I rolled down the window with the manual handle. James and Nick stood at the edge of the parking lot. “James, tell my father I will connect with him on the road,” I called. “Nick, make sure you take the brunt of the office work until I get back. Marcy can’t do it alone, and tell her that was a direct quote.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Nick smiled. “Don’t get yourself killed, Jess. I mean it.”
James stepped forward. “Take care and watch your back, Jessica. The Goddess will be hard to best.” Wolves weren’t a sentimental bunch, but I could scent their combined concern. “Use whatever means necessary to win this battle.”
“I plan to,” I said. “You and my father do the same. The South is not going to be any easier to subdue. I hope Redman Martin cooperates and decides to join us, but if he doesn’t, I hope you beat him into submission quickly.”
Tyler leaned over my seat. “She won’t be alone, Irish. We’re not planning on failing. We’re coming back. You still owe me a hundred bucks and I plan on collecting.” My heart constricted and I had to stop for a second to catch my breath. The last time I’d heard James called “Irish” was by Rourke right before the barroom brawl where we’d met for the first time. I’d never heard Tyler use that nickname before.
James stepped back and gave us a salute as we pulled out. Nick stared ahead with a pensive gaze as he waved goodbye.
Once we were out on the road everything went smoothly.
Until Ray woke up.
“Shut the bloody hell up!” Danny yelled for the fourth time. “Or you’ll end up worse than just rotting unconscious! I will sever your neck from your body if you continue to push me.”
It was just after midnight and we were almost to the Canadian border. We’d chosen to take the interstate most of the way and I’d driven fast.
But it was more than time to exit off the main road.
Clearly, I hadn’t considered the implications of bringing an angry American cop across the border. Ray wasn’t going to play nice and it was unlikely the Canadian Border Service officers would be amused if they found an unconscious body in the backseat. Taking a few human guards down wouldn’t be an issue, but the surveillance would put a damper on the events. The border was heavily monitored. I slapped my hands on the steering wheel in frustration, but not hard enough to break anything. I was learning how to deal with my new strength. Not popping holes or breaking things every five minutes was becoming an art form.
Upon waking an hour ago, Ray had immediately started ranting and raving. He’d kicked the back of my seat repeatedly until Danny had threatened to saw off his legs with a hunting knife. When Ray hadn’t acquiesced, Danny had brandished said knife in front of him and started picking his nails with it. Ray had stopped thrashing, but he hadn’t stopped yelling. He was gagged, but it didn’t matter. It was driving us all insane, and nothing short of knocking him out again was going to stop it.
My regret for bringing him along with us pounded behind my temples, throbbing in a dull ache. I’d clearly been out of my frigging mind thinking I could kidnap someone like Ray, even if it was only to save his sorry life.
The Humvee had a state-of-the-art GPS hardwired into the front console. I glanced at it and took a turn, following a small logging road off the main highway.
“One wrong move once we get out of this car and he dies, Jess,” my brother murmured from the seat next to me. “I have no idea why he’s here, but there’s no way his life is worth more than ours. If he compromises this mission, he’s out. Are we clear?”
Ray raged from the backseat. “Goow dan mo fut ba—”
“Clear.” I was driving fast and hit the brakes, cranking the wheel hard to the right. We shot through a small break in the trees. The back end of the monster swerved in what seemed like a slow arc, the tires finally finding purchase in the dirt. I straightened it out and gunned it through the brush, careening over an old, weed-covered road like we were on a motocross circuit. All the crap in the back crashed around, making it sound like the truck was rending apart at the seams.
Tyler grabbed on to the side handhold above his head. “What the f**k are you doing? Did I miss something?” he shouted. “Where are we going?”
There were no streetlights and it was pitch dark. The truck bobbed over a small knoll and we skidded into a clearing, just missing a group of pine trees. I punctuated my mood by stomping on the brakes at the last second, sending us all flying forward in our seats. Then I jammed it into park. “Nope, you didn’t miss anything,” I said, turning toward my brother. “Just fixing the issue before it gets out of hand.”
“I should’ve driven,” Tyler muttered. “Girls are emotional drivers.”
“Emotional, huh?” I chuckled. “Guess who finally shut up in the backseat? I did that.” I tapped a finger against my chest. Before Tyler could comment, there was a whooshing sound outside and two shapes struck ground directly in front of the truck. The high beams of the headlights bounced off their faces, making them look like a couple of ghostly specters.
“They don’t waste any time, do they?” Danny angled his body toward the front seat. “Were they just hanging in the sky, then? Waiting around for us to stop and ask for directions?”
I had no idea how the vamps were traveling with us, but zooming above our truck on the highway hadn’t really crossed my mind. I figured they’d fly to the mysterious “end of the road” destination and be irritated we were taking so long. If we had an issue, like now, they would figure it out eventually. I hadn’t expected them so soon.
But now that they were here, a plan began to formulate. I could use them.
A slow smile spread across my lips as I slid around in my seat.
Ray was finally blessedly quiet, but the look on his face as he absorbed the shapes standing before us in the headlights was priceless. I’d never seen Ray stymied over anything, but getting his first glimpse of vampires in all their glory had achieved it. I could almost see the wheels of disbelief turning. “Guess what, Ray?”
His eyes narrowed as they shot to mine.
“I just found you a ride.”
7