Vengeance in Blood (Book 3): Reborn

by Watson, Thomas A.

  Tiffany came back, carrying three mugs. “Here,” she grumbled, handing them each one. This time, Kenneth drained his without coaxing.

  Smacking his lips, he said, “Man, that was good.”

  “Yeah,” Tiffany replied curtly, sitting down beside him.

  Kenneth looked at the remote and it lifted off the coffee table. “Sorry I upset you, but you had to know, that’s why they sent him. He felt he could predict you,” he said and the remote set down in his hand, and his mug floated out of his other onto the coffee table.

  Turning on the TV, Besseta and Tiffany just stared at him. “You do that rather easily,” Tiffany commented.

  “I should,” Kenneth said, looking at Besseta’s mug. “I lived in your mind, as you learned how to control it over the last four millennia.” Besseta smiled, drinking half of her mug and handed it to Kenneth. Taking the mug, he drained it.

  “That’s cheating,” Tiffany said draining hers. “I had to go through a lot and you two just read my mind, finding all the tricks.”

  “If you want, I’ll go knock down a few houses,” Kenneth offered.

  “No,” Tiffany sighed. “Several I knocked over had people in them, but I’ll tell you what. You find a movie that just shows ass-kicking as the plot, we can call that part even.”

  Kenneth gave a big smile. “How about four?” he asked, and she grinned. “Sounds like a Die Hard marathon, then.”

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Kenneth led the girls and dogs down to the dock and onto the cigarette boat. When they were on, he cast the lines and started the engine, backing the boat out. Tiffany sat down and talked to the puppies while Besseta moved up beside him.

  “You sure you’re ready to be out and about?” she asked, wrapping her arm around his waist.

  Pushing the throttle forward and making the boat take off, Kenneth looked down at her, smiling. “Definitely,” he said, then looked up to guide the boat to shore. “I can only take you and Tiffany treating me like glass for so long.”

  Squeezing Kenneth with her arm, “Baby, this is a trying time for anyone making the change, and you’re doing it at an astronomical pace,” she said, leaning her head on his side.

  “I feel great,” Kenneth grinned, pulling the throttle back as he guided the boat into the dock on shore. “If I didn’t, I would stay at home, but I really want to get out. Besides, we need more liquor.”

  As Kenneth pulled into the dock, Besseta chuckled. “I’m not going to argue that, but I can have it delivered.”

  Leaning down and kissing her, Kenneth moved over, jumping out of the boat and tying it off. “No, we need some time out of the house,” he said, holding out his hands as Besseta passed Bonnie and Clyde up.

  Holding Jack and Jill, Tiffany jumped out when Besseta climbed out. “You know, we could wait until tonight and Besseta and I could just run to the store. We don’t need to take a car,” she said, putting the puppies down and they ran to the end of the dock with Bonnie and Clyde.

  Shaking his head, “Just because I can run faster than a car, don’t think I’m going to just let them sit there,” Kenneth informed her.

  Noticing one of her shoestrings was loose, “I’m just saying, cars are a step back, Kenneth,” Tiffany said, bending over and tying her shoe.

  Whipping his body around, “Don’t you say that too loud,” he hissed. “You might hurt their feelings.”

  Slowly looking up at Kenneth in shock, “Huh?” Tiffany mumbled.

  “Some of those cars have feelings, so don’t go around calling them antiquated,” Kenneth huffed and spun around, storming off to the garage.

  Standing up as Kenneth stormed off, Tiffany glanced over at Besseta. “The cars can hear that well?” she asked, confused.

  Shrugging her shoulders, “I have no idea,” Besseta admitted.

  Looking back at Kenneth as he walked into the garage, “I’ve known vampires that held onto some things, but I’m beginning to think Kenneth will always covet his cars,” Tiffany predicted, walking over to Besseta.

  Laughing, Besseta put her arm around Tiffany’s waist. “If he does, that will be fine by me,” she said as they headed to the garage. They could hear Kenneth talking to Eleanor inside the garage. “I think he likes them because they don’t disagree with him.”

  “You can hear them talk?” Tiffany asked with amazement.

  Shaking her head, “No, but sometimes, I wish I could,” Besseta huffed. “I don’t like anything “female” talking to my husband that I can’t hear.”

  When they walked in, they found Kenneth rubbing a fuzzy white cloth over Eleanor. “Have you been resting well?” he asked, buffing the hood.

  Tiffany stopped and pulled Besseta’s arm until she was facing her. “We are going to take some time off, and figure out how they are talking to him,” Tiffany whispered.

  “You got that right,” Besseta said, narrowing her eyes and cutting them toward Kenneth.

  “Eleanor says, ‘hi, girls’,” Kenneth called over his shoulder as he kept buffing the hood. “Aren’t you going to say ‘hi’ back?”

  Pulling her arm from Tiffany, Besseta stormed over to stand by Eleanor. Running her eyes over the Mustang, “Hello, Eleanor,” Besseta almost growled. “He’s mine, so don’t even think about it.”

  Leaving the buffing towel on the hood, Kenneth stood up. “Baby, you don’t have to be jealous,” he said with a pleading look. “She really likes you two, but I’m afraid she likes Besseta more. Sorry, Tiffany.”

  Confused, Besseta glanced over at Tiffany, then back at the Mustang. “Um, sorry, Eleanor,” she said hesitantly. “I just don’t like you talking to my husband when I can’t hear it.”

  Grabbing the buffing cloth, Kenneth folded it up. “She understands that you’re jealous, but that scares her,” he said, putting the cloth on a shelf. Walking over, he opened the passenger door and pulled the seat up for Tiffany to get in. “She’s just part of the family,” he said when Tiffany climbed in with Jack and Jill jumping in after her.

  When Kenneth folded the seat back, Besseta pulled him down and kissed him as Bonnie and Clyde jumped in, then Besseta climbed into the front seat. Closing the door, Kenneth walked over to the garage door. Seeing Kenneth walk away, Besseta pointed at the dashboard, “Don’t you dare flirt with him or I’ll break you,” she grumbled.

  “Quit that! Eleanor’s going to tattle,” Tiffany hissed from the backseat.

  Pulling the dogs into her lap, Besseta turned around. “I don’t care. I’ll buy him another one,” she huffed.

  Putting the puppies in her own lap, “You won’t know if it’s a girl,” Tiffany warned as Kenneth pushed the button on the wall for the garage door and grabbed a remote. “We just got lucky when they sent girl cars the first time. They may not next time,” Tiffany said as the garage door rolled up.

  Pulling on the seatbelt, “Then I’ll just keep buying one until they send a girl,” Besseta huffed. Glancing up at the dashboard, “I mean it. He’s mine, so don’t push it,” she mumbled at the car as Kenneth opened his door, climbing in.

  “Ready?” he smiled.

  Besseta looked over with a smile. “Let’s go, baby,” she said, reaching over and holding his hand. Kenneth leaned over to kiss her. As Kenneth pulled back into his seat, Besseta looked at the dashboard. “Humph, see?” she huffed.

  Putting the key in the ignition, Kenneth chuckled as he started the engine. “She’s not jealous of you, honey,” he said as the engine roared to life and returned to a deep-throated idle that made Tiffany think of a dragon laughing. Letting the engine idle, Kenneth reached over and grabbed her hand. “She’s our car,” he said, letting her hand go and patting Bonnie and Clyde.

  “Well, she doesn’t talk to me,” Besseta said, looking ahead.

  “Because you don’t let her,” Kenneth said, pushing the clutch in and grabbing the gearshift. “When you feel relaxed and are enjoying the ride, you’ll understand.”

  Glancing over, “You kiss this car a
nd I’ll punch it,” Besseta warned as Kenneth pulled out of the garage.

  Laughing as he pulled out, “You don’t kiss a car, baby,” he said, slowly driving down the driveway. “It’ll mess up the paint and mar the wax job,” he said in a low voice.

  Besseta busted out laughing. “Thank goodness you don’t worry about marring my wax job when you kiss me.”

  Grabbing the remote, Kenneth pressed a button to lower the garage door. “I’m sorry, baby, but even if it did, I would still have to kiss you,” he said as they followed the driveway into the trees. “I can’t help myself with you.”

  Lifting her chin and feeling much better, “Thank you,” she smiled, brushing her red hair out of her face. “It’s just a little hard, you talking to a girl that I can’t hear.”

  As they reached the gate, Kenneth hit another button, slowing as the gate opened. “It’s the same way when you talk to the bulldozer, baby,” he said, pulling through the gate.

  “Hey, that bulldozer is awesome,” Besseta said, grinning. “I’m sitting high on the world and can go over anything!”

  Hitting a button to close the gate, Kenneth looked over at her. “Did you hear the dozer talking back?”

  Thinking about it, “Kind of,” Besseta said. “But I think that was just my subconscious.”

  “It may be, but it’s the same thing; you’re having fun moving about the world. I’ve read books and men have said the same thing about horses,” Kenneth said, clipping the remote to the sun visor and pulling out his sunglasses.

  Leaning forward from the backseat, “Um, Kenneth, horses are alive,” Tiffany informed him.

  Glancing at the rearview mirror and looking at Tiffany, “Yes, they are, but I think some cars are alive as well,” he said.

  Hearing Kenneth’s thoughts, Besseta opened the glove box and pulled out two pairs of sunglasses. “I don’t know how you can wear these now,” she said, handing a pair back to Tiffany.

  Pulling out onto the road, Kenneth rested his left arm on the door, getting comfortable in the seat. “I can see well enough without them, but it’s all about looking good,” he grinned, easing his foot down on the accelerator.

  The engine started to roar as Eleanor picked up speed. “Wait until your sight catches up, then,” Besseta chuckled, putting on her sunglasses.

  Taking his arm off the door rest and gripping the steering wheel with two hands as the Mustang continued to accelerate, “When I concentrate, I can see the individual leaves on the trees a mile away from the house,” he said as Besseta leaned over, looking at the speedometer.

  Relaxing in the backseat, Tiffany laughed. “The first time I concentrated on something far away, my eyes focused and locked up. It was almost an hour before I could see around me.”

  “Yes, and I thank you for that as well,” Kenneth praised, not taking his eyes off the road as he whipped around and passed a car, then darted back into his lane. Sitting up some, Tiffany glanced at the speedometer nearing triple digits.

  Dropping back into her seat, “You know, some of that isn’t right,” Tiffany huffed. “You get to learn from my mistakes.”

  “And Besseta’s,” Kenneth added as the car kept picking up speed.

  “Thought you couldn’t read her mind?” Tiffany noted, pulling the puppies up to her chest, seeing the world start to blur by outside. Kenneth wasn’t going as fast as she could run, but she wasn’t running.

  “Can’t, but she has told me a lot about her mistakes and trials after her change,” Kenneth said, pulling over and passing three cars, then darting back to his lane.

  Leaning back into her seat, Besseta looked away from the speedometer and up to Kenneth’s face. “Thought you said cops didn’t like you going over the speed limit.”

  “Oh they don’t, but Eleanor needs to show these other cars who the boss is,” Kenneth grinned as he passed a semi.

  “You’re going double the speed limit; won’t that raise suspicion?” Besseta asked, pulling Bonnie and Clyde up to her chest.

  “Maybe,” Kenneth laughed as they reached a straightaway. Reaching over, he lifted a red switch cover, exposing a button with, ‘Giggle Juice’ written over it. Kenneth pressed the button, throwing everyone back in their seats as the engine roared.

  Glancing over, Besseta saw the needle pinned past the one hundred and forty mark. “Are we in a hurry?” she asked as calmly as she could.

  “Not really,” Kenneth answered with a grin as the car gave a lurch and the engine quit screaming when the nitrous boost ended. “Eleanor just needed to stretch her legs.”

  Watching the pegged needle finally move below the one-forty, “Well, we have the babies and they can get hurt,” Besseta said.

  When the needle hit ninety, Kenneth kept it there. “I can drive, baby,” he said, sounding somewhat offended.

  “I know that baby, but others can’t,” Besseta smiled. “You use your middle finger like most people use a horn.”

  Nodding, “Point taken,” he said, easing his speed down some more.

  Relaxed now, with the world not blurring out the windows, the girls sat back to enjoy the ride. They drove through the countryside making small talk, when Kenneth looked in his rearview mirror. “Shit,” he mumbled and he took his foot off the gas.

  Not even turning around, “You’re the one who said they don’t like people going over the speed limit,” Besseta said, hearing the siren behind them. “I can’t even count how many times you told me that.”

  “Punk ass, bitch cop,” Kenneth mumbled.

  Smirking, “You used to be a cop, Kenneth,” Besseta told him.

  “Yes, I was, and I was only going five miles an hour over the limit. I never wrote a ticket unless it was twenty or more,” he said, pulling over onto the shoulder.

  Glancing over her shoulder, “Is this going to be a problem?” Tiffany asked.

  “No,” Kenneth said, rolling down his window and putting his hands back on the steering wheel.

  “Kenneth, we have a lot of people looking for us,” Tiffany reminded him as the cop got out of his car.

  Without moving his head, Kenneth glanced at the Smokey Bear hat the officer was wearing. “Figured it was a state trooper,” Kenneth mumbled. “We’re fine, Tiffany,” he said, looking forward as he heard the cop’s thoughts.

  ‘Damn rich trolls coming up here, messing with us yoopers. Why can’t they just stay on their own peninsula?’ the cop thought as he put a hand out, touching Eleanor’s trunk and Kenneth gave a growl. “License and registration, please,” the officer said, flipping open his ticket book and walking up to the window.

  “Sure thing, officer,” Kenneth answered, taking one hand off the steering wheel and reaching for his wallet. “Why did you stop me? I was only five miles over the speed limit.”

  “That’s speeding,” the officer replied in a smart-ass voice and then looked, glancing over at Besseta, then back at Tiffany.

  Opening his wallet, “Five miles an hour, are you kidding?” Kenneth objected, pulling his license out.

  “Got reports of a gray Mustang with black stripes moving at high rates of speed. Name, please,” the officer said. ‘Damn, that little redhead is fine as hell, bet she’s great in bed. I might have to think of something to take them in on and see,’ the officer’s thoughts sounded off.

  As her eyes gaped, Besseta sucked in a breath as she felt the tension rise in the car. A low rumble sounded in her mind as Kenneth’s hand stopped from passing out his license to the officer. “That’s hearsay,” Kenneth grumbled as the cop stopped writing, but kept looking at his ticket book.

  “Yes, it is, but where are you going so fast?” the officer asked not looking up or blinking his eyes.

  Casually putting his license back in his wallet, “Going to get some magic beans, and you can call me Jack,” Kenneth answered, dropping his wallet in his lap before turning his head and looking up at the officer.

  Closing his ticket book, the officer looked at Kenneth. “Magic beans can be dangerous, Jack.”


  “That’s my wife you were thinking about, little boy blue,” Kenneth growled and Besseta reached over, resting her hand on Kenneth’s arm. The roaring that was building in his mind decreased with her touch, but his body remained taut. “You really shouldn’t put your gun in your mouth, officer. Accidents might happen,” Kenneth said with a grin.

  Letting his ticket book fall to the ground, the officer pulled out his pistol and put the barrel in his mouth. “Kenneth, don’t,” Besseta said as she rubbed his arm.

  Pulling up between the front seats, “Kenneth, don’t do this in daylight, you’ll get hurt and you can die,” Tiffany begged, reaching up and grabbing his shoulder. When her hand touched his shoulder, Tiffany thought she had grabbed rock, his body was so rigid.

  Hearing the thoughts in Kenneth’s mind, Besseta changed tactics. “Baby, we can’t get rid of his body easily out here,” she said, smelling fresh blood.

  The officer holstered his pistol while looking at Kenneth. “Officer,” Kenneth said with a small cough. “Go to your car and erase your video, then stand in the road and drop your pants and underwear to your ankles. Then, bend over and spank your own ass hard until one of your officers tells you to stop.”

  Spinning on one foot, the officer strolled back to his car as Kenneth turned around, letting out a long breath and then started panting. Smelling blood and seeing something dripping from his face, Besseta took her hand off his arm, turning his face to her.

  Blood was pouring out of Kenneth’s nose and he had blood on his lips. Kenneth’s eyes were bloodshot and bleeding. “Kenneth!” she shouted, leaping toward him only to have the seatbelt hold her in place.

  As she hit the release, Kenneth reached down and pulled his shirt up to his face, pinching his nose. “I’m fine, baby,” he said as Besseta kneeled on the center console.

  “Don’t start,” she snapped as Tiffany passed her a handkerchief. Wiping the blood off Kenneth’s cheeks and out of his eyes, “That was really stupid,” she said as he took his shirt away from his nose.

  The blood had almost stopped from his nose and he looked over at Besseta. “Fucker is lucky to be alive, thinking about my wife like that,” Kenneth mumbled, blinking his eyes and trying to clear his vision, and catch his breath.