Finding Fire

Chapter 18

Anna and Nicolas didn't stay in Chicago long. They said brief good-byes to Shirley and Nancy and then wandered off into the city.

As Anna hadn't eaten all night, Nicolas found a small restaurant that was open. By the time she'd finished eating, he was back with a nondescript Ford sedan.

After one stop at a gas station to refuel, they were back on the highway.

The only thing Anna had to occupy her mind during the slow morning hours was looking out the passenger window at the dark scenery. On previous road trips, she had some form of entertainment, be it books or music. At this hour, it was too dark to read. During the commotion at her apartment when she'd left the city, she'd forgotten to bring her MP3 player with her and there were somehow no radio stations playing anything she could stand.

Her only form of entertainment was Nicolas, and she didn't feel like talking to him. She didn't understand his motives and was unsure of how to proceed. Whenever she tried to talk to him about his past or his race, he evaded her questions and she didn't want to have a verbal sparring with him at the moment.

After a few hours of silence, she broke down and asked, "Aren't you bored?"

He looked over at her. "I have a lot of things on my mind at the moment."

"I can relate to that. I've spent all night trying to push all my worries away, but they won't leave me alone."

"No happy thoughts? Things to look forward to?" He glanced over as if to gauge her response.

"Hmm...happy thoughts? Let me think," she said. "Nope. Mostly just worries."

"What if you get the answers you're hoping for from Aleksander? What if you find out your father is alive? Isn't that a happy thought?"

Anna tensed up. If Charles were still among the living, it would be her nightmare come true.

Nicolas must have noticed the change in her. "That's not good?"

Anna didn't feel up to discussing Charles with Nicolas, so she switched topics. "You remember that man Aleksander killed in front of me? His daughter and I were close. I don't think it's likely, but I would love to be able to see her again. Is there anyone you've missed while you've been gone?" she asked.

"There were some men I worked closely with for a long time. They were not happy when Aleksander took over. I'll be happy to see all of them again."

She narrowed her eyes. "No women to welcome you back?"

He laughed. "Are you asking if I'm available?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm asking if you had a whole line of women just waiting to get their chance with you when you were best buddies with the king."

"That's another way of asking if I'm available."

"It might be, but now I'm getting the feeling you don't want to answer the question."

"I don't." He kept his eyes on the road and didn't look at her. "I told you about the woman who took me in when I was on the run?"

"The bitch who turned you in? Yes, you mentioned that."

He grinned at her. "Yep, that bitch." He took a deep breath. "I was supposed to marry her."

Anna gasped. "You were supposed to what? She did that to her own fiancé?"

"I can't say I forgive her, but I will say we were getting married for political reasons and not for love."

"Even so, could you imagine if you had married someone who was capable of betraying you like that? How uncomfortable that would have been for you?"