Free Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter #16 - Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton Page A

Ms. and it’s Blake ,” I corrected.
    He blinked at me, then said, “All right, Ms. Blake. I didn’t understand that you were more than a…girlfriend. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
    “Yeah, you did, but my ego doesn’t bruise that easy, Chuck.” I admit to making his name sound a little choppy at the end.
    He frowned at me.
    Jason squeezed my hand again. “Let’s just get us to the hotel as quietly as possible. I want to go to the hospital today, just in case.”
    Chuck’s face managed to look truly sympathetic. “Your dad that bad?”
    “They gave him weeks to live, but I’d hate to be in town and miss him by a day.”
    “Then let’s get you in the limo, Mr. Schuyler, Ms. Blake.” He put a little irony in that last part, and when he bowed to match, he flashed the gun on his hip. I realized he’d unbuttoned the jacket so I’d see it. Like a vampire that wanted you to see the fangs. Wanted your fear. I smiled sweetly at him. “Your hands are a little big for a thirty-two, aren’t they, Chuck?”
    His own smile wilted around the edges. “It gets the job done.” But he sounded uncertain, as if my reply didn’t match the box he’d put me in. Fine with me. I liked it when muscle underestimated me. Made it easier later if later got bad.
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    Jason didn’t push me into the back of the limo, but he made sure I didn’t linger trading clever repartee with Chuck.
    The big man asked, “What hotel?”
    Jason named it.
    Chuck said, leaning in the doorway of the limo, “Damn, that’s the same hotel the wedding guests are staying at.”
    “It’s the best hotel in town,” Jason said.
    Chuck nodded. “Yeah.” He gave me a look as he closed the door. It was the first look from him that didn’t think piece of ass . Which meant he was brighter than he looked. I’d have to be careful not to underestimate ol’ Chuck.
    Why was I worried about him? Answer: he was a thug. I’d been working with the police too long not to know one when I met one. What was a presidential hopeful doing with someone like that?
    “Don’t tease him, Anita,” Jason said as the limo started. We rode out of the hangar and down a separate drive, a little distance from the rest of the main airport.
    “Sorry,” I said, “I’m not sure I can help myself.”
    “Try, for me.” He patted my hand, but was already looking out the window. It was worth a look. There were wooded mountains rolling out, and out, like layers of soft dragon spines curled everywhere.
    For a few minutes I forgot about thugs and politicians and just looked at the mountains.
    “It’s beautiful,” I said.
    “Yeah,” Jason said, “I guess it is.”
    “You guess?” I motioned at the mountains. There were hotels and fast-food places tucked in near the road, but it wasn’t close enough to ruin the view. A river cut along the left-hand side of the road, all silver shallows and sparkling rapids, set in all that green, all those trees. “This is prettier than the Smokies in Tennessee.”
    “Well, it’s the Blue Ridge Mountains,” he said matter-of-factly. I had a smart thought. “You grew up here, so it’s not spectacular to you, it’s just normal.”
    “Yeah, and have you ever noticed where it’s beautiful, there’s a lot of pretty, but not a lot of jobs. Unless you worked for the university.”
    “University?” I made it a question.
    “University of North Carolina at Asheville.” Jason didn’t seem to want to talk about the scenery. Okay, I could stay on track.
    “You don’t seem surprised that the Summerlands have someone like Chuck working for them.”
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    “They’ve always had someone like him working for them.”
    “Why?” I asked.
    He looked at me. “Don’t do this,