Chapter 12: A Destination
Dimitri didn’t get to run over the limo.
Instead, the Queen stomped back to her ride, screaming and making a general scene for the neighbors who were still asleep. She moved and we took off; we didn’t even get to say goodbye to Cassie and Eddie.
Three hours later, we were miles outside Court and driving away from the sunrise. We’d given up our plane tickets since we knew Lissa would be waiting for us there with another ambush; a road trip sounded more fun anyway.
Mia talked with Annessa, reading her stories and playing games with her to keep her occupied. I didn’t bother to look back and check on them; I could hear the little girl’s laughter and the older one’s attempts to keep herself from sobbing. I turned on the radio to help tune them out.
Dimitri just drove, not even turning on the GPS Mia had been so kind to remember. He kept his eyes forward, only letting them veer away to check an exit or other road sign. It looked innocent but I knew what that meant; he had a destination in mind. That also meant he had a lead.
A small spark lit in my heart as the thought crossed my mind. I had missed doing this; zipping around a country on a fresh trail, killing Strigoi, getting my stake bloody. This was what I was meant to be doing, not dealing with crazy Queens and even crazier adoption papers.
I let my forehead rest against the passenger’s window, wishing I could be in Russia again. It was beautiful there, with the architecture and strange cuisine. There were parties and poisonous vodka and family; we had family there. We couldn’t go back there again.
“Auntie Rose! Auntie Rose!”
The childish giggle yanked me out of my head as it dipped into sour thoughts. I forced a smile as I answered, “Yeah, honey?”
“Are we on vacation yet?” she trilled. I caught a grin flickering onto Dimitri’s lips.
“Yes, zaika,” he answered for me, “We’re on vacation now.”
Her hands clapped and we all tried to laugh, but the happiness wasn’t there. I wondered how old she’d be when she finally caught on to what this really was; I hoped it wasn’t soon.
We pulled into a town a few hours later, Mia claiming she needed food and Annessa whined for the bathroom. Dimitri and I were used to this; travelling for long periods of time without stopping, even lasting an entire day on minimal sleep and food. But, we had newbies with us; we’d have to get them seasoned to the trials of disappearing.
Mia ran off to the restroom with Annessa while Dimitri and I stepped up to the McDonald’s counter, ordering enough food for a dozen people and earning a nervous glance from the poor kid on window. Dimitri payed in cash and we moved back to wait, both our gazes scanning the empty restaurant.
We sat in a booth that had a view of the bathroom door, claiming opposite seats but looking everywhere except in each other’s eyes. The silence was comfortable, but I had questions that Mia wasn’t ready to hear yet.
“What do you know?” I asked quietly, gaze skidding to the open windows.
He shook his head. “Not now, Roza.”
“Dimitri,” I pressed. I forced my eyes onto him, pleading. We were a team; we had to be a team, even if we had expanded our group of runaways.
He sighed heavily before the story spilled off his lips, his gaze on the bathroom door as he watched for his niece. He was better at this protective parenting thing than me.
“There’s talk of a Strigoi joint in Vegas,” he began quickly, “I heard a few rumors and it sounds promising. These guys need to be getting their money from somewhere, and a strip club sounds promising.”
I rose an eyebrow. “Where’d you hear this?”
“The conference room,” he answered and his eyes finally met mine. “They didn’t look hard enough.”
Annessa came flying out of the bathroom, flinging herself into Dimitri’s arms as the counter boy called out our order. Mia walked out almost silently and grabbed a bag, staying close to me as Annessa chatted with her uncle and talked about the Happy Meal Barbie she hoped she got.
Where the hell were we going to keep all her toys?