Jamie and I are on our way to talk with Sophie when my phone rings. I don't have the number saved to a contact, but I recognize it regardless. I answer quickly and press the phone to my ear.
"Parker," I start.
"How unfortunate." He makes a clicking noise with his tongue. "You survived." He bursts into laughter and the line goes dead.
I roll my eyes and shove the phone in my pocket. "Asshole."
"That was the guy who's trying to take over Bolton?" Jamie asks.
I nod. "What a dumbass." I'm about to spiral into a rant about Parker when Jamie's phone rings. We stop walking while she answers.
"Hey, mom. I—"
I can hear Mrs. Vanderbilt's voice cut through the silence. Jamie winces and clicks the volume down on her phone. "Mom, relax. I'm not hanging out with the vampires on the TV." A short pause. "No. They're not related." Another pause. "No, mom. I'm with Gwen." The voice erupts on the other line. "God, mom, no." She crosses her arms over her chest. "You're not allowed to talk to her, no." Another pause. "Because the last time you did, you said something rude and excuse me if I don't trust you to be cordial with her."
This time, Mrs. Vanderbilt's voice is loud and clear. "Jamie Mae Vanderbilt. Put her on the phone."
Jamie chews the inside of her cheek, her face flushing red. She extends the phone to me. "My mom wants to talk to you."
I press the phone to my ear. "Hi, Mrs. Vanderbilt."
"Gwen, you're close to the situation. Where's the safest location for my family?" Her tone is sharp, not necessarily angry but not kind either.
"Um." I turn my back to Jamie, knowing I'm about to betray her with my answer. I know Jamie doesn't want to run away just because things are getting out of hand, but I would feel a lot better if she stayed out of this. "Out of town, ma'am. As far from Bolton as possible, I'm assuming."
Jamie grabs my shoulder, pulling on my arm for the phone.
"I'm not leaving, Gwen. Give me the phone."
I can't help but smile as she tries to force my hand lower so she can snatch the phone away. I don't budge.
"How much do I need to pay you to get my daughter as far from this city as possible?" Mrs. Vanderbilt asks. My chest warms at the idea of Mrs. Vanderbilt trusting me to protect her daughter, but I remind myself it's because she has no one else to rely on.
"You have a contract with the mayor, mom," Jamie shouts loud enough for Mrs. Vanderbilt to hear. "I'm legally obligated to stay during times of war between leech... Vampires and humans."
"Excuse my french, dear, but fuck the contract!" she shouts back. "No amount of money is worth keeping my family in this city while it's crawling with leeches."
"Would you guys like to discuss this together?" I ask, ready to give the phone up so they stop shouting at me.
They both say "No!" at the same time.
"My contact isn't responding. How bad is the situation, Gwen?" Mrs. Vanderbilt asks.
"Um." I scratch the back of my head. Jamie's going to be so mad at me for this. "It's pretty bad," I confess. "There's a man who's turning dozens of people a day. I'm not sure what his plan is but I think... I think he wants to erase the divide between humans and blood suckers by... Getting rid of humans altogether." I wait a moment before I add, "he also wants to dismantle the vampire council and take over himself."
Mrs. Vanderbilt mutters an Mhm.
"He also has a personal grudge against me and your daughter, ma'am," I add quickly.
Jamie hits me in the stomach with the back of her hand and mouths seriously?
"Most vampires do. It's not exactly... Common for a vampire and a human to..." I clear my throat instead of finishing the sentence. "But he really hates me because..."
Jamie shoots me a look.
I clear my throat. "It's a long story, actually."
Mrs. Vanderbilt takes a moment to think before she responds. "I want you and your clan to escort my family from the city, Gwen," Mrs. Vanderbilt orders.
"I'm um... Not really in charge here, ma'am." She makes a disappointed noise so I add, "I'll ask though."
"Very well." I can sense her nodding. "Tell whoever's in charge that I'll make it worth your time." She swallows. "I can have your entire clan added to a 'Do Not Touch' list. Same one we have the elders on. None of you will ever have to worry about a hunter for as long as you live."
I take a deep breath. There's no going back after this. If I agree to help Mrs. Vanderbilt, she'll take Jamie out of the city and I may never see her again. But if it means she'll be safer... "I'll forward the message."
"Very good. Call me when you have more information." Mrs. Vanderbilt hangs up before I can respond.
Jamie's eyes are all fire when I force myself to look at her. "What the hell, Gwen!" She throws her hands out in exasperation. "What are you doing?"
"I'm saving your life," I answer.
"I don't need you to save my life." Jamie's still shouting but some of the fire's been sucked from her words. "I don't want to run. Bolton is my home."
"Jamie." I try to keep my tone light. I take her hand in mine and trace patterns on the back to avoid looking at her. "You don't understand how bad this is going to get. I can't stand the thought of losing you." She's biting her lip and shaking her head gently but she doesn't speak. "Please don't hate me?"
Before she can respond, Sophie finds us in the hallway. Her ponytail sways as she walks. "What's going on, girlie? Where have you been? What's up with Leah?"
I start with the plan to escort the Vanderbilts out of town, only sparing a sideways glance at Jamie to see she's still as upset as before. "Mrs. Vanderbilt said she'll put all of us on a 'no kill' list in exchange. So, we won't have to worry about hunters ever again." Sophie thinks this over, pushing her tongue into the side of her cheek while she does.
Finally, she shrugs. "Not that I trust a hunter to keep her word, but sure." She pushes a finger into my chest. "But, I'm doing this for you. Keep it on the downlow. You understand?"
I nod and continue explaining my plan about Leah, hoping I can convince her that letting Leah go is our best bet.
This time, Sophie begins shaking her head before I'm finished speaking. "I don't trust Leah. She'll kill you as soon as we let her go." She gestures between me and Jamie. "Both of you."
I swallow hard. I know. I know she will. "I think this is the only way we'll be able to stop Parker from killing everyone in Bolton."
Sophie chews her cheek. Her eyes are distant, her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't like it." My shoulders fall. "I don't like it but you're right," she continues. She clamps a hand on my shoulder. "It's up to you, Gwen. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let her go. Wouldn't give her the chance to hurt you. But it's up to you."
I'm nodding, taking in the meaning of her words. I don't have to do this. I don't have to put my life on the line for the city of Bolton. The city that would throw me out if it knew what I really am.
"I'll be ready for her if she comes after me," I say.
Sophie lets a breath out through her lips, like she was hoping I'd change my mind. "I'll always be on your side. You know that?"
I nod again and she slaps my shoulder. "Let's get moving then. We have a lot to do."
Jamie and I follow her out to the main room with tall ceilings and shiny cement flooring. I'm overly aware of the way Jamie keeps her arms crossed over her chest instead of reaching out for my hand. I want to talk to her but we don't have the time or the privacy here. I can only hope by the time I'm able to talk to her about this, she hasn't decided she hates me.
John and Aurora are in the same spot I last saw them, flirting with each other. John wipes the smile from his face and straightens up when he sees us. Sophie fills them in on the plan. Anger flashes in John's eyes when he hears I want to let Leah go but thankfully, Sophie convinces him it's the best choice. I don't know how many times I can defend my decision before I change my mind.
Aurora's arms are crossed over herself like if she lets go she might collapse but she doesn't protest. John looks at her once everyone's been filled in. "You should get out of town too." The gentle tone sounds wrong coming from him, fighting the twang in his accent.
Aurora scoffs. "You're joking." She rolls her eyes playfully. "Dear, I've lived through worse. I've never run from a fight. I'm not about to start now."
John looks at her like he wants to kiss her, but instead, his lips pull into a smile. "That's the Aurora I know."
She blushes and I can't help but smile at them.
"Alright," Sophie cuts in. "Here's the plan." She glances at each of us to make sure we're listening. "We get the hunters out of the city before morning. I want us to be immortal while we do this. Hopefully, having the hunters with us will be an advantage if anything happens."
"We taking the I-5?" John asks in true-dad fashion. Always worried about directions, even while the world is burning around us.
Sophie nods once. "Unless you have a better idea?"
John shakes his head. "Only other way is by hiking... Unless you have a boat."
After a moment of silent deliberation, Sophie says, "The highway will have to work. Do we have any objections?" Sophie looks between each of us.
I almost expect Jamie to say something but instead, she just walks away. She doesn't seem mad though. She doesn't storm away. She walks away like she's been defeated. And I know the feeling. Everyone around her is making decisions for her. There's a twinge in my chest. Maybe I should have talked to her about this first. But I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her.
"I need to stop by my cabin before we leave," John says. "I have a couple things I want to pick up if we're going to do this."
This is my chance to talk to Jamie alone. "I'll go for you," I offer.
He shakes his head. "Absolutely not. You're not going out in that mess more than you have to." He's pointing to the large garage door.
"John." I motion toward Jamie with my chin. "I really need a couple of minutes to fix something."
John's stare finds Jamie for a moment. His jaw is clenched while he thinks. He lets out a long breath and drags one hand down his face. "Okay," he says hesitantly. "Okay, I get it."
I smile but he grabs my shoulder. "But, Gwen. There and back. Don't stop for anyone or anything. You hear me?"
I nod once. "I hear you."
He straightens up. "I sure hope this conversation of yours is worth risking both of your lives."
I'm too busy looking at Jamie when I say, "she's worth everything."
"Take the Honda," Sophie says and tosses me the keys. "Try to blend in."
John's still grumbling about something when I make my way over to Jamie and extend a hand to her. "Do you... want to go on an adventure with me?" I wonder if she'll remember using those same words the first time she drove me up to the mountains.
She fights a smile. Anyone else probably wouldn't notice, but I do.
"Please," I add when she doesn't respond.
Her chest deflates as she blows out a long breath. She pushes to her feet and follows me to the parking lot. I can't stand the silence. As soon as we're in the car, I ask, "What are you thinking?"
I can tell by her expression it's not good. My heart sinks when she says, "I've never been so mad at someone before, Gwen."