She approached him and shoved him against the driver's side of the truck. "Where is it? You took it from me last night. Thought you were all injured and helpless, but I guess you played me pretty good,
didn't you? Got your snackand got the map."
He really wished she wouldn't get so close. She wore the same clothes from yesterday, but they still looked fresh. She smelled like motel soap, but somehow made that incredibly intoxicating.
"Give me the map," she said.
"No."
"You heartless jerk."
"You're the Merc , Janie. I don't know what you're doing. You're a strong, independent woman. Who is this boss of yours who has you so wrapped around his little finger? Why does he have so much power over you?"
"That's none of your business." She produced a stake seemingly out of nowhere and held it tightly in her hand as she glared at him.
He raised an eyebrow and took her in from head to feet. "Where did you have that hiding? I'm impressed."
"Give me the map or I'm going to kill you."
His lips curled into an unpleasant smile and he shook his head. "You're going to have to put your money where your mouth is, sweetheart."
"You think I won't do it?" She slammed her forearm against his chest, pressing him up against the truck.
There was no humor in her expression. "Because I will. I don't know you, Quinn. I don't know a damn thing about you anymore, other than the fact that you're a vampire. Do you know what I usually do to vamps that get in my way?"
"Talk them to death?"
"No, I do the same thing you did for ten years. I kill them."
"Then do it, Janie."
She blinked.
"Do it," he repeated. "Kill me. If you kill me, you can take the map. I have it on me right now, and I'm not planning on giving it to you. If I don't find the Eye, then I've got nothing. And if I'm stuck as a vampire, then I'd rather be dead. You understand me? So do me a favor—kill me and put me out of my misery."
He swallowed as he felt the needle-sharp end of the stake dig into his flesh. His stomach still stung from
Malcolm staking him last night. Having a fresh infusion of blood had helped to heal it up, but it still hurt like a son of a bitch. First time staked. This would be the second time. He wasn't planning on being around for a third.
He held her gaze and thought for a moment that she was actually going to do it. In that moment, he felt a flash of something unexpected go through him. Panic? Fear?
However, instead of killing him, she pulled the stake away and looked at him with a frown.
He let out a small laugh—whether it was from relief or amusement even he wasn't sure. The sound of it made her eyes narrow, and she slapped him hard against the side of his face, just short of a full punch.
He rubbed his stinging cheek. "Ow."
She shoved a finger in his face. "Don't laugh at me."
"I wasn't."
Then, before he could stop her she was on him, patting him down as though she was a cop and he was under arrest. Suddenly, she slid a hand into the front pocket of his pants, which took him by surprise in more ways that one.
"Hey!" he managed. "A little too early for that sort of thing."
"Don't flatter yourself." She pulled out folded paper.
The map.
Just goes to show, a gorgeous woman grabs his pants and he forgets his own name, let alone how to stop her. Guess he wasn't as changed as he thought he was.
The note he wrote earlier fell to the ground, and before he could bend over to pick it up, she beat him to it. She unfolded it, holding the map in her other hand, and read it.
Her eyes moved over the few lines he'd written and her forehead creased. She looked up at him.
"You were going to tell me about my sister?"
"Of course I was."
She studied him for a moment. "And you were going to leave this and disappear. Is that it?"
"That was the original plan."
She shoved the note into her pocket. "Plans change."
"Don't I know it."
She unfolded the map and looked at it briefly, and then her blue eyes flicked up to meet his again. "Get in the truck."
"Why? Are you going to set it on fire?"
"Maybe later. But right now you're going to drive it."
"Where?"
"To find the Eye."
"You and me?"
"That's right. I'm no damn good at following maps. We're going to find it together."
"And then?"
"And then all bets are off. But we'll deal with that when the time comes."
He swallowed hard again. "Are you sure you want to be alone with me, after… after what happened last night?"