“I’m going to borrow your shower.”
Don’t look down. “Okay.”
He turned away. She watched his beefy ass as he headed toward the bedroom area. He had a firm one, not some flat bottom like most of the men she knew. She resisted the urge to lean over to watch him walk until he entered the bathroom. The door closed and the water came on within seconds.
She figured he wasn’t going to like the tiny closet of a shower. He was too tall for the showerhead. He probably wouldn’t even be able to bend to scrub his feet in the enclosed space. She’d had a hard time doing that and he was much bigger than her. She got up and passed the bathroom, entering her dad’s bedroom.
Victor hadn’t been nearly as tall as Lavos but her hero would need clean clothes. She found a pair of cotton gray sweatpants that would stretch to fit. The legs might fall a few inches short of his ankles but she knew he couldn’t exactly squeeze into her father’s jeans. She placed them on the bed and returned to the living room area.
The bathroom door opened and Jadee called out to him, “I put something on the bed for you to wear.”
“Thank you.”
She wondered if he walked those few feet naked into the bedroom or had a towel wrapped around his waist. It was tempting to peek but she held still. The bedroom pocket door rolled closed and she waited. It opened seconds later and Lavos came striding down the hall.
The light gray color of the sweatpants flattered his tan skin. He had to spend a lot of time outdoors to get that way. His hair was wet. All the dirt had been scrubbed away. He paused in the kitchen.
“Do you mind if I get a drink?”
“Help yourself.”
He yanked open the fridge and took one of her father’s bottled waters. He approached her and took a seat across the table. “It’s done.”
She didn’t want to ask about the bodies. “The truck?”
“A casualty of a ravine. I covered it with brush. I doubt anyone will find it for years, if ever. We get a lot of abandoned vehicles up here. People break down on the highway or have accidents. It’s too expensive to have them towed to a larger city in some cases. I did grab your purse too. It’s outside, since some blood got on it. You can take out the contents but the bag needs to be burned later.”
“Understood, and thanks. Any suggestions on how I explain a missing truck to the rental place at the airport? They frown on that shit.”
He had such striking eyes, and it wasn’t fair that a man got such big, stunning blue eyes. “You tell them it was stolen. I’ll have one of our people grab a state trooper and a report will be filed. Be vague as hell. You weren’t sure where it happened exactly. You had to pee, stopped on the side of the road, and it was gone when you came back.”
“That makes me sound kind of stupid. Did I leave the keys in it?”
He chuckled. “Do you care what they think?”
“No. I left the keys in it but took my backpack because I spilled soda on me, wanting to change clothes. I’ll say I pulled over on the side of the road to change in the woods. How about that rather than I had to pee? It sounds more believable. Nobody wants to keep driving if they soaked themselves with something sticky.”
“Go with that. Say you flagged down a car on the highway and they took you to a state trooper who made the report. I’ll have whoever grabs the official contact the rental company.”
Jadee gave him the name and location of the one she’d used at the airport. Then they quietly studied each other. There was an elephant in the room and both of them knew it. Jadee wasn’t a coward though. She liked to face things head on. The shower and food had helped her recover somewhat.
“So what happens now? How fucked am I when your people come?”
“They don’t trust humans.”
“I got that.”
“You’ve seen a lot. Too much.”
The food in her stomach suddenly made her a bit queasy. “So I’m toast? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“No.” He sipped the cold water and set it on the table between them. “Lorn owes me.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s my brother, and he now leads our people. I helped him save a woman once. Now it’s his turn to help me save you. I’m not going to let you die, Jadee. I believe that you won’t repeat anything that happened tonight to anyone.”
“I won’t. No one would believe me anyway. Hell, I don’t even want to believe it. I’d like to just forget.” She forced a smile. “Too bad your eyes don’t work on me.”
He didn’t smile back. “That is unfortunate. You’re the only human I’ve ever tried to wipe who ended up being immune.”
“My dad always said I was the most stubborn woman he ever met.” It made her sad remembering that memory. “I guess he was right.”
“It makes you dangerous to my people.”
“I’m not going to tell, Lavos. You’ll never hear of me ranting about Werewolves.”
He broke eye contact. “Good.”
The silence stretched until Jadee reached out and brushed her fingers against the back of his hand. He looked up, staring at her.
“I won’t, Lavos. You’ve made it clear and so did Kar. I don’t want a target on my back by everything that goes bump in the night or day. My dad had an obsession with proving things like you exist. It got him killed. I’m smart. I also don’t have a death wish. I’m going to return to Washington and put all this behind me. I’ll just be leery of pale people who come into my bar from now on.”
“Bar?”
“I’m a bartender. Mostly we caterer to the blue-collar crowd. It’s a small place.”
“Blue what?”
She grinned. “People who do physical labor. No business suits. A lot of my customers come from the construction sites some blocks away or are locals. It’s a decent area but not touristy. I’ve never seen anyone I thought might be a Vampire come in there. They’d stick out with all those tanned bodies taking up seats.”
“Vamps usually hang out in largely popular spots where they won’t be noticed.”
“I figured. I told you I thought I’d spotted a few in some dance clubs. Do crosses work?”
“No.”
“Holy water?”
Don’t look down. “Okay.”
He turned away. She watched his beefy ass as he headed toward the bedroom area. He had a firm one, not some flat bottom like most of the men she knew. She resisted the urge to lean over to watch him walk until he entered the bathroom. The door closed and the water came on within seconds.
She figured he wasn’t going to like the tiny closet of a shower. He was too tall for the showerhead. He probably wouldn’t even be able to bend to scrub his feet in the enclosed space. She’d had a hard time doing that and he was much bigger than her. She got up and passed the bathroom, entering her dad’s bedroom.
Victor hadn’t been nearly as tall as Lavos but her hero would need clean clothes. She found a pair of cotton gray sweatpants that would stretch to fit. The legs might fall a few inches short of his ankles but she knew he couldn’t exactly squeeze into her father’s jeans. She placed them on the bed and returned to the living room area.
The bathroom door opened and Jadee called out to him, “I put something on the bed for you to wear.”
“Thank you.”
She wondered if he walked those few feet naked into the bedroom or had a towel wrapped around his waist. It was tempting to peek but she held still. The bedroom pocket door rolled closed and she waited. It opened seconds later and Lavos came striding down the hall.
The light gray color of the sweatpants flattered his tan skin. He had to spend a lot of time outdoors to get that way. His hair was wet. All the dirt had been scrubbed away. He paused in the kitchen.
“Do you mind if I get a drink?”
“Help yourself.”
He yanked open the fridge and took one of her father’s bottled waters. He approached her and took a seat across the table. “It’s done.”
She didn’t want to ask about the bodies. “The truck?”
“A casualty of a ravine. I covered it with brush. I doubt anyone will find it for years, if ever. We get a lot of abandoned vehicles up here. People break down on the highway or have accidents. It’s too expensive to have them towed to a larger city in some cases. I did grab your purse too. It’s outside, since some blood got on it. You can take out the contents but the bag needs to be burned later.”
“Understood, and thanks. Any suggestions on how I explain a missing truck to the rental place at the airport? They frown on that shit.”
He had such striking eyes, and it wasn’t fair that a man got such big, stunning blue eyes. “You tell them it was stolen. I’ll have one of our people grab a state trooper and a report will be filed. Be vague as hell. You weren’t sure where it happened exactly. You had to pee, stopped on the side of the road, and it was gone when you came back.”
“That makes me sound kind of stupid. Did I leave the keys in it?”
He chuckled. “Do you care what they think?”
“No. I left the keys in it but took my backpack because I spilled soda on me, wanting to change clothes. I’ll say I pulled over on the side of the road to change in the woods. How about that rather than I had to pee? It sounds more believable. Nobody wants to keep driving if they soaked themselves with something sticky.”
“Go with that. Say you flagged down a car on the highway and they took you to a state trooper who made the report. I’ll have whoever grabs the official contact the rental company.”
Jadee gave him the name and location of the one she’d used at the airport. Then they quietly studied each other. There was an elephant in the room and both of them knew it. Jadee wasn’t a coward though. She liked to face things head on. The shower and food had helped her recover somewhat.
“So what happens now? How fucked am I when your people come?”
“They don’t trust humans.”
“I got that.”
“You’ve seen a lot. Too much.”
The food in her stomach suddenly made her a bit queasy. “So I’m toast? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“No.” He sipped the cold water and set it on the table between them. “Lorn owes me.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s my brother, and he now leads our people. I helped him save a woman once. Now it’s his turn to help me save you. I’m not going to let you die, Jadee. I believe that you won’t repeat anything that happened tonight to anyone.”
“I won’t. No one would believe me anyway. Hell, I don’t even want to believe it. I’d like to just forget.” She forced a smile. “Too bad your eyes don’t work on me.”
He didn’t smile back. “That is unfortunate. You’re the only human I’ve ever tried to wipe who ended up being immune.”
“My dad always said I was the most stubborn woman he ever met.” It made her sad remembering that memory. “I guess he was right.”
“It makes you dangerous to my people.”
“I’m not going to tell, Lavos. You’ll never hear of me ranting about Werewolves.”
He broke eye contact. “Good.”
The silence stretched until Jadee reached out and brushed her fingers against the back of his hand. He looked up, staring at her.
“I won’t, Lavos. You’ve made it clear and so did Kar. I don’t want a target on my back by everything that goes bump in the night or day. My dad had an obsession with proving things like you exist. It got him killed. I’m smart. I also don’t have a death wish. I’m going to return to Washington and put all this behind me. I’ll just be leery of pale people who come into my bar from now on.”
“Bar?”
“I’m a bartender. Mostly we caterer to the blue-collar crowd. It’s a small place.”
“Blue what?”
She grinned. “People who do physical labor. No business suits. A lot of my customers come from the construction sites some blocks away or are locals. It’s a decent area but not touristy. I’ve never seen anyone I thought might be a Vampire come in there. They’d stick out with all those tanned bodies taking up seats.”
“Vamps usually hang out in largely popular spots where they won’t be noticed.”
“I figured. I told you I thought I’d spotted a few in some dance clubs. Do crosses work?”
“No.”
“Holy water?”
