“Thanks, Tyrone,” I said and I really meant it. I wasn’t always comfortable working so close with him, but he’d really helped so much. Without him I wouldn’t have been able to come so far.
I pulled on jeans and a loose shirt with Nikes when it was time to go to the police station. I pulled on the leather jacket again. I didn’t have my pants but I would be able to wear the jacket at least. My leg was healed enough to be able to move without I restricting me. It was just a strip of scabs down my leg now, like it had happened a week or more ago.
I put my Glock in the seat compartment. It wasn’t a good idea to walk around a small town armed in broad daylight, but after last night I wasn’t going anywhere without my gun. My bike looked terrible in daylight. The one side was completely scratched up. I knew the rental company was not going to be happy about this.
I drove the short distance to the police station. Tyrone waited for me in front of the double doors that led into the station.
“You look better,” he said. I knew I’d looked like hell when he’d seen me that morning.
“I’m not a morning person,” I joked. How else was I going to make excuses for the fact that I healed fast? My headache had already subsided to just a dull throb. The concussion had already healed itself enough for me to be able to think straight again.
But Tyrone pulled up his eyebrows like he didn’t believe what he was seeing. That made me nervous.
“I spoke to Milton. Unfortunately we’re not going to be able to get anyone in to see Carl. I didn’t raise the question about your access. What we’re not denied, we’re allowed. He’s still in there for murder, and until we have it going somewhere with that lawyer you dug up, he’s on lockdown.”
“That sucks,” I said, turning and looking out over the road the same way Tyrone was doing. “I would have loved for them to just see that their son is doing okay. They’re worried about him.”
“I’ll keep trying, but I don’t know how far that’s going to get me. It already took a lot just to get you in there, but you’re not really a threat. At least, they don’t think you are. I changed my mind about that when I saw you in your gear last night.”
He had a smile playing around his lips when he said it and I tried not to blush. I brushed it off.
“Shall we go in to see him?” I asked. I wanted to make sure he was okay. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to tell him that I’d seen his parents. Tyrone nodded and we both turned to the door.
“Did you bandage that leg?” he asked from behind.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
He made a groaning sound and followed me into the police station.
Chapter 5
“Where’s my lawyer?” Carl asked the moment we stepped into the cell block. He stood by the bars with both arms wrapped around it, face as close as he could get without trying to look desperate to be out.
“He hasn’t contacted me,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder at Tyrone, but he was standing by the door like he was on guard duty.
“He should have had something for us by now, shouldn’t he?” Carl asked. I shook my head.
“I know you’re in a hurry, but these things take time.”
Carl shook his head and turned around, walking back to his cot. He sat down with a grunt.
“I saw your parents last night,” I said. His head snapped up. It was the reaction I’d expected from him. “They’re really nice people.”
“They are,” he answered, but there was suspicion in his eyes. I shook my head almost imperceptibly, the smallest of movements. I haven’t told anyone. This secret of his, where he came from, is safe with me. Even if I don’t understand why he wants it to be kept so badly.
He visibly relaxed.
“I can’t get them in to see you,” I carried on. “They’re being difficult because you’re in here for murder and not a petty crime. But I can give them a message if you like.”
He thought for a moment, but then he shook his head. “I don’t have anything that won’t make my mom worry,” he said. I nodded and sat down on the bench. I felt Tyrone’s eyes on me, burning along my skin. He was in a different mood today, one I didn’t understand. Because of it I didn’t tell Carl about my attacker last night, about the fact that I’d only picked him up following me after I’d visited Carl’s parents, the vampires.
I spoke to Carl for a little bit. We talked about trivial things, days gone by and disasters we’d managed to avoid. We managed to talk about things without it raising any kind of suspicion about what we’d done back then. Finally it was time for me to go. Tyrone cleared his throat.
“I’ll be back as soon as I find anything new,” I said.
“Please, Adele. I’m starting to rot in here.”
I nodded and turned to leave. Tyrone opened the door for me. I was just about to walk through when Carl called me back.
“Tell my parents… tell them I’m sorry.”
That got my attention. I turned around to face him.
“Sorry for what?” I asked. Carl looked down at his hands. I walked closer to him.
“Sorry for what, Carl?”
He still didn’t answer me. I walked up to him until my own body was pressed up against the bars. I gave him the coldest, hardest look I had. I knew it had reactions when I used it, but he was avoiding my eyes. I came up as close as I could, with my face short of being against the bars, and lowered my voice.
“Dammit Carl, if you did this you have to tell me. I’m running around risking my life for you, and you’re sitting here saying things that make me wonder what’s really going on.”
Carl had looked up at me when I’d said I’d been risking my life. I narrowed my eyes, and I looked right back at him. Then he nodded slowly. He understood what I was saying. I’d gotten into trouble because I was snooping around.
“I didn’t do it,” he finally said, his voice hard. And I believed him. Because if I didn’t, I had nothing else to go by, and my being here was a total waste of time. I nodded and turned around, walking back to where Tyrone was still waiting for me. He opened the door for me again and I stepped through it.
“I have to admit, you don’t do anything half-assed,” he said. I looked up at him.
“I’m sorry?”
He shrugged. “I’m just saying, you give it your all or you don’t do it.”
I mimicked his shrug. “I don’t see the point of doing it any other way.”
He nodded and held open the door for me that led to the reception area. Officer Milton was there on duty. He hadn’t been when we’d walked in. He looked up at us and when he saw who it was, his look changed from indifferent to a glare.
“Afternoon, officer,” I said, nodding.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Milton asked Tyrone.
“Visitor,” he said smoothly.
“On whose authority?
Tyrone looked at Milton coolly. The tension built in the room, but Tyrone kept a cool face like he didn’t notice it.
“I didn’t realize her visitor’s privileges have been revoked. No one told me anything.”
“That’s because you’re not on the force here, dammit. You can’t keep taking people inside.”
I looked up at Tyrone. People?
“One visitor and a lawyer are hardly ‘people’, Officer Milton.”
I noticed that he’d used Milton’s title. I didn’t think he meant for it to go down the way it did, but Milton was suddenly angry.
“You don’t outrank me,” he said, coming around the long reception counter. The tension was stacked in the room around us, so thick I could almost taste it. Tyrone’s hold posture changed. It went from smooth and laid back to upright and ready for action. I’d seen enough of his training sessions with Phil to know that he could back that attitude up with a number of broken bones.
I think Milton knew it too, because he marched up to Tyrone and then it was as if the wind left his sails and he stood in front of us, deflated. He could just let it go, the man-code
he was trying to live by wouldn’t allow it, so he turned his anger to me.
“You come in here from god knows where, and think you can just run this whole operation?”
“The law allows for arrangements to be made to represent the accused in court. That was all we were doing,” I said. I’d kept my voice calm, I’d taken my hands out of my jacket pockets and they hung loosely next to my side. I could fight if I had to.
“You don’t come into my station and threaten me with legal bullshit,” he said. He took a step closer to me, threatening. He was so close that I had to react or back up, otherwise we were going to be chest to chest. And I didn’t like people getting in my personal space. I could either jab the base of my forefinger into his throat or I could back away like any other woman would do. My fingers itched for my gun, but it was outside. I knew better than to walk a gun into a police station. Besides, if I pulled it now, things were going to get a lot uglier.
I opted for the latter. Why? Because if I was going to attack Milton I would have to use my strength to really make a difference, and I didn’t think his mood would improve much after he found out I was strong enough to be at least half-vampire. So I stepped away.
That put me against the chairs and I knocked it with my leg, the one that was grazed. The pain was there, a little, but it had healed up enough for me to be able to stand my ground. I gave Milton cool eyes.
“This isn’t necessary,” Tyrone said, glancing at me. “I’ll make sure in future we have official clearance.”
Milton still felt like a fight, but there wasn’t anything he could say to that, so he nodded and backed away. I could still feel his anger, crackling in the air, but it had defused enough for everyone to be able to walk away without a fight.
When we were outside, I blew out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding.
“That was unpleasant,” I said, looking at Tyrone. He nodded and his eyes were on me, but his expression was unreadable and he looked like he wasn’t really paying attention to the topic of conversation.
“Well, I guess I’m going to head out, then,” I said when he still didn’t say anything. I started walking to my bike.
“Let me walk you,” Tyrone said and fell in step next to me. I suddenly felt like I was being stalked. I walked a little faster. Two more steps and I was at the bike, and I got onto it. I had the helmet up and ready to pull over my hair, but Tyrone grabbed my arm. I lowered it again and he let me.
“What are you doing?” I asked. In any other circumstance his being this close would have made me feel like he was hitting on me. But the look in his eyes told me that he had no romantic intentions. He let go of my arm and put his hand on my thigh, where the graze was. I looked up at him.
“You’re not wincing when I touch it,” he said. “And you didn’t react when you bumped up against the chair inside, either.”
“What are you going on about?” I asked, trying to sound like a flippant female when I knew exactly what he was talking about. He’d been a lot more observant than I’d given him credit for. That was my mistake. I should have been more observant, too.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Tyrone said and tightened his grip on my thigh, squeezing hard. His thumb pressed into the wound through my jeans, and even though it wasn’t as raw as it had been this morning, it still hurt. The pain was so quick and so intense that I didn’t have time to put up a face. Natural reaction took over.
I hissed, my lips curled back. Tyrone bounced back from me like I’d shocked him. The pain in my leg throbbed dully, travelling up my thigh, through my hip. I wanted to swear. I wanted to hook him on his left jaw for hurting me.
But the look in his eyes stopped my thought pattern. He looked at me with anger, confusion, and enough hatred that it made me cringe.
“You’re a vampire,” he said and his voice was soft, as if his throat had gone dry.
“Half,” I said. “You can imagine why I try to keep it under wraps.”
He nodded slowly but I doubted he could imagine why. I had the feeling the only thing going through his mind now was that he felt betrayed. That I’d suddenly turned from not just a friend, but a romantic interest, to an enemy.
“It’s not like I lied to you,” I said, and I knew I was defending myself when I didn’t have to. He didn’t answer me for a while. Then finally he rubbed his right hand over his face and into his hair.
“You’re too involved in this to be part of anything anymore,” he said.
“Involved in what? Carl is a friend. I just came to see him. I wasn’t on anything.”
Tyrone shook his head and turned, walking away from me. That was a gutsy move, turning his back on a person he’d just decided was an enemy. And a vampire at that. But I guessed he still didn’t think I was dangerous. Just wrong. I sighed and pulled the helmet over my hair, and switched on the bike. My brain throbbed dully between my temples and I just wanted to lie down and sleep. This was all a bit much. I shouldn’t have been responsible for Carl’s acquittal. I shouldn’t have been responsible for anything.
When I got to the motel room the door was open again.
“Oh, for god’s sake,” I exclaimed and got off the bike. I hung the helmet on the handle and opened the compartment and wrapped my fingers around it. The weight was comforting in my hand and I held it in a double grip, pointing up in the air. I leaned against the wall with my back to it, and then turned into the doorway. The door swung open quietly and I pointed the gun inside.
I listened, but there was nothing. There was a faint smell of male cologne, but it had been a while since the wearer had been here. One thing I knew – it wasn’t room service.
I walked into the room, gun still pointed, and did a quick sweep. Nothing. The bathroom was clear too. When I was sure I was alone I dropped the gun, pointing it at the floor, and sighed. A note on the dresser caught my eye. I tucked the gun into the back of my jeans and walked to the dressed, picking it up. It was folded so it could stand up on the dresser, and letters were glued to it, cut out from a newspaper or magazine like they had it in the movies.
Leave town by tonight or you’re leaving it in a body bag.
It was very simple, very straightforward. And very threatening. I felt suddenly cold. Tonight. I glanced out through the door. It was a couple of hours still before night fell. That meant I had a few hours before I had to start fighting for my life. I was going to use that time.
I closed the door and locked it. I pushed a chair in front of it, hooking it under the doorknob so that it wouldn’t be easy to get the door open. I put my gun under my pillow, made sure the safety was on, and got into bed. I didn’t care what was happening until tonight. Right now, I was going to sleep.
I woke up when the sun set. Being half-vampire made me aware of darkness. I sat up, staining my ears, listening for any sign of danger. When I was sure there was nothing, I got out of bed. It wasn’t true dark yet. Vampires couldn’t leave their hiding places until the last rays of the sun were completely gone.
I felt horrible. My head hurt, my leg ached when Tyrone had hurt it, and I felt like the darkness had already come, at least for me. I wanted to go home. I missed Westham. That at least was a place where I knew the vampires. Where I had a family. Where everything was okay and I didn’t have to fear for my life. I wanted to give up and go home.
I found my phone and dialed Connor. He was awake, thank god.
“Are you okay?” he asked when he answered and my voice broke like I was going to start crying.
“Why do I do this, baby?” I asked. “Why do I always think I can save everyone when I’m just a person?”
“Because you usually do, sweetheart,” he said and his voice was soft. “You always do whatever it is you set your mind to.”
I nodded and tears rolled down my cheeks. I hated crying in front of anyone, even Connor. But this was over the phone. It didn’t really count as crying in front of him.
“Tyrone found out I’m not just human, and he’s not
going to help me with Carl anymore,” I said.
“You can do it without him.”
“Do what? I don’t even know how to prove that Carl didn’t do it. If he didn’t do it. I don’t even know that anymore. And I have a vampire that wants me dead because I’ve been snooping.”
I heard Connor’s sharp intake of breath when I said that.
“Carl’s parents are vampires,” I changed the topic.
“What?”
“I know, right? I had no idea.”
Connor whistled through his teeth. Through the phone I could hear the shutters open with a grinding sound. I glanced at the window. It was dark now.
“I have to go. I have to get out of town, or get ready to fight. There are no options anymore. I can’t help Carl. I want to come home.”
“Baby… I don’t think you should just leave,” Connor said and it caught me off guard.
“My life is in danger,” I said, in case he hadn’t heard it the first time.
“I know. But if you leave it, and Carl goes to jail, you’re going to beat yourself up about it for the rest of your life. You’ve had enough guilt for one lifetime.”
“There’s a vampire out to kill me,” I said. Did he miss everything I’d said?
“I know there is, sweetheart. But vampires, are your specialty.”
He was right. They were my specialty. I’d made a living killing them, even when I’d had access only to a small part of who I really was. It was different now. I had so much more power. And I still knew what to do to win against them.
“Thank you, honey,” I said to Connor. “I’ll be home soon, okay? I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said and I hung up.
I got dressed. Black jeans because I had no leather pants. A black shirt that had sleeves so the shoulder holster wouldn’t chaff. The leather jacket to complete the look and my black leather boots. I loaded the guns up with silver shot and tucked the Smith & Wesson into the shoulder holster. It was big and chunky and it irritated me, but I needed something that could pack a punch and the Smith & Wesson 500 could take out a large mammal. The Beretta at my back and my knife in the thigh sheath. I didn’t have a chain to stop vamps from dematerializing the way I use to run back in the day, but I would improvise. Any metal object would do in a pinch, vampires just couldn’t dematerialize through it.
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