Whiteout (Aurora Sky (28 page)

“What are we you going to do?” I asked. “Steal Santa's sleigh?”

“I draw the line at Santa Claus,” Dante said. “I used to work for a construction company in North Pole duri
ng summer break—before the agency recruited me. They kept several vehicles on site for us to pick up supplies. Unlocked, keys hidden under the floor mat.”

“Let's hope that hasn't changed,” I said.

How easily life on the run turned into a life of crime.
Breaking and entering. Theft. Hopefully this would be the last time we had to break the law. There wasn't much choice. Zack had seen the truck. Every second we spent driving around put us further at risk.

It didn't take long to drive through town, and soon
the streetlights were replaced by trees and the great black void outside the city.

“How long till we get there?” I asked.

“Twenty minutes tops,” Dante said.

It was too dark to see the Tanana River running alongside the Richardson Highway. A set of headlig
hts reflected in the rearview mirror, a lone vehicle following us out of town. It set me further on edge.

Dante glanced in the mirror, watching the car behind us for several seconds before jamming his foot on the gas pedal. The truck sped forward. I watche
d the car recede from the side mirror. It didn't try to keep pace. At the next bend in the road, its headlights distinguished as though blown out by the wind racing alongside the truck's exterior.

I eased back against my seat. Dante kept both hands on the
steering wheel, intent on the road. The only thing I could make out in the headlights were the yellow lines rushing forward like an airport runway through the midnight dark.

Dante reduced the drive time between towns to fifteen minutes. The sign for North
Pole reflected in the distance. We turned off the highway and rolled through the city limits.

Soon we'd entered the glow of the small city. The streetlights were painted red and white and shaped like candy canes. Too bad they weren't lighting up a cute lit
tle Christmas village. Nope. Just another ugly
-
ass strip of asphalt flanked by fast
-
food joints, pawn shops, and used car lots.

While we waited at a red traffic light, Dante dug inside his jean
s
pocket and pulled out the cash Giselle had given him.

“I
hope the vehicle we lift has a full tank,” he said, riffling through the bills. “We're down to our last eight dollars.” He folded the thin wad and jammed it back inside his pocket as the light turned green.

Dante took a left off the main drag and weaved th
rough side streets until reaching a building in a small industrial area shrouded in darkness. Exterior lights didn't do much to brighten the murky shadow of night. He parked along the curb. Once he'd turned off the ignition, he sat in place, staring out th
e windshield.

“What's the matter?” I asked.

Dante caressed the steering wheel with his fingertips. “This truck has been the closest t
hing to a home I've had since Giselle grabbed me
. I feel bad ditching the old girl.”

“Yeah? Well, just think, soon you'll b
e reunited with your
Jeep
.”

Dante's hands stilled over the wheel. “Did somebody save my baby from the hilltop?”

“Noel, Fane, and I went back and got it,” I said. “Unless the agency confiscated the
Jeep
, it should still be parked outside of Noel's place.”

T
echnically it had been both Noel's and my place, but I hadn't lived at the spacious two-story house long enough to really call it home. There was a chance the
Jeep
was still parked there. Melcher might
have
overlook
ed
it with everything else going on. Not
that we could risk using it once we returned to town, but at least Dante might get it back after Melcher was handled.

Dante didn't ask anything more about the
J
eep. His moment of interest had turned into a sulky pout. His lower lip puffed out. I'd be willi
ng to bet the mention of Fane had caused his shift in attitude. Funny how that worked.

A pair of headlights appeared around the corner and headed toward us.

“Get down,” Dante hissed.

We dove against the seat bench simultaneously, heads almost hitting as we
crouched out of sight.
Dante snatched his gun from under his seat and gripped the handle in his fist.
The lights passed and disappeared down the street. Slowly, we rose back up.
Once seated, Dante holstered his gun around his waist.

“I can't relax,” I sai
d. “I feel like every car is following us.”

The only benefit of paranoia was the adrenaline rush it gave my entire body. The wooziness had started to subside as my senses
came back to life.

“There's no way Zack would have found a phone in time to have some
one follow us,” Dante assured me. “But I know what you mean. Something doesn't feel right.”

That part sounded less reassuring.

Dante leaned back to look at me. “Do you want to wait in the truck while I search the lot? Make sure we don't leave behind any we
apons or
supplies
in the glove box?”

“Sure,” I replied. It would also give me a chance to shimmy out of the shorts and put my jeans on.

“Here,” Dante said, reaching behind the seat for his backpack. “Toss anything you're taking with us in here.”

As soon as Dante left the truck, I peeled off the vinyl butt choker and replaced it with the comfort of my jeans, leaving the lace stockings on for added warmth. I'd take what little I could get.
I looped my belt holster around my waist and grabbed my gun
out of the glove box, nestling it back in place at my hip.

Not long after I'd secured the fastening on my jeans, Dante pulled up in a white SUV. That was fast.

With quick speed, I
emptied
the
rest of the glove box, pulling
out a flashlight, hunting knife,
and roll of
duct tape
. I tossed the items inside Dante's pack. The vinyl shorts I left behind. I'd been seen wearing them at Chillers. They weren't much of a clue
but
not something I'd willingly wear again.

I did one last look around the cab before exitin
g the truck and joining Dante in the SUV. It hadn't had a chance to warm up and was cold inside, but much more comfortable.

“
Nice u
pgrade
,” I said, settling i
nto the passenger's seat.

Dante straightened his spine and grinned. “Thanks. Did you get everythin
g out of the truck?”

“I think so,” I said, looking insi
de his pack. “Flashlight, knife
,
and a handy
-
dandy roll of good old American
duct tape
.”

Dante didn't idle in place long. We were back on the highway in no time, backtracking to Fairbanks. I felt like
I was holding one long breath as we sped through town. At least we weren't in the truck.

It was relief to return to the road we'd come in on. Soon enough, we were heading south. Heading home.

“I sure hope this works,” I said.

“It has to,” Dante said. “We
could lay low like we originally planned, but I'd rather take my chances contacting Noel and Sergeant Holmes. Seeing the vamp problem firstha
nd reminds me
why this work is so important. I want back on active duty.”

“The agency would be lucky to have you,”
I said.

“What about you?” Dante asked. “Would you consider staying if the agency was under new leadership? You can't deny we make a great team.”

Did we? Was this my true calling? Was my place at Dante's side?

One thing I couldn't deny was the sense of unfi
nished business. How many more bloodsuckers were running around preying on new victims? Yes, I wanted them stopped, but weren't there other agents who could do that? It
wasn't
as though I
was
the only hunter in the state, and not like the agency couldn't t
rain more.

“This isn't the life I want,” I said.

“But you're Aurora Sky:
vampire hunter
. If you retire, what then? You'll just be Aurora Sky… vampire.”

“Which is fine with me,” I retorted. “I'll be a free woman.”

Dante sighed. “Maybe Noel can talk some sen
se into you.”

“Noel will be a friend first and support my decision, unlike you
,
” I ground out.

Dante lifted both hands off the wheel momentarily. “It just seems like a complete waste of your skills. That's all I'm saying.”

Rather than respond, I turned to
my window, but there was nothing to see other than my faint reflection frowning back.

Dante wasn't kidding when he said that was all he was saying. He didn't talk, sing, or hum. He didn't turn on the radio or utter another word. It had to be the first time
that he annoyed me by
not
humming or singing—like he wanted me to contemplate his words.

Sure, I'd taken down some baddies in my short time and fought my way out of more than a few perilous situations. But I wanted more to my life than hunting and
killing. I wanted adventure and romance. I wanted Fane. I had never stopped wanting him.

“Are we driving straight to Anchorage?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Dante turned his head toward me. “You mean after we pick up Giselle?”

“I mean straight on down.
Straight through the night. No stopping,” I clarified.

Dante tapped the wheel softly. “Wouldn't that be sorta mean? She bought our supplies and behaved herself the entire time. She's waiting for us. I told her we'd be back.”

G
ood grief! The woman had kidna
pped him and now Dante didn't want to hurt her feelings?

“You heard her,” I said. “She doesn't want agency reform. How's she going to react if we tell her we're headed back to Anchorage? That we blew our cover in this area? She might try to stop us or
worse, kill us.”

“We also know she's tenacious about tracking down those who betray her. She found us once, she could find us again. Maybe not right away, but we know she can get to your family and friends. No,” Dante said firmly. “If we're going to ditch
her, we have to kill her first.”

My stomach dropped. Ditching the she
-
vamp was one thing. Killing Giselle seemed way too harsh. On the other hand, Dante was right. If we left her behind, we'd end up right back on her hit list. She'd already found my mom an
d Gran once. I couldn't risk them, or anyone else dear to me, a second time.

I released a sound halfway between a sigh and a groan.

“Maybe we can convince her this is the best way to get to Jared and Melcher,” I said, not believing it for a second.