"You busting my balls, Red?" He flicks his gaze to Keller and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I know what you are."
Whoa. This is so not cool. I step closer. "Hector," I warn. "Have you been contaminated?" Either he's been juiced or he’s completely lost his mind. At this point, I’m not sure which I prefer.
"No," he says, still watching Keller. "I just don't appreciate being treated like an idiot. I’m good enough to run your little tests for you, but not good enough to treat as an equal. The insult stings."
"That isn't our intention," Keller says. His voice is full of sincerity as if he’s wounded by Hector’s thoughts. He grips Hector's shoulder and squeezes, making sure to lock eye contact. "Everything comes in time, man."
Hector releases a long breath and finally settles. There’s not a doubt in my mind Keller used his power of persuasion to simmer down Hector. I'm not sure if I agree with Keller's method, giving hope where there should be none, but I understand. We all want what we can't have—me included. Truth be told, Hector has a point, and one I just hashed out with Keller. Hector is good enough. Too good for the world he wants to be a part of. But who am I to make that decision for him?
A card-holding member of the occult world by golly, that’s who. And as a member, I must uphold my vow of secrecy. Even if others don’t.
"Sorry about that,” Hector says, shaking his head. “It was a rough morning."
I laugh softly. "It sure was. Maybe someday we can compare war stories." Oops. Why don’t I tie another carrot to the hope stick? Damn Hector and his charming ways.
“Something I haven’t figured out, though,” Hector says, pulling his microscope closer. He peers into it, his jaw locked with tension. “This drug is blue. And it sparkles, for lack of a better word.”
Keller and I exchange a look over Hector’s head.
“It’s not your normal, run of the mill dye. I’ve run every test I can think of and I can’t get a lock on it.” He straightens and I mask my expression. “Any idea what it could be?”
Um, yeah. I know exactly what it is. Death laced with real pixie dust. I shrug. “You’re the expert.”
He doesn’t believe me. Hector sighs and hits a few keys on his keyboard. “The M.E. reports line up with my findings. Every last one of them.”
Several pictures flicker across his screen. I’m not squeamish, but damn. He's obviously hacked into the NPD's server and obtained the crime scene photos and God knows what else over the last couple of days. While the victims are different—men, woman, young and old—the similarities are enough to have me seething. Each person—scratch that—each human is lying down, either on the floor or in a bed, with blood coming from his or her mouth and nose. There is nothing peaceful about their expressions. Their deaths did not come easily. Not one of them slipped into their forever slumber without walking through Hell first. Whether their eyes are opened or closed, they all appear broken and haunted. I want to rinse my eyes out with bleach and burn them for good measure. These images will be branded on my soul forever.
I slam my fist down on the table. I let this happen.
It would be easy to let that fact eat at me until I’m as worthless as a wet blanket. I never take the easy path. I can’t turn back time, but I sure as hell can do everything in my power to make sure no one else dies.
I blink away from the screens and turn to Keller. "If I had to guess, and based upon my own experiences, I think the hallucinations stem from the last negative thought the person had before they consumed the drug." It’s time I tell Keller the particulars of my hallucinations. I don’t know if it will help us put a stop to the madness, but maybe he can find some logic within this complex puzzle.
Keller frowns. I’m sorry.
Don’t be. You didn’t do this to me. We’ll talk later.
“Hector, do you have a printout of the ingredients?”
“I do.” He flips to another screen, taps a few keys, and walks to the printer. The machine whirs to life and spits out two copies. He hands one to Keller and one to me. “You’ll see a list of everything this bad boy is made of. The order is from heaviest concentration to least. I’ve also noted where these plants are most commonly found and what it would take to grow them in Tennessee.”
Stuffing the list in my back pocket, I walk over and give him a super smooch on his cheek. “That, my friend, is why you are the man.”
Keller pulls several hundred-dollar bills out of his pocket and slides them across the table. Hector would rather have immortality than the cash, but he’s a wise man and knows how to bide his time. Plus, dude’s got to pay his bills.
I thank Hector again for his help and he sees us out.
Keller walks behind me on the narrow path leading to the front of the house. “You know he’s watching from the window, don’t you?”
I don’t turn to look. “I know. He’s hoping you’ll do something amazing.”
Keller tugs on my hair until I twist my neck to look at him. “I am amazing,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “I know that. But he wants to see something spectacular and superhuman.”
“Like this?”
I whirl on my heel. Before I can warn him not to do anything stupid, Keller throws his head back and laughs. Jerk.
“Gotcha ,” he says with a wink. “I made a vow too, Josie. But I guarantee our pal Hector will be allergic to the sun one of these days.”
I look past Keller and see Hector staring out the window. He flashes a toothy smile, and I already see his canines growing. He’s got a body stretched out on his metal table and he’s draining her life, out of control with blood lust. It’s my imagination working overtime right now, but it will be the truth. I wave goodbye. “I know. He’s determined. I just hope he doesn’t do anything stupid and get himself killed in the process.” Which is exactly what I’ll have to do if I ever find an out-of-control, newly-turned vampire inside his garage.
“We’ll watch over him.”
“Yes,” I say. “We will.”
Keller’s phone rings in his pocket. He pulls it out. “Matthew,” he tells me after glancing at the screen. “Hey, Matt.”
I step closer, trying to listen, but I can only hear Keller’s side of the conversation. Frustrating as hell to a nosy girl like me. I inch closer and Keller slides his arm around my waist. I lean in for a quick sniff and am rewarded with his one of a kind scent: Ice and mint.
“Yeah? Where?” A pause. “Cool. Josie and I will be right there.” Smiling, Keller slides his phone back into his front pocket.
“What is it? What happened?”
“The boys have a present for you.”
My eyes bulge. “No way.”
Keller nods, and a stray lock of hair falls over his forehead.
“Seriously?” I reach up and push his hair back into place, which is really no place at all, considering he has no rhyme or reason to his hairstyle.
More nodding.
Excitement has me ready to jump out of my skin. This is gonna be so freakin’ great. “Oh, hell yeah. That bitch is mine.”
Chapter Twenty-one
I’m not one who gets off on torturing others, but times being drastic and all… a huntress has got to do what a huntress has got to do. Right now, this huntress is palming two blades and wishing she had four more hands. Damn. If I were an octopus, I’d be unstoppable.
I storm through the doors of the factory, my boots pounding on the cement floor. The heavy sounds echo off the walls like an army is following in my wake. I don’t need an army. My anger is enough to see me through, and for a moment, just a blip in time really, I almost feel sorry for my target. I shake off the unwanted compassion faster than a dog shakes off river water.
Keller taps my shoulder. “Slow down there, Pistol Annie. Don’t you want to think this out? Figure out the best way to go about this? Going in all hepped up might not be the best plan.”
“Pistol Annie? That’s cute, Irish,” I say without stopping. I bust through another set
of doors, purposely making a lot of noise. By the time I reach the back room, I want her to know I’m coming. “I know what I’m doing.” Don’t need a plan when I’ve got vengeance on my side. “Six humans—that we know of—have died in the last few days. My plan is to torture her to within an inch of her life and then some if I have to.” I pivot on my heel and nearly crash into him. “Whatever it takes, Keller. Whatever it takes. This isn’t a game. They don’t get to play with humans like they’re dress up dolls, theirs to do with what they will.” I turn back around and I’m on the move again. “Nope. Not on my watch.”
Each room I pass through is empty, every window boarded up with plywood. Not a sliver of sunlight passes through. If it weren’t for the overhead fluorescent lights, it would be black as pitch in here. For all appearances, the once busy tire factory is now nothing but a shell made of brick and wood. The lingering scent of grease and rubber permeates the air. If I focus hard enough, I can sense the energy that once passed through this place. The workers are all gone now. If the faded sign on the front door is any indication, the chances of getting this place sold or leased have long been forgotten. Little does anyone know that four vampires have turned this into a lair. Five, if I count the rare occasions Keller stays here.
“For the record, I agree with you.” Keller catches up and matches me stride for stride, which is probably hard for him, considering his legs are nearly twice as long as mine. “I just think a little finesse goes a long way when one is torturing another.”
He didn’t just say what I think he said. I can’t contain the laughter. With just a few words, Keller has cooled me down to a mere simmer rather than an explosive volcano. “You seriously think finesse and torture can be used in the same sentence? You’re sick.” Keller has a dark and twisted side. I figured as much. But he always seems so straightforward and annoyingly logical. Apparently, I still have a lot to learn about Mr. O’Leary.
“What can I say? I’ve learned a lot in my hundred years.”
I cluck my tongue. “And change.”
“Excuse me?”
“A hundred years and change. You’re over a century, bud. You can stop playing the spring chicken role anytime.”
Keller gives me his toothiest smile. “Spring chicken? Is that all you’ve got? I’ll show you spring chicken, dosser.”
“Did you just call me lazy?”
He attacks, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing. I thrash and kick until I worm my way out of his grasp, somehow managing to maintain my grip on my blades. Sprinting across the room, I laugh, look over my shoulder, and run straight into Keller’s chest. I bounce off and stumble backward a few steps, staring at him with accusatory eyes. “Not fair. You totally teleported.” Dude is always cheating.
“Depends on who made the rules,” he says with a shrug.
I widen my legs and assume a fighter’s stance. Blades ready, I circle him. I know what he’s doing and I appreciate it. If I had gone in there with all guns blazing, I’d be at maximum potency, nothing to work up to. Every interrogator needs a cool head, every negotiator a plan.
Keller is an ideal sparring partner. He gives just as good as he gets. He lunges. I dodge. He swipes. I jump. He grabs. I kick. Totally nailed him in the back of his knee. Keller grunts and twists away. “Gotcha ,” I say, gloating like a blue ribbon winner at the county fair.
“You two done frolicking?”
“Oh, Matthew,” I say, and lower my blades. “Keller and I were just blowing off a little steam so I wouldn’t go crazy and kill somebody.” I use my blade to point at him. “You, my friend, are no fun.”
He jams his hands in his pockets and leans against the wall. “So I’ve heard.”
His blue eyes seem more haunted today than usual. Matthew is one of the most serious guys I have ever met, but this goes beyond his usual cool demeanor. I sense something deep-rooted is going on with him. Maybe he’ll talk to Keller about it. Mental note: Prod Keller about Matthew. I smile. “You should do something about that. Fun is very underrated.”
“Working on it, Josie. I’m working on it.” He nods toward the back of the room. “Everyone is back here. You coming?”
I flip one of my knives straight up in the air, watch it spin, and catch it by the tip. The blade swings between my fingers like a pendulum, silently counting down the seconds. “We’re coming. Lead the way.”
Matthew shakes his head at me, and shares a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. We follow him deeper into the factory, passing a set of bathrooms and a fully equipped gym. Heavy metal music plays in the background. Considering he’s wearing baggy grey sweats and an old white t-shirt instead of his usual jeans and button down, I can easily assume Matthew was working out before he greeted Keller and I. His choice of music leads me to believe whatever is eating at him has bad written all over it.
Maybe I can help. I don’t know Matthew well, but I consider him a friend, or at the very least, someone who will be in time. There aren’t many who make that list, so I take care of the ones I do have. How can I not love someone who appreciates my blades almost as much as I do? Mental note two: Don’t ask Keller to do what I can do for myself.
Matthew opens another set of doors, and my chance to talk to him is temporarily taken away. The scene playing out in the well-designed heart of this vampire lair is almost laughable. I hear an undignified snort behind me and wonder if it came from Keller, Matthew, or both. I’m having a hard time containing a fit of giggles myself.
Lucian, Grant, Alex and Sage are all in the kitchen area seated around the circular mahogany table. Their fingers are steepled as if in prayer. In the middle of the table sits a large Mason jar with an oversized red bow adorning the lid. They’re all staring at the jar like it’s sprouted two legs and gossamer wings. Oh, wait. In a way, it has.
I really, really love these vampires. A group hug is in order. Seriously, I’m feeling all squishy inside and about to burst with happiness.
Tucking my blades away for the time being, I walk over to the group with a sassy sway of my hips. I wish I had some gum to pop. The effect would be perfect. “Hey, guys. What do we have here? A present?” I fan my face with one hand and hold my other hand over my heart. “For little ol’ me? You totally should have.”
No one says a word. The corner of Sage’s lip twitches. I can’t even believe she’s here. She’s got to know I’m about to go bananas. It won’t be pretty.
I bend down and get as close as I can to the jar. I wave my pinky finger. “Hi there, Esmeralda!” Oh my God, could I have any more perk factor? Why, yes, yes I can. “Golly. I’m so happy you decided to come over and play today. I’ve got so many fun things planned for us to do.” Her black eyes nearly bug out of her head, and her face flushes like a ripening tomato.
I tilt my head. “Should we start with tag? I’m game if you are. Last time I checked, I believe I’m it.” I remove the bow carefully and set it aside as a keepsake. I can’t help but smile when I see the tiny air holes someone has punched in the lid. I have the best friends ever. They made sure Esmeralda didn’t die before I got here. If I had to guess, I’d bet that was Sage’s idea. She’s more of a squish than I am.
“You ready, Ezzy?” I ask and twist the lid one time.
“Wait, Josie!” Esmeralda yells and throws her hands over her head like someone has tossed a grenade. “Cross made us do it.”
I freeze. Well, fuck. That was way too easy.
Chapter Twenty-two
Keller
I smack my palms on the table. The wood splinters down the middle like the parting of the Red Sea. Sage gasps. The jarred pixie jumps, throws her arms up again, and shields her face as her prison teeters. Luc saves it from falling to the floor. She should be scared. I’m well past my tolerance limit. “Explain yourself,” I demand.
Josie tosses me a glare. “What happened to finesse? Don’t mess up my interrogation.”
“Rein it in, brother.” Sage whispers.
Sage knows what I am capable of be
tter than any other. Including Josie. Sage doesn’t like seeing me this way, on the brink of destroying everything I’ve worked hard to change, and I can’t say I blame her. Neither of us chose to become a vampire, but while Sage repelled and rebelled early on, I let anger lead me and had played with the darker side. Murdering our prisoner today would not be the wisest of moves, even though the pixie just uttered the one name sure to set me off.
I close my eyes and clench my jaw so hard I hear my muscles pop. Finesse flew out the window the moment Esmeralda mentioned Cross. Guilt rips my gut in two with hot, jagged claws. I should have planted someone outside the ancient’s house all along. Should have stashed someone inside, too. I screwed up and Josie paid the price. At least six humans have paid with their lives. Assuredly there are more. Always more. I choose his next words and tone carefully. “How is Cross contacting you?”
I wish I’d taken matters into my own hands and ended Cross when I’d had the chance. The Assembly hadn’t authorized the kill, and I had followed orders instead of following my instinct. That could very well have been the biggest mistake of my life.
Esmeralda peeks at me through her fingers. Eventually, she lowers her arms and blinks with renewed confidence, most likely because she is still breathing. For a moment, she appears almost innocent, and I wonder how someone like her can possess such a mean streak. Then I remember the way her eyes glittered when she blew Pixie Dust all over Josie and I have to clench my fists to keep from strangling her to death. All beings are capable of cruelty under the right circumstances.
“Sometimes he calls,” Esmeralda answers slowly. “Sometimes he visits. But not often.” She glances at Josie. “He didn’t like you interfering with his business. He was here long before you came to town. Nashville is his.”
Luc stands and offers Josie his chair. She collapses into it with a weary sigh. “So he targeted me and you agreed to it?”
Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 145
