The Vault (A Farm Novel) Read Free Page B

passenger seat. It’s nearly as large as a wolf, but fluffier. Chuy, Carter had called him. The dog of a friend.
    I reach past the dog and open the passenger-side door. “Get out,” I tell him.
    The dog just stares at me, his thick black tongue lolling out of his mouth.
    “Get out,” I say again. I move to give him a push, but he just nuzzles my arm. “I don’t like dogs.”
    He looks up at me from under his eyebrows and makes a little whining noise—like he wants to stay with me. Like he’s begging to do it. This is why I don’t like dogs. I have trouble believing the truthfulness of anyone who claims to want my company.
    But even when I give the dog a shove, he just shifts his weight and then settles back into the seat. Finally, I snarl, “Fine.” I turn my attention back to the car. I start the engine and shift into drive before pushing my foot on the gas hard enough that the car lurches forward, momentum shutting the door on Chuy’s side of the car. Beside me, Chuy lowers his chin to his paws and lies down.
    Carter has plenty of options left to choose from and I’ve seen him hot-wire cars before. He’ll be fine. Worst-case scenario, he has to stay at Genexome until I can return with Sebastian. That wouldn’t be a bad thing.

CHAPTER THREE
    CARTER
    Moving a lot slower than Mel’s vampire sprint, I followed her out to the Genexome parking lot, only to realize she’d stolen my ride. Which shouldn’t have surprised me. My suggestion that she bite Lily and turn her into a vampire had freaked her out. Hell, it freaked me out.
    As plan C’s went, it was crap, but it was all I had. I just hoped to God I wouldn’t have to use it.
    Maybe, just maybe, plan B would be enough to save our asses. Plan B started with me going back to San Angelo, where a large chunk of the rebellion was trying to wrestle control of one of the Farms.
    Hopefully, from the Farm in San Angelo, I could figure out where Lily’s dad had taken her. I knew they’d been headed to a nearby Farm, but I didn’t know which one. But the Farms had ways to communicate, and hopefully, once I reached San Angelo, I’d be able to figure out where the helicopter had gone. Once I knew where Lily was, I’d need to go get the cure from Sabrina. As much as I didn’t want to drag anyone else into this mess, I wasn’t stupid. I couldn’t take on Sabrina all by myself. Not when Lily’s fate and the fate of all humanity rested on my success. I needed backup.
    I looked around, cursing. In the Before, Genexome had been a sizable company—not huge, but certainly one of the major employers in this South Texas town. Unfortunately, it was one of the epicenters of the outbreak. The company, the grounds, the town, had all been hit hard by the Ticks. The upside was there were a lot of cars left in the lot.
    Yeah, I know that sounds callous as hell, but once you’ve seen what I’ve seen, and done what I’ve done, you can’t think about the people who are already gone. There’s only enough room in your head to worry about the people who are still here. The people you can still save.
    When I looked out at the parking lot, I didn’t let myself think about the people who’d driven those cars. Instead it was: What can I hot-wire? What will have gas? What will get me to San Angelo? Fast.
    At the far end of the parking lot was a long building so low to the ground I’d almost missed it. In this barren part of Texas, the featureless horizon and the dust have a way of messing with your perception. But that building, it almost looked like an airplane hangar. Or a private garage. Exactly the kind of place an eccentric vampire would store his collection of sports cars.
    True, I didn’t know whether or not Sebastian had a collection of sports cars, but if I was rich as hell and couldn’t die, that’s how I’d spend my money.
    I took off at a jog toward the hangar, glancing at my watch as I did. Fifteen minutes and a couple of miles later, I stopped, panting, in front