Ahead of them, Giovani was finding humor and excitement in the pursuit. "They've been chasing me for years," he explained to Jack, whose grip on the "oh-shit handle" was so strong, his knuckles were white. "I love it when they get real close and then I rocket away from them. Crazy bitches."
Jack had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he was afraid, if he opened his mouth, the only thing that would come out was a scream, or vomit. Although, he wasn't quite sure that Vampires were even capable of that second one. The faster they went, the closer they got to the other vehicles around them, the more convinced he became that Vampires were just as capable of upchucking as any other creature.
He didn't need to ask questions anyway. Giovani didn't mind chatting while he participated in a high-speed chase. "You see, the older of the two, Laura, she used to date Aaron. He's the Guardian Leader. This was a while back, not long after he first took over. He's one of those micro-manager, total tight-ass types. He wanted everything so-so. But Laura, she's one of those ‘I'm-always-right’ kinds of bitches; you know, can't ever be wrong about anything? Well, word got out pretty quick in our community that, if you got yourself into a situation with the team from LIGHTS, just cause a bit of disruption so that they go at it with each other, and you can sneak out of there pretty easy like." He continued to drive like a maniac, despite the fact that the Charger was shrinking in his rearview mirror. "So, one night I find myself in a bit of a situation. I was with Holland, and we were at a club in NYC. Minding our own business, except for the waitress we were sharing, when LIGHTS shows up. I'd never been in that kind of a predicament before. I was scared shitless. But Holland, knew exactly what to do. She starts screwing around, going one way, then the other, nothing predictable, takes out another human, whatever. The next thing you know, the whole LIGHTS team is arguing about what to do, and we walk out the front door. Not even kidding. Walked right past that Laura bitch. Literally, right past her. Funniest shit you ever saw, man."
Jack was doing his best to follow Giovani's convoluted story, which was even more difficult since he wasn't sure exactly what some of those initials stood for or what he meant by causing disruptions in the team. The only type of team Jack was really familiar with was the kind that played baseball, and clearly Giovani was referring to something else. Though he wasn't any less frightened from Giovani's driving, he managed to ask, "What do you mean, disrupt them?"
"They can communicate through this crazy eye implant they've got. So, if you get them all hung up in talking to each other, it's easier to distract them, throw them off. I think he was giving her orders, and she didn't like it or something. Who the hell knows? But when we walked past her, I'm sure he went apeshit on her. I wish I could have heard that conversation."
"The Guardians have that convo thing, or the Hunters?" Jack asked, realizing this could be vital information.
"Both of them," Giovani replied, slowing down just a bit. He could no longer see the Dodge Charger in his mirror. He wanted to give the ladies a chance to catch up.
"Wow," Jack mumbled, relaxing his grip just a bit. "Can we do that?"
"Sure," Giovani replied. He watched as Jack jumped just a bit, confirmation that he had received the message. He had sent it telepathically, something all Vampires could do. They could communicate with other Vampires by sending messages with their brains. It even worked with some humans, but he had never known it to work with either Guardians or Hunters. Unlike their enemies who relied upon the implanted IAC to copy their natural gift, Vampires were born with this skill, and they utilized it whenever necessary.
"How did you do that?" Jack asked aloud, not sure he liked the idea that he could hear Giovani's thoughts with his brain. What if he accidentally started transmitting his ideas to others without realizing it? He wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea that others could just walk around inside of his head, particularly if there was something he could do to unknowingly grant unlimited access.
"It's telepathy," Giovani replied, shrugging his shoulders. "We're born with it. You can do it, too. You'll figure it out."
Jack realized it didn't seem like a big deal to his new-found brother, and he decided to let it go for now. With everything else that was new to him today, this was just one more thing to add to the list.
"We're almost to my apartment," Giovani said, as traffic around them seemed to thicken up again. They were approaching Omaha, and though the gridlock was nothing compared to LA or even Austin, there were suddenly many more cars and trucks around them than had been previously. "I think those two are long gone," he added, almost as an afterthought.
Laura had slowed down considerably, not because she wasn't as eager as ever to catch up with the bloodsucker she had been trailing for so many years, but because she was hoping that her chances of sneaking up on him would be better if she used the darkness as her companion. She had no way of knowing which Omaha exit he would take, but she planned to speed up as they neared the city limits, hopefully wind her way back around traffic, and get on his tail without him realizing it. As the city began to spring up around them, she accelerated, using her instinct and the training she had received at LIGHTS so many years ago to anticipate the actions and reactions of the humans around her, moving forward without impeding their momentum. If she could see what exit he took, she might be able to get behind him at the off ramp. If nothing else, they would be able to narrow their search. She was aware that Giovani's eyes could naturally cut through the darkness, while she would have to rely on the IAC's night vision. Nevertheless, she should be able to see him more clearly looking forward than he could see her looking in the rearview mirror. And this Jack guy wouldn't be much help, considering he was brand new and probably scared out of his mind.
