Page 60 of Thunder Road (Rain Chaser)

We’d stop long enough to get Leo’s stuff, and then I’d figure out where the closest outlet temple for Seth was in New Orleans.

We made it down Canal and turned onto Decatur, never letting up our pace. My lungs burned like I was a pack-a-day smoker, and my legs felt equally aflame. On Decatur the crowds thinned, mostly smaller groups heading to and from restaurants or returning to their hotels after a night of shopping and revelry. We whipped past them until we reached Jackson Square, where the crowds got bigger again, grouped together to watch a jazz quartet playing.

Running would make us stick out like a sore thumb in such an open space, so I grabbed Leo’s shirt with my free hand and pulled, planting my feet firmly to bring us to a more restrained walking pace. I scanned the people around us, looking for anyone a bit too dead for such a lively scene.

No one stood out.

Likewise, I couldn’t see Prescott’s cream linen blazer or purple button-down shirt anywhere among the groups clustered around us.

“Why did we stop?” Leo asked breathlessly. “We’re almost there.”

I could see Café du Monde’s white-and-green sign through the wrought-iron gate surrounding Jackson Park. How had we managed to wander so far away? It was like a gravitational force had pulled us—or more likely me—towards Bourbon, and Leo had just been along for the ride. Was he right? Was I actually drawn to trouble?

“I’m trying to blend. If we run here, it’s more obvious.”

I took his arm and wrapped it around my shoulder, snuggling in close to his side. He still smelled like he was fresh out of the shower, masculine and soapy, with a faint whiff of the body wash he used. The smell was surprisingly nice on him, a little like bergamot and pine, probably marketed with a name like MACHISMO in all caps.

This time he didn’t ask questions about what I was up to. Apparently he didn’t object to this particular plan because he pulled me tight against his side, the warmth of his body radiating against me. I put my arm around his waist. I could actually feel the firm curve of his abs where they formed the wonderful V-shape I’d seen when he came out of the shower.

Picking pockets must have been a great workout.

Or maybe the hot bod was a side effect to his godly DNA. Not a lot of unfit deities running around. Except maybe the Theoi Daitioi, but as the gods of the feast, being fat was sort of part of their image.

“Now why couldn’t you have tried this method initially? I’m much more susceptible to cuddles than I am to running for my life.” He gave my shoulder a flirty squeeze.

Not big on taking things seriously, this one.

Since my head was barely past his armpit, I wasn’t at a great vantage point to scan the crowds. “Play it cool, but tell me if you see anything suspicious.”

“Such as?”

“You know, anyone who looks like they’re already dead. They’re pretty easy to spot, seeing as they look, you know…dead.”

Leo glanced around as we walked, and I tried to keep an eye on the crowd as well. Nothing appeared out of place. Even we were blending in as a normal part of the nightlife tapestry.

“I think we’re clear,” he said.

The next couple blocks passed in tense silence, and we remained interlocked and continued to watch the area around us, expecting an attack to emerge from every darkened corner. Finally we reached the building I recognized as his, and I let out a sigh of relief as he unlocked the door and held it open to usher me in.

I climbed the stairs two at a time, feeling lighter with every step. I got to the top step first, and all my breath vanished in an instant.

We’d locked the door behind us when we left.

Now it was wide open.

Chapter Twenty

I held up a hand to stop Leo midway up the stairs.

My heart was hammering so hard I’d have been shocked if whoever was inside couldn’t hear it. Doubtlessly they’d heard me thump my way up the wooden stairs.

The element of surprise was shot in the foot. Now I had to decide if we should test our luck outside again, with Manea’s crew on the hunt for us, or tempt the Fates by going into the apartment. Indecision froze me in place.

Screwed no matter what.

There was no way it was Cade in the apartment. I wiped that hopeful thought out of my mind immediately. He had no magic road to travel, and I’d insisted he get some sleep before making the five-hour drive from Shreveport. So even if he’d ignored me—which was likely—he wouldn’t be here before morning light.

I doubted it was one of Manea’s people either. If they knew where Leo lived all along, they wouldn’t have bothered making a scene in public to come looking for us.

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