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"More," she whispered hoarsely and beganhim to meet her demand
Chapter Twenty-nine
Cynthia woke slowly, jarred froasped, sing a groan as every muscle co at the unfas And then she remembered The warehouse Kolinsky Oh my God, Raphael! She rolled over in a panic, thankful to discover she was alone She closed her eyes in a different kind of pain, and tears found their way down her cheeks You are such a fool, Cyn
She groped to the side of the bed and stood Spying a bathroom across the rooht and stepped in front of the ash on her forehead where Kolinsky had hit her was closed, scabbed over in a neat line above her right eyebrow and surrounded by bruises that were already beginning to yelloith age Twisting to one side, she frowned at the grazing bullet wound on her ar, but nothing ry red scar marred her pale flesh She wrapped her ar enough for wounds to heal orShe flashed back to the s as he licked her wounds, her ownwith
She spun around and dropped to the toilet, vo in horror when she saw the black of regurgitated blood, like coffee crystals floating in the artificially blue water Had she actually drunk some of Raphael’s blood? And what did that ed, reborn, whatever the hell they called it Was she a va the sink for support, she pulled herself to her feet and staggered back to the elegant bedroom Heavy drapes covered the , but she could see a line of light around the edges and hear the steady hiss of the waves She walked slowly over to the glass and, cursing herself for an idiot, hesitantly slipped the fingers of one hand into the hot sunlight Nothing Okay So she wasn’t a vampire
She yanked the drapes fully open The sun was dropping fast Which et out of here now
A frantic search of the bedrooed the in frustration to find the zipper on her jeans torn beyond recovery Her sweater was h for ap at her waist She opened the closet and found Raphael’s long, leather coat hanging there, dark and stiff with blood andother things A vagueher in its war her out to the cars where Duncan waited Duncan and the other va while she and Raphael had sex, for God’s sake, in thewith her?
Her face hot with belated eer and pulled it on It would have to do for now Her boots sat next to the bed, splattered with blood like everything else, but unda solid, solance around the roo over to a table near the door where her weapons lay waiting for her Both had been cleaned and reloaded, one tucked into her shoulder rig She took off the coat long enough to don the holster, then drew it back on quickly, sliding the other weapon into a pocket That was it No keys Where was her car?
She stood next to the door, listening, but heard no sound from the other side She twisted the knob slowly, then pulled the door open and peered into the hallway No one Orienting herself by the view froured she was on the second floor, not far from Raphael’s office Probably where he stashed his blood donor du jour for easy access, she thought nastily Reaching the first floor, she hesitated, edging down the hall and into the spacious entry
There were guards here Hu past them, she could see her car parked outside, exactly the saain? Was she a prisoner? If she si, would they try to stop her?
Cyn straightened, tugging the heavy coat closed, and slipping her right hand into her pocket, feeling her spare Glock’s reassuring weight With a confident nod and a slass doors and was out the door and into her car before they’d really registered her presence The keys sat in the ignition; she twisted them quickly, and the Land Rover responded with its usual heavy rumble The pressure rolled off her chest as she drove away frouards at the gate Maybe that’s why the house guards hadn’t bothered to stop her There was no need
She slowed down as the guard stepped out of the gatehouse and approached the side of her car "Ms Leighton, I didn’t know you’d be leaving"
"Going hofully "You kno that is"
The guard looked uncouess I do, but I don’t--"
"I’ confusion
"Of course not, but--"
"Well, then, I want to go hoe clothes It’s only fiveback?"