by Lolah Lace
“What are you trying to imply?”
“Look lady we’re not trying to imply anything we are just asking questions. That’s our job. It’s in your best interest to cooperate.” Max growled.
“I am cooperating.”
The tension was heavy. Ryan wasn’t sure what made Max jump down the ladies throat but he had to put a stop to it. “Well ma’am, that’s it for now. Thank you for your cooperation. If we have any more questions we’ll contact you.”
Max was staring at Patricia and it was clear she was becoming uncomfortable.
“So I can go now?” Patricia asked.
“Yes of course ma’am.”
“I’m sure we’ll contact you later.” Max added.
“Sure whatever.” Patricia mumbled as she hurried from the office.
“Have a good day.” Max suddenly belted out while gawking at Patricia’s backside.
Ryan waited for the teacher to be out of earshot. “Dude what the hell was that?”
Max squinted his eyes at Ryan. “There’s something fishy with her.”
“Fishy? What the hell are you talking about?”
“I don’t trust her. I can spot a liar. Something was off about her.”
“Dude seriously, you’re weirding me out. Maybe she was just really attractive.”
“Yeah so?”
“You haven’t really paid any attention to a woman since the whole Scarlet Buckley incident.”
“Yeah so.”
“Maybe you’re just afraid to move on and have feelings for someone else.”
“I bet it took you a hell of a long time to come up with that dumbass Dr. Phil bullshit.”
“Bro, I’m just saying. It’s okay to move on.”
“Shut the fuck up. Where the hell is this dorky Principal?”
“Max I understand you were really digging her.”
“Who?”
“Scarlet, she was a nice girl but she’s a vamp now.”
“She could be dead. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Well.” Ryan tilted his head. He agreed because the truth was they really didn’t know if she took the easy way out or ended her life.
“I would appreciate it if you would stop bringing her up. I really don’t want to talk about Scarlet Buckley today, yesterday or fucking ever.”
Once the brief interrogation was over Max knew they had nothing. This was only the beginning. They left the Principal’s office without even the slightest clue. Max had to come up with some other way to track down the demon seed. He hoped Ryan would come up with something. All the Scar talk had thrown him off his game.
Ryan and Max walked through the school parking lot toward Max’s truck. Class was currently in session. The school parking lot was almost completely empty of people.
They hadn’t really gotten any insight on the demon teen. This really frustrated Max. He didn’t even want to be in this town to begin with.
A teenage skater boy with purple hair rode by them on his skateboard. The teen flipped the skateboard with the toe of his sneaker. He caught the board in his hand.
“Hey, you dudes here about the deaths, times three?” The skate punk asked a little too enthusiastically.
“Yeah kid what do you know?” Max barked.
“Oh snap, you’re Max.”
“What you say kid?” Max was ready to rumble.
“It’s an honor to meet the famous Fox brothers.” The skater teen’s eyes turned blood red. He slowly walked up to them with his skateboard in one hand. “You guys are all that the demons and the vamps talk about. It’s Ryan this, Max that. I belong to the Fox’s Are Forever fan club.”
Ryan pulled his antique silver machete from the sleeved holster at the small of his back. Ryan brandished the blade. Max wasn’t the only one ready to rumble.
“Would you like my autograph? I could make it out the dead demon with the purple hair.” Ryan warned.
Max inched closer to the teen. They had a formation when it came to situations like this.
“Is that any way to greet your number one fan?” The teen demon said to Ryan with a hearty yet sinister smile. “Well not exactly. No offense Ryan. I’m more of a Max fan.” The demon turned to Max. “Could you sign my skateboard?” The demon held the skateboard up as a gesture.
Max removed his prize Ruger handgun from his waistband. The pure ivory handle reflected the sunlight as Max lifted the semi-automatic pistol.
“How about I sign it with a bullet.” Max pointed the 9mm at the demon.
“That gun can’t kill me.” The demon smirked.
“No but it packs a Mayweather punch. We soak our bullets in holy water.”
“Oh you two clever foxes. I guess that’s why you’re hunter celebrities. Why all this hostility? I love you guys.”
“The feeling is not mutual you demon douche.” Max grumbled.
“Dude seriously, don’t damage the human I am inside. I love this kid’s sense of style. Check out these kicks.” The demon skater pointed at his colorful purple, yellow and orange sneakers. “Enough Fox brother fandom, I have a very important message.”
“Spill it. You have one second punk.”
“Vampir’s in town and he knows exactly who the kid is. We will get to him first.”
“We?” Max pulled back. “When did demons start hanging out with vamps?”
“When did Kim Kardashian stop taking butt pics and selfies. Wake up old man. It’s a brand new day. It’s all about the Benjamin’s baby.”
“You think?” Max raised one evil eyebrow.
“Dude, click your ruby slippers three times and head on back to Kansas. We got this here on lock. Peace bros.” The demon swiftly gave the peace sign.
The skater punk demon jumped on his skateboard and glided away. Max jogged a few steps and pointed his gun at the fleeing demon. Ryan grabbed ahold of Max’s forearm. Max quickly pulled away.
“We should go after him.” Max angrily said to his brother.
“If we kill the demon, we kill the human kid he’s inside. Let him go. If he doesn’t jump the body we will run into him again.”
“If Vampir knew where this special demon kid was he wouldn’t have sent this purple-haired reject. He’s just as clueless as we are.” Max surmised. He knew the demon was just blowing smoke.
“Yeah I think you’re right.”
“I’ll go snoop around Patricia Breedlove’s house. There has to be some connection between the teacher and the three victims.”
“I’ll see what I can dig up at the local library.” Ryan informed. I can grab Monica’s car from home.”
“Home?”
“I meant Monica’s house. I can drop her off at work.”
“Yeah whatever.” Max rolled his eyes. He had never seen Ryan act so cozy with a woman he barely knew or barely spent time with.
Ryan and Max concealed their weapons and hopped into the Range Rover.
***
This case was proving to be more difficult than Max imagined. He thought it would be simple. He thought that they would be in and out of town in a flash. Things hadn’t gone the way he hoped ever since that hunter’s hit list. When he really thought about it things had been completely haywire since Drack had taken Ryan. He was imprisoned and possessed by Drack’s demon side. Max wasn’t even clear what that meant.
Max drove over to Patricia Breedlove’s house. He had a few hours to snoop around her place because school was still in session. She wouldn’t be home for hours.
He parked his truck half a block away. He walked down the block to Patricia’s house and took note of how similar all the houses looked. It was pretty Stepford in this town.
He snuck around the back and jimmied her back door open by picking the lock. He shook his head at how easy it was to gain entry into her home.
This town was a safe place to all the residences because they were in the dark about all the evil that lurked the earth.
Max noticed that Patricia’s home was similar to Mo
nica’s but a bit tidier and the décor was more expensive. He guessed a teacher’s salary paid more than a waitress.
Max bypassed the kitchen. The kitchen was where people usually hid drugs and money. Somehow he didn’t think the murders had anything to do with those logical vices.
He made his way to her lavishly decorated bedroom. He rummaged through a stack of papers on top of the armoire. He turned to the open closet door. Closets were usually a goldmine but Max wasn’t even sure what he was looking for.
Max walked over to the closet and peeked in. He looked down at the floorboards and then up at the top shelf. There was a nice neat row of stilettos. Max grabbed a single candy apple red, patent leather pump. He took a good look at it and shook his head. He loved hooker heels.
“Hot teacher.” Max mumbled to himself.
Max placed the red pump back on the shelf. Next to the red pump was a green shoebox. It was one of three shoeboxes but the first one next to the red heels. Max grabbed the box and rummaged through it with one hand.
He paused to examine a single piece of paper. His expression intensified. He was so pissed he shook his head and pressed his lips.
“Fuck me!” Max folded the paper and placed it in his back pocket. He reached up to place the box back on the shelf, then—
Max was conked over the head. His thick muscular body fell to the carpet. He was knocked out cold.
CHAPTER 7
Max woke with blurred vision. He realized he was tied, bound to a chair. His vision slowly cleared up. He checked his surroundings and grasped he was in a barn probably on a farm. There were plenty of farms in Plano, Illinois. Was he still somewhere in Plano? He soon gathered that he wasn’t alone. The vampire Scar was pacing in front of him.
“Scarlet?”
“Max, de ja vu, Fox.”
“What the fuck?” Max tried to free his hands that were bound behind his back.
“Did you miss me?”
“What do you want fanger?” Max struggled to break free.
Scar stopped pacing to glare at Max. “You’re mad at me.”
“You think?”
“I should be pissed. I’m the one that is a vampire.”
“Clearly. You had a choice. You decided to skip suicide. There is this hunter rule. I know you know the rule because you used to be a damn hunter. If we get bit we are supposed to ask someone to decapitate us or fall on a damn blade.”
“I know the hunter rules. Yes I used to be one, a damn good one.”
“Yet you are still here, fanging it up.”
“You prefer that I was dead.”
“No, yes I don’t know.” Max wasn’t sure.
“You talked a good game but you didn’t save me.” Scar looked away from Max. It pained her to see him and imagine what her life could have been.
True, he didn’t save her. Max never got over losing Scar. She had no idea the inner turmoil and agony he had put himself through over losing her to the dark side. He wanted to tell her that he had a cure but what good would it do. That cure had an expiration date. It expired as soon as Scar decided to drink human blood. The only way she could stand before him today was with a blood diet. Vampires have to feed to live. Apparently she fed. She was one of them now.
“Why did you kidnap me and tie me up?” Max asked.
“That wasn’t my plan. You were in the way.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“So your brother is here in Plano too.”
“What do you think?” Scar had confirmed that Max was still in Illinois.
“You’re looking for the demon kid. You’re hoping he will lead you to Vampir.”
“I don’t share my comings and goings with a vamp.”
“Now I get to experience the asshole version of you.” Scar looked pained but Max just ignored it.
“It’s the only version I have for vamps. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you have your fangs in some unsuspecting stud?”
“I want payback for that stupid hunter’s hit list.”
“Walt is dead. Your brother made sure of that.”
“Vampir isn’t?”
“So what? You find Vampir and let’s say you happen to kill him. Then what?”
“Then I go back to doing what I do.”
“Killing innocent humans?”
“I do what I can to survive.” Scar barked.
“Is that really surviving?”
“So judgmental. I have a slight problem.”
“Antibiotics should clear that right up sweetheart.”
“Oh Max you know if I have something.” Scar mussed Max’s hair with her hand. Then patted the top of his head like he was a puppy. “You have to get yourself checked out too.” Scar slapped Max lightly across the cheek.
“Don’t stand so close to me! I don’t want your vamp juice on me!”
“Shut up and listen! I’m here about the demon kid same as you.”
“The kid is our way to Vampir and Drack. You need to go do your nails, fuck random guys or whatever female vamps do when they’re not taking innocent lives.”
Scar looked down at her bare fingernails. “I don’t paint my fingernails.”
Scar implied she slept with random men and somehow, someway it stung Max in the heart. He made sure he wouldn’t let it show.
“How did you find out about the demon kid?” Max asked.
“How did you find out about the demon kid?” Scar hurled his question back at him.
“So this is how we’re going to play it?”
“Why would I make it easy for you?”
“Don’t. I like it hard.” Max goaded.
Scar smirked. “I do too but you know that already. I figured you’re out of the loop now that Vampir is flying solo.”
“I have sources all over the place. I’m number one for a reason.”
“True but here you are all tied up by little ole me, a newbie vamp.”
“I’m tired of this little dance. If you have info to share, spill it. I don’t have all day.”
“Can I get dinner and a movie first?” Scar joked.
“I could just send you to hell.”
“Is that where you take all your dates? Or just the one’s you make bullshit promises to. Because I’ve been there, done that.”
That stung Max in the heart. Scar was on a snarky roll. She was bitter and Max understood. He made promises that he didn’t keep. If he were Scar he would feel the same way. So he couldn’t fault her for her feelings but she was the enemy he didn’t have to like her now.
“Look Scar, we could go on forever or you could tell me why you man-napped me.”
“Okay fine Kanye, can I have my microphone back? As you know, I’ve been running for a while now. I’ve been hiding in the shadows because I don’t want to be a part of Vampir’s gang of vampires. I’m solo because I wan to kill Vampir.”
“Hunters and vamps on your ass?”
“Drack’s people found me. They took me to him.”
“What did he want with you?”
“He wants the same as you and me, Vampir dead.”
“How convenient.”
“He knows Vampir is trying to take over. He knows if the King of Vamps McIlroy teams up with Vampir he may lose. With Vampir dead that will never happen.”
“So he entrusts you do get this job done?”
“He knows how much I hate Vampir. He knows Vampir took my human life away from me when he let that stupid hunter’s hit list happen.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.”
“You think meeting the head hybrid makes sense to me. I thought he would severely punish or kill me for going after Vampir.”
“You’re still roaming the earth so he didn’t punish you.”
“He didn’t kill me but some things are worse than death. I’m a part of his family now. I answer to him.”
“What did he give you for your loyalty?”
“He gave me a heartbeat.” She stopped at that admission.
&
nbsp; Scarlet couldn’t bring herself to tell Max she had been intimate with Drack. It shouldn’t matter now but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. She still cared about him despite their present situation. She thought she sensed that he still had some feelings for her. She couldn’t be sure. Maybe she just hoped so.
Max laughed out loud. “Really, a heartbeat?”
“Yes.”
“Bullshit. Untie me and let me feel it.”
“You must think I’m stupid.”
“Well.” Max tipped his head.
“I’m not going to let you get the jump on me.”
“You’re a big bad vamp now. You shouldn’t be scared of Max Fox.”
“You can’t trick me. Vamps fear you for good reason.” Scar removed her denim jacket and tossed it into a nearby chair. She was wearing a tight white tank top. Max noticed her pointed nipples pressing against the cotton and suffocating against the fabric. She wasn’t wearing a bra. His mouth opened. He momentarily forgot she was a vampire.
Scar marched over to Max and stood right in front of him.
“What are you doing?” Max asked as he tried to keep his eyes off her rigid nipples.
“Shut the fuck up?” Scar grabbed the back of his head. Max twisted to try to break free. Scar smashed his face right in between her firm chilly breasts. Max stopped squirming long enough to hear her heartbeat. His eyes bulged. He rested his face into her firm vampire bosoms. He closed his eyes and reminisced on their past sexual encounters. He opened his eyes and took one of her nipples deep into his mouth.
Scar pushed her face further into her mounds. She pulled her tank down and freed her breasts. Max pulled away to see her beautiful caramel mounds. He wished he could touch them but there was no way she would untie him. He decided to taste them. He clamped down in her bare breast. He suckled hard as she pressed herself deeper into his wet mouth. What was he doing? He couldn’t stop himself.
Max blocked out the insurmountable hard facts. Fact one, Scar is a vampire. Fact two, she may drink his blood. Fact three, she may rip his throat out. Max felt his rigid member grow into a steel pole in his suit pants.
Scar backed away a few feet. She removed her heavy gold Timberland boots easily. The strings were laced but untied. She removed her black skintight leggings by shimmying them down her long caramel legs. Her panties were missing and Max noticed this right away. He blinked a few times and wondered what was about to happen. Was she really going to do this? Was Scar going to fuck him and then kill him? Max could think of others ways of dying. But this was bizarre even to him.