"Jack!"
"Alright, alright, I’m going. But just to be clear, you want a distraction. You’re not gonna bust my balls about how I do it?"
"Get moving!"
He smiled. "Done. Hold these for me." He handed over his phone, wallet, and keys.
Victoria paced a moment before peering out from the balcony, and paced again. She was a vampire, one of the older ones. Strength, speed, quickness, cunning, a unique immunity to sunlight, all meant nothing as the laptop seemed to slow to a crawl, mocking her. She needed the data so she could be more than a stalker hoping to catch a break. She agreed with Jack that something was happening somewhere, and Collins was her way in.
Glancing once more over the balcony, she saw a yellow cab stop in front of the hotel. The rear door opened and a pair of lean legs stuck out. Victoria saw a dress that looked like it came right out of Las Vegas, and knew Tonya and Collins had returned. The doctor emerged from the cab and took Tonya by the hand.
She jumped as something flew past her from above. It took another second for her to realize it was a body, falling to the street below. It crashed on the hood of the cab, sending glass in all directions. Cars screeched to a halt and pedestrians screamed as panic broke out. The cab driver crawled through the driver’s side window and fell to the street. Collins and Tonya circled the cab and helped the driver to his feet.
Victoria shook her head as she recognized Jack, laying on the hood of the cab.
"Jack Kursed, king of subtlety," she said.
She had all the time in the world as she watched the hard drive clone complete. An ambulance pulled up outside, as well as a police car. A crowd gathered on the street and talked solemnly, asking if anyone knew the depressed victim. The paramedics worked quickly, noting Jack still had a heartbeat. Victoria made a quick stop to Collins’ bathroom to retrieve another item her contact needed. She packed up and glanced at the hotel room one final time, making sure everything was in the right place.
She left the hotel through a back door and climbed in her Porsche. By the time she circled around to the front the crowd had grown even larger. Jack lay on a gurney and two paramedics moved to slide him in the back of the ambulance. Victoria put the engine in neutral and gave it some gas as a police officer approached her.
"I’m sorry, ma’am," he said. "You’re gonna have to back up-"
The crowd sprung to life once again as Jack sat up on the gurney. The paramedics jumped back four feet when Jack swung his legs over the side and stood upright.
He said nothing. His clothes were dirty, but he managed to avoid getting cut and bloody. He took a step toward the Porsche, and a paramedic grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Sir, please, we have to get you to-"
Jack shoved him. "Don’t you ever fucking touch me."
Victoria slipped on a pair of sunglasses when she noticed Collins and Tonya in the crowd. She'd avoided the doctor’s eye for the entire month, and wanted to keep it that way. She simply leaned across the seat to open the passenger’s side door.
Jack slid in next to her, not making eye contact with the crowd. She backed up and turned a corner as the crowd continued to watch in awe. Her anger spilled over as she handed him his items.
"Can't pretend you're a salesman and hold them up in the lobby. Nope, not Jack. Your idea of a diversion is to jump off a roof and destroy a cab."
"Hey, it worked, didn't it? And I remember you saying you weren't gonna bust my balls about it."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Did the copy get done?"
"Yeah, it's in my pack."
"That Tonya is something. Hot little lady. How much did she cost you?"
"You're such a gentleman."
"And you say you missed working together?"
She laughed as they passed another ambulance. "Yes, I did."
His phone rang as he slipped his wallet and keys away. Victoria glanced over his shoulder to see the call was coming from the hospital. She listened as a calm woman spoke to him. A sinking feeling ate at her as Jack gave her a look she'd never seen from him before.
Concern.
CHAPTER 15
Jack nearly stumbled past an elderly man in a wheelchair as he rushed into the emergency room waiting area. He thought he had everything planned out when he arrived. Every footstep, every word that left his mouth. Now that he stood in the middle of patients waiting to be seen, and nurses calling names to examination rooms, he wasn't sure what to do.
Somewhere in this hospital, Tiffany and Erica were hurt. Emotions Jack hadn't felt in a long time overwhelmed him. Worry. Fear.
Victoria put a hand on his shoulder. He'd nearly forgotten she was with him.
"Jack, are you alright?"
"No, I'm not. Where are they?"
Victoria approached the nurse at the triage station and flashed a smile. Jack was glad she was with him. She was calm and in control, unlike him.
"Hi," she said. "We're looking for Erica Hernandez. She would have had a little girl with her, Tiffany March. We were told they were admitted here? Car accident."
The nurse pecked at her keyboard, and Jack was losing patience with every passing second. His heart sank when the nurse frowned.
"We do have an Erica Hernandez. Banged up pretty bad, but stable. She's on the second floor, room 212. But she was admitted alone."
Jack leaned on the desk. "What did you say?"
Victoria grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. "Thank you, ma'am."
She led Jack down the hall to the elevators. His hands shook, and he slid them in his pockets to hide them. His hyper sense of awareness returned as he stared at the elevator doors. Doctors walked up and down the corridors, studying charts and clipboards. Two of them were having an affair. He could tell by the look they gave each other as they passed. Some of the male doctors, and even one female, slowed down to give Victoria an appreciative look. He wanted to kill them, simply because they irritated him.
"Where is Tiffany?" he said. "Why wouldn't she be here?"
"Maybe they made a mistake checking her in."
"Don't patronize me, Victoria."
"Fine, Jack. Calm down. I don't know what's going on. But it could be anything. Maybe she was taken to a different hospital. Maybe the car accident killed her, and she's in a morgue somewhere."
A sound of depair escaped his throat, and he leaned against the wall. Victoria, immediately regretting her words, held his face tenderly.
"I'm sorry. But we've always been honest with each other, even when we pissed each other off. Listen, we don't know what's going on, and it won't help to get worked up now."
Adjusting his shirt and dark coat, he assumed the relaxed look Victoria was familiar with.
"You're right."
It only took two minutes to ride the elevator to the second floor and find room 212, but it seemed like two hours. He tried to prepare himself for the worst, but felt a tiny sense of relief when he turned into the room.
Erica was battered and bruised. Her ankle was in a soft-cast. There were a few cuts on her face, and both eyes were black. The hospital gown she wore was split on the side, a barely-there piece of cloth, and the bit of thigh exposed was one huge bruise. There was still the old scar on the side of her face.
But she was alive.
"I should have brought flowers."
Victoria let out a quiet laugh behind him.
"Jack?" Erica said, barely opening her eyes. "Is that you?"
"It's me. Victoria's here, too."
"Victoria? I can't see much right now."
"I'll bet. How are you feeling?"
"Like shit. It's cold in here."
Jack ran a hand through her dark hair. Victoria noticed the affection in his touch. It was almost impossible to believe.
"It's probably this gown they got you in. Almost looks like a slutty dress. I see I was right. Your legs are damn nice."
"Victoria, would you cover me up? This asshole hasn't earned the right to see my legs yet."
Victoria smiled
as she pulled a sheet over Erica's waist.
"Is Tiffany okay? I've been drifting in and out, could barely talk to the doctors."
"She's-"
Jack grabbed Victoria's shoulder to cut her off.
"There was a mix-up. She was actually taken over to Agnes, on the other side of town."
"What?" Erica said, trying to sit up. She moaned in pain, and Jack carefully forced her back into bed.
"I know," he said, his voice betraying his emotions somewhat. "We just got here and find this crap out. We're still trying to put everything together."
A tear ran down Erica's cheek and he wiped it away for her.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "We were just driving to get some ice cream. Everything's blurry, but I think someone rear-ended us. Then we got T-boned. It was a crazy accident."
His phone rang, and he nearly dropped it when the caller ID displayed his own name. It was the iPhone he'd given to Tiffany.
"Tiffany, honey? Where are you? Are you okay?"
"Hello, Jack. I'm afraid Tiffany can't come to the phone right now."
Jack glanced at Victoria, and the vampire nodded. They didn't need to say a word. She watched over Erica as he made his way down the hall to an empty waiting area.
"Who is this?"
"Don't worry about that. All you need to worry about is the little girl, and how much longer she has to live."
He squeezed the phone and clenched his eyes shut. "If you hurt Tiffany-"
"Just shut up, rich boy, and listen. Bring the kid's camera, and ten million dollars, to the lake in Cromfield Park. You come alone, or she dies. You got that? You've got two hours."
"That's not enough time. Are you listening? Two hours isn't enough time-"
The call went dead.
He almost collapsed into one of the chairs. His mind wandered as he stared at the picture of Tiffany he took on the school playground. She was hanging on the monkey bars upside-down, a smile on her face. That same picture greeted him every time he reached for his phone.
Tiffany had come a long way from the abused orphan he first met to the B student she was now. Jack thought he made some progress as well, but he could feel it slipping away. Tiffany had accomplished the one thing no one else had over two centuries. She consistently made him happy.
Victoria approached him and gently put a hand on his shoulder. He knew she heard the entire conversation.
"Jack?"
"They've got her. Tiffany is my responsibility, and they've got her. I didn't think they'd make a move. Why would they? She's just a little girl, with no credibility, who has a blurry photo."
"Who?"
He replayed the voice in his mind.
"Mark Taylor. A dirty cop. He was one of the six cops on duty the night I met Tiffany. He stopped by her school, and I knew he was dirty the second I saw him. I'm a damn idiot. It's my job to protect her."
"Do you think it's him in the picture?"
"I do now."
She reached out and grabbed his shaking hands.
"I know it's been a hundred years, but I've never seen you like this."
"You mean...weak and pathetic?"
"Jack, caring about someone doesn't mean that."
"I hate the way I feel. I liked my life. I didn't need some filthy little girl to complicate things. I...love her, Victoria. And Erica, whether I'm supposed to or not, I like her. Last night, the three of us just hung out on the couch. That was it. And it was one of the best nights of my life."
She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I guess you have more in common with the mortals than you think."
"Maybe you're right," he said, staring at the floor.
"Look, we have to move. We both know if you give that man ten million dollars, he’ll shoot you in the head, not that it would do much, and kill Tiffany."
"Indeed."
"So, we'll work together, for real this time, not just jumping off of a roof. You stall for time, and I'll-"
"No, Victoria. I don't need your help."
"We're back to this? You can't do everything alone. We're family."
"We are."
"Taylor probably doesn't even have Tiffany with him, if he's smart. And I'm telling you, that blur in the photo, it had to be a vampire. We've-"
Victoria went silent when she noticed Jack's expression. A slight hint of a smile touched his lips, a fire in his eye. He passed the phone back and forth in his hands, not listening to a word she said. He'd sent a quick text message, only a few characters, but she didn't get a look at it.
Her breath caught in her chest. She'd seen that look before, right before he slaughtered the townsfolk that tried to hang him. Mr. and Mrs. Soon were murdered, and Jack killed eight people in return. She was afraid of what dark thoughts were going through his mind.
There were very few men that could match the violence of Jack Kursed.
"What did you do?"
He grinned, and it wasn't a grin of joy.
"Maybe...just maybe, a masterpiece. And I've done a lot of good work. All this time, I kept thinking maybe Tiffany made me softer. I haven't been the same person since she came into my life. But maybe it made me more dangerous."
"Jack-"
"I'm glad to have my family back. That's why I'm asking you to watch over Erica. I don't think they'll try anything with her, but I was wrong before. And if he has a vampire working for him...I don't trust anyone else with this. Please."
She hesitated at first, but nodded. Jack surprised her with a hug, a rare gift. She could count on one hand the number of hugs they shared in the time they spent together.
"Thank you."
The pair walked down the hall to Erica's room. Jack laughed as she struggled to reach a glass of water not far from the bed.
"This isn't funny," she said. "I feel like I've walked through a desert."
"You look it, too. You look terrible."
"Shut up. Is Tiffany okay?"
"Yeah. That was the doctor. I'm gonna swing over to Agnes now and check on her. Victoria will hang out with you."
"A girls' night out at the hospital. This will be fun. I'll get Victoria to give me all the dirt on you."
"That would take a long time," Victoria said.
"I'll call later."
"Wait! Don't I get a hug or something?"
"Victoria's here. She can give you a hug."
Despite her injuries, she managed a smile, and a sexy tilt of the head.
"But what if I want a hug from you?"
Grinning, he leaned over the bed carefully and hugged Erica with one arm. Her cheek felt nice against his. He pulled back a few inches, and was close to kissing her lips, but controlled himself. He ran a hand down her face, along her scar. Erica didn't pull away, but grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek.
Victoria couldn't believe her eyes. After two centuries, Jack had finally met his equal.
"I'll help pay for anything. As soon as I get better-"
"This wasn't your fault. This was an accident. Don't worry," he said, strength returning to his voice. "Tiffany will be fine."
Victoria gave him a nod before he left the room.
*****
The ride to Cromfield Park was a blur. His thoughts wandered all over the place. Everything had changed since Tiffany nearly ran into him coming out of the alley. She had stumbled into his life, and gave him purpose. For the first time since his curse, the morning would come, and there was something important to do. Take care of Tiffany.
Now, Mark Taylor, someone who was supposed to protect, was threatening her.
Tiffany was Jack's family. She was the first person he thought of as family since Victoria.
Taylor would pay.
Jack shook the angry thoughts from his head as pulled into the parking lot on the edge of Cromfield Park. Patting the briefcase on the seat next to him, he took a deep breath. Tiffany first, revenge second.
The park was nearly deserted. It had been a week or so since he last visited. Jack once read three b
ooks in a day while Tiffany was at school, eating hot dogs and pretzels while watching the people live their lives.
The park was also a good spot for shady business at night.
Mark Taylor stood by the lake. He casually fed the geese swimming nearby, stopping to give Jack a seedy smile.
"That's close enough," Mark called.
Jack stopped about thirty feet away, the briefcase swaying at his side.
His eyes moved up and down the corrupt cop. Black jeans with a white shirt and coat. Cell phone in his right pocket. A gun in a shoulder holster, on the left side, under his coat. Very confident, shit-eating grin.
"Where's Tiffany?"
"I thought ten million dollars would have needed a bigger suitcase. See? I figured you could get the money fast, if you had the right motivation."
Jack took a step forward.
"I said don't fuckin' move! Do you see that over there?"
He followed to where Mark was pointing. There was a camera aimed in their direction, hooked to a laptop, sitting on a park bench.
"I've got friends watching. All I have to do is wave my little hand, and the bitch dies. Understand?"
"I want to talk to Tiffany. Isn't that how this works?"
"I don't know. This is my first time. And nope, you don't get to talk to her."
"What's this about, Taylor? Why go after her?"
"Nothing fancy here. She took a picture of me and a friend doing something bad. I have to get that picture, and figured I could make a little money on the side. You brought her camera?"
Jack reached into his coat, grabbed Tiffany's camera, and tossed it through the air. Mark caught it and scrolled through the images. He laughed when he found the picture he was looking for.
"Are you shitting me? You can't even make out anything. We're too far away, anyway."
Jack laughed as well. "Yeah, I know. I said the same thing. I had it down to about six guesses."
Mark tossed the camera into the lake. He gestured to the briefcase.
"Is that my money?"
"Taylor, listen to me. I'm gonna give you a chance, which is more than I give a lot of people. I don't care what you've done, or will do, in the future. I just want Tiffany back. We won't make any trouble for you. Just call whoever has her, bring her here, and we can go our separate ways."
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