“Tell me what you want,” Adriana murmured. “Tell me.”
Riah could barely put two thoughts together, yet Adriana’s words got through. “Fuck me,” she gasped.
Adriana laughed and slid down on the bed until her face was between Riah’s legs. She licked her clit, teasing with her tongue as her fingers continued to move in and out, in and out.
Sensation built inside, growing with each touch of Adriana’s tongue and fingers. Riah breathed more rapidly as she tensed at the incredible feelings flowing through her body. She pulled against the restraints and then, when she thought she couldn’t stand it a moment more, she screamed and her entire body went limp.
Her breathing was just beginning to slow when Adriana moved next to her on the bed and kissed her gently. She tasted sweet, hot.
“I love you, Riah.”
She didn’t know what to say, though she knew what Adriana wanted her to say and couldn’t. She’d loved once and lost. Wasn’t sure it was possible to find love again. Riah always believed her chance had come and gone. Except, tonight something wonderful had happened. This was so much more than sex, although she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t think she loved Adriana. Not in that way. She certainly loved her as a friend. Yet, this was different from anything Riah had felt in such a long time.
“I…” Riah didn’t want to lie or force something that might or might not be real.
Adriana put a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Don’t ruin it by saying something very Riah.” She pulled the blindfold from Riah’s face.
What did she mean? Adriana rolled away and began to untie Riah’s hands and feet. She wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Adriana?”
“No, Riah. I mean it. Don’t say anything.”
Riah rubbed her wrists, slight red marks where she pulled against the restraints. Not a problem, they’d be gone within minutes. It just gave her something to concentrate on besides the troubling questions in her mind. Better yet, she opted to change the subject.
“What about the blood?”
Adriana paused and looked up from the foot of the bed where she’d just untied the last scarf. It hung forgotten in her hand, a quizzical look on her face. “The blood?”
“The blood from the guy Ivy brought up from Moses Lake.”
Adriana laughed and slapped her forehead. “Oh, yeah. Kind of forgot about him.”
Riah smiled and pushed her damp hair off her forehead. “Well, so did I…for a little bit anyway.”
“Okay.” Adriana sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed and looked at Riah, obviously trying to concentrate. “I’m confident I’ve finally isolated the protein that causes the change. Now, I’m on my tenth-generation serum and I’m waiting to see how this guy’s blood reacts. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
Riah sighed. “So nothing yet.” She tried not to feel disappointed and failed. Each time she hoped it would work and each time something went wrong.
“No, no, Riah, that’s not true. We’re closer than we’ve ever been. At least we know what puts the change into motion.”
“But if we can’t stop it or reverse it, we’ve got nothing.” She didn’t mean to sound bitter.
Adriana scooted back up and took Riah into her arms, kissing the top of her head. “I promise, I’ll find it.”
Riah wished she could believe Adriana. Unfortunately, she knew how easily heartfelt promises could turn to ashes.
Chapter Five
Ivy bolted upright when the bedside phone rang and shattered the quiet night. “Hernandez,” she mumbled into the receiver as she tried to shake off the fogginess of sleep. She hated these calls, even if they were standard operating procedure for someone in her position.
“Ivy.”
Daryl wasn’t a quiet guy, and the fact he was speaking so softly sent a chill up her back. She was suddenly wide awake. “What is it?”
“We have a situation.”
She swung her legs off the bed, pressing the phone to her ear, with a death-grip on the receiver. “Just tell me what it is. You have another body?” Not a big leap, considering these calls usually came with a dead body. Especially right now since it seemed as if it was open season in Grant County and the prey of choice was human beings. Her stomach did a roll.
“Yeah.”
She was already up and moving toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right there, just tell me where.”
He coughed slightly. “It’s not just a body.”
What else could it be? More than one? Shit, was the killer getting greedy? She stopped in the middle of the bathroom, all vestiges of sleep long gone. “Okay, so what else is the problem?”
“I don’t really want to tell you over the phone.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Daryl, just spit it out. I’m a big girl.” She didn’t have time for his pussy-footing around.
Daryl’s sigh was long, his pause even longer. “It’s another victim like the guy we pulled from the lake yesterday.”
Duh. “Get to the point.” Was she going to have to drag it out of him word by word? She reached for her pants, keeping the phone pressed to her ear with her shoulder.
“It’s your ex.”
The three words fell like concrete blocks on her ears. Ivy’s leg’s buckled, her pants fell to the floor, and she almost dropped the phone. “What did you just say?”
“I’m sorry, Ivy. It’s Jorge.” This time his words came in a rush.
Impossible. How many hours had passed since he stood at her curb? Two? Three? No way could he be dead. He might be a handsome cheat and liar, but he didn’t deserve to die. It had to be a horrible mistake.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve seen him.”
Daryl wasn’t the kind of guy who’d play a joke this cruel. In fact, he was as straight an arrow as it came. If he said Jorge was dead and he’d seen him…then Jorge was dead.
“Tell me where,” she managed to get out as she sank to the edge of the tub. Her mouth was dry and her body numb. Two minutes later, she clicked off and let the phone slip to the tile floor. So many questions flooded her mind. Who? When? Why?
Most of all why? Everyone liked Jorge. She still liked him despite being pissed at him for not moving on. He was one of those guys hard to hate. Of course, he was terribly good-looking, but he had more than looks. Jorge was a charmer, both his good fortune and his downfall. He liked to work his magic, especially on young, pretty women. Made him a popular guy in a lot of places––home wasn’t one of them, hence the divorce decree. In his defense, he had a good heart.
Now he was dead, or so Daryl told her. Her mind couldn’t wrap around it. She had to see it with her own two eyes. Twenty minutes from now she would. Ivy pushed up from the tub and turned on the water at the sink. The sooner she freshened up and dressed, the sooner she’d know the truth.
It actually took thirty minutes to reach the cemetery. Though the early responders were talking as she drove up, the minute she stepped out of the car, all conversation fell away until the cemetery was blanketed in silence. Portable lights were set up, bathing the area in an eerie yellow glow almost as disturbing as the unnatural quiet. It seemed all eyes were on her before those gathered around a weeping willow tree stepped away to clear a path. A few touched her arm as she moved closer. No one uttered a word.
Her steps were slow as she approached, and it took all her self-control not to sob. Even in death, Jorge was a beautiful man. Propped up against the tree, it was as if he’d merely stopped to rest. His hands were folded in his lap, his eyes closed. His long, black hair was still in the ponytail. If not for the angry red marks on his neck, she’d almost believe he was sleeping. God, how she wished he was.
Ivy slipped on latex gloves and squatted in front of Jorge. Rocking back on her heels, she studied him. Before she laid her fingers on his cheek, she took a calming breath. His skin was cold, even through the gloves. He’d been here all night. She studied him from side to side. When exactly did it happen? It had to have been sh
ortly after he left her house.
“Damn you, Jorge,” she muttered under her breath. Why couldn’t he simply go home like any other guy? No, just because she’d turned him away, Jorge had to go out and prove he was still a stud. If Ivy didn’t want him, he’d find one or two or three women who did. It was his way. And now, it had gotten him killed.
Even more problematic, this was no ordinary kill. Jorge was dead for the moment, but she was pretty sure this stage would last only as long as the sun hung high overhead. Once it dropped behind the majestic Cascade Mountains, Jorge would become something that made Ivy’s stomach lurch. She crossed herself and took a deep shuddering breath. This couldn’t be happening. It was so surreal, she squeezed her hands hard enough to draw blood. That reminded her how real it actually was, and a sob threatened to spill from her throat.
Now wasn’t the time to give in to emotion. Ivy sucked it up and began to give instructions to the waiting crew. Within the hour, Jorge was in a black bag, sealed and initialed, and on his way to her morgue where her assistant, Carlos Reyna, would tuck him away in the cooler. Carlos knew the drill well and wouldn’t leave Jorge unattended. Though he never asked why, Carlos always followed her instructions, and that included making sure the cooler door was always locked.
She’d already put in a call to Riah by the time she made it back to her car. At the open driver’s door, she stilled and stared back at the small cemetery. It was such an odd, isolated place to go, even for a vampire. So many other locations in the county would have made more sense to Ivy. So why here? She’d probably never know.
“Ivy Hernandez?” A deep male voice startled her out of her thoughts.
“Yes.” She turned and stared.
For a moment, she thought she was seeing things. Too much stress, too little sleep. Except this wasn’t a trick her tired mind was playing on her. It was the same man from yesterday. The one who’d knocked the security guard unconscious, barged into the autopsy room in Spokane, then disappeared like a gust of wind. The night wasn’t going to end on anything remotely similar to normal.
Hands in his pockets, he held her gaze. “We need to talk.”
*
Riah pressed her luck by waiting so long to go home. Dawn was beginning to crest in the east by the time she pulled her car into the garage. Thanks to tinted windows and an attached garage, she didn’t have to be in daylight. It wouldn’t kill her, of course; it just wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t like she had to prove anything to anybody, alive or undead, so she opted for comfort on those rare occasions when she exposed herself to the light of day.
Truth was, she should have left Adriana’s side hours ago. Should have, but didn’t. It was hard to describe the feeling of lying in bed next to her firm, rounded body. It had been impossible to simply roll away and leave. Instead, she’d made love to her again and again, each time filled with more passion, more desire. In the blink of an eye, her world had changed.
How it happened was still mixed up in her head. She smiled as she thought about Adriana opening the door stark naked. Well, one thing was certain––she got Riah’s undivided attention. She’d had many lovers, but this was the first time one answered a doorbell in the buff.
Through the years, she’d taken her fair share of lovers, but this felt different. By all rights, it shouldn’t. Yet, it was. She was terribly afraid to put a name as to why.
Riah left her jacket and bag on the table and walked into her bedroom. This was her special space. Years ago, she’d been at a lecture called A Room of One’s Own, given by Virginia Woolf, and it had spoken to her even though the lecture was geared toward writers and artists. The need for personal space called to her, so she created it and didn’t share it with others, not even lovers. Her home was big enough that she didn’t need to. Now, as she did every night, she stopped in front of the portrait hanging over the fireplace.
The woman in the picture was beautiful, the most beautiful woman Riah could ever remember. Perhaps her view was tainted because she’d loved her. The one and only time in her life Riah truly loved someone, except perhaps for her long-dead mother. She’d give anything to have love in her life again…in her heart. It was impossible and probably had been from the start.
People barely tolerated same-sex relationships today. Back in their time, so many long years ago, it was unthinkable. Fate hadn’t seen fit to smile upon them either. They were doomed from the first kiss. A single tear coursed down Riah’s cheek as she touched the portrait. Then she turned away.
Only then did she notice the blinking light on her phone. Wiping away the tear with the back of her hand, she sank to the edge of the bed and picked up the handset. Awfully early for someone to call today, but then again, death didn’t exactly keep regular business hours.
Riah listened to the message and stilled. She immediately pushed the speed-dial button for Ivy.
*
Working like this was far from ideal. Then again, he didn’t see that he had a choice. Things were quickly spinning out of control. Colin had been at this job a long time, and he knew trouble when it came knocking. This was more than a knock; it was more like a sonic boom.
“Who are you?” she asked in a high-pitched voice. Her eyes narrowed to dark slits.
For a moment, his voice caught. She was so beautiful. Even with distrust and sorrow etched across her face, she was a stunner. Curly black hair framed perfect olive skin. Her full lips were pulled down in a frown, though even the frown couldn’t mar her beauty. Her jeans, a khaki shirt covered by a light jacket, and black leather boots were sexier than any evening gown he’d ever seen.
“Did you hear me?”
Her sharp question punctured the fog in his head and he shook off the distracting thoughts. It didn’t matter how pretty she was or wasn’t. This had nothing to do with her personally. Colin had a vampire to catch and this woman might be a critical link in finding her. If she could help him, that’s all that mattered.
“My name is Colin Jamison.”
“And that would mean what exactly to me?”
“Nothing.”
Her hand strayed to her pocket. No gun there, unless it was very, very small. Cell phone, more likely, and he couldn’t blame her for being jumpy around him. Particularly when considering they stood at the edge of a cemetery where a dead body that didn’t belong in the silent city had just been removed from beneath a tree. Yeah, she had a right to be twitchy.
“Look.” He hurried to explain. “What I’m going to tell you will sound crazy.”
“Too late, you’re already in crazy land in my book.”
He nodded. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Fair enough. I had that coming. Just give me ten minutes, and if I haven’t convinced you, send me down the road.”
“More like the loony bin,” she muttered, though her hand moved away from the pocket. Her shoulders still looked stiff, and her eyes were narrow and appraising.
Inwardly he sighed. Outwardly, he hurried on before he lost her. “I know who killed this man.”
Her head jerked up and she seemed to study him more intently. “You should be telling this to the police, not me. I’m simply the coroner.”
“No.” The police were the last ones he wanted to talk to. They weren’t exactly open to the idea of the undead. At least most of them weren’t.
“No?”
“The thing that did this to your husband––”
“Ex, and how do you know Jorge was my husband?”
Colin shrugged. “I heard the officers talking when you were over at the body.”
She shook her head and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. With a long sigh, she said, “Okay. Go on.”
“Again, the thing that killed your ex-husband isn’t a person.”
“And what exactly do you think it is?”
“A vampire.”
He waited for her outburst of disbelief. Through the years he’d been called everything from a wacko to delusional to just plain heartless and mean. People didn’t li
ke to be told that something from their darkest nightmares might actually be real.
“Get in the car,” she ordered, as if he was one of her staff.
Her reaction would’ve surprised him if not for the scene yesterday. Last night the three women knew what they had on the table, and now Ivy Hernandez confirmed what he’d already figured out. He wasn’t the only one in the cemetery this morning who knew a vampire was the leading murder suspect.
“You know,” he said as he slid into the passenger seat.
“Yes.” The single word was soft.
She turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. She began to drive toward town where her morgue and office were located, but surprised Colin when she took a left at the main drag. Instead of going back to her office, they headed toward I-90. Once more she surprised him when, rather than pull on the freeway, she hung another right and drove into the parking lot of a large truck stop just north of the freeway.
“Come on,” she said. “I need a really big cup of coffee.”
Inside the bustling restaurant, she slid into a booth at the rear and he took the seat across from her. He waited until a cheerful waitress deposited two mugs and a carafe of coffee before he spoke.
“How do you know about the vampire?” Colin decided taking the offensive was the quickest way to the truth. Besides, he wasn’t in the mood for social niceties.
As she sipped the hot coffee with her eyes closed, he studied her. After a moment, her whole body seemed to relax, though when she opened her eyes and looked at him, her face was still tense. He wanted to touch her cheek, smooth away the care. He didn’t. He kept his hand wrapped around his own hot mug.
“I’ve known about the existence of vampires for a little over a decade.”
“No shit?”
“No shit,” she echoed, and pushed the hair off her face. “Jorge is my third vampire victim in as many weeks.”
Crimson Vengeance Page 5
