Tome of Bill (Companion): Shining Fury Read Online Free PDF Page A

revered by one group and public enemy number one to another.
    I thought back to my old boyfriend from high school, Andrew, the same one who elicited the unpleasant memory associated with this road. If only he could see me now. I doubt he’d ever try to raise a hand to me again, and if he did, it would end badly in his favor. If he’d had his way, I might never have realized my potential. Even though I found myself heading toward a potentially blood-soaked destiny, I couldn’t deny that it was better than a life scared of my own shadow. It was...
    “Hello. Anyone home?”
    “Huh?” I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to find Meg staring at me.
    “You were the one who suggested we stay on a first name basis. So ignoring me when I use it is probably not a great start.”
    “Can you please pay attention to the road?” Veronica asked with some concern in her voice.
    Meg purposely swerved the car into the next lane over – thankfully empty – before straightening us out again. “No back seat drivers or I’ll find a bridge to drive us off.”
    “How dare you threaten...”
    “She’s joking, Bernadette,” I said. At least I hoped she was. Of Christy’s coven sisters, Meg seemed to be the most hard-boiled of the bunch – a shoot first, ask questions never type. Of course, that could have just been my interpretation. People with dry senses of humor tended to be hard for me to read. “Anyway, sorry. My mind wandered a bit. I have some history with this place.”
    “Vampire related?”
    “Before all of that.”
    “Good history?”
    “I’d rather not talk about it.”
    “That means no,” Meg replied. “I can dig it. I kind of feel the same way about Albany.”
    “This is all fascinating, really it is,” Kelly chimed in. “I’m more than happy to talk about how my mom was pissed when I cut my hair short, but we’re going to be looking at Boston in our rearview mirror if we don’t start to focus.”
    Meg lifted up her hand and flashed the middle finger toward the back seat, eliciting a grunt of disapproval from Bernadette.
    “What I meant is that we’re getting close,” Kelly continued. “We should consider finding a spot to ditch these cars before we end up driving smack dab into the middle of the city and announcing ourselves.”
    “Are we really looking for a car wash?” Veronica asked.
    “According to Bill we are.” I mentally winced at saying his name aloud, but for far different reasons than my memories of Andrew. “At least that’s what it was before everything went to Hell. No idea if the new management is being quite so coy about things. From what I hear, this Vehron guy probably doesn’t even know what a car wash is, or a car for that matter. I have a feeling he’s less concerned with stealth as much as fortifying the place.”
    “Make the call,” Meg said.
    “Start looking for residential areas, strip malls, parking garages ... any place where we can regroup without looking like we’re regrouping.”
    Meg flashed me a dubious look. I didn’t need to ask to know what she meant.
    I turned in my seat and addressed Bernadette. “Let’s talk about the way you’re all dressed...”
    * * *
    The Templar would have been happy as clams to go marching into their self-proclaimed den of wickedness with swords held high and red robes proudly proclaiming their status as an ancient order founded to stand against the darkness.
    However, our mission was to divert Vehron the Destroyer’s forces our way so that the other team could slip in from the north unnoticed, but that diversion would work best if we could get close before we sprung it. It would also keep our enemies from mobilizing too early and potentially wiping us out. Everyone in our group knew the odds were stacked heavily against us, but there was little to be gained by treating this like a suicide pact.
    “The people should know that help has arrived,” Bernadette argued.
    “Help?” Kelly asked. “If they see the National