by Bree Younger
He was still much weaker than usual, but the pain of his burns was fading more with each minute that ticked past, thanks to the blood he’d taken and the fact that his body no longer had to fight the effects of sun damage. He lay there until he felt that he would be able to move around without too much discomfort. Tentatively, he lifted his head and looked at the burns on his body. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but as he tested each muscle, he knew that he would be able to function almost normally.
At last he rose up to look down into Libby’s pale features. God, she was beautiful, but so tiny. She couldn’t be more than five foot one or two at the outside. How the hell had she managed to get him into her truck and back to this barn? She might appear small and delicate, but she was obviously one determined little lady. He shook his head in amazement, realizing the enormity of the debt he owed her. She had without a doubt saved him from an incredibly painful death. He owed her his life.
He rose gingerly, his legs unsteady but growing stronger, thank God. He climbed from the truck and walked over to the barn doors. The sun was almost down. He’d obviously been out of it for a while. They didn’t have much time if they were going to get away. He figured they had maybe thirty minutes, an hour at most, before his escape was discovered and the vamps came looking for him. And he didn’t have any idea where the hell they were or in which direction they should go.
He crossed back to where the woman lay. Placing his hand on her neck, he felt the steady flutter of her pulse. She was weak, but not dangerously so. She’d be all right as soon as he got her back to Biloxi and got some fluids in her. He took a few moments to straighten her clothes from where he’d unfastened them earlier, feeling another stab of lust as his fingers brushed against the silky softness of her breast as he put her shirt back on her and pulled up her shorts.
Thankfully, she was still unconscious. If she woke up and remembered him biting her and taking her blood, it probably wouldn’t be too pretty. Ty didn’t have the time right now to soothe fragile female nerves, and it was too late to cloud her memories. That had to be done during the bite. God, he hoped he hadn’t injected her with his venom. He’d been so out of it…well, he’d deal with it if later if he had to. Right now he couldn’t even worry about that. He had to get them out of here as quickly as possible, or her rescue of him would be for nothing. He would die for sure, and he didn’t even want to think of what the vamps might do to the woman if they were caught.
He began looking through the vehicle and soon discovered the gun lying in the passenger seat. Vaguely he remembered echoes of gunshots right before being released from his bondage. He grabbed it up and checked it. Fully loaded.
Well, well. The little lady was full of surprises. It probably wouldn’t kill the vampires that were after them, but it would sure as hell slow them down a little. He set it aside and continued his search. Her purse was lying on the floor. Inside he found a cell phone, but its battery was low and there was no signal. He tossed it onto the dash. Figures. That would have been too damn easy. When he opened the center console, he found the phone charger. Yes! He reached for the phone and hooked it to the charger. If they could get to an area where he could get a signal, he would be able to call Quinn for help.
Moving to the back of the vehicle, he saw a duffle bag shoved to the side, clothing and personal items spilling out of it. After digging through for a few moments, he found an extra-large football jersey and a pair of gray athletic shorts with an elasticized waist that he guessed the woman—Libby—probably used for sleeping. He grabbed them and set them to the side. The jersey held no scent but the woman’s, and Ty didn’t stop to wonder why he was relieved he didn’t detect the scene of a male on the garment.
Once he’d finished looking through everything, he put on the shirt, wincing at the feel of the rough fabric against his sensitive skin. At least it was just the front—his back had been protected from the harmful rays of the sun by the position in which he’d been chained. The shorts were too tight, so he tossed them aside, but he thought his dark blue boxers would do well enough as shorts as long as no one got too close a look. He was barefoot, but that was the least of his worries.
He looked thoughtfully down at the Harrison County car tag. Might be best if no one was able to give anyone that information. He bent down and in just a short time had the tag unbolted. He laid it in the back of the SUV, satisfied that at least he had eliminated one possible problem. He looked over the vehicle. It was a dark gray, almost black, and fairly nondescript. Yep. If they were spotted, it would be difficult to get a good description of the vehicle from anyone.
At last the sun went down enough for him to move outside safely. The sky turned a deepening purple as afternoon faded into night. He opened the barn doors and looked carefully around. They were in the middle of a field. A small country road curved off to the left. He didn’t see any other buildings or traffic. He had no idea where in the hell they were or how to get them out of there.
He turned and went back inside. Walking around to the back of the SUV, he studied the unconscious woman for a few more moments. He felt the guilt rush through him at what he had almost done to her. God, if he had killed her carelessly after she’d saved him… The thought cut through him like a knife. Well, he would protect her from now on. No matter what. They would have to go through him to get to his pixie.
He didn’t find it strange that he already felt a possessive bond with her. It just seemed natural that he would take care of her as she had taken care of him. Gently, he picked her up and carried her around to the passenger seat of the SUV. He laid the seat back as far as it would go and positioned her so that she looked comfortable. After he fastened the seatbelt around her, he shut the door and moved to the driver’s side. The keys were in the ignition, thank God. He checked the time on the dash. He had to hurry. If the vamps had a lair nearby, they could be arriving at any time. He wanted to be long gone before they started to search for him.
Maneuvering the SUV expertly across the overgrown field, he soon reached the road and stopped, looking both directions and trying to decide which way he should turn. He was pretty sure they’d made a right turn to reach the barn, which meant they’d been coming from the left. So he turned right and proceeded as quickly as he could, praying that he was correct about the direction he took and wasn’t driving straight into their lair.
After about fifteen minutes, he came to a fork in the road. Making up his mind quickly, using pure instinct, he continued right again, seeing on the dashboard compass that he was heading southeast. After long stretches of nothing but fields and woods, he began passing the occasional driveway, so he knew they were coming to a more populated area. Which was good and bad. Good because they should hit a main road soon and be able to figure out where they were by the road signs. Bad because that probably meant that this was the direction that the vamps would be coming from. He didn’t want to meet them head-on. They’d see him and recognize him for sure. Figuratively crossing his fingers, he continued forward, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of oncoming traffic.
They continued on for a couple of miles without any sign of another vehicle. He had begun to think that maybe, just maybe, they’d make it out without any trouble. But as he rounded a particularly tight curve, he spotted the glare of approaching headlights. Shit! He scanned the nearby roadway, but there were no turns or drives that he could see. No way to avoid the car. His hands tightened on the wheel and he continued forward, praying for the best. When the two cars passed, he glanced over. Damn it to hell! His eyes met those of the vamp he’d considered the one in charge, and Ty saw the other man’s jaw drop in shock. The loud squeal of brakes pierced the night.
With no other choice, Ty slammed down on the accelerator. He had to get as much headway as he could before the other car could get turned around and after them. Luckily, the narrow pavement and the deep ditches on either side would make that slow going. They’d have to find somewhere to turn, which would hopefully give Ty the time he needed.<
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He drove as fast as he dared on the narrow, twisting road. Luckily, they didn’t meet any other oncoming traffic, and he was able to increase his speed even more, aware of the danger should another car suddenly appear. He kept one eye on the rearview mirror. So far he didn’t see any sign of pursuit, but he knew that their luck would probably not hold out much longer. Each time he had to turn, he went south. Wherever he was, the coast, and home, was definitely to the south.
* * * *
Quinn Buchanan looked up from the paperwork he was plowing through as the door to his office swung open with no warning. Nicolette Girard, his PA at the Midnight Moon Casino and Resort, came rushing through. Nic, the Creole daughter of Southern plantation owner, had been turned right after the Civil War. She looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth with her dark brown hair and big brown eyes. But her looks were definitely misleading. She had a mind like a steel trap. Quinn wasn’t even sure he’d be able to run the casino or handle his other responsibilities to his vampire clan and the Council without her. He could tell from the expression on his usually unflappable assistant’s face that she had bad news.
As soon as the door closed, Quinn told her. “Spit it out, Nic. What’s wrong?”
His assistant drew a deep breath before replying. “It’s Ty, Quinn. He’s missing.”
“Since when?” Quinn tried to suppress the jolt of alarm he felt at the news of his brother’s disappearance.
“Last night. He went out with a couple of other vampires to The Well. He left early, heading home, he told them.”
Quinn laughed and dropped back down into his chair, the tightness in his chest dissolving. “Is that all? Hell, you had me worried. You know how Ty is, Nic. He’s probably holed up with some female vampiress in her lair. I’m sure he’ll show up sooner or later.”
Nicolette shook her head. “His truck’s still in The Well’s parking lot.” She paused for a moment. “They found his keys on the ground beside it.”
Quinn’s grin faded, and he ran one hand through his hair in a gesture that Ty would have easily recognized. His brother loved that stupid fucking truck like it was his own child. There’s no way in hell he would have left it parked at some bar. And he damn sure would’ve noticed if he’d dropped the keys. Quinn flipped open his cell and dialed his brother’s number. It rang a few times then went to voice mail. Ty would never ignore a call from Quinn. Something was definitely wrong.
“What do you think?” He looked at Nicolette. “A kidnapping?” The Buchanan brothers were worth millions of dollars. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to get rich the easy way.
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t think so. Everyone around here knows that they would be taking their lives in their own hands if they did that. They’d have to be completely insane to take him. What about anyone Ty might have had a run-in with lately? Could someone be out for a little revenge or payback?”
Rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension, Quinn thought a moment. Had Ty mentioned anything to him recently about problems he was having? Hell, the truth was, he had been so caught up in business lately, he and his brother had hardly spent any time hanging out and just shooting the shit. “Ask RJ. Or maybe Mick. They’d know better than I would if he’d gotten into it with anyone recently.” He grinned weakly. “You know as well as I do, Ty has been in his share of bar brawls. That temper of his gets him in trouble too damn easily sometimes. But I can’t imagine him letting some lowlife get the drop on him.”
“True.”
Quinn leaned back in his chair, forcing himself to concentrate on what could have happened to Ty and not the worry he was feeling. “Could it be humans?”
Nicolette shook her head. “I seriously doubt it.”
“But it’s possible?”
“Anything is possible. But to get a vampire as strong as Ty without drawing a lot of attention in a busy parking lot next to a bar full of other vamps and paranormals—that would take a whole lot of humans. And a whole lot of nerve and dumb luck besides. No, I’m pretty sure it would have to be paranormals.”
Quinn crossed to the window and looked out. “Damn it.”
“Anything you might have had him working on as Shield?” Although Ty was part owner of the casino, he was mostly a silent partner as far as the business side went. Ty couldn’t stand being cooped up in an office all night and much preferred doing jobs that required a more physical approach. Officially, he was Quinn’s community liaison. Unofficially, Ty was a Council Shield. It was Ty’s job to check out any issues or problems that came up that might require Quinn’s intervention or that might need to be reported to the Council of Nine. He thought for a moment. “Well, I asked Ty to look into some bodies that were found over in Waveland. They’d been drained. I thought it might have been a rogue. I hardly think that could be connected.”
It was something that happened occasionally. A vampire would get caught up in a bloodrage, a form of vampire madness, and would end up losing all control and draining its victims. A vampire in a bloodrage was dangerous to both humans and other paranormals. When a vampire crossed that line, he or she had to be eliminated.
Nicolette nodded. “I’ll get some of the men to check it out.”
“Contact Hawk. Tell him what’s going on. Ask him to go to The Well, see if he can pick up any new information on what might have happened.” If anyone could find out anything else about Ty’s disappearance, John Blackhawk was the person to do it. Hawk was full-blooded Cherokee, and there was no better tracker around. He was a private detective and a good friend. “In the meantime, I’ll see if I can come up with some names of anyone else who might have it in for me or Ty.”
“All right. Anything else?”
Quinn shook his head. “Let me know as soon as you hear anything.”
Nicolette nodded before turning and exiting the room.
Quinn stood and picked up his jacket, shrugging it on with an unconscious animal grace that had caught the eye of many women and not a few men over the course of the past few hundred years. He would find his brother, no matter what. And whoever had him would be very, very sorry.
Chapter Four
Ty saw a flash of light in the rearview mirror and chanced a quick glance. Damn. They’d caught up. No wonder. The sleek sedan the vamps were in was built for speed and maneuverability, while the SUV was a workhorse made for pulling heavy loads and crossing rough terrain. Plus, it was about ten years old. At least. Not exactly the car he would have chosen to try to outrun some pissed-off vamps out for his blood.
The sedan pulled closer and closer with every curve until it was right on his ass. He could see in his rearview mirror the hard faces of the vamps in the front seat moments before he felt a jolt as the car tapped his bumper in an attempt to push them off the road. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Another bump, this time sending the tail end of the vehicle slithering back and forth. Ty grimly fought for control, barely succeeding in stopping the SUV from going into a full skid. He pressed down harder on the accelerator, not wanting to think about how dangerous it was to travel these roads at such speed. He managed to get a little space between them and the car behind, but not much.
He searched the terrain ahead, desperate for any chance to elude the car that was again closing rapidly on his rear, but with each minute that ticked by it became more and more apparent that there was no way to outrun the sedan. He was barely holding his own and began to suspect that the vamps in the other car were playing with him. He would pull ahead a car length or two, and then the distance would close to practically nothing. Eventually, they would tire of the game, he knew, and he and Libby would be lost. There had to be something he could do. He just had to think. And fast.
Tires squealing, they rounded another curve, and he lost sight of the sedan. Ty did everything he could to gain every possible second. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of some dirt trails that wove in and out of the woods, obviously for four-wheeling and dirt bikes.
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br /> He got the glimmer of an idea. Off road. That was it! The SUV was not exactly made for dirt trails, but it was certainly more capable than the sedan. He glanced down. Yep. It had four-wheel drive. Perfect. He floored it, pulling several car lengths ahead of the sedan.
They rounded another curve, and he made the decision quickly, realizing they had only seconds before the vamps caught up with them. He slammed on the brakes, reaching out a hand to brace Libby as she was jerked forward. Cutting the wheel quickly to the right, he left the pavement with a hard bump. He shifted into four-wheel drive and the SUV responded beautifully despite its age, giving him the power he needed to make it up the incline and reach the first trail.
Just as the sedan rounded the corner, Ty pulled the SUV into the cover of the woods. After cutting the engine and the lights, he held his breath. With their enhanced hearing and sight, the vamps could probably find where he’d left the road, if they were paying attention. But with a little luck, they would be so focused on the road ahead, they wouldn’t notice anything else. With them talking and the noise of their car engine…yeah, it just might work.
He himself could easily make out the sound of the car as it passed just yards below where he and Libby waited. Tensely, he held his breath, counting every second it took for the car to traverse the road below. Then it was rounding another curve and gone, the receding sound of the engine like paradise to his ears.
He leaned his head back and took a deep breath of relief. Who the hell were these vamps? And what did they want with him? He knew that he needed to figure that out and soon, but right now he just couldn’t spare the time. It would take every bit of ingenuity and luck he had to survive the next several hours.
