The Suck Stops Here

by Kristen Painter

  Her love for Pierce didn’t burn in that bright, hot physical way of new love, but it was clear and strong and felt like one of the most secure things in her life. But after his unexpected kiss, she wondered if that was changing. If it was beginning to burn brighter and hotter. Could that happen?

  Maybe. Nothing should surprise her anymore. Not in this life. She wasn’t about to push anything, though. Especially not while they were all confined to a glorified metal tube. She’d just let things move forward and see where it took them.

  Although he had offered to marry her. Did that mean his feelings for her were also growing deeper?

  She exhaled as the pull of sleep grew stronger.

  “You want me to leave you alone?” he asked softly.

  “No. I don’t want you to go anywhere.” And she meant it. She felt safe and secure in his arms.

  “Go to sleep, then. I won’t leave you.”

  “I know.”

  She dozed for a while, not deeply, though. And every time she opened her eyes or shifted positions, Pierce was there.

  Her fitful dreams took her to strange, dark places. Showed her things she didn’t understand. Played to her fears and picked at her insecurities. She watched friends die. Saw herself to blame. And worse, was powerless to save them.

  Then the RV stopped, and she came fully awake again, sitting up and blinking. Fine with her. She’d had enough of the nightmares. “What happened?”

  “I think we’re at the campground,” Pierce answered. He sat up with her, twisting to look out one of the small windows above the nightstand. “Definitely at the campground. I’ll go help Will get things set up.”

  She could feel the daylight. “I should go too.”

  Pierce got to his feet. “You should get some real sleep. You have a big night ahead of you, and you were restless the whole time. Did you have bad dreams?”

  “I don’t know about bad, exactly, but they weren’t great. And you’re right that what sleep I got wasn’t very restful. But I feel like I should help.”

  He laughed. “I know you do. But this will give me a chance to talk to Will about the reaper thing, and once the RV is set up, we’re all going to bed anyway.”

  “True. Okay. I’m going to wash my face, brush my teeth, and then put my sleep mask on and shut down.”

  “You want me to wake you at a certain time?”

  She was supposed to be at the Millers at six. “Don’t let me sleep past three.”

  He nodded. “You got it. Sweet dreams.”

  “Thanks.” She just hoped that’s what they were this time.

  Donna woke up on her own just a little after two, but she’d managed close to six hours of good sleep. No dreams that she remembered. No nightmares either. But she was keenly aware of the new future that possibly awaited Pierce.

  She stared at the bottom of the cabinetry that hung over the head of her bed. She wondered if his decision had changed in any way since he’d spoken to Will. Pierce had agreed to become a reaper so quickly that the more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became. Was he really showing her his true feelings on this matter?

  He’d never lied to her. If they were one thing with each other, it was honest. She had no reason to doubt that now, but she could absolutely see him padding the truth for her sake.

  But then again, his brother had been a vampire and died because he hadn’t made it home before sunrise.

  Maybe Pierce truly craved immortality. It would allow him to remain by her side for a very long time.

  She pushed upright, rubbing her eyes. She was probably just overthinking it as a way of distracting herself from the big meetup with Mayor Tom and his wife, Jeanne.

  She made a face and groaned, then touched her crucifix and prayed that the night went smooth and easy and without a single incident. She grabbed her phone, checking the screen. Rixaline had sent her usual message that all was well.

  Happy with that, Donna got out of bed and straight into a deliciously hot shower. Her bathroom was incredibly nice, given the space it was in. The shower was roomy and the water pressure surprisingly good.

  She kept it short all the same, knowing that there were six other people on board who’d probably want to shower as well.

  The next thing she needed was coffee, so when she was done drying her hair, she dressed in a knit lounge suit that was as comfortable as pajamas and slid her bedroom door back. There were no lights on in the RV, and the blackout shades had been pulled on all the big windows, so the space was darker than it had been at night.

  Was everyone asleep? She quickly turned off the lights in her bedroom. Some of the bunks had their privacy screens shut. The loft was open, though. And there was no sign of Christina inside.

  Donna padded out to the coffee maker, which had about three cups of coffee left in it. Grateful, she filled a mug, added creamer and sugar, then decided to have a peek outside.

  Temo and Kace were sitting by a crackling fire, drinking coffee, and talking. The day was a little gray and gloomy. Lionel’s bus was parked in the space parallel to theirs, meaning the area in between the two vehicles had some nice privacy.

  She left her coffee on the counter to go get her coat, then took her coffee outside to join them.

  Kace gave her a nod over the rim of his cup. “Morning.”

  She nodded back.

  Temo offered her a big smile in greeting. “Morning, Governor. How was your trip?”

  “Really good.” It was cold outside, but not as bad as she’d expected. High fifties, low sixties, maybe? She wasn’t sure. She took a seat by the fire, and the cold was forgotten. “How was yours?”

  “Pretty good. Neo, Bunni, Francine, and Hector are all sleeping.”

  “I figured. I don’t know who’s sleeping on my bus, actually. Will, I’m sure. Maybe Pierce?” She shrugged. “Hard to tell with the bunks closed.”

  He sipped his coffee. “Pierce and Cammie went to the gym, and Charlie and Christina went to the pool.”

  Donna stared at him. “In this weather?”

  He laughed. “The indoor one. This is a pretty fancy campground.”

  “Oh. That makes more sense.” She took a long drink of her coffee, enjoying the comfort of the hot beverage. As she swallowed, she glanced over at Kace. He didn’t look his usual happy self. “Something wrong?”

  He shook his head but kept his eyes on the fire. “I’m fine.”

  Donna decided to try what Neo had taught her. “Hey.”

  Kace looked over. “What?”

  Donna stared into his eyes and focused as hard as she could. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  Kace’s expression went blank for a moment, then he spoke. “I’m exhausted from keeping Bunni at arm’s length.”

  Temo snorted. “The woman is relentless.”

  Kace sighed as he looked at the fire again. “She was in my bunk when I pulled the curtain back.”

  Donna couldn’t believe she’d actually gotten him to talk. She tried to hide the smile threatening to emerge. “I guess she’s set her sights on you.”

  Kace shot her a look. “I’m not interested. Not that it seems to matter to her. She can’t take a hint.”

  “Maybe you should put it all in a text,” Temo said. “You know, put it in black and white, so to speak.”

  Kace sighed. “I would if I thought it would do any good.”

  Donna felt for him. Bunni had a big personality and could be a lot to take at times, but Donna liked to think the young woman had a good heart. She’d had a terrible turning experience, being attacked by a den of vampires and left to die by her worthless boyfriend. Knowing that history had given Donna a bit of a soft spot for her. “Maybe you should just talk to her.”

  “Sure.” Kace’s skepticism came through loud and clear.

  Donna sat up straighter. “No, I mean it. Sit her down and have a serious heart-to-heart with her. Tell her you appreciate her interest in you but you don’t share her feelings and would prefer to keep things on a
friendly level because anything else makes you uncomfortable.”

  One of his eyebrows hitched up. “You think that would work?”

  “You won’t know until you try.” She drank the rest of her coffee, and when the cup was nearly empty, she instantly thought about having a second one. She’d have to start getting ready for dinner soon, but there was something so pleasant in sitting by the fire, listening to it crackle, and watching the flames jump.

  She could have sat there all afternoon. She was plenty warm from the fire, tucked into her big coat. Was this camping? She might actually like it. The thought made her laugh out loud.

  “What?” Temo asked.

  “I was just thinking that if this is camping, I could do it again.”

  Kace let out a sharp bark. “This is glamping. Real camping doesn’t involve electricity or indoor pools.”

  She shrugged. “Well then, I like glamping.”

  He grinned at her. “I’d be happy to take you anytime you like.”

  Temo rolled his eyes. “And you think Bunni’s relentless.”

  Donna laughed louder than she’d meant to. “I need another cup of coffee.”

  As she started to get up, Temo leaned forward. “You want me to get it, boss?”

  “That’s kind of you, but no. I can get it. Would you like a refill, though?” She glanced at Kace. “Either of you? I can make another pot.”

  “Make another one,” Temo said. “When the rest of the crew gets up, they’ll probably want some.”

  “Good thinking.” She headed back in to find Harper already working on it. “Morning.” Donna kept her voice down.

  “Morning.” Harper yawned. “Sorry. I don’t think I slept as much as I should have.”

  “Because you were sitting up with your dad?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I sat with him for a while after you went to bed.”

  Harper smiled. “You did?”

  “We had a lovely talk. He told me about Clementine and Magpie.”

  Harper’s smile grew as she filled the carafe with water. “They were the best cats. Not that our current cats aren’t also the best cats. That’s just how it is with pets, you know?”

  “I’ve only ever had Lucky.”

  Harper poured the water into the machine’s reservoir. “Maybe you should get him a friend.”

  Donna had thought about it. “Maybe I should. He might like the company. And I’ve always thought cats make great company.”

  They chatted softly until the coffee was done, then filled their cups and took the carafe outside, where they talked with Temo and Kace some more.

  Harper was a smart woman, and the more Donna got to know her, the more she liked her. But she wondered what Harper would think about her father’s decision to help Pierce in the way he’d decided to. Would she care? Hard to say.

  Before long, the rest of their group wandered back from their excursions, Cammie and Pierce first. They went in to take showers right away. Then Charlie and Christina showed up, both of whom had taken showers at the pool house.

  The group by the fire grew as Charlie and Christina joined them, then Cammie and Pierce, too, but as the clock ticked past four, Donna got up. “Sorry to leave, but I need to go get ready for my dinner. Charlie, what time is the car service arriving?”

  “I told them five fifteen, just to be on the safe side. You only need twenty minutes or so to get there. And there’s a bottle of wine in the pantry for you to take along.”

  “Perfect, thank you.” Donna looked at her daughter and sister. “Let’s aim to leave here by five thirty, okay?”

  Cammie nodded at her in understanding, and Christina gave her a thumbs-up, so she went inside.

  She’d decided on a beautifully architectural Roland Mouret wool crepe sheath dress in a sumptuous deep teal green. It wasn’t something she would have normally picked, but the color was hard to ignore, and the dress had the most interesting feature in that the exposed gold zipper ran not down the center of the back, but off to one side, from shoulder to hip.

  It was clever and unusual and edgy, and she wanted the Millers to understand that she wasn’t just some cookie-cutter middle-aged woman. She was strong and powerful and not someone they should make assumptions about.

  She realized that was a lot for one dress to convey, but if any dress could do it, this was the one.

  She’d pair it with gray snakeskin pumps, a strand of large gunmetal-gray pearls, and diamond earrings. Simple. Sharp. Interesting.

  But first, she had to do something about her makeup and hair. She flat-ironed her hair, smoothing it into a sleek mass, but it looked so boring. She tried twisting it up and liked that effect but couldn’t replicate it when she actually started putting bobby pins in it.

  She glanced at the time. She needed help. But who to ask? Cammie’s best hairdo was a braid. Could Christina do it?

  She went back to the door and looked out. “Christina, honey, do you think you could do my hair in a French twist?”

  Christina glanced at her. “In a what?”

  Harper raised her hand. “I could.”

  “Really? That would be amazing.”

  “Sure.” Harper got up and came in, following Donna back to the bathroom.

  “I really appreciate this. Wait a second. Are you really going to do my hair, or are you going to spell it into place?”

  Harper laughed. “No spells. Although I could…”

  “No, I don’t want any magic. I’m already trying to hide the fact that I’m a vampire from these people.”

  “Understood,” Harper said.

  Donna pointed to the brush and bobby pins on the counter. “That’s all I have as far as equipment goes. Do you need anything else?”

  “Hairspray.”

  “I have that.” Donna got it out of the cabinet and put it on the counter as well. “There you go.”

  “All right, turn around, and let me see what we’re working with.”

  Donna did as Harper asked, relaxing as the woman’s hands lifted her hair and twisted it up.

  “Your hair is pretty thick,” Harper said. “But I think I can do this.”

  “Where did you learn to do hair?”

  “From having sisters.” Harper’s smile was visible in the mirror as she reached for the brush. “After my mom died, we all sort of stepped up our efforts to take care of each other. Not that my dad wasn’t taking care of us. He was. But we were better at certain things. Like Reggie is a great cook. Daisy loves to clean and organize. And I’m good at the girly things.”

  Donna smiled. “I can see that. I’m sure your dad appreciated it very much.”

  “He did.” Harper went to work on Donna’s hair, brushing, twisting, pinning, and spraying, until finally she stepped back. “Okay, see what you think.”

  Donna picked up a compact from her makeup bag and used the mirror to see the back of her head in the big mirror. “That’s lovely. You did a great job. Thank you so much.”

  Harper nodded, clearly pleased. “You’re very welcome. I’ll leave you to finish up.”

  “Thanks.” Donna admired her hair for a moment longer. Harper really had done a nice job. She got to work on her makeup and was just about done when she heard everyone start to come in from outside. Will seemed to be up too.

  From what she could hear, it sounded like they were talking about dinner. Chili and corn bread. That sounded nice. She wondered what the Millers would be serving. Probably barbecue, since that’s what their restaurants were all about.

  She glanced down at her dress. Maybe a two-thousand-dollar Roland Mouret wasn’t the right choice after all, but it was too late to change.

  She flicked on another coat of mascara, then picked a nude but slightly berry lipstick to finish off her makeup.

  “Governor?” Charlie called out.

  “Yes?”

  “The car is here.”

  A new set of nerves came alive in Donna. She stepped out of the bathroom to talk to Charlie. �
��Okay. I’m about ready anyway. Are Cammie and Christina ready to go?”

  “Not sure. I’ll check.” Charlie smiled. “You look fantastic.”

  “Thank you.” Donna turned. “Didn’t Harper do a great job on my hair?”

  “She did. Looks like you went to a salon.” Charlie had a tablet in one hand. “They’re going to love you.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I’ll go see how Cammie and Christina are doing.”

  “Thanks.” Donna took her regular black purse and her navy winter coat out of the closet, then shut the door. She really was ready. On the outside, anyway.

  The car service, which came complete with a Mercedes sedan and a driver in a hat and suit, arrived at the Millers’ gated property at five fifty-seven. Donna appreciated that kind of punctuality.

  She made a mental note to ask Charlie to increase the man’s tip. Frank, their driver, had been courteous and cordial and had been more than happy to tell them all about the area. And the Millers. Who were apparently very well known in town.

  Made sense, seeing as how Tom Miller was the mayor.

  Mostly, Frank had talked about how well liked they were, how generous, how involved in the community. Not a single bad word. Even after Donna asked if there was anything she ought to know about them. Which made her a little suspicious. Was anyone really that nice? Or had the vampire world made her cynical? Of course, this guy probably wasn’t going to criticize the most influential people in his town either.

  Frank pressed the button for access. A moment later, a buzzer sounded, and the gates rolled back. He drove forward.

  “How many acres is this place?” Cammie asked.

  Frank glanced in the mirror at them. “I believe it’s about twenty-eight, ma’am.”

  Cammie whistled. Then leaned forward to see out the window better as they traveled up the long drive. A roofline was coming into view. “That’s some house.”

  “Yes, it is.” Donna nodded as the home became visible. It made her mob mansion look like a summer home. The enormous red-brick house had a very traditional look with white-trimmed windows and a slate roof. A large, covered entryway extended from the house and over the circular drive, making a grand statement with its white columns.