by Vivi Anna
When he reached her side, she tossed him one of his bags. “Let’s get the hell out of here. There are two more possessed coming down the hall.”
He wrapped the bag strap around his shoulders, then he noticed she was barefoot. “Ah, what happened to your boots?”
“Long story. Tell you later.” She turned to move down the hall toward the main doors. Shaking his head, he followed her out.
Their escape went mostly unhindered. They didn’t run into anyone until they reached the front doors. A young female officer was the only thing between them and freedom.
“Stop right here.” She held up her taser, her hand noticeably shaking.
“Look,” Daeva said, “just let us go. If you don’t, you’re going to get hurt. I really don’t want to hurt you. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.”
Quinn put his hand out toward the girl, who really couldn’t be any older than twenty. “This isn’t your fight. Just turn away and let us go.”
She looked from Daeva to Quinn then back again. “This is my first day of work.” Her voice shook.
Quinn could tell she was scared out of her mind. “Don’t make it your last. We’re not worth it. Trust me. We’re not terrorists.”
Tears brimming in her eyes, she lowered the taser.
“Thank you,” Daeva said, as she brushed past the guard to reach the door.
Quinn followed, but paused with his hand on the door. He glanced back at the young officer. “What size are your shoes?”
“What?” she stammered.
“Your shoes. What size?”
“Ah, seven.”
“Give them to me, please.”
Daeva came to his side. “What are you doing? We need to get the hell out of here.”
“Getting you some shoes.”
She gave him a small smile as the officer toed off her shoes. “Wow, Quinn, who knew you were such a romantic.”
He grabbed up the shoes and handed them to her. “Don’t ever say I never got you anything.”
Daeva laughed, then, clutching the shoes to her chest, burst out the door with Quinn right on her bare heels.
Chapter 14
As soon as they were clear of the building, Daeva stopped to put the shoes on. She hated it that her heart thumped just a little bit harder because Quinn had stopped to get her a pair. He probably had no idea how endearing that was. He’d likely been thinking about practicality, about how it would slow them up if she had to tiptoe her way through the woods.
Despite all that, she still found it cute, and it reminded her of the old Quinn. The one she’d been in love with. The tender, compassionate man who used to bring her flowers just because he was thinking of her.
Once she had the shoes on, they sprinted into the trees separating the two countries. They’d have to make a run for it. Stay in the trees as long as possible and then reach the town of Osoyoos, where they could steal transportation and get the hell out of there.
Quinn had his compass out. “The town is northeast of here. We should be able to make it in an hour.” He chucked the compass back into his pack. “All right. Let’s move.”
He ran at a quick, directed pace. Daeva was able to keep stride. Fortunately the shoes were sturdy and comfortable, even without socks, and didn’t give her blisters the way her boots had. It was funny to think of a demon with blisters on her feet. She did live in a fiery pit of despair. The word out there was that demons were indestructible. But that was so untrue. Especially for one bound to the Earth and to an exorcist. Daeva could suffer just as much as everyone else. In some ways, even more. She tired more quickly and had been healing more slowly. But she couldn’t tell Quinn.
After about twenty minutes of solid running, Quinn stopped to drink from his canteen. He offered it to her and she took it, drinking gratefully. He had to pry it from her hand to stop her from emptying it.
“Don’t drink too much or you’ll get sick.”
“Damn, I hate this thirst and hunger all the time. I’d totally forgotten how much sustenance a human body needs to survive.”
“Yeah, it sucks sometimes.” He took another swig, then capped the canteen.
“So, what happened in there?”
“The officer at the gate was possessed. It was as if she’d been waiting for me.”
“Could have been. Although I’d imagine there are possessed guards at every border stop.”
“They knew I’d summoned and released you.”
“Of course. We are tagged, to an extent. No one leaves hell without someone noticing.”
“But they don’t know where we’re going or why.”
“Well, that’s something at least.”
He looked at her, searching her face. “You never told anyone about the chest?”
“No. Not in one hundred years.”
“Why did you tell me?”
She met his gaze straight on, hoping he saw the feelings she still had for him. She couldn’t deny that they continued to exist. “Because I trusted you.” She shrugged, lightening the mood. “It was a momentary lack of judgment. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
He smiled. “Oh, it probably will.”
“Yeah.” She nodded, her lips twitching up. “Probably.”
He stared at her in the eyes for a long moment. “Thanks for coming for me.”
“It looked like you were doing fine all on your own.”
He lifted his chin. “Yeah, I was, but it was nice to have backup just in case.”
She returned his smile. “You’re welcome.”
Decidedly uncomfortable, Quinn shifted his weight from foot to foot as she surveyed the trees behind him. “I don’t hear dogs or anything. Maybe we’re in the clear.”
“I wouldn’t count on that. They’ll use demon magic to track us. Use the animals around us to keep eyes on the prize.”
He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin.
“So what’s the plan when we reach town?” she asked.
“Steal a vehicle and get back on the road.”
“I think we should stay off the main highway and out of hotels. Either we sleep in the car or in a tent.”
He nodded. “I agree.” He checked the compass direction again. “Okay, let’s keep moving. Town should just be over that rise.”
Quinn had almost been right about the location of the community. It was over the rise, then down into a valley near a lake. It took them close to another hour before they reached the town limits.
Osoyoos was a small town and definitely a tourist destination, which totally worked for them as neither looked like they were locals. They made their way downtown to scout out vehicles.
As they strolled the main street searching for the greatest concentration of cars, Daeva was conscious of Quinn looking at her. Shifting the duffel bag to her other shoulder, she turned to him.
“What? You keep looking at me.”
“You kind of stand out.”
“What? Why?” She stopped to look at her reflection in a store window. “Is there something on my face?” Despite a dirt smudge on her cheek she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She rubbed at it as she turned to face Quinn again.
“Everyone’s staring at you.”
She frowned but did start to notice that almost every guy who walked by did a double take. A few women did, as well.
“Well, I’m sorry. This is my face. This is what I look like. I can’t help it.”
He chuckled. “You almost sound sad for being so pretty.”
She stopped rubbing at her cheek. “You think I’m pretty?”
Quinn dropped his gaze and started walking again. She had to rush to keep up. “Let’s just find a car and get out of here.”
“Hey, you’re the one that made a point of it.”
“Yeah, because we can hardly blend in when you look like...”
She put her hand on her hip. “Look like what?”
He stopped and glared at her, as if it was all her fault. “Like sex on a stick,
okay?”
“Oh.” She was a bit taken aback by his anger. He sounded so miserable that he found her attractive. It was almost comical.
She pulled the elastic from her hair. “Well, does this help?” She put her hands in her hair and mussed it all up.
He watched her with interest, then frowned more deeply, his eyes going dark. “No. That’s worse.”
Desperate, she looked around and spied a tourist shop with a few racks standing just outside their open door. She went to it, grabbed a baseball cap with a Canadian flag on it and put it on.
“There. Does that make a difference?”
“No, now you just look like a hot girl in a bad hat.” He shook his head and grabbed the hat off her head to put it back. “Let’s just get off the main drag and find a parking lot where we can jack a vehicle.”
“Fine,” she huffed, following him down the sidewalk.
Leave it to Quinn to make her looks a detriment to their mission. As if she had any control over them. Didn’t he realize that his sexy darkness made it difficult for her to concentrate as well? He should be apologizing to her for having the perfect ass and beautiful shoulders that she always wanted to sink her teeth into. And lips that made her melt with every thought of them being on her skin, kissing her, nibbling on her. It was totally unfair that he made her quiver with possibilities. How could she focus on the mission when all she wanted to do was sink into him, to lose herself completely in everything about him?
When he noticed she wasn’t right beside him, Quinn stopped walking and turned around. “Are you coming or what?”
“Yeah, I’m coming. Quit being so damned bossy.”
They found a parking lot behind the strip of mom-and-pop businesses. There were about fifteen vehicles parked in the small, cramped space. Some of them were for customers and others for employees. Their best bet was an employee vehicle that wouldn’t be discovered missing as quickly. Hopefully not until the end of the day. By then, they would be long gone.
Daeva didn’t think the choices looked all that promising: two trucks, both having seen better days, one Smart Car, one Toyota with anti-theft on it and a motorcycle. If their circumstances were different, she would’ve voted for the bike, but they still needed to get some camping gear and there was no way it would fit on the back with the two of them. Same went for the Smart Car, however adorable it was. That basically left the two pickups.
“I vote for the blue one. It doesn’t look as grungy as the other one.”
“Stealers can’t be choosers,” Quinn said with a grin.
She knew he totally loved this part of the job. She suspected if he hadn’t been an exorcist and demon hunter, doing the good work, he would have ended up some sort of criminal, likely a car thief. She remembered how he was when he was out doing a job. He’d always return home amped up and wanting to bury himself in her for hours.
After being together for a few months, he’d told her about what he did. She of course had already known. All demons, topside and downside, knew who Quinn Strom was. But she’d put on a good act about being surprised. She’d just been so happy that he’d trusted her enough to tell her. It was around then when she’d fallen in love with him.
“Keep a lookout,” he told her as he slid a metal jimmy out of his duffel bag.
She watched the area for any sign of trouble as Quinn slid the metal bar between the window and the doorjamb. After a few seconds, she heard the telltale clicking sound of a lock being disengaged. She turned around to see Quinn sliding into the cab on his back so he could break the ignition panel and hotwire the vehicle. It didn’t take him long to get it started. He was certainly skilled in the criminal arts.
Sitting up he glanced at her and mouthed, Let’s go.
With one last cursory glance down the alley, Daeva went around to the passenger side, opened the door and jumped in.
“I saw a sporting goods store at the edge of town when we first came in. We can get the gear we need there.”
“Do you have enough money?” she asked.
“There should be about three grand in that bag. I also have four credit cards, in case of emergencies.”
She smiled, he was like a Boy Scout—always prepared.
They reached the store without incident. Once inside, Quinn looked to her. “This is your excursion, what do we need?”
“A tent, sleeping bags, flashlight, food, water, proper hiking boots, warm jackets, gloves and probably a pickax.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “A pickax?”
She nodded. “Trust me, we’ll need it.”
“So, how far north are we going?”
“Far enough that, although it’s summer, we’re going to need those jackets.”
Without another word, Quinn grabbed a cart and started tossing things in.
By the time they were done, they had a truckload of gear, including a couple of backpacks to carry it all in. Quinn’s duffel bags wouldn’t do for where they needed to go.
When they were back in the truck and on the road, Quinn tossed her a map of British Columbia. “Okay, navigator, where to?”
She unfolded it on her lap and stared at all the lines and dots. She didn’t need a map to know where they were going, but she knew it would help Quinn in a way, to ease his mind and give him back some control. She traced a finger over the paper, up and up, and stopped it on the northernmost city dot.
“Fort Nelson. Head there. It’ll be the last populated spot before we head even farther north.”
She folded the map so their path could be easily read. Then she handed it back to Quinn.
He looked at it, then nodded. “Okay, now I can see where we need to go.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t say thank you.”
“Yeah, but I know you wanted to and you were just being shy about it.”
He laughed. “Oh, and you’re so sure of what I want?”
It was an old argument and she wondered if he realized he’d settled comfortably into it. As she met his gaze, she toed off her shoes and put her feet up on the dash. “For some things, yup.”
His eyes darkened as he took in her bare feet, then his gaze traveled the length of her leg up to her shoulders, then to her face. His longing for her was plain. She just wondered if he planned to do anything about it.
He shifted on the seat, clearly uncomfortable, then put his focus back on the road. The moment ended. “Settle in, because it’s going to be a long haul. Twelve hours, at least, especially since we have to stay off the main roads.”
Daeva cracked the window, letting in a warm breeze. She lifted her face to it as it fluttered over her skin. “Hey, I’ve been to hell, remember? I can endure anything.”
Chapter 15
As Quinn drove he couldn’t help but sneak looks at Daeva every once in a while. She was an easy woman to look at but his interest went beyond her physical appearance. He was starting to see the true person inside. And for the first time in years he questioned whether he had made a mistake when he’d exorcised her to hell without getting the whole story first. Would he have listened, though?
After two hours of his occasional glances, she turned and met his gaze directly. “Is there something you want to say?”
“No.” He put his eyes back on the road.
“Quinn, I know you’ll hate hearing it, but I know you pretty well and you definitely have something on your mind.”
He sighed. “I don’t hate it, exactly. It’s just...”
“That I’m a demon and you’re an exorcist, and like oil and water we don’t mix?”
“No, I was going to say, that it’s embarrassing to have someone know you so...”
“Intimately?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, technically we were together for three years.”
“I know.”
That had her gaping and it made him smile.
“So you admit it? You’re not denying that I was the woman you were with?”
He
shook his head. He was tired of denying it. It was exhausting fighting with the inevitable. “No, I’m not denying it.”
She smirked. “Well, that’s at least some progress. Maybe there is hope that you’ll actually apologize to me for sending me back to hell.”
He’d opened his mouth to do just that when he caught something in the rearview mirror. The local law.
“Shit. We’ve got company.”
Daeva whipped around to look out the back window. “Do you think they made us?”
Before he could answer, the blue-and-red lights flashed on.
“Looks like we have our answer.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well, I’m definitely not going to pull over.”
Daeva’s fingers glowed. “I could blast him.”
“Yeah and your little trick will be recorded on his dash cam for the whole world to see.”
“We don’t have many options, Quinn. Maybe humanity should know about demons.”
“No blasting. Not unless absolutely necessary.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt him, just slow him down.”
He sped up a little. The RCMP car following close behind, its light flashing incessantly.
“Can you aim for the tires? Melt them or something?”
“I can certainly try.”
She rolled down the window and shimmied her body outside, so she was hanging half in and half out. “Keep the truck straight. I don’t want to miss.”
A booming voice came from the police car’s speaker. “Please get back in the vehicle.”
Canadians were so polite, Quinn thought.
Keeping the wheels straight, Quinn watched in the rearview mirror as Daeva launched a glowing ball of fire at the car behind them. The burning sphere hit the front right tire. It was a perfect shot.
Even from the distance, Quinn could see the surprise on the officer’s face as the vehicle careened to the right, no longer supported by a tire. That tire was now a puddle of rubber stuck to the road. Before the vehicle flipped, the officer managed to get it stopped in the ditch.
“Nice shot,” Quinn said, then put his attention back onto the road in front of them.
As they came over the rise, it was obvious they were far from safe.
