Immortal Revenge

by Abshire, Mary

  Yawning, she lowered her hand and twisted onto her back. Her body felt rested with only a slight soreness in her stomach from all the retching the night before. One more day and she’d feel normal again. Her heart wouldn’t, but her body would anyway.

  Katie rubbed her eyes and sat up. Silence filled the house, except for the clicking of the grandfather clock near the television. She welcomed the peace and solitude. After she and Jules spent the afternoon shopping from store to store, they returned to the house, cleaned Katie’s new clothes, then fixed dinner. Joe arrived home and ate with them. At nine, Jules and Joe both left and Katie crashed on the sofa. Sleep had claimed her within minutes.

  The clock chimed, snapping Katie from her dreamy state of consciousness. Riker’s plane would land in an hour. Chicago O’Hare was over two hours away. Even speeding, she couldn’t make it there in an hour. Why didn’t he send a message earlier?

  She leaped to her feet, then ran down the hall to the guest room. As fast as she could, she slid on her running shoes. Since she’d changed into a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt before dinner, she decided not to change again. With her shoes secured on her feet, she grabbed her purse from the dresser and then headed out of the house. On her way she sent Jules a message. Going to Chicago.

  Frustration swirled within her gut as Katie backed out of the driveway. She’d hoped to pick up Jules after work, but no such luck now. Andy would have to give her a ride home.

  Once Katie reached the Interstate, she relaxed her seat and let her lead foot take over. She’d traveled the highway plenty of times at night and enjoyed the freedom along with the serenity when other vehicles weren’t around. Most of all, she loved the fast lane. Kyle had told her she’d felt at home with speed because her mind had a constant flurry of thoughts. Her brain was always alert and quick to respond instead of picking apart pieces and thinking things through. The qualities made her a good fighter. With the added knowledge Kyle had supplied about vampires, she became a great match for his own kind. He knew it, and eventually she did. He’d told her he’d never met a woman with such a vibrant mind and fluid activity. For that reason and others, he never wanted to let her go.

  Katie eyed each of her mirrors for cops while she fought the urge to cry. The time for tears had passed. She had to remain focused and sharp, not only for the vampire she had to defeat, but also for the one she had to impress. Riker didn’t know her from any other stranger on the street, but she was far from normal. If he pushed her buttons as he had done on the phone, she wouldn’t hesitate to show him a few moves, after he agreed to help her.

  She turned on the radio and pressed her foot on the accelerator. Fast tunes and speed cleared her mind from Kyle. She sang several tunes while the miles flew by. Soon enough she reached the exit ramp for the airport. A quick glance at the digital clock on her dash showed a little past three.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said as she glided her hand above the dashboard. Her vehicle deserved a little respect and praise every now and then, especially after a hard workout.

  Katie parked in the first spot she found, then jogged into the airport carrying her purse. She paused inside the airport lobby, unsure where to go, where to meet him, what he even looked like. Did he have luggage? Was he old or young? Where did he fly from so she’d know what terminal to check? What airline did he take? The questions rushed through her mind as she scanned the area.

  Following a heavy sigh, she proceeded to a waiting area and sat down. A few passengers walked by carrying bags or tugging their rolling luggage. She waited several minutes to see if Riker would show. When he didn’t she fished her phone from her purse and checked for messages. She found nothing.

  She returned the phone to her bag and leaned back in the uncomfortable seat. Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she’d had with Riker. Not even a minute after she’d given her location, he’d located the nearest airports. Maybe he researched the information on a computer. If such were the case, he had to know how much time it would take her to drive to Chicago. Since he’d sent the text shortly after one and it was now past three, his plane had to have landed. So, where the hell was he?

  Doubt crept into her mind as she waited. Riker had been Kyle’s friend ages ago, but when was the last time they connected? She didn’t have the answer. Kyle had said they’d worked for the Order together. What if Riker still did and he’d changed to the ways of the new Order?

  “I assure you, I am not a fascist,” said a male voice behind her.

  Katie shot up and spun to face the stranger. Her heart pumped fast as she stared at the person standing on the other side of row the seats. She’d expected to face a man, but instead her gaze hit a torso. She lifted her eyes until she found his face. He had a European look with narrow features and a slightly long nose. Blondish-brown hair, straight and stringy, flowed from his head and landed on his shoulders. When she saw his green eyes, she knew he was Riker.

  “Take me to your car,” the giant said.

  His clipped words and tone confirmed his identity. Yep, Riker.

  Chills danced down her spine. She heard a whisper in her head and sensed an intrusion.

  “No,” came flying out of her mouth before she realized what was happening. An impenetrable mental barrier encompassed her thoughts the second she heard his telepathic voice. Another example of acting before thinking, but then Kyle had trained her to trigger her defenses like an instinctive reaction.

  “Clever girl. Let’s go.” Riker stepped toward the end of the row.

  Katie hesitantly walked away from her seat. His attempted to slip into her mind annoyed her. What a rude bastard. Now she really wondered if she should ask for his help. How could she rely on someone who tried to read her thoughts?

  He paused as if waiting for her to catch up with him. When she did, he walked at her side.

  Katie headed for the exit at a slow pace, debating if she should trust Riker. Kyle had, but what if Riker had changed? She peered at the vamp from the corner of her eyes. He was tall with an average build. Although she couldn’t see his muscle proportions under the black leather jacket, the black t-shirt, nor his black jeans, she suspected the vamp had some. He carried a navy blue duffel bag in one arm and a square, black leather bag under the other.

  “You arrived sooner than I expected,” he said, keeping his gaze pointed ahead of him.

  “I like to speed, but I still have to be careful not to attract attention.”

  The corner of his lips twitched and he turned to face her. “Dillinger. Any relation to the John Dillinger?”

  Katie avoided looking at Riker. As they approached the exit, a guard standing near the door eyed them. She gave him a single nod as they passed by and the glass doors swished open.

  “My dad told me a few times that my grandfather claimed he was a bastard son of John Jr. I don’t know if he was or not.”

  They crossed the road and headed toward the parking garage. Katie led the way with a quick gait and descended the stairs. Riker kept in stride next to her.

  “What kind of car do you drive?”

  From the staircase, she turned the corner and proceeded between parked vehicles. “A black Camaro.” She reached into her purse.

  “Keys, Ms. Dillinger.” He held out his palm in front of her.

  “No.” Feeling cold metal under her fingers, she grabbed hold of the keys and withdrew them from her bag.

  Riker continued to hold his hand out. Every time she glanced at it, she felt the urge to shove it out of her way.

  “Trust me.”

  She ignored him and turned toward the driver’s side of her car. A strong breeze blew by her, pushing her hair forward in front of her face. At the same time, the keys disappeared from her hand. Within seconds, she ascertained Riker had stripped them from her grasp.

  He opened the car door and tossed his bags into the back seat. Katie stood frozen, watching him.

  “Don’t worry, if she’s anything like you, I’ll have her purring soon.” He
pushed the driver’s seat back, then sat.

  Anger rushed from the pit of her stomach to her head. The vamp insisted on showing his superiority and she didn’t like it. She stormed around the car.

  “I don’t purr.” She slammed her door as he gunned the engine.

  His gaze slid down to her chest, then back to her eyes. “No, I don’t imagine you do. I stand corrected.”

  “Are you always this rude?”

  “Relax.” The engine hummed as he pressed his foot on the accelerator.

  “You have my fucking car, the only property I have left, in your possession. And you just checked out my breasts.” Her loud voice stung her ears.

  “This is where you learn to trust me.”

  His calm voice irritated her. She let out a huff of frustration as she set her purse in her lap. What could she do? He was stronger, faster and could snap her neck in a split second. She didn’t think he’d hurt her, but she sure as hell didn’t want him harming her precious car.

  “Buckle up,” he said as he backed out of the parking spot.

  Fuming with anger, she kept her lips pressed together and stretched the seatbelt over her.

  “Tell me what happened to Kyle,” he said as he steered her car through the garage.

  “He’s gone, permanently.”

  “I gathered as much or you wouldn’t have called. Can you tell me how you found him?”

  “I arrived home and found his headless body burning on a cross.”

  Tires screeched as the car came to a violent stop.

  She jerked forward and felt the seatbelt tighten against her shoulder. “Fuck!”

  He stared straight ahead and gripped her wheel so tight she’d thought it would break in his grasp.

  “Hey!” She snapped at him.

  He slowly turned to face her. Bright green eyes stared at her.

  “I loved Kyle more than life. He meant everything to me. I called you because I want you to help me find the vamp who destroyed him. Just help me find him and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “And what will you do Ms. Dillinger?”

  “I’ll sever its head.”

  He took his foot of the break and allowed the car to roll forward.

  “No offense, but it takes more than revenge to decapitate a vampire.”

  “I have a few weapons Kyle gave me hidden in the trunk. And I’m going to check out the barn tomorrow. I don’t think it burnt to the ground, but even if it did, we hid all the weapons in the cellar.”

  He turned the car into a handicapped parking spot and shifted the gear. “Show me.” He was out of the car before she could get another word out.

  Katie snapped her seatbelt free and pushed her door open. She strode toward the back where Riker had already lifted the trunk.

  “What’s in the bag?” He tugged on the handle.

  “Clothes I bought today.” She pulled it away from him and set the paper bag in the corner.

  He grabbed the FedEx box lying off to the side. “What’s in here?”

  Katie reached for the package but he held it out of her reach. “Hey, that’s a gift Kyle gave me.”

  He shook it like a child curious to see what Santa Clause delivered.

  “It’s probably just lingerie. He liked to buy me nice…clothes.”

  Riker arched a brow. “Into kinky sex games?”

  Her fury erupted and she snatched the box from him. “God, you’re such an asshole.”

  He grabbed the sides of the package, preventing her from taking it away. She tugged on it, but he wouldn’t give it to her.

  “Feel the weight of the box and tell me it’s just a garment.”

  She stopped trying to force the package free from his grasp and he lowered his hands. Sure enough, it weighed heavier than what it should’ve with a piece of lingerie. She never paid attention before.

  “Okay, this is strange.” She found the strip to open the box and pulled it.

  “Where are your weapons hidden?”

  “In the inside of the tire,” she replied as she poured the contents of her package in the far corner of the trunk.

  Two pouches, one large and one small, dropped out. The box immediately felt lighter, yet something was still in it. She tilted the opening down again and something gently scraped the inside. The last object, wrapped in tissue paper, fell on top of the other items. A red garment lay hidden behind the thin white paper.

  While Katie stared at the contents, Riker lifted the cover from within her trunk and ran his hand along the inside of the spare tire. “What’s in the pouches?”

  Katie shook her head, a bit in shock at the discovery. She’d never question what Kyle ordered, never asked how he obtained his weapons. Now, she wondered what else he hid from her, not that secretly ordering knives was a bad thing.

  “Not drugs,” she said as she nudged the thin garment to the side. She couldn’t think about the last gift he’d ordered for her to wear, and she certainly didn’t want to hold it up for display to Riker.

  “Drugs?” He withdrew a dark cloth from within the tire.

  “The police questioned where I was. I told them I picked up a package. Then, they asked if Kyle was a drug dealer.” She lifted the large pouch first, then turned to face him. “They used their drug sniffing dog to search the trunk. Of course, they didn’t find anything unusual.”

  “You show me yours first.” The slight curl of his lip annoyed her more than humored her.

  She untied the black string and twisted the cloth until it opened in her hands. Hidden within were four small daggers, the silver handles sticking out.

  “Nice.” He reached for one. Katie held them securely in her grasp as he lifted the tiny band holding one of the daggers in place. He slid the weapon out and examined it. “It’s light and not too big. Perfect to hide on your thigh or calf, assuming you have a sheath for it.”

  He tucked the pouch in his hand under his arm and returned the small dagger to its home spot.

  “We went through a lot of daggers when we fought. I guess he was replacing them.”

  He lifted his eyes. “You fought with daggers?”

  “Play fight. He taught me how to beat someone of your caliber.”

  “You bested him? Right.” His cockiness irked her.

  “Actually I did. Last year.” She grinned and stared pointedly into his eyes.

  The smirk on his face drained away. “Kyle loved you. He probably let you beat him.”

  Katie closed the cloth with the daggers and twisted away from him as her head suddenly felt ready to explode. “He trained me for years. I beat him in a fair fight. But don’t take the word of a human female.” And don’t turn your back on me. I might decide to take your head off during the day when you’re sleeping.

  “My, my. I’m starting to realize why he liked you, aside from your exceptionally large breasts.”

  Katie stiffened with the second pouch in her hands. “You have some nerve, vampire.” The urge to punch him continued to prick at her. She wanted to fight him to prove she had the skills to take his kind down. But she couldn’t do it without a little help, and she wouldn’t waste a drop of Kyle’s blood on such an asshole.

  He held up a sheathed dagger. “I’m taking this one.” He glanced down at her hands. “Let’s see what you have.”

  Katie pushed her devilish thoughts aside and loosened the other black cloth in her hand. Inside, she found four rings with knives attached to each and a ruby in the center of the ring. “Impressive. Do you know how to use them?”

  “I broke the others, so yes.”

  Katie quickly folded the cloth back together. She disliked looking at the lethal rings. Kyle had forced her to wear them on occasion when they fought. The first time she’d wore them, she’d thrown a punch and the sharp blade, though small, sliced his flesh wide open. He winced in pain, but continued his assault. He wanted her to learn the cuts meant nothing and the enemy would still come after her. She fought back, swinging more hard punches. The knives tore thro
ugh him. By the time their quarrel ended hours later, they were both covered in blood and weak. The memory made her stomach churn.

  “Is this it?” The question sounded as if her weapons weren’t good enough for him.

  “I’ll check the cellar tomorrow.”

  She tucked the pouch with the rings into her purse. The lethal rings were coming with her everywhere where they were within quick reach if she ever needed them.

  “This will do until then,” he said as he tucked the black cloth back inside the inner part of the spare tire.

  “Does this mean you’ll help me?”

  “It’s late. We need to go.” He closed the trunk lid with a low thump, then headed for the driver’s side without another word.

  Katie sighed as she walked around the car to the passenger side. Why couldn’t he answer her simple question? If he wasn’t going to assist her, then there was no point of him hanging around.

  Minutes after she returned to her seat, they were on a road, heading for the Interstate.

  Katie quickly read the signs. “You’ll want to take the–”

  “I know the way,” he said, then glanced at her. “I studied maps while I was waiting for you.”

  Katie twisted to face him and crossed her arms. His cold arrogance was a quality she detested, but the vamp had brains and brawn. Those two traits she needed to help her achieve her goal.

  “You never answered my question,” she said, staring at his angular nose from the side. His forehead seemed rather big too, but his long hair could’ve made it appear that way.

  “I made a promise to Kyle.” He kept his gaze at the front window.

  “Which is?”

  “To protect you.”

  “I don’t need protection. I can take care of myself.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched.

  “What?”

  He glanced at her. “He said you’d say that.”

  Prick.

  She turned away from him as questions surfaced in her mind. Why did Kyle ask him to protect her? Why did Riker agree? Did Kyle force him? All were on the tip of her tongue to ask, but first she wanted his agreement to assist her.

  “Look, I’m asking nicely… Will you help me catch the vamp who destroyed Kyle?”