Thirst No. 5 Read Online Free PDF Page B

Gulfstream’s controls. “We can work on the broker’s brain if we have to,” he says.
    “I’d rather not screw with the man’s mind,” I say, thinking of the Denver cop and his wife I recently damaged with myfiery gaze. Matt is instantly alert to my concern. He has my same power. His might even be stronger.
    “You only had a problem because you were in Teri’s body,” he says.
    “The broker will have trouble explaining to the Gulfstream’s owner why he only got a fraction of the price he was asking,” I say.
    “The broker doesn’t have to call the owner until next week. By then it won’t matter.”
    “Why do we have to buy a jet?” Seymour asks. “Let’s rent one.”
    “No,” I say. “Brutran’s talking to the broker alone to make sure he understands we don’t want a paper trail. That’s another reason her cash is important.”
    Matt climbs out of the Gulfstream and tests the strength of the jet’s wings. “North Carolina’s on the other side of the country. That’s a lot of ground to cover. And I don’t just want speed because we’re in a hurry.”
    “You’re afraid someone might come after us,” I say.
    Matt nods. “Yes. This Gulfstream is our best bet right now.” He turns toward the broker’s building. “I’m going to help Brutran speed up the negotiations.”
    Without waiting for my approval Matt walks away. Seymour pats me on the back. “How does it feel to not be the boss?” he asks.
    I shrug. “Matt’s not stupid.”
    “He ignores your arguments. That’s got to bother you a little.”
    “It will only bother me if it turns out he’s wrong.”
    • • •
    An hour later we’re in the air, two hundred miles east of Las Vegas, flying at twenty thousand feet and a speed of five hundred miles an hour. Matt hasn’t told me about the details of his hypnotic session with the broker but has assured me our flight plan has been properly filed and no authority should question us as we cross the country. He has also pointed out that the Gulfstream will allow us to reach our destination without having to stop and refuel.
    “That was another reason I insisted on a jet,” he says.
    The two of us are alone in the pilot’s cabin, Matt in the driver’s seat, the others in the luxurious rear. The Gulfstream IV is the stuff of celebrity dreams. It has two wide-screen TVs, private sleeping quarters, a bar and kitchen, and probably the most comfortable leather seats that can be found in the air. Before we left Vegas, Brutran made sure it was stocked with plenty of food and drinks.
    “You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I say.
    Matt shakes his head. “I should have let you vote on the matter.”
    “You know more about planes than I do.”
    “You know more about the world.”
    “Are you saying you want me to be the boss?”
    “I wouldn’t go that far,” he replies.
    “I don’t mind if you’re in charge.”
    He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I hope you’re not saying that because of what happened to Teri.”
    I hesitate. “Maybe I am.”
    “I don’t blame you for what happened to her.”
    I don’t respond. We both know he’s lying.
    “Look, what happened in the Rockies was a confusing time for me,” he continues. “First I learn you’ve injected Teri with your blood. It didn’t matter that it was to save her life. I’d long ago sworn that I wouldn’t do anything to keep her from having a normal life. And if that meant she died before her time then so be it.”
    “You’re stronger than me,” I say.
    “Who knows? I wasn’t there when you did it. Maybe I would have broken down and done the same thing. Anyway, I no sooner find out what you’ve done when that damn Cradle blasts my mind. The next thing I know you’re dead and Teri’s walking around in a daze. I had never seen my father make a vampire before. I had no idea how she was supposed to behave and I sure as hell had no idea that you were in her body.”
    “That’s why you haven’t