Free Compelled (Vampires in America #10.5) by D. B. Reynolds

holding out on me?”
    His lip curled in disgust, but he hit the call button on her phone. She reached for the phone, but managed only to tap the speaker button before he yanked it away.
    “Raphael,” she said impatiently.
    “Cyn baby.” Nick’s cheerful voice came over the speaker. “Are you ready to run away with me?”
    “Don’t push your luck, sorcerer,” Raphael growled.
    “Oh. It’s you. Where’s Cyn?”
    “I’m right here,” she called, ignoring Raphael’s glare. “I’ve locked onto Gary Briley’s location. He’s a couple of towns over, and my guess is that he’s living at a motel and spending most of his time at the same one or two establishments. Restaurants probably, given the time pattern.”
    “You discovered all of that from a cell phone?”
    “Gary’s not exactly going to be winning his Boy Scout badge for covert action. He’s obviously homesick, calling his mom a few times a day, and even his dad once or twice.”
    “I have to say, I’m deeply dismayed to discover that Anna Briley lied to us,” Nick said with false sincerity.
    “Well, he’s her baby boy. I’ve heard that mothers do that.”
    “I wouldn’t know,” he muttered.
    “Yeah? Well, neither would I,” she agreed. “Is there any—”
    “We’re leaving within the hour,” Raphael interrupted. “You can meet us there.”
    Cyn opened her mouth to argue that they should all go together, but the words died unsaid. First, because she and Raphael were in Kansas City, not in Lawrence as Nick had been led to believe. But second, and more importantly, because Raphael was giving her a death glare that promised all sorts of retribution if she made the offer. She supposed he had a point. And besides, sharing a ride with Raphael and Nick would be sheer hell. She’d end up getting out of the vehicle and walking, while the two of them went their merry way together.
    “I’ll text you the location, Nick,” she said instead. “It’s a small town, so you might want to think about renting a different car for the trip. Something that will blend in.”
    “Oh right, because the vampire and his blacked-out SUV convoy is low key,” Nick scoffed.
    “Don’t worry,” he added, before she could say anything. “I’ll blend, and I’ll see you there.”
    “Okay, I’m sending—” But Nick was gone. Raphael tossed her phone on the bed and grabbed her wrist, tugging her into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, letting it heat up.
    “There’s not enough hot water,” he snapped. “We’ll have to share.”
    “Raphael, there’s no room.”
    “There’s enough,” he growled and stepped into the stall, pulling her in after him.
    Once they were in, though, he started laughing. He couldn’t even close the damn door all the way. Cyn was slender enough, but Raphael was a very big guy. They could barely move, and with the hot water filling the small cubicle with steam, it was like groping in a sauna.
    “I told you,” she said with a grin. Raphael didn’t laugh like that very often.
    He rested his forehead against hers. “I hate it when you talk to him.”
    “I know. But I don’t know why. I’m yours, fang boy. You’re stuck with me.”
    “My heart knows that, but my gut wants to kill every man who’s ever touched you.”
    “Aw, that’s romantic . . . in a creepy, stalkerish sort of way.”
    His hand moved behind her, and he swore. “Fuck, there isn’t even enough room in here to slap your ass properly.” He shoved the shower door all the way open and stepped out of the stall. “You shower, I’ll shave.”
    “In other words, back to the original plan.”
    “You know, you and your ass will eventually have to leave that cramped shower stall.”
    Cyn shivered dramatically. “I’m so scared.”
    Raphael shut the shower door with a muttered, “Smartass.”

Chapter Five
    NICK MADE A right turn into the coffee shop parking lot, but not before double-checking the in-dash GPS to be sure he’d entered the address