The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,9
counter. “Showing up with my brothers just isn’t professional.”
William turned away in a pathetic attempt to conceal his grin. It didn’t take a detective to figure out what had him so tickled. I had to laugh at the thought of me rolling up in a flashy red Jeep, my purple hair flying everywhere. The guy was going to take one look at me in my eccentric clothes and think I’d escaped the circus.
Which was exactly what my life had become.
Chapter 3
“How’s the drive?” Hope asked on my speakerphone.
I glanced at the mess of candy wrappers on the passenger seat of my uncle’s Jeep. “Scenic. And if one more trucker wags his tongue between two fingers at me, I’m going to drive off a cliff.”
She laughed. “Let me know when you see a cliff in Texas.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m already in Oklahoma. I’m sure if I look hard enough, I can find one. If not, the noxious odor of dead skunks every thirty miles should do me in. Where are you?”
“I just left.”
Turning down the air so I could hear better, I said, “Wait a second. Weren’t you going to leave right after me?”
“I wish I had. It took me over an hour to find a decent hotel online.”
I passed a pickup truck and grinned. Hope was a planner and didn’t like the idea of staying at the first motel on the side of the highway. When I’d left the apartment, she was on the internet, comparing amenities.
“Traffic is a nightmare,” she continued, “so it’s probably going to take me a couple of hours before I make it to San Antonio.”
I glanced down at the clock. “How long do you think your meeting will last?”
“It depends. We’re having dinner at the hotel, and if that goes well, he’ll probably invite me back to his place.”
“Sounds kinky.”
When her response came through garbled, I moved the phone around. “Hope?”
“I’m here. And don’t be silly. His elders want to speak with me. The tribes are careful about who they do business with, so he’s basically vetting me to see if I’m good enough to consider.”
“Well, just watch out for yourself. He might be one of those crazy alphas with a harem.”
“I’m glad I packed my harem pants.”
Chortling, I said, “I really shouldn’t laugh at that.”
“I’m more worried about you. It’s not too late to turn back.”
I jerked the wheel and swerved around roadkill. Thankfully it wasn’t a skunk. “Don’t worry about me. I brought my bow and arrows. The only thing I forgot to pack was some good music. Uncle Will’s fantabulous CD collection leaves much to be desired.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
I picked up a jewel case and read the label. “Let’s just say that when I lost the radio stations, I was reduced to listening to Herb Alpert and Engelbert Humperdinck.”
“Who?”
“Exactly. These are the joys of living with old Shifters. Do you think one day our kids will be laughing at our music?”
The reception cut off, and I only heard every other word.
“Hope? I’m going to let you go before I drop off. Call me later.”
“Okay. Drive safely.”
Another flash of lightning streaked across the dark horizon up ahead. It had been nothing but blue skies until I hit Dallas. As soon as I’d passed the casino in Oklahoma, the sky turned midnight blue, and headlights lit up the highway in both directions.
Now there was no highway, just miles and miles of trees along the two-lane road. I’d only seen two cars in the past thirty minutes, and there wasn’t anywhere safe to pull over. Every so often, I passed a run-down home with dogs chained up in the front yard.
I reached for the map and flattened it against the steering wheel. Where the heck does this guy live? What if he’s a lion Shifter or some crazy rogue who lives in the woods and decorates his cabin with dead squirrels? For all I knew, I might have been meeting with a Mage or a Vampire, and the thought of some guy sucking my blood or my energy for a high and leaving me on the side of the road left me with a sinking feeling.
Too late to turn back now.
“Good grief. Where’s a gas station when you need one?”
I didn’t have enough light to see the map, not without driving off the road.
“A sign would be helpful,” I muttered. “I’ve passed two intersections with no signs. It’s like they want you to get lost in this state. Welcome to Oklahoma.”