Falling from the Light (The Night Runner Series Book 3) (24 page)

I backed up to the door of the motel room. A cloud of greasy lilac-tinged dust wafted out when I yanked open the back doors and, inside the motel, Thurston sneezed. In case they hadn’t heard the cough of the compromised muffler, I knocked twice before opening the door.

“Honey, I’m home.”

The door bumped against something and stopped, then one of the polyester comforters was shoved into my hands.

“He wants you to make a shade,” Kevin said. He’d been excited after the attack—understandably—and was now sullen. It was difficult to dredge up sympathy for him.

I rigged the comforter over the doors and climbed onto the back bumper to wedge one end into the overhang from the second-story walkway. The space between the door and the van covered, I jumped down.

Kevin came first, making three trips with arms full of blankets and pillowcases loaded with box spring and mattress bits, and what sounded like metal pipes. Improvised vampire-proofing. So maybe we’d owe the hotel a little more than a good housekeeping tip.

He clambered into the van, rubber soles squeaking against the floor. Malcolm came next, tall and tucked in. Like he hadn’t spent the past hour fighting off a killing squad and digging dead flesh out of his friend’s body, then nearly draining himself so that she could regenerate her arm.

When had this become a regular day in the life?

“Ah, we’re moving up in the world,” he said, eyeing the van.

“You specifically requested old, and you know how I aim to please. At least this one’s running.” I reached for him, hesitating at the last second. He ignored the way my hand fisted without making contact, and wrapped his arms around me. Because I could, I leaned my forehead against his chest. His chin brushed the top of my head.

The plan was to get to Chev and alert her to the fact that one of her guests was causing destruction near her territory. There were phones at Tenth World, or numbers that would end up getting messages to her, but somebody had called off our posse and there was no telling where that person was. Chev’s arrangement with local human government was a sensitive work in progress. Protocol dictated that she would impound Abel while she investigated and, with Kevin’s assistance, Mal would have time to convince Bronson that Abel was up to very bad things. I wanted Abel gone. Eliminated, and never to reappear. But it was hard to make myself believe that was anything but wishful thinking.

“Is this going to be dangerous?” I asked.

“No. Bronson will call him out and Abel will respond with posturing and flamboyant rhetoric. It won’t matter. He played his hand poorly. The situation will resolve itself.”

“Mal, he sent a squad to
burn
you guys to death. Why would you think he’ll backtrack from that to speeches?”

“For the sake of pride, he’ll puff up but he won’t act. He can’t. He’s pledged himself to a vampire that could end him with little effort, within the territory of a powerful female who prohibits violence. Plus, she despises him. He has no more moves.”

“She did strike me as having good taste. It just seems too easy.”

“Sometimes simple is most effective.”

“But he’s got all this energy, coiled up and frustrated. His hive was supposed to win. He only revealed himself now because he can’t stand feeling cornered. He’s like a rope stretched to its limit, fraying and fraying, and he’s close to snapping.”

“You know him so well?” Mal’s tone was off, a light question delivered on a barbed stick. I pinched his arm.

“He told me things. That’s it.” And he’d made me tell him things, not only about Bronson and Mal. Personal things.

What are you most afraid of, Sydney?
Abel asked, his hand relaxed against my throat, my body paralyzed, flat on the floor.

This.

You’re in a nice house, with nice clothes. I’m taking care of you. Why does that scare you?
As if he were truly curious.

Because I have no choice.

I shook my head and blew out a breath. “Spend five minutes with him and you’ll come to the same conclusion. I just wonder if it’s smart to tease him.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I have no intention of teasing.” Malcolm kissed me, a hard kiss that sparked a hunger that had gone too long unfed. I gripped his hips and pulled him against me. My reward was a deeper kiss, the slow, hot entrance of his tongue, the press of a hard body molding me against it.

Directly beside us, a throat cleared. “Shit, that’s hot.”

Mal shot an arm out and slammed the door in Kevin’s face. Begrudgingly, I unwrapped my limbs from him, but couldn’t quite bring myself to let go of the fistful of shirt I had. I was scared and that pissed me off, so I scowled at the middle button on Malcolm’s shirt as if it was to blame. The bloodstains beneath it weren’t helping.

“Are you sure I should go?” I asked. “I feel like I’ll be in the way.” And I was afraid—afraid that when I saw Abel, I’d lose myself again.

“I need you near me. I won’t be able to think if I can’t see you, not after all this.” His hands smoothed down my arms and caught mine. “And what if I told you that everything will change tonight? That you’ll be able to walk freely in light and dark. Like you did before we met?”

“That sounds like a dream.”

“Consider it a very real possibility.” His eyes gleamed, and the light had nothing to do with vampire power and everything to do with an almost vicious anticipation.

This went beyond reassurance. I scowled. “How?”

“Do you trust me, Syd?” He sobered, his eyes dark with intent focus, his lips parted as though additional words hovered inside his mouth.

I answered instinctively. “Yes.”

“Then, shall we go for a drive?”

I trusted him, but he’d done impulsive things before, things that injured him. “You’ll be with me the whole time, right?”

“I love you, Sydney.” His fingers ran down the side of my face and curled around my jaw. He smiled, a lazy grin that made my toes curl. “Being with you is all I’m thinking about.”

He stepped into the van and closed the doors behind him while I stood there, alternating between giddy and shocked.

Shaking myself, I pulled the blankets down and climbed into the driver’s seat. The idea of things being like they were before, of not having to be afraid, was beyond a dream. It would be like I’d never been exposed to this nasty vampire business. Except for the part where Malcolm Kelly loved me. I wouldn’t give that up for anything in the world.

W
e passed
Mickey shortly after we got on the freeway. The Skylark roared along in the fast lane on the other side of the median. I caught a flash of her bare arm and flapping hair through the rolled-down window. Her mouth was moving. If we’d been closer, I probably would have heard her singing. Even though I was driving toward vampires instead of away, the tension in my shoulders eased a little. She’d be safe with Thurston and Soraya, and she’d get them somewhere secure. We’d take the road trip we’d been talking about. Put a bow on this crapfest, punt it into the past, then drive away in style. We just had to get through tonight.

My van, the enemy of style, started conking out as we entered Phoenix. Frankly, it was farther than I’d thought it would make it, even with all that padding jammed between the cab and the hold. Malcolm climbed out in the deep shade between two dark brick buildings and I parked across the street. A van like this backed into an alley would only attract attention and the last thing we needed was to have to deal with the police. I didn’t like him out in the open even if there was no chance the sun would touch him. He seemed less concerned. He stood with his hands in his pockets, leaned against one wall like he was passing the time. I squinted toward the horizon. The sun would set in a matter of minutes.

“What’re we waiting for?” Kevin said as he climbed over the pile of MacGyvered insulation and dropped into the passenger’s seat.

“Night. The van can’t handle an undead passenger anymore so he’ll go the rest of the way on foot.”

“He’s going to follow us?”

“It’s still rush hour so we’re not exactly going to be motoring, and a blind man could pick this van out in traffic.” Hell, he might beat us to Tenth World.

“So how good a deal do you think this Bronson guy’s going to give me?” Kevin asked. Rather than hog-tying Kevin and ending up with a spitting-mad chemist, Mal had spent the drive planting the idea in his head that meeting Bronson was a good strategic move. He hadn’t used influence, but Kevin wasn’t exactly opposed to vampire charm. “He’s loaded, right? I read about all those new mines and stuff he sniffed out in Alaska. They say he’s got the Midas touch.”

“His people, yeah.” Vampires hunted their wealth in the winter, doing small digs through otherwise frozen land since that helped them to isolate the scents that signaled underground reserves of resources. I couldn’t see Bronson bundling up and snowshoeing across the tundra or climbing into one narrow, frozen hole after the other.

Mal stepped out of the alley and twirled his finger in a “start it up” motion. I waited until he’d taken a few steps into the waning light, then pulled away from the curb. He was fine. Ambient light didn’t kill.

“Copper and oil.” Kevin scratched at his five o’clock shadow. “There’s got to be a shit-ton of money in that.”

“I guess.” I didn’t like deceiving him. I’d worked for vampires because the money was good, same as him, and I’d seen and heard them hurting people. I’d always thought it was their fault, that those humans had sold themselves to the suckers. I didn’t believe that anymore. Vampires took what they wanted. If Bronson thought Kevin was valuable, the guy would never be free again. Not really. I couldn’t let him walk into that meeting with anything less than fully open eyes.

“What are his sweet spots? Does he do his own development? Is it all production or does he have refineries?”

“Kevin.” I changed lanes. “I’m not taking you there for a job interview. There might be some opportunity, but only after he grills you about Abel.”

“He’s got a lot of people he needs to keep in line, right?”

I glanced at him. He smirked and stretched out his legs. “So, yeah, he’ll ask me some questions. But when he figures out what I can do that human pharma companies can’t or won’t do, there’ll be plenty of opportunity for both of us. We’ll only need to work out the numbers.”

“Listen…” I punched the accelerator to make a light, then counted to ten. “This guy isn’t like Abel. You were a sideshow for him. Whatever’s in front of Bronson will have his undivided attention, and believe me when I tell you it’s a different magnitude of attention.”

“I’m a grown-up, you know?” He made a clicking noise then swallowed a couple of times. “I don’t need your help. You got yourself into trouble, but I’m not going to. I’ve been running my own business for a while now.”

Yeah, a harmful business full of bogus shit. Why the hell was I even trying to give him advice?

“Fools and small fucking children,” I muttered, tracking Malcolm with my senses. He’d found some kind of shortcut and was veering diagonally away from us, toward the turnoff for the resort. “Look, don’t think you’re going to walk in there, look this guy in the eye, and blow his mind with your spiel. He’s got his own agenda. His idea of fairness isn’t anywhere close to yours. And he doesn’t give a shit if you’re an up-and-comer with a grade-A skill set. Got it?”

“I guess.” He crossed his arms and looked out the window, twisting every once in a while, probably trying to spot Mal.

We stopped for gas and Kevin went in to use the bathroom.

“You drive like you were shot out of a drunk cannon,” Malcolm said, strolling up behind me.

“Says someone moving like Pac-Man gone off the rails.” He wasn’t even breathing hard, not that he was exerting on a physical basis. Vampire energy was a whole other thing. I took a deep breath, as if making up for his lack of respiration. “So, this is it, huh?”

“I’ll stay close. Abel may have someone watching the approach, trying to cut us off before we reach Tenth World. If so, I’ll lead them away.” His gaze flicked to the van. “They won’t suspect that you’re in this thing until it’s too late. If anyone other than Chev’s staff intervenes, you keep going. And don’t you dare come back for me. Abel’s people can’t touch you once you reach the border.”

“I love you,” I said. I’d been listening, but details were small things and this was a major thing. A necessary thing.

He pulled me close. The hose to the gas pump jostled our knees as he kissed my neck, above where he’d bitten me. A thrill ran through me and I opened my mouth to suck in an unsteady breath. The air tasted of gasoline and him.

“Say that to me again when your heart’s not beating fit to burst.” His mouth slid along my jaw before covering my own and I pulled him against me, both hands buried in the dense silk of his hair.

“We’re going to be fine,” I said after he pulled away with a last lingering press of his lips.

“After tonight, we’ll be more than fine.” His fingertips brushed against my cheek, and then he was gone.

“I got turkey jerky,” Kevin announced, making me jump. “And yogurt.”

I shook my head, irritated at the interruption and my own distraction.

“Is that what you normally eat or do you suck at gas station shopping?” I closed the gas cap.

“It’s healthy.” Kevin wrenched open the door and I climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Health isn’t a consideration when you’re eating off a shelf that also contains antifreeze and glow-in-the-dark condoms. You need stuff that’s going to fortify you against the chemicals.”

“Like what?”

“More chemicals. Buckle up.”

The van stalled twice, lurching to a stop as we crossed the gas station parking lot.

“Wh-wh-where the hell did you learn to drive?” he muttered.

“Logging roads.” I got the beast started again, but it didn’t sound good. Thank goodness we had only a few miles to go. I stomped the accelerator and the seatbelt snapped tight.

“
Hrrrk
.” Kevin clutched his bag of jerky to his chest when we bounced forward. “No need for finesse on logging roads, huh?”

Easing down on the accelerator, I popped the van into gear. The tires squealed as we whipped onto the road.

I winked at Kevin. “How’s that for finesse?”

“Poor.”

“Everyone’s a critic.”

We rolled along, the heavy traffic managing a surprisingly brisk pace. We were two turns and a long straight stretch from Tenth World when I felt the brush of an unfamiliar vampire. My hands tightened then relaxed on the wheel. It was probably a guest, on their way to or from the resort. That was to be expected.

A jerky stick appeared in my peripheral vision and I swung my head to snap at Kevin when movement in the side mirror caught my eyes. It was a mere flash, an SUV forcing a lane change two cars back, out of sync with the flow of traffic.

The vehicle was black, the windows deeply tinted. The back of my neck tingled when I heard it, the roar of the engine a half octave below anything else on the road. A vamp-proofed tank, all pimped out and doing its best to crawl up my ass. My fingers twitched. The muscles of my core tightened, anticipating the need to move.

I breathed in. I breathed out.

Then I slammed the accelerator down and cranked the wheel, bashing in the rear fender of an old Audi. We bounced halfway onto the sidewalk, metal scraping metal as I took out a road sign. My leg locked straight out and the van bounded forward and into an intersection as the lights changed. Horns honked and brakes squealed, but it wasn’t all because of me. The SUV was following, or trying. The smell of burning—rubber, oil, whatever—filled the air as we swung through the intersection.

“What the…what the…” Kevin stammered, his right hand locked white-knuckle on the armrest.

The back wheels skidded on the rough shoulder as I gained speed. All four tires hit clean pavement and the van whipped back into place. The SUV moved in roaring spurts, caught in the snarl I’d left in my wake.

The van growled along, eating up the road, bluish smoke billowing out of the tailpipe. It couldn’t outrun that kind of pursuit, not on its best day, and today was definitely not its best day. But we had a head start and Tenth World was close. Kevin chattered and shrieked, but I could hardly hear him. Vampire power was popping east of us, hostile surges converging on the last position I’d tagged Mal. Adrenaline and something else surged through me, and I nearly dumped the van when I made the final turn.

The land around Tenth World still looked like the surface of the moon. Whorls of dust crisscrossed the straight road as if we were driving through the migration route of giant ghosts. The building loomed in the distance. The torches on the roof cast a faint glow into the navy sky. The feeders, and maybe some of the guests, would be up there, enjoying the heat-soaked stone and cooler water.

Forty-five seconds later, the fat headlights of the SUV lit up the mirror. It was going to be close but all we’d have to do was cross the borderline and we’d be safe. Chev’s power began to scratch at me, but it was a good thing. I leaned forward before stilling, hands locked around the steering wheel.

At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, making it look like the road was bouncing ahead of us. But no. Something was coming at us and coming fast. I sensed more than saw it, a long, low vehicle flying along the road. Lights off. Painted the color of the desert. A camouflage car. That’s what Mickey had said when I’d first woken up in Abel’s basement. They’d driven us there in a camouflage limo. She’d thought it was ugly.

It was the ugliest damn thing I’d ever seen. I growled in frustration when the van picked that moment to falter. The needles on the meters spun, redlining one second and falling limp the next. The headlights in the rearview grew brighter.

The SUV was herding us toward the limo. I slammed on the brakes, continuing to tap the accelerator to keep the engine running. The seat belt dug into my shoulder and Kevin’s hands hit the dash as he swore. I held my breath as we slowed. The SUV slowed behind us, thinking we were surrendering because of that minor detail of having nowhere to go.

I cranked the wheel and floored it. The van’s response was sluggish. The headlights of the limo flared to life as we rolled off the side of the road, driving in suspended animation.

“When you can,” I yelled over the crunch of rock beneath the wheels, “run toward the hotel.”

“It’s still coming!” Kevin shouted.

The limo wasn’t slowing. I turned the wheel again, trying to reduce the angle of impact. My shoulders burned from the effort, as if I could alter our course through effort alone.

The car hit us, a monstrous fist that tore into the back of the van and plowed us nearly sideways through the dirt and scrub brush. The dust cloud and noise obscured everything and I had the sudden, irrational thought that it would push us right off the end of the world.

Instead it dumped us on our side. My window broke and was dragged away by the passing ground. I wrapped my arm over my head to protect my face. The windshield cracked, adding a chorus of disharmonious whistling sounds to the chaos.

My spine was wedged against the seat, my leg locked straight on the brake. As if that would slow us. Kevin was silent when we stopped moving, his head flopped against his shoulder, his hands still gripping the armrests. My fingers were clumsy as clay as I clawed off my seat belt.

Crawling out of the seat, I landed on my hands and knees. Something was hissing, something else clicking, and the smell of antifreeze meeting hot engine parts made me gag. I picked my way through the dented cargo area, dropping to my stomach to squirm between pieces of jagged metal. Light flashed erratically through the open back doors and I aimed for them, clamping my teeth together around grunts of effort. There were vampires outside, but I was too amped to identify them. Nobody all that powerful.

One of the back doors had been torn away. I pulled myself out into the dirt and was on my feet and running before I’d taken my first full breath. Even the air conspired against me, full of dry, choking particles. The border was so close I could feel the mad skitter of Chev’s energy.

But the vampires were fast and, worse, I recognized them. Emil reached for me and I darted to the side, gaining a couple of seconds and a matter of feet. He tackled me. He had the good grace not to land on me, but I crashed hard, dirt scraping one side of my face, all the air bursting from my lungs. I scrambled, shoving and kicking at him.

“Hold still,” he snapped, wrenching my arms behind me. “I’m not going to kill you, but you’re not going to that blasted hotel.”