Tessa sighed, then looked up at him. “Who is she to you?”
The silence to that question was very telling.
With a shake of her head, she grabbed her stuff and stood, this time looking down at him. “Then yes, it’s too much of you to ask.”
“Tessa, there are things you don’t understand.” Jared stood but didn’t touch her or try to stop her from leaving.
“Maybe that’s because you won’t even give me the opportunity to understand. Until then, yes, Jared, it is asking too much now,” Tessa shot back, then walked out of the warehouse with her stomach in her throat, which totally sucked. Even beating Raven tonight didn’t mean anything to her really. Until Jared came clean with his secrets or whatever, she could beat the woman hourly and she would still feel the same emptiness she felt right now.
Chapter 10
After leaving the warehouse and crossing the river back into Kentucky, Tessa drove around. She had no desire to go back to the house alone, and in all honesty, she knew Jared may show up there, and she just wasn’t ready. Even if he wanted to spill his guts, she was so hurt she really didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
Passing the Sand Trap, the bar she grew up in and worked at for years, she sighed then turned around. She pulled into the parking lot, parked, and stared at the building. It wasn’t too crowded, but it was a weeknight. She just hoped her dad wasn’t here. Wouldn’t that just top off her shitty day?
Getting out, she locked the doors then headed inside the bar. Familiar sounds and smells hit her immediately. Walking toward the bar, she noticed a few guys shooting pool, while a man sat at the bar watching the television overhead.
Bobby came out of the back and their eyes met. “Well look who the cat dragged in.” Bobby gave her a smile. “Wondered what happened to you.”
Tessa sighed as she sat at the bar. “Hit me.” She tossed her bag on the barstool next to her. When Bobby didn’t move but just frowned at her, she smirked. “Coke, no ice.”
“Damn.” Bobby grabbed a glass. “Bad day?”
That was an understatement. “Yeah, you could say that.” She took a long drink, feeling the burn of the Coke sliding down the back of her throat. She hadn’t had a Coke since she’d been turned.
She watched as Bobby took a couple of beers over to the guys playing pool and sighed. Bobby had been a decent boss, even though he had tried repeatedly to date her. He was handsome in a bad country-boy kind of way, but Jared had put a stop to all of that when he’d beaten the hell out of Bobby. Shaking her head, she pushed the memory aside. Those had been better days, maybe not for Bobby. She snorted at the thought.
“I still can’t get over those fangs,” Bobby said as he came back behind the bar.
Tessa rolled her eyes. “How’s the business going, Bobby?”
He shrugged, glancing around. “Been better honestly.” The familiar glint in his eye twinkled. She had seen that glint many times before. “You know, Tess, if you needed your job back, I’d hire you back in a second.”
The thought played in her mind, surprising her. How simple her life had been back then, but then she remembered Bobby’s glint. “Oh, I’m sure having a vampire bartender would be good for business, now, wouldn’t it?” She almost felt disappointed that she knew that was really his intention instead of helping her, but she’d known Bobby long enough that it was just who he was and didn’t really take offense.
“Hey, I hired you back after your crazy-ass boyfriend beat my ass. So don’t say I haven’t helped you, Tess.” Bobby snorted, then touched his jaw. “I still can’t chew right.”
It was true. He had hired her back after that shit show, but he had slapped her ass in front of Jared as well as been disrespectful. She had forgiven him but doubted Jared ever would. Dammit, couldn’t she go ten minutes without thinking of that man? Obviously not, since he was now so integrated into her life.
“Hey, you okay?” Bobby’s voice penetrated her thoughts.
“Hmmm?” Tessa replied absently. “Oh, ah… yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
“You sure you don’t want anything stronger than that Coke with no ice?” Bobby smirked, but there was a seriousness to the question.
Tessa didn’t answer right away and actually thought about it. How easy it would be to forget everything and leave it at the bottom of a bottle or two? This wasn’t the first time it had crossed her mind. Her thoughts went automatically to her father as it always did, and the urge passed quickly.
“My father been in here?” Tessa asked with a frown.
“Frank?” Bobby’s eyes widened. “He’s back?”
She nodded and followed with a mumbled, “Unfortunately,” but knew Bobby heard her.
“No, and if he does show up, I will be showing the bastard the door.” Bobby leaned against the bar staring at her. “He’s not welcome here.”
“Thanks.” Tessa finished off her Coke, knowing it was time for her to leave. Her phone was turned off, yet she still had a feeling there would be missed calls. She still didn’t want to go home. Not tonight. She needed a minute.
A sudden thought occurred. “Do you still have that hunting cabin?”
“Yeah,” he replied, then frowned. “Why?”
“How much would it cost me to rent it for tonight?” Tessa asked, then pointed at him. “And if you say a date, I will bite you.”
Bobby laughed. “I think I learned that lesson.” He left the bar for a few moments, returning and handing her a key on a leather key ring. “Just make sure you lock up when you leave. There isn’t anything stocked food-wise. Wait, I forgot. You can probably hunt you a deer if you get hungry since you got those big ol’ fangs.”
Rolling her eyes, Tessa took the key. “Funny. Real funny.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “How about you getting some of those fried pickles and a few Cokes? I’ll save the deer for you since you’re the Bambi killer.”
Bobby snorted with a shake of his head as he went in the back. Tessa pulled her phone out of her bag and turned it on. It only took a second for missed calls to start showing up. Opening her texts, she frowned.
Jared: Where are u?
Jared: Tessa?
Jared: Dammit, answer me!
Jared: You know I can find u!
Jared: Tessa!
Staring at the text, Tessa realized she wasn’t one of those women who wouldn’t answer just out of spite. And he was right. Without a doubt, Jared could find her. It may take him a while, but he would not stop until he found her.
Tessa texted. Need time. I’m fine. Then she sighed before hitting Send, wondering if she should add more. A frown settled over her face. Hell with that. Why should she give him more than that when he hadn’t given her anything? She had asked him tonight about Raven and he’d remained silent. Without wasting more time, she hit Send and immediately shut her phone off. At least he would know she was alive. That was enough for now.
After a few minutes, Bobby came out of the back with her fried pickles, then bagged her up some Cokes. “If you have any problems, just call me. No one should bother you at the cabin.”
“How much do I owe you?” Tessa grabbed her bag and stood.
Bobby seemed to think about that for a minute, then smiled. “You owe me a week of bartending when I want to go hunting.”
“Deal.” Tessa didn’t hesitate with her answer. In fact, she did miss bartending. She had met some amazing people during her time here. “Thanks, Bobby, I really appreciate it. I knew there was a good guy somewhere in there.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know about all that.” Bobby huffed, wiping down the bar. “I say I’m getting the better end of the deal.”
If he only knew, Tessa thought as she gave him a backward wave before she exited the bar. Glancing around, she was relieved Jared wasn’t in the parking lot. She knew if he was there, she’d cave, at least at this point. She needed to get her head straight and her heart a little tougher where he was concerned. No matter what was going on, she deserved to be treated better t
han he had been treating her since she’d been turned.
Getting in the car, she started it up and headed toward the cabin. She knew exactly where it was because when the electric had been out at the bar after a winter storm, they had to take all the beer from the bar to the cabin where Bobby had large freezers for Bambi meat, as she liked to call it just to give him shit.
Once she was on the way, she turned on the radio, rolled her window down, and enjoyed the ride. It was a beautiful night, with lightning playing a gorgeous light show behind the dark clouds. She loved a good summer storm, as long as no tornados were possible. Ever since she was a little girl, she had been terrified of tornados and still had that fear.
As she turned off the main road, she switched on her bright lights, so she didn’t miss the turn. Squinting, even though she had excellent eyesight, she spotted the practically hidden dirt drive. Turning slowly, she crept down the bumpy drive until the cabin came into sight. It was a plain log cabin, but Tessa always loved it. On the right was a small pond with the forest surrounding everything. She slowly pulled to a stop, turned off the engine, and grabbed her stuff.
Once outside the car, the night sounds surrounded her. Immediately, she relaxed, loving the sound of nature. A country girl at heart through and through. After heading up the steps, Tessa unlocked the door and walked inside. Seeing the light switch, she turned on the lights. The cabin was neat and clean. Though, she could definitely tell a man had decorated.
Setting everything down, she locked the door. Used to living alone in the backwoods of Kentucky without her brother most of the time, Tessa wasn’t afraid, but she was cautious. Even as a vampire, she still wanted a moment to react, and a locked door would give her that. Kicking her shoes off, she pulled her shirt out of her jeans and pulled it over her head, tossing it on a chair. She wore a sports bra underneath and just wanted to be comfortable. Her jeans quickly followed.
Coke in hand, along with the pickles and her work files, she headed for the couch and sat down. Opening the Styrofoam box along with the small container of ranch, she grabbed a still-warm pickle. After dipping it, she plopped it in her mouth while she opened a Coke. Her mind kept going to her phone, but she refused to turn it on until morning. She had work to do, things to think about, and she wouldn’t succeed with any of that if she turned on her phone. Nope. She’d end up telling Jared where she was because he was her weakness.
With a gasp, she sat back to let that sink in. Jared Kincaid was her weakness. She always gave in to him, shied away from upsetting him, but why? Even as the question formed, she knew exactly why. “Because you’re afraid of losing him, idiot,” Tessa said out loud, then shook her head.
Her eyes fell to her bare finger. Rubbing her thumb over the now bare skin, she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. Her mind swam with so many things that she felt as if it were going to explode. Grabbing the side of her head, she moaned, then sat back up. Taking another pickle, she ate it, took a drink of Coke, and picked up a file.
Right now, it was time for her to work. She had all night to reflect on the shit show that was now her life. A clap of thunder sounded unexpectedly and made her jump. Hopefully no severe weather was coming in. The cabin had no television and she refused to turn on her phone, even to check the forecast.
Tessa spent hours updating files, making notes, and finally came to the last file. “Charlie Doe,” Tessa whispered with a frown. As she opened the file, she smiled sadly, seeing a young boy staring back at her from a sterile photo that was taken when he was brought into the system. His black hair was unruly with curls, and his large, frightened eyes were the golden hue of a vampire. Her smile slipped into a frown. How cruel it was to turn a child who would grow in mind, but never in body! He was turned at the age of seven.
After reading over the whole file, Tessa kept going back to the picture. Poor kid, shuffled from foster home to foster home. Some, he was removed. Others, after the time allotted, the foster parents gave him up. Looking up from the picture, Tessa stared out the window deep in thought. One thing that had really bothered her was never being able to have a child of her own. Slowly, her eyes went back to Charlie’s picture.
Hard rain had begun to fall, lightning flashed, lighting the room brighter than the small lamp on the table next to her, and thunder boomed, but she ignored it as her eyes continued to stare at the boy. Glancing at her bag, she frowned. It was very irresponsible for her to leave her phone off. Part of her new job as a social worker was to be available since they were so short-staffed.
Leaning over, she snatched her bag and searched for her phone. Turning it back on, she quickly checked to make sure Mitch nor Nicole hadn’t called her. As hard as it was, she ignored Jared’s last message. No one other than Jared had tried to contact her. With a sigh, she closed the file and tossed it on top of the other ones. A glance at the time told her it was almost five in the morning. She had easily lost time working. Knowing she had to go back to the house to change into fresh clothes, she started to clean up.
Her phone rang, scaring the crap out of her. Figuring it was Jared, she was surprised to see it was Adam.
“Hello?” Tessa’s voice sounded raspy from not talking to anyone for hours.
“Tessa,” Adam said, his tone somber.
“What’s wrong?” Her stomach met her throat as fear overwhelmed her. She knew by the sound of his voice something had happened, and she prayed it wasn’t Jared.
“It’s Gramps,” Adam replied, and that’s when she realized the noise in the background was a siren. “We’re heading to University Hospital. You need to hurry.”
Tessa didn’t even ask what happened. All she heard was “University Hospital,” and she reacted. In record time, she was dressed and running out the door. Knowing that her world was about to implode, she was helpless to stop it.
Chapter 11
Jared stalked the bastard who had been reigning terror in a small suburb of Cincinnati. Sloan had called him, Sid, and Blaze in, stating that this asshole needed to be caught, and caught tonight. Not only was this rogue draining the blood and leaving the victims littered all over the place, but he’d raped an underage girl who somehow had managed to get away.
As Jared drove down one of the town roads, he noticed a shadow slip behind a house just as he passed. Jared had kept going until he was far enough away not to cause suspicion, parked his bike and now was backtracking on foot. This fucker better hope he wasn’t the one who caught him. Not only were they dealing with fucking witches and demons, they still had an overwhelming problem with rogue vampires. Whether they were all connected, who the fuck knew? All the Warriors were sure of was they had a job to do, and that was to take out threats to not only their kind but the human race as well.
Making sure his phone was on silent, he checked to make sure Tessa hadn’t contacted him. She hadn’t. With a curse, he put his phone away, his mind and body wanting to leave what he was doing now and go find her. Actually, he knew exactly where she was. No way would his mate be somewhere that he didn’t know. Fuck that.
Jared had made many mistakes, hoped to one day make up for those mistakes and yet, that couldn’t happen until he faced his past. “Fuck!” he spat, getting more and more angry as he headed toward where he’d seen the shadow.
Just as he passed the house, he heard the faint whimper of a woman, then a slap. Eyes narrowed, with a grim smile spreading his lips, Jared took off toward the sounds. This bastard had picked the wrong night, wrong neighbor, and wrong fucking Warrior.
Turning the corner, he spotted the rogue as he pulled a woman out of the house by her hair. That was his MO. He never did anything to them inside the home other than abduct them and drag them outside.
“Stop struggling, bitch,” the rogue ordered harshly. “And submit to your fate. I can make this pleasurable or painful.”
“Please,” the woman begged as her feet slipped on the wet grass. Moonlight played hide-and-seek behind the dark clouds, but Jared could see perfectly.
>
He pulled the woman up to face him. “Pleasure or pain?”
“Good thing I don’t ask stupid questions like that,” Jared said as he stood a few feet away, with his arms crossed as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Get the fuck out of here.” The rogue hissed, his eyes glaring red. “This one’s mine.”
“Actually, I do have a question for you, asshole.” Jared tilted his head, though he was ready to defend the woman if necessary.
“What?” the dumbass asked. One good thing about dealing with these idiots was they were idiots. Blood lust obviously killed brain cells.
“Pain or pain?” Jared uncrossed his arms slowly.
“Huh?” The asshole actually looked puzzled by the question, but he did let the woman go, who stumbled backward. Jared made sure to make eye contact with the woman, trying to clue her in that when the shit hit the fan to run.
“Let me answer since the question is obviously too complicated for you.” Jared took a step forward. “The answer is pain. You are going to feel a lot of pain. Unless you come with me willingly, but I don’t think that is going to happen. At least I really hope that doesn’t happen.”
“Who the hell are you?” The rogue appeared to realize he may be in over his head.
“VC Warrior, and you are breaking code 569205.” Jared took another step. “Surrender, come with me peacefully, and you will be given a fair trial.” Jared forced himself not to roll his eyes at what the government expected them to say, but there was a witness present, so he needed to spout the bullshit real quick.
“What’s code 56, ah….” He tried to repeat what Jared had said but was too stupid to remember.
“9205.” Jared finished for him. “And it means, in terms you can understand… don’t fuck with humans.”
The asshole actually laughed. “Damn, you Warriors are lame.”
“Yeah, but we fuck people up,” Jared answered, enjoying this step away from his other problems. It was a stress reliever for him. “And because you’re a stupid fuck, I’ll repeat. Surrender, come with me peacefully, and you will be given a fair trial.”
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