“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just leaving for the night.”
The smile turned into the cutest pout he’d ever witnessed, and now, he felt a little remorseful for turning her down.
“I’ve got an early morning tomorrow, and I’m heading home to my girlfriend,” he said, with just a tug of regret. “I hope you understand.”
She nodded, and the smile returned. “One of the good guys. She’s lucky.”
With that, she turned, and he admired her round backside as she strolled away from him. His emotions for Sami both thrilled him and scared him. He’d found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he’d never been in this position before. Sometimes, new thoughts and feelings in one’s life could be frightening.
He sighed, stood, and walked outside to start the short trek back to the hotel, a low ache of loneliness settling within him as he considered entering his empty hotel room.
He missed Sami more than ever.
5
Sami sighed in relief as her phone rang, the ringtone, George Michael’s ‘Faith’ indicating it was Connor.
She’d woken early this morning and spent most of her time pacing their bedroom, waiting for him to call. It was frustrating because he was three hours behind her, and she knew he’d been out late last night. She hadn’t wanted to wake him, so she waited for him to dial her.
“Hi, Connor.”
“Hey.”
She couldn’t help the smile that lifted her lips at the sound of his voice. He’d been gone two days now, and she missed him terribly. She wanted her marine back in her arms.
“Hi,” she said, lying down on the bed as she pushed her hair out of her face. “How are things? How are you feeling? Any problems from the concussion?”
“Nah. I feel fine. No headaches, dizzy spells, or nausea. I’m good.”
As he told her about walking into a den of vampires, she sat up. She’d heard stories about such clubs, and knew exactly what that meant. A lot of beautiful, highly sexualized people looking for a good time, either with a human, or without, but preferably with one. The sex between a human and vampire, especially when the piercing of a vein became involved, was intense, and vampires craved it. If she had a million dollars, she’d bet that Connor had been hit on. She only hoped he hadn’t taken anyone up on the offer. Although in her mind, she’d claimed him as her own, she had no right to do so. He hadn’t even told her he loved her, for the sake of all the gods. If he had gone home with one of them, she’d be completely destroyed, but she couldn’t imagine Connor being so cruel that he would actually tell her that he had.
“So, then this one vampire comes up to me,” he continued. “She was absolutely stunning. Blonde hair, blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean, nice body … and she asked me to buy her a drink.”
Biting her lip, she didn’t know whether to cry, or fly to Seattle and eviscerate Connor and the blonde. Jealousy and rage clenched within her chest as angry tears stung her eyes. She fisted the phone so hard, she feared it would crumble into pieces. Maybe she’d been wrong. Despite her declaration of love for Connor, maybe he just considered them friends with benefits, and he felt he could unload his escapades in bed to her.
“Saying yes sat on the tip of my tongue, but do you know what stopped me?”
A bit of relief washed through her. At least, he hadn’t gone home with the hussy, but now, she furrowed her brow in confusion. Why was he telling her this story?
“No. What?”
She heard the vitriol in her voice, even though she’d tried to remain neutral.
“You. I thought about you, Sami, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. I like the feeling, but it also scares me a little bit. I came back to this hotel room last night by myself, and I was so lonely … I can’t wait to see you.”
As she fell back onto the pillow, her heart thundered in her chest, and she couldn’t get rid of her smile even if she tried.
“I miss you, too. Come home today.”
“I can’t,” he said with a sigh. “I didn’t get to all the places I wanted to go last night, so I’ll do that tonight. Then, tomorrow, I’m going hiking with my buddy Tyson. I’ll be home the next day.”
Disappointment railed through her, but she consoled herself that it would only be a couple more days until she saw him. She’d been keeping herself busy with the fun tours New Orleans had to offer, such as the graveyard and ghost tours she’d taken. There was still plenty of city that she wanted to explore. Besides, Dedou and Harper kept her entertained, so the time would pass by quickly.
“Okay. I’m not going deny that it frustrates me, but I’ll survive.”
Connor chuckled. “How frustrated are you?”
His voice had turned husky, the sound sending a chill up her spine.
“I’m very irritated,” she murmured and shut her eyes.
“Holding in all those bottled up emotions isn’t good for you, Sami. It sounds like you need to release some tension.”
Her heartbeat quickened, and her breath caught in her throat as she laid her hand on her lower abdomen.
“I know just how to make you relax, honey.”
Although she had a pretty good idea of where this conversation was headed, she decided to play innocent.
“Oh, really? And what’s that? How are you going to get rid of all of this tension I have inside?”
“Don’t you pretend to be clueless with me, my sweet little vampire.”
She laughed as the low ache between her legs continued to build.
“Take off your clothes, Sami,” he demanded. “Don’t make me wait.”
Standing, she dropped the phone to the mattress and disrobed. She lay back down on the bed and picked up the phone.
“Did you do as I told you to?”
“Yes,” she whispered as she pulled up the sheet, the cotton brushing tenderly over her erect nipples.
“Good. Now close your eyes.”
While she followed his instructions, she came to the conclusion that this call would be an excellent addition to her day.
6
Connor followed the GPS directions up Interstate 5 northward toward Canada. The sun shone in the sky, but the air still remained cool and crisp. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect day for a hike.
Checking out the rest of the bars and nightclubs on his list last night had produced a huge goose egg. It seemed that he’d been right about Pedro being the guy in charge. There wasn’t any Ambrogio be found, and he’d asked around a lot. Those who knew what he wanted had all told him that the city had gone dry. Mission accomplished, as far as he was concerned.
He had debated canceling this little excursion with Tyson, but had decided he’d go through with it. Yes, he wanted to head home to Sami and have some real sex with her, but he hadn’t seen Tyson in a long time. They had been pretty close when stationed together, and had lost touch after they’d been sent to different bases. It would be good to catch up.
Besides, when was the last time he’d enjoyed Mother Nature and all her beauty? It had been over a year ago, the final time he’d taken his Harley on a ride through the mountains of North Carolina before heading out to Guatemala. That was far too long ago, and he’d allowed his immersion in hunting vampires to take over all his time. Life was too short to be hanging out in nightclubs and not enjoying the daylight hours. He didn’t know what would be in store for Sami and him when he returned to New Orleans, so he figured he’d take advantage of seeing his old friend and getting out into the fresh mountain air for a while.
As he passed the city of Everett, the traffic began to clear, and he stepped on the gas. He figured he had another half-hour before he reached Bellingham, and he rolled down his window a bit, allowing the ocean breeze to filter in.
Large Evergreen and Douglas Fir trees lined the road, making it impossible to see the Puget Sound to his left. He imagined that for someone who would be used to open skies, like one would find in Arizona or Nevada, this drive could be considered
claustrophobic. For him, it was just another place to exist, just like he’d done all around the world. Granted, it definitely was prettier than a lot of places he’d been, but he’d never found one area of the world that he could definitively say he liked more than others.
He pulled into the town of Bellingham and stopped to fill up his gas tank and use the restroom. The beef jerky stand caught his eye, and he bought a bag, as well as some popcorn, figuring he needed to fuel up for the hike.
Getting back into his car, he followed the directions to the Chuckanut Mountains. From there, the signs pointed him toward the trailhead where he was to meet Tyson.
As he pulled up, he found Tyson leaning against another car in the lot. When he saw Connor coming, he waved.
He recalled Tyson standing about six feet tall and being built like a brick shit house, but he seemed to have slimmed down a bit. He obviously wasn’t lifting weights as much as he had been when they’d been stationed together.
After getting out of the car, Connor walked toward Tyson and they met in the middle of the parking lot. Tyson also seemed a little pale. Maybe he’d been sick, or maybe he’d been living in the northwest for a while. The gray skies would make anyone lose their coloring, and he hoped his friend had brought some suntan lotion so he didn’t burn. Connor, on the other hand, would just tan. He figured along the way, he had some Native American or Middle Eastern in him, but he’d never bothered to take a DNA test to find out. Since he’d grown up in an orphanage, he couldn’t ask his parents. Perhaps one day, he’d find it important enough to apply himself to getting the answers.
“How’s it going?” he asked as he clapped Tyson’s shoulder while they gripped hands.
“I’m good, I’m good. Glad you could make it out today.”
For a split second, Connor thought about calling off the hike once again. Something appeared to be off with Tyson, his speech seeming to be a little bit slow. He wished the guy didn’t wear sunglasses so he could see his eyes because it almost sounded as if Tyson was high or something.
“I’m really glad you could come out today,” Tyson repeated. “I’ve missed hanging out with you.”
He nodded, and grinned. Maybe his friend had suffered a stroke or something, or perhaps he’d taken some allergy medicine. That stuff always messed with Connor as he fought to stay awake.
“I’m glad to be here, too, man. So, where are we headed?”
Tyson pointed up the trail. “Beautiful views up there with a nice waterfall where we can stop and eat. Did you bring a pack?”
“Yep. Let me grab it out of the car.”
Even though the air in Seattle had been fresh, it didn’t compare to the atmosphere up here. As he breathed, he could almost feel his body rejuvenating. The sun beating down on him warmed him from the chill as he pulled his pack from the backseat.
He glanced up at the wall of trees in front of them, eager to get going. “Lead the way, Tyson.”
As his old friend disappeared into the foliage, Connor followed. Blocking out the sound of their boots crunching on the dirt, he listened to the forest. Birds chatted with each other while the humming of what he assumed were bees met his ears. As they continued on, he thought he detected running water somewhere in the distance.
A sense of peace washed through him, and he made a mental note to get out into nature more often. Now that he felt certain that the drug trade had been shut down, he could relax and enjoy himself. He’d have to find out if Sami liked hiking and camping. If she’d never been, he would make sure she enjoyed her first time, and hopefully, they’d be able to go more often.
“So, what brings you to Seattle, Connor?” Tyson asked. “When I saw you at the airport, you said you weren’t in the military any longer, but we didn’t get a chance to really talk much.”
He remembered the moment quite well. After leaving Violet, the vampire drug dealer, with an airline ticket to Alabama, he’d been rushing through the terminal to try to get back to Sami. He’d been worried about her getting home safely from the club while covered in blood. Although he knew she could handle herself, it had been a hard decision to leave her, but Sami had wanted to save Violet’s life instead of leaving her for Pedro to do with as he pleased. Tyson had seemed to appear out of nowhere, almost as if he’d just materialized right before his eyes.
“Yeah, I was in a rush. I was late meeting someone,” he said, hoping that Tyson wouldn’t question his answers. “I’m not military any longer. Just in Seattle on a little bit of business for the company I’m doing some work for.”
He didn’t give Tyson the chance to question him further. “What about you? You said you were shipping off to South Korea in about a month. That’s a nice base.”
He nodded, his back to Connor. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Except, he didn’t sound like it. Tyson’s voice seemed devoid of any emotion, and Connor furrowed his brow in concern.
It was as if his friend was going through the motions—smiling when he should, trying to sound excited for his future. However, to Connor, it all played wrong on his senses.
They’d gone about a mile, and he looked over his shoulder at the empty path behind him and considered turning around, but again, pushed the feeling away. Even if Tyson wasn’t fully present in the moment, there wasn’t a reason he couldn’t just enjoy the sun peeking through the majestic trees above, the soul-cleansing air, and the beautiful scenery.
They laughed as they recalled fun times within the unit when they’d served in Germany, but Connor didn’t mention any combat situations. If Tyson suffered from PTSD or something, he didn’t want to dredge up any negative memories for the guy.
An hour later, he heard the waterfall before he saw it. When they broke through the clearing, he grinned, and immediately wished Sami could be here.
A large wall of jagged, gray rock stretched up to the sky. About halfway down, the waterfall began, and Connor realized that the water came from inside the mountain. Perhaps the rain runoff from the top had made itself a new path and cut into the heart of the rock, then out the other end. He’d love to get up there and see for himself, but he’d be a dead man if he tried to scale the wall freehand. Could he walk around the base and then up the other side? Or did the mountain protect itself from visitors with beauty such as this all the way around?
“Wow, this is something else, Tyson,” he said as he slid off his backpack and set it down. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the time, surprised that he had a signal. After sitting on a log, he set the device down next to him.
“Yes, it’s my favorite place.”
Connor unzipped his bag and pulled out his lunch consisting of a peanut butter sandwich, chips, and an apple, wishing he had brought more because the hike had made him hungry. His body also seemed a little tired, but he chalked that up to the remnants of that damn concussion. Hopefully, he’d be done with the after-effects in the next week or two. A wave of guilt washed through him as he thought of the little white lies he’d told Sami in regards to it, but he hadn’t wanted her to worry.
He bit into the sandwich, then took a long drink of water. He glanced up at Tyson, who stood about five feet away staring at him. The man smiled, then sat down on the other end of the same piece of wood.
The silence became a little strained, and he realized Tyson was not the same jovial man he’d once been. He had no idea what had happened to the guy, but he would eat as quickly as possible, then suggest they head back to the trailhead. Hopefully, Tyson would then lose his number.
“Do you have yourself a girlfriend?” Tyson asked.
Connor concentrated on his sandwich as he contemplated how to answer that. He had never considered Sami his girlfriend. Vampire? Traitor? Liar? The woman he thought he wanted to spend the rest of his life with? All of the above, but the term ‘girlfriend’ had never crossed his mind. Their relationship seemed beyond the simple term, but he had no idea what label to give her.
“Sort of,” he mumbled. “I guess so, in a
way. I like her a lot.”
“Is she in Seattle with you?”
Connor shook his head, still keeping his gaze away from Tyson. The way the guy stared at him gave him the willies. “Nope.”
He leaned over and grabbed his water as he heard Tyson stand, his boots crunching on the dirt.
“I have a woman in my life,” Tyson said from behind him.
For an inexplicable reason, cold fear gripped his chest. Perhaps it was the anger in Tyson’s voice, or the fact that he’d moved to a position where Connor felt suddenly very vulnerable.
He looked over his shoulder as Tyson raised a gun and pulled the trigger.
The dart embedded in his shoulder. Gripping the end of it, he pulled it out and stood, throwing the barb a few feet away.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he yelled, suddenly feeling dizzy, his speech sounding slurred to his own ears.
Tyson said nothing, just took aim again. Connor was able to dive to his right, the projectile missing him by a few inches.
His limbs became heavier by the second as he fought to get to his feet. He had to get the gun away from Tyson. There was no way he could outrun him.
As he finally stood, his legs felt as if they would collapse out from under him.
He lunged at Tyson, who now stood about four feet away. The man fired again, and this time, Connor took a dart to the chest. Searing, hot pain ripped through him as he struggled to remove it, causing him to take a few steps back. He had trouble wrapping his fingers around the offending projectile, but was finally able to dislodge it and drop it to the ground.
As his vision blurred and he began to see double, he stumbled toward Tyson once again. He fell to the forest floor about two feet away from him, crashing into the log he’d been sitting on just moments ago. He rolled to the other side of it, his breathing heavy. He fought to keep his eyes open, but he did note his cell phone had fallen into the dirt within reach.
He grabbed it just as Tyson came into view, the gun pointed at him. As his finger wrapped around the trigger and the gun fired for the fourth time, Connor took another arrow to the chest. He didn’t possess the strength to pull it out, and the tranquilizer washed through his system, leaving paralysis as it went.
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