by Rose Pressey
“Yeah, it’s hard with the kids.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.” I didn’t offer to baby-sit, though. I looked at Buzz. “Where were you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I came back this morning and your bike was here, and when I got here this evening it was in the same spot. Only I didn’t see you around anywhere. I thought you’d disappeared like the bar owner.” It wasn’t really any of my business, but something was off. I wanted to hear his answer.
“I went somewhere with a friend.” He stared at me, then gave a lopsided grin.
“Oh. With Pierce?” I wouldn’t allow that grin to get to me.
“Nope.”
If he didn’t want to tell me, fine, but I’d find out one way or another.
“Well, I’m glad you showed up.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I’m reliable.”
“No reason.” Was I glad he showed?
The door from the main area of the bar opened. A waitress popped her head through the cracked door. “Any of you seen Monty?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not all day. His wife was here, but she vanished, too.” Buzz raised his eyebrows at me. I guess at my use of the word vanished.
“There are a couple of men looking for him out front. Thanks, anyway.”
“No problem,” I said as she closed the door.
“I’m getting a drink, you want something?” Frank asked.
“I’ll go with you,” Buzz said.
That was odd. Why would Buzz be remotely nice to Frank after the way he’d treated him?
“Bring me some water, would you?” I asked.
“Sure.” Buzz winked.
Craig and I sat in silence. I didn’t mention the producer and neither did he. No doubt he saw him leave, too. Craig probably sensed I didn’t want to talk about it.
After a few minutes, Buzz returned with my water. “Frank’s back on stage. You about ready?”
“Yeah.” I took a couple of gulps from the glass. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Buzz stepped closer and my breath caught. “That dress is fantastic on you, by the way. You look stunning.” He ran his finger down my cheek and touched my lips, then turned and walked out the door. My face must have turned redder than if I’d eaten a habanero chili sandwich.
Chapter 54
The producer may not have enjoyed the show, but the crowd seemed to. We played more songs than we’d expected. Even got requests and, to my surprise, Buzz knew all of them. After I didn’t think I could sing another song, the show finally came to an end. When I stepped off-stage, I looked around the room. I didn’t spot anyone who resembled a police officer. Hadn’t the detective said someone would be there to watch over me? What if the creator of the note came after me? Something could have happened to the innocent people in the audience. Maybe I’d heard him incorrectly. Or maybe the officer had left once the show was over, which didn’t really make sense. I thanked the crowd and slipped backstage. After everyone had cleared out, I helped the guys with the equipment. There was no way I would go outside by myself this time.
“You okay?” Buzz asked.
“Yeah, just daydreaming.”
“Are we finished here?”
“Yeah. I think we’re all set. Where’s Frank?” I asked Craig.
“Said he had stuff to do and needed to leave.”
It was unlike him to slip out so soon. He usually liked to harass me before he left. “I’ll call him tomorrow. We’ll have to talk.”
We waved to the few remaining employees and walked out the main door. Still no sign of Monty or Barbie. How long would they have to be missing before the police would get involved? Should I say something to Detective Walker? Craig had no idea how thankful I was he was there. I didn’t want to be alone with Buzz.
A few people meandered around in the parking lot, talking, but at least no one seemed to follow me to my car. But with two strong men beside me it wouldn’t have been a wise choice.
Craig headed to his truck, leaving me alone with Buzz once again. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Take care.” Don’t leave me alone with him, I wanted to call, but couldn’t.
“You need me to follow you home?” Craig asked.
Oh, thank goodness. It was as if he read my mind.
“I’ll follow you.” Buzz interrupted. “I mean, I’m going that way.”
I looked at him and back to Craig.
“That okay with you?” He must have read the hesitancy in my eyes, but not well enough because he would have insisted and told Buzz to leave.
“Um, sure, it’s fine with me.” What else could I say?
He paused. “Okay then, I’ll talk to you later.” He jumped in his truck and didn’t look back. Thanks a bunch, buddy.
I was left staring at Buzz as he stood a few feet away from me. “Guess I'd better get home.” I yawned for good measure.
“Are you sure? The night’s still young. We could get some pancakes over at the diner.”
“I’m not sure about that. I don’t know if I’m much in the mood for food.”
He smiled and I wondered if I hadn’t phrased that correctly. I expected him to ask what I was in the mood for. Certainly not another taste of his delicious lips.
Buzz walked over and leaned against the car beside me. “What’s wrong?”
Besides him being so close and me not knowing what to do? Nothing. “The producer didn’t come back. I know you didn’t know who he was since you’ve never met him. He was there for the first part of the show, then I saw him leave and never come back.”
No longer could I avoid Buzz’s gaze, so I glanced his way.
“Maybe you just didn’t see him come back,” he said.
I shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter. He didn’t come over afterwards and talk to me. That can mean only one thing, he’s not interested.”
“Don’t be so sure. Maybe he will get in touch. And if he doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll have other chances. Like I said, you’ve got the best voice I’ve ever heard.”
“I think my chances have just about run out. I’ll just go home and feel sorry for myself.”
The last thing I needed was to hang around with Buzz. It was probably nothing, but I didn’t trust that he was being truthful with me. And why hadn’t the policeman hung around? So much for doing his job. I’d call the detective tomorrow and give him a piece of my mind—well, maybe in a polite manner so as to avoid the handcuffs, but still…. I gripped the handle of my car door. Buzz touched my hand, and my knees quivered a little. Okay, a lot—probably just tired from standing on stage in my shoes for hours. He opened the car door.
“Well, at least let me follow you.”
Did I have a choice? He probably would, even if I told him no. I didn’t live too far away, and I’d keep my cell phone handy if the strange car appeared again. The police would catch them in the act this time.
I hopped in and he closed the door. “Thanks.” The engine roared to life.
Buzz strolled over with his usual confidence and hopped on his bike. It cranked to life. He followed as I pulled out onto the street. There was still quite a bit of traffic even though it was late. After traveling a mile down the street, I discovered why there was so much traffic. Blinding red and blue lights flickered. An accident blocked both sides of the street. Traffic was being redirected, but it was still slow going. People were asking questions as they crept past and the rubbernecking didn’t help, either.
When I slowed to a stop, Buzz pulled his bike up beside mine. “Looks as if we’re in for a detour.”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I know another way. It’ll take us on the back roads, but we’ll avoid all the traffic.”
“Sounds good. You lead the way and I’ll follow.” His biceps flexed when he revved the bike’s engine. I tried not to look, but my eyes wouldn’t obey.
Why I’d offered to drive into a secluded area with him, I had no idea. But I’d be safe in m
y car and soon safe at home. He couldn’t do anything to me as long as I was in my vehicle, right? As soon as the traffic inched forward, Buzz fell in behind me again. I followed the line of cars in front of me and the officer’s directions. I moved along behind the traffic until the street for my shortcut came up, then made a left. Apparently, no one else knew about the shortcut, which was fine by me because it would get me home faster. And the faster I was home, the faster I’d be away from Buzz, his sexy lips and the whole crazy mess. The safety of my apartment. Well, somewhat safe, considering it had been broken into. But with the new dead bolt and Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Stevens remembering to lock the door, things had been fine so far. The road turned dark quickly. The lights from businesses faded as we moved away. I turned right and Buzz followed at a safe distance. At least he wasn’t tailgating me.
The radio played faintly in the background. I barely made out the lyrics to Love Me Tender. I flipped it off out of nervousness. My nerves fidgety, I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel as I navigated a turn. Houses grew farther apart. Then it hit me. I had no idea where I was. I thought I knew my way, but I must have confused it with another street. I needed to pull over and tell Buzz that we had to back-track. Slightly embarrassing, but necessary. The road didn’t offer much of a shoulder to pull over on and the dark didn’t help matters, either. Stuck halfway on the road under the cover of night would be asking for a car to hit me. Although, I hadn’t seen another car since we’d turned off the main thoroughfare.
As I slowed for another turn, I glanced in my rear-view mirror. Buzz had pulled his bike off to the side of the road. Had he realized I had gone the wrong way? I eased over, getting off the road as much as possible. As he approached, I cut the engine.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Something is wrong with my bike.”
“Are you out of gas?” I stepped out from behind the wheel.
“No, it has almost a full tank.”
Something rustled in the nearby trees and I jumped. I clutched my chest, trying to catch my breath. Who knew what kind of animals lurked behind those trees.
“You can’t leave it here, can you?”
“I don’t think I have a choice. Let me try it one more time. If it doesn’t start, I’ll have to come back for it.”
I followed him back to the motorcycle. He straddled it and cranked the ignition, feverishly kicking the stand. I didn’t make a noise as I stood on the side of the road, glancing back often. Visions of a wild animal leaping out from behind and attacking me flashed through my mind. We were close to civilization, but could there be bears? Of course not. I needed to calm down. Deer were probably responsible for the rustling sounds behind me.
Headlights appeared down the road and approached at a steady pace. Standing on the side of the road in the dark, I felt like a sitting duck. Again, I was in one of those terrible horror movie scenarios where the female was stuck in the middle of the road in the middle of the night. Would the car even see us, or just run right over us? My clothing clung to my body, beads of sweat popped up on my skin. The air was like breathing through soup. My makeup melted off.
“Here comes a car,” I said.
He looked at me as if to say, duh. I smirked.
Gravel crunched as the car came to a stop behind the bike. The headlights remained in the on position. Without light, I couldn’t make out what type of car it was or who was behind the wheel. Buzz may have been involved but regardless, I moved closer to him. Here I was stranded in the middle of nowhere with a guy I had suspected of possibly following me or having someone follow me. The isolated area, miles away from any other homes, was a perfect location for a kidnapper and murderer. Now a car had appeared. What had I been thinking? And I moved closer to him? As if he would protect me. I needed to run. I backed away, inching closer toward my car, hoping not to alert him to my sudden moves.
“You stay here. I’ll go see who it is.” He started toward the car.
“Yeah, right. I’ll do that, sucker,” I mumbled.
Chapter 55
I hurried to my car and jumped in, not even bothering to try to be quiet when I slammed the door. With my hand on the key ready to turn the ignition, I glanced back in the rear-view mirror. The door of the beat-up car behind me opened, and in a flash of movement, someone punched Buzz. He immediately fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I gasped, then let out a screech like a wild banshee. If nothing else, I figured maybe that would distract whoever it was. It didn’t seem to work though, because the madman continued his pursuit of Buzz. What was I supposed to do now?
With the brightness from the headlights obscuring my view, the features of Buzz’s assailant were indistinct. All I knew was that a man had just punched Buzz and now he was moving on the ground as if trying to get up, but he was having a difficult time. If I jumped out, there wouldn’t be much I could do to help him. I couldn’t pummel the guy who’d just knocked Buzz on his ass. So I did what any girl stuck on a desolate road would do, I reached for my purse and fumbled for the cell phone. Still digging around in my bag, tossing out lipsticks, a mirror, hand sanitizer and the kitchen sink, I glanced again at the rear-view mirror. The dark shadowy outline of a man moved my way, inching closer as if sneaking up on his prey. Finally, with trembling fingers, I yanked the cell from my purse and punched in nine-one-one.
Silence. The phone did nothing. No service.
My service provider was so getting a letter from me. As I stared at the non-working phone, my car door yanked open and the next thing I knew, I’d been pulled from the car. He had my left arm in the tightest grip I’d ever felt. My phone fell to the ground, making a loud thud and breaking into two pieces.
I struggled to break free from Danny’s grip. “Let me go. What the hell is wrong with you, you freak?” Okay, calling him names was probably not a wise decision, but I never claimed to be wise under such circumstances.
“Shut up, bitch!” He grabbed my arm and snatched me up. “I’m going to drain you of every drop of blood in your body.”
This was worse than I thought. Asking him to join the band wasn’t going to get me out of this situation. Short of a miracle, nothing was going to get me out of this predicament. A pain seared through my arm as if he’d pulled it from the socket. He pointed a gun at my head and, at the same time, with his other hand he twisted my arm with such force I thought I’d throw up on his shoe. He laughed as I screamed out in pain. Danny pulled me back to his car, dragging my legs along the gravel. I kicked and struggled to break free, but it was a futile attempt. My arm ached under his hand. Once again, I screamed out in pain. He lurched back his other arm, and landed a sucker punch square on my jaw. Stars formed in front of my eyes. Thank goodness he didn’t pistol-whip me. Panic had set in and I didn’t know how I’d get away from this madman. My parents would lose another child. I didn’t think they could go through that again.
Frank had jumped out from the backseat and pointed a gun at Buzz. Kitty sat in the front seat of the car, crying. Most of the color had drained from her face and I prayed she wouldn’t pass out.
“I’m sorry, Veronica. I didn’t know.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Shut up,” Danny yelled at her.
I was furious. Why the hell was he yelling at her? Why was she crying? If he’d hurt her, I’d find a way to drive a stake through his dead heart.
“Kitty, are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
Danny smacked me in the face again. If I made it out of this alive, he was going to pay.
“Hey. Don’t touch her again.” Buzz yelled.
Frank cocked the gun and pointed it at Buzz.
I swallowed hard. “Sit down and shut up,” he ordered.
Danny sat me against the back of the car. My mouth was dry and my pulse thumped. I fidgeted from side to side as I waited for his next move. This beautiful summer night had turned into a nightmare.
“Come here.” Dan
ny motioned to Buzz with his gun. “Now!”
Buzz ambled over, glaring at Frank and Danny the entire time. His jaw was set and his fists clenched. Rage flared in his eyes.
“Sit down.” Danny screeched out the vehement command. His mouth twisted and fangs protruded; his eyes red with a faint glow and full of hatred.
Buzz eased to the ground beside me, and the gravel crunched under his shoes. “Everything’s okay. Try to stay calm. Just do what they ask.”
“Stay calm?” Was he kidding? I’d never been this panicked. “What are they going to do?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll get us out of this somehow.”
“They’re going to drain us, aren’t they? Why did I trust vampires?”
“They’re not all bad.” Buzz squeezed my hand.
“Maybe not, but I think we’ve found a bad apple now.”
“Our only hope is magic,” he said.
Magic? Yeah, we stood a better chance of my magic working than getting out of this situation. They had guns with silver bullets, fangs, and super strength. We had nothing.
Buzz and I sat quietly, waiting for their next move. Danny paced around the length of his car, mumbling under his breath. In contrast to his usually pale skin, his now scarlet red face twisted with anger and was covered with fury. Sweat broke out on his forehead like dew. Had he ever been sane? Had something just sent him over the edge? Trails of veins bulged at his temples and I thought he might explode at any moment. Knowing Kitty had been with someone so revolting made me shudder. A putrid, evil thing had lain waiting deep within Danny’s soul for us. I didn’t want any part of that malevolence. But there was no escape, as far as I could tell.
“How’s the singing career now, Ms. Rockabilly?” He said with not so much as a twitch of the lip. “Not going so well, is it?”
“Why are you doing this? At least let Kitty go. I thought you loved her?”
“You make me sick.” A sneer of disgust covered Danny’s face. “You thought you were too good for me, huh?” he asked, not answering my questions about Kitty. “I’ve got news for you. I’ll make it on my own. I don’t need you or anyone else. Oh, and by the way, I fixed the record producer for you. He won’t be in touch anytime soon.”
