Spirit Bound - Christine Feehan [139]
“I don’t tell her anything. She’s asleep.”
“What are going to say if she wakes up?”
“She won’t wake up. I made certain of that.”
“You rotten bastard. Get the hell out of my car. You drug her? You drug Judith?”
“I already feel like a bastard,” Stefan admitted. “Don’t fuckin’ lecture me.” He dragged both hands through his hair. “You think I like doing it? I don’t know what else to do. I’ve never been in a relationship with a woman. What do you tell your wife?”
“I tell her the truth. Everything. I told her we were hunting Ivanov and we’d kill him if we found the bastard, that there would be no other choice. If he gets to her or one of her sisters, they’re dead. Rikki’s autistic, she isn’t stupid. She understands a life or death matter. And damn you, Stefan, so would Judith. What the hell point is there in being with someone if you don’t trust them with the truth?”
Stefan considered hitting his brother for voicing what he’d been thinking. “I don’t know, Lev. Judith is big on Jonas Harrington. She thinks the man can solve anything.”
Lev shook his head. “That’s not it and you know it. You think it was easy for me to let Rikki see what I am? You’re holding that back, afraid she won’t accept you if she really sees you. Telling someone about our work and asking them to live with it when we’re hunting are two different things. You’re afraid, Stefan.”
“Maybe.”
“There is no maybe. Man up. You can’t be with her if she doesn’t accept you, and you’re not even giving her the chance.”
“And if she doesn’t? What then, Lev? And don’t tell me you could walk away from your Rikki, because if you could, you don’t feel for her like I do for Judith.”
“Rikki grounds me. She’s the center of my world. No, there’d be no walking away from her, but we talk things out. If you’re going to do this with Judith, you have to trust her with who you really are.” Lev glanced at him. “I think you already know that.”
“I’ll think about it.” The idea of Judith rejecting him was impossible to think about. He’d been tortured, shot, knifed and faced threats to his life every day. Nothing he’d ever done scared him as much as just the thought that Judith would look at him with loathing.
Lev took the road leading into Sea Haven along the ocean, a roundabout way in, that allowed them to park out a distance from one of the small places Stefan had rented as a bolt hole. He needed to check his computer and didn’t want anyone tracing it back to Judith’s farm. He’d pick up his hunting supplies, a field kit and glasses.
As they approached the backstreets, Stefan put his hand on his brother’s arm. “He’s here. Close by. I can feel him.”
Lev didn’t argue with him. He pulled his baseball cap a little lower. He wore a beard and dressed as a local might, much more casual, his shirt open, his jeans faded and worn. “He won’t recognize me.”
“Don’t count on it. Never underestimate Ivanov,” Stefan said grimly.
“I’m not associated with this vehicle at all. I’ve completely remodeled it, and added a few additions in a barn on the farm. Rikki and I avoid towns as a rule. We do shop in Inez’s store, but we use her truck. Most of the people here in town will swear they’ve known Levi Hammond for years.”
The Jeep had no doors, but it had plenty of power and the ability to go through the forest where there was no road. Stefan kept his hands inside, close to his weapons, where he could use them fast. “Take a left up here. There’s a small house. Use the alley. You can go right into the garage.”
“He’s got to be holed up near here,” Lev said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s next door to this place. Good escape routes from either direction and the rooftops are close enough to use. You’ve got the sea to cover noise, and no children that I can tell in any of the houses.”
“These small houses are old. Mostly seniors who’ve lived here forever and mind their own business. They’re friendly enough, but they don’t pry.”
Lev pulled up to the garage, Stefan was out and opened the door fast, allowing Lev inside. There was a vehicle already parked inside, a fast Audi, compact, and