Shepherd leaned through the open driver’s-side window and looked at the elf in the passenger seat. “I owe you.”
“For what?” Wyatt asked, avoiding eye contact.
“The fireworks. It was a good idea.”
Wyatt closed the laptop. “Viktor paid for it.”
“I still owe you.”
Wyatt drummed his fingers on the computer. “You know what? Actually, thereissomething.” He leaned over and held Shepherd’s gaze. “If we stay like this for eternity, no more heckling my outfit. I can’t stop the others, but we’re partners. It would be nice to have one person who wasn’t laughing.”
“Done.”
Wyatt twisted his mouth as if he didn’t believe him. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” He patted the door. “At least you didn’t wear the kilt.”
“Your loss. I look smokin’ in one of those. Running around Keystone keeps my legs in shape.” He waggled his eyebrows. “The ladies do like.”
“Start the car!” Viktor shouted.
Shepherd snapped his head around. Viktor and Claude were running toward the Jeep, but Raven was nowhere in sight.
He opened the door and noticed Hunter fiddling with the air vent. “Buckle him up.”
Kira opened her door to let Claude and Viktor in the back. When Shepherd noticed Hunter shivering, he turned on the engine to warm up the vehicle.
Claude and Viktor noisily shifted around in their seats.
The Chitah wiped his brow and reclined his head. “She wasn’t there. I didn’t see her.”
“Shepherd, drive,” Viktor commanded.
Shepherd threw the car into reverse. After he maneuvered backward down the driveway, he turned the car around and hauled ass up the private road.
“What did you see?” Gem asked.
Shepherd watched them through the rearview mirror.
Claude sighed wearily and wiped his face. “I saw no one. Maybe she went a different direction to lead them away from us.”
Wyatt bent over to set his laptop on the floor. “Or maybe she’s deadski.”
Shepherd lightly hit the brakes, causing Wyatt to thump his head on the dash.
Wyatt clutched his laptop and glowered. “You did that on purpose.”
“I will call Niko when we get to the hotel,” Viktor informed them.
“And Raven?” Gem asked.
“She was very brave.” Viktor steered his gaze out the window. “Raven saved many lives. Let us hope for the best.”
CHAPTER18
Iwalked for miles. After emerging from the garage, I decided to go a different route instead of back to the van. Too much time had passed, and I wanted the team to escape without leading Sparrow’s men to them. Putting a child in jeopardy, just to wait for me? Never gonna happen. I flashed across property lines until I reached another private road. It was a tricky run, and I lost my footing several times. After what must have been five miles, I slowed to a walk. All the flashing had drained my core light, and I moved sluggishly, hardly able to keep my eyes open. The Vampire’s blood inside me was the worst part and left my stomach roiling. While it gave me temporary strength, it didn’t give me energy.
Once I reached the city, I turned up a familiar road that led to the hotel and crumpled against a Laundromat. I wasn’t sure how long I napped.
