by Alice Brown
“I don’t know what he is capable of doing, and I am not taking any chances.” Kevin’s response came out snappy and curt. He sighed deeply as he tried for a calmer voice. “I understand you came here with very little, but how can I ever forgive myself if something happened to you? Could you give me or maybe even one of my sisters a list of items you need? I’ll be happy to run errands for you, or I am sure I could talk Jennifer into going.” Kevin knew he couldn’t keep her in his apartment against her will. Neither was she walking out the door by herself. It was just a matter of coming to a compromise.
“Oh, now come on, Kevin. You can’t hold me prisoner in here for life,” Erica replied a bit sharply. Numerous emotions were quickly coming to the surface, and she planned to rebel sharply if this man thought he was going to control her every move. She was just getting her first taste of freedom in four years, and wasn’t about to have it squashed so quickly by another overbearing male. “I just need to get out and pick up a few things,” she continued, attempting to hold down her temper. Besides, one look at his face told her he had taken her comments hard. His face was now cold as stone, but instead of flinching, her own temper sparked, turning her green eyes bright as she flashed him a look of defiance.
Kevin coldly responded in what sounded to be a half growl. “The devil take it, woman, I am not keeping you prisoner. I am only trying to keep you alive and safe!” Kevin placed his hands on the table in front of him, palms down, in clear view for her sake. He might be exasperated with her for the moment, but he didn’t want her frightened.
Erica thought about all that he had done for her in the past few days, and decided to tap down her agitation. Keeping a close watch on his hands as they remained unmoving in front of her on the table, she knew he was doing this for her benefit. “That was a poor choice of words on my part. You have been very kind and generous to me. I didn’t mean to insult you. I just need to pick up a few items that I would rather pick up myself. However, if you believe it to be unsafe, then just forget about it. I’ll do without.” The last words were croaked out, her throat clogging up and her emotions ready to overflow. She quickly stood and headed for her bedroom. It was bad enough she had upset Kevin, she didn’t want him to see her crying like a baby.
What in the world she was going to do about the needed items, she knew not. She would figure that out later. The only thing she knew for a fact was that she was definitely not sending the man now standing in front of her, blocking her path, to the store with a list of personal items! She tried to sidestep him, and he blocked her yet again, which was rather easy to accomplish since her eyes were filled with tears. Even through her tears she was able to recognize the agony and concern sketched across his face when she glanced up.
When Kevin saw Erica’s tears trailing down her cheeks, his chest clenched up as if someone had kicked him. He didn’t mean for her to get upset. He was only trying to keep her safe. Damn, he hated to see any woman cry, and this one was breaking his heart! He brought her head up against his chest, allowing her tears to soak through his tee shirt while he silently weighed his options. If he hadn’t been such an ass, he probably could have convinced her to let him accompany her. Now, that option was doubtful. Finally, he settled on the best option available. “Would you be willing to take Jennifer along and let her drive?”
“Sure, if she wants to go with me.” Erica sniffed from against his chest. Her sigh of relief that their dispute was over was palpable. She felt physically and emotionally drained. At this point she would agree to almost anything other than sending him to the store with a list of personal items.
Kevin almost snorted at her response. Like Jennifer would ever turn down a trip to the mall with his credit card. Right, not in this lifetime! “Do you have cash on you?” When Erica gave him a puzzled expression, he continued, “If you use your bank card, Shawn can have it traced. If he is smart, he has already alerted the bank, and they will be tracking your every move. If you use cash, no one can track you.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that. Yes, I’ve got a little.” She answered him, this time succeeding in sidestepping him and heading for her bedroom. She didn’t lie to him. She did have a little, about twenty little dollars currently sitting in her wallet!
As Erica hurried to her bedroom, Kevin hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake. Although his house was the safest place for her to be, he couldn’t hold her there forever. When it became apparent his own company was not welcomed, he quickly took his second best option, and sent Jennifer along.
He checked to make sure she was still busy in the bedroom, and then slipped over to her purse and pulled out her wallet. She wasn’t lying when she had told him she had a “little bit” of money, he found $20.28 to be exact. He grabbed a handful of cash out of his pocket and placed it in her wallet. He then opened his own wallet and pulled out a credit card. He knew that by handing his sister his credit card, he would have little trouble convincing her to take Erica to the mall. He also knew he was probably going a little overboard, between the cash and the credit card, but he would deal with that one when the girls arrived back home. Hopefully, Jennifer would soften Erica up, and she would allow him to spoil her just a little. Heaven only knew when the last time someone had pampered her, and she needed it.
An hour later, Jennifer and Erica were on their way to the local mall. Although Jennifer wore a long sleeved shirt, large sun glasses, and a big floppy hat in an attempt to keep as much sun off of her as possible, Erica found herself relaxing and enjoying the warmth it provided.
“It has been ages since I have been out on a girl’s shopping trip!” exclaimed Jennifer as she drove. “Kevin gave me orders that I’m not allowed to bring you back until the money is gone, and you have everything you need.”
“Um…what do you mean?” Erica asked in confusion, knowing it would take little time for her to pick up what few items her twenty dollars could buy.
Jennifer glanced over to her passenger with a smirk clearly on her face. “I think if you check your wallet, you’ll find he left you a little present.”
Erica reached down and grabbed her wallet out of her purse. As she stared at the stack of bills now stacked neatly against each other, her mind began to spin and her jaw dropped in a very unladylike manner. She was sure she had never had so much cash in her possession. It was a little frightening and heady all at the same time. She glanced over to Jennifer, noticing she was holding up a black credit card and a wide grin on her face.
“He said if you refuse to spend the cash, then I am to just take care of things myself.” Jennifer was the household shopper, and never needed any excuse or reason to go shopping. With her brother’s limitless credit card in hand, she was sure to have a splendid afternoon.
“I didn’t think we could use a credit card.” Erica questioned. “Kevin told me not to use mine this morning, because it could be tracked.”
“Yes, yours could and probably would, but Charles goes to great lengths to assure these little babies are not traced.” Jennifer replied with a smile, her fingers still holding up the object of debate. She could almost feel the power of her brother’s limitless credit card in her hand! Talk about a head rush!
It didn’t take long for Erica to realize that Jennifer was a force to be reckoned with. She felt guilty at the overwhelming amount of money Jennifer seemed to be shelling out. She quickly decided to hand over the cash to her, figuring if Kevin was going to get upset, Jennifer could take the heat. As long as she managed to pick up the few items needed, she would just go along for the ride on the remainder of their shopping spree.
Four hours and a trunk full of bags later, the girls left the mall to head home.
Erica openly admitted she’d had fun, although she was currently exhausted from walking one end of the mall to the other. Jennifer had just pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road when she suddenly exclaimed, “Shit!” The exclamation caught Erica off guard, and she glanced over to see a cold black fury settle over Jennifer’s usu
al contented expression.
“Jennifer, what is wrong?” She asked with a mixture of concern and anxiety, as she willed her heart beat to slow down.
“We’ve got to get home immediately.” Erica noticed Jennifer continuously glancing up at the rearview mirror. Erica stole a quick peek behind, and the sudden feeling of terror hit her so hard it took her breath away.
She knew immediately who was behind them. She would recognize his car anywhere. Her heart dropped to her stomach, as realization hit that Shawn had managed to find her. Oh, why had she been so stubborn about going out today? She wanted to kick herself for talking Kevin into letting her go. She would have been better off staying curled up nice and safe in her bed. Unfortunately, because of her own carelessness, not only was she putting her own life in danger, she now had Kevin’s younger sister’s life in danger, also.
Her fingers clasped together in her lap, her mind raced to figure out how to get out of this predicament. Now that Shawn had found her, he would never let her go. He would follow them home, where he would carelessly and effectively eliminate anyone who got in between her and him.
A motor revving up caught her attention as she watched Shawn’s car come up beside Jennifer’s Mustang. It became clear he intended to run them off the road. She gulped and her mind spun in amazement as she tried to comprehend the skills Jennifer was currently employing to keep them alive. For as young as she was, Erica would have never guessed Jennifer knew such advanced evasive maneuvering skills. She watched as Jennifer outmaneuvered their aggressor, keeping the Mustang on the road at all times, all the while spouting off curse words aimed at Shawn. Erica stole a quick peek over at the speedometer to see they were pushing ninety. She noted the look of determination upon Jennifer’s face. She had no intention of falling victim to Shawn’s bullying. Erica shook her head slightly, amazed that her young chauffeur wasn’t freaking out, which Erica herself was not that far from doing. Jennifer was evidently one stubborn little gal!
As Jennifer reached over and pushed a button on the dashboard, she was regretting having to make this call. She knew her brother would be livid the second he found out they were in trouble. There were only two options though, call Kevin, or take care of the problem herself. The safer option was to call her brother. She felt fairly confident she could wipe Shawn’s face across the pavement. After all, he didn’t have a clue she was a vampire. The problem was, neither did Erica. Better to let Sir Romeo take care of this situation. Kevin’s voice was immediately on the speaker.
“Jennifer, what is it?” His voice came across low and stressed. He knew instantly something was wrong. Jennifer never used her car phone. His father had installed a phone in each family member’s car for emergency use only. The fact that Jennifer was using the phone instantly told Kevin she was in trouble.
“I’ve got company following us home. Shawn picked us up as soon as we left the mall,” Jennifer stated. She purposely kept calmness in her voice, and tried keeping a calming atmosphere going in the car, but she knew after one quick glance at Erica that her efforts were in vain. Erica was sitting in the passenger seat with her arms wrapped around her middle, rocking gently back and forth, all the while moaning, “Oh God, we’re not going to make it!”
“How far away are you?” Kevin inquired.
“About seven minutes out. I can make it safely, just be ready for when I pull in,” Jennifer informed him.
Kevin was relieved to hear Jennifer keeping a calm head while she was driving, and she seemed confident that she could get the two of them back home safely. It was Erica who wasn’t so calm. He could hear her mumbling about not making it through the speaker in the car, and he knew his sister would have already tried throwing a calming atmosphere around her. Erica was fighting the imposed atmosphere. She was scared, and rightfully so.
As Jennifer continued talking with Kevin on the phone, Shawn came around to Erica’s side of the car, trying to force their car off the road once again. Erica could see the road narrowed up ahead, and terror caused her to freeze up. She shut her eyes tight and sent a quick urgent prayer above that they would live through this nightmare. Erica forced one eye open and looked Shawn directly in the eye. There was only one word to describe the look on his face, murderous hatred. As the next minute ticked by, it was blatantly obvious that Shawn was not going to stop until he had succeeded in killing both girls. He was irate over Jennifer outmaneuvering him, which was causing him to act irrationally. He continuously veered sharply over, trying to ram his car into Jennifer’s, only to become even more enraged that Jennifer was able to avoid him every time. Even Erica was amazed as she realized that he hadn’t been able to hit them once.
As Shawn became more aggressive, his actions became more violent. Finally, feeling she couldn’t take another second of torture, Erica screamed at Jennifer. “Slow down so I can jump out, and then you can make a run for it. It’s me he wants. Let me out and he’ll let you live!”
The next sound that was heard was Kevin roaring over the speaker, “Hell no, don’t stop!”
Kevin’s roar was deafening, and Erica barely heard Jennifer calmly tell Kevin that she had everything under control. The calmness Jennifer displayed while speaking to Kevin confused and bewildered her, but she had no time to ponder on it.
As for Kevin, he lost all self-control when he overheard Erica tell Jennifer to stop the car so Shawn could have her, and then drive away. As if his sister would actually ever do such a thing! He knew as soon as he roared that it was a mistake, and quickly concentrated on controlling his temper and calming himself down. It was imperative that he communicate to Erica that they had the situation under control.
Kevin could be heard taking a deep breath over the speaker, and then with deliberate calmness, pitched his voice to softness before speaking again. “Erica, Jennifer is bringing you back to the house. When the two of you arrive, she is going to pull up to the back door. I want you to jump out and run into the house as fast as you can. Charles and I are ready and waiting for Shawn. I need to know you are safe and sound in this house before anything happens. Trust me, sweetie, we have been waiting on him to show his face. I have this situation under control.”
“Kevin, no, you don’t understand.” Erica wailed at the speaker. Again, she caught her middle with both arms wrapped tightly as her tears streaked down her cheeks. Oh God, how was she supposed to tell Kevin that he was getting ready to die, right along with his father, and probably Jennifer also, for just trying to help her? How was she supposed to tell him that he was getting ready to face the devil himself, literally?
Kevin, knowing she was scared, tried to maintain a soothing voice. “It’s going to be okay, please trust me. We know what he is, and we are ready for him.” That was as close as he could come to telling her he knew Shawn was a vampire and he and Charles could handle him! Unfortunately, Erica was too upset to comprehend what was being stated.
The enormity of what Erica had caused hit her stomach like a sucker punch. She was now putting the safety of Kevin’s entire family at risk, just to keep away from Shawn. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she knew she would never forgive herself if Shawn hurt any member of this kind family in his attempt to reach her.
As Jennifer slid into the driveway, squealing tires all the way, Erica felt a moment of relief that they had made it safely home. But that only lasted briefly. Now that they had made it home, the entire family was at risk. She noticed both Kevin and Charles standing just outside the door as they pulled up. Jennifer grabbed Erica’s hand, flung the car door open, and pulled Erica out of the car and into the house. Erica heard Shawn’s car close behind, but was too chicken to glance back. She heard Kevin’s yell, “Get her out of sight,” and could only assume he was referring to her.
Kevin breathed out a sigh of relief as his sister came tearing up the driveway. Jennifer had Erica inside the house and out of sight in a matter of seconds. Shawn’s car was just pulling up to a stop when the girls flew through the back door. Kevin assumed Jenn
ifer would stay with Erica throughout the ordeal. It would be some time later when he discovered that he had made a horrible judgment error, and would have to pay dearly for his blunder.
Once inside the house, Erica broke away from Jennifer easily. She took off to the one window that gave a perfect view of the backyard. Her heart was racing with fear for both Kevin and his father. Although Charles looked fit enough, she worried about him. Erica had been on the wrong end of Shawn’s abuse more than once. How could she ever live with herself if Charles ended up getting hurt, or Kevin? And then, if Shawn managed to get past the two men, what would he do next? Would he hurt Rosetta or Jennifer? Where were Kate and Elizabeth? Were they even home and aware of the danger?
Kevin found it humorous that Shawn was suddenly surprised to be fighting two of his own kind. He knew Shawn had expected to sweep up the sidewalk with two humans, and then go after Erica. Shawn came at them with an arrogant swagger, as if he knew they were no match for him. The look of shock on his face when he realized his wife had hidden herself within a household of vampires was priceless. Charles and Kevin used this to their advantage.
As Erica reached the window, she was relieved to see that at least, for the moment, Charles and Kevin seemed to have things under control. Her already exhausted mind wondered how in the world this was possible. A vampire should still have the upper hand, one would think, even against two grown men.
Something Kevin stated earlier suddenly came to mind. We know what he is, and we are ready for him. What exactly did he mean by that? Had he known that Shawn was a vampire? No, that simply wasn’t possible, was it? She watched Kevin deliver a right foot into Shawn’s midsection, which sent him flying backwards thirty to forty feet. How in the world did he do that? Sure, Kevin was strong and well built, but it simply wasn’t possible for a human to have that kind of strength, was it? One second later Kevin was standing over Shawn. She quickly blinked, and caught Shawn sending his right fist straight into Kevin’s gut. Erica’s breath immediately hitched for a heartbeat, and she released it a second later as she watched Kevin stand back upright, looking relatively unharmed. Charles and Kevin joined forces, one on each side of Shawn, in an attempt to bring him down for good.