And far too many people we’d endanger if we did stop or disappear. Hell, my vanishing for three days was enough of a risk. I was just hoping Rinaldo—the vampire who was blackmailing us for any and all information on the Crimson Death virus, or red cloak virus, as it was more commonly known—would put our recent lack of action down to injury recovery.

Of course, both he and everyone else currently tailing us also wouldn’t have minded our finding the missing scientists who’d been working on a cure for the virus. Unfortunately, they’d been purposefully infected, brought under the control of the red cloak hive “queen,” and, right now, were who knows where, working on god knows what.

What we did know was that the infected generally fell into two categories—those who became crazy pseudo vampires leashed by the will of the “queen,” and the ones who, while they also gained vampirelike abilities, kept all mental facilities even though they were still bound to the hive and its leader. No one really understood why the virus affected some more than others, although the powers that be suspected it very much depended on which lot infected you. The scientists were apparently in this category—no surprise given the hive queen had wanted them working on the cure as much as the rest of us.

Of course, there was a third category, involving people like Sam who, though infected, had no attachment to the hive and did not fall under the will of its leader.

“What about Rinaldo?” Rory asked.

“Jackson’s been making the required nightly call.” I shrugged. “Hopefully, it’ll keep him off our backs.”

“If he’s as old as you suspect, then it probably won’t,” Rory said. The more he talked, the scratchier his voice became. “Those bastards see things in rather simple terms—that is, things they want, people they can use to get those things, and people who are in their way.”

We were currently sitting in that middle group with Rinaldo. I did not want to step into the latter group.

I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Rory was struggling to keep his eyes open. “Don’t fight it; your body needs the rest.”

“You can’t carry me in, and the last thing we need is you breaking your back and having us both immobile.”

I grinned. “Your ass may be heavy, but I’ve carried it before and I can do so again. Stop being an idiot, and let your body do what it needs to.”