"Are you done panicking?" he asked.
"I…don't think so. Not yet."
"Well, stop, and follow me."
He led the way back to the basement. She took the phone from her purse as they left the kitchen.
"Voicemail," she said, staring at the phone in disbelief. "It's not even ringing."
Jack said nothing. He went down the stairs and straight for the refrigerator, opening the door. There was more blood missing than normal.
"A planned trip."
"She took bottles with her," Victoria said, noticing the bare racks for the first time. "And her clothes. But why? If she hated it here, I would have put her on a plane back to Florida."
It dawned on her there was the good possibility Zoey took more than blood.
She left the basement once again, all the way up to the second floor. Jack had difficulty keeping up, even with his ability not to tire. Victoria simply moved too fast.
She only stopped in the middle of the hallway when she noticed her bedroom door, which was always locked, wide open.
Her suspicions were confirmed.
Zoey had forced the door open easily, breaking the wood around the lock. Victoria had never reinforced it for vampires, only mortals. She searched through her dresser drawers.
"Some of my credit cards are missing."
Jack shook his head as he leaned in the doorway.
"That little ho."
"I don't get it. What's happening?"
"Is she banging someone?"
Victoria glared at him, surprised herself at how protective she felt regarding Zoey.
"What?"
"Does she have a boyfriend?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"She's either out to kill someone, or she's introducing her vagina to someone's penis. Now, third time, Victoria. Boyfriend?"
"No. She had one, but they broke up at the end of the summer. That's why she started going to clubs."
"A simple no would have worked. I don't need her life story."
He signaled with his finger for Victoria to follow. She frowned at the back of his head, curious as to what he knew. Jack's brain didn't work like any other. An insignificant detail to everyone else was a clue to him. She had him beaten out on life experience, and most certainly compassion, but she would never match his ability to observe.
Leading her straight to the kitchen, he walked to the stove and pulled out a single piece of paper from a baking sheet.
"She's on her way to show this guy here some murder."
Everything finally clicked into place when she saw the portrait Zoey had been working on. Victoria saw the pot with a mysterious liquid on the back burner, permeating some odd smell. The baking sheet and portrait were still soaked in it.
Victoria and Jack didn't need to discuss their theories. They both arrived at the same conclusion. She summed it up with a single name.
"Kevin."
"Like I said. Glinda always finds a way to fuck things up."
She sighed as she stared at the handsome man Zoey had captured on paper.
"I thought it was just a drawing."
Jack flipped it around to look.
"No. Look at the detail, the strokes, the care she put into this. This isn't random bum number two on Pratt Street, Victoria. This is someone she's sexually slurping, or someone she wants to kill."
Victoria remembered Zoey's eyes when she expressed her desire to kill the vampire Steven, if she ever found him.
"This is my fault," she said. "I didn't think anything about this. I didn't pay attention."
"Eh, no big deal, really. Stray's not worth paying attention to."
"Zoey's going to hurt someone, or maybe get hurt herself. I'm responsible for her."
"She's responsible for herself. Whatever reckless, idiotic thing she does is on her."
"She's out there. Right now. In the daylight somewhere. I don't even know where she's going."
"Hopefully she found a shady tree. Just ask Glinda, he knows. Anyway, if you really want Stray back so much, just cancel the credit cards. That'll bring her ass back real quick."
"I can't do that. That could strand her somewhere. If she needs gas, or a hotel, or even a toll, and can't get it, she'll die."
"Would that be such a bad thing?"
Her face twisted in confusion and anger as she glared at the man she thought of as family.
"Are you…serious?"
"Am I ever not?"
She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms.
"I would have thought having Tiffany in your life, and a good night's sleep, would have mellowed you out somewhat."
Jack's anger matched her own, and his voice reached a dangerous tone.
"You leave Tiffany out of this," he said. "Stray is eighteen, Victoria. An eighteen-year-old vampire. She's going to be that way. Forever. Is that any kind of life? What is she going to accomplish? Is she going to follow boy-bands for the rest of her life? Wear the same dress for prom twenty years in a row? She was dealt a bad hand, and that sucks. But maybe she shouldn't be alive. I know vampires have discussed before about the age line for immortality."
"Yes, and that line isn't eighteen! She'll be able to go to college six times over. Start her own business. Fall in love. Get married. There are no limits as to what she'll be able to do."
"How, though? Are you going to pay for six colleges? Going to take care of her forever? You are the best person I know, and even you had to do ruthless things to get where you are. Do you want that for Stray?"
She shook her head. "This isn't even a discussion. Are you talking about killing Zoey? Letting her die? Ridiculous. This conversation stops now. But damn it, why now, Zoey? Why did you have to do this now? There are vampires dying."
She held her temples in frustration. The answer suddenly came to her, and she looked up to meet Jack's gaze.
No words needed to be said between them. His eyes took on a look of fear and frustration.
"No, Victoria," he said. "No fucking way."
"Jack—"
"No!"
"You said you'd help me however I needed."
"About the vampire shit. Not with missing strays."
"I can't let this go. I have to find out what killed those vampires. But I need Zoey here, too. You can find her, easily, and bring her back."
"I could, but there's a problem."
"What's that?"
"I don't care. I don't care about Stray. I know that's hard to believe, but in the twenty minutes we talked, we just didn't form a bond. And believe me, I tried. I'm trying now. Do you see this face? Do you see the strain? That's me trying to care. But it's not working. It probably looks more like I'm trying to take a shit."
"Listen to me—"
"Did you miss the part about me missing my daughter? I owe the babysitter and my pilot a small fortune right now, because I hung out all night partying in strip clubs with you. Sometimes strays run away, and you don't get them back."
Her face softened a touch as she locked eyes with him. She knew exactly what she was doing. He held a palm up and backed up a step.
"Don't you dare," he said. "Don't say it."
"Please, Jack."
He let out a scream as he held his ears. "You redheaded, bloodsucking bitch!"
Holding in a laugh was terribly difficult. It would have ruined her pitiful, sorrowful expression, the one she pulled out rarely to temporarily weaken Jack's armor. The cute-face, as he called it before. The two fought, sometimes with anger and bitterness. They were nearly opposites in every way.
But they loved each other, and they would do anything for each other. He was a part of her inner circle.
Jack forced his anger at Victoria's obvious manipulation aside, his eyes turning dark and serious.
"You do know what you're asking?"
She nodded. "I do."
"Are you sure? You know how I do things. People might get hurt, and I don't want your whiny voice in my ear—"
&n
bsp; "I know what I'm asking." Victoria was completely aware she was opening a different version of Pandora's Box. Instead of the evils of the world and hope inside, there was only Jack and death. "Just bring her home."
"Home? As in your home, or her home? That's a weird choice of words—"
"Stop."
He smiled, having made his point. "I'll do this. For you, not for her."
Victoria rolled her eyes as she nodded. Jack was always quite clear in the fact that he cared for very little people.
"I know. I get it."
"And this isn't just a favor out of the goodness of my heart. You're going to owe me on this one."
"Again, noted."
"Well, then," he said, undoing his tie and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm off, then. I'm going to call Glinda and go home. Then I'm going to wind my stopwatch for a few hours, and get some beautiful sleep. Then it's Stray hunting."
She stepped forward for a hug. Jack wasn't fond of people touching him, but Victoria was one of a handful that could get away with it. She embraced him tightly, with him returning the gesture.
"Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I need some sleep, too, before I pass out."
"Yes, you do. Something tells me you're in for a long day."
*****
Zoey awoke with a start from another short, restless nap. She'd lost track of how many times she'd fallen asleep. She didn't have any idea of what time it was. Her only guess was sometime mid-morning, due to the heavy traffic she could barely see through the trees on I-70.
The idea was simple enough, so simple it could only possibly work. But now she had doubts. The GPS in Victoria's Jeep told her Illinois was an eleven-hour drive away. She nearly felt sick as she plucked several of Victoria's credit cards from her dresser, but she would pay her back somehow. After dropping Olivia off at the hospital Zoey had filled the Jeep with gas. She would drive until the sun came up, hide during the day, and then drive again.
So simple.
The hiding part was something she hadn't completely thought through, along with other elements of her plan. She'd never been accused in school of thinking things through.
The thicket of trees on the side of I-70 was sufficient, but the sun still poked through here and there. Zoey thought she could sleep behind the wheel, but a single ray of sunlight found her and burnt her arm. She'd felt the sun more than enough after her transformation, notably during a home invasion back when she was in Florida. Alex had saved her life again then as well. The burning of her own flesh was a smell she never wanted to experience again. Now she was stuck under the Jeep, sleeping away the day in the grass.
She had everything she thought she'd need. Clothes, blood, a vehicle, gas. More than anything, she had determination. It was fate that brought Kevin into her life, if only for an hour. She now had the means to find the vampire that attacked her and murdered Kylie. Kylie had hired Alex to find who was responsible for her death. They'd identified Steven, the vampire, but stopped short of pursuing.
Zoey would not stop short. She owed Kylie that, and she owed herself. There was also every other person Steven had certainly hurt.
She kept her mind focused on the task, even as she shifted in the grass to get more comfortable. She was two hours into the drive. For whatever magic Kevin graced her phone with, it still had only a flashing red light in the state of Illinois. When the sun set she would drive as long and fast as she could. If Kevin wasn't lying, or if he wasn't wrong, the phone would change.
Could Zoey drive nine hours or more nonstop? She didn't know. Victoria had taught her many things, but endurance was something that never came up. Zoey used to get tired on family vacations, the long, boring drive to Disneyland, and she was only a passenger in the back seat. Could she handle such a long trip?
She was going to find out.
If not, she could always find another hiding spot, or stay at a hotel. The idea of a hotel left as quickly as it came. Victoria had no doubt already discovered Zoey was missing, and canceled her credit cards. Zoey thought she was clever enough to fill the Jeep with gas first, but it would be a short-lived victory. She was on her own. No cash, with only what was in the Jeep to get by. Hopefully she brought enough blood.
If not, she would have to feed.
She pushed the thought aside. Feeding was the last thing she wanted to think about.
A police car sped by, making her heart jump in her chest. Some of the more ridiculous parts of her plan sprang to mind, even though the police weren't looking for her. What if someone saw the Jeep from the road and came to investigate? How would she explain why she was hiding underneath in the grass? How would she explain the bottles of blood in the back?
Zoey examined her phone, before her thoughts could unravel. Kevin was right when he said the phone was useless. She couldn't even play any games, much less make a phone call. It was just her and the space underneath the Jeep, as well as the noisy interstate, to keep her company.
She shook her head as she watched the flashing light, still not quite able to fully understand what she held.
"Magic," she whispered.
It had taken her some time to fully accept that she was a vampire, something she thought only existed in movies and books. Then she heard Victoria and Jack talk about werewolves as if it were an everyday conversation to enjoy over dinner. It was strange at first, and difficult to digest, but being near Victoria simply made things easier.
But then a young man, not much older than her, threw a bunch of things into a pot, and changed her phone into something magical. Then he drew a circle on the wall and walked through it.
Vampires. Werewolves. Witches. A man with wings. Another man that was apparently none of the above, but spoke as if he were old. What else was out there?
"Damn it, Victoria," she said. "You should have told me."
More than anything, she wanted to talk to Victoria. She wanted to apologize for borrowing the Jeep and running away, and also for the fight they had. Zoey was truly hurt that Victoria didn't tell her about magic, or walking in the daylight, but she understood. She didn't tell her own parents that she was attacked and turned into a vampire. She knew she had no right to hold any kind of grudge against Victoria.
But knowing something, and feeling something, were different. She knew Victoria was only looking out for her, but that didn't ease the sting.
She nearly dropped the phone as she dozed off. The sensation of her arm falling jostled her awake. There were many more hours to go before the sun set. A long drive was ahead of her. She needed her rest.
Drinking the last gulp from the bottle next to her, she rested her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. Hopefully her dreams wouldn't be plagued with nightmares.
CHAPTER 13
Victoria didn't sleep very well. She tossed and turned as thoughts of Zoey being in trouble kept her from fully settling in. After a few hours, with the sun pouring in through her window, she finally threw the covers aside. She didn't even bother slipping into any clothes. Reaching for her phone on the nightstand, she paced naked in her bedroom as she called Zoey's phone. After going immediately to voicemail once again, she hung up and tried another of her speed-dials, waiting for him to answer.
"What?" Jack said.
She had always prided herself on her composure. She was well-aware she had a temper, but in the face of true danger, of real evil, Victoria didn't rattle. She didn't come apart at the seams, unable to think and plan. That was why she'd lived to be over four centuries old.
For whatever reason, that was all out the window. She had the energy of a nervous newborn.
"Zoey's still not answering her phone. Have you started looking for her? Have you called Kevin? What have you found out?"
"Actually, I've done nothing. I did have a nice breakfast with Tiffany, though. I'm teaching her how to make pancakes."
She clenched her eyes shut in frustration.
"Jack—"
"Oh, wait, that's not true. I di
d talk to Glinda, since he made a portal for me to get home."
"What did he say?"
"We didn't talk about Stray. We talked about work, mostly, and I told him not to bring his cat over anymore."
"Goddamnit—"
"Victoria, you've asked me for a favor, and I'll do it. But, please, don't question me, and don't nag me. Let me deal with the Stray, and you deal with whatever the hell it is you're worried about. Vampires croaking, or whatever."
She seethed, but held her tongue. Not many alive could tell Victoria not to question them, but Jack was one of them.
"Just find her."
"I will. Now, leave me alone."
Victoria showered and quickly dressed before sitting at the computer in the basement. It wasn't the best of ideas, as everything surrounding her reminded her of Zoey. She'd gotten attached to the young teenager, and didn't truly realize how much until she walked down the stairs and saw her missing. But the computer in the basement was faster than her laptop, and the desk also provided a place to work.
Jack was right. It was going to be a long day.
Her first call went to Frank. She needed remote access to the Vermilion's security system and whatever records they kept. He told her he needed to get back to her, as Kate had all that information. Despite Frank's tendency to bend the truth at times, she believed him.
The next several hours were spent calling various contacts, playing phone-tag with some, to eliminate possibilities and narrow her search. Her contact in the military told her there were no secret experiments going on in Baltimore, and an old friend from the CIA confirmed as such. The United States government had been known to experiment on vampires in the past, and it wouldn't surprise her if they used Baltimore as a testing ground once again.
Victoria may have been one of the oldest of her kind, but there were still many things she didn't know. She called some other vampires she knew across the world, relaying the symptoms of what she'd seen. Several of them thought whatever killed the vampires in the Vermilion had to have been man-made. Mortals were always trying to find new ways to kill vampires, and Victoria couldn't deny that. However, several others thought it could possibly be natural. There were several theories about vampire evolution, especially about their weaknesses. It was even theorized that long ago, vampires were very allergic to garlic, but had developed an immunity. If that were true, it would certainly be feasible for the opposite to happen, to develop another weakness, perhaps going so far as to being unable to digest a certain blood type.
Damned and Cursed (Book 7): Four Centuries Page 21
