SLOANE'S POINT OF VIEW:
"I'll fill up the car while you pack. Be back in a minute," I said before Moose closed the door and ran into his apartment building. I drove across the street and pulled into the Speedway station. I pulled out my cell phone as I pumped the gas and checked my credit card balance. "Dammit," I mumbled to myself. I had about $200 of leeway on my card, which wasn't going to get me a ticket to Shreveport. Something fell to the ground when I pulled said credit card out of my wallet to pay for the gas. I picked the black card out of the snow bank. It was the credit card David had given me in Maryland. A credit card without a limit. I flipped the car against my hand as I thought it through. I didn't have time to move any money around to put some room on my credit card, I needed another option. If I used David's card, I didn't have to worry about a balance. There were so many reasons not to use it, though. For one, he could track whatever I bought, including a plane ticket. Then again, I already have an internal GPS that only he had the key to - the bond. More importantly, though, I didn't want to owe him anything. I didn't want to spend his money.
Too bad I didn't have much of a choice.
I paid for the gas and returned to Moose's apartment. He was waiting outside with a duffel bag. He tossed his bag in with my suitcase and climbed into the passenger side. "Where are we going again?"
"The airport."
I fidgeted as I sat in the plane, idle on the runway waiting for the plane to be de-iced before we took off. "Sit still," Moose said as he grabbed my hand. I curled my fingers between his but continued to fidget. I had no idea how much time I had to fix whatever it is that is going to happen, but I had to believe it wasn't long.
"I need to concentrate." I crossed my legs beneath me and pulled my hand out of his. I set both of my hands on my knees and closed my eyes. I tried to look into the future. I tried, but I couldn't. I was too keyed up. Beyond the one extraordinarily painful vision I had twice now, I wasn't getting anything else. I was going in blind.
The plan landed only 20 minutes after it's ETA, which was fairly good. I went straight to the rental car counter at the Shreveport airport and handed them my (well, David's) black card. "Something fast, please."
"When did you get a black card?" Moose whispered as the woman behind the counter looked into their remaining inventory.
"We have a brand new Ford Mustang or a 2009 Pontiac Skye," she said.
"The Mustang." I assumed it would have more trunk space. Not to mention 4 seats. More is better.
"Yes, Miss." She swiped my card and handed it back to me, but Moose grabbed it before I could get to it.
"Oh," he said. "I see." He was eyeing David's name under mine.
I was getting sick of Moose's new jealous streak. "You knew what you were getting in to, you can't start bitching now," I snapped at him.
"Here you go, Miss." The woman behind the counter handed me a set of keys.
"Thanks," I mumbled. I grabbed my suitcase and walked toward the car lot, Moose shuffling to follow me. Right in front was a light blue Mustang convertible. Cool. I popped open the trunk and went to lug my suitcase into the back, but Moose got there first. He lifted my suitcase into the trunk followed by his duffel bag and shut the trunk before he gathered me into his arms.
"No bitching," he said. "Promise." He kissed the tip of my nose. "I'm just worried about him following you down here. Now he knows where you are. Do you think he'll stay away?"
"No," I said. "But he doesn't need a credit card statement to know where I am at all times." I wrapped my arms around his waist and settled in for a long hug. "Eric's probably going to call him the second he sees me anyway."
He pulled me back so he could look at my face again, confusion on his. "Who's he again?"
I tossed him the keys. "You're driving, I'll explain again in the car." We had to drive to Bon Temps and I wanted to find a hotel before dark.
"I gotta see this Sookie. She must be really hot if all these people are so into her." I glared at him. "She's probably nothing compared to you, though," he said, backpedalling.
"Yea, uh huh. Well, not everyone wants her for her looks," I said as we pulled into the parking lot of a small Mom-and-Pop hotel just outside of Bon Temps.
He threw the car into park. "What else do they want her for?"
I had overplayed my hand. I promised her that I wouldn't go spreading her secret, but if Moose was going to be here, he was going to figure it out one way or another. I may as well tell him now. "She has a unique talent, like me."
His mouth dropped open. "There are more of you?" he whispered.
"No, not just like me, but kinda like me. She's telepathic." He looked at me, confused. "She reads minds."
"Oh, wow." He pulled the keys out of the ignition and pocketed them. "I see why that might be…desirable."
"Yea. And there might in lie the problem." I opened the door and stepped out of the car into the relatively warm Louisiana afternoon.
He followed me out of the car and grabbed the bags out of the trunk. "Might?"
"I have no idea where this is coming from." He followed me into the lobby of the hotel.
"Oh, hi there, dear." The Mom of this Mom-and-Pop establishment looked up from her trashy novel. Her thick southern accent was endearing. "You two need a couple of rooms?"
I smirked at Moose, who had moved to my side. "Just one is fine," he said.
She looked at me for my approval. "Just one," I repeated.
She grabbed a couple of keys from under the counter and placed them over a sign in sheet. "There's only one bed per room." She tried to be nonchalant about it, but she was eyeing me, making sure I understood that I'd have to sleep in the same bed as him. "If that's what you want, please sign in—both of you." I signed my name and handed the pen to Moose, who signed on the line below mine. "Alright, Sloane and Mus…"
"Mustafa," he finished.
"Sloane and Mustafa. The rate is $65 a night. How many nights are you staying?" She was looking Moose right in the eye.
He deferred to me. "We're not sure yet," I answered.
She eyed me. "In that case, I'll need a credit card number." I flipped the black card into her hand, warming her mood to me immediately. Nothing warms the heart like unlimited credit down here, apparently. "Thank you, dear," she said as she handed the card back to me. "Room 3. If you need anything, come on back."
"Thanks," I said as we walked out of the lobby back into the Louisiana afternoon. We walked the three doors down and opened the door. The room was better than expected; there was a flat screen TV and a king-size bed, all in modern décor. "Nice," I said.
Moose propped my suitcase up on the stand and then tackled me onto the bed, kissing my lips and neck. "Now what?" he asked.
I kissed him back and rolled him so he was on his back and I was on top of him. "We're going to the bar where Sookie works."
He rolled me back onto my back and loomed over, gently rubbing my breast outside my shirt and kissing my neck. "Right now?"
He was making it hard, that for sure. He reached down and unbuttoned my jeans, slipping his hand down them and sticking his finger in me. I gripped his shoulders. "Later," I rasped. He continued to probe me as I writhed against his fingers, practically begging him for it. I unbuttoned his pants and ran my hands up and down his shaft once before running my hands up under his shirt. I traced the lines of his 6-pack, sending tremors through his body. He pulled his finger out of me and stood at the end of the bed. He pulled his own pants and boxers off before pulling my clothes off of me. I pulled his shirt over his head as he crawled back onto the bed. He pulled my sweater off of me, leaving us both naked and ready. "We have time for a quickie," I said, practically panting for him to enter me.
"Consider it a preview." I moaned in ecstasy as he entered me roughly, pulsing into my hard and deep. I wrapped my legs around his while simultaneously spreading them open wider for him. I dug my nails into his back as pumped into me. It didn't take long for the two of us to climax, me screaming Moose's name as we did. He gripped my hair as we spasmed together. "OK, back to work," he said once we could both breathe again.
I quickly showered and dried my hair. When I emerged from the bathroom, Moose was already dressed and sitting on the bed, flipping through channels. His attention switched to me as I walked in front of him in nothing but my bra and panties. I grabbed my makeup from the counter and smoothed on a touch of foundation, following it with some blush (hey, I was in the south. I needed to fake some color). After some mascara, I pulled the clothes I had been wearing on and put on my shoes. I was ready.
"I need to talk to the bartender real quick. Will you find us a table? I'll join you after I talk to Sookie," I said as we walked toward the front door of the small, rural bar. There was a certain ambiance that was homey and warm about the place. Almost like a warm aura.
"OK," he said as he held the door open for me. Moose took a left and sat at a booth as I walked straight up to the bar and settled in.
"Hey, what can I get you?" he asked wearily, eyeing Moose as he took a booth.
"Sookie coming in tonight?" I asked.
He put the glass he was drying down and looked me in the eye. "Who's asking?"
"I'm sorry, Sam." I extended a hand over the countertop. "I'm Sloane McIntosh."
He took my hand automatically, but he was still weary. "That didn't answer my question."
I was getting frustrated with the cloak and dagger even though I understood the reason for it. Without even having to ask for it, I saw when Sookie would be coming in. I didn't have long to wait. "Nevermind, she'll be here soon. I'll take a Stoli on ice." I pulled my license out of my wallet without him asking and handed it to him. He studied it for a long time, probably trying to figure out how someone from Michigan knew Sookie. After handing my license back to me, he poured me my vodka and handed it to me. I took a sip and waited, pleasant look on my face.
He nodded toward Moose, who was currently talking to a small waitress. "Who's your friend?"
"That's Moose. Which reminds me; when's the next full moon?"
He looked over his shoulder, partly at the calendar hanging on the wall and partly down the long hallway toward his office. "Tomorrow night," he said, preoccupied.
We sat in silence for a while until I heard the door slam open. I didn't need to turn and look at who was making such a loud entrance; I knew. "Where's my sis?" said the heavy southern accent.
"Not here yet," answered Sam. I finally turned to look and the motley crew he had with him. Jason and Hoyt both walked up to the bar, both eyeing me at the same time. You could practically read their minds without Sookie's unique talent. I was new meat.
Jason sauntered up to the bar. I shot a 'stay there' look at Moose as he did. "Hey there, little lady." He turned to Sam. "Two brews and whatever the lady's drinking." He turned back down to me and offered a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm…"
"Jason Stackhouse," I finished as I shook his hand. "And Hoyt Fortenbury."
Jason looked pleased as punch. "You've heard of me?"
"Not quite," I answered with a smile.
I almost laughed out loud when he looked puzzled. "Oh," he said, nodding his head. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Isn't that what you just did?" I said as Sam slid another drink in front of me. Both Hoyt and Sam worked to hide their quiet giggles.
"I guess so," he said, flustered. It was obvious that he was used to women melting at his feet. I have to say, he was cute, but I'm just not into blonds. He walked away, he and Hoyt parking it at a table close to Moose.
"How do you know everyone's name?" asked Sam. "Are you a private eye?"
"No, I'm a microbiologist. I'll explain everything soon." I was most likely going to need Sam's help to protect Sookie, so he needed to be in the loop.
"When?" he asked, running out of patience.
"Now." I pointed to the back door as Sookie walked through it completely bundled in a coat and hat. She stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw me, then held up a 'one minute' finger. She slipped into the office to deposit her bag and coat, emerging seconds later.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Trouble. "Can we talk in the office?" I asked ask I pulled my drink off the counter and got to my feet. Sam nodded and followed the two of us into the back room.
"OK, explain." Sam sat behind the desk in his usual chair. I preferred to stand.
"What trouble? Show me," said Sookie.
"I don't know a whole lot yet, and I'm not getting anything useful, no matter how hard I try." I really didn't want to show Sookie, especially if she had to work a full shift afterwards. I knew she was good at faking it, but I didn't need to add to her stress load on a busy Saturday night.
"Sookie," said Sam.
I turned to Sam. "Sookie and I met in December, when she attended a wedding of a friend of mine. That's how we know each other. I know everyone else because there is some sort of link between the two of us. I see a lot of her."
"See?" he asked.
"I'm a seer."
He leaned back in his seat and watched the two of us. "So why did you come?" asked Sookie.
"The first time I had the vision, it was a warning. The second time, it was a call to action." I'm going to talk to Eric tonight, so don't worry about it. You need to go about things as normally as possible, which is why we should be getting back out there. She nodded, understanding what I was telling her. Can I come over to the house tonight and try and read you?
She nodded again. "You need directions?"
I shook my head no and pointed to my skull. I've seen it many times before, I think I can find it. Anyone else you want me to notify for you? Bill?
"Probably should," she responded.
"I'll find him, I have to thank him anyway."
She laid a hand on my arm. "I heard about that. How are you doing?"
"Better. My lungs are never going to be back to full capacity, but I'm alive." After a genuine smile to the two of them, I turned and walked out of the office, drink in hand and slid into the booth with Moose.
"That didn't take long," he said. "Hungry?"
"Yes," I said with a smile. The fact he was starting to be very nonchalant about this was calming me down, too. I glanced over the menu that he had handed me and quickly decided on chicken strips.
"Are you two going to eat?" Sookie asked. Moose had unknowingly picked a booth in Sookie's section.
"Yea. Sookie, this is Moose. Moose, Sookie."
"Nice to meet you," Sookie said.
"Nice to meet you, too," added Moose.
She smiled at the both of us with her broken, fake smile. "What can I get you?"
Nervous? "I'll have the chicken basket and a Pepsi, please." I handed her the menu.
She gave me a significant look before glancing over her shoulder. "We have Coke. And you?" she asked Moose.
"Same for me, thanks."
She wrote down our orders and walked into the kitchen, effectively hiding from whatever she heard was coming. Seconds later, a large, bald tiger walked through the door. "What the hell is the tiger doing here?" I whispered to no one in particular.
Moose's head whipped around. "That guy?"
"Quinn," I answered quietly. I shot a very nervous look at Sam, who returned my nervous glance. "He's not supposed to be here."
"Why?"
"Long story." Jason was eyeing me from his table, probably trying to figure me out. I switched sides of the booth and curled into Moose's side. He got the message. This new position also gave me a better view of Quinn as he approached the bar. A second later, I could read Sam's lips as he said, "Sookie's not working today." Quinn spun on his heels and left.
We ate quickly; I was eager to get back to Shreveport. As soon as the sun set, we paid the bill and said goodbye to Sookie and Sam. The first stop was Bill's place. "Um. Do you want to stay in the car?" I asked Moose. I didn't know if the animosity between him and David was just male competition or a more systematic hatred between the supes of the world. I was inclined to think the later, although the competition wasn't helping the situation.
"Why? Who lives here?" He was being so good about not asking a bunch of questions that when he did, I indulged him.
"Sookie's ex. He's a vampire."
"Then I'll stay here." He turned the engine off and settled into the driver's seat as I climbed out of the passenger seat. After a second's hesitation, I knocked on the door. He answered quickly, obviously freshly out of a shower.
"Can I come in for a minute?" I asked.
"Of course. Are you and your friend just visiting?" He nodded past me toward the car.
I stepped past him into the large foyer area. This house has a large, grand staircase that made a grand statement. It felt similar to the O'Hara complex. "Not quite. Sookie's in trouble."
He probed me for every detail. Of course, he figured out my talent in the process. "What can I do?" he asked finally.
"I don't know yet." I had written down my phone number on several napkins while we were at the bar, leaving one with Sam and now handing one to Bill. "Just in case."
"Would you like mine?" he asked as I turned to leave.
"I already know it." I turned the knob and opened the door, turning back to him before I left. "Did Filipe and Victor survive?"I asked in a small voice. I had been curious for some time now, but now that it came time to ask the question, I was quite sure I didn't want to know.
"Yes," he answered. "They are still recovering."
I nodded, giving myself time to take in that information. "OK. Please don't tell them I'm here. I have no protection," I said. "Thank you, Bill." I shut the door before he could answer me. Moose fired up the engine as I climbed back into the passenger seat. "Now where to, Miss Daisy?"
"Back to Shreveport." I navigated as Moose drove, proving once again that we worked well together. About halfway through the drive, my back pocket buzzed. I pulled my phone out and looked at the caller ID. It was David. Only a matter of time, I told myself. "Hello?" I answered.
"I got a phone call today. It was American Express notifying me that the black card I gave you had recently been used to buy airline tickets to Shreveport, among other things."
I rolled my eyes as Moose glanced in my direction. "Yea, sorry, I'll pay you back when I have the money."
"That is not my concern," he said remarkably calmly. Maybe he was learning to control himself. I cut off that line of thinking before it even got started. We weren't getting back together. "Why are you in Shreveport?"
"Technically, right now I'm halfway between Bon Temps and Shreveport."
"Sloane…" Maybe not. I was wearing on his patience already.
"Sookie's in trouble. I needed to come help her somehow."
"Unprotected? Sloane, that was very stupid, Louisiana belongs to DeCastro."
"I'm not unprotected, Moose is here." I regretted that immediately. I could feel his heart break just a little. "Sorry."
"If DeCastro finds you, you will need more protection. I will send Idi and Idriis."
"You can't," I said quickly. I had ample time to think this through on the plane. "They would have to check in with Eric once they arrived to announce themselves, right?" I had seen Bill do it when I was at Filipe's.
"Yes."
"And then what? If Eric tells Filipe and Victor, then they'll either have to leave or get caught. If he doesn't and Filipe figure it out anyway, then Eric gets in trouble. Either way, Filipe will probably figure out why they are here pretty quick." There was a long silence on the line. "Moose and I can fly under the radar more efficiently than they can."
"Then I will come," he said.
I took a deep, calming breath. "Are you listening to me?" It came out a bit more angrily than I had intended. Maybe it would be good for him.
"I am, Love." He must have felt the slurry of emotion that rolled off of me when he called me love. Anger, heartbreak, sadness. I was on the verge of tears all the sudden. "I am sorry, Sloane." He paused until I wasn't so close to breaking down. "I 'fly under the radar' as you say better than other vampires."
"I don't know, David…it sounds dangerous and stupid." And like a giant pain in my ass. We sat in silence for several minutes while Moose drove down the highway. "You're coming anyway, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To protect you."
Whatever, I really wasn't in the mood to talk to him. Maybe Moose and I could wrap this up before he got here. Hopefully I would see what I needed to see tonight while at Sookie's, and then we could go home. "Bye," I said.
"Goodnight," he answered. I hung up before he did.
When Moose pulled into the parking lot of Fangtasia, I grabbed his hand before he could get out. I crawled over the shifter and into Moose's lap. "What?"
I tucked my head into his neck so his hair fell over mine. "Nothing." I just wanted him to hold me for a minute. He wrapped his arms around my back and under my knees and held me to him.
He gave me a light kiss after sitting with me for a minute. "Do you want to get hot and heavy in the back seat?"
I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. "No," I said after I kissed him back. I crawled back into the passenger seat, grabbed my purse, and climbed out of the car. He followed suit. "Are you sure you want to come?"
He circled the car and grabbed my hand. "Sure," he said. We walked to the front door, hand in hand. When we walked in the front door, Pam was the acting doorman. She was wearing a long, filmy black dress and her hair pulled back, away from her face. She looked ridiculous and ridiculously bored.
"He said you would be coming," she said to me. She turned to Moose, finally realizing that he was there. "Who is the mutt?"
"Pam, Moose. Moose, Pam."
She grunted her hello and stood side, letting the two of us through. I scanned the bar until I found Eric sitting at his favorite booth. This bar was 100 times worse than Rum Runners; there were easily 50 fangbangers milling about, most of them within a 3 foot radius of the strategically placed vampires. There was easily another 25 tourists sitting at tables, all gapping about their own daring. I pushed my way through the group of fangbangers vying for Eric's attention in Sookie's absence and slid into the booth across from him. Moose followed suit. Eric dismissed the fangbangers with an angry hiss. "O'Hara called me."
"I assumed so." Moose grabbed my hand under the table for support.
"Is this your new lover?" He acknowledged Moose without even looking at him.
"Yes," I said with a straight face, looking him straight in the eye. We sat in silence as Moose and Eric stared each other down. "Ahem." They both turned to me. "Back to why we are here."
"Yes. David tells me you have seen something about Sookie?"
I nodded yes. "I have no idea who or why, but I know what the end result is."
"And that is?" he asked.
"Very unpleasant," I said quietly. Moose squeezed my hand under the table.
"And you are here because…"
David's sour mood was starting to leech its way into my own mood. I pushed Moose's thigh as a subtle hint to get out of the booth. "To do your job, to protect Sookie." I followed Moose out of the booth and out the door of the bar.
When we were clear of vampires, he turned to me, placing one hand on each shoulder. "What was that all about?"
"Sorry, David's crabby mood is starting to find its way in through the bond." I grabbed each of his hands and pulled them off my shoulder so I could lace my fingers between his. "It's giving me a short temper."
"I guess," he replied. "I'll just have to be super nice to you at night." He pulled me along toward the car.
"You'll just have to be super nice to me all the time." I slid back into the passenger seat as Moose turned the car on.
"Where to, beautiful, scrumptious, gentle lady?" he asked sarcastically, making me laugh.
"Back to the room, I guess, to wait until Sookie gets off work."
He saluted me before throwing the car into reverse and peeling out of the driveway.
