Page 63 of Tell Me Why
“There are… supplies… involved,” she said. “I’m glad they aren’t allhereanymore. It is gruesome business.”
Tina’s stomach churned a bit, but she managed not to show it, she thought.
A pair of men stood, waiting, at a car, and Isabella indicated that the two of them would sit in the back while the men sat in the front.
The men were vampires.
If they were going to havevampireguards, the idea of having a place where they could finally speak freely became a bit less likely. Tina would have to choose carefully.
“We’ll be taking the apartment under a business account,” Isabella said. “To keep any of our names from being on it. You never can be too careful, with secrecy.”
Tina nodded, wondering whatthingsshe ought to be thinking about, right now. Self-defense or home decoration? Proximity to shops or escape routes? Was Isabellastilllikely to try to spirit her away, separated as she was from Tell?
“Have you ever done it?” Tina asked, and Isabella shook her head.
“I have no interest,” she said. “Not the high or the low. Even the rich,oldvampires don’t really understand howlonglife is, and they trade away parts of themselves too freely, not realizing just how long they might have to regret it.”
Tina thought about Ginger and her feasts on the Kaija.
“I suppose they have a very long time to get bored and creative, as well,” Tina said, and Isabella laughed.
“You can’t begin to guess,” she said.
“So what doyoudo to deal with boredom?” Tina asked.
Isabella looked out the window as they went out through over-sturdy garage doors into the night. Tina thought about rolling her window down, but decided against it.
“There are very long games,” Isabella said. “Ones that span hundreds of years, sometimes. Sometimes you win a point and sometimes they win a point, and… sometimes theageof the game lends weight to it that would seem absurd to someone as young as you. It might be fallow for decades, but you’re always watching for that next opportunity.”
Points in games.
It felt like a portent, like Isabella was warning her of something, and once more Tina considereddoingsomething, jumping out of the car and fleeing.
She should have stayed at the house with Tell.
Shouldn’t be out here riding around with a strange vampire whose motives were so unclear and conflicted.
Ginger was unpredictable. She hadactuallymade a go of killing Tina. And yet, Tina felt like she understood the woman and when she could count on her better than she did Isabella.
If she had to contact Hunter, could she?
If Tell was in over his head or if Tina had to run and not look back?
She didn’t know how.
He had a business phone that he carried, but she didn’t have the number.
She didn’t have aphone.
Even if she had had his number in her phone, it wasn’t likely she would have memorized it, but…
No.
If this went wrong, she was on her own.
She could get herself back to Viella, she thought, and she was reasonably certain she would be safe there. Vince wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
Was that what Tell would want her to do?
