Eventually I managed to close my mouth and notice the tension in the car. Everyone was waiting for my reaction I realised; they all knew that I thought Dimitri hadn't been in on the whole jail break plan. I realised after another moment that they weren't just waiting to see what my reaction was, they were waiting for some sort of hissy fit. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction though, and I certainly wouldn't hurt Adrian again, I had chosen him.
Through the bond I felt Lissa's thoughts turn apologetic, she reached over to squeeze my hand but I pulled it away, shaking off any irritation that showed on my face. When it came to Dimitri Lissa was the last person I wanted to comfort me right now.
'So, what's the plan?' I prayed to God there was a plan, especially if Adrian was the brains behind the operation. He was definitely an act now, think never kind of guy. No one said anything for a few minutes and I began to grow uneasy. No one answered and my uneasiness grew, had they really broken me out of prison on some half assed whim?
We drove for hours it seemed and eventually I drifted off against the window feeling more comfortable than I had in days. When I woke up and wriggled back against the seat I felt something rub against the inside of my shirt, reaching in I felt Queen Tatiana's note which I'd hidden in my bra, lest the guardians confiscate that too. I looked at the clock and saw we'd been driving for six hours straight, as if reading my mind, as it so often seemed he could, Dimitri piped up once again. 'We're going to need to stop for gas soon. There's a gas station up here, slow down and take that exit.' He indicated for Adrian to take the next turnoff and in response Adrian's hands gripped the wheel even tighter causing us to swerve slightly. I could only imagine how awful it was having my ex-boyfriend not only back from the undead but being a total backseat driver.
'Snacks' I said to no one in particular, 'we need snacks. And we should probably use the bathroom if we're going much further'. Christian made a noise of agreement for the last part before Dimitri cut him off; he was already acting like the supervising teacher on a field trip. 'We can't all go gallivanting around, Mia and Adrian fill up the tank and then pay for the gas. Lissa, go with them and get food, water, whatever else we might need. I'll stand watch outside. Rose and Christian go use the bathroom but hurry up. We'll meet back in the car in no less than three minutes. They're bound to have realised Rose has escaped by now.' We pulled into the gas station just as he finished talking and Christian and I almost bowled each other over darting for the one unisex bathroom available.
After relieving ourselves Christian and I made it back to the car before the rest of the group. Dimitri was standing outside the gas stationI had managed to slip out of my guardian get up and into some fresh jeans and a t-shirt that Lissa had thought to pack along with some more clean clothes for me. As I had swiftly changed outfits I again noticed the Queen's note, I retrieved it now from its new place in my back pocket and handed it to Christian. This information was to be entrusted to as few as possible, and I knew that Christian was someone I could trust implicitly. He cared about Lissa as much as I did, not to mention he was basically me in male Moroi form. I would need him on bored for this.
'What's this?' He asked raising an eyebrow. I motioned for him to open it. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively before unfolding the note and reading silently. As he read I filled him in on what Sydney had told me of the bank account in Las Vegas that Lissa's father had been depositing money into for years before his death. He looked taken aback but he nodded and I hoped he understood the connection I had only just made myself. He must have read the words carefully at least three times before the rest of the group joined us back in the Escalade and Christian slipped the note back to me.
'Ok, so where to?' Adrian asked us all, or all of us except Dimitri I assumed. Dimitri's head spun around to look at him, his face slightly shocked, apparently I wasn't the only one who had been under the impression Adrian had some long term plan, and by long term I meant spanning more than a few hours.
Before anyone could answer Christian and I spoke in unison. 'Las Vegas'. Lissa looked confused, and I couldn't blame her? Why on earth would we go back there after the last time? I knew then that Christian had made the mental leap that I had only hours before upon rediscovering the Queens note. The revelation from Sydney and the note from the Queen were connected. Eric Dragomir had a love child in Las Vegas, and that was where we were headed.