“A remote cabin with nothing tying her to it is as safe a place as any,” I answered. “And Arnaud’s attention will be on us. She’s not nearly as important.”
Jade rubbed her arms against the stiff wind, her red-gold hair whipped around her face as she looked up at me. “So what now? We can’t stay here for very long.”
“Nope. I found us a safehouse. We’ll have to stock it with supplies, but it’s not likely he can find us there.”
Turning, Jade recrossed the parking lot toward Alix’s apartment. After another glance at Alix’s disappearing car, I followed. Inside the warmth, Jade paced into the kitchen to pour coffee into mugs. She handed me one, then sat at the table.
“What’s first?” she asked.
I rubbed my bandage, thinking of renewing the poultice Alix put on it the night before. My ache had returned with a vengeance. “We need a new ride. Both of our vehicles are known.”
She sipped her coffee, her brows furrowed. “We’ll have to watch Arnaud’s house, wait for him to leave. Does he have staff?”
“A cook. We can work around her easily enough. She doesn’t leave her realm much, and her room is just off the kitchen.”
“What a boring existence.”
“Agreed.” I studied her face. “I’d rather buy a decent vehicle than steal one.”
“Smarter. We don’t need cops pulling us over in a stolen car.”
“Do you have the funds? I don’t.”
She sent me a crusty glance, then replied, caustic, “I don’t know. You took my cell phone, my cards, everything when youkidnapped me. I don’t have any way of checking my accounts at the moment.”
I nibbled my lip, then drank a gulp of coffee. “Okay. I have a few thousand I can use to buy our supplies, get you a new phone. I need one, too. We’ll get a temporary bank card, use public transportation until we get a vehicle.”
“Okay, I can go along with that.” Jade stared thoughtfully into the distance. “What’s this safe house?”
“An abandoned house on the east side,” I answered, picking at my bandage. “I boarded it up, there’s plenty of wood for fires.”
She looked back at me. “You really planned to bust me out.”
“I did. I wanted to wait until my old man was gone. Then you escaped anyway. Whether I helped you or not, my old man blamed me.” I shrugged. “It’s time to get out from under his thumb.”
“I didn’t believe you. I wanted to, but I didn’t dare. When I found my chance, I took it.”
I grinned. “You missed out on a nice chicken dinner.”
“I’ll let you buy me another one.”
“I reckon I owe you more than that.” I picked again at the wrap.
“Quit that,” Jade ordered. “You need to keep it immobile.”
“It hurts. I don’t suppose Alix left more of her magic elixir?”
“I don’t think she took it with her. I’ll check.”
Leaving me, Jade went to the bathroom, then returned a moment later with the jar Alix used, plus fresh wrappings. “Give me your arm.”
“Just don’t bust it again. You could’ve killed me with that thing.”
“That was the intent.”
In quick, sure movements, Jade unwrapped my arm. The poultice left a greasy covering over my lavishly bruised and swollen arm. She applied a second coat atop the first, then bound it back up with the long strips of cotton. Her touch, light, almost tender, caused me no excessive pain as she worked. Almost as though she made sure to not cause me excess pain.
“We’ll take that with us,” she declared. “Alix won’t mind.”
