now.
Jeanne Louise hesitated. She wasn’t sure just how the council would punish a mortal in this instance. It wouldn’t be lightly though. It would have to be something that would make a statement and discourage all the other mortals who knew about them from getting such ideas. That being the case, death was a possibility, but it was more likely that they would do a three on one and wipe his mind, then dump him in a psychiatric facility somewhere to live out his days in a drugged, mindless haze. When she admitted as much to Paul, his jaw dropped with horror, but his first question was, “What about Livy? What would they do to her?”
“She wouldn’t be punished for your actions,” she assured him quickly.
“But what would they do with her?” he asked insistently.
Jeanne Louise shrugged helplessly. “They would probably place her with the family of a mortal who works for Argeneau Enterprises.”
“Not for long,” Paul said grimly.
Knowing he was thinking of her cancer and that he was probably right, Jeanne Louise didn’t comment at first. However, when she realized he’d taken the on-ramp to the highway, she asked, “Have you thought of somewhere to go?”
“I have a cottage up north. It’s a four or five hour drive, but—”
“That’s no good. By now they probably know every piece of property you own and have people watching them,” she interrupted and was aware of the sharp startled glance he sent her way.
“Seriously? They can get that kind of information this quickly?” he asked with disbelief.
“Paul, they can find out anything a mortal enforcement agency can find out, and probably quicker,” Jeanne Louise said solemnly.
“How? Surely they don’t have access to police databases and such,” he protested.
“They can get access to anything they want,” she said quietly.
“How?” Paul repeated.
Jeanne Louise just shook her head. “I’ll explain later. Right now we need to think of somewhere to go that you don’t own. We can’t just keep driving around.”
“Right,” he muttered, his gaze on the highway ahead. After a moment, he suggested, “Well, we could take a hotel room somewhere and—”
“They can track your credit cards.”
“Jesus,” Paul muttered. “I only have twenty or thirty bucks on me.”
“Did you leave my purse in my car?” she asked. She hadn’t seen it since awaking in his basement.
“Yes,” he admitted with a frown.
Jeanne Louise considered that briefly, and then asked, “How much gas do we have?”
Paul smiled faintly at the question. She suspected it was because she’d used the word we , making them a team. His gaze slid to the gas gauge and he said, “Half a tank.”
“Then I suggest you hit a gas station somewhere between Chuck E. Cheese’s and the house, and then hit an ATM in the area too. It won’t tell them which way we might be headed in when we don’t show up at the house.”
“Good thinking,” he murmured and shifted into the right lane to take the next off-ramp.
The next half hour was tense. Jeanne Louise spent the entire drive and then the time at the gas station expecting a dark SUV to pull in front of them and force them to a stop. She waited in the car while Paul rushed to use the ATM next, her eyes constantly searching the surrounding area for any sign of a dark SUV or vehicles belonging to her father and brothers. It was a relief when the passenger door opened and Paul slid back in. At least she was relieved until he said, “I just thought . . . Boomer’s still at the house.”
“They’ll take care of him,” Jeanne Louise said reassuringly. “They’ll take him back to the Enforcer house and look after him until we’re found or this is resolved.
He nodded, but looked worried still, and then glanced to Livy, asleep in the back. “She won’t be happy he isn’t with us. That dog hasn’t been out of her sight for more than a few hours since we got him. The only time they’re apart is when she’s at
Jeanne Louise hesitated. She wasn’t sure just how the council would punish a mortal in this instance. It wouldn’t be lightly though. It would have to be something that would make a statement and discourage all the other mortals who knew about them from getting such ideas. That being the case, death was a possibility, but it was more likely that they would do a three on one and wipe his mind, then dump him in a psychiatric facility somewhere to live out his days in a drugged, mindless haze. When she admitted as much to Paul, his jaw dropped with horror, but his first question was, “What about Livy? What would they do to her?”
“She wouldn’t be punished for your actions,” she assured him quickly.
“But what would they do with her?” he asked insistently.
Jeanne Louise shrugged helplessly. “They would probably place her with the family of a mortal who works for Argeneau Enterprises.”
“Not for long,” Paul said grimly.
Knowing he was thinking of her cancer and that he was probably right, Jeanne Louise didn’t comment at first. However, when she realized he’d taken the on-ramp to the highway, she asked, “Have you thought of somewhere to go?”
“I have a cottage up north. It’s a four or five hour drive, but—”
“That’s no good. By now they probably know every piece of property you own and have people watching them,” she interrupted and was aware of the sharp startled glance he sent her way.
“Seriously? They can get that kind of information this quickly?” he asked with disbelief.
“Paul, they can find out anything a mortal enforcement agency can find out, and probably quicker,” Jeanne Louise said solemnly.
“How? Surely they don’t have access to police databases and such,” he protested.
“They can get access to anything they want,” she said quietly.
“How?” Paul repeated.
Jeanne Louise just shook her head. “I’ll explain later. Right now we need to think of somewhere to go that you don’t own. We can’t just keep driving around.”
“Right,” he muttered, his gaze on the highway ahead. After a moment, he suggested, “Well, we could take a hotel room somewhere and—”
“They can track your credit cards.”
“Jesus,” Paul muttered. “I only have twenty or thirty bucks on me.”
“Did you leave my purse in my car?” she asked. She hadn’t seen it since awaking in his basement.
“Yes,” he admitted with a frown.
Jeanne Louise considered that briefly, and then asked, “How much gas do we have?”
Paul smiled faintly at the question. She suspected it was because she’d used the word we , making them a team. His gaze slid to the gas gauge and he said, “Half a tank.”
“Then I suggest you hit a gas station somewhere between Chuck E. Cheese’s and the house, and then hit an ATM in the area too. It won’t tell them which way we might be headed in when we don’t show up at the house.”
“Good thinking,” he murmured and shifted into the right lane to take the next off-ramp.
The next half hour was tense. Jeanne Louise spent the entire drive and then the time at the gas station expecting a dark SUV to pull in front of them and force them to a stop. She waited in the car while Paul rushed to use the ATM next, her eyes constantly searching the surrounding area for any sign of a dark SUV or vehicles belonging to her father and brothers. It was a relief when the passenger door opened and Paul slid back in. At least she was relieved until he said, “I just thought . . . Boomer’s still at the house.”
“They’ll take care of him,” Jeanne Louise said reassuringly. “They’ll take him back to the Enforcer house and look after him until we’re found or this is resolved.
He nodded, but looked worried still, and then glanced to Livy, asleep in the back. “She won’t be happy he isn’t with us. That dog hasn’t been out of her sight for more than a few hours since we got him. The only time they’re apart is when she’s at
Similar Books
