The stair doorway flew open and at least a dozen human guardians streamed through. Dave sprayed the crowd with his M4. Maybe six dropped. The rest pulled back, giving us space to turn and run.
We raced down the hallway, trading looks of alarm as the elevator rang that it had reached our floor. Out of the alcove in which it sat strolled Jesse and Matt, looking unnaturally beautiful, uncharacteristically cruel. Blood streamed down their necks, but they hardly seemed to notice as they advanced on us.
“You bitch!” David screamed at me. “You let them die!”
The words tore into me with the force of a grenade. “No!” I cried. “They could’ve lived. They could’ve been here with us!”
“Now, why would we want to do that?” asked Matt, smiling widely, his new fangs tipped with the blood of his own lips.
Rage rose in me, sudden and all-consuming. It burned in my mouth and at my fingertips. Part of me thought it amazing my hair didn’t burst into flames. “You stupid FUCK!” I screamed at him. “Youturned , you stupid, cowardly FUCK!” I ran at him, a juggernaut of wrath with only one goaclass="underline" mow that son of a bitch over and get the hell out of Dodge.
I hit him so hard I thought my heart would burst. He fell flat, carrying Jesse down with him. David was still screaming behind me, garbled, angry words I heard but couldn’t translate. I yelled back at him, “Come on! Come on!Come On !”
A large window marked the end of the hall. I raced toward it like a dragster, hit it feet first and flew through, covering my face so the shards only cut my legs, arms, and shoulders. A small price to pay for freedom. I hit the ground with soft knees, rolling like that poor downhiller who missed his gate in the last Olympics and damn near fell off the mountain. Quickly regaining my feet, I reached the edge of the parking lot before he caught me.
I turned, snarling like a cornered badger. It was Vayl. He let go of me, holding both hands up, as if I needed to know he went unarmed.
“You went to the hotel,” he said, “to shower. I should not have let you go unguarded. I should have known you might fall asleep. Cirilai warned me of your danger.” His eyes filled with tears as he took in the damage I’d done. I barely heard him say the next words, and maybe they only registered because I was so shocked to hear him swear. “Bloody fucking hell, look what I have allowed you to do.”
I began to hurt, all over. A wave of weakness washed over me. “Vayl? I don’t feel so good.” I looked down at myself. Blood and glass covered me in fairly equal doses. A particularly large shard of window stuck out of my right thigh. “That’s definitely going to need stitches,” I murmured. Then I passed out.
CHAPTERTWENTY
The next two hours drifted past like a slow boat through zombieland. Mostly I just stared. I did assure a concerned and quite humorless Dr. Darryl that I wasn’t suicidal and he wouldn’t be seeing me again this week. I agreed to see a sleep disorder specialist, and wasn’t even surprised such a thing existed. But when Vayl and I walked out of the emergency room, I threw the appointment card in the trash can.
“Why did you do that?” he demanded.
“This is for three weeks from now. No way am I going to survive these nightmares that long.”
We took a cab back to the hotel. I sat outside while Vayl dealt with the desk clerk. It was all very civil. They even shook hands at the end, though I wished there had been yelling. If she’d been pissed that I’d broken her window I wouldn’t have felt so mental.
After assuring him I could handle the walk back to the RV, I found myself wishing I’d let Vayl carry me. It might’ve lessened his guilt, which currently could’ve powered Vatican City for a week. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I mean, he hadn’t even been there. But he felt like he should’ve. It was thatsverhamin thing. I knew it without even asking. And guilt, well, it never plays fair.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “We could get sandwiches.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Cold?”
“Not really.”
“Tired?”
“A little.”
“You should sleep,” he said. He banged his cane against the ground. “Never mind.” His eyes raked my bandaged arms. Moved down to my leg.
“It doesn’t hurt,” I told him.
“But it will.” Yup, soon the meds would wear off and I’d be one hugeouch .
What to say? “I forgive you.”That sounds arrogant . “It could’ve happened to anyone.”Obviously . “It’s my problem.”Not unless I want to be alone forever. Some words must exist, though, to thaw that frozen expression on Vayl’s face, the one hiding that massive feeling ofI failed to protect you .
“You definitely owe me one,” I said.
“What?”
I touched his arm, stopped him so I could give him a long, frank look. “I’m gonna want some payback is all.” I grinned. “And with me, you know payback will be a bitch.”
He threw back his head and barked out a laugh that sounded ferocious and relieved at the same time. “I have no doubt about that. So, do you have any first requests?”
“Actually, yeah, I do. Could you clear something up for me?”
“I can try.”
“Just how many gold mines did you win playing poker?”
Minor lift of the eyebrow. “Have you been gossiping with the office staff again?”
“Just answer the question, mister.”
“One. I bought the other two about ten years later.”
“Oh.” I thought a minute. “You’re definitely the only person I’ve ever known who owns three gold mines.”
“Would you like to visit them with me someday?”
I think my toes are actually curling at the possibilities that question raises. “Yeah, I guess I would.”
His eyes lit. “Did you just agree to go on a vacation with me?”
Yipes! Why do I keep speaking before engaging my brain?“Um, well, technically, I believe I may have. But at a date to be named much later. And when you wear me down to the point where I do finally contact my travel agent, we’ll probably have to combine it with business so I don’t totally freak on you like I’m about to do now, so let’s change the subject, okay?”
The dimple made an appearance as he nodded. But all he said was “So what do you want to do with the rest of the night?”
“Work.”
“Are you certain?”
Are you kidding? I just stirred up every disturbing feeling I have for you and dumped it on your plate after jumping out of a second-story window! If I don’t work I’ll go bonkers!“Oh yeah.”
Bergman met us at the RV door. He didn’t ask how I was feeling. It wasn’t his way, but it still kind of ticked me off. I would’ve checked on him. “Would you guys get in here? I’ve got stuff to show you!” As we followed him inside he said, “I recorded all this earlier.
“Jasmine!” Cassandra jumped off Mary-Kate and came running to me. “Are you all right? I’m so sorry. I had no idea you would fall asleep. I’ve been beside myself!”
Cole wandered in from the kitchen. “She actually has been beside herself. Literally, she’s been pacing back and forth so much I think she’s met herself coming and going.”
“Jaz is fine,” said Bergman. “Look at her. It’s obvious they took good care of her and she’ll be okay or they wouldn’t have released her. Now can we all take a look at this?”
“Oh my God,” I said as my eyes tracked to the living area where dirty footprints led from where the carpet began at the kitchen to where it stopped at the cab. “Look at all those stains! Does anybody know how to get that out? I don’t.” I reached inside my jacket, wrapped my fingers around the deck of cards I’d tucked there. Just touching them made me feel a little better. But when I thought of Pete’s reaction to those footprints I badly needed to shuffle. Could you get fired for losing your security deposit?