“And those who aren’t are freaking out and going rogue,” Sam said dryly. “Honestly, I’ve never seen it this bad. It’s like going rogue is contagious and we’re having an outbreak.”
“And yet Mortimer benched me,” Elspeth pointed out with irritation, dropping her garbage bag of possessions on the marble top of the island that took up the center of the kitchen.
“Your lunch?” Alex asked.
“My purse,” she said dryly. “It got destroyed during my accident.”
“Being pushed in front of a moving vehicle is not an accident,” Sam said solemnly. “And you’ve only been benched until you’ve finished healing . . . or maybe until this mess is cleared up,” she added, looking uncertain. “I’m not sure.”
“So, you need a new purse?” Alex asked, moving to her side to open the plastic bag and look inside. Eyes widening, she murmured, “Ooooh. You need a new phone too. And a wallet . . . was that a compact? I’m pretty sure that pink goop was lipstick, and the loose powder looks like . . . blush?”
“Yes, blush,” Elspeth said on a sigh. “I don’t bother with face powder, but will put on a little blush when I’m without blood and a bit pale.”
“Ah.” Alex lifted her face from the bag and grinned. “You need to go shopping.”
“Well, I guess I know what you’re doing today, Wyatt,” Mortimer said almost sympathetically, drawing their attention to the men’s arrival.
Elspeth glanced over her shoulder at them, and then did an about-face to gape at Wyatt. His jacket and the dress shirt he’d been wearing earlier were off and over his arm, leaving him in a tight T-shirt that clung to an extremely muscular chest . . . that presently sported a shoulder holster with two guns, one on either side. He also had a gun strapped to his hip. He too was loaded for bear, but Elspeth was a bit distracted by this glimpse of his chest. He dressed to hide it, but as she’d noted before, the man was in impressive shape.
“Wyatt’s coming with us?” Sam asked with surprise.
Mortimer nodded. “He has some special skills that may come in handy. He was a soldier, and has worked as a bodyguard for the last four years since leaving the army.”
“You have?” Elspeth asked, turning to Wyatt with surprise.
He nodded abruptly, looking uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving.
“So,” Mortimer said, turning away. “I’ll leave you to your shopping and go back to work.”
Elspeth watched him leave with a wry smile. The man seemed more than eager to escape and she couldn’t blame him. With everything else going on, this situation was the last thing Mortimer needed added to his plate. Her mother could be a difficult woman at the best of times, but with one of her children under threat, she was no doubt unbearable.
“Well, where do you want to go shopping?” Sam asked once her husband was gone.
Elspeth considered the question and then said, “I don’t know. I need to hit an Apple store, I guess. I can get a new phone there, and then maybe Walmart? There has to be one between here and the apartment.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose. “I was expecting you to want to go to somewhere a little more . . .”
“She was thinking a designer store,” Sam said with amusement when Alex’s voice trailed off.
“Like I could afford that,” Elspeth said with a snort. “No. Walmart is good.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose, but she shrugged. “Sensible. Nice to know you aren’t blowing the money your parents gave you.”
“What money?” she asked with amusement, and when Alex looked confused, Elspeth explained, “Yes. Mom and Dad have a lot of money. And they have given stocks to my brothers, but my sisters and me . . .” Grimacing, she shrugged. “Mother wouldn’t even consider doing the same for us. We might use it to run away. Not that I mind,” she added quickly. “I can make my own way.”
“So,” Wyatt said into the silence that followed. “Phone or purse first?”
“Walmart is closer,” Sam said at once.
He nodded. “And Mortimer said we would be taking one of the SUVs from here?”
“Yeah. Donny prepped and moved one to the house garage earlier today,” Sam explained.
“Prepped?” Wyatt asked.
“Gassed it up and stuff.” When Wyatt’s eyebrows rose with curiosity, she explained, “The SUVs have UV film on the windows, as well as a blood cooler and weapons chest. Donny made sure the film was in good shape, that the vehicle was full of gas, and that the cooler and chest were stocked.”
“Everything a vampire could need,” Wyatt said wryly, and then grimaced. “Sorry. Immortal.”
“No problem,” Sam said lightly, coming around the island. “Just don’t slip up in front of the old ones. They get testy about it.” Pausing in front of him, she pulled out a set of keys and raised her eyebrows. “I was going to drive, but now that you’ll be with us, I suppose you’d prefer—”
“No. I’m good with you driving,” Wyatt interrupted, waving away the keys.
“Wow. A man who doesn’t have to be at the wheel. Impressive,” Alex teased lightly.
“I haven’t lived in Ontario since I was a teenager. I don’t know where anything is,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, not driving leaves my hands free to handle defense if necessary.”
“All righty, then,” Sam said lightly, turning to lead the way to the door to the garage. “Let’s go.”
“Do you want the front seat, Elspeth?” Alex asked as they followed Sam out into the garage.
“No,” Wyatt said before Elspeth could answer. “The front seat exposes her from two sides, the front and side window. The back only exposes her to the window on her side of the vehicle. She’ll be more protected in the back seat.”
“Oh, I never thought of that,” Alex admitted, her eyes wide.
Wyatt shrugged. “Like Mortimer said, I’m a bodyguard by trade. It’s my job to think of these things.”
“So, you’re the brains on this job,” Sam said with a smile.
Alex raised her eyebrows. “What’s that make us? The muscle?”
“I guess it does,” Sam agreed with amusement.
“Yeah, well, I know it does,” Wyatt assured them with amusement, and when they glanced to him with curiosity, he explained, “Sofia picked up G.G. and carted him around like he was a toddler the other night. If you two are as strong as her, you’re definitely the muscle, and I’m content to be the brains.”
“Wow,” Alex said again. “Doesn’t have to drive, and doesn’t feel his manhood is threatened by being around women stronger than him. I think I’m impressed.”
Elspeth didn’t say so, but she was rather impressed herself. She was quite sure Wyatt wasn’t used to thinking of himself as the physically weaker one in the group. Especially when that group consisted of women . . . but he was handling it well.
“So, exactly how strong do these nanos make you?” Wyatt asked with interest once they were in the SUV and had pulled out of the garage. “Is someone G.G.’s size the limit, or could you pick up two guys his size? Three? Could you pick up a car?”
Elspeth noted the blank look Sam and Alex exchanged in the front seat, and said, “I don’t know. I’ve never tried to pick up two big guys like G.G. Or one, for that matter, let alone a car.”
“Neither have I,” Alex admitted, turning slightly in her seat. “I’ve picked up a stove to move it once, but have never had reason to pick up two or three guys or a car.” Shifting her gaze to her sister, she asked, “Sam?”
Sam shook her head. “The heaviest thing I’ve had to carry was Mortimer once when he got injured. I’m not sure what I can lift.”
“We should test it out sometime,” Alex suggested as the gate began to open.
“Yeah, we should,” Sam agreed, waving at Frances and Russell as she drove through the gates. “How?”
“I don’t know. Maybe hit a gym with weights, pile on a ton, and see if we can lift them,” Alex suggested.