Asylum (Causal Enchantment #2)(28)
“Consider it handled. Be on your way.” With that, she vanished from my passenger seat and reappeared outside the truck, standing in front of the crowd. I inched forward, the low rumble of the big truck’s engine drowning out whatever Mage was saying. It had the desired effect, though; the crowd dispersed to the opposite end of the atrium.
A rap on my window stopped me. Viggo. I rolled down my window, curious.
“Which bank?” he asked.
I studied him, suddenly on edge. “Why do you need to know?”
He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “So we know when you’ll be back and we can move everyone from the gates again! You’ll need to open them to get back in, won’t you?”
“Oh . . . ” I hadn’t thought of the trip back. “Same place as last time.”
“Okay. So we should expect you back here within the hour. Call us when you’re near.”
“Yup.” Strange. Too helpful. What do you have up your sleeve, Viggo? My head was beginning to spin, trying to keep up with everyone’s various motives.
Mortimer appeared behind Viggo. “Keep a look out for them.” Mortimer’s bitterness with the People’s Sentinel was long-standing and obvious.
You have no idea, Mortimer. I rolled my eyes, but anxiety flooded my body. They were out there, watching. We had been careful not to react, not to hunt them down, wanting to sort out this mess with Veronique first. But now, with what I had just learned from Mage, I didn’t know if it was better to exterminate, or continue in silence. To be . . . complacent. That was the word Mage used. Had we become complacent? Was this another step down our predetermined path?
I waited as Mortimer punched in the code to open the interior garage door—I hadn’t changed that one. Throwing the truck into gear, I pulled into the tunnel, checking in my rearview mirror for any desperate vampires. None moved from the far side of the atrium. None attempted to defy Mage. It was as if she had power over them. Maybe she did.
I made it to the blood bank dock with two minutes to spare, after a small detour through the city to shake any tails. Normally I could tell when I was being followed, but today was not the day to take chances. The delivery entrance for this bank was in a wide alley, the tall brick buildings on either side providing some privacy from the street. I backed the Navigator up to one of the delivery doors and threw it into park to wait for Reggie. My fingers strummed the steering wheel as I watched various trucks at different stages of unloading through my black-tinted windows. Guilt fluttered as I thought of the generous people who had unwittingly donated to feed forty hungry vampires. It took the meaning of saving lives to a whole new level.
I sensed the approach a second before the white knuckles wrapped against the window. My finger on a button rolled the window down and I regarded my blood dealer, an unusually pale, blonde man who reeked of terror. “Is something the matter, Reggie?” I asked in my sweetest tone. Apprehension tightened my insides. He shouldn’t be frightened of me . . .
“There’s an unmarked delivery truck on its way from a drive,” he answered in a rush, ignoring my question. “I’ve deleted it from the main system so it’s free for the taking.”
Unmarked. That meant I could leave the Navigator here. Much easier than unloading and reloading. I flashed him my most appreciative smile as I pulled a thick envelope full of cash from the glove compartment and handed it to him. Viggo had cash stashed everywhere. “For your troubles.”
His eyes widened briefly as he took it, then he looked quickly around to check for witnesses before stuffing the envelope inside his lab coat. I heard the loud rumble of an approaching truck. “There it is,” he confirmed, turning to leave.
My hand shot out to grab his forearm. “Thank you, Reg.” He glanced down at my hand, then up at my face, giving me the chance to lock eyes with him. I needed to strengthen the compulsion for the next time I needed blood. “There’s no need to worry, Reg. I’m harmless. I would never hurt you,” I crooned, waiting for the hypnotic trance to kick in. “I may come back for more blood in a few weeks. Please be ready and willing to help me out.”
He nodded slowly, as if listening, but the haze of a compelled person did not register in his blue eyes. That’s strange . . . am I losing my touch? The second I let go of Reggie’s arm, he bolted into the building.
If I had time, I’d follow him in and try again. But I didn’t have time, I decided as a hospital-green cube truck parked beside me. No telltale blood-donor markings. Perfect. Hopping out of my Navigator, I opened the truck’s passenger side door and swung smoothly into the seat, earning a pleasantly surprised look from a balding delivery man in his sixties.
“Hello, sir. I believe you have a delivery for me?” I crooned, focusing in on his watery irises, pulling his mind toward mine as I had just attempted with Reggie. This time it worked.
“Do I?” he slurred.
“Yes. Please step out of the truck and begin walking away. Go home and take a nap. When you wake up, you’ll remember nothing about this truck or me. Right?”
“Right,” he drawled. Still mesmerized, he pawed absently at the door with his left hand, finally opened it, and spilled out of the truck. He staggered down the alley toward the street as if drunk.
“Okay. Now,” I murmured, sliding into the driver’s seat. I studied the truck’s gearshift. “At least it’s not a rig,” I muttered under my breath. Those were a pain to drive. I threw the truck into drive and began rolling forward.