Hunting Tess by Kathryn Summers (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

“No, this will be my first time.”

“Ah, then you’re in for a treat. I’ve always loved Seattle’s atmosphere. It’s so full of life. Make sure you get a piroshky from Piroshky Piroshky. They’re worth every calorie. And Pike Place is so charming. Oh, and if you have time you have to go on the Ferris Wheel, it gives the best view of Puget Sound. You aren’t scared of heights, are you?”

“No,” I chuckle, “heights don’t bother me.”

“That’s good. Whenever we went as a family, I was always afraid Leo would pass out by how white he would turn.”

“Leo’s afraid of heights?”

“Nah,” Parker chimes in, “he would go white from not eating anything for eighteen hours. He used to get car sick so whenever we went to the city he would skip breakfast, and then we would do sightseeing stuff before actually eating.”

“You three did nothing but eat growing up.”

“You raised three boys who happen to turn into wolves, what did you expect?” Parker jokes, casually leaning back in his chair with his right hand resting on the table a hairsbreadth away from my left one.

“What were they like growing up?” I ask smiling, having a feeling Patricia won’t hold back any embarrassing stories.

After the fifth funny story with interruptions or corrections by nearly everyone at the table, my side hurts from laughing so hard and there are tears in my eyes.

“And that’s why volleyball was banned from their junior high,” Patricia finishes, her own face beaming in amusement while Parker’s cheeks may have a tinge of red.

“I think Tess has enough stories to last her the rest of the night, thank you very much. But tomorrow will be a busy day and I think we’ll bid you good night.”

“Spoil sport,” Shelby chuckles.

But Parker is right. Two days of travel plus an early morning is going to catch up with us. By the time my head hits the pillow I’m already asleep.

CHAPTER 9

HER

Danny works on the twenty-third floor of some big company that develops condominiums. I have to crane my neck back as far as it goes to even attempt to see the top of the building, which I don’t.

The lobby has several workers in tailored suits manning a front desk where other visitors are signing in and being directed to their destinations.

“We’re here to see Danielle Peterson with Design Up Inc.”

The man in front of the visitor sheet glances down. “Name?”

“Samantha Wigg.”

He nods once before looking back up with a thick manilla envelope in his hand. “This is for you. She says she hopes you enjoy the city.”

Mildly stunned at his words I take the envelope before returning outside.

“Does that happen often?” Parker asks as we walk down the street.

“Well, no, but she’s probably busy.”

“We came all this way!”

“Are you offended on my behalf?” I question, a smile evident in my voice.

“No, I’m offended on my behalf.”

“Oh, suck it up.”

“But why—”

“She’s being smart. If, by chance, a certain group of undesirables meet up with her for specific information about a certain someone, she can truthfully say that she hasn’t seen me.”

The thought makes me sad but is probably the truth, especially after what happened to Sam.

I wait until we’re safely in the car before opening the envelope. Stacks of foreign currency tumble from the wrappings along with two blue booklets and several credit cards.

“Holy crow,” I mutter under my breath, picking up an official looking passport to see a picture of myself with yet another pseudo name. Curious about the second passport, I open it up to a picture of Parker with a different name. The credit cards are a mixture of the names and I wonder just how much work Danny did.

“Are you planning on leaving the country?” Parker asks, taking the passport with his picture out of my hands to inspect. Maybe searching for the vampires here isn’t the best strategy. Maybe I should go to Bulgaria. But why is there a passport for Parker?

Then the answer hits me: Eliza. That sneaky, crafty friend.

“If that’s where the search takes me,” I respond, taking the passport back from Parker and packing everything away in the envelope.

If he thinks that the second passport for himself is odd, he doesn’t say anything. Shrugging his shoulders, he merges back into traffic, taking a barrage of twists and turns that make me hopelessly lost as to our location.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s a cool little eatery near Pike Place Market. It’s still fairly early so it shouldn’t be too busy yet.”

Riding in silence my finger trails the edge of the envelope, thinking of what I need to do. I can’t stay with Parker and his brothers forever, or even until this threat has passed since there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Maybe I’ll bring up that topic on our way back to Colorado.

I can’t help the smile on my face as I climb out of the Jeep once we reach Parker’s parent’s house. Now if I do need to go to Bulgaria to solve my little vampire problem, I won’t have a problem getting out of the country undetected. And as much as I would like the company, I can’t ask Parker to travel with me. I have no idea how long, or how dangerous, the trip would be.

Light spills from the porch illuminating our short walk to the door. For having only one reason to visit Seattle, we filled the day easily, returning after sunset.

Parker holds the door for me as we enter the quiet home, his parents probably already in bed. With a long day of travel tomorrow I figure it’s best to follow suit.

He walks me to my door and I get the sense of déjà vu. Probably because this scenario is pretty dang similar. Instead of waiting for the day to end on a sour note, I say goodnight, not looking at his face because I don’t care to see whatever reaction he’ll have. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

***

I move silently towards