Sookie Stackhouse Boxed Set (Books 1-8) - Charlaine Harris [777]
I was saved from further debate by the arrival of another entity on the scene. The police sent up a robot in the elevator.
When the door swooshed open we all jumped, because we’d been too wrapped up in the drama to notice the noise of the elevator. I actually giggled when the stubby robot rolled off the elevator. I started to hold the bomb out to it, but I figured the robot wasn’t supposed to take it. It seemed to be operating on remote control, and it turned slightly right to face me. It remained motionless for a couple of minutes to have a good look at me and what was in my hand. After a minute or two of examination, the robot retreated onto the elevator, and its arm jerkily reached up to punch the correct button. The doors swished shut, and it left.
“I hate modern technology,” Eric said quietly.
“Not true,” I said. “You love what computers can do for you. I know that for a fact. Remember how happy you got when you saw the Fangtasia employee roster, with all the work hours filled in?”
“I don’t like the impersonality of it. I like the knowledge it can hold.”
This was just too weird a conversation for me to continue under the circumstances.
“Someone’s coming up the stairs,” Quinn said, and opened the stair door.
Into our little group strode the bomb disposal guy. The homicide squad might not have boasted any vampire cops, but the bomb squad did. The vampire wore one of those space suit-looking outfits. (Even if you can survive it, I guess getting blown up is not a good experience.) Someone had written “BOOM” on his chest where a name tag would normally be. Oh, that was so funny.
“You two civilians need to leave the floor to the lady and me,” Boom said, moving slowly across the floor to me. “Take a hike, guys,” he said when neither man moved.
“No,” said Eric.
“Hell, no,” said Quinn.
It isn’t easy to shrug in one of those suits, but Boom managed. He was holding a square container. Frankly, I was in no mood to have a look at it, and all I cared about was that he opened the lid and held it out, carefully placing it under my hands.
Very, very carefully I lowered the can into the padded interior of the container. I let it go and brought my hands out of the container with a relief that I can’t even describe, and Boom closed the container, still grinning merrily through his clear face guard. I shuddered all over, my hands trembling violently from the release of the position.
Boom turned, slowed by the suit, and gestured to Quinn to open the stairwell door again. Quinn did, and down the stairs the vampire went: slowly, carefully, evenly. Maybe he smiled all the way. But he didn’t blow up, because I didn’t hear a noise, and I’ve got to say we all stood frozen in our places for a good long while.
“Oh,” I said, “Oh.” This was not brilliant, but I was in about a thousand emotional pieces. My knees gave way.
Quinn pounced on me and wrapped his arms around me. “You idiot,” he said. “You idiot.” It was like he was saying, “Thank you, God.” I was smothered in weretiger, and I rubbed my face against his E(E)E shirt to wipe up the tears that had leaked from my eyes.
When I peered under his arm, there was no one else in the area. Eric had vanished. So I had a moment to enjoy being held, to know that Quinn still liked me, that the thing with Andre and Eric hadn’t killed all feeling he had begun to have for me. I had a moment to feel the absolute relief of escaping death.
Then the elevator and the stair door opened simultaneously, and all manner of people wanted to talk to me.
13
“IT WAS A BOMB,” TODD DONATI SAID. “A QUICK, crude bomb. The police will be telling me more, I hope, after they’ve finished their examination.” The security chief was sitting in the queen’s suite. I had finally gotten to stow the blue suitcase by one of her couches, and, boy, was I glad