Drew D'Amato:Bloodlines:02 Read Online Free Page A

house keys in it.  I don’t plan to ever go back there anyway.”
    “What do you plan to do?”
    “I was hoping to escape with you.”
    “You came up with all of this by yourself?” Vlad asked impressed.               “You will make a good vampire.” Vlad walked over and put his hands on his shoulders.  “You know I can make you one right now.  You don’t have to worry about the Crusaders finding out.  You will not be a vampire until you die a natural death.”
    “We don’t need to rush it.  We can do it later.”
    “What are you afraid of?”
    Peterson’s mind raced, Vlad could see it in his eyes.  Why is he scared to learn that I will keep up my end of the deal?
    “I need to be smooth here.  I don’t want anything more to have to hide from them.  I’d be afraid they would see the puncture wounds or sense something off about me.  After I check in the empty bag, I will ditch out to get a coffee and not come back.  I will call Jericho, please have someone around to pick me up.”
    “Fine, Robert, whatever you are comfortable with.”
    “Good, now let’s go downstairs and finish this.”
    The three of them left the bathroom.  Peterson led the way. 
    Moments later a fourth figure exited a stall from the same bathroom.
     
    4
    M alachi had gotten a text from Michael once Vlad and Jericho had left to meet the source.  It was dark now, 8: 45 p.m .  All of his men could now transform and make the ir way downstairs .  He was about to give the order when a group of men entered the restaurant. 
    There were six of them, all in their late thirties and early forties.  What was odd about them was that they were not dressed in suits.  Suit s would say business men, which would explain that amount of men together, at those age s, with no female escorts.  Maybe they were businessmen on a business trip, but he figured then they would be dressed in more casual outfits.   There was nothing casual about what they had on— heavy jackets and workboots— tough looking clothes.  They could n’t be men simply on vacation.  This was too odd for that many men , that old , all on a vacation together.  Boys in their twenties sure, but in their forties?  When he saw them bless their drinks, it came to him.  They were Crusaders.
    Only the source was going through customs, the rest where waiting for the next flight.  The next flight was in a little more than an ho ur.  Why not have a late dinner?   Malachi inspect ed them more: crucifixes—the Roman Catholic kind, with t he dead savior—and weathered eyes .  These were m en who had been away from home for a while.  Men on a mission. 
    Malachi had the weapons, but here he was sitting across from the enemy’s calvary.  He couldn’t leave right then.
    “A ndrew and Stephen, go downstairs, ” he ordered.
    The two vampires got up.  Matthew, sitting next to Malachi, was confused.  “What about the rest of us?” he asked.
    “I think we have some Crusaders in our midst.  We are going to stay here and keep an eye on t hem.”
    Matthew turned to the direction Malachi was looking.  He understood when he saw them.   He gripped the stock of the Beretta in his pants.
     
    5
    A ndrew and Stephen made their way out of T he Caviar House .  Smoothly they passed behind a counter on their way to the lowest level .  Stephen got down like he dropped something and Andrew went down to help him.  They never came back up.  What did come up were two gnats barely noticed by anyone in the airport.  The y flew down above the escalators to ward the bottom floor.  They could see Jericho and Vlad following behind a man wearing a heav y green jacket like the kind that group of men back at T he Caviar House had on .
    This was the source.  He carri ed a gra y backpack over his shoulder.  Jericho carried an identical backpack.  He waved in the direction of the windows in the front of the place. Jericho and Vlad stopped following him, and went in the