Tree Of Souls (Transfusion Saga #6) - Stephanie Hudson Page 0,68

the first dodgy dealer I had come across. I accepted his deal, just because I needed whatever cash I could get my hands on without any questions asked. Of course, it also helped having the car in my new name to convince the guy that I hadn’t stolen it. Not like the first I had, stopping myself from saying so just in time.

After this it was days of bus hopping, knowing that Lucius wasn’t far behind and if I could just get to Miami, then I had a shot at getting out of the States. The flaw in all of this had been my new fear of sleep, which resulted in power naps, asking people sat near me if they could set an alarm on their phones to wake me up. I also made sure never to sleep at night, knowing this was when Lucius would be waiting for me, expecting it.

Hence my drunken phone call and one that even the memory of it made me rub my temple and groan out loud. Gods, but I had even slept with the phone next to me and why? It wasn’t as though I could have expected his call back. He couldn’t trace me here, I made sure of that.

I had just been glad for the opportunity to finally sleep, something only possible as Lucius had given me his word that he wouldn’t try again. And well, as sneaky as the bastard could be, he wasn’t the type to break a vow…

No, just hearts, I thought with a grimace.

But the phone call last night had lasted longer than I told myself I would allow. Something that just couldn’t be helped as the temptation of his voice was just too much to fight against. Gods, how I hated myself for missing him the way I did. Which unfortunately became the worst part about my decision to take a cruise, it was the time it gave me to think.

When I had been on the road all my mind had focused on was the next part of the plan. The next safe place to stop, picking the small towns that would be less likely to have security cameras or other ways that might be enough to track me.

The hardest one had been in Jacksonville when I had no choice but to buy supplies, as I knew it would look a little odd getting on a cruise for a holiday with nothing but the dirty clothes on my back and half empty hand luggage.

So, after the first thing I bought being a baseball cap and new jacket, I kept my head down and bought what I needed, which had basically been everything. Then I dumped the flight attendant’s clothes and bag, now having new luggage of my own. The cocktail dress I had bought onboard after realising that if I wanted to leave my room at night and do so without sticking out like a sore thumb, then I needed to buy a dress.

Because as great as camping out in my room feeling sorry for myself for twenty-one days sounded, I had lasted about two days before that shit got old. So, instead I had fallen into a rhythm of life on board, which started with a morning art class. This was something I sucked at despite the sweet encouragement I would get from the retired ladies I had in my group.

Then after some failed art, I would go for a swim and dry on the sunbeds with a book from the library. After this the rest of my day pretty much centered around food, getting ready for the evening and planning what live show there was to watch or what new movies were scheduled. To be honest, as holidays went, then yeah, I could totally see the appeal. But for someone trying to get over heartbreak, then spending all this time by myself wasn’t ideal. Every fucking thing reminded me of him. The evenings were the worst, for every time I saw a blonde male in a suit from behind, I thought of Lucius.

I had even been hit on whilst at the bar, and the conversations always started the same way. What did I do for a living and what was I doing on the cruise alone? And let’s just say that telling them I was on the run from my Vampire ex-boyfriend who I caught kissing my mum, wasn’t exactly the most convincing of stories. Hence, why I had come up with my cover