down before I really did take a shower.
When I was dressed and all the pictures and police reports were once again in the safe, I slipped off the necklace and went to the interior connecting door to the next room. I pressed my ear to the door and listened. I didn’t hear anything on the other side. I squatted down and picked the lock without much trouble, then eased the door open. The other room looked just like mine, only empty. I watched out of its peephole for a moment. No one was in the hallway. I opened the door quickly and walked toward the stairwell with my head down and hood up.
I trotted down the stairs, pausing occasionally to listen, making sure no one was following me. Between the council and the vampires, paranoia was the order of the day. I snuck out of the hotel through the kitchen delivery door and stayed off the main roads all the way to my car. It was the one place I felt was probably safe from prying eyes. The only two people connected to the council who even knew what car I drove were Sy and Holden. They had both earned my trust over the years. Corbin also knew what I drove, but had he wanted me dead, he would have tried harder the day before. He wanted Thomas, not me. I hopped in and the engine roared to life. I slipped the necklace back on and took off.
I drove to Alfios. Dempsey stood on the street with his hands jammed into his pockets and sunglasses on. I tapped my horn when he didn’t see me right away. He tried to open the passenger door, but it didn’t budge. “It sticks,” I yelled. “Put your back into it.”
He yanked on it harder and it popped open. He climbed in. “You take this on the water too?”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” I scrunched my nose as I patted the steering wheel. “Don’t listen to him, baby. You’re perfect just the way you are.” I pulled away from the curb and back into traffic.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Moving targets are harder to spy on,” I said.
“Who’s watching you?” he asked.
“Vampires and others. It’s not important. I just have to be careful. What did you want to talk about?”
He sighed. “If you trust me, I know somewhere we can go.”
I glanced over at him. “I think I have shown you quite a bit of trust. You’re the one who appears to suddenly be afraid of me.”
His mouth settled into a firm line. “It was just a shock.”
He directed me out of the city and deeper into the bayou. At the end of a dirt road, we got out. Dempsey headed directly to the water and climbed onto a small boat. I didn’t venture far from my car.
“What are you waiting for?” he called out.
“You to come to your senses and get out of that water coffin,” I said, tempted to get back in my car.
His real and honest laughter rang out. “You want a private place to talk. Can’t get more private than where I am taking you.”
I walked slowly toward him. “If your plan is to drown me in the swamp, I just want to warn you that I’ll likely take you with me. And that would be a shame. I sort of like you.”
He shrugged. “You’ll never know.”
I climbed in the boat and it rocked. This was such a bad idea.
Chapter 10
Moss dangled from the bald cypress trees canopying the still waters. Animal sounds surrounded us, making my ears twitch as the boat’s motor hummed, catapulting us through the murky water.
“Do you have life jackets in here?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You don’t want that. It will only make the gators more interested in you.” He winked.
Give me mountains any day. I hated water.
We seemed to go on forever before a tiny, weathered cabin on stilts came into view and Dempsey started to slow down. He tied the boat to a half-rotten dock, and offered me his hand to help me out. Water surrounded the house. What did he have against dry land? I ignored his hand, taking large hopping steps off the deck and up the equally unsafe stairs.
“Where are we?” I asked at the top of the stairs, my fingernails digging
When I was dressed and all the pictures and police reports were once again in the safe, I slipped off the necklace and went to the interior connecting door to the next room. I pressed my ear to the door and listened. I didn’t hear anything on the other side. I squatted down and picked the lock without much trouble, then eased the door open. The other room looked just like mine, only empty. I watched out of its peephole for a moment. No one was in the hallway. I opened the door quickly and walked toward the stairwell with my head down and hood up.
I trotted down the stairs, pausing occasionally to listen, making sure no one was following me. Between the council and the vampires, paranoia was the order of the day. I snuck out of the hotel through the kitchen delivery door and stayed off the main roads all the way to my car. It was the one place I felt was probably safe from prying eyes. The only two people connected to the council who even knew what car I drove were Sy and Holden. They had both earned my trust over the years. Corbin also knew what I drove, but had he wanted me dead, he would have tried harder the day before. He wanted Thomas, not me. I hopped in and the engine roared to life. I slipped the necklace back on and took off.
I drove to Alfios. Dempsey stood on the street with his hands jammed into his pockets and sunglasses on. I tapped my horn when he didn’t see me right away. He tried to open the passenger door, but it didn’t budge. “It sticks,” I yelled. “Put your back into it.”
He yanked on it harder and it popped open. He climbed in. “You take this on the water too?”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” I scrunched my nose as I patted the steering wheel. “Don’t listen to him, baby. You’re perfect just the way you are.” I pulled away from the curb and back into traffic.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Moving targets are harder to spy on,” I said.
“Who’s watching you?” he asked.
“Vampires and others. It’s not important. I just have to be careful. What did you want to talk about?”
He sighed. “If you trust me, I know somewhere we can go.”
I glanced over at him. “I think I have shown you quite a bit of trust. You’re the one who appears to suddenly be afraid of me.”
His mouth settled into a firm line. “It was just a shock.”
He directed me out of the city and deeper into the bayou. At the end of a dirt road, we got out. Dempsey headed directly to the water and climbed onto a small boat. I didn’t venture far from my car.
“What are you waiting for?” he called out.
“You to come to your senses and get out of that water coffin,” I said, tempted to get back in my car.
His real and honest laughter rang out. “You want a private place to talk. Can’t get more private than where I am taking you.”
I walked slowly toward him. “If your plan is to drown me in the swamp, I just want to warn you that I’ll likely take you with me. And that would be a shame. I sort of like you.”
He shrugged. “You’ll never know.”
I climbed in the boat and it rocked. This was such a bad idea.
Chapter 10
Moss dangled from the bald cypress trees canopying the still waters. Animal sounds surrounded us, making my ears twitch as the boat’s motor hummed, catapulting us through the murky water.
“Do you have life jackets in here?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You don’t want that. It will only make the gators more interested in you.” He winked.
Give me mountains any day. I hated water.
We seemed to go on forever before a tiny, weathered cabin on stilts came into view and Dempsey started to slow down. He tied the boat to a half-rotten dock, and offered me his hand to help me out. Water surrounded the house. What did he have against dry land? I ignored his hand, taking large hopping steps off the deck and up the equally unsafe stairs.
“Where are we?” I asked at the top of the stairs, my fingernails digging
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