Free Redemption (Jane #4) by Samantha Warren Page B

Pope? He saw my expression and
a weary chuckle escaped his lips. "Yes, Jane. I know the Pope. He's
really quite a nice man. And he has access to more... powerful
weapons, I guess you could say."
    "What kind of weapons?" I
couldn't imagine anything more powerful than vampires. Well, I
could, but I sure as hell didn't want to meet them.
    He just shook his head again,
sinking back into his thoughts. I bit my lip and waited a few more
minutes. When he didn't stir, I got up and wandered down the hall.
Felipe wasn't in his bedroom, the dining room, or the lounge, so I
headed to the gym. By the time I got there, he'd almost pulverized
one of the punching bags. Sand trails lined the floor, showing the
erratic path the bag had taken after his multiple kicks and
punches. I leaned against the wall and watched his muscled, sweaty
form until the bag broke, fabric and what little was left of the
sand tumbling across the black mats to land in a lumpy heap.
    Felipe snarled at the
mutilated bag and turned, looking for something else to punch. When
his eyes settled on me, I raised my eyebrow in a just-you-try-it
way, which brought a faint smile to his hard face. His signature
smirk had hidden away since Ado's death, only appearing on special
occasions, and only when we were alone. The most I usually got was
a faint curl of the lips paired with a strange, deep sadness in his
dark eyes.
    He walked over to the boxing
ring to pick up a towel he'd draped over the ropes. I followed him,
taking the towel from his hands, and stood before him, carefully
wiping every drop of glistening sweat from his bare neck, chest,
and arms. It was horribly tedious work and I didn't enjoy a bit of
it--if you believe that, I have an oceanside beach house on prime
real estate in Idaho I'll sell you.
    When I finished, he grabbed
the towel from me and tossed it to the floor, pulling me in close
to him. His skin was warm and still a bit moist. The scent of his
sweat mingled with the cologne he'd put on that day, forming a
strange combination of nauseating wonderfulness. I leaned into him,
resting my cheek on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around his
waist. He propped his chin on my head, sighing audibly.
    We stood like that, quiet and
safe, for a good ten minutes. That's one of the things about
vampires. They don't have to move if they don't want to. I've
stayed in the same damn position for over seven hours once. Hurt
like hell when I finally moved, but it was worth the pain.
    Felipe's heavy sigh brought me
out of the contented zone of nothingness I had drifted into. I
looked up, searching for his beautiful eyes. He gazed down at me, a
faint, sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips.
    "Let's go watch a movie or
something. I need mindless entertainment."
    I bit my lip, failing
miserably to suppress a grin as I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
    "Not that type of mindless
entertainment, you dirty little girl." He pinched my side, making
me squeal. I swatted him away and he laughed. "Come on. Let's go
find a movie."
    On the way to the lounge, I
sent Annie a text and invited her and Jax to join us. They arrived
while I was standing in front of the shelves and shelves of DVDs.
Finding the one I wanted, I pulled it from its home and turned to
face the group with a grin on my face. It'd been a long time since
I'd watched that movie, and if Felipe wanted mindless
entertainment, I'd be sure he got it.
    "Alright! A woman after my own
heart!" Jax began clapping in excitement and earned a playful smack
from Annie.
    "Is that the movie you're
always gushing about? The 'best of the worst'?" Felipe looked at
me, eyebrow raised in concern at the comic on the green cover.
    "You bet it is."
    I spun from him and popped the
DVD in. As the beginning credits rolled, Felipe's grumbling was
stifled by my pointy elbow. "No groaning during Tank Girl !"
    For the next hour and a half,
Felipe's exaggerated groans alternated with muted laughter as
Annie, Jax, and I quoted our favorite parts--pretty