by C. J. Pinard
“Did she even agree to this?” I asked on the verge of snapping.
“She will see it was the right decision,” Alexander said, waving the gun around carelessly.
“Daddy?” a small voice said from behind us. We all turned to see the young boy stood there in Spiderman pajamas, brown hair sticking up He rubbed his eyes.
Alexander immediately lowered the gun and walked to him, forcing a smile. “Jordan, go back to bed. I have some good news for you, but not until tomorrow, okay?”
The child looked frightened as he gazed at all of us, until his eyes landed on his mother. He ran over to her. “What’s wrong with Mommy? She’s all bloody!”
“You happy now?” I asked under my breath, staring at Alexander, knowing he could hear me.
He shot me a murderous look, then glanced back at his son. He shoved the gun into the back waistband of his pants, then picked up the boy and carried him out of the room.
“What do we do?” I asked Jessica.
We all looked over to see Beth’s body now lying prone and still, like a corpse in a coffin. Blood was smeared all over the right side of her neck, staining her pale-pink pajama top.
I lifted the dagger and stalked toward the doomed woman. But as soon as Alexander entered the room, he had his handgun up, pointed at all of us.
“Get away from my wife. I’m taking her and my son away from here.”
“Put the gun away, you maniac,” Evan growled, his jaw clenching in anger. “You can’t kill any of us with that thing.”
He smiled and glanced at Jessica and Jason, then back to Evan. “I could, but I won’t if you just let us leave in peace.”
“If your wife did not consent to being turned, I’m going to have to arrest you,” Jason spoke up, flashing him his badge and pulling a pair of strange-looking handcuffs from his belt’s holster.
“She consented enough. Besides, you think a regular jail will hold me?!” He laughed maniacally.
“We don’t have regular jails, nor are we regular police,” Jason replied, taking a business card from his pocket and flicking it in Alexander’s direction.
Alexander looked at the card on the floor, picked it up and pocketed it, and then snatched up Beth from the bed. Her head lolled to the side, her mouth slightly open. Before we could all blink, he blitzed to the window and jumped out of it, smashing glass and destroying the screen. I followed him out and watched as he shoved her into the car, then pointed the gun at us briefly when we got too close. Without taking his eyes off us, he got in himself and pealed out of the driveway.
I went to run after them, but Jessica grabbed my arm. “Don’t. We’ll track his credit cards and put an APB out on the license plate.”
“Oh, my God. His kid!” I said, blitzing through the door and to the child’s bedroom.
It was empty.
Reappearing outside, I looked at my friends, my brother, and the agents. “I guess he must have put the kid in the car earlier.”
“We’ll keep tabs on him,” Jessica promised. “Don’t worry.”
I nodded.
“I need to ask, though... why do you even care about Von Brass’s wife and kid?”
I sighed and rubbed my hand along the back of my neck. “I don’t. Not really, but I just want this behind me, Jessica. I’m exhausted.”
“I get it. Vengeance is a tiring game. Get some sleep, and the BSI will handle the details.”
“Thank you. From the bottom of my cold heart, thank you.”
“It’s what we do, kid.”
We said our goodbyes, and I got into the SUV, ready to go home and sleep for a hundred years.
Chapter 17
The sky was barely beginning to lighten along the horizon as I was dropped off at home by Evan. I rushed up the stairs, and could barely put the key in the lock, I was so exhausted.
After a shower, I slipped into my favorite oversized T-shirt, shut the curtains, not knowing how long I’d sleep, and fell into bed, rolling onto my side. My body was utterly fatigued, but my mind just wouldn’t shut off. I lay there wondering if I had done the right thing by sort of letting Alexander go. I could argue that he had gotten away from me, but the truth was, I could have easily killed him. I had plenty of backup. I was still angry at him for what he’d done to me, but I was more angry for falling for his victim mentality and manipulation. And at the end of the day, it seemed all he wanted was to whisk his wife and kid away from everything. I knew, though, that Beth had not really consented to being turned, and in less than three days, she was going to wake up thirsty, confused, and extremely upset.
And what of their kid? Were they just going to lock him away from society until he was an adult? What if they used him to feed?
I really wished my mind would shut off. I pushed all thoughts of Alexander from it, and it eventually drifted to Austyn. That goofy half-smile of his. Those dark-blue eyes. The mop of dirty-blond hair on his head he never styled or kept groomed regularly. His laugh when he would tell us a dumb joke and only he thought it was the funniest thing ever.
The terror on his face when Linden had attacked him. Even as the wolf, the horror in his eyes was something I would never forget.
A tear slipped out and ran down my face, absorbed by the pillow. Then more tears came. I missed him so much. Every time I looked at Aden, all I could see was Austyn. They always looked so much alike, even their mannerisms sometimes. My chest hurt, and my eyes burned with hot tears. Alone in the quiet of my room, knowing nobody could see or hear me, I let go of my grief and began to sob for my loss. Great, big, racking sobs. Wrapping my arms around myself, I curled into the smallest ball I could and tried to calm myself of my hysteria. I wished more than anything I had someone to hold me right now. I could use some comfort.
After drifting off for a couple hours, I awoke and looked at the clock: 9:18 am. I then realized I hadn’t checked my phone in hours. Should I get up and check it?
Deciding a distraction would be good, with a sigh, I pushed back the covers and got up and fished my phone from my purse. It was almost dead, so I took it back to my bed, plugged it into my charger, and read my three texts.
Ryder: I hope you got home okay. Don’t worry about Alex, you did the right thing for now. Love you.
Aden: I love you, sis. Don’t let what he did fuck with your mind.
Beckett: We need to get together and have drinks and discuss all this crazy drama in your life!
I smiled through my tears at the amazing support system I had. I then replied a thanks to all of them, then scrolled through the rest of my notifications until I was satisfied I had addressed them all. Exhausted, I put the phone on my nightstand and blessedly fell back to sleep.
Before I could even see his face, I could feel the rage and annoyance floating off of him in waves. The fact that his hands were turning white as they were clenched behind his back was a good indicator of how much he was holding back. I lifted my gaze from Kellan’s amazing backside to the one he was facing.
“That’s all you have for me?” Linden asked, sitting in that ridiculous red throne-like chair, looking almost bored.
“I’m not sure what else you expect me to tell you,” Kellan replied, trying hard to remain respectful, but seeming as if he was about to lose his shit. “I have informants everywhere. I don’t know who this vampire is.”
Linden’s icy gray eyes never left Kellan’s, and his white hair was barely a shade darker than his skin as he tried to intimidate him. “Very well. When you find this vampire filth, you are to bring him or her to me. You understand?”
Kellan nodded. “Understood.”
Linden nodded at two men standing on either side of Kellan, and soon he was whisked away by them. These weren’t the same two men I always saw Kellan with at Moon Chasers.
“Get your bloody hands off me!” he growled to the men as soon as they were outside.
I could see they were in a parking circle outside a large mansion, very similar to the one I had come with Beckett to and I had
spent time with Kellan—ya know, after murdering Elda.
When the two enforcers went back through the ornate and elegant front door, Kellan shook his head and walked toward his Porsche, and once inside the car, he hit a few buttons and set the phone in its holder near the car’s lit console.
“Turn right on Fifty-Third Street,” a robotic, female GPS voice said.
A look at the screen, and it showed that he was headed straight for my apartment building.
I bolted upright, just as a knock sounded on the door. I glanced at the hugely lit alarm on my bedside clock and saw it was 4:30 p.m.
Afraid my dream was, in fact, another psychic vision, I got out of bed, checked myself in the mirror, and went to the door. A peek through the door showed Sanja standing there.
Half relieved, half disappointed it wasn’t Kellan, I opened the door and her smile fell as she took in my appearance. “Uh, did I wake you?”
I smiled. “Sorta. This is a nice surprise.”
She flat-out scowled at me as she came inside. “Surprise? We had plans tonight. You are losing it, girl.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Crap! Is it Friday? Dammit, I have all my days mixed up. Hell, I had to think when I looked at the clock just now, if it was a.m. or p.m.”
She looked adorable in some skinny jeans, furry boots, and a fur vest over a red thermal top. I noticed she set a big basket on the counter. I pointed at it. “What’s in there?”
“Go shower, and I will set everything up,” she replied, ignoring my question.
I looked down at myself, then lifted my arm and gave myself a smelfie. “Do I smell that bad?”
She laughed. “No, I just need clean, warm skin to do the facial.”
That’s right, we were going to have a ‘girlie’ night. I smiled; it was just what I needed. I obeyed her orders and hopped into the shower and scrubbed myself, realizing I still had blood in my hair, yet again.
After throwing on a tee and some yoga pants, I combed out my hair and put it up in a clip. As I walked out and toward the dining room table, I said to my best friend, “I hope you brought food. I’m starving. I don’t think I’ve eaten since,” I paused, trying to remember the last thing I ate, and could not, “well, I don’t know when.”
“I thought we’d order takeout. I only brought booze and cake.”
I laughed. “I could have cake and booze for dinner.”
She shook her head. “No, let’s get some Thai food.”
“Sounds good, I’ll order.”
As I unplugged my phone from the charger on my nightstand, I watched as she removed mud masks, nail files, nail polishes, and all kinds of other grooming materials. I quickly found a local Thai place that delivered and ordered two sesame chicken dinners with sides online.
“Twenty minutes,” I said, setting my phone down.
“Pedicures or facials first?” she asked, pointing at all the stuff spread out on my tiny dining room table. She had even brought towels.
“Booze first,” I said, pointing to the two bottles of wine. “And, uh, I hope you brought a corkscrew, because I don’t have a wine opener.”
She flicked her big chocolate eyes at me and said, “Seriously? How are we even friends?”
I laughed. “Right? I just usually drink at the bar.”
She pulled out a wine opener from the basket. “I keep one in my car.”
“You would,” I replied, laughing.
I pulled two plastic cups from my cupboard and set them down next to the facial and nail stuff. She popped the cork, poured us some white wine, and then set the bottle down.
I lifted my cup and clinked it with hers. “To good friends, meaning you, and bad friends who need good friends like you.”
She smiled. “I’ll drink to that.”
We both took big gulps of our wine, and I shuddered a little. I never drank wine, and wasn’t used to the taste. It was much sweeter than the gin or beer I usually drank.
“Let’s just chill until the food gets here, then we can get to the pampering,” I said.
She nodded and followed me to the couch, where we both sat.
“Tell me the latest,” she said before taking a sip of her wine.
“You’re not going to believe what happened last night.” I shook my head as the memories flooded my brain. “Well, I guess it was more like this morning.”
“Try me,” she quipped, smiling.
I launched into the entire story, with her adding some “Oh, my God” and “No way” comments thrown in. I ended it by telling her about the dream/vision that she had woke me from.
“Wow. I mean, wow,” she responded.
“I can’t help but think letting Alexander go was the wrong thing to do. I am sick with worry about his wife and kid,” I said, chewing my lip.
“But you said that the BSI was going to handle it,” she replied.
“Handle it how? They seem kinda passive when it comes to dealing with supernaturals. Like, they’ll only do something if they harm a human.”
“But he did harm a human. He turned her into a monster,” she replied, sounding as frustrated as I felt.
The doorbell rang and I got up to answer it. A look through the peephole showed a teen holding a large paper bag. I opened it up, signed the credit card receipt, and then closed and locked the door. I set the food on the coffee table and we began to eat while talking. I was feeling a little woozy from the wine and was glad to get some food in me.
“I was thinking the same thing; no way his wife consented. I think I need to just finish him off.” I shoved some noodles in my mouth.
“Yeah, but the problem with that is... now his wife’s a vampire. He could barely function as one, who is going to teach her what to do? Prevent her from literally eating her own child?”
I slumped back against the couch. “Damn, now I’m gonna have to kill her, too. I have enough shit to do.”
And then we both laughed so hard, we could hardly breathe. Who laughs about that? We were a couple of sick supernaturals.
After eating, Sanja proceeded to work her magic on my face with a heavenly facial,
and then prettied up my toes. I knew the red nail polish wouldn’t last, but it was fun.
Then I did my best on her fingers, and as I was painting, she asked, “What are you going to do about Kellan?”
I sighed and said, “I don’t know. I truly believe these psychic visions, or dreams, or whatever they are... are what is actually happening to him. I think he can lead me to Linden, but I’m not sure how to proceed. I could ask him, but then he would know what I was up to. I’m at a loss.”
Sanja smiled over the rim of her plastic cup. It looked devious and full of trouble.
I lifted an eyebrow as my fork was paused at my mouth. “What?”
“Kellan is a man.”
With my brow furrowed, I nodded slowly. “Yes, he’s a man. But he’s also a vampire.”
“But a man, nonetheless. Use that rockin’ body of yours. Don’t you know? Men are stupid when they’re horny.”
I shoved the sesame chicken in my mouth, chewing as I contemplated her statement. She was one hundred percent right. They really were. I had two brothers and a boyfriend and felt like I had heard it all. I recalled the countless brags from Sam about his conquests when we’d be up at Wolfe Point. Sometimes he would go into seriously unnecessary detail, and I remember thinking about how stupid he was.
I pointed my fork at her. “So... get him into bed and coerce the information out of him? That’s what you’re saying?”
She nodded. “In a roundabout way. And it’s not like it would be a huge chore. You said the guy was hot.”
I smiled. “I’m crazy attracted to him. He makes me all soft and gooey when I’m around him.”
“Use it to your advantage then,” she said. “But...” She shot me an apologetic look. You should probably end things with Ryder.”
I sighed dramatically. “I know. I don’t want to, but I need to. I will always love him,
but... five years has changed me a lot. I feel like we’re different people. I feel like I still need him in my life, though.”
She looked at me, sympathy coloring her expression. With her hand on my arm, she said, “Of course you do. He was your first love. But he deserves to be happy, too. You guys never see each other. It’s not really a romantic relationship anymore, is it, sweetie?”
Her words stung because they were true. It had been weeks since he’d stayed the night, or we’d been on a real date, or had comforted me when I needed it. Not because he didn’t want to, but because I probably just never told him I needed it, or he was working and couldn’t get away. Every time we were together, it was because one of us had something going on, not because we just wanted to just be.
“I don’t even know how I’m gonna have that conversation,” I said on a quiet sigh.
“You can do it. You’re strong, and he will understand. He might be angry, but I really don’t picture Ryder as the illogical type. He has to be feeling the same way, if you think about it.”
“You’re right,” I said. “When should I tell him?”
“Soon. You need to pin down Kellan and strike while the iron is hot. I have a strong feeling he can lead you to Linden.”
I ran my finger over the edge of my wine cup, deep in thought. I finally lifted my gaze to hers, and said, “That’s just it. I don’t think I want to just ‘pin him down’. Anything Kellan and I do will be consensual. I can promise you that.”
“I can’t wait for the details,” she replied, a rare wicked gleam in her brown eyes.
Chapter 18
We watched a couple movies, and after Sanja left at around one a.m., I was anything but tired. I felt invigorated by the pampering, and I knew there was training to do.
After Evan and Karina’s help with Alexander the asshole, I didn’t want to disturb them, so I went to the gym and let myself in using the code they’d given me. After punching it into the keypad and then flipping on the lights, I went to the small women’s locker room and took my shirt and shoes off. In nothing but a sports bra and spandex capris, I made my way to the boxing ring. I did a few warmup stretches and then pulled out my precious dagger. I controlled my breathing like they had taught me, and then proceeded to attack “Bob” from a multitude of ways. I stabbed him in the head, the neck, the chest, even below the belt. No, I didn’t actually penetrate the rubber and plastic dummy, I pretended to. I didn’t need Evan murdering me for ruining his beloved training tool.