Runaway Vampire by Lynsay Sands Read Free Book Online

she’d said. “I need to find out where they were holding us so I can send help for Tomasso.”
    â€œIt’s written on that notepad next to my phone,” she informed him quietly. “At least the spot where I hit you is. Surely you couldn’t have run that far before getting there?”
    Dante glanced sharply to the tiny memo pad attached to the clipboard on the dash, and then turned questioning eyes to her. “This is where I ran into you? You wrote it down?”
    â€œYes.” She grimaced and admitted. “I knew I’d hitsomething, but I got spooked out there and drove off without making a proper search. I wrote down the distance it was from the first stop sign I came to, intending to send the police there when I got to the truck stop.”
    A slow relieved smile lit up his face and he said, “Mary Winslow, if I was not driving I would kiss you. You are brilliant.”
    Mary smiled faintly and just shook her head. He had a very nice smile and she was happy to help the fellow.
    â€œMay I use your phone?”
    She glanced to the phone in its holder and shook her head. “I’m sorry. It fell out of its holder and broke when I hit you. That’s why I stopped at the truck stop, to use their phone.”
    His smile slipped at once and he glanced to the item in question, asking, “Are you sure it is broken?”
    â€œWell, the glass face is smashed and it had gone dead,” she said. “That seems broke enough to me.”
    He nodded, but asked, “Did you try turning it on?”
    â€œWell, no. But I never turned it off,” she pointed out, glancing at the phone now as well.
    Dante pursed his lips, then took one hand from the wheel and picked up the phone. He pushed the button to turn it on and Mary almost groaned aloud when the damned thing lit up like a storefront at Christmas. She was such an idiot when it came to modern technology. Honestly, how could she be so stupid as to not even try to turn it on?
    Dante smiled at her widely. “It is working.”
    â€œI see that,” she said dryly.
    â€œMay I use it?” he asked.
    Mary nodded and then watched as he began punching in numbers, his gaze shifting between the road and the phone.
    â€œThat’s kind of dangerous,” she pointed out. “Why don’t you let me put the number in for you?”
    â€œThank you,” Dante murmured, passing the phone over.
    Mary took the phone and then glanced to him expectantly. “What’s the number?”
    â€œ4 . . . 1 . . . 6,” he began, and then paused.
    â€œOkay,” Mary said, thinking he was waiting to give her the chance to punch in the numbers, but they were still there from his attempt.
    Dante frowned. “416 . . .” He released an impatient sound, and then admitted, “I need to be looking at the phone screen to remember.”
    Mary smiled faintly, completely understanding. For some reason it was always easier for her to remember numbers with the number pad in front of her too.
    â€œYou must drive,” Dante announced now. “I have to call the Enforcer House.”
    â€œWho?” she asked with confusion.
    He waved away her question. “The authorities. Come, you must drive.”
    Mary instinctively glanced to the rear camera view. The van was still tight on their tail. She shook her head. “They’ll attack the minute you pull over for us to switch places.”
    â€œ Si . So we cannot stop. You sit in my lap and I will slip out and leave the seat to you,” he said as if that was the most reasonable suggestion in the world.
    Mary pursed her lips and shook her head. “Sonny, I wouldn’t sit in your lap even if you were wearing a Santa suit.”
    Dante frowned with confusion. “Santa?”
    Mary raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you have Santa in Italy? A big bearded guy in a red suit? Comes down the chimney and fills kids’ stockings with candies and