“A house. It looks abandoned.”
“Is there a mailbox? Look for the address. It might be on the front of the house.”
I could hear Danny talking as the phone dropped to the ground. Didn’t want to risk losing the connection. The paint was so weathered I couldn’t tell if it had really been orange or if it was some deeper color that had faded from so many years of sun damage. Vine growth and random bushes had taken over most of the porch. They partially covered the windows too, but it looked like they’d been torn away from the door. Probably kids using it as a hangout. That also meant I couldn’t be too far from civilization.
My hands ran eagerly across the sides of the door, fighting vines that fought back, wound so tightly into the wood they didn’t want to let go. I held my breath in hopes I wouldn’t have to walk the long road in search of a mailbox that might not be there.
My luck was crap. The house didn’t have any numbers. Walking past the dirt pile cradling the phone, I could hear Danny’s voice again. It seemed too hard to bend over and pick it up, so I succumbed to yelling, “Mailbox!”
Slowly I made the trek to the end of the driveway. Contrary to my luck, the driveway was short and led to a street sign and an address on a rusty, busted mailbox that had not been so lucky. Cause of death: baseball bat.
The driveway wasn’t as long as the traditional country farmhouse in the middle of Death County, but it still took a while to get back to the phone. I felt so tired it was almost unbearable to speak full sentences. Wasted too much energy.
“‘M’ back.” I sat down and leaned against the side of the porch, lounging in the bushes that felt like the comforts of a five-star hotel.
“Address?”
“Five eighty-three Mitchell Carriage Rd., Highway something east.”
“That’s not far from our neck of the woods, actually. How bad are you hurt?”
“Could be worse. Could be dead.”
A very good rule to live by is to never admit how close to death you’ve come when you aren’t totally sure you’re still alive.
“I’m leaving right now.”
“Won’t scamper off.” I hung up and let the tiny phone slide to the ground.
Small tears streaked my puffy, deformed face. I did need help. Lots of it. But I couldn’t help but wonder how Danny had gotten involved and whose side he was on.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I woke from my short nap in front of the tattered house right as the sun fell, filling the sky with the illusion of fire. I watched, blurry-eyed, as oranges, reds, and blues co-mingled to form one creature until each blazing color faded sluggishly, dying, only to be reborn tomorrow. The air was light and moist. Another freakishly warm spring day was ending. I wished it meant a pleasant evening would take its place. It would have been nice to be sitting on my small patio, relaxing with the knowledge that I was home and safe. But I wasn’t.
It didn’t help that I was being stared at by two men.
Looking left to right a few times to clear my vision, I blinked rapidly and settled on the figures squatting in front of me. “Danny?”
“You recognize me. That’s gotta be a good thing. This is Edmont.” He jabbed the air with his thumb in the man’s direction.
Edmont was in his mid-thirties with short, mouse-blond hair. His nice pants were getting mud stains on the knees and his white shirt had seen cleaner days.
“You didn’t have to dress for the occasion.” My throat felt hoarse.
“You look atrocious,” he retorted.
“Really? I feel like Miss America.” The sarcasm made him blush.
Danny backhanded Edmont’s shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you? She had a run-in with the Mass and managed to stay in one piece.” Looking at me, he added, “You’re allowed to look like shit.”
“I’m sorry.” Edmont was truly ashamed of himself.
“So I’m not winning a crown or Porsche. What about a runner-up sash?” I looked at Danny. When he shook his head, I said, “Fine. Help me up so we can get outta here.”
Trying to be gentle, Danny allowed me to grab his arms as leverage and pull myself up. He winced as he scanned the entirety of the damage.
Edmont’s hands stopped fiddling over my back. I’d never seen anyone who wasn’t a vampire turn that pale so quickly. “You’re luckier than I thought,” he said, stricken with fear.
“My body doesn’t feel lucky.”
Walking to the truck, which bore an exact resemblance to the one that pulled up at my house during the fight, Danny chimed in, “It should. It’s a good thing the Cypher is tougher than ordinary humans, or you’d a been burnt toast in the trash hours ago.” He motioned for Edmont to squeeze into the tight utility seat behind the cab, leaving me with the spacious passenger seat. “You have some real nasty injuries, but they’ll heal much faster than you can ever imagine.” He handed me a clean car chamois and sounded apologetic. “This’ all I got.”
“It’ll work.” I held the cloth to my left ribs to slow the bleeding, plus to keep the slaughtered-lamb motif to a minimum on the tan upholstery.
Once everyone was belted in and the roar of the engine signaled the end of my immediate ordeal, I was finally able to ask, “How did you know?”
Staring ahead, he talked into the darkness as he drove. “About what? Your lies, the Mass, that you’re alive, or that you could use some help?” The vocabulary was harsh, but not his intention.
“Uh...yeah.” I wanted to be suspicious of Danny, cautious, from the moment he’d conveniently called. But this was the man I saw every day since I had moved to Mission. When I thought of my life, Two Cents was a large part of it. Danny’s tender smile when he said hello or goodbye always made me feel like someone cared, like it would matter in his world if I vanished one day. Apparently, it really did. I never imagined he’d come looking for me, though.
His voice filled the cab. “I know your life is tumultuous right now, and what I’m going to tell you will likely make you feel worse, but you gotta know I think of you like a baby sister.” Danny took an extra second to scan me with his peripheral vision. “A troublesome one.” Through a smile, he continued. “I knew you and Gabriel might need help back at your house because that vamp don’t scratch himself without calling it in to someone. I knew to look for you just now because you’re too stubborn to die this easy. And I know about the vampires and who you are to them because I work for ‘em, too.”
I took a deep breath and nodded for him to continue. Every bit of information was pertinent to my life right now.
Eyes on the road again, he confessed, “I’m your guardian. Have been since you came to town and started frequenting my place. The elders already knew I had ties with their kind.” When I turned inquisitively, he shook his head. “All personal. Nothing concerning you.”
“They chose you as my guardian?”
“It seems you chose me—or Two Cents, rather. Package deal.”
Edmont leaned forward from the back, interested. I tried to ignore his head poking between Danny and me as I asked, “What exactly is a guardian?”
“The job doesn’t come with a set of wings. I just keep an eye out, make sure no one’s giving you trouble and that you stay alive. An easy paycheck ‘til the other day.”
“So you’re paid to keep an eye on me for the Members?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t liked you from the go. There was no do or die. I had a choice. You seemed like a sweet girl—lonely, but genuine. And you made it real easy to stay out of your way.”
“I think I’m okay with this. I think.” Was I? I guess I had to be.
His hands loosened on the steering wheel. “Good. I was hoping it wouldn’t upset you.”
“You kept an eye out for trouble, minded your own business otherwise, and saved me. I can live with that. Literally.”
“I’ve always minded my own business...other than that one time.”
“What time?” Men always bitch about how complicated w
omen are. Honestly, they’re the ones who put up all the hurdles, and I think they enjoy it.
“You’ve looked really down lately and I knew someone who had, coincidentally, run into you and found you curious.” My eyes narrowed, but he ignored it. “So I invited him down to the bar for a proper introduction.”
“You set me up with Seth?”
“I just nudged both of you in the same direction. You’ve been more than just lonely lately. You were drifting. Don’t blame you. Anyone can lose her mind spending too much time with Gabriel Vertiline. His company’s for shit.”
“Why do you think that?” Danny liked everybody. Or so I thought.
“He was an enforcer for a long time after they turned him. For years he imposed the will of the Members on unwilling vamps by force. Entombment, fire, and the sun were his preferred methods. You know him to be a docile right-hand man, but his name’s almost as notorious as the Mass. Took him quite a while to earn respect instead of fear.”
“I had no idea.”
“The way he wants it, I’m sure.”
I shrugged. “I doubt he’d care if I knew.”
“Then you are naďve, sis.”
Painfully shifting my weight forward, I asked, “Excuse me?”
“It’s easy to see you’re the switch that lights his bulb.”
“Thank you for those beautiful words of wisdom, but I doubt I’m the one who flips his flapjacks. I’m just a girl in his big, bad immortal world. He doesn’t have real time for me if it doesn’t involve his career. There’s no commitment ring on my finger.”
Edmont, whom I almost forgot about, interjected, “Vampires have been known to die for mere humans who never returned an ounce of commitment. They do it because that’s part of what they are. People usually want something in return or a guarantee before offering someone their loyalty. Gabriel has made a commitment to you, whether you acknowledge it or not.”
Partially shocked by the depth of Edmont’s observation, I couldn’t help being a little snippy. “Is that all, Yoda, or do you have stock market advice, too?”
“You’re just lucky it’s Gabriel and not his brother, Gideon.”
Danny said, “That’s enough,” harsher than I’d ever heard him speak. Lighter, he noted, “We’re here.”
As he turned off the truck, I asked, “Gabriel has a brother?”
Before hopping out, he gripped the door handle and turned his face to mine. “Sometimes eternity changes people. The vampires they become don’t necessarily reflect the people they once were. That’s all I’m comfortable saying. If you see Gideon, you go the other way, girl. And fast.” He was so serious I was compelled to obey with a nod. “Good. Your ride’s here.” Danny chuckled. “This is only the second time I didn’t mind my own business.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Seth was sitting on the hood of an old white Mazda. He was wearing a brown shirt with crazy colors splattered across the front, classic blue jeans, and a pair of rugged brown work boots. He sat alone, waiting in the darkness at the end of someone’s gravel driveway. I wanted to run over, scoop him up, and cover him in a thousand apologies for what happened. Instead, Danny helped me down from the cab, and I watched Seth’s smile falter as I scuffled his way. Once I was standing in front of him, Danny walked back to his truck to give us some privacy.
“You’re not dead.”
“Nope.”
“And you keep gettin’ prettier every time I see you.”
I was going to laugh, but he swept me into a bear hug. I settled on closing my eyes, burrowing my head into the notch of his shoulder, and breathing in his scent: that indescribable stream that could only exist in a universe with unicorns and effervescent fairies. Without moving my head, I muttered, “Danny is the smartest man I know.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Are you okay?” I had pulled away as much as his arms would allow. Staring at the ground seemed the safest hideaway from his scrutiny. “From the other night, I mean.”
“Oh, that? Pish. An occasional abduction and soul-jacking does a body good. Better than drinking vitamin-enriched blood every day.”
Even the smart-assed smile on Seth’s face made the whole situation lighter. My line of vision shifted. It felt better to stare at his stubbly face, but I was trying to have a serious conversation. I had to know he was really okay, that he hadn’t been hurt just for knowing me.
“Are you really fine?”
“Well,” he said thoughtfully, “I think one of the guards touched me inappropriately the other night.” He looked left and right theatrically, adding, “but I may have made the first move.” Taking a step back, he looked me over. “How do you feel?”
“So far, the vacation from my life has taken a dark turn.”
“You should always read the pamphlets and hire a good travel agent first.”
“I will next time.”
“Next time I’ll plan the trip.” There were unsaid things behind his eyes. Unsaid, not indecipherable.
“I’ll remember that.” The sentence ended abruptly when blood spouted from my side. The rag from Danny was so full of blood it resembled a huge tick. My shirt stuck to my side like it was part of my damaged skin.
Seth reached for a towel in his car and exchanged it for the bloody one. Adjusting the new bandage, I couldn’t help but notice that, while Seth held the rag away from himself, he inhaled deeply when the breeze shifted. He stopped when our eyes met.
Curiosity struck me. “What does it smell like?”
“Wildflowers.” He grinned when he realized I wasn’t disgusted.
Seth had the ability to lift my heart up, and with it, the weight that usually held it down. I knew I’d enjoyed our time together before the death threats, but I chalked it up to doing something different after so long of everything being the same. But it wasn’t just spontaneity—it was specifically Seth.
Clearly I was going to be that girl, the one who picks up a date at a train wreck, even if I’m the wreck. And all I could do was smile like an idiot.
I fought back tears. The recent activities had finally risen to the surface. The house fire, abduction, beating—which could easily have turned into my murder, I’d like to add—my sister’s ruthless abandonment, Seth’s kidnapping, and so many countless smaller things. Yeah, I didn’t really need to throw in the smaller things. The tears weren’t falling, but they were waiting. Hovering, to be more accurate.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Seth, and I’m really glad to see you. More than you realize.” I felt like I was jumping out of a cake smeared in frosting. He probably didn’t take it the same way I meant it, but I couldn’t stop from breaking into a slight nervous sweat.
“Are you asking me to go steady?”
I caught myself smiling ever so slightly, washing away the pressure of tears. “You’re such an ass.”
“So that’s the attraction, huh? I’ll settle for a date.”
Danny cleared his throat loudly. Without closing the distance, he said, “We all need to get out of here. Finish your conversation in the car. On your way to nowhere, for all I’m concerned.”
“Thanks, Danny.” I tried to give him my best bloody smile.
“I’ll see you when this blows over.” Getting into his truck, he added, “And it will.” Edmont got in too, and they were gone before the roar of the engine died from the night.
To Seth, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“A safe place. A place like no other.”
He chivalrously helped me change shirts, but I assured him I could do the rest myself. After putting on a baby blue shirt and loose, washed out jeans, Seth and I got in the car. So we were on our way to a place like no other.
Little did I know he meant it.
Rolling through the darkness, I said, “Do the Members know what happened?”
“I heard you and a few others had a drastic misunderstanding in your front yard, in plain view of the public. I’m sure the Members know something went horribly wrong.”
/>
“Why don’t we just go straight to them, then?”
“Right now, after everything, would you trust them to be able to stop what’s happening?”
“Maybe.” I shifted in the gray seat, dooming my body to a wave of pain and nausea.
“Maybe not.”
“Agreed. What about Gabriel? Has anyone heard from him?” I tried not to sound like every bit of will was in overdrive hoping he wasn’t scraped off my front lawn into a baggie. I tried to act like whatever answer Seth gave would provoke the same nonchalant, “Oh.”
“No one’s heard from him.” He offered nothing more. I noticed his hands tighten, practically strangling the steering wheel.
Danny’s voice echoed through my head, saying, “That vamp doesn’t scratch himself without calling it in...”
“We need to find him.” The alarm was bare in my voice.
“Would you be so worried if I was the one missing?” His tone clearly told me he thought he knew the answer and didn’t like it.
I held the towel as I shifted to face him. The blood flow had slowed considerably, though the pain was still obscene. He winced for me, obviously opposed to the movement.
“Gabriel means something to me. I don’t know why, but the bastard gets to me. I can’t help it, and I shouldn’t have to hide it. I’ve known Gabriel a lot longer than you.”
“Thank you. That was comforting.”
“Shut up and listen.”
He did.
“I’ve known him for a number of years, and it’s taken that long to just now break through to the next level. I’ve known you for a number of hours, but we skipped all the levels from the moment I saw you.”
Trying not to be too pleased, he pointed out, “You didn’t like me when we first met.”
“I liked you too much, which is why I didn’t like you.” He smiled, then, which made me add, “And because you’re such a jackass, and that never translates well the first time around.”
He laughed, but soberly added, “He likes you, too. Everyone knows it. That’s why they stay away from you.”
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