Page 47 of Heir of Ashes
Chapter 16
My mouth tasted like tobacco and horse shit. I was lying on my back on the floor of a moving vehicle.
The events that led me here played in my mind at the speed of light: from the moment I found the vampire in my room at the bed and breakfast to the last moments with my mother—Elizabeth. My life was officially a clusterfuck of epic proportions. I really, desperately wanted a boring life.
The roar of the vehicle’s engine was so loud that I couldn’t determine how many people were inside with me. I opened my eyes and found myself at the very back of a bus, sprawled out on the aisle floor. I was also the sole focus of several soldiers. Two sat on the back-row seat near my feet while the other two were near my head, one to my left, one to my right. Four of them. Four plain blue auras. They wore identical military uniforms, identical buzzed haircuts, identical expressions, and held identical guns—perfectly drilled machines.
I started to sit up, and suddenly four barrels were cocked and aimed at my head. One of the men said, “If you so much as make a sound, we have orders to shoot. Be smart and stay quiet and down.”
I obeyed. I closed my eyes and tried to think through my panic. No one was going to come for me. I had sent Logan away. Kincaid warned he wouldn’t come again. Maybe when Logan went for his friend, he’d help me too. If I was taken to Headquarters in time. I had no doubt that was my final destination, after I spent some time at the military base in Elk Grove.
What could I do?A quick glance to the front told me there were a lot of soldiers ahead. The metal band of the blocking bracelet bit into my wrist, more so because of the reinforcedsteel shackle someone had closed over it. Probably manageable, although I’d never tried breaking it before. Even if I could break it, I’d be shot once or twice before I could do anything.
I looked back and found the four men still watching me, guns still aimed. God help me not to sneeze. It would be a shame to be shot because of an involuntary expulsion of air after all I’ve endured. So, I just lay there and did my best imitation of a statue as time dragged on. I wasn’t sure how long we had been on the road before I awoke, but we had been moving steadily for over an hour now. If we were going to Elk Grove, to the military camp near Sacramento, we should have arrived already.
The guards had decided two weapons—one tranquilizer and one semi—were enough and double-teamed, changing shifts every twenty minutes.
Would they shoot if I asked where we were going?The two guards currently holding the guns looked alert and wary. Not a nice combination for a small chat. Sooner or later, I’d know anyway.
An eternity later, my muscles began to cramp, and I’d have killed for water and a mint. When the next twenty minutes were over, I decided to take my chances; besides, my throat was parched enough to hurt. “Water?” I croaked, and in the blink of an eye, four barrels pointed directly at my head from four different angles. I froze. One would have thought I had screamedbomb!
Someone said something up front. It was the first time I had heard someone speak, but I kept my eyes on the four barrels aimed at me.
A minute later, footsteps approached, and a man crouched beside me. I stole a cautious glance and saw a middle-aged man with a hard, unforgiving expression. Was he going to tell the quadruplets to shoot me with tranquilizers for daring to speak? Because he definitely exuded an air of authority, and Ihad no doubt, even from that brief glimpse, that this was the man in charge. I risked another glance at him, this time lingering a little longer.
He crouched about a foot away, his eyes cold, expression remote. His short, dark blond hair was graying in patches. His eyes were a vivid blue, like his aura. His nose was crooked—no doubt broken a few times throughout the years—set on a rugged face with a square jaw and a tan complexion. This man had turned many heads, twenty, perhaps fifteen years ago. Belatedly, I noticed he was holding a plastic cup in his left hand. I glanced at the quadruplets.Is this a trap? I take the cup and they shoot me?
Sir, we assumed she was going to attack you, sir!
The man’s right arm came forward, solving my dilemma. He helped me into a sitting position and, with his hand still supporting my back, passed me the cup. Warily, eyes on the quadruplets, I took it. I had to use both hands, but all that mattered at that moment was that cup of ambrosia. It tasted like heaven—a tiny piece of heaven.
“More?” I asked.
He looked up at one of the quadruplets and nodded. Then he made a gesture, and the other three left. My gaze followed the last of the quadruplets as a couple of heads poked above their seats in our direction. I focused back on the man who had taken the quadruplets’ place, now coldly assessing me.
Stars and medals adorned his uniform, symbols of superiority. While I understood they were decorations of rank, I had no idea what they meant or what his position was. A general? A lieutenant? A captain? It didn’t matter. One was definitely better than four.
One of the quadruplets returned with a bottle of water. I took it with both hands, uncapped it, and drank my fill. I left about a quarter of the bottle for later, just in case.
“Thank you,” I said.
The man inclined his head in acknowledgment, but his eyes never wavered or left mine. It was very unnerving—his goal, probably.
I looked around at what I could see from the bus’s interior and the dark night beyond. “Where are we going?” I asked. “The quadruplets didn’t like talking much.”
“To a safe house far from my base. I don’t want you near my men.” He said it so casually, the insult came out more like a statement. Then he added, with a hint of politeness, “Forgive my men’s attitude. They have been told you are lethal.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe that?” I asked, injecting a bit of sarcasm.
“Oh, I believe you can be dangerous … if you choose to be. But I don’t think you’ll be doing any harm tonight.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Like what? Me being a woman, cuffed and helpless?” Hysteria bubbled inside my chest, threatening to escape.
He leaned forward, seemingly unperturbed by our proximity, and braced his elbows on his knees. My eyes caught on the glint of his wedding band. “Not at all. I’ve met criminals, terrorists, psychotics, and madmen plenty of times before. You don’t strike me as one of them. Oh, I believe if push comes to shove, you won’t hesitate to kill, but I don’t think you would if you had a choice.”