3 Hit the Road Jack

by Christin Lovell

  “Uh, we’re…” I cleared my throat. “Um, we’re supposed to be on assignment. We… we need information on Jack.” He chuckled, pulling my body flat against his; he placed a second sweet kiss on my neck. I nearly cried out when he licked my skin erotically. I couldn’t control the whimper though. Satisfied with my response, he stepped away.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “That wasn’t nice.” I squeezed my thighs together, trying to rid myself of the sudden overwhelming need I had to pounce on him. “You’re just doing this because we’re in public. Try that behind closed doors and you’ll have to finish what you start,” I challenged.

  “I guarantee I’d have no problem with that.” His eyes pierced me; his own desire prevalent in the darkening of his irises. A dark teal seemed to bleed slightly from his pupils.

  Our moment was broken when a guy approached us. Kellan immediately closed his mind to protect us. I didn’t understand what the stranger said, but heard him say Jack which put me on alert immediately. Kellan said something to him, before grabbing my hand and pulling me with him.

  “I’m opening my mind. I’ll translate for you. I don’t know how I didn’t smell this guy coming, but he’s a vamp so be careful.”

  “Where are we going?”

  ”To an alley down the street. He’s got information. We need to be careful though. He heard what you said and picked up on it.”

  “Crap. I majorly messed up there, but if we get information, then it’s worth it.”

  We followed the vamp through the club and out the door. I noticed the others mingling with the humans on our way out; even Kai was saddled up to a buxom blonde at the bar. A couple blocks down, we took a left into a dark abandoned alley between two apartment buildings.

  A quick glance around gave me an uneasy feeling. We were discussing our enemy with a stranger beyond a crowded street in a dark, abandoned alley. Despite being a vamp, I clung to Kellan's arm. I glanced warily at the vamp before us. Unruly dark brown hair hung down into his eyes further shadowing his face. A long black trench coat only added to the cliché of the situation. I watched him and Kellan exchange words, reading Kellan's mind to understand the conversation.

  "Last I heard he was in London. That was about two months ago," the vamp offered.

  "Who's your source?" Kellan folded his arms over his chest, bulging his biceps, reminding the stranger of his strength. It must have been a human habit because the skinniest or fattest vamp could out-do you sometimes.

  "I'm not a rat. You're going to have to take my word or nothing."

  Kellan narrowed his eyes. The stranger crossed his arms nonchalantly as he leaned against a building, one leg bent and his foot flat on the wall.

  "I dont think I trust him,” Kellan said.

  "We haven't come across anyone else with info so far and there’s no guarantee we will."

  "I'd rather have no info than bad info."

  "But we don't know for sure that it's bad."

  "We don't know if it's good either."

  "Ask him what part of London." He translated the question.

  "Do I look like a free GPS? You want more, it'll cost you."

  Kellan tensed. "Price?"

  "Five thousand US dollars."

  "Five hundred and not a penny more. Even that's too much for possible bullshit," Kellan countered. The set of his jaw told me he was walking if the guy tried to negotiate further. Apparently he recognized it too because he pulled out a piece of paper. Kellan pulled out a wad of bills and handed the equivalent of two hundred and fifty dollars. The vamp began to protest when Kellan held up a silencing hand. He opened the paper and read it before returning his attention to the vamp. "You knew what we were looking for before the club, now tell me how before I snap your neck," Kellan bit out.

  The vamp didn't flinch. "You're not the only ones looking for him." He proceeded to pull a stack of papers out of his pocket, flashing the words on each. They were all the same. Kellan threw the other two-fifty at him, grabbed my hand and whisked us back out onto the main street and down towards the crowd again.

  Chapter 14

  Looking at the angry, determined set of his jaw as he dragged me alongside him was one of the sexiest faces he'd made. His muscles coiled and were ready to rip someone to shreds should they offer themselves up. Power radiated off of him, a dominance required to command any presence or control amongst vamps. He was a force not to be reckoned with in this moment.

  Kalel and Will met us outside the club.

  “Where were you?” Kalel immediately asked.

  “Checking out a source,” Kellan replied. He didn’t loosen up at all, holding tightly to my hand still.

  “What information did the source provide you with?” Will pressed with his notebook and pen ready in hand, an eager expression upon his face.

  “This.” Kellan handed the paper to Kalel. He quickly read it and passed it to Will who transferred the information to his pad. I was curious, but didn’t bother questioning why he was so insistent on documenting everything.

  “What’s your take on it?” Kalel asked, chin slightly raised towards Kellan. His hands comfortably slid into his pant pockets; his gaze was calculating the risks of staying versus going.

  “I say we hold off for another day or two; see if we can confirm it at the least.” Kellan copied Kalel’s stance to the extent of his left hand in his pocket and his chin slightly angled upwards.

  “We could run the risk of missing him and not confirming or uncovering anything new,” Kalel countered.

  “We could run the risk of chasing a bad lead and missing a good one,” Kellan pressed, puffing his chest slightly. He was already worked up from the soliciting vamp, and now it was as if he was trying to start something with Kalel, who was only trying to help.

  “Calm down. He’s just trying to help us weigh the pros and cons.”

  “I know. I’m just pissed because I don’t know what the hell to do right now.”

  “Listen guys, we can nit-pick over the information, back and forth on whether we stay or go all we want. Regardless we’re running a risk of some kind. In this case, I’m actually all for tossing a coin. It may not be the most practical idea, but it will stop us from over analyzing and wasting precious time.”

  The guys abruptly sniffed the air. I couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary which meant either blood or a vamp was nearby.

  “It’s my dad,” Kellan stated. “He’d only show himself if something was up.” Butterflies broke loose in my stomach as my serum level rose. I looked over Kalel’s shoulder just as Al broke through the crowd, his brows furrowed, but face unreadable.

  “Let’s go,” he said, breezing past us. Kellan immediately tensed, rolling his shoulders to no avail.

  “I’ll call Gabi and Rafi, you call Kai and Craig,” Kalel ordered, already catching up with Al.

  “I’ve got Craig,” Kellan stated, pulling me alongside him.

  I pulled out my cell, scanning the crowd with paranoia, praying Kai would answer.

  “Yea?!” He bit out. I guess he was still pissed about earlier.

  “Trouble. We’re leaving.”

  “Be there in a sec.” I hung up, clinging to Kellan as we headed back down towards the SUV. Up ahead I saw Kalel and Al leaning over the SUV, staring down at the slashed tires.

  “Shit!” Kellan cursed, kicking up a chunk of the cobblestone street beneath him.

  “Kellan!” He let go of my hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. Forgetting all human facades, he raced to the vehicle.

  “Figgling monkey fingers!” Craig exclaimed, coming up behind Kellan, both vamps taking in the tires at the same time.

  “What’s going on Al?” I asked, dread pulling me down.

  “Vamps. Three. They moved so fast I barely saw them. Even worse, a couple ninjas left a note for you.” He paused, glancing at Kellan momentarily, debating whether or not to divulge where.

  “Where was it left?” Kai demanded. His arms were crossed defensively in front
of his chest. He didn’t look at me. I tried not to get hung up on it, tried not to let my feelings get hurt, but I was somewhat vulnerable right now. So much was going on and the last thing I needed was someone shutting me out over something childish.

  Al took a deep breath; his eyes honing in on me and me alone. There was a gentle concern in their gaze, but everything else about him sung anger. “It was taped to her hotel room door.”

  “God dammit!” Kellan burst out.

  “Calm your nibbles mate. We got your back. No ninjas are gonna touch our girl, right mates?” Craig placed a heavy hand on Kellan’s shoulder and squeezed. I offered him an appreciative smile.

  “What’d we miss?” Gabi asked as her and Rafi caught up with the group. He skirt was a bit lopsided at the hem and her hair was no longer perfectly sleek tresses, but rather a borderline bird’s nest.

  “Apparently we missed more than you did,” I chuckled nervously. She didn’t even bat an eye. She tossed her hand dismissively.

  “Oh posh. Now tell me what the heck’s going on.”

  “Jack’s caught up with Lexi. He seems to be playing a game of cat and mouse based on this note though,” Al explained. I was surprised he hadn’t ripped the paper in half given the way his fingers were compressing the thin sheet.

  “What does it say?” Gabi pressed.

  I closed the gap between me and Al in a split second and snatched the paper from him, quickly stuffing it into the side of my bra. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll… It’s my problem. If the ninjas have caught up with us, then it’s time for you all to go.”

  “Like hell,” Gabi blurted, hands on her hips.

  I looked around at my wonderful friends, landing lastly on Kellan. His fists were clenched at his side; murder was his focus it seemed. They’d already been through enough. I appreciated all they’d sacrificed to come here with me, but I didn’t know what was ahead, especially now that Jack had the upper hand. I couldn’t lead them into a trap with me. I had to ditch them.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Kai got up in my face, his voice a low growl. A chill ran down my spine. “You even think of leaving us behind or sending us away Leka and I’ll hunt you down and torture you myself.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. His eyes pierced my own; he was baring his soul to me and demanding the same in return. He shot my nerves to hell and all the passion within me to my surface. What was up with me and the alpha male attraction tonight?

  I struggled to find my voice to respond. I felt like a Chihuahua staring down a Rottweiler; I was bound to lose, and did.

  “So it’s settled. We’ll play his little game, for now.” Kai looked pointedly at me. “In the meantime, let’s head back to the hotel. Pack your stuff and let’s head out. Stick to the back roads cause we’re going to have to abandon this thing.” He glanced at the car before checking his plans silently with everyone else.

  “I’ll catch up; let me just get my books,” Will said.

  “I’ll stay behind with you. I don’t want to chance any kidnappings.”

  “No offense, but you’re not the strongest vamps in the bunch. We’ll wait,” Gabi smirked; her attempt at lightening the mood had no impact.

  The guys walked across the street, chatting, whispering plotting together. I tried to ignore them. Gabi followed me towards Will.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” I quietly groaned.

  “It could be worse,” she shrugged.

  “I don’t even want to think about it.” I nearly bumped into Will, standing on the sidewalk staring at the back door. “You ok?”

  “My gut is telling me something is wrong,” he frowned, anxiously playing with a button on his shirt. His blonde hair hung towards his eyes as he studied his hands.

  I didn’t know much about Will, but I knew that he knew a lot more than he shared. For him to be open about it; it must be serious.

  “Gabi, go stand with the guys. Will, step aside.” Gabi narrowed her eyes at me, before obliging. Will didn’t bother questioning me, quickly moving several feet away from the SUV.

  I leaned into the glass, peering through the window into the space. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary inside. A few of Will’s books sat stacked in a neat pile on the center row of seats. I grabbed the door handle. A quick peek at Will showed him focusing on my actions; a look of distress on his face. He was making my anxiety sky rocket. I’d never seen him so uncertain and afraid. He had his nervous Nelly moments, but nothing to this degree.

  I was ready to get this over with. The serum was rising in my throat, my pulse speeding up to a normal human rate. I returned my attention to the window. I blew out a breath and pulled the handle. The second I did, that’s when I saw the red light blink and heard three subsequent beeps. Shit!

  I heard the commotion of shouts across the street; heard Craig and Al fighting to pull Kellan away from the scene. I was glad they were smart enough to run away. I would feel a million times worse if they were hurt.

  Thinking as quickly as I could, I released the handle, turned face, getting a few steps away before the final ding raced through the wiring. I leapt, diving as far away as my feet would propel me right as the bomb exploded. I landed in a harsh splat as my skin scraped along the pavement. The single explosion set off a row of ignited fires to the surrounding vehicles. I felt the heat surround me as glass shattered all around me. I felt the pricks along my skin; heard metal and plastic of the vehicle bodies fly into the air, ricocheting off the brick buildings and soaring into the street.

  This mission just tripled on the danger scale.

  Chapter 15

  I felt the heat surrounding me; heard the explosions that followed from nearby cars, felt the rumble of the earth below me. Glass splintered my skin as it darted about. Fumes filled the air as screams began to carry from down near the club.

  I rolled over, glass and metal puncturing my skin, digging deeper as my weight shifted. Through the corner of my eye, I saw the smoke wafting into the night sky. I stared upwards into the night, until he came into view.

  “I knew you were trouble the moment I met you,” John chuckled, British accent in tow, leaping out of a third floor window of the apartment building beside me. He hovered over me, arms crossed, a smile playing on his lips as he stared down at me.

  I gazed up at him, unable to speak. I couldn’t think. I could only hear; even the stinging pain shooting through my body wasn’t registering; it was a dull void in the background. Abruptly he frowned, his brows furrowing as he studied me.

  I felt the rumbling along the street in the distance. I couldn’t hear them, but I knew they were on their way. Any minute the guys would get here. But I couldn’t process it.

  John squatted down beside me, concern edged in his regard. “Are you ok?” he asked in what was probably his regular tone, gently sweeping stray hairs away from my face.

  “Get away from her!” Kellan barked, subsequently shoving John away.

  “You ok Leka?” Kai checked, helping me into a sitting position. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of what just happened. I knew what had happened, but I almost didn’t want to believe it.

  I looked at the apartment building, surprised to find only a few broken windows on the first floor and no flames engulfing it like the line of cars along the street.

  “We need to get out of here now,” Al warned. We all heard the sirens off in the distance and saw the citizens slowly starting to flood the street from their homes nearby.

  “I got her,” Kellan said, stepping in and lifting me in one swift move. I winced, feeling as though my skin had been scraped along a bed of nails.

  “This must be him,” John stated in broken Asian-American. I caught him rolling his eyes at Kellan behind his back.

  “I’m fine,” I croaked, surprised by how hoarse my throat was. I frowned up at Kellan. Vamps were never croaky.

  “Let’s go,” Kalel ordered a bit louder, finality ringing in his tone.

  Everything was a blur of motion
until we got back to the hotel. Everyone was in a scramble to pack up and get out.

  “Why can’t I think straight?” I muttered, unaware that it was aloud.

  Kalel used a pair of tweezers to remove a few pieces of glass from me. He dropped them into a bowl and squeezed a few drops of a blue liquid before pouring half a bottle of water in with it. Kai stood beside him, his eyes traveling back and forth between me and the bowl.

  “Just what I thought. They laced the windows of the SUV with curarine,” Kalel announced.

  “And that means what in English?” Kellan lashed out, clearly on edge. He paced in front of the bed where he’d sat me against the pillows.

  “It’s a natural anesthetic. It reacts differently in vamps versus humans. With us, it slows down the way we process information. It makes us vulnerable because while your body can still move quickly, your brain won’t tell it to react in enough time to defend yourself. Basically they wanted us rendered helpless in a fight,” he explained.

  “That dirty bastard!” Gabi huffed, coming to sit next to me on the bed.

  “How long will the effects last?” Al asked.

  “Barring we remove and dispose of all the contaminated glass in her, she should be fine in about half an hour.”

  Everyone kept looking at me. Their expressions were a melting pot of emotions and concerns, but mostly I saw anger. I wanted to say so much, but it was too much work. I was frustrated and upset. I was going after a major villain and clearly wasn’t prepared. I knew I’d gotten myself in too deep at this point. I couldn’t back down, couldn’t run away, but for the first time, I doubted my ability to face him. He’d shaken my determination and caused my wobbling confidence to crumble.

  “I take it Jacky boy got to her, ay?” John stated more than questioned, this time with a Canadian accent thrown in. I knew he was trying to break the tension, but it wasn’t working.