Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three

by Middleton, Kristen

  He cocked his head to the side, as if listening for something. After a few seconds, he snorted and stood up. “It’s time. I think they’re messing around in the car. Who knows, maybe there celebrating a big win?”

  “Oh, perfect,” I said dryly. “Now we get to turn their night into something even more special.”

  He smiled. “It is perfect, actually. They won’t be expecting us.”

  I stood up. “Fine.” I nodded towards the parking lot. “You lead the way.”

  His face became serious. “Remember, get his attention quickly. Once he’s focused on you, he’ll forget about everything else and be putty in your hands. I’ll handle the woman.”

  He could definitely do that.

  “And you’re certain that I won’t hurt him?”

  His eyes glittered in the darkness. “He might feel a little unpleasantness at first, but you know what they say about pain and pleasure?”

  “No. What?”

  He smirked. “Sometimes one leads to the other.”

  “Right,” I replied dryly. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard that particular saying before.”

  He chuckled, and then in a flurry of movement, flew off of the roof.

  I stepped hesitantly over to the edge and looked down. He’d been teaching me to fly, but taking off from high places was very nerve-wracking. I swallowed back my apprehension, took a deep breath, and launched myself forward. Unfortunately, my landing wasn’t quite as smooth.

  “Crap,” I grunted, brushing gravel out of my cheek after landing on my face behind the couple’s Ford Taurus.

  “You’ll need to work on that,” whispered Ethan, kneeling next to me.

  “You think?” I snapped, irritated that I wasn’t getting any of this vampire stuff.

  He pulled me up until we were both crouched. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll get the hang of it sooner or later.”

  “You know, sooner would be really nice.”

  He broke out into a grin. “See, just like I said,” he whispered as the car began to rock. “Someone’s taking care of business.”

  Unlike us.

  I raised my head. The windows were indeed fogged up, and from the motion inside of the vehicle, they’d started more than just the engine.

  “Okay, this is disturbing,” I replied, ducking back down. “We need someone else to feed on. I feel like a pervert or something. I’m out of here.”

  “Hold up. Nikki, you need the strength to locate your family. The guy in the car is large and full of nutrients. Hell, he could probably feed both of us, and still not feel anything.”

  “Yeah, but...”

  He ignored my protests. “This lot is as deserted as they come, and nobody else appears to be leaving the casino. We don’t have any other choices at the moment. Now, let’s just get this over with.”

  “At least let them finish and clean up,” I whispered angrily. I could hear the woman moaning and it was making my skin crawl. I’d never felt so dirty in my life.

  “Fine,” he replied, closing his eyes. “Since he’s a human, this shouldn’t take long.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, not fully understanding. Ethan was the only person I’d ever had sex with, and I wondered what was different about vampire sex.

  The car stopped rocking.

  He opened his eyes and smiled. “You ever see that movie Fast and the Furious?”

  “Yes, it’s one of Nathan’s favorite movies.”

  He motioned towards the car with his thumb. “Well, that’s my interpretation of a mortal’s sex life.”

  I smirked. “You were mortal once, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah and guilty as charged,” he grinned. “Now, I’m just furious.”

  From what I’d remembered, our lovemaking hadn’t seemed to last very long either. I didn’t tease him, however, as I was learning that a male’s ego was fragile, mortal or not.

  Just then, the driver’s side door opened and the woman fell out on her rear, sobbing.

  “Go back to your husband, you bitch!” hollered the man inside. He threw a beer can onto the pavement, making me flinch.

  The woman, too drunk to notice us behind the vehicle, stood up, buttoning her shirt. Her red lipstick and eyeliner were smeared garishly on her face. “Screw you, Jerry!” she hollered in a voice that rivaled Rosie’s raspy one. “At least Ron can last longer than thirty seconds!”

  “See,” whispered Ethan, a shit-eating grin on his face.

  I rolled my eyes.

  The man threw her purse down at her and she bent down to pick it up. “Hey, don’t call me anymore, Vera. I’m sick of your lies and all of your bullshit.”

  “Don’t worry,” she huffed, smoothing her short blonde hair down. “I’m not wasting my time with you anymore. You don’t know how to treat a lady.”

  “Lady? Who lied and told you that you were a lady?”

  She raised her middle finger, and then stomped away to an old station wagon parked a few feet away. She got in and seconds later, tore out of the parking lot.

  Ethan touched my forearm. “You’re on.”

  “Oh, crap.”

  “Don’t forget to bat those beautiful eyelashes of yours. You’re so damn irresistible when you do that. Hell, what am I talking about, you’re always irresistible.”

  I knew he was teasing, but I couldn’t help but smile in pleasure. Oddly enough, after everything we’d been through, he still made me feel like a flushed schoolgirl, yearning for his approval.

  Which reminded me…

  I touched my cheek but realized that my ivory skin was cool and no longer capable of blushing. It was kind of relieving but poignant at the same time.

  “Okay,” he whispered. “You’re on, babe. And don’t worry; I’ve definitely got your back.”

  “I’m counting on it,” I whispered back. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and walked around to the driver’s side door, just as the man started the engine. I knocked on the window, startling the crap out of him. He was indeed a large fellow, not just tall but even from this angle I could tell he was powerfully built, like a lumberjack or something. He even wore a flannel shirt and sported a dark beard, reminding me of Paul Bunyan.

  Hopefully he left his ax at home.

  The man blinked, as if trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not, and I smiled innocently.

  He rolled down his window, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and eyed me curiously. “Yeah?”

  I forced a smile. “Um, I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had a phone I could borrow? My boyfriend and I got into this huge fight. He left me here, all alone, and I need to find a ride home.”

  His bloodshot brown eyes swept over my white mini-skirt, orange scoop neck T-shirt, and sandals. The approval on his face when his eyes finally met mine made my skin crawl. From the creepy look in his eyes, I knew I wouldn’t have to charm this one. I wondered what kind of man screwed a married woman in his car and drooled over a teenaged girl less than five minutes later. The disgust I now felt for this guy was already ruining my appetite. The thought of touching his skin with my lips was making my stomach churn.

  “Tell you what,” he said, nodding towards the passenger seat. “I’ll give you a ride home. Pretty little girl like you shouldn’t be out here alone, waiting for a ride. Lots of freaks on the streets after midnight.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it,” I said, walking towards the passenger side. Ethan was still crouched down behind the car and had his thumb up in approval as I passed him.

  I took a deep breath and opened the car door. “Uh, thanks again,” I said, sliding in next to the stranger.

  He stared at my legs as I shut the door and then cleared his throat. “You have to really slam that thing, or it might unlatch on the road. Here,” he said, leaning over me as he reached for the door handle. “I’ll get it for you.”

  Even though he was a complete ogre, the heat of his body and the salty scent of his skin woke up something inside of me. I sucked
in my breath and grabbed the edge of the seat.

  “You okay?” he asked, sitting back. “You’re very pale.”

  I forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

  His eyes lowered to my chest and I wondered if he could see the outline of my hardened nipples. “You don’t have to be frightened,” he said in a husky voice.

  “I’m not,” I replied, licking my lips in anticipation as I stared at his thick neck.

  “Good.”

  As my eyes lingered on his jugular, the beat of my heart seemed to intensify and grow louder, like a beacon, urging me forward. Most people believe that vampires do not have a heartbeat or pulse, but that’s incorrect. It’s just much slower, that is, until we’ve fed, then our bodies warm up and we are almost indistinguishable to mortals. I’m not sure how or why, and Ethan doesn’t have a solid answer for any of it. He just says, It is what it is.

  I decided to charm the man, and get it over with. The hunger inside was driving me insane. “My boyfriend cheated,” I blurted out. “He wasn’t attracted to me anymore.”

  The man’s eyes moved to mine and immediately dilated. “You’re beautiful. He’s a moron.”

  “Thanks.”

  He inhaled, his nostrils flaring like a bull. “You smell like… candy.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it,” he said, looking down at the tent between his legs.

  I shuddered. Seeing a forty-year-old man leering at me with a hard-on was kind of disturbing. Especially this guy.

  Just then, the driver’s door opened and Ethan reached for the guy. “Sorry to break up the party,” he said, pulling Jerry outside like he was nothing more than a sack of flour. “But some of us are very hungry.”

  “What the hell!?” hollered Jerry, trying to push Ethan away once he was set down on his feet. “Get your fucking hands off of me!”

  Ethan gave him a reassuring smile. “Just relax. This will all be over in a few minutes. Then you can go home and pass out next to your dog and stack of pornos.”

  Jerry’s face turned red. “Who are you? The no-good boyfriend?”

  Ethan chuckled. “So, you talked about me? I’m touched. Now, any final words?”

  “Yeah, stand still so I can kick your ass,” snarled Jerry, struggling to free his hands.

  Sighing with contempt, Ethan pinned Jerry with one of his heavy stares, and his face went slack.

  I got out of the car. “Glad you took over. He started getting all weird and it was so creepy that I wasn’t sure what to do.”

  Ethan pulled Jerry behind the car and shoved him to the ground. “This is what you do,” he said, sinking his teeth into the side of the man’s neck.

  The scent of blood filled the air and whatever qualms I had about drinking from Jerry disappeared.

  After a few minutes, Ethan raised his head. “Come here.”

  I crawled to him, enthralled by his red-stained lips. I had to admit, with my stomach empty and the coppery scent in the air, nothing had ever seemed so appealing.

  “How about we start you off with a little teaser first?” he murmured.

  “Okay.”

  I smiled as his lips pressed against mine, sending shivers of delight straight to my sex. I closed my eyes and licked the inside of his mouth, savoring the taste, but greedily wanting more. As our kisses grew in intensity, he emitted a low growl in the back of his throat and pulled away.

  “Hold that thought,” he said, lowering his eyes to the man below us. “Now, take what you need, but leave before you’re completely satisfied.”

  “Right.”

  The scent of fulfillment beckoned to me, and I responded by sinking my teeth into his neck with elation. I closed my eyes and drank, now grateful that Ethan had talked me into hunting.

  “That’s it,” urged Ethan, rubbing my back. “More.”

  I moaned in pleasure as blood and heat surged through my body, fulfilling me in a way that was beyond any kind of reasonable comprehension. As I continued the assault on his neck, my heartbeat grew stronger and faster, until it surpassed Jerry’s, whose was receding. But the hunger inside of me didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was the blood coursing through my veins and the energy it created.

  “Okay,” said Ethan, pulling me away, “that’s enough.”

  Although I was disappointed and wanted to continue, I felt euphoric. I sighed in pleasure. “This must be what getting drunk feels like.”

  “This is better.”

  “Ah…”

  “You look beautiful,” whispered Ethan, touching my cheek. “The color is back in your cheeks.”

  I touched my other cheek and grinned.

  Warmth.

  Voices coming from the parking lot startled us. I peeked around the back of the car and noticed a group of young men in business suits getting out of a limo.

  “Let’s go. He’ll be fine,” said Ethan, grabbing my hand. He pulled me up into his arms and then we were flying over the glimmering lights of Vegas.

  Chapter Two

  Maximus

  “So, nobody knows anything?” asked Detective Rena Burrows, staring at her partner in exasperation. “This is the third case with the same M.O. and nobody remembers a goddamn thing? Sorry, but I’m not buying it.”

  Maximus Johnson, Max to his friends, thought about the three men naked and slaughtered in room number forty of Motel Paraguay. The scene was straight out of a horror flick, and not the first one they’d encountered in the last two weeks. “Unless all of the motel employees we’ve interviewed, from three separate locations, are conspiring against us, I don’t know how else to explain it.”

  Rena rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. “It’s just… I don’t know. How can the perp check into these rooms without someone remembering something? And no I.D. or credit card for the room? They should have at least had something on file. Hell, even a fake name, for God’s sake. Isn’t it still standard procedure to get a name and license plate number when someone checks in?”

  “The motel owner says ‘yes’, but no paperwork was ever filled out. The attendant who checked out the room is stunned and confused. Says she doesn’t even remember handing anyone the keys to that room.”

  She clucked her tongue. “Same story as the last two incidents. I think we’d better check for drugs. Maybe she was using or someone slipped her something last night?”

  “Already on it,” replied Max, clicking his pen closed. He stuffed it into his suit pocket with the notepad. “She’s a college kid. Could have been strung out on something last night. Never know.”

  “We will know,” said Rena. “It’s just too bad that I didn’t think of testing the first clerk for drugs, Mickey Degan. We certainly dropped the ball with that guy.”

  Mickey Degan hadn’t seen anything either, in fact, he’d insisted that nobody had checked into the motel, which was at the other end of town. Two scenes later and things were getting more confusing.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Something tells me that it wasn’t drugs. Look at the second clerk, old Mrs. Bilmore. She’s as straight as they come.”

  “Maybe, but she’d admitted to taking Ambien the night before the murder. That’s something.”

  “Ambien, huh? You see those commercials and the side effects of some of these prescription drugs? Scary shit.”

  “There’s a risk with everything, Max,” she said. “Look at me, I quit smoking three weeks ago, and didn’t need some drug to make me want to kill someone or feel suicidal. It happened the moment I threw that last pack in the garbage and had to deal with you in the morning.”

  He smirked. “I have to admit, I was sort of surprised you let me live. Must have been the Patch.”

  “I stopped using that Patch after the second day. Like I said, no drugs, just a teenager giving me a major guilt trip.”

  “Molly’s a good kid. She was just worried about you.”

  Rena thought about her daughter, who’d just graduated high school and was now away at T.C.U., studying to be a d
octor. She smiled proudly. “She is a good kid and I’m damn proud of her.”

  “I am, too,” he replied. “You did well with that girl. Even with all of the fucked up hours, and the trash we have to deal with every day. I’m amazed you’re able to hold everything together.”

  “Well, I have to thank my mom for helping out. She’s always been there for me and Molly. Always.”

  He smiled. “Your mom move in with that boyfriend of hers, Carl?”

  “No, she’s still staying with me. If he doesn’t give her a ring, she’s not going to either.”

  “She really wants to get married, again? What is she, sixty?”

  “Sixty-five. Nah, she just wants a huge rock on her finger and a commitment. Not necessarily marriage.”

  “Huh. I guess I just don’t understand women.”

  Rena smiled. “We’re all different. That’s all you’ve got to understand.”

  You’re definitely different, he thought, and that’s a good thing.

  Rena, was the first woman he’d met who had not only challenged his own objectives in life, but got his blood flowing like nobody else. Tall, leggy blonde, with a sailor’s mouth, and curves that dreams were made of. She was also his partner, a Black Belt in karate, and definitely off limits to every guy in the department. She wasn’t interested in dating anyone with a badge. She’d been married to a cop once, and had vowed to never go down that road again. Not after the suffering she’d went through when he’d been killed. That had been nine years ago, and although she’d went out on a few blind dates, had given them up for her mechanical friend, Louie, who Max idolized. One night they’d went out for a few drinks, and Rena had joked about needing nothing but a few double A’s and her ‘Louie’. When he’d asked what the hell a ‘Louie’ was, she’d told him, straight up, making his lap painfully uncomfortable for the rest of the night. It was at that point he knew he had it bad for Rena.

  Max pushed the memory aside. Why agonize over something that’s never going to happen? “So, tell me, what do you think is really going on here?”