by Bree Younger
After that was done, she went to her computer and booted it up so that she could check her e-mail. Quickly scanning through her inbox, she deleted all the junk mail, and there was a ton of it as usual. She spotted one message from her photography professor and clicked on it. Once she had read it, she barely managed to hold back a stream of profanity. Her pictures for her project were due today, and the professor wanted them no later than midnight that night.
She had completely forgotten about the assignment and obviously hadn’t made it to class Monday night. Damn, damn, damn. Well, the pictures that she had taken before she’d found Ty would have to do. Some of them should be good enough, and she only needed about five or six halfway decent shots. Going to the hall closet where she’d stored the camera case, she quickly grabbed it from the shelf. Then she carried it back to the living room and sat down to go through the pictures, but when she opened the case, there was no camera inside. Well, hell.
Quickly casting her mind back over the past few days, she tried to recall what she might have done with the camera. When was the last time she had seen it? She knew that she’d had the camera with her when she’d found Ty’s body. After that, she wasn’t sure. Had she thrown it into the back of the truck after she’d rescued him? It should have been with her other stuff if that was the case. She wondered if maybe Quinn or one of the other vamps had taken it thinking that there might be something on there that would help them find Cumbest or McElroy. After searching again and finding no sign of the missing camera, she called Ty, even though she knew that he would still be asleep. She left a message for him on his cell explaining her predicament and asking him to please get in touch with her as soon as possible because she needed those pictures.
She closed her phone with a snap. Well, that was all she could do. If he didn’t have the phone, she’d just have to plead with her professor to let her turn the assignment in late. Since she’d been ill, she thought he might give her a break.
Once that was taken care of, she continued with her other chores. The afternoon passed quickly, and it was soon time to get ready for work. She’d just finished her shower and was slipping into her waitressing uniform of khaki shorts and pale yellow blouse when she thought she heard a noise from outside. Pulling the curtain to one side, she looked out the window and saw that it was already dark. The were’s car still sat across the street. It was actually comforting to know that he was out there keeping an eye on things. It had to be boring, though. When she went to work, she’d tell him to come inside with her. He could eat at the restaurant and then just hang out until her shift was over.
Her mind made up, she went into the bathroom to apply her makeup and pull her hair back into a ponytail before making her way down the stairs. After grabbing her purse and her cell phone, she closed the door, making sure it was locked up tight. Then she exited out the side door and walked across the street to tell her guard that she was heading out to work, and he could just follow her there. After she reached the car, she tapped on the driver’s window and waited for it to roll down. When it didn’t, she bent down to look inside but couldn’t see anything. She wondered if maybe he had fallen asleep. She shook her head in rueful amusement. Some guard.
Putting her hand on the doorknob, she pulled it open and was grinning as she waited for his startled reaction. When he did nothing, she put a hand on his shoulder to give him a quick shake. He fell over, and for the first time she saw the blood. It was seeping from a wound in his throat, and now she could also see the red trails that spattered the inside of the vehicle. For a moment she just stood frozen, unable to comprehend the fact that he was dead. Violently dead. Then she choked out a hysterical sob. Oh, God. Oh, God. Frantically, she looked around, realizing that they were at her house. The vampires that Ty was trying to find. Somehow they had found her, despite Quinn and Ty’s best efforts. Her gaze was caught by a vague movement in the dark shadow beside her front porch. Eerie red eyes flashed in her direction. Vampire! She heard him call out and point in her direction.
Without waiting another moment, she shoved the werewolf’s body across the seat and jumped into the car, automatically engaging the locks. She dared a quick look and saw the vampire begin to spring toward her and then another one came dashing around the corner of her house. The keys were dangling from the ignition in the werewolf’s car, so, ignoring the blood that was splattered over the steering wheel, she gave them a quick twist, threw the car into drive, and shoved down on the accelerator. The car took off with a squeal. Daring a look into the rearview mirror, she saw the two vampires jump into another car and start after her.
She bit her lip to keep from sobbing as she looked over at the body slumped beside her on the seat. What was she going to do? Think, Libby, think, she told herself. She randomly turned down the next street and then another and had to swerve to avoid another car backing out of its driveway. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t decide what to do. Where should she go? Who could possibly help her against vampires? She was too far away to try to reach Ty. Should she go to the police station? What could they do?
Before she could make up her mind, a bump against the car had her eyes darting back to the rearview mirror. Oh, God. They’d caught her. She sped up, tires squealing as she flew around a tight curve. Another bump sent her car swerving out of control. She attempted to stay out of the ditch, steering into the skid, but it was impossible. Skidding and sliding in the loose gravel on the side of the road, the car careened down the shallow embankment and slammed to a screeching halt against a small pine tree. Her head flew sideways with a jerk, knocking against the driver’s side window. Then everything went black.
* * * *
Ty’s inner alarm went off and he rolled over, opening his eyes. The bed beside him was empty, and he didn’t like it one bit. He’d gotten used to Libby’s body snuggled up next to him during the long days, and now she was gone. But not for long. Not if he could help it. It had been hard as hell to let her go earlier, but it was for her own protection, so he’d given her a kiss and made her promise to stay in touch frequently, especially whenever she needed him. Or just to talk. Or whatever. Now he had even more of an incentive to get this business with the bloodslaves taken care of.
With that thought, he rose and went into the adjoining bath to start his night. After showering, he dressed quickly in jeans and a pullover before heading down to find a donor for some fresh blood. As he bit into the young female’s neck, he stifled a feeling of guilt. He wasn’t betraying Libby by taking blood, even though he could hear the woman’s moans of arousal and feel his own body’s response. This was a fact of vampire life that Libby would have to accept if they were to have any kind of future together.
He closed the wounds and shook his head at her silent offer of sex. Ignoring the look of disappointment that crossed her face, he headed to his office. He’d just sat down and was scrolling through his cell phone messages when Quinn came charging into his office. “Cumbest has escaped.”
“What? How the hell did that happen?” Ty rose to his feet.
“I’m not sure about all of the details, but RJ is in pretty bad shape. Come on.”
Ty closed his phone and shoved it into his pocket, hurrying after his brother.
As they drove, Quinn filled him in on what he knew. Apparently Cumbest had somehow overpowered RJ when he let him go to the bathroom. When Hawk had arrived shortly after dusk, he’d discovered RJ unconscious and Cumbest gone. The other two vamps were still locked up tight. It was assumed that Cumbest hadn’t been gone long.
By the time they’d arrived at the safe house, RJ had regained consciousness and was looking embarrassed and pissed. “I’m sorry, Quinn. I can’t believe he got the best of me like that. I’m still not sure how it happened. One minute he was shuffling into the john, the next minute Hawk was leaning over me.”
“Is he still cuffed?” Ty asked, relieved his friend hadn’t been hurt worse.
“Yeah, at least I wasn’t stupid enough to take them off o
f him.” RJ nodded his head and then winced, his hand going to a knot on his head. “Shit, he must have hit me with a tire iron or something to put me out like that.”
Hawk walked over shaking his head. “Nope. But close.” He held out the metal slat that Cumbest had somehow broken off of the bed. “You’re lucky he didn’t jab this thing through your eye or it would’ve killed you.”
“Shit, he must have spent all day working that thing loose. It was welded on.” RJ began pushing himself to his feet. “He couldn’t have gotten much rest.” He looked at Ty. “He’ll be loopy.”
RJ nodded. Vampires needed at least a few hours of sleep during the hottest part of the day or their bodies suffered ill effects—dizziness, paranoia, nausea, headaches.
“Did you give him any blood?”
“Hell no.”
“Good. What time was it when he escaped?”
RJ wrinkled his forehead in thought. “Couldn’t have been too long ago. I’d gotten up and had some bottled blood when he started screeching about needing to take a leak. Maybe just before dusk.”
Quinn smiled. “So he’s cuffed, weak, and thirsty. He can’t have gotten too damn far. I say we spread out and start searching the area around here. Say a three- to five-mile radius. He’s probably looking for a food source.”
Ty nodded. One of the reasons they’d chosen this location for their safe house was the distance from human habitation. There weren’t even any large animals around, just some skunks, raccoons, and squirrels. Yeah, he’d bet anything Cumbest was still pretty close by.
The men split up the search area and headed out. Ty headed northwest, using all of his vampire senses to cover the area as thoroughly as possible. They’d turned their phones on vibrate, and when his started buzzing, he pulled it out quickly. “Yeah?”
It was Hawk. “I’ve got some dead rodents over here and signs of a man passing this way. Head east and we can probably bottle him up.”
“Right.”
Ty did as Hawk had said, gradually moving further and further east, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign. At last he heard something. Immediately turning his head he saw a flash of movement about forty yards in front of him. He took off after his quarry. He shouted to get the attention of the others and give them some idea of where he was. Their own calls echoed through the surrounding woods and sent Cumbest spinning back in his direction. Putting on a burst of speed, he gained on the vampire. When Cumbest realized how close Ty was, he turned again, attempting to avoid his pursuers. Ty launched himself into the air, coming down on the vamp’s back and dragging him to the ground and wrestling him onto his stomach. Since his hands were still cuffed, all Ty had to do was sit on him until Quinn and the rest reached them.
When the others arrived, he yanked Cumbest up and threw him toward Hawk. Then he bent down, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “Fuck. I’m getting too old for this shit.”
Quinn just laughed. “Come on, old man. Let’s get back to the house.”
Slowly they made their way back to the safe house where RJ waited to lock Cumbest back up in his room. The vampire cursed and threatened them the whole way, struggling against his captors with every step.
“Well, that was interesting,” Quinn said to the men as they sat around the kitchen table.
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s feeling like talking any more now than he did yesterday,” Hawk added.
“Somehow I think you’re right,” Ty agreed. He checked his watch. Almost eight o’clock. Libby should be at work, but maybe she had called earlier and left a message on his cell phone. He pulled out the phone and excused himself from the others, ignoring the knowing looks he got. Walking into the front room, he clicked on the button to retrieve his messages. Immediately he saw the message from Libby and smiled, pressing the button. His smile faded as he listened to her voice. “Fuck.” He quickly turned and went back to the kitchen. “Quinn. I need you to listen to this.”
He played Libby’s message again.
“Hi, Ty. It’s me. Look, I’ve been trying to find my camera but it isn’t in any of the stuff from my truck. I had it when I found you. I remember it almost hitting your head when you were on the ground. I thought maybe Quinn or one of the others might have wanted to check out the pictures in case there was anything that could help you guys. Anyway, it’s a Nikon with a pink strap. It has my name and address on it so it’s easy to recognize. If you have it, I really need it by midnight tonight so I can meet my assignment deadline. Gotta go.”
His eyes met his brothers. “Do you have any idea what camera she’s talking about?”
Quinn shook his head. “No. I never saw a camera.”
“Me, either.” He had a really bad feeling here. If they’d left the camera in the woods where he’d been staked out, the vampires would have found it. And if they found the camera, then they knew who Libby was. And worse. They knew where to find her.
“Shit.” He hit redial on his button, but Libby didn’t pick up. He got her voice mail. He left a quick message for her while Quinn tried the were who was guarding her. Then he tried the restaurant where she worked. He spoke quickly to her boss.
Rocco told him. “Libby didn’t show up tonight. I tried calling her but didn’t get an answer. I hope she’s all right. She’s never missed work like this before.”
Ty thanked the man and hung up.
When he met his brother’s eyes, Quinn just shook his head. They immediately headed for the vehicle, Quinn snapping orders. “Hawk, you stay with RJ. Ty and I will head to Libby’s place. I’ll let you know if—”
Hawk just nodded. “Go.”
The brothers pulled out, Ty in the driver’s seat, and sped toward Gulfport and Libby’s house. Quinn got on the phone and called Ricardo Diaz to let him know that there was trouble. Then Ty heard him talking to Mick, telling him to round up some muscle and meet at Libby’s house.
By the time they pulled into Libby’s driveway, Ty was half-mad with worry. They pulled in behind a white SUV that he knew belonged to Diaz. Another car was parked in front of Libby’s house, and Mick and a couple of vamps were standing next to it. Libby’s front door was open and Ty saw Diaz and another were walking down the front steps.
“Libby?” Ty ran toward the house, but Diaz stopped him.
“There’s no one here, amigo. We found my man dead about half a mile from here in his car. Looks like someone slit his throat. Someone drove the car until it was forced off the road, and it crashed into a tree. I’m guessing it was your lady, but there’s no sign of her anywhere.”
Ty felt Quinn’s hand on his shoulder, but he just shrugged it off. They had her. They had Libby. He had said he would keep her safe, but he hadn’t. And now she was in the hands of his enemy.
“We’ll find her, Ty.” Quinn assured him.
“How? We don’t know where they are. God knows, we’ve been looking for them long enough. By the time we find them, Libby will be…she’ll be…”
Quinn clicked open his phone and dialed a number. “Hawk? This is Quinn. They’ve got Libby. You’ve got to find where McElroy is hiding out, and you’ve got to do it now.”
Ty stood numbly beside Quinn as he gave Hawk his order, but he doubted it would do any good. Cumbest hadn’t talked yet. Odds were, he wasn’t going to start now.
“Do whatever it takes, Hawk.” He paused and listened a moment. “Yes, anything.” Another pause. “I don’t care. Call me as soon as you have any information.”
He hung up and met Ty’s eyes. “We’ll find her, brother. I promise you. We’ll find her.”
Chapter Eighteen
Libby woke with a groan, a lancing pain streaking through her head. For a moment she lay still, trying to get her bearings. She was lying facedown on something hard and cold, and she ached all over. Immediately she remembered the wreck and wondered if she was in the hospital. She opened her eyes, but everything was black. Moving her head as much as she could, she groaned again as another jolt of agony pierced her skull.
“Well, well. I think the little human is finally waking up.” A drawling, masculine voice came to her from somewhere above. She jolted at the comment, trying to raise herself up, and realized that her hands were tied behind her back. A scratchy fabric brushing against her cheek told her she was also blindfolded. This was no hospital. She’d never felt so helpless in her entire life. There were no silver linings this time. Ty, Ty. God, did he even know she was gone? And if he figured it out, how would he ever be able to find her? She could be anywhere. This was how he’d felt when he’d been staked down in those woods. Lost. Confused. Defeated.
“Oui, I believe you are correct, mon ami.” A woman’s voice with a heavy French accent said in reply from what Libby could tell was a short distance away. The sharp tap of high heels echoed across the floor, approaching Libby’s position. She froze. Could this be that Simone woman? The one that had made Ty and Quinn vampires? That made her even more frightened because Ty had said that she was evil. Truly evil.
The sound of footsteps circled where she lay on the floor, and Libby tensed, not knowing what to expect. Whatever it was, it was not going to be good, she knew. These had to be the people Ty had been trying to find. They had ambushed her and…ohmigod. She just remembered. They had killed that young werewolf who was guarding her.
Her breath caught on a muffled cry. The woman obviously heard the distressed sound because she told Libby, “Oh, don’t be afraid, ma petite. It will make me feel triste.” The voice came nearer, and Libby realized the woman was kneeling beside her. Though the words she spoke were empathetic, the tone of her voice was cold and frightening. She felt a hand stroke across her cheek, and she jerked away, trying unsuccessfully to muffle a helpless whimper.