Corinna hadn’t spoken still, but she was looking around her warily, and I realized she didn’t know where Pam had gone. I grinned. “For the life of me, I don’t know why you’re doing all this. It seems like Victor should be glad to have someone as smart as Eric working for him. Why can’t he appreciate that?” And leave us alone.
Bruno took a step closer to me. The light was too poor for me to make out his eye color, but I could tell he was still looking serious. I thought it was strange when Bruno took the time to answer me, but anything that bought us more time was good. “Eric is a great vampire. But Eric will never bow to Victor, not really. And he’s accumulating his own power at a pace that makes Victor anxious. He’s got you, for one thing. Your great-grandfather may have sealed himself away, but who’s to say he won’t come back? And Eric can use your stupid ability whenever he chooses. Victor doesn’t want Eric to have that advantage.” And then Bruno had his hands around my neck. He’d moved so quickly I couldn’t possibly react, and I knew vaguely over the pounding in my ears that there was a sudden and violent commotion going on to my left. I reached behind me to pull the knife, but we were suddenly down in the tall, wet grass at the edge of the shoulder, and I kicked my leg up and over, and pushed, trying to get on top. I kind of overdid it, because we began rolling down into the drainage ditch. That was a pity, because it was filling with water. Bruno couldn’t drown, but I sure could. Wrenching my shoulder with the force of my effort, I yanked the knife out of my skirt when I rotated to the top, and as we rolled yet again I saw dark spots in front of my eyes. I knew this was my last chance. I stabbed Bruno up under his ribs.
And I killed him.
Chapter 4
Pam yanked Bruno’s body off me and rolled him all the way down into the water coursing through the ditch. She helped me up.
“Where were you?” I croaked.
“Disposing of Corinna,” literal-minded Pam said. She pointed to the body lying by the white car. Fortunately, the corpse was on the side of the car concealed from the view of the rare passerby. In the poor light it was hard to be sure, but I believed Corinna was already beginning to flake away. I’d never seen a dead vampire in the rain before.
“I thought Bruno was such a great fighter. How come you didn’t take him on?”
“I gave you the knife,” Pam said, giving a good imitation of surprise. “He didn’t have a knife.”
“Right.” I coughed and, boy, did that hurt my throat. “So what do we do now?”
“We’re getting out of here,” Pam said. “We’re going to hope that no one noticed my car. I think only three cars passed since we pulled over. With the rain and poor visibility, if the drivers were human, we have a very good chance that none of them will remember seeing us.”
By then we were back in Pam’s car. “Wouldn’t it be better if we moved the Lexus?” I said, wheezing out the words.
“What a good idea,” Pam said, patting me on the head. “Do you think you can drive it?”
“Where to?”
Pam thought for a moment, which was good, because I needed the recovery time. I was soaked through and shivering, and I felt awful.
“Won’t Victor know what’s happened?” I asked. I couldn’t seem to stop asking questions.
“Maybe. He wasn’t brave enough to do this himself, so he has to take the consequences. He’s lost his two best people, and he has nothing to show for it.” Pam was enjoying the hell out of that.
“I think we get out of here right now. Before some more of his people come to check, or whatever.” I sure wasn’t up for fighting again.
“It’s you who keeps asking questions. I think Eric will be here soon; I’d better call him to tell him to stay away,” Pam said. She looked faintly worried.
“Why?” I would have loved to have Eric appear to take charge of this situation, frankly.
“If someone is watching his house, and he leaps into his car and drives in this direction to come rescue you, it’ll be a pretty clear indication that we’re responsible for what happened to Bruno and Corinna,” Pam said, clearly exasperated. “Use your brain, Sookie!”
“My brain is all soggy,” I said, and if I sounded a little testy, I don’t think that’s any big, amazing thing. But Pam was already hitting a speed-dial number on her cell. I could hear Eric yelling when he answered the phone.
Pam said, “Shut up and I’ll explain. Of course, she lives.” There was silence.
Pam summed up the situation in a few pithy phrases, and she concluded with, “Go somewhere it’s reasonable to be going in a hurry. Back to the bar in answer to some crisis. To the all-night dry cleaners to pick up your suits. To the store to pick up some TrueBlood. Don’t lead them here.”
After a squawk or two, Eric apparently saw the sense in what Pam was saying. I couldn’t hear his voice clearly, though he was still talking to her.
“Her throat will be bruised,” Pam said impatiently. “Yes, she killed Bruno herself. All right, I’ll tell her.” Pam turned to me. “He’s proud of you,” she said with some disgust.
“Pam gave me the knife,” I croaked. I knew he could hear me.
“But it was Sookie’s idea to move the car,” Pam said, with the air of someone who’s going to be fair if it kills her. “I’m trying to think of where to put it. The truck stops will have security cameras. I think we’ll leave it on the shoulder well past the Bon Temps exit.”
That’s what we did. Pam had some towels in her trunk, and I put them down on the seat of Bruno’s car. Pam poked around in his ashes to retrieve the Lexus key, and after looking over the instrument panel, I figured I could drive it. I followed Pam for forty minutes, staring longingly at the Bon Temps sign as we sped past it. I pulled over to the shoulder right after Pam did. Following Pam’s instructions, I left the key in the car, wiped off the steering wheel with the towels (which were damp from their contact with me), and then scuttled to Pam’s car and climbed in. It was still raining, by the way.
Then we had to return to my house. By then I was aching in every joint and a little sick to my stomach. Finally, finally, we pulled up to my back door. To my amazement, Pam leaned over to give me a hug. “You did very well,” she said. “You did what had to be done.” For once, she didn’t look as if she were secretly laughing at me.
“I hope this all turns out to be worth it,” I said, sounding as gloomy and exhausted as I felt.
“We’re still alive, so it was worth it,” Pam said.
I couldn’t argue with that, though something within me wanted to. I climbed out of her car and trudged across the dripping backyard. The rain had finally stopped.
Claude opened the back door as I reached it. He had opened his mouth to say something, but when he took in my condition, he closed it again. He shut the door behind me, and I heard him lock it.
“I’m going to shower,” I said, “and then I’m going to bed. Good night, Claude.”
“Good night, Sookie,” he said, very quietly, and then he shut up. I appreciated that more than I could say.
When I got into work the next day at eleven, Sam was dusting all the bottles behind the bar.
“Good morning,” he said, staring at me. “You look like hell warmed over.”
“Thanks, Sam. Good to know I’m looking my best.”
Sam turned red. “Sorry, Sookie. You always look good. I was just thinking. ”
“About the big circles under my eyes?” I pulled down the skin of my cheeks, making a hideous face for his benefit. “I was real late getting in last night.” I had to kill someone and move his car. “I had to go over to Shreveport to see Eric.”
“Business or pleasure?” And he ducked his head, clearly not believing he’d said that, either. “I’m sorry, Sookie. My mom would say I got up on the tactless side of the bed today.”