Blood: The Third Course

Chapter Fifteen

"Better walk fast," Vince called over his shoulder, powering along in front of them. "Sun'll be setting, and Spencer doesn't exactly hang around before hunting."

Carson quickened his step, but like Priya, he hung back a few paces from Vince and his purposeful stride. He could see it in her face, the caution at being close to Vince, someone she had grown up with. There was a brittle unease in the air, like a first date gone bad, counting down the seconds until you could politely excuse yourself. The frozen winter air didn't make it any better. Carson shared a suspicious look with Priya and turned away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Through the insides of his jacket, he could wrap his hand around the grip of his gun, tucked into the holster at his hip. It wouldn't kill the vampire, but it would slow him down, at least long enough to get Edeline out of there.

Priya grabbed his arm.

"Perhaps we should tell Caine where we're going?" she muttered. "Once Spencer realises he's been betrayed, he might run."

Frowning, watched the back of Vince's head. She was right, and perhaps this was the wrong time of day to do it. If they waited until morning, Spencer would be trapped longer. Carson shook his head and steeled himself with a deep breath.

"No," he said. "No, we have to get Edeline. We have to take Vince back. We'll tell Caine about Spencer once we're safe."

"But Thomas won't..."

Carson looked at her, his gaze grim.

"It's a risk, but we can't help the vampires on this, Priya. We need to protect our own."

There was disbelief on her breath and, just like that, she strode forwards, closing the gap between herself and Vince.

The small motel had slats of wood running down the walls, peeling paint and chipped signage. The neon sign was red, garish, and advertising an hourly rate. Despite Priya and Vince's silence, Carson was glad he was the one who'd come on this trip, and not his sister. He could only imagine Jemima's reaction if she realised this was the kind of place her only son had been living.

They crossed the car park, and Carson noted that Matthew's car was parked in a corner spot. Three months and Vince still had their farm hand's car. He was surprised nobody had thought about that before. Well, even if they had, they hadn't told him about it, which was stupid seeing as he was the one who could have put out an alert on it.

Vince led them to a set of wooden stairs, already slippery with rain and the beginnings of ice. He paused at the bottom and dug into his pocket. Pulling out a key with a large door number tag attached and a second, smaller key, he held them out. When Priya didn't take them, Carson huffed and reached out.

"The chain will be around the radiator pipe."

"Chain?" Priya asked.

"Edeline's."

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, like telling them where a dog would be leashed up, or where to find extra bags for the trash. Carson looked down at the keys in his hand, studied them. Room Seventeen. He scanned along the door numbers on the top row. Seventeen stood at the end, the far side of the walkway from the stairs. They were facing East, the sun had already disappeared to the other side of the motel, not yet set, but far enough that shadows blanketed the walkway.

Carson scowled up at the door, took one last glance at Priya and Vince: one scared and concerned, the other nonchalant, and then started climbing the stairs.

As he approached the door at the end of the walkway, number seventeen, Carson turned and peered down over the railing to where Priya and Vince stood waiting. He couldn't put a finger on why Vince's expression looked so out of place, especially while it was so blank, a doll wiped clean. Carson turned the key over in his hand. Taking a breath, he slotted it into the lock and gripped the handle, careful to keep the door from squealing as he turned the key and pushed the handle down, easing it open.