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

correctly. Cyn hadn’t told him where they were meeting. She’d just texted an address in a town about sixty miles northwest of Lawrence. He’d assumed it would be some shadowy motel parking lot, though he didn’t know why, since a coffee shop made more sense. The last thing they wanted to do was spook Gary Briley into running. Or at least trying to run. Nick was pretty sure that between him and Raphael, they could stop the murdering little weasel from getting away.
    But it was the fact that Raphael was part of the night’s festivities that made the coffee shop so unlikely. As far as Nick knew, vamps didn’t drink coffee, and they sure as hell didn’t eat pie.
    He parked the boring mid-sized SUV that he’d rented in an effort to blend in . He understood now why the vampire had gone with the big Escalade SUVs for his regular transport. At least they had some flash and powerful engines, while he’d been reduced to a mere six cylinders and cloth seats. He didn’t bother to lock the doors when he got out. Maybe someone would steal it, and he could ride back to Lawrence in one of the vampire’s SUVs, which were parked side by side at the back of the lot. Three of them. Talk about overkill.
    A little bell on the coffee shop door dinged, announcing his presence. The restaurant was crowded, and it seemed like every person turned to look at him, their gazes lingering suspiciously when they realized he wasn’t one of them. In more ways that you know, he thought smugly and made his way to a couple of booths in the back corner, which were occupied by several suspiciously large men and one stunningly attractive woman.
    “Cyn darling,” he said, ignoring everyone else as he slid onto the empty bench seat opposite her and Raphael. She just rolled her eyes and took a bite of her toast, while the vampire flexed his shoulders, drawing attention to the fact that it was his arm that was draped over the seat behind her. “Casual Friday all around, I see,” Nick commented. Much like himself, Raphael was wearing jeans. But while he’d paired his with a long-sleeved cashmere sweater, the vamp had on a leather jacket over a plain T-shirt. His bodyguards were similarly dressed—all four of them, which, given the three SUVs, meant some of vamps had remained on watch outside.
    “You see that motel across the street?” Cyn asked, not bothering with the niceties.
    Nick glanced casually out the window. It was a pretty standard American motel—two stories in an L-shape around a parking lot, open walkways with all of the rooms facing out. A blue neon sign announced MOTEL, with a smaller red VACANCY below that.
    “I’m assuming that’s where our boy is spending his nights,” he said, signaling the waitress for coffee.
    “And this is one of his favorite restaurants,” Cyn told him.
    “Ah. Don’t you think he might be suspicious if he waltzes in here and sees that ?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the bodyguards, who weren’t even pretending not to pay attention.
    “Give me some credit,” she said dismissively. “This is his breakfast spot. He likes junk food for dinner.”
    “Okay, Nancy Drew, this is your show. What’s the plan?”
    “He’s in his room. We watched him come back just a few minutes ago. So, I’m going to walk over there and knock on his door.”
    Nick blinked, his gaze shifting to Raphael. He waited for a reaction, for the vampire to shoot down the idea of Cyn exposing herself to danger like that. But there was nothing. The guy seemed perfectly okay with it.
    “What if he has a gun?”
    She shrugged while she took a bite of scrambled eggs and swallowed. “He probably does, but why would he shoot me? I’m a pretty woman who’s locked herself out of her room and wants to use his phone.”
    “Why wouldn’t this woman go to the motel office instead?”
    She winked. “Because the night manager takes his dinner break in just about ten minutes. He’ll be gone an hour.”
    “How do you know