Chapter 151
The night rushed by at a speed that made Katelina sick. She hung over Verchiel's shoulder like a sack of rags and, though she kicked her legs, he seemed no more aware of her than he was of the biting wind. He moved through the snowy landscape at an alarming speed, winding past farmhouses, barns and white fields dotted with hay bales.
He turned onto a lonely gravel road and gradually slowed to a stop. A canary yellow sports car waited for them. The vehicle reminded her of him; too bright and too conspicuous.
With his free hand he produced a remote that unlocked the doors with a beep. He jerked open the passenger door, threw the suitcase in the back and then stuffed her inside, despite her protests. The door snapped closed and she grabbed the handle, intending to open it and jump back out, but he was suddenly in the driver's seat and grabbed her hands. "You're not going to be difficult, are you?"
"You're kidnapping me! What the hell? You expect me to just go along with you?"
"Yes, actually. Now, no leaping out of the car or any other stupid things. I'm only escorting you to an appointment, and I'd appreciate it if we could both look at it that way. It will make it a much more pleasant trip."
"You have to be joking."
He slipped the keys into the ignition and the car purred to life. "I'm not. It's a two day trip from here to the Citadel, and it would be easier if I didn't have to worry about tying you up and leaving you in the trunk." Her eyes grew wide and he grinned. "Do you have a better idea?"
"Yes. You could just let me go. I've never done anything to you."
"I know." He popped the car into gear. "Otherwise you'd already be in the trunk, or I'd have let Senya deliver you. Have you considered what a cross-country trip with her would be like?"
She ignored his logic. "Look, we all know what this is over. It's because Thomas was pissed off."
"Who?"
"Thomas! He complained to The Guild because Jorick proved he was the spy!"
Verchiel scratched his head with his free hand. "If you say so. Look, I don't want to point fingers, but if you and Jorick had just come along, I wouldn't have had to come looking for you. We did send you an official invitation."
Katelina stiffened. "What invitation?"
"That official looking piece of paper taped to his door? The one with Malick's seal on it. Surely you noticed it?"
She started to deny it, then a memory jumped at her. There had been a piece of paper on the counter that said "Official Notice" But- "Jorick said it was the electric bill."
"Oh." Verchiel cleared his throat. "Well then, I guess we won't mention to him that I let it slip, hmm? I don't want to be seen as interfering." He gave her a wink. "If it's any consolation he knew what it was, and so did Oren, so he must have told him. I imagine that's why he was in such a hurry to make travel plans and get you out of the country. Relations with the South Americans' equivalent of The Guild are a little dicey at the moment, so I guess he thought you wouldn't be extradited. Though who can guess the inner workings of Jorick's muddled mind?"
She remembered Jorick's certainty that they were being followed, and his fury that The Guild would know their location. Now it all made sense. "Goddamn it! I was right! The bastards are never going to leave us alone!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. It isn't like there's someone out to get you." As he said it, his eyes danced away, then he changed the topic. "Either way, let's turn that frown upside down and have a nice trip, huh?"
She glowered at his ridiculous cheerfulness, but relaxed enough that he released her hand and concentrated on steering the car. How was she going to escape? He was stronger than her and faster. "Hell, he's faster than Jorick, and just like Jorick he knows everything I'm thinking. This is impossible!"
"Yes, it is." Verchiel glanced at her again and then reached into the console between the seats. "Here." He tossed a container of wet wipes into her lap. "You've got a little blood on your face."
She gripped the wipes tightly and glared. "If I have my way there'll be a lot more!"
He only laughed.
***
Three hours passed. The in-dash clock read twelve-thirty; numbers counting off the minutes that took her farther from Jorick. She didn't know how he was ever going to catch up to them, especially in the crappy silver car. But, he'd said he'd come, so come he would. Now, if she could only get free of the idiot.
Verchiel made a noise in his throat to break the thick silence. "Are you hungry?"
"I guess."
"All right." He nodded to a smear of colored lights ahead of them; a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. "We'll stop here and you can take care of all your human things."
She didn't bother to nod, only watched as the building drew closer. They passed the banks of gas pumps and parked near the entrance. Despite the late hour, winter travelers scurried from their warm cars to the building, their breath white plumes on the icy air. Katelina stared at them, and an idea slowly formed in her mind, incomplete, but appealing all the same.
"Just behave," Verchiel warned as he opened his door and swung out of the car. His movements were as slow as a mortal's, though somehow too precise to be human. That was when she realized he couldn't do anything vampire-esque with all the people around. She was safe!
Before he could reach her side of the car, she jerked the door open and flung herself out of it. The parking lot was slippery, and she nearly fell as she launched herself towards the safety of the building. A pair of women appeared in front of her, and she plowed over them without so much as an apology. She didn't have time.
She reached the doors before Verchiel could catch up, and flung them open. Like a macabre nightmare, the room inside was large and over bright, filled with metal aisles that displayed a profusion of colorful items; a circus crammed onto the shelves. Country music hung on the air, piped through loudspeakers, and the few customers stopped what they were doing to stare. She sought around wildly for a place to hide and spied another exit at the back of the store. If she could just get through the doors and lose Verchiel it would only be a matter of getting ahold of Jorick.
A footstep sounded behind her and with a strangled cry she dove behind the shelves of potato chips and fell into a terrified crouch. A face loomed over her and it took her a second to realize it wasn't the Executioner. It was a young woman with confused eyes and a furrowed brow. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," Katelina whispered, nodding enthusiastically. "I've been kidnapped. There's a guy with red hair."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes!" She slipped backwards slowly, her eyes on the far doors and her escape. "Call the police!" She knew they wouldn't be able to actually keep him, but maybe they'd delay him long enough that she could find a way to contact Jorick and Oren. "Hurry!"
"Ma'am?" The woman drew back, uncertainly. "Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not!" Katelina cried in exasperation, ready to dodge into the next aisle. "Call the police!"
Verchiel's voice suddenly floated above the twangy country music. "Oh, Kately! Where are you?"
Katelina froze with one hand stretched out to grab the nearest shelf. Her eyes darted back and forth. If she moved she'd betray her position. If she stayed still he'd catch her. The young woman was her only hope. She caught her attention and mouthed, "Call the police!"
Instead of complying, the woman motioned to Verchiel. "Is this who you're looking for?"
Katelina groaned silently as the redhead sauntered into the aisle, his hands in his pockets and his posture one of casual relaxation. "As a matter of fact it is." He flashed the woman a close lipped smile, then shook his head in mock sorrow. "I'm afraid my sister hasn't taken her medication."
"I'm not your sister!" Katelina shouted. He drew closer and she jerked away and knocked into a wire rack of peanuts and travel food. The shelves fell to the floor and containers bounced and rolled away in a scattered confusion of sound and color. Everyone was looking and Katelina took advantage of it to shout, "That's him! Call the goddamn police!"
The young woman stood stock still, her eyes vacant. Verchiel walked past her as if she didn't exist. The other people only stared, their eyebrows raised and mouths open.
"Now, now, it's okay," Verchiel soothed and stopped in front of her. "Come along, we'll get you to Doctor Robinson. He'll take care of it."
Katelina swore loudly and jerked to her feet. She ran towards the exit as fast as she could, all logical thought gone. There was only her, the door and the vampire chasing her. She'd almost reached her imagined freedom when Verchiel caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
She kicked and hit at him. He dodged her blows, wearing the pained expression of a put upon person. She managed to land one good punch to his head. Instead of reeling, he narrowed his eyes and hissed through tight lips, "All right, if this is what you want."
He flung her over his shoulder and she shrieked. He looked at the gawkers and shouted apologetically over her protests, "Sorry about this. It happens occasionally."
No one moved to help her as he carried her, kicking and screaming, out the door and into the cold. A couple in the parking lot stared openly. Verchiel tipped his head to them and repeated his apology.
They made it to the sleek yellow car unmolested, and he dumped her into the front seat. She tried to bite him, and he grabbed her shoulders. Before she could get loose, a strange, blank calmness crashed over her. She fought it, but failed. She sank back into the seat, as her eyes drifted closed and a soothing blackness descended.
