Lavos Read online

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  Jadee’s shoulders hurt and her eyes burned. It was from exhaustion. She’d spent almost four entire days driving with only a few hours of sleep for breaks. She reached over to take a sip of coffee. It wasn’t hot anymore but it helped her stay awake. She glanced at the top monitor on the dash. The GPS said she had nearly reached the town.

  “I want to be there already!”

  I thought leaving Alaska and driving home had been rough. She’d at least stopped for entire nights to sleep six to eight hours that first time. She’d also pulled over to stretch her legs at rest stops. But the return trip had just been brutal.

  It hadn’t helped that she’d started her journey already tired. It wasn’t as if she’d gotten much sleep while she’d waited for dawn to come the night the Vamps had followed her home. She’d dozed off for a few minutes, only to be woken by noises. They had tried to get inside the RV all night but had given up right before the sun rose. She’d showered to wake up some, then hooked up the trailer to haul her car.

  Jadee glanced at the dash to the second monitor, the one under the GPS. The sight of her little red car being pulled behind the RV was reassuring. She also checked out traffic. She’d been paranoid that someone would follow her but she felt secure it hadn’t happened. They would have tried to attack her at night already.

  She tapped the volume control embedded in the steering wheel for the CD player, heavy metal music blaring from the speakers. It helped her stay awake too. Bone tiredness had hit about the time she’d left Canada and driven into Alaska. She was used to spending eight hours a day on her feet tending bar, not sixteen hours a day with her butt planted on a seat as she drove. Her entire body felt stiff.

  Digger’s Auto Repair and Garage had been easy to locate. It was located in some tiny town she’d never heard of. She only hoped he knew how to get ahold of Lavos. She’d been certain Digger was a Werewolf too.

  She flashed back to meeting the big mechanic. He’d been a bit cold and distant to her but seemed at ease with Lavos. She’d stayed inside the RV once he’d arrived but his nostrils had flared, as if he were sniffing around, when he’d come to start the engine. She’d noticed.

  For at least the hundredth time, she reconsidered her actions. Would Lavos be annoyed that she’d sought him out for help? She just wasn’t sure what else to do. He might have answers, knowing a lot more about Vampires than she did. All the movie and book facts she’d learned seemed like bullshit. He could probably tell her if every nest of Vampires was looking for her or if she just had to avoid Washington. It was information she needed. Otherwise she’d never know if she was safe or not.

  He could also clue her into whether Vampires would tell Werewolves about her. The latter could come at her during the daytime. That would shoot her plan to hell to just lock herself inside the RV when the sun went down. She’d be at risk during the day too, and she had no idea how to spot Werewolves.

  She tapped the wheel to the beat of the music and glanced at the GPS again. She’d find out soon enough if Digger could relay a message and if Lavos would speak to her. He might be pissed.

  Would he kill her? She softly cursed.

  No. He won’t do that. He kept me alive before.

  She also had to admit that seeing him again was something she longed to do. He wasn’t forgettable in any way. She’d had a hard time saying goodbye to him. He hadn’t seemed eager to let her drive off either. They’d stared at each other until his brother had ordered her to go. Lorn hadn’t been rude but he hadn’t been overly friendly either. The guy frowned a lot.

  A sign caught her attention on the right side of the road. It stated gas was just ahead. Her heart sped up a little and it helped her get a second wind. Some of the tiredness faded. It was possible Lavos lived in that town too, along with Digger. She might see him faster than she’d anticipated.

  She straightened in the seat until she got a look at her face in the rearview mirror. Her hair was a mess from opening up the windows a few times to allow air to blow inside and her eyes were bloodshot.

  “Great,” she muttered. “I look like hell. What’s new?” It wasn’t as if Lavos had met her at her best.

  Jadee slowed when she saw the town. It was as small as the map implied, with several buildings on one side of the road. There was a gas station with a mini market and a few tiny tourist shops. A large barn, with Digger’s name painted in red on the wooden side, sat at the end of the strip, beyond the gas station’s pumps and parking lot.

  She spotted another structure off the road, lurking behind the buildings and up a high hill. It had to be the biggest log cabin she’d ever seen, but it seemed to be a private home, since there were no signs near or on it. The road leading to it wasn’t even in view.

  Jadee parked at Digger’s Auto Repair and Garage, maneuvering into the wide space beside the building. She noted the main doors were shut as she peered out her passenger-side window. A closed sign was displayed. “Shit.” It was just her luck that he wasn’t there when she arrived.

  She turned off the engine and glanced at the sky. It would get dark soon but she had a bit of time. She removed the keys and unlocked the door, climbing out. Her legs protested when she put weight on them but she ignored the achy muscles, stretching. She leaned in and grabbed her purse off the floor under the seat where she’d stored it.

  The gas station/mini-mart was open. She slammed the door and hit the remote lock on the RV door, heading that way. No other customers were in the small parking lot and she didn’t see anyone inside except the clerk. He was a handsome guy in his twenties. The music inside was a little loud.

  He stopped sweeping the floor and grinned at her. “Hello.” He had a nice voice.

  “Hi.”

  He turned his head, staring out the windows. “You need gas? I don’t see your vehicle.”

  “I parked next door. Do you know when Digger’s auto shop is going to be open?”

  “Are you having car trouble? I can call him. He doesn’t live far.”

  She hadn’t expected that. “Thank you. That would be great.”

  “No problem.” He set down the broom and walked over to the counter. He leaned across and lifted up the receiver of the phone. He flashed her another grin. “We’ll get you up and running fast enough. Digger is magic with anything on four wheels.”

  He turned away and dialed. Jadee noticed a small display of hot dogs and walked over. The breakfast bars she’d eaten as road snacks had been tasteless after the first few. She started making two dogs.

  “We have a code red,” the clerk said. “A woman has car problems. Get here.” He paused. “Thanks.”

  Jadee was surprised at his words. Code red? She met his gaze when he hung up.

  He grinned again. “He’s on his way.”

  “What’s a code red?”

  “That little engine light going off, of course. It’s an inside joke. You know. He’s a mechanic.”

  “Got it.” She wasn’t about to correct him on the car trouble. She faced the food stand and put ketchup on her dogs, then put them in their little pouches. She grabbed a bag of chips, a soda, and a candy bar. She went to the counter and set everything down.

  “This is a small town.”

  “Yes.” He stepped behind the cash register. “We don’t get that many visitors. It’s boring as hell around here.” He started to ring up her purchases.

  It was tempting to ask him about Lavos but she didn’t dare. Instead, she studied the man. He was a very muscular guy for a store clerk. Was he a Werewolf who belonged to the pack? Did Werewolves work in gas station convenient stores? Did they even hold real jobs or just run around the vast woods all day, hunting for food? She slid her hand inside her purse and pulled out cash.

  “Where are you heading?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  One of his eyebrows lifted. “That’s an odd answer.”

  “It was an unplanned trip.” She struggled to come up with something to say that wouldn’t g