by Мишель Роуэн
Janie's got a gun
She's got the bad guys on the run
If you're a Were…
Beware
If you're a vampire ain't no liar
'Cause Janie's got a gun!'
That, surprisingly enough, was one of the better ones she'd heard lately.
Janie nodded. "Great."
Lenny beamed. "Thanks."
A car pulled up across from them. A blue Ford Escort. The doors opened up, and two men got out.
Janie gasped and sank down in her seat. "Oh, shit."
Lenny turned to her. "What's wrong?"
She grabbed his arm to make him sink down below window level. "Shhh."
Then she raised herself up just enough to peer over the dashboard. Her stomach began to churn.
Well, there was her sign.
One vampire and one werewolf, right on schedule.
The vampire was broad shouldered. His clothes, a simple dark green T-shirt and faded blue jeans, fit his lean but muscular frame perfectly. His dark blond hair was shorter than she remembered it. She could see only half of his handsome face and square jaw which was speckled with stubble, and those lips—she'd dreamed of those lips many times before—beneath a straight nose. Dark sunglasses that covered eyes she knew were a dark ocean blue turned her way as he scanned the area before entering the diner.
The werewolf was a little taller, about the same build, with black hair. He was smiling. The vamp wasn't.
Lenny elbowed her. "Hey, don't you know that guy?"
Janie didn't answer. What were the odds? The Boss must have known. This had to be another test to make sure she was loyal to the Company.
A dozen years ago, Michael Quinn had been her brother's friend and Janie's childhood crush. She'd seen him recently and had the chance to kill him once she'd realized he'd become a vampire. But she couldn't do it. Instead she knocked him out with garlic darts, since he was blocking her way to what she was after at the time.
But her sister's life wasn't at risk then. It was now.
She didn't give a damn about any vampire, no matter who he used to be.
She'd do what it took to save Angela.Whatever it took.
Chapter 3
"Hamburger, fries, Coke." Barkley finished scanning the menu and glanced up at the waitress, giving her a charming smile. "Do you still have that fantastic apple pie here?"
"Sure do, hon."
"Gimme two pieces of that. With ice cream. Please."
The waitress turned to Quinn. "And for you?"
"Coffee. Black."
"You should eat more than that. You look a little thin. And pale."
Quinn frowned. "Coffee. Black."
She raised an eyebrow disapprovingly, closed her order pad, and gave them the back of her ample frame as she went toward the kitchen.
"You do know how to charm the ladies." Barkley played with the salt shaker and glanced absently out the window at the parking lot.
"It's a gift."
Quinn tossed the car keys on the table and leaned back into his side of the booth, letting out a long sigh.
He already felt guilty about abandoning Barkley at the diner, and he hadn't even done it yet. It felt like he was throwing a puppy out of the car and driving away without him. But Barkley wasn't a puppy. He could take care of himself.
Besides, he'd noticed that there was a bus stop right outside the diner. When he left, Barkley would hop on a bus, headed to wherever he wanted to go. Everybody would get what they want. No problem.
What would he do once he found the Eye and made his wish to be human again? It's not like he could go back to his regular life, was it? He'd learned the hard way that hunting vampires was wrong. He was one of the very few who'd had a chance to see both sides of the coin.
He'd been a hunter for ten years. In training before that, but he was twenty when he made his first kill.
He shuddered at the thought. His father had brainwashed him since he was a kid that all vamps were evil. Different from humans. Killers who needed to be stopped by any means necessary, no matter how human or innocent they appeared. What he didn't fully realize was that his father was a zealot who relished the chance to wipe out anything different from himself from the face of the earth. Who had used the fears of others to strengthen his case against vampires. He'd convinced Quinn that it was a vamp who'd killed his mother when he was only six years old. But it wasn't. His mother had fallen in love with a vampire, and become a vampire herself, and when his father learned of this, he'd ended them both without a moment of mercy.
Quinn's whole life since that day had been a lie.
He'd killed a lot of vamps in his time. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that some of them were truly evil. When the thirst came upon vampires they lost their minds, and become black-eyed monsters who didn't care who they hurt to get to their next meal. Some vamps were plain evil, just as some humans were. Serial killers existed in all walks of life. But most vamps weren't evil. Just different.
He'd killed them all, figuring that their begging and pleading had been a ruse—that if he'd turned his back on them they would have ripped out his throat.
He touched his neck. The marks from the attack that turned him into a vampire two months ago were long gone. That vamp had wanted Quinn dead because he believed Quinn was responsible for slaying his wife.
Revenge was sometimes justified.
But the attack hadn't killed him. It had only changed him into the very thing he'd hunted for over a decade.
"Penny for your thoughts," Barkley said.
Quinn took in a shuddery breath. "Nothing. Just daydreaming."
"You're not very forthcoming with your emotions, you know that?"
"Sorry, I didn't realize we were doing male bonding here."
Barkley shrugged, then reached over the table to grab the car keys. "I haven't tried this in a while—"
"Tried what?"
He closed his eyes and Quinn looked at him oddly, as did the waitress as she dropped off their orders.
"I'm trying to get a read. Can't get it off you personally, but maybe something you've touched."
Quinn rolled his eyes and swirled the coffee around in his cup. "Don't pop a blood vessel trying."
Barkley's eyes shot open. "I know the real reason you're here."
Quinn froze.
"You've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon ." Then he laughed and pushed the keys back across the table. "Nah. I figured I couldn't get a read, but it was worth a try."
Quinn's lips twitched into a forced smile. "Listen, you eat your feast there, and I'm going to get some directions."
"Go to it."
Quinn stood up and went over to the long counter. Another waitress, a younger one with brown hair and a big smile, came closer.
"Hi there," she said.
"Hi." He smiled back. Charm. What was that again? It used to come easily to him, but now he could probably fake it if he tried hard enough. "Listen, I'm wondering if you can help me."
She put a hand on her hip. "Sure thing. What do you need?"
She rubbed her lips together and tucked her hair back behind her left ear. She was cute and seemed to be trying to look appealing in her pink smock waitress outfit. He found it slightly endearing.
His gaze moved along the edge of her top and along her collarbone to her throat.
She'd probably bare her neck willingly to me. All I'd have to do is ask.
He shook his head, trying to cast out such thoughts. He hadn't bitten anybody yet, and he wasn't going to start now. There were establishments where the average vamp could find blood on tap next to draft beer and cocktails, and that was the only way he was going to get his next meal when he needed it. Even then it made him feel wrong. He'd gone almost three full days without blood. In the beginning he'd needed it several times a day, but now he could go longer. He wasn't sure how long, but he wanted to find out.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that held his destiny.
"Do you know the quickest route to Good law ? It's not on this map I bought."
She nodded. "Sure. It's more of a district than an actual town, really." She lifted her arm and pointed out the window. "Take the highway there west towardPhoenix . In two hours, give or take, you'll come to
Goodlaw . Don't blink or you'll miss it."
He nodded. "Great. Thanks a lot for your help."
"Any time."
He turned away, but she touched his arm, making him turn back to look at her. "And I mean any time."
He could see her pulse through the pale skin on her neck. His mouth began to water.
He swallowed hard and shrugged off her hand. Then with a meager smile, practiced so as not to show off his fangs, he turned back to rejoin Barkley, who was already half done with his meal.
"Your coffee's getting cold," he said with his mouth full.
Quinn looked out the window. He could see the Ford and beyond that the bus stop. He reached across the table to reclaim the keys and slid them into his pocket. Time to part ways with Barkley. The werewolf shouldn't have to spend any more time with a fledgling vampire. Way too dangerous. For both of them.
Yeah, justify abandoning a friend any way you can, his conscience scolded.
He gritted his teeth at the thought.
"I'm going to the washroom." Quinn stood up, half expecting Barkley to automatically know what he was about to do.
He didn't even look up and instead just nodded and kept eating. "Have fun."
Good-bye, Barkley, he thought.
And then he turned away to find that someone was blocking him.
"Do you think you can hold it?" the someone said. "Because we need to have a chat."
He was so surprised that he dropped back down into the booth. "What the hell—?"
Janie sat down in the booth next to Barkley. Her huge lug of a partner squeezed in beside Quinn.
"Good to see you, too," Janie said. "Don't worry. This shouldn't take long."
Quinn frowned. "Janelle—"
"I prefer to be called Janie. Be careful or I'll start calling you Michael. Or Mike. Doesn't really suit you anymore, does it?"
Quinn was in shock. The last time he'd seen Janie Parker had been a little over a week ago, when she'd shot him in the chest with a garlic dart before she'd attempted to kill a woman named Sarah, a good friend of his. Before that he hadn't seen her since she was a kid and he used to hang out with her brother.
He absolutely hated the bitch.
But damn, even he had to admit that she'd grown up really nice.
She was blond, with long hair done in that way women paid a lot of money for. Three or four different shades of blond from honey to platinum. She had high cheekbones, cool blue eyes lined in smoky black, and full red lips.
At first glance, she was a total babe. But that didn't make him like her any more. Well, parts of him did, maybe. But the rest of him still couldn't stand the sight of her.
"What the hell do you want?" he growled.
"We want the Eye," she replied.
Quinn's entire body tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He tried not to let anything show on his face, but panic twisted his gut. How did she know? Who told her?
The waitress approached. "What can I get you two?"
Janie didn't take her eyes off Quinn. "Nothing."
"Y'all can't just take up space here. You have to order something. It's the rules."
Lenny, who seemed to Quinn about the size of a cube van sitting next to him in the small booth, reached over and flipped through the menu. "I am a little hungry."
Janie sighed. "Fine. I'll have a coffee."
"Anything else?"
"No."
The waitress rolled her eyes, then looked at Lenny.
Lenny glanced at Barkley. "How was the burger?"
Barkley blinked. "Greasy but worth it."
"I'll have the same as him."
The waitress retreated.
Quinn cocked his head to one side and forced a smile to his lips. "You didn't ask for separate bills."
"You're not going to be a gentleman and pick up the tab for an old friend?"
He snorted and leaned back in his seat, trying to look relaxed when he felt anything but. "We were never friends, Janie."
"No, that's right. You were friends with my brother. The one you watched die."
Janie's brother Peter was a vampire hunter who enjoyed his work a little too much. Instead of feeling it was his job, it became fun to him. One night he got on the wrong side of a gun held by a vamp, and he'd lost. Quinn wanted to feel bad about it, but he didn't. Peter had changed. He wasn't the same guy Quinn had sparred with as a teenager while their fathers discussed hunter politics.
Barkley shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. "Quinn, are you going to introduce me?"
Quinn was busy staring at Janie, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this. He knew she was a trainedMerc —a mercenary—who sold her skills to anyone with the biggest dollar.
"Who are you working for?"
She ignored him and instead turned to Barkley, giving him a sly smile. "I'm Janie. Janie Parker."
He raised an eyebrow in an obvious sign of approval of the pretty blonde seated next to him. "Matthew
Barkley."
"I assume you're the werewolf."
He frowned. "Uh."
"Don't tell her anything," Quinn advised. "Janie, why don't the two of you leave. You're not wanted here."
"Quinn, I don't think you're taking very good care of yourself. You look kind of pale. Being a vamp getting to you? Not getting your three squares of hemoglobin a day?"
He narrowed his eyes. "So kind of you to be concerned, considering the last time I saw youyou shot me in the chest."
"With atranq dart. Big deal. And you totally deserved it."
The waitress returned with Janie's coffee. She grabbed for the creamer and sugar and put in an ample amount of both. "Now, let's get back on topic. The Eye. Give it to me right now and we'll leave."
"Like I said before, I don't know what you're talking about."
She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Lenny simply sat, quiet as a large boulder, watching the proceedings. Then she looked at a confused Barkley.
He raised his eyebrows. "I don't know what you're talking about, either."
Her left cheek twitched. She was acting very cool, calm, and collected, but could she be nervous?
Quinn frowned at her. "Don't you believe us?"
"Oh, I believe wolf-boy here. You? Not so much."
"Then I don't know what to say."
"How about this—" The unmistakable sound of a gun safety clicked off. "I have a gun loaded with silver bullets pointed at your travel buddy. You hand over the Eye and I won't send him to doggy heaven."
Barkley looked down. "She's got a gun, Quinn. What the hell is going on here?"
She glanced at Quinn. "Your move, handsome."
Chapter 4
Not good. Not good at all.
She hadn't wanted to resort to Rambo measures quite so soon. She didn't want anybody to get hurt, but maybe she was more desperate than she'd thought. It seemed so easy just marching into the diner and acting tough, but when she saw Quinn face to face, it definitely knocked her confidence off balance. And when she was off balance, she tended toward extreme measures.
Was she going to shoot the werewolf? No. He'd never done anything to her, and it would be a frosty day in hell before she killed for no good reason. It was obvious that he didn't know where the Eye was,
let alone what it was. But she hoped that Quinn would think she was capable of such a cold hearted act.
Whatever she'd have to do to save her sister, she'd do it. Hopefully that wouldn't have to include murder.
Quinn was very cool about the whole situation. So much so that she thought for a moment he was going to let her pull the trigger. That would be very uncomfortable when she didn't .
"Well?" she prompted after what seemed like a very long moment ticked by.
He studied her, his gaze glancing briefly against the line of her throat, those dark blue eyes watching every move she made, like a snake. Like a really good-looking vampire snake that continued to make her feel like an awkward twelve-year-old when she thought the seventeen-year-old Quinn was the hottest guy she'd ever seen.
"I don't have it yet," he finally said.
She almost let out a long sigh of relief. Then she realized what he said.
"You don't have it yet ?"
"That's right."
"Where is it?"
"Nearby."
"Nearby where ?"
The waitress returned with Lenny's hamburger. No one spoke or looked up at her.
She let out a small annoyed sigh before walking away.
"You're going to take me to it," Janie said. "Right now."
Quinn just stared at her, steady and calm. "You're going to regret coming here."
"Is that a threat? Not the right situation for that kind of macho talk, in case you haven't noticed."
"What happened to you, Janie? You were such a cute kid."
She snorted. "I guess cute kids grow up and learn how to use concealed weapons. Now, back on topic,
handsome. The Eye? You have until Lenny's finished lunch to tell me where it is, or I'm going to make werewolf stew over here."
Quinn glanced at Lenny, who was already halfway through his burger.
Barkley now had sweat beading on his forehead, but his eyes had narrowed, his brow wrinkled as if he was concentrating hard. And he was staring directly at her chest.
"Thirty-four C if you're wondering," she said. "Can I take a picture for you? It'll last longer."
He shook his head. "I'm not… well, okay, maybe I was a little bit. You've got a body like a Hooters waitress. But actually, I'm looking at your necklace."
Automatically, she reached to her throat to touch the cool stone and then looked at Lenny, who raised an eyebrow at her. He, however, didn't stop eating. "What about it?"
He brought his fingers to his temple and rubbed as if he was fighting off a bad headache. "Nothing.
Probably nothing. I've just been having this dream the past two nights, and that necklace was in it. A redhead was wearing it. Also with nice hoot—" He looked up and cleared his throat. "Never mind.