ohio all we thought Assan had was a heinous hobby. Now we know he has an undead ally and a potentially deadly virus. It seems to me they must also be destroyed."
"I agree. But should we add more targets to our list now that we've become targets ourselves?"
"Something else to consider before we make our next move," Vayl said, shrugging. "We must ensure that our little problem is not putting this entire operation into jeopardy."
"What are you saying? Are you saying we should abort the mission?"
"I do not know."
That shut me down. Vayl got quiet too, considering our options, maybe. Or maybe just recharging. In the silence the banging of our bumper took center stage like an American Idol loser, making me cringe. Graybeard and company had really done a number on the Lexus. We'd had to bend the back fenders away from the tires before we could even drive the thing, and I wouldn't bet on the axle still being in mint condition. I felt an evil thrill at the thought of those four. By now they'd all be strapped in their roller beds, and in another ten minutes hospital personnel would be trying to figure out how one of them could've picked up a sword wound outside of a circus sideshow.
"That was a smart move back there," Vayl said.
"Oh, the snake thing? Thanks. Yeah, that did the trick."
"I noticed. Ah, could you refrain from trying it again in the future?"
I glanced over at Vayl. I'd blinked off my night vision, so only the moonlight glancing through the windows showed me his expression. It looked tight, the way men's faces will when they're either feeling or remembering pain. I'd seen it often on Albert after diabetes had forced him to retire, and on David the night we'd stopped speaking. That look went straight to my heart and squeezed.
"You, uh, don't like snakes very much?"
"No."
"Well quit looking all pinched and aristocratic. I'm not making fun of you."
"I am just somewhat sensitive about my phobias."
"You mean there's more than one?"
He jerked his head toward me. I held up one hand. "Okay, okay, backing off. Um, I suppose this would be a bad time to ask you to talk to Pete for me, you know, about the car?"
His eyes widened. I could almost hear him thinking,
of all the nerve
! "You were driving," he said.
"But he likes you so much better than me."
"That is because I don't keep wrecking the rentals."
"Jesus Henry Christ, Parks, why is it that every time I send you out on assignment something explodes?"
Only Pete called me Parks, and only when he was mad. He called me Parks an awful lot. "The car didn't explode, Pete, it crumpled. In the back. About six inches all the way across."
A strangled scream from the
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