Chapter 3 BPOV

I love this car!

I was never really one for expensive things or having the best of anything, but God, this car was amazing. I had followed Grant's suggestion to keep the top up until I was out of the city, but it was such a beautiful day for North West Washington, I couldn't help putting it down when I stopped at a rest area to figure out what I was supposed to do now.

Another thing that was weighing pretty heavy on my mind was the fact I didn't say a word to my dad. He was at work when I left this morning, and there was no way I was going to be able to explain anything to him. Not where my truck was. Not where this car came from. None of it. Even if I could come up with some kind of plausible explanation for the car situation, how the hell was I supposed to explain anything else?

Leaning on the hood of the car, I sighed and kicked at the ground, just waiting. When I opened the '2' envelope at the body shop, all it had in it was a note that told me to head south and pull off at the third rest stop. I stopped at the first to put down the top to my car, and now I was at the third, just standing here, doing nothing but waiting. I had been here for like a half hour; honestly, I was getting really bored. But, not once had I had the feeling of being watched or followed since I stopped, and I had it for a while. I wasn't sure if those guys were still interested in following me, or if I had actually lost them because this car is awesome, but the fact remained I actually felt safe. That was nothing but a good thing after so long of feeling otherwise.

After so long, though, I was getting hungry and I really had to pee. So, with a look around the parking lot, I decided I had waited long enough, and I was going to go use the bathroom. Taking a the two minutes it took to put the top up, I tossed my backpack in the trunk, took my phone and the one I had been given, locked the car, then headed inside.

I had tried not to take too long, but I really had to go. I also stopped at the vending machines for something to drink, making a mental plan to find a place for food once I found out what I was supposed to do next. Taking my Coke, I headed back outside, freezing when I saw a car parked next to mine. Looking around a bit, I swallowed hard and continued on my way, but much slower than I had been. It was a pretty nice car, so I knew it wasn't Jake and his friends, but mine was the only car when I went in. There was plenty of other parking, so it was a little off putting to find someone parked next to me.

I was a little over half way back when the passenger side door opened at the same time the phone I was given chimed in my back pocket. Pausing, I pulled it out and flipped it open, seeing a text waiting for me. Glancing back at the guy that was now standing next to the car he got out of, not moving, I opened the text and nearly sagged to my knees when I read it.

His name his Leon, and he doesn't bite that often.

Letting out a breath, I held the phone in my hand as I finished closing the distance between me and this Leon, though I went to my car and not actually to him. I tried to smile, but he wasn't wearing contacts, and the red was as off putting as it always had been. "You're a friend of Peter's?"

The guy snorted slightly, but grinned back at me without what seemed to be a care in the world. "Sure, why not? Known him long enough."

Not really sure what to say to that, I just nodded. "Well... um... can I help you?"

His grin only widened as he crossed his arms. "Nope. I'm here to help you. There is quite a bit of shit in your way, so I have been asked to see you through it for the time being."

Playing with the bottle in my hands, I frowned slightly before cocking my head to the side. "Why? I mean, why isn't he here himself instead of all this running around and secret stuff he's been doing all day."

Leon rolled his head on his shoulders slightly, scratching the under part of his chin. "Well, he's not in the country at the moment. He's on his way back, but this is the best he could do on such short notice. The bank thing has been set up for a while, from my understanding. Everything else was thrown together on the fly because he wasn't completely sure when you would call."

I nodded slowly. "Okay... do you know where he is?"

It was then Leon moved from around the car parked next to mine, then walked over to mine. "He was somewhere in Europe when he called me, so I would imagine he's either still somewhere in Europe, or on a plane."

While he was talking, I got my book bag out of the trunk, throwing it into the back seat. Setting my hands on the top of the car, I licked my lips. "Well, do you know what to do next? My instructions ran out when I got here. The last envelope I have doesn't tell me what to do, so I had thought it was more to just make sure I can do it."

He nodded as he opened the passenger door. "That's exactly what it's for. By my understanding, the credit cards he gave you aren't active just yet. You'll need to call and activate them yourself since they are finally in someone's possession, but you can't do that until Monday. Since it's Saturday, you'll need money until then."

Sliding into the seat, Leon following suit, I looked at him as I started my car and closed the door. "He left a lot of money for just two days."

The look on his face told me I wasn't really going to like what was about to come out of his mouth. When he spoke, I was right. "Vegas is an expensive city."

I slammed on the breaks, my head snapping to the side. "I'm not old enough to go to Vegas!"

A slow smirk pulled at Leon's lips. "Are you sure?"

I scoffed. "I might not have even the slightest idea what the hell is going on, but I know how old I... the fuck are you doing?"

He had grabbed my backpack from the backseat and was digging through it. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled out the wallet I had gotten from the bank, then opened it. Sliding the new ID out, he looked at it for a short moment before holding it out to me by two fingers. "Sure looks like you're old enough to me."

Snatching the card from him, I looked at the date of birth and my jaw dropped before I looked back at him. "Do I look 22 to you?"

He just shrugged as he set the seat back into a reclined position and settled in for what now was a hellacious drive. "Doesn't matter. You don't have new IDs made as often as we do and not know how. They can run that card any which way they choose and it will always kick back as being real. As long as you remember the new year of birth and that last name, you'll never have a problem. Speaking of problems... may I borrow your phone, please?"

Cocking a brow after I merged back onto the interstate, I grabbed my phone and held it out to him. "Don't you have one?"

He plucked the phone I have had for years from my hand and, to my absolute horror, crushed it in his hand before throwing the pieces out the window with a 'sure do'.

I might have actually whined. "Why would you do that?"

He just brushed his hands together before rolling up the window. "So it can't be tracked." He looked at me and his brow rose. "You don't still think this is because of the mutts, do you?"

I felt my body shudder. "It's not?"

He shook his head. "You have much bigger problems than a pack of pups." When I whimpered, he pointed out the window. "Take this exit. I think it's best if you let me drive for now."

I just nodded and did as he said. I needed to get gas anyway, so I found a station to pull into. Stopping at a pump, I just sat there for a long enough time for him to grab my wallet and get out of the car. Flicking my eyes to the rearview, I watched as Leon walked to the door and vanish inside. He was in there for a good ten minutes before he came back out with a bag in his hand. When he got to the car, he came to my door, opened it, then held the offering out to me.

When I looked up at him, he gave me a half smile. "Out."

I sat there for another moment before I climbed out of the driver's seat, took the bag that was held out to me, and walked around the car to the passenger side as he went to pump the gas. While he was doing that, I took my new place and looked at what he got me, blinking at seeing a lot of my favorite snakes. Leaning forward, I called out the still open driver's door. "How did you know what I like?"

He leaned to the side to look at me. "I called Peter."

Jolting, I blinked again. "How the hell does he know?"

He grinned at the question. "You're going to quickly find out there is very little he doesn't know."

Dropped against the seat, I looked back at the bag of goodies. "That's... disturbing."

I heard him grunt, so I turned to see him shake his head. "It's fucking annoying, is what it is. However, that brain of his does have its uses. It has saved my life a time or two, and it's what's going to save yours."

I didn't say anything else until after the bang that indicated a full tank sounded, he was back in the car, and had adjusted the seat to accommodate his much taller build. After he pulled out of the station, I shifted my position in my seat to look at him, swallowing my fear of his answer. "What... um... you said bigger problems than the pack..."

He nodded as he switched gears and turned to get back on the highway. "Mmhmm. You did know it was only a matter of time before your past came back and bit you in the ass, right?"

Scratching the back of my head, I shrugged. "It had been so long, plus I haven't seen any of your kind besides you since the night Jasper came back to give me that phone. I guess I just... never really thought about it."

He let out a harsh breath and shook his head. "Well, that's one rumor I would have rather not been true. But, since it is, let's move on to the problem you have. It's my understanding of what I was told that you are being hunted, but not just by those dogs. Think... who did you piss off?"

I didn't have to think. I knew who it was the moment Leon said something about my past. So, I took the time to tell him about the baseball game, the hunt, the game, and the way it ended. Then, I gave him the rundown of why the Cullens were no longer around when he asked. He sat silently as I did so, his face turning to pure confusion when I was done.

He turned to look at me, and didn't look like he believed me. "None of that makes any sense. I knew James, and he was enough of an asshole to turn the life of a human into a game, so I'll buy that. It's the rest that doesn't sound right. How could any of them not know he and Victoria were mates? How could the Major allow a female that just lost her mate to live? You didn't actually kill James, so why is Victoria after you? How the hell could someone like Jasper be able to be stopped from feeding? How could the mind reader just... leave if he made those kinds of claims? How could the elder allow them to vacate the area without stopping your heart first? Something... else is going on here." After a moment, he shook his head. "Wow... and I thought newborn vampires knew how to get their asses in a jam. That is... some kind of fucked up."

I just snorted as I crossed my arms. "Try being the reason for it all."

His nose wrinkled. "No." He shook his head again while shifting in his seat. "Well, let me know when you get hungry for actual food or need to take a piss. We have a 12 hour drive ahead of us, and I'm not stopping for anything but your actual needs and gas."

My lip curled in the corner. "It's almost a 17 hour drive from here to Vegas."

He snorted. "You're adorable."