Serge nodded.
Reade couldn’t believe Lawrie knew the exact measurement. He smiled in spite of himself.
“At the first turn there’s a camera that monitors both sides of the hallway. Every twelve seconds it turns.” She pulled out a mirror. “However, if we enter when it’s just turned to the southern corridor, we can get to the corner, wait for the turn and race to my door.”
“You’ve done this before.” Serge chuckled.
“Only recently. I was afraid before, but it gets pretty old being monitored.”
Serge nodded. “You probably want to make note of the fact that vampire blood makes you brave.” He grinned.
“Yeah. I guess it does.” She smiled.
“Your father always said you were smarter than him. It was hard to believe, seeing how brilliant he’d been. But he was right.” Serge rested his hand on Lawrie’s shoulder. “You’d have to be to outsmart Raymond.”
In the thirty years Reade had been in Serge’s Guard he’d never seen him quite so elated, though he was fairly certain the fleeting smile didn’t register with Lawrie, who tensed when he touched her and swallowed hard.
“How much are we taking out?” Reade asked.
“Just a few boxes, a couple bags of clothes, and my dad’s old computer. It’s all I have.”
“Well, at least we’ll be able to do this in one trip. Not like most of the women I know,” Garrison said.
Serge cleared his throat, and Garrison shrugged. “It’s true.”
“You don’t have to do this. I can just stay. Raymond will never know.”
“We’re getting you out of here.” There was no turning back now that Reade had found her.
“If we’re caught on camera, a signal will be sent to the security office. In less than two minutes this place will be swarming with guards.” She looked back at Serge. “I’ll feel terrible if anything happens to any of you. I don’t even know you. There’s no reason for you to help me.”
Reade turned her to face him. “We’re doing this because we want to. I want to. I want you out of here and safe. With me.” He studied her face. “We’re not leaving without you and all your worldly possessions. Understand?”
She nodded.
“Let’s get this moving,” Brandt said. “I’ve got plans in two hours.” He and Serge led the team across the lot to the door.
Lawrie used her key to open the door less than fifteen inches, then slid her hand mirror in to determine which way the camera faced. “We have to wait,” she said.
Reade watched her lips move as she silently counted the twelve seconds. “Let’s go.” She moved to step through the door, but Reade pulled her back and went first.
There was no way he’d let her rush into an ambush.
They ran along the all too familiar corridor, ducked under the camera and darted down the hall at vampire speed, and Lawrie kept pace with ease. Reade knew the blood she’d recently consumed was part of the cause, but he wondered if the blood she’d had as a baby had done something to her development.
She opened her door and again Reade entered first. The room was sparse. She had a bed, a desk, a kitchenette and one door off to the bathroom.
“This is where you live?” Garrison asked.
“Yeah.” She shoved the mini fridge out of the way to reveal a cracked spot in the plaster.
“This had been your father’s office, not your home,” Reade said.
She didn’t have a window or a full sink to do dishes. She had the smallest bed he’d ever seen. How in the world she lived in this space without going out of her mind was beyond him.
All the money she was worth, all that her father had done to build Panthera, and this was how her uncle treated her. Reade wondered if she even knew her own worth or if she believed this was all she really had.
Reade wanted to find Raymond and kill him twice.
Lawrie spun around and placed her hand on his chest. “Why are you angry?” She touched his face, brushing her fingers over his cheekbone. “You hurt. I feel it.” She turned her face away, shoving her hair from her neck. “Go ahead.”
Reade felt her concern for his injury and a second emotion—fear. He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
“You lie.” She blinked. “I’m just nervous about—”
Brandt leaned around Reade. “If you don’t get on it, you may not have to worry about Reade’s aches and pains.” He waved her toward the secret entry. “If you make it out of here alive, there will be plenty of time for you to get used to the idea of him feeding from you.”
“Open the door, Lawrie. Let’s get your stuff and get going,” Reade said.
Brandt was right, though Reade couldn’t help but hate that they had to rush. He wanted to get her out of this place, but he also wanted every moment she touched him to last forever.
Reade reached past her and placed his hand over the crack in the plaster. The wall slid to the side, and Reade’s mouth dropped open. She really had been experimenting.
Chapter Twelve
Lawrie’s head spun. Her heart raced. Her stomach twisted and flipped. She’d never felt anything like what she was currently experiencing. Her own emotions were jumbled and excited, but on top of those she had Reade’s emotions to contend with.
The most thrilling ache pounded in her heart. Every time she looked at Reade she felt like her heart would explode. Could she love this stranger? Did he care for her, too?
Mad excitement that she was leaving Panthera and might have a life outside the compound nearly consumed her.
But most concerning of all was the absolute terror that everything that was happening, all these wonderful possibilities, would be ripped from her and she’d wake up to find herself living her same old life of lonely despair. What if none of this was real?
Knowing she needed to keep her wits about her and not get caught up in Reade’s feelings of wonderment and desire and anger, Lawrie rushed through the door. She needed to get her things and get out.
“It won’t take but a minute.” Grabbing her bag, she pulled the plug out of the wall for the computer and handed it to Brandt, then opened a drawer to retrieve her files, all six of them. She’d tried very hard not to write too many things down in case her secret room was discovered.
She grabbed the picture of her with her father, adding it to the bin she pulled from beneath the desk. It held all her most valuable items. “That’s it.”
Garrison grabbed the bin and exited the lab.
Reade stared at the containers that had held his blood. “Ten. You drank all ten.” His disbelief washed over Lawrie. “You weren’t repulsed?”
“No, and it was twelve, remember?” She turned him around and pushed him out of the lab. There was no sense in dawdling and now was not the time to discuss exactly how she’d felt about the experiment. At some point she probably should tell him, she should sit and thoroughly study her notes, jot down everything she remembered about the episode and tonight and anything that might happen after they leave here, but they needed to move.
Taking one last look at the twelve-foot space, she felt a flicker of melancholy. This was the last place she’d seen her father alive. She’d spent her entire life here. The fact that she was leaving it behind was almost incomprehensible.
But now she had someone who was interested in her and not just so he could kick her around.
“What do we take from this area?” Serge asked.
Lawrie pulled two trash bags from a cabinet, went to the dresser and dumped four drawers into them. “This.” She held the two bags up. “That’s all.”
“I love a woman who travels light,” Rafe said, slinging one bag over his back and handing the other to Gabe.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Reade pulled Lawrie close to him.
She sensed a surge of something, annoyance, she thought, but as quick as she felt it, it vanished.
They didn’t bother to wait for the camera to turn. Instead the moment they opened the door they ran d
own the hallway, banged a hard left and raced for the door.
Lawrie’s heart thundered. Panic filled her. She couldn’t believe she was actually leaving Panthera. She was seconds from freedom. Seconds from leaving behind the only life she’d ever known. Seconds from not having to worry about being called names that were meant to hurt her.
The alarm sounded, horns blaring. The camera in the corner stayed locked on the group running down the corridor.
“Oh no.” Lawrie’s breath caught in her throat. Her body tensed and she stumbled. “We’re not gonna make it.”
Reade caught her before she fell, pulling her against his chest and picking her up. “We’re going to make it. Stop worrying.”
Like a battering ram the first vampire smashed into the door, breaking through it as if he was a football player tearing through a game day banner. Everyone else followed, streaking across the lot back to the exit of the compound.
Lights from the security trucks chased them. The rapid cracking of shots sounded and bullets whizzed by their heads.
“Damn it!” Garrison snarled. He adjusted the bin from one arm to the other, taking a quick look at his shoulder. “Grazed me.” He growled. “Are those silver bullets? This is not my night.”
The gates to the compound clamored shut.
“Oh God.” Lawrie clung to Reade. This was it. They were doomed. She was certain her uncle would make her pay with her life, and God only knew what he’d do to everyone else. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop worrying,” Reade repeated and launched himself upward.
The cool night air whooshed by, and Lawrie gasped at the ground pulling away as they catapulted up and over the fifteen-foot fence. Without hesitation everyone else did the same.
The group landed several feet from the gate and moved through the trees, dodging bullets and ducking under tree limbs.
“Almost there,” Serge called from a few feet ahead.
They arrived back at the place they’d left Reade and Garrison’s cars. Parked on either side of them were three other vehicles, two of which were motorcycles.
The tiny trunk of Reade’s car opened and a few of Lawrie’s possessions were loaded.
Garrison laughed. “I told you someday you’d need a bigger car.” He popped the trunk of his Lexus where her slightly disassembled bike was stored, and the rest of her things were loaded. “Meet you back at your place.”
“Have you already discussed next steps?” Serge stood beside the front wheel of Reade’s car.
“No, but I have a plan.” With swift movements Reade opened the passenger side door and placed Lawrie inside. In spite of the speed with which he moved, Lawrie registered the entire gesture and mustered the wherewithal to kick her foot out to block the door from being shut.
“Where are we going?” She may have been free from her uncle, though now on the run, but she wasn’t willing to go from being Raymond’s hostage to being anyone else’s.
Reade’s hand rested on the door. His dark eyes met hers. “For the night I’ll take you to my house, where you’ll be safe. Tomorrow we’ll figure out where to set you up.” His voice, though controlled, held an edge.
Lawrie was unsure of what the tone meant. Was he angry with her? Was he still hyped from the escape? Did he not want to be burdened with her? She wouldn’t stay somewhere she wasn’t truly welcome. Even if she had to borrow some money to get herself set up, she’d leave and figure a way to pay him back.
“Fine.” She stared out the front window, confused. She’d thought he cared for her. She’d have bet her life that was what she’d felt from him. But now that they were free from the compound, now that she really had survived an escape, he didn’t seem happy.
Lawrie wouldn’t be anyone’s burden. She would not let one more man make her feel like she was not worthy of existing. She’d get through this night and tomorrow she’d leave Reade, too.
“You’re sure?” Serge asked.
Reade nodded and closed the car door.
Lawrie heard their muffled voices, but she didn’t bother to focus on what they were saying. She didn’t need to hear the words to know Reade wasn’t happy. The tone of his voice said it all.
The car sped down the road. Reade drove like a madman. Of course, Lawrie had never been in a vehicle that drove more than fifteen miles per hour. That was the speed limit on the compound.
She glanced at the dials on the dashboard. “Seventy-five! Why are you driving so fast?” She gripped the door handle and pressed her feet to the floorboard, stiffening her body to a plank.
The car slowed a bit. “The speed limit is sixty-five. I’m not going that fast.”
“Are you in that much of a hurry to get rid of me? Just pull over. I’ll get my own way.” Her chest hurt. She wasn’t sure if she was having heart failure from the terror of driving so fast or because she wanted to cry for being rejected yet again.
Sadness swamped her. How could her life be so damn lonely and miserable? How long would she have to wait for someone to care about her enough to want to spend time with her?
She bit her lip to keep from crying. There was no way she’d let him see her sad. She’d learned long ago not to show anyone her emotions. It made too many people laugh.
Reade’s hand covered hers. “I never said I wanted to get rid of you.” His deep voice, though still somewhat nasally, was soft. “I never want to lose you again.” He laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand to his lips.
Lawrie looked at him. The blue of his eyes shown against the lights of the oncoming cars. He kissed her hand, then glanced back toward the road.
At the next exit he pulled off the highway and into an empty lot, parking the car under a light. “I have waited twenty long years to find you.”
Reade turned sideways. “In my mind I remembered you as a child, the little girl with unruly curls and a laugh that made everyone smile.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Lawrie felt a sense of excitement rising from Reade. Her stomach fluttered.
“Maybe it’s because you consumed what I’d given your father to use for his experiments all those long years ago. Maybe it’s that you recently drank the rest of what was there. I don’t know, but I can’t stand the idea of you not being with me.”
He stared straight into Lawrie’s eyes and for the first time in her life she thought she might understand what it was like to be wanted. The way he leaned closer to her, the way he softly touched her cheek and let his fingers linger against her skin—it made her believe him, believe in him.
“I would never force you to stay with me or to do anything more than you want, but I can’t let you go off without knowing I’ve done everything in my power to ensure your safety.”
Lawrie reached up to capture his hand. “I know. I feel what you’re telling me as if your emotions are being transmitted to me. That sounds weird.”
Reade smiled. “I understand. I feel yours, too.”
“You don’t need to do any more than you’ve already done. Well, maybe you could help get me set up, teach me to drive or at least explain how to use the transit system.” She shrugged.
“I’ll teach you that and more.” He chuckled and slipped his fingers between hers, locking their hands together. “You’re no burden. Never.”
Lawrie swallowed. There was something she needed to say, something she should have admitted from the beginning, but the entire evening had gotten out of hand before she could reel it in, and they hadn’t had a moment alone until now.
“Reade, I’ve wanted to drink those samples for a while.” She couldn’t look in his eyes. Somehow admitting that she’d wanted to consume vampire blood embarrassed her. Maybe it was all the years of hearing how stupid she was or how vile and disgusting the vampires were. Whatever it was, she felt ashamed of herself.
“I only discovered the room about three years ago. Once inside it took me well over a year to find the safe and several more months to figure out the code to open it. That’s where I found the bloo
d.”
Her father had been a genius, and he would always be one in her mind. His system for encrypting information was second to none. But she had beaten his system, and she had found the blood.
“Funny thing was that even before I knew the safe existed the area where he’d hidden it was a place I found myself constantly. I stood in that exact spot, more times than I could count, finding myself drawn to it as if by some hidden force.” She frowned. Had Reade’s remaining blood been calling to what was left inside her all that time?
“I held out for as long as I could, reminding myself how dangerous drinking it would be, but finally I gave in. Who else could possibly drink it? How else would I know?” She looked into Reade’s face.
His expression was neutral. “I gave it to your father for experimenting. It was fine for you to continue his work. I’m sure his plan had been to try it on himself.” He paused for a moment as if remembering something from long ago. “It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d done such a thing.”
Lawrie nodded. She’d read her father’s notes and knew about his desire to understand the impact of vampire blood on the human body as well as his fear that something negative would happen to whomever volunteered.
Reade was right. Her father had planned to experiment on himself. But he’d waited, not wanting to leave Lawrie an orphan.
She pulled her hand from his and let out a long sigh. “Reade, it wasn’t that I wanted to complete my father’s work.” She knew she should tell him. She had to admit why she’d done it. Maybe he’d be able to help her overcome her problem.
She’d been confused and frightened by her impulses. She didn’t understand them and knew that if Uncle Raymond found out about them, her life would have been a thousand times worse.
Tears welled in her eyes. What was wrong with her? “I wanted to drink it because I wanted it. I wanted to taste it and have it all for myself.” She watched tears drop into her lap, unable to raise her face. She couldn’t bear him looking at her. “I lied earlier. I didn’t drink it over the course of a few weeks. I drank it all in minutes, like some addict trying to get a fix. It was awful and I’m ashamed of myself for doing it. What is wrong with me?”
Her Vampire’s Promise Page 8
