Free Looking for Lucy Jo by Suzy Turner Page B

wrong, Lana? asked Patrick.
    Declan sniggered from the front passenger seat and shook his head as he read her mind.
    ‘Don’t worry about her, Bella. She’s just never been abroad before. She didn’t realise you drive on the other side of the road.’
    Everyone shook their heads in disbelief as Arabella giggled and slowly pulled back out into the traffic. ‘Don’t worry, Lana. I’ll be careful.’ She winked, looking at her via the rear view mirror.
    Lana looked embarrassed as she shrank down into her seat and covered her face with her hand, leaning her head on Barber’s shoulder. He gently patted her knee and squeezed her hand.
    ‘So, Barber. You’re a vampire, right?’ asked Arabella.
    Barber nodded. ‘That’s right.’
    ‘That must be weird for you, Patrick.’
    ‘Weird? That’s one word for it,’ Patrick replied, looking away from them both.
    ‘We’ve actually got a few vamps living with us in Monchique. It’ll be nice for you guys to meet.’
    ‘Monchique?’ asked Emma.
    Arabella nodded as she focussed on the road. ‘That’s where we live. Well, where our Praxos HQ is located. It’s in the mountains.’
    ‘Cool. Is that where we’re headed now?’
    Arabella nodded. ‘I think we should get settled in and then start work immediately.’
    ‘Absolutely,’ Declan agreed.
    ‘The sooner we do that, the sooner we get my little girl back.’ Patrick smiled grimly and fixed his gaze out of the window as they hurried towards their destination.
     
    oOo
    The journey from the airport to Monchique was a quiet one. There was very little traffic on the roads and everyone was so curious about their surroundings that they’d mostly just looked out the window silently. When they eventually turned off the motorway, the group had sat up and taken more notice of the winding roads and the pretty old houses dotted on either side of the hills.
    ‘There are a few entrances to HQ, but the main one—the one we like to use the most—is just off Monchique town itself. Plus, it’s well camouflaged. To the general public, they think it’s merely an attractive villa in the hills.’ Arabella grinned. ‘Monchique town is just up there,’ she pointed as they turned right off the roundabout and then right again behind an old building where a number of old men were sitting chatting away.
    ‘It’s a pretty awesome view up here,’ she said as they followed a winding road round a few bends before they found themselves looking down on the whole of the Algarve beyond.
    ‘Wow,’ said Lana. ‘It’s breathtaking.’
    ‘It is, isn’t it? The villa is just around the corner,’ she said as they turned left down a country lane. At the end was a large gate. Opening her window, Arabella inputted a code on a keypad and sat back while she waited for it to open.
    As it did, it revealed the most stunning contemporary property the girls had ever seen.
    ‘Whoa… are we actually staying here?’ Lana shrieked.
    ‘As a matter of speaking, yes,’ Arabella smiled. ‘When you’re not needed downstairs, you can hang out here, of course.’
    ‘Downstairs?’ asked Patrick.
    ‘It’s just our term for HQ – because it’s located deep within the mountain. Access is by elevator or stairs inside the villa. And, of course, as I mentioned before, a number of other points throughout Monchique.’
    ‘You mean there are other villas like this one?’
    ‘Yes, but some are old buildings too.’
    ‘Is HQ a number of tunnels, like in London?’ asked Barber.
    Arabella nodded. ‘It’s a similar design.’
    ‘Nice,’ he replied.
    As they parked close to the main entrance, Emma and Lana hopped out and ran round the front to check out the view.
    ‘O-M-G there’s an infinity pool!’ squealed Lana. ‘And look at that view. It’s like being on a plane. It’s just… amazing,’ she sighed.
    ‘Just remember why we’re here, sis,’ Emma whispered.
    ‘Yeah, I know. I can’t forget Lucy Jo. But maybe, when we’ve got her back, we