Kai seemed to gain his sense far quicker than her, annoyed even as he concentrated on the passenger window, a familiar uniform and badge visible.
"My top," Bonnie choked out abruptly, extending a hand to summon it toward her before Kai could think to stop her. It appeared in her outstretched hand as if it had jumped into it.
"Bonnie, no, no, no… don't do this to me!" Kai growled, his hands refusing to loosen their hold on her hips, uncaring at the man tap-taping the ceiling of the car meticulously. She ignored his bruising grip and pulled the shirt back on, the flames he'd been stoking having evaded her.
"I'm not," she croaked, every part of her body still humming. She swatted at his hands lightly, straining to reach for her pants. "I—I didn't plan for this."
"I can kill him," he suggested as another hard tap of the officers baton bounced off the roof. "A swift aneurism and we're back in business."
She could tell he was being serious, that like his stunt in the museum, all he needed was the smallest of nods from her. Bonnie fully understood his sentiment.
"No," she mouthed, cringing when the baton was brought down on the roof a third time, then forth and fifth. She placed her hands over his, prying them from her hips, and gasped softly as she slid off him, the two of them taking a second to mourn the loss of their orgasms and to compose themselves. She climbed back over into the passenger seat, legs like jelly, watching as Kai struggled to stuff his erection into his jeans and got out. He looked downright murderous. She reached across to make a grab for his shirt to stop him, keeping a hold of the pants as she followed him out the driver's door. She couldn't trust that he wouldn't kill these people.
"Get your hands up where I can see them!" the cop closest to one of the police cars demanded. Bonnie saw two of them, red and blue blinking on their roofs, one parked behind the Ford, the other a couple of yards ahead at the curb.
Clutching her jeans, using Kai's body to shield her, Bonnie steadily rose her hands, meeting the eyes of the officer that had been seeking their attention over the top of the roof. He was slowly circling the front of the car.
"Sir, put your hands up!" the officer commanded again when Kai didn't immediately respond.
"Kai," Bonnie murmured in a tone he'd hear above his obvious rage. "Do it."
Shivers ran through his body, like mild distortion on a clear water surface. Kai couldn't decide whether he was more mad about how Bonnie shot him out of reality so he missed this set up coming, or darkly amused at how this all was perfect to let his rage out. He stared at the cop shouting commands, a slow homicidal smile dawning over his mouth as he felt his gums itch in anticipation of bloody chaos.
"Hands up now!" the cop yelled, his fingers twitching on the gun, his legs slightly spread and bent in the knees, prepared for – what did they call it? – resisting arrest.
Oh, Kai was willing to resist, all right. For all of a minute these cops had left to live.
"Kai," Bonnie hissed from behind him, tugging at his mind that had almost surrendered to the crimson beat of the bloodlust. "Do it."
He looked at her over his shoulder, incredulous and jibing. "You kidding me? They're already dead."
"Please," she implored, dropping the pants she was clutching to place her hands upon his back, hoping that at least a little contact would soothe the raging beast and make him see the light.
"Ma'am, keep your hands where we can see them!" the cop rounding the front of the car yelled, partially throwing himself back a step, impulsively removing his gun to point it at Bonnie's back, afraid she might be reaching for a concealed weapon.
She stiffened, resisting, awaiting Kai's acknowledgement.
"Ma'am! Now!"
Her hot palms pressing into Kai's back burned and added to the ascending temperatures inside him. He looked around, releasing a slow, shaking breath. He could sense magic pricking the tips of his fingers, roiling within him like a huge, awoken monster, teeth screeching against each other. His hands were balling into fists and loosening over and over all by themselves. It was so easy to let it out now. He'd feel better, and they'd be free.
Then he could wave his progress with Bonnie goodbye for who knew how long.
There was too much to lose there in his work with her, but damn, how it burned! There might as well be steam coming out of his ears. His gums were screaming to release the fangs as if they were a metaphorical gate holding the racing horse in place before the start gun fired.
His head snapped sideways, fixing the cops on the left with a blazing glare. Their car was parked a few yards behind the Ford, the driver's door open, a shotgun sticking in the gap between it and the windshield with an anxious cop behind.
Bonnie was shaking as she waited for Kai's sign, anything to say he'd heard her and that he'd comply. He said nothing, the tension rising off him in thick palpable waves the way he focused on the men to their left.
There was a loud sound, as if a wrecking ball collided with metal, when the hood of the car went up in a cloud of fire and black smoke. The car jumped up a bit on its tires, like an excited pup at the sight of a toy. The cop with the shotgun fell back, showered by glass. His partner was pushed forward and landed before Kai's feet, his gun sliding over the concrete towards the next officer in their chain of four that had them in a half-circle with the Ford blocking the back. Fourth and Third still rooted behind the Ford's nose shielded their faces from the explosion, then gaped at the fire leaping from the wrecked hood of their colleagues' car.
Bonnie tightened her hold on Kai, unable to do a thing as the car's hood spontaneously went up in flames. She ducked to avoid the explosion that sent it reeling into the air like an enthusiastic child with a jump rope, and so did everyone else. Except for Kai. Chaos ensued as the four men retrained their weapons on the vehicle and then around them, as if they suspected they were under attack and they were in World War II. She sucked in a breath, glad to see Kai hadn't lashed out a second time, and made a clumsy reach for her jeans, making eye contact with the skittish police officer who'd ducked and taken cover in front of the car. He straightened up and trained his weapon on her again, trembling as she tried to pick up the discarded piece of clothing, shaking his head profusely to tell her to stop moving.
"Hands up!" Third cried, his gun snapping at the couple.
Feeling better, Kai did as he was told.
Bonnie did just that and took a small step back into Kai, reclaiming her position behind him, thankful the highway wasn't crushed with traffic and the potential of another breaking headline. Not yet anyway, but someone would eventually call it in when they saw the smoke or caught wind of the officers frantic radio call.
They spoke amongst themselves, their eyes darting between the witches and the burning car like spooked animals. Bonnie was relieved no one had gotten seriously injured.
That cop's partner's gun found its aim, too, though his eyes snapped from the cop picking himself up from the dust to the one groaning beside the burning car. "George, you okay?"
"Yeah," George said, shaking his head once to get rid of the ringing in his ears, and went for his firearm.
"Sean? Sean, you hear me?" he careened a bit to see around the still gaping driver's door. Sean was starting to get up slowly, then couldn't, and just crawled away from the burning car on his fours, the shotgun forgotten.
"The fuck happened?" Fourth muttered, staring at the wrecked car, then regained his focus on the suspects as soon as George had his gun up. "Turn around, hands on the roof, and no tricks," he said, his gun's muzzle jerking to emphasize the command.
Kai thought the cop would shoot him if he waggled a finger wrong. It was beginning to amuse him. He turned around slowly, fixing Bonnie with a jocular but wicked stare as he put his hands on the Ford's roof. "You better have a plan in the works, 'cause I'm too pretty for jail and allergic to prisons."
She turned around to do the same, hesitating, pushing aside the fear of getting shot, and doubled back to make a second attempt for her pants. No one stopped her this time, watching as she stepped into it and quickly pulled it over her hips. She scarcely managed to zip herself up when a hand wrapped around her upper arm, wrenching her off balance to slam her into the side of the car. She grunted from the impact, wincing softly, and tensed as her hands were placed on the roof as required. Someone was patting her down, nudging her legs apart, checking for weapons as if they hadn't just seen her put a pair of harmless jeans on.
She winced as the man produced a set of cuffs and slipped them onto her wrists, hauling her away from the side of Ford like a disobedient dog, dragging her toward their only car still intact. Kai wasn't far behind her, being led to the same car and shoved into the back from the other side. She guessed they caught them for solicitation or indecent exposure, she wasn't too clued on the law. The cops convened at the front of the car, talking to their two fellow officers now dealing with the car, too afraid to get any closer to it.
While two nervous cops were searching, handcuffing and leading Kai to their car ahead of the Ford, it seemed like one giant bizarre dream that he would wake up from any moment now. Almost like the unreal picture the world turned into when he was bitten by that werewolf guy at the wedding, minus the blurry, feverish veil draping his sight that night.
Bonnie looked stunned sitting in the back of the police cruiser, staring ahead of her through the bars protecting the driver's half of the cabin.
The cops clustered at their damaged car one of them managed to put out from a small fire extinguisher, peppering their wonder with curses.
"Thank you for not killing anyone," Bonnie said, keeping her eyes trained ahead, unable to comprehend what they'd done and how stupid she'd been. This had to be some kind of intervention, something set in motion to prevent her from screwing up and making one of the worst decisions of her life. Okay, so that was a little dramatic, but it was still pretty bad and would only give Damon the fuel needed to crucify her if he ever found out.
The cop returned and slid into the driver's seat while the second cop reached for the radio, relaying that they'd apprehended their perps and were on their way back to the station.
"Yet."
Kai was half turned to her, observing through the back window how the cops tried the radio, telling the second team to stand down because they had gotten the suspects and were ready to deliver them to the station, over. Roger that, Unit six.
"There's always time to change my mind. It all depends on what you have in mind, wicked witch." He looked at her and smiled wilily when she met his eyes.
There was nothing on her mind, nothing rational that she could say to justify the fact that they'd been caught fucking on the side of the road. Her father was undoubtedly rolling in his grave.
"I can unlock the cuffs, unlock the car, cloak us, and we're gone. How about that? No one has to die. Unless you really wanna stay here, and then I should admit that this setting's even kinkier than the one we got dragged out of. I mean, how many can brag about doing it in the backseat of a police car after getting arrested? That totally counts as fun where no harm comes to no one, just the way you like it. I'm still good to go, how about you?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning.
Bonnie scooted forward on the seat to take some pressure off her wrists and briefly glanced at his crotch. She should have known that sleeping with him would be a bad idea.
"Okay, look… I'm not an advocate for compulsion or anything, but I'm not too eager about having public indecency stamped on the rest of my future."
Kai chuckled.
She closed her eyes, concentrating on the cuffs digging into her lower back and the tiny lock that held it together. "Recludam et liberati," she uttered, smiling lightly as they unwound and permitted her the chance to move her arms. She darted a glance at Kai's wrists, repeated the incantation, and glanced at the four men outside, they were still too riveted by what had happened to pay any real attention to their prisoners.
Kai brought his hands from behind his back and waved the bracelets at her, sneering. "Neat."
"You compel them to forget about us and what they saw," she emphasized, highlighting the second instruction as if it tasted bitter in her mouth. "And we'll take the car and go."
He canted his head to one side, eyeing her with a mocking endearing. Then his smile dimmed a bit, eyes shifted from her face as he heard the cops talking. In a moment he donned a brighter sneer. "Tsk-tsk, Bonnie. Next time before reminding me of my sins against the society, make sure you're not driving a stolen car. And… they say we've assaulted some couple… in the shower. Weird." He frowned. "The only couple I recall assaulting was in their car, and then you stole the woman's cell phone."
He turned to the back window; the two of them were searching the Ford.
What was he talking about a stolen car? And what couple? Bonnie grabbed the cuffs, brought her hands forward and set the steel down in her lap, gluing her eyes to the cops congregated outside. She turned around to see what he was looking at and watched as two of the four cops started to search the Ford. What were they looking for? It took her a full minute to place what he was referring to and then she remembered, last night—the highway, the body in the bath and the manager. She exhaled a shaky breath, feeling nausea kick in. Had someone seen them? Were they dead? No, no… they'd said assaulted.
Kai studied her. Bonnie looked stupefied and thinking intensely. He was sure she was rehashing every person they had met in the recent days.
"We need to get out of here," she said and turned to regard her door. If she was to open it and make a run for the nearby forest, would they shoot her? Would she even make it?
"Ah, so now you wanna escape before they pin something on us we're really guilty of? Or, better put, you, since I had no idea you stole that car. That means you either didn't know, or there was someone else who knew and decided to report it. Anyone coming to mind?"
Caroline's call came to mind like a slap to the face. Damon! She snarled, hissing beneath her breath, wrenching the useless door handle. So this was his new tactic, was it? To get her locked up?
Within two seconds, Kai disappeared into thin air and appeared behind the wheel. The keys dangled from the ignition lock.
"Cops are always overly confident with their cars' locks," he remarked. "And not just in the movies."
She turned back to regard Kai, surprised to see him on the other side of the partition. How the in the hell had he got there? She lifted a hand to check the barrier, pushing upon it to see if it would give before darting a startled look around to make sure the cops were still occupied.
He looked back at them; they had finished the search and stood by the Ford, finishing the discussions to start for the station. He took a moment to visualize the Ford's engine, then keyed the ignition. The police cruiser purred to life, and drove off. There were screams and curses from behind, but soon enough they didn't matter. He raced the cruiser for a while, going through the rare cars as though they were ethereal and not theirs, and once he started to get tired, he uncloaked them and dropped the speed to acceptable.
Before she could tell him it was a bad idea, that he would only make the situation worse and that they should have walked away cloaked, he'd started the engine and sped off. Her heart hammered in her throat and head for a long while, nails gripping at the car's seat as they raced down the highway, passing through the few cars they met as if they were ghosts. Screams built in her throat, itching to be released. Bonnie relaxed only as they slowed to a decent speed, casting a glance behind her to see if the cops managed to keep on driving or if there was anyone waiting ahead.
"We'll need you to steal another car, Bonnie. Since it's your hidden talent or something. It's hot, actually." Kai laughed and snuck a peek at her. "When I mentioned Bonnie and Clyde this morning, I wasn't being that literal. Gotta be that cosmic humor thing."
She nodded, not at all appreciating out new status.
"Pull over," she said, flushing recalling the reason she'd suggested it earlier. "The sooner we ditch this thing, the better." She didn't want anyone else spotting the police car and the out of uniform twenty-something-year-old in the front seat. What if they had pictures they were using? What if Damon had given them more detail?
Kai didn't slow down, though keeping to the line at the curb.
"Fuck," she said remembering something else. "My phone!" She'd left it on charge, letting it suck as much juice as possible in case they hit a snag and didn't reach another outlet point. She never knew with Kai and she'd been scared of losing it. She sat back and closed her eyes, sinking into the seat wearily.
Was she ever going to catch a fucking break? She needed to call Caroline, to see where they were and how far Damon was – if he called them again.
"You should keep an eye on your toys, Bonsy. No one will do that for you. Good thing you haven't left your pants behind, though I know I wouldn't mind that turn. Shame about the rest of your new clothes. We'll have to fix it in the next city we hit."
"Dammit," Bonnie cursed again, having forgotten about the clothes, another image popping in her head. Her grimoire, the herbs she'd taken, and the dead guy's things. "We have to go back. Now!" she commanded, sitting forward, rotating around to see out the back window and how far they'd gone. She couldn't see the cars anymore, or smoke.
"Woo-hoo, hold your horses, Bennett. I know you might be kinda new to this whole bandit stuff, but I'm sure it's counterproductive to escape the cops on their own car only to return, like, fifteen minutes later once they shit their pants having lost their suspects and the vehicle."
She didn't have time for this and saw all of yesterday's efforts get washed down the toilet, along with her grandmother's grimoire. Bonnie faced forward again and closed her eyes as if in deep thought, concentrating on the engine. It cut out without warning, jerking her forward, her eyes snapping open as she braced her hands against the partition. Luckily they hadn't been driving too fast and with a little repetition of her prior lock picking incantation, it wasn't long before her door popped open, too.
Kai half turned in his seat to fix her with a stern look.
"They could already be heading back to the station," she said as a means of explanation. "There isn't time to discuss a new plan." Not that they discussed the first. Kai had taken their escape plan into his own hands and although brilliant, it wasn't practical anymore, not with her secrets hanging in the balance. Bonnie pressed her palm flat against the cage that separated them, shuffling to the side of the door as the vehicle slowed to a semi safe pace, and then jumped out. She needed Kai to understand that she wasn't going to wait around and argue her point, and that he had the choice to stay. He was free to do whatever the hell he wanted. She wasn't going to force him to go back with her.
Kai put the cruiser on the break and followed her out.
"Motus," he commanded, directing a hand towards her. Magic lifted her up and swiftly returned her to the backseat. He flicked his wrist; the door snapped closed and locked anew. "Offirmo." A small charge ran through the car, securing Bonnie in.
"Hey, HEY!" she yelled in frustration, clawing at the cars seat, flinching as the door clicked closed and sealed her a second time.
"You're not going anywhere. If you're so fixed on it, I'll solve it my way. You wait here, unless you want me annoyed. And when I'm annoyed, people around me suffer."
He tipped his imaginary hat, smiling as he bowed a tad as he did, and then he was gone.
She wanted to punch him in his maddeningly handsome face. Repeatedly. He gave her a dramatic hat tip, smiled and vanished, leaving her to stew in the back of the car in an irritated stupor.
She counted backwards, folding her arms across her chest to keep from repeating her escape attempt and from taking another walkabout. She guessed this was as good a time as any to work on solidifying their trust.
He'd managed to put some serious miles between them and the cops, so he was almost panting when he got there. The officers were about to move out with the back-up that had arrived a minute before Kai. One of them was putting all posts and patrols on the look-out for the two criminals on the loose in a stolen police vehicle. As he voiced the plate numbers on the radio, Kai wondered if Bonnie was listening back there in the car in question.
He was in no way going to waste more time on this than he needed to. "Somnus," Kai said, and every one of the dozen present on the scene fell down like robots with the power cut off. He didn't remove the cloaking spell, either, not to endanger the one he still held on the car with Bonnie, while he retrieved her bag and cell phone from where they put it in one of the newly arrived cruisers.
One minute ticked by, then two and three, by five Bonnie unlocked the door again and sat facing the outside. She watched the highway for trucks and anything that might ride into the back of them. She raised a brow, surprised when the radio crackled and she heard the police give their ETA and next plan of action. That was stupid, unless they somehow thought they could set the witches up or had forgotten that they could listen in? By the time she considered following after Kai, he appeared, tossing her heavy clothing bag into her lap like a hunting trophy.
A brief concentration exercise, and the car came alive again. Kai, on the other hand, didn't feel so hot anymore. He needed a fix soon. "Make use of that phone and find us the closest car dealership," he told her.
She scuffled back inside while he reclaimed the driver's seat, pulling the door closed. She checked the bag to make sure nothing had been removed and forgotten, and nearly cried in relief when her fingers grazed her grandmother's grimoire. Bonnie zipped up the bag again, pushing it off her lap, phone in hand. She brought up google and searched for the nearest dealership as he'd requested.
"Seems the nearest car dealership is Shockley Honda in Ballenger Creek," she stated, casting a glance at the road in search of a sign or anything to show where they now where and how far they'd gotten.
"What? Gimme that." Kai closed his fingers on her phone that appeared on his palm and got a few clicks in.
She scowled as the phone vanished from her hand. She was starting to grow more and more annoyed by that trick.
A small smile flickered across his mouth as he made his pick. "We're going to Owings Mills," he informed her, and returned the phone.
The radio crackled, and a voice requested Units 6, 8 and 9 to please, respond. They did not, and requests continued for a bit.
Kai's smile grew wider as he took to the right and sped up.
Bonnie didn't care anymore, all she wanted was to get somewhere safe and away from the spotlight Damon shone on their heads. The radio crackled to life again, making her stomach flip-flop anxiously.
"You didn't kill anyone, did you?" she asked. She stared at the rearview mirror, seeking to meet his eyes and see if he would tell the truth.
Kai almost laughed, restraining himself the last second, clearing his throat instead, and shifted his shoulders as if in a half-conscious shrug. "Well, I had to get away somehow, and there was about a dozen of them already. Apparently, their back-up had arrived. You know, sometimes cloaking alone doesn't cut it."
She swallowed any indignant response she might have felt brewing on her tongue and mulled over her wavering sanity. What was she thinking taking Kai on as some kind of tragic rescue case? She wasn't cut out for this shit. Forgiveness and believing that others could change without so much as trying was Elena's gig – Bonnie was the judgmental magic maker and occasional buffer.
She was silent for a while, and Kai could tell what she was thinking without sneaking a peek at her in the mirror. Though he did, and her jaw was set while she was trying not to look his way. Her heartrate wasn't calm, either.
"How far are we from Owing Mills?" she asked, craving to reach for her phone as a distraction. "We should dump this thing before we get too close to town or stumble upon another accident."
Tracking a police vehicle wouldn't be too hard and she was feeling far too exposed for her liking riding around in this thing, even more so than she did in the position they'd caught them in less than an hour ago.
"Yeah, no, I'm not stupid – despite what you might think, given all those endless instructions of what we should do at any moment. I realize we won't be riding this car in public, blinking lights and roaring sirens, so you should relax and quit distracting me, or I could lose my focus, the cloak falls off, and we're bare-assed."
The radio cracked, some voice sending back-up to three unresponsive Units on Interstate 270; he shot an annoyed glance at it.
Bonnie arched a brow and sat up, peering around. They were still cloaked? She hadn't even realized. She thought once he left and went walk about that it had dropped—and maybe it had—but she didn't think he'd pick it right back up again. She was dumbstruck, awed by his capabilities. He'd been doing this for well over twenty minutes if that was the case—and then some. What if he dropped dead? It wouldn't be possible, he was a vampire, if he did die, he'd come back eventually, right?
"It's Owings Mills, by the way," he added. "Not in the direction they expect us to go, and we're off the interstate for quite some time now. You might wanna relax a bit, they won't catch us if we don't let them."
He said the name of the town as if somehow she should know where that was. She hadn't a clue, couldn't remember even seeing it in her search as she'd been looking for things near here.
"Sorry," she murmured, allowing him the wanted ceasefire needed to get them to their getaway destination in one piece. She folded her arms across her chest, musing over his change in attitude. Yesterday he expected her to handle things on her own for the most part, to take care of dead bodies and their gross disposal, and today hadn't started off much differently. She hadn't meant to sound bossy or ungrateful. But things had changed now, hadn't they? At least a little. Letting him that close, accepting his advances and instigating the follow through had altered things or their understanding.
Did he feel that, too?
She didn't ask. She wouldn't, not for now and not until they were safe somewhere.
He didn't respond to her muttered apology, and the rest of the way they drove in silence, interrupted only by occasional crackling of the police radio. Apparently the cops he'd left slumbering had been located, and an ambulance had been called.
He parked a mile or so short of Owings Mills, at the curb, and killed the engine.
"Wait in the car, I'll try to be quick," he told Bonnie, glancing through the bars at her. "The car is cloaked, you're safe."
He stepped out without waiting for her reply, and took advantage of his supernatural speed.
The Toyota Motor Sales in Owings Mills provided a nice selection, including a few expensive models. Kai closed his eyes, murmuring a spell, and sensed his face tingling as the illusion took hold, then he headed in. A couple was strolling along the isles, like they were in a museum, and a man of about forty-something chatted with one of the salesmen inside a black HiLux.
"How may I help you, sir?"
Kai smiled at the guy, his eyes slipping to his nametag LARRY. "I'd like to talk to the manager here," he said with a push of compulsion. "We have my deal prepared, I came to pay and take the car."
A brief surprise swept through Larry's face, but the smile never faltered. "Of course. Follow me."
The manager's name was G. Burke; he was pushing sixties and would be better off without fifty pounds. Larry didn't bother explaining and announcing, he let Kai in and removed himself from the office.
Burke raised his bushy eyebrows. "What is this all about?"
Kai waved a hand, disabling two cameras overseeing the room, then closed the distance to his desk, locking eyes with the man. Weariness pulled him down, but not too badly just yet. He had to hurry. "You're gonna pay for that grey Yaris Sedan in your showroom from your account now," he pushed. The manager blinked and silently reached for the computer keyboard and mouse, fingers clicking.
"Who do I register it on?" he asked, sounding like a man deep in thoughts that confused him.
"Clyde Parker," Kai said and relied the numbers from his ID. A small sneer flickered across his lips. The guy from that ID, minus the name, was dead since 1994 and had a tombstone in Oregon's cemetery. Once Burke was done printing papers, he handed them to the buyer with a plastic bag containing the key and instruction. "Now," Kai said, "you will remove all the data about that car from your database as if it never existed here. And the money you spent went as your investment into this store. You're the co-owner of it now, congratulations. I'm sure your wife will be happy to forgive you for throwing this money away."
"Yes," Burke said in a blank tone. "She will be happy."
Kai gave him one of the keys, and in ten minutes he drove the Yaris out of the store to where Kai was waiting. He absorbed the instructions to forget all about it and walked away while Kai slipped behind the wheel, dropping the bag with the documents on the passenger's seat.
There was no time for Bonnie to talk to Kai or slow him down once he cut the engine. She envied his resilience. She nodded when he instructed she stay behind and reassured her that she wouldn't be spotted. She didn't question Kai this time, unwearyingly waiting for his return trusting he'd be as prompt as he was before, listening to the directives being passing along the CB radio fixed in the front of the police cab. Were they trying to draw them out by leaving things open to translation or had the car's hood popping off the frame like readied bacon fried their common sense?
For right now Bonnie didn't care, she was too pissed. She couldn't believe how far Damon was willing to go to have her concede to his point.
She pulled her clothes bag closer, unzipping it, scratching around inside for her hairbrush. She happened upon the murder victim's wallet, pulling it from its holding and listlessly thumbed through the identification. Apparently he didn't live too far from where they were. Had he been going to meet someone? Was he returning home from somewhere? She considered suggesting they go there, to spy where this man lived and with who. Damon would never find them there and they'd be safe for the night. Police didn't know about this person or the fact that they'd pretty much wiped him off the map. She tossed the wallet aside as though it had burnt her, feeling nauseated and unsettled as she reached for the cellphone. How could she even think like that? What the hell was wrong with her?
She gave her bag a swift kick to the other side of the seat and leaned against the door, watching a few cars come and go as she dialed Caroline.
"Bonnie?" Caroline greeting, answering after two rings. "Are you okay?"
"No, no I'm not."
"What happened? Where are you?"
"He tried to get us arrested," Bonnie stated.
"Who? What?!" Caroline spat, sounding outraged. "He what? How is that even possible?"
"He fabricated some story about us assaulting someone."
"Oh God, Bonnie. I'm so sorry."
"Do you know where he is now?" Bonnie asked.
"No. I—he hadn't spoken to us since he called the last time."
Bonnie nodded as if she was in front of her, and sighed softly.
"Bonnie?"
"I'm still here."
She didn't feel like talking anymore, unsure of what else she could say.
"Are you okay?" Caroline repeated, her voice filled with sincere concern.
"Can I let you know later?"
"Bonnie, you need to let me know where you are. Stefan and I can help you. We've come this far and right now we don't know where to go."
"I should go," she said. "I'll call you later."
"Bonnie, please—"
She hung up before Caroline could convince her to spit out their location. She turned the phone off to preserve the battery in case she called her back, and slipped it into her bag. It wasn't long before a car pulled up.
Kai lifted the cloak on the police car when he pulled over before it. Bonnie was out simultaneously with him, eyeing the new ride.
"Sorry, Bonster. I'd get something fancier, but it seemed counterproductive in our current situation. The less attention we get the better. Get your stuff outta there."
"That's alright," she said as she grabbed a hold of her bag and transferred it to the other car. "We could have been stuck with worse. This at least looks like it has some space."
When she pulled the last of her things out of the cruiser, he closed its back door, recollecting the spell. Kai felt nauseous, but ignored it. One car went by since they stood here, but he doubted they paid much attention to their vehicles. From the corner of their eye, it must have looked like a cop pulled over some car to check on the driver.
He stood at the cruiser's flank and held his hands out, palms toward the car as if to stop it. "Comminuo."
The cruiser shivered, like in a small earthquake; a distortion ran along its surface as though it was made out of paper and a wind blew over it. And then it shattered into silver sand to his feet.
When Bonnie turned back to see and ask what he planned to do with the police car, it disintegrated, bursting into silvery bits of what almost looked like glitter. She was stunned.
He heard Bonnie's gasp, and then his sight darkened. He felt as though the ground wavered beneath him, wondering if he was passing out just like that. Something pressed into his temples, like strong hot fingers. He remembered the nosebleed he got while trying to get to Bonnie in the prison world, and wondered once again if he had really exhausted himself enough to blackout.
Kai went down, too, hardly leaving Bonnie room to react and catch him, her legs automatically collapsing under her as she reached for his deadweight, bracing his head from impact and banging her hip. She took a moment to recover and curse, blood trickling from his nose much like it had hers for years. She didn't move, rather appreciating the discernable weakness in his impenetrable armor. She wiped the blood from his nose, it already having stopped – a vampire healing perk. She slipped her arms lower, sliding them beneath his armpits, and hauled him up against her a moment, turning him away from the view of the road, cradling him in the crook of her left leg, keeping him shielded between her and the car.
Bonnie glanced down at her left wrist, placing her right hand over the smooth skin and murmured, "Discernebam." She repeated over and over, gritting her teeth as the skin started to separate, pulling apart as if a dull knife was being used to cut through it. She pried his slack mouth open a little, placed her damaged wrist against his lips, and waited for him to register the taste and instinct to kick in.
"She hung up on me," Caroline pointed out unnecessarily. Stefan reached out to touch her shoulder, to let her know he understood her mounting frustration. "Maybe we should try and call Damon again."
"And say what?"
"That we had a change of heart and want to help him."
"Damon is many things but he isn't an idiot."
"Could have fooled me," Caroline uttered beneath her breath, still bitter about being stabbed by him.
She stared at her phone, willing it to ring again. Stefan slid into the front seat of their car to give her room to reflect, and helped himself to one of the blood packs she'd managed to stuff into a travel cooler. He hadn't even thought of that and yet, somehow, she'd managed—at last minute—to make sure they could survive for an entire weekend. He appreciated her organizational skills under pressure, the calm that she used to analyze things and how level-headed she'd been. But that façade was gradually starting to crumble where the safety of her best friend was concerned. The last motel they'd visited had been littered with police cars and two people who'd crowed about being assaulted by an interracial couple. Stefan hadn't thought anything of it at first, but the more they presented their story, the more they described who'd been where and what had happened – the clearer it had become. The only question now was, had Kai really attacked these people or was this a gimmick Damon pulled from out of his sleeve? Bonnie had said something about them being set up, that it had been fabricated, but how could they be sure that was true? Kai wasn't an animal you could lock up and control. Stefan didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that and respect his capabilities. He worried for Bonnie, worried that maybe his brother was right and that she'd gotten herself in it too deep. He didn't voice those concerns to Caroline.
"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked as she clutched the phone. She'd just tried Jeremy's old number and found it to be disconnected. He must have changed it.
"What is there to do?" Stefan replied as he lowered the pack from his mouth and removed a room key from the console in the middle of the car. He tossed it toward her.
"This was a bad idea," she said as she caught it. She didn't want to stop driving, didn't want to make herself comfortable while they waited for a signal.
"They could still be around here."
"I doubt that, I lost their scent ages ago and that place…"
"Yeah, the blood—" Caroline cut in before he could explain. The fresh scent of blood overrode Bonnie's scent, making the idea of tracking her almost impossible. They needed a witch. "Isn't there any way you can get hold of Lucy?"
"I don't know her. I don't think she'd appreciate me calling her up out of the blue to ask another favor."
"But it's for Bonnie," Caroline argued. Stefan smiled forlornly, knowing that in their world that meant something. He didn't even know her number. "What about her mother?"
Stefan finished off the pack and stuffed it into the plastic bag they'd hung on the gearshift for garbage. He'd pushed Abby out of his mind ages ago—along with the rest of the questionable stuff he'd done—he had to or the guilt would have consumed him and he'd have spiraled deeper into his pre-ripper-brood stage. He wasn't proud of it, nor was he a fan of his methods, but it was all he had to keep going.
"Stefan?" Caroline asked, registering the distant look that swashed his face.
"I don't know if Bonnie would appreciate us pulling her mother into this." And nor was he ready to face the woman. He hadn't seen her since that day and wouldn't be surprised if she rocked up on his doorstep one day with vengeance in her eyes. Caroline appeared to think it over, to really consider her options and how willing she was to cross this boundary.
"Bonnie isn't always willing to admit she needs help," Caroline explained after a moment, moving to crouch down in front of him, her eyes searching his face as if seeking his approval. She would do it anyway, but for whatever reason she needed to know he was in her corner and that he'd be there to catch her if something went wrong. "I… I need to do this for her."
Stefan inhaled, refraining from mentioning that she was risking the trust of her best friend and that if this went wrong—if Abby decided not to help—that things would only get worse.
"Do you have her number?" Stefan asked.
"Yeah," Caroline said, running through the contacts on her phone. "When she left—I err… I made her give me some form of contact number in case something happened to Bonnie and I needed to get a hold of her. She only gave it to me because I promised not to give it to Bonnie."
"And did you?"
"Of course," Caroline answered without hesitation, giving him a 'do you think me daft' look. "As bad as I felt for Abby, what she did to Bonnie was wrong and it broke her heart."
Stefan wanted to ask if Bonnie called her mother, if they'd made contact and were getting closer before she died—since he hadn't been informed on those specifics of her life—not anymore. He didn't, and watched as Caroline dialed, stood and forced a smile into her voice. The motel keys dangling in her left hand listlessly.
After a moment or two, the sharp, ripe taste of blood cut through the haze clouding his mind, and Kai swallowed hungrily. Her skin smelled sweet pressed under his nose, making his mouth water. Her blood seeped into the fibers of his body like water soaking sand, filling him with energy.
Unknowingly she smiled in relief when his eyelashes began to flutter and he appeared to regain a healthy glow.
He gave an appreciative hem, and she took her wrist away. He licked his lips and sat up, his senses sharp once again.
"See, whenever I decide to help you, it backfires. Some would say I gotta learn my lesson already."
She opened her mouth to tell him that she hadn't forced him to help her this time, that she was capable of taking the lead, and to remind him that he'd been the one to shoot her ideas down. He climbed to his feet before she could think to utter a retort, looking deceptively refreshed and as if he'd stopped to take a short nap. What were the consequences now that he was a witchpire? Could he die from magic overuse? Was he ready to go another round now that her blood was coursing through his system afresh?
He got up to his feet lightly as if he weighed nothing, and it was how he felt. Dizziness didn't return, as if he never felt it. He looked down at Bonnie still sitting on the ground, a small sly smile tugging at his mouth as he held out a hand and gently raised her up to standing.
"You look worried," he remarked, tipping his head to the side with a faint studying squint. "Maybe I should pass out more. It brings out your best savior qualities."
"Ha, ha," she said and withdrew her hand, dusting off bits and pieces of the silver metal they'd ended up sitting in. "I'm just… you used a lot of magic. I mean, the getting there… the cloaking spells… it took a lot of out of you. You passed out." If he didn't know that already. "How are you feeling now? Are you good to go? Should I take over driving for a while?" It would be easier and she'd be getting them to the next destination of her choice.
"No. I'm fine, cool, fresh and ready." Kai headed for the driver's door, opened it, and turned to look at Bonnie. "I can't take enough blood from you without killing or harming you more than intended, and thus there is a limit on how much power I can waste between feedings, I guess." He shrugged nonchalantly, then cracked a wicked smile. "Still, it's a damn lot of magic. Hop in, supergirl." He slid behind the wheel and started the engine.
She shook her head, daring a look to the highway as if she expected the cops to be there and then climbed into the passenger seat.
"We should stick to our original plan," she said once they broke away from the curb. "Head for Monroeville. We can figure out a next move from there."
Lily paced back and forth in front of the Captain's desk while Enzo looked surprisingly content watching her from one of the two chairs placed in front of it. Damon claimed the bigger chair behind the computer, his legs crossed and lifted onto the corner of the desk, a magazine open on his thighs. Jeremy sat rigid and wide eyed on a two-seater couch on the opposite side of the room away from the vampires, a wooden stake in one hand, phone in the other. Ever since they'd left the motel and conjured up their assault story, he had been weary of his associates – more so Enzo and Lily. A first if anything considering his volatile and neck-snapping history with Damon. As if on cue, Jeremy stood and headed for the office door.
"Where are you going?" Damon asked, lifting his head from the tedious print of letters. He liked celebrity gossip as much as the next self-acclaimed psychopath, but he'd grown bored of reading about the Kardashians' latest drama. And he had no use for make-up tips or relationship advice.
"I need a drink, dad."
"And by that I hope you mean an alcohol free spritzer," Damon retorted, ignoring the parental jab.
Jeremy snorted softly and walked out. He was in no mood to temper the vampire's humor. Fortunately the station wasn't very big and only had a handful of staff on rotation, all of whom he'd compelled. Three jail cells, one interrogation room, a unisex bathroom and big Jim's office. At least from what they'd cared to see. Lily looked like she was getting cabin fever, had been from the moment Damon—with Enzo's help—convinced her that they needed to stay put and that their prey would come to them.
"How can you be certain this plan of yours will work?"
They'd had this argument twice already. Damon snapped the magazine shut and prepared for round three.
"It's been over half an hour since we heard anything. Sheriff Wilts should have called you. Us."
Damon drew his legs off the desk, tossed the magazine into the middle of it and stood.
"I'll go check with Sophia. In the meantime, why don't you take Enzo out for a stroll and grab a bite to eat."
Enzo's lips twitched as he looked up, regarding his friend, the insult seemingly bouncing off him.
"I'm not hungry," Lily cut short.
That probably had something to do with the chunk she'd taken out of the woman in the shower. Still, he didn't trust her or her appetite, having learnt from Stefan and his similarly messy habit.
"Even so, you're anxious and impatient, and from what I've witnessed, that doesn't make for a good combo in the control department."
Lily's hands balled into exasperated fists. She wanted nothing more than to take a bite out of her eldest.
"You have your cellphone, right?"
Enzo raised the device, giving it a cursory shake. He was like her walking-talking modern-day male handbag. Damon might have pitied Enzo if he wasn't aware his friend had self-assigned that task.
"Then you're good to go. As soon as they get here, I'll call and you can wisp your way right over."
A heavy, tense silence fell across the room while the woman contemplated her son's offer. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him.
"Fine," Lily retorted in a tone Damon was starting to resent. Enzo stood. "We won't be far," she started out the same door Jeremy had only moments ago, walking regally through the small establishment for the front door, her loyal companion in tow. For all of a minute Damon wondered what Enzo wanted from her and if the two were romping behind the scenes. He couldn't wrap his head around the image—surprising considering his father had been dead over a century—that threatened to crack through his sanity. He didn't need that headache. He exited the office soon after them, approaching the counter where Jeremy was already in deep conversation with the pretty brunette behind the counter.
"Making friends?" Damon chimed as he approached the counter, bringing a hand to rest on the young hunters shoulder. Jeremy tensed.
"Yeah," Sophia added with an attractive smile. Jeremy seemed to clam up again, his boyish smile and brief attempt at flirtation going up like smoke.
"You know he has a girlfriend, right?"
Jeremy's mouth fell open, his eyes narrowing into slits before fixing themselves on Damon's haughty expression. Sophia looked slightly taken aback, as if she hadn't considered that option or didn't care for it. She kept smiling, a practiced one that probably warmed many a man's heart.
"He's kidding," Jeremy snapped back, feeling compelled to defend himself.
"Actually, I'm not."
Jeremy frowned and reached around into the waistband of his pants to retrieve his stake. Damon grinned.
"If we're going to get our witch back in one piece and without too much muss, you're going to have to redirect that charm of yours and win her back over to team baby Gilbert. At least until we're back in Mystic Falls."
"I'm not going to do that to Bonnie," Jeremy said, ignoring the brunette as she glanced between the two of them.
"Now is not the time to go noble, Gilbert. Besides, it's nothing you haven't done before. Need I mention your tryst with Anna? Let's not forget Vicki."
Jeremy flushed, his eyes guiltily darting to the floor, his anger and need to kill temporarily forgotten.
"That's over. We worked through it—and it's none of your business."
"Did you?" Damon asked, propping his elbow upon the counter. "That's not what she told me."
Jeremy stared at him blankly, trying to decipher what he meant and hoping Damon would take mercy on him and elaborate.
"What? She gets chatty after a couple tequilas and weepy after whisky," Damon said as per explanation, a crooked grin creasing onto his lips. "It was a long four months."
"I'm not doing it," Jeremy repeated, ignoring the pang of irritation that hummed through him.
"We'll talk about it later," Damon responded, turning a kilowatt smile on Sophia. "So… how's our wanted duo doing? How long until they get here?"
"They haven't—"
Damon raised a hand to silence her before she could tell him the bad news. One minute they'd been told the two were on their way, that they'd been found on the side of the road—probably suffering a flat tire—and that they were being hauled in, and the next they'd announced that they'd up and disappeared. That they'd been chasing after them for a full on minute and that the care had literally disappeared off the face of the map. For a time Damon had left them, let them do their thing and have been forced to convince his mother to stay—to wait it out—as they couldn't get far. They were witches, for Christ' sake, and Bonnie had a conscience, he didn't see her allowing for anyone to get hurt. He hadn't expected them to space jump an entire car. Now they were scrambling at the bit to try and find the two, shuffling out more wanted posters and extending the field. He'd hoped that it would turn around, that they'd be nabbed again and that their waiting would be cut short, but it hadn't happened – not yet. Damon turned away from the girl, glad his mother wasn't around to hear that piece of news, and wracked his brain for a new plan.
"Enough, Lorenzo," Lily said from where she stood in front of the station, her index and middle fingers wrapped around a flower he'd given her moments ago. They hadn't left and she'd overheard. "We need to go."
"Go?" he echoed.
"We know where they are. I have a clear enough lock on her scent."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Lily."
"Damon is not trying to help me. He promised to give me my family. He lied. All he does is lie." Lily turned to look at Enzo, her lips forming an almost sweet smile. "You're either with me—"
Enzo took her hand before she could finish the sentence, dashing toward the trees, forgoing their car in hopes of quickly reaching the highway on the other side of Washington.