“I need your help.” Shel hated asking but if anyone could help him find Lucy, it was DeLong.
“Leech.” Disgust and exasperation colored DeLong’s voice. “I told you I’d get back to you when I…”
“He’s got her, DeLong. Sergei has Lucy.” Shel heard the Werewolf moving.
“Shit. When? What the hell happened?”
“Last night. About an hour after sundown.” Things went very still on the other end of the line.
“Last night. And you’re just now calling for help?”
Shel heard the accusation in the Werewolf’s question. “They shot me. I just came back.”
“Shot you. Sergei, a Helsing, had his men, also Helsings, shoot you but they didn’t kill you? They’ve been hunting you bloodsuckers for years, they’d never let you live when they had the upper hand.”
“Sergei doesn’t know I’m a Vampire. Yet. Now are you going to help me or not?” The silence stretched out and Shel knew the wolf was thinking through all possible scenarios. Finally, he heard a sigh so light human ears couldn’t have detected it.
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can find out. When will you be here?”
“I should be there in a few hours. And bring vests.”
“Right.” DeLong hung up. Shel pressed the end button and tossed the phone into the drawer by the wheel. He’d done all he could for the moment.
* * * *
By the time Shel showered and cleaned up the yacht darkness had fallen. Lucy had been with Sergei nearly twenty-four hours. Shel stepped out onto the deck. He gazed at the fast approaching line of city lights on the horizon. He analyzed his feelings. Shel remembered the night he told Lucy exactly what kind of monster he was. Lucy responded by loving him anyway. If that wasn’t true love, it was still close enough for him.
Shel thought about his life up to that point, all the betrayals, the lies, and the danger. If she was still alive, Shel would get Lucy back, he would see to it that she was safe, make sure she wanted for nothing, and he would slip out of her life forever. Then he’d track down Madeline and kill her. If that meant he had to remain a Vampire forever, then so be it. Lucy was the all that mattered now. If Lucy were dead, well then, the Helsing would see what a Vampire really could do. With cold resolve, Shel turned and went to the wheel. He sat down and disengaged the autopilot.
* * * *
DeLong stood under a dock light, hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched. A duffle bag sat on the weathered boards next to DeLong’s sandal clad feet. Shel let the boat slide into the space, bumping softly against the dock. He turned off the engine. It took seconds to tie up, and then Shel was on the dock. DeLong straightened and pushed away from the light pole as Shel approached.
“They aren’t in the city.” DeLong pulled a slip of paper from his shirt pocket. Shel winced at the ill-fitting clothes, a bright oversized Hawaiian shirt and loose tan board shorts the Werewolf wore.
“Real inconspicuous Spot.” He gestured at the red hibiscus flowers scattered over the blue shirt then took the paper from DeLong. Shel unfolded it and looked at the crude map drawn there.
“I’ll tell my valet you disapprove. What’s the plan?”
“Sergei’s had her twenty-four hours.” Shel’s voice cracked. “The plan is kill the son of a bitch.”
Chapter Ten: Little Miss Fortune
Lucy slumped in the corner of the room they put her in, limp as a rag doll. Sergei and his men had gone for the night. She ached everywhere. Her ears still rang from the slaps. They wanted the key that had been hidden in the doll. It was still where she’d put it or she’d already be dead. Lucy had no illusions they weren’t going to kill her.
A small plastic tray holding a paper plate with food that actually smelled pretty good and a plastic cup of what looked like tea sat on the floor a few feet away. With grim determination, she pushed herself closer to the food. Slowly she began to eat. Lucy would need her strength to get out of this place.
Lucy sipped the tea. It was overly sweet and tepid but she drank it. The wetness soothed her dry throat. The meat appeared to be roast beef. She took a bite even though it was difficult to chew with her bruised jaw and her split lip stung. The mashed potatoes and bread were easier.
When Lucy finished she pushed herself up off the floor. She glanced around. The room was empty except for a few blankets in the corner. Lucy ignored the bare bulb in the fixture, she couldn’t reach it. The curtain rod, on the other hand, might be useful. Lucy spent several minutes working until it came down. A quick glance out the window told Lucy that route would be a bad idea. She was on the second floor and the window was wired for an alarm system. Lucy’s gaze fell on the bedding again. It called to her. They had not let her sleep as part of their effort to make her tell them where the key was.
Lucy gave herself a shake. You can’t sleep. No one is coming to rescue you. She needed out of there. Once she had gotten away, she could find a phone and call the police. Then she could sleep. Lucy reached up to run her fingers through her hair. Lucy froze. A slow smile crept across her face as she pulled the hairpin from her hair.
* * * *
Shel let the mugger fall to the ground. In the morning, someone would find the body. He felt the strength returning to him. DeLong picked his teeth with a claw. Without a word, they headed into the trees. He’d like to see the faces of the police when they tried to figure that scene out.
As if he could read Shel’s mind, DeLong looked over and grinned. “I love muggers. I just can’t eat a whole one by myself.”
Shel snorted. He was grateful for the Werewolf’s banter. DeLong seemed to sense sympathy would destroy the fragile hold Shel had on his emotions. “If you’re through playing around let’s go get my girlfriend back.”
“My car is over there.” DeLong waved a huge paw-like hand. The Werewolf dug in the pocket of the shorts and pulled out a key fob. With the press of a button, the headlights flashed on a red minivan.
“A minivan?” Shel followed DeLong to the vehicle.
“The Porsche is in the shop. Deal with it.”
Shel refrained from comment. He didn’t care what they drove to Sergei’s swamp cabin in as long as they got there fast. He climbed in and something squeaked as he sat. Shel reached under himself and found a small stuffed weasel. He looked at DeLong, eyebrows raised.
“Hey, we’ve been looking for that. They youngest won’t go to sleep without it.”
“I didn’t know you were married.” Shel put the toy in the seat behind DeLong.
“Twenty years next month. Six kids.”
Shel was silent for several miles. “You don’t need to…”
“Yeah, I do. What kind of future do they have with Sergei out there?” DeLong cut him off.
They spent the rest of the drive in silence.
* * * *
Lucy wiggled the bobby pin in the door’s lock until she heard it click. She waited a moment to see if anyone heard the little noise. When no one came to check, Lucy slipped the pin back in her hair. She took one more look around the room then slipped out the door into a deserted hallway.
As quietly as possible, she ran down the hall to the stairs. Carefully Lucy hugged the wall and prayed none of the steps creaked as she tiptoed down to the ground floor. She paused in the shadows a few steps from the bottom. Lucy could see another hall with a lighted room at the end and an outside door a few yards away through what looked like a mudroom.
Outside she’d have to deal with guards, possibly dogs, and once she made it to the woods, Lucy was sure there would be alligators and snakes. Lucy hefted the half of the curtain rod she’d liberated. If they were going to kill her, it would be on her terms and she’d go down fighting.
Lucy took a deep breath and made a dash for the door. She reached it without being seen and unlocked the deadbolt securing it. Lucy jerked it open and scanned the area then ran for the side of the house where she could see cars. If her luck held one would have the keys still in it.
She crouc
hed between two cars and reached for the door handle of one. Something made Lucy hesitate before she touched it. What if it has an alarm? She started to bite her lip and winced, she’d forgotten the cut on her lip. No, better to just get away and hope for the best once she got past the fence. Careful to stay in the shadows Lucy made her way to the gate.
The guard appeared to be dozing but Lucy couldn’t be certain. A small bush gave her partial cover. She got ready to use the curtain rod weapon. Suddenly the man stood and she could see headlights coming down the road on the other side of the gate. Lucy shrank back, making herself as small as she could and willing whoever was in the car not to see her.
* * * *
They left the van hidden in the overgrowth on an abandoned driveway and walked to the edge of Sergei’s property. The fence was at least ten feet high. DeLong swore. Shel examined the metal mesh topped with razor wire.
“You think this is live?” DeLong asked.
Shel glanced at DeLong. “If anything happens to me get Lucy out of here. Take her to get the book.”
“What good will that do?” DeLong tossed a small branch at the chain link fence. Nothing happened. He looked back at Shel, puzzled.
“Lucy can use the book.” Shel gave DeLong a grim smile.
The Werewolf gaped at him.
“Let’s go.” Shel stepped up to the fence and caught hold of it. With a movement almost too fast to see, he ripped a hole wide enough for them to slip through.
* * * *
The gate closed behind the car before Lucy could figure out a way through without being seen. She watched the car continue up the drive toward the house while the gate rolled closed. Frustration brought tears to her eyes. They’d discover her gone soon if they hadn’t already. She needed to get through that gate.
Lucy was fresh out of ideas. She got ready to try her luck at another place along the fence. The guardhouse door opened with a squeak. Lucy froze. Maybe her luck had changed for the better. The guard stepped out and began unfastening his pants. Lucy didn’t waste time; she stood and raised the curtain rod, bringing it down on the guard’s head. He dropped without a sound.
Quickly Lucy went inside the tiny booth and pressed the button that opened the gate. It began rolling back. She ran through as soon as it was wide enough. As Lucy ran down the drive toward the road, she hoped she hadn’t killed the guard.
Chapter Eleven: Without You
Halfway across the lawn, floodlights came on and men poured out of the house. “Party time,” DeLong muttered.
“Sergei is mine.” Shel flexed his fingers, stretching them, getting ready for the fight ahead.
“Sure, unless I see him first. You don’t want to know what he did to old Zeke.” DeLong veered toward the back of the house and the men spreading out there.
Shel nodded. Fair enough. He headed for the front. He counted four men, all with guns. He wondered how many of Sergei’s men had actually seen a Vampire or a Werewolf, much less confronted an angry one. Screams sounded from the direction DeLong had gone. Shel smiled, showing his teeth.
The man closest had time to raise his gun before Shel snatched it from his hand, breaking the man’s fingers in the process. He turned it on the others and fired. Two went down, the scent of their blood filling the air like cloying perfume. The third dove for cover. The man he’d disarmed charged Shel. He sidestepped and shot the man.
The front door was closed. Shel kicked it in to find two more men. He smiled, letting them see his teeth. One fainted, the other turned and ran. Shel continued into the house. The place was an older open plan house. It would make finding Lucy easier. He tested the air. Her scent was faint but there. He followed it deeper into the place.
* * * *
Lucy heard the distant popping and stopped running to listen and catch her breath. She realized it must be gunfire. They had discovered her gone. Adrenaline rushed through her. Lucy ran again. She could see lights ahead. She hoped it was an all-night store or gas station.
When Lucy got to the place, she found a rundown little convenience store with a couple gas pumps. The stitch in her side doubled her over. Lucy gasped for air, trying not to black out. Hands on Lucy’s arms pulled her toward the store. Someone eased her into a plastic lawn chair and someone else pushed a bottle of water into her hand.
“What de hell happen to you, girl?” Lucy couldn’t place the accent right away. I must look awful. Lucy looked into the dark eyes of a nice looking man with the longest dreads she’d ever seen.
“Kidnapped,” she managed to get out in between gasps. “Off the boat.”
The man frowned. “Who?”
“Russian…” She stopped at the man’s raised hand.
He turned to someone in the small crowd around her. “Call de police.”
* * * *
The office was as cluttered as the one in Sergei’s Miami house. The Russian stood behind an ornate desk.
“Where is she?” Shel asked, his voice cold and quiet.
Sergei sneered. “Dead. As you will be in a moment.”
Shel froze for a heartbeat. He’d known going in Lucy was probably dead. Still, to hear Sergei say it shook Shel more than he thought it would. He narrowed his eyes in pain, he would mourn later. After he killed Sergei. In Shel’s peripheral vision, Shel saw movement. He turned enough to see another man and a woman. Madeline. Shel’s vision went red.
The man with Madeline stepped in front of her and leveled his gun. Shel grabbed the man’s hand, twisting until he felt bones snapping. Shel jerked the man toward him, opening his mouth to bite. Movement from the desk stopped him. Shel turned, pulling his victim in front of him.
White faced and eyes wide with fear, Sergei fired. The man jerked with the impact of the bullets. Shel raised the gun he held, returning fire. Sergei lunged to one side clutching his shoulder. Shel pushed the dead man away. Following the movement, he aimed and squeezed the trigger. With an incoherent scream of rage, Madeline’s arms snaked around him. Shel’s shot went wild, missing Sergei. Madeline dug her dagger-like nails into Shel’s arm. Pain seared his shoulder.
He tried to shake her off. Madeline clawed at Shel’s neck, trying to tear out his throat. The impact of Madeline’s attack pushed Shel against the desk. Shel tripped on her dead companion fending off Madeline’s hand. With a desperate shove backward, Shel slammed her into the wall. Madeline’s grip loosened for an instant. Shel wrenched free, her nails ripping through fabric and flesh. He backhanded her and Madeline fell back, stunned.
Shel stumbled around the desk. Sergei cowered in a corner holding his gun on Shel with a shaking hand. Shel gave his wounded shoulder a glance, touching the blood. He brought his bloody fingers to his lips and licked them, then spat. Sergei fired. Shel hardly noticed the bullets hitting the vest he wore. He caught Sergei’s shirt collar and dragged the screaming man up off the floor.
“I told you I’d drink your blood.” Shel bit.
When Sergei stopped struggling Shel let the dead Helsing fall to the floor. He turned. Madeline was nowhere to be seen. Shel felt hollow. She had won again. Shel stood motionless for what seemed like forever, numb to everything.
Lucy was somewhere in the house, probably only a few feet away but Shel didn’t want to see her. He wanted to remember Lucy as she had been in his arms. An image of Lucy on the beach floated, watery before Shel’s eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut as the cold empty pain of grief filled him. Somehow, Shel forced his eyes open again. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were supposed to be together forever.
A soft sound filled Shel’s ears, like something unable to draw in enough air. He turned to go, leaving, moving on although he had no clue how to get through the rest of his life. When Shel stepped outside, the breeze chilled his face and Shel realized he was crying. In the distance, he saw the flash of blue, red and white lights, police and emergency vehicles. Shel wondered who had called them.
Then they were swarming over Shel, police rushing past, paramedics making him sit on a gurne
y while they cut his shirt off to get to the wounds on his shoulder and back. One apologized for causing Shel pain but he didn’t feel anything. “Shock,” the other said and tried to make Shel lie down. He didn’t move, staring at the house unblinking until a wall of red and blue and tan blocked it from view.
“Where’s Lucy?” the deep bass voice asked and Shel looked up into the face of DeLong. Shel opened his mouth to explain but the realization Lucy was gone stole his breath. His heart cracked. Shel would never be free of the curse. The world tilted in slow motion then hands were on him holding him steady. Shel fisted his hands in the cool impersonal white sheet beneath him, squeezing his eyes shut against the world.
Chapter Twelve: I Can See Clearly Now
Lucy stepped out of the taxi in front of the Bait and Switch Charter Boat Company. The closed sign still hung in the window. The door had been nailed shut with a board across it. Lucy glanced at the taxi as it pulled away. With a soft exhalation, she started toward the dock. When Lucy had asked the police had told her Sheldon’s boat had been brought in and moored in its slip at the marina.
Lucy expected to feel something when she saw the old yacht, but the intenseness of the pain surprised her. For a moment, Lucy thought the figure she saw on deck was Shel. She blinked and realized the person was too big to be Shel. With a frown, Lucy picked up her pace. Well, whoever they are they can get off that boat right now.
The man on the deck blinked at her and smiled. Lucy recognized Shel’s Werewolf friend. “Well. Glad to see you’re not dead.”
“I got away.” Lucy walked up the gangplank.
“Obviously. And I’d love to hear all about it one day. But right now I think you need to go tell him.”
“They said… I thought…” Lucy broke off, confusion mingled with hope.
“They lie. A lot. If he asks I’ll be back later, now go.” DeLong pushed himself out of the deck chair that was almost too small for him and started for the dock.
Lucy stopped the Werewolf, touching his arm. DeLong gave her hand a pat, sniffed, grinned, and pointed toward the darkened entrance into the salon. She nodded and went.
Vampire's Dilemma Page 6