Whiteout (Aurora Sky (25 page)

“I guess,” I said, shoulders slacking. “It still doesn't change the fact that she's on Melcher's radar. Is this really the best place to leave Tommy?”

“No,” Dante said through clenched tee
th. “But I don't have much of a choice, do I? My family and friends are completely out of the question. Nor can I bring him back to the lodge. Giselle's up to something, I can feel it in my bones.”

“Me too,” I said sullenly. “If the choice was between Gise
lle and Nicole, I'd be inclined to trust Nicole more.”

“Unfortunately, it's not a matter of
if
,” Dante said, heading once more for the truck.

Damn. He had me there. But that was one of two issues we were currently dealing with. I hustled to catch up to
Dante.

“Okay, fair enough on Tommy, but mind explaining the sudden volunteer mission? That's a shame about Nicole's friend, but yo
u've got to be out of your mind if you're seriously suggesting we check
out Chillers.”

Dante raised both palms into the air. “
Hear me out.” He leaned his face into mine, eyes shifting side to side. “Misdirection.”

I bristled, not especially happy with Dante's nose inches from my own. “What?”

“The agency is
hyperaware
of Chillers. Janine used to hang out there regularly
,
keeping t
abs on local bloodsuckers. If we were to be seen at the club, it
would likely
get back to the agency, cause a distraction. While the agency looks for us around Fairbanks, we double
back to Anchorage and get in touch with people on the inside.”

Dante took a
step back as
if
it would help him
gauge
my reaction easier.

Go back to Anchorage. Suddenly I liked this plan a whole lot more.

“One problem,” I said. “What if some of these vamps attempt to capture us to collect on the reward?”

“We kill them first.”

Cold
air shot up my nostrils when I inhaled sharply.

“Not worth the risk,” I said. As great as getting back to Anchorage sounded, I wanted to do so on my own terms, not kicking and screaming if we were caught. Strolling into Chillers was about as brilliant an i
dea as placing a fresh carcass in front of a horde of hungry brown bears.

“Yeah, we have no idea how many hostiles we're dealing with,” Dante said thoughtfully. “We should go in disguise and bag a vamp then let him escape and spread stories about a sighti
ng in Fairbanks.”

“Now we're doing the abducting?” I asked
,
incredulous.

“It's only temporary,” Dante said as he leaned against the bed of the truck.

“It still doesn't
seem worth it.”

Dante pulled both bags of dog chow to the side of the bed. When I reache
d in for one he said, “I've got them.” He lifted the bags and held them u
nder each arm, pausing to meet my eye
s
. In the darkness, Dante looked especially somber when he frowned. “We have to assume Nicole's friend is dead.”

I didn't answer. There was nothin
g to say. Jab was connected to Nelson, Arlo, and Pierce. Stacey was so dead. She might even be the woman Arlo had mentioned getting out of hand, but I doubted that. From the sounds of it, Pixie had delivered some other unfortunate girl south of Fairbanks.
Nicole said Jab had invited Stacey away for the weekend. Where had he taken her? Had he shared her with his friends? Or did he have himself a private suck, screw, and kill?

My fingernails bit into my tightened palms. Forget the whole catch
-
and
-
release plan
. I wanted to kill Jab.

Dante shifted the weight of the bags on his hips. “I know you think I'm being a cowboy, but it's difficult for me to turn a blind eye to this type of activity.”

“I understand,” I said softly, eyes shifting out of focus. “These kind
of vamps make me sick.”

A memory of Arlo pushing me into his couch flickered through my mind. I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.

Spruce trees surrounded us, creeping around the cabin while gray smoke curled into the night sky from the chimney. Tommy stay
ed close by as though sensing we were about to abandon him. Despite my misgivings, Nicole and Buck had been quick and kind to take him in, especially when they had their own problems to worry about.

“Where would we get disguises?” I heard myself ask Dante.
The words came out on their own as though my body was suddenly under control by a ventriloquist.
Ugh
. Those things always creeped me out.

“Good thing Value Village is open until nine,” Dante said. He turned and wiggled his ass at me. “And I've still got l
eftover cash burning a hole in my back pocket.”

“Yes, I'm sure pizzas and costumes were exactly what Giselle had in mind when she parted ways with her precious twenties.”

“Hey, haven't spent it on a motel… yet.” Dante winked.

I laughed. “T
his situation is
so not funny.”

Dante headed toward the cabin. “Yeah, well, laughter keeps us from going insane. Just look at Melcher. I bet he hasn't laughed in over a hundred years, if he's ever laughed at all. And we know how sane he is.”

I caught up to Dante and groane
d. “The only thing Melcher knows how to do is threaten people and make them do his bidding. Despite everything, it feels great to get away from that psycho.”

“I know what you mean,” Dante said.

Now that we were headed in, Tommy decided
to sniff around the cabin
. When Dante whistled for him, the retriever came at once.

It felt good hearing Dante agree with me. He could have easily blamed me for endangering him and his family, not to mention Tommy. I was the one who wanted to get away fro
m the agency. I led Giselle to Anchorage. But Dante took everything in stride. His sense of duty never wavered
,
no matter what the situation. He was a good man and a good friend.

I opened the cabin door for him and Tommy, entering behind them. Dante set th
e bags of dog food against the wall. Tommy walked over and looked from the bags to Dante. Dante patted him on the head. “This is only temporary, buddy. I'll be back soon.”

Nicole joined them. “Hey, Tommy. We're going to take good care of you while Dante's
away. Do you like belly rubs?”

Tommy's tail swished from side to side briefly then stopped. He looked at Dante again.

This was pure torture.

Tommy lowered his head and looked at Dante, face drooping. My throat tightened.

Dante cleared his throat and looke
d at me. “Ready to go?”

I nodded.

“Do you need a place to stay for the night?” Buck asked.

“It's time for us to go, but thanks,” Dante answered. “We'll check out Chillers on our way out of town. Doesn't hurt to ask around.”

Nicole's eyes shone with unshed
tears. “That's very kind of you. If you find out anything at all, please let us know.”

“We will,” Dante said. He leaned forward and gave Tommy one last pet. “Be back soon, boy.”

I walked past them and opened the door. I had to get out of there before I cri
ed in front of everyone. It would only distress Tommy and make departure more emotional than it already was.

Dante followed on my heels.

“It's for the best, Sky,” he said once we were outside.

“I know, but it still sucks.”

We got in the truck. I felt anoth
er stab of pain climbing in without Tommy. I'd gotten so used to the furball. Even now his eyes pierced through my brain. I swallowed past a lump in my throat.

Dante's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “I want to take all these suckers down. Mel
cher. Jared. Jab. I thought I worked for the good guys. Now I find out Melcher threatened Nicole and her family. Who does he think he is
,
abusing power this way? And he had no right to force vampirism on us.” Dante's fists squeezed tighter, and the wheel g
roaned under his death grip.

I placed a hand on Dante's arm. “We'll find a way to stop him. Misdirection, remember?”

A ghost of a smile appeared over Dante's lips. Slowly, his fingers relaxed on the wheel. He started the truck and backed up, facing away fr
om the cabin. Each bump in the road seemed to loosen him up.

Once out of the woods he even began humming.

“So
.
Chillers,” I said. “Sounds cozy.”

Dante stopped humming. “That joint always did attract a rowdy bunch.”

“You used to go there?”

“From time to ti
me. Like Nicole said, there's not a whole lot to do in this town. I kept busy with sports, but when my friends and I were in the mood for a night out
,
there weren't a lot of under
-
twenty-one options.”

“It's an under
-
twenty-one club?”

“Affirmative.”

“That's
good. I still have my agency
-
issued fake ID, but I'd rather not flash my photo to the bouncer—even though we're aiming for misdirection. Don't want the cat out of the bag too soon.”

“Agreed
,” Dante said, pulling on his baseball cap.

I pu
shed
my hair over my shoulder. “Maybe they'll have a
blond
wig or something. I need to do something about my hair.”

Dante looked at me with a widening grin. “Maybe I can find you a Marilyn Monroe costume.”

“The point is to NOT attract attention,” I said with a
n eye roll.

“I suppose I can't talk you into going in as a sexy cheerleader.”

I stuck my tongue out in disgust. “You wish. No
goth
wear either,” I said. “I'm not wearing a short skirt or corset.”

“Come on, Sky. No six-inch heels and fishnets?”

“Not a chanc
e,” I said firmly. This wasn't boot camp. No one could order me to wear high heels. “Black pants and a black tank top
.
That's as
goth
as I get.
What about you?” I asked Dante. I looked him over and smirked. “Trench coat and eyeliner. I can see it now.” 

D
ante grinned back at me. “I was thinking more along the lines of bush pilot.”

Yeah, bush pilot fit him much better. There was no way Dante could pull off
g
oth
.

As Dante pulled into the parking lot of Value Village, he pointed to the banner above the doors
. “Halloween sale. We're in luck.”

Now that was suave masquerading. Discount Halloween accessories. Welcome to vampire hunting on a budget.