by A
dead to find them treasure, like they‘d read of a little boy doing in Florida. I had scars, physical
and mental, but I‘d gotten through it. She hadn‘t. My sister‘s ghost is a daily reminder of the
experience. She‘d attached to me after death and, much like Vicki—whose ghost had been the
life of the party at her own wake—we weren‘t really certain what business she had yet to
complete while she was tied to this realm.
Oh, and I‘d also been drugged and set up for a murder charge just a few short days ago.
―Trust me, this is the fun part. It only gets worse from here. If you‘re not going to help me, I
suggest you stay the hell out of my way. Because I don‘t intend to go down quietly.‖
He took his time thinking about that. I knew he knew at least part of my history, medical and
psychological. He was Vicki‘s doctor, after all, and she knew the whole story. He‘d also
personally assigned the doctor who betrayed me after I was bitten by a vampire. In my opinion,
if he‘d vetted her a bit more carefully, she wouldn‘t have been able to slip me a ―roofie‖ and
set me up for murder.
Bad things seem to follow me like a far-too-devoted puppy. I don‘t know why. But my past
experiences give me a certain insight in situations like this.
He was obviously thinking hard. While he did, he reached over to the bar and began fixing
us each a drink. Scotch, neat, poured into little plastic cups. Liquid courage. I sniffed to make
sure it wasn‘t drugged. Still, I didn‘t take a drink until after he did with no ill effects.
―How do you propose to do anything with us trapped like this?‖
I didn‘t answer him directly. Instead, I raised my face to the open sunroof. ―Ivy. I need you.‖
I was pretty sure she‘d answer. Ivy is always with me. Of course, since she was only a child
when she was murdered, her power and her perceptions are limited. But I‘d sent Vicki away to
rest after the party, so Ivy was all I had available.
The temperature in the limo dropped precipitously. Magical barriers have little effect on the
dead unless they‘re intentionally set to keep them out. Dr. Scott started to shiver as frost began
forming on the inside surface of the tinted windows. My sister was here. His eyes widened and
I saw him withdraw a small spiral notebook and a pen from a jacket pocket. Yeah, in his
position, this sort of thing was probably worth taking notes on.
I whispered quietly in case the backseat was bugged, ―Can you blow a tire on the car for
me? Maybe even pull the plug wires?‖ It was asking a lot. I knew that. But I knew she could
do it . . . just. At least the tire. I wasn‘t positive she knew what plug wires looked like. She was
only eight when she died, and so far it seemed to me that what she had when she died was all
she got to keep as a ghost.
The overhead light blinked once. It was a standard code between the two of us: once for yes,
twice for no.
―You actually think that is going to work?‖ Dr. Scott didn‘t bother to mask his incredulous
expression.
―I wouldn‘t ask her to expend the energy if I didn‘t. That would be pointless and cruel.
Beside, do you have a better idea?‖ I snapped out the words quietly but with whiplike
precision. ―I sure as hell don‘t want to get into the middle of nowhere with them. Look, Doc,
first rule of survival—stay in public when you can. Anything they want to do to you where
there are no witnesses you don‘t want to have happen.‖
―Oh.‖ He took a long pull of his drink. It sloshed a little bit. His hand was shaking again—
not much, and he was covering it well. But he was trembling with fear. I couldn‘t blame him.
―By the way, call me Jeff.‖ He gave me a sour smile, his voice thick with sarcasm and barely
suppressed anger. ―All my fellow kidnap victims do.‖
I couldn‘t deny we‘d just stepped beyond the doctor-patient thing. ―Okay . . . Jeff. Look, my
hope is they‘ll have to drop the spell to get in the trunk to get the jack.‖
He glared at me over the rim of his second scotch. ―And what if they use the jack and spare
from one of the squad cars?‖
I glared at him. Now he was just being difficult. ―Then they‘ll have to drop the spell to take
off the old tire.‖ I paused and sighed. ―Look, like I said. You don‘t have to help me.‖ I turned
my attention to the vehicles outside the window. ―I wish I knew whether those are real cops
out there. I don‘t want to go to the state facility. But I don‘t want to go up against the cops,
either.‖ It was a hint and he caught on at once.
―Nobody has told me about any change in the Court‘s order, and they would. But intruding
on their thoughts is illegal.‖ He was getting angry.
―So is kidnapping.‖
He didn‘t have a response to that. ―If they‘re with the police, I‘ll be as guilty as you.‖
―If they‘re the cops, I‘m Aunt Jemima.‖ I pretended a certainty I didn‘t actually feel. Most
cops are good people. But they‘re people. Which means there are always going to be a few bad
apples. ―Real cops would have stopped the car once we were out of a crowded area and told us
they‘ve received different orders. At the very least, they would have placed a uniform in the
backseat. Right?‖
He didn‘t deny it, but his body language was angry, his back stiff, as he pretended to stare
out the window, refusing to look me in the eye. ―It‘s wrong.‖
―Fine. Then don‘t do it. I‘ll just have to take my chances. But stay the hell out of the way.
Because I‘m not going along with whatever they have planned for me.‖
He didn‘t argue, probably because he didn‘t blame me. But his conscience wasn‘t the
problem; fear was controlling him. I could even understand it. I‘d seen him hold it together in
life-threatening situations before. But that had been on his own turf, in the hospital, where he
was prepared for just about anything natural or supernatural. This was different. He wasn‘t the
one in control. And I‘ve never met anybody who is really comfortable around ghosts.
―Are you ready?‖ I asked my sister‘s spirit.
The overhead light flickered once in response.
―Wait. Let me see if I can summon nine-one-one mentally.‖ He set his drink into the little
recess made for it. ―Because if they really are police, you‘ll be resisting arrest and I‘ll be an
accomplice. They‘d have every right to shoot to kill. Both of us.‖
He wasn‘t telling me anything I didn‘t already know, so I didn‘t comment. I just waited and
watched. There wasn‘t much to see. He leaned back in the cushions, closing his eyes, the very
picture of relaxed concentration. That lasted all of thirty seconds or so, until he grabbed his
head in both hands and screamed.
My adrenaline began racing anew as he doubled over and began throwing up everything
he‘d even thought of ingesting in the last twenty-four hours. That was the last straw. I spun in
my seat and kicked the door with every ounce of strength, fully intending to pull the doctor out
with me. The door mechanism gave way from sheer brute force, just as I expected, but I hadn‘t
anticipated the strength of the magical barrier. Normally, magic only prevents magical
creatures from passing through. But this kicked the door right back at me as if it had reached
the end of a bungee cord. The door caught my legs so suddenly and painfully that I tumbled
backward, winding up crumpled against the opposite door, just barely missing the growing
pool of vomit.
The door was now hanging at a slight angle and wasn‘t latched. But it wasn‘t open.
Shit.
I ignored my throbbing calf muscles as I crawled back onto the seat. I used one of the
bottled waters from the bar to wet some napkins and handed them to Jeff so he could wipe his
face. There wasn‘t much we could do about the mess. It stank hideously to my newly
supernatural nose and was generally disgusting to my still-human sensibilities. The wake had
been at a Mexican restaurant known for spicy food and apparently he‘d had copious amounts
of tequila. Not pleasant. I scooted away as far as the seat would allow.
I heard the click and static of a speaker and a distorted male voice came over the intercom,
just as the doctor screamed a second time. His face was contorted out of proportion, and this
time even I could feel the psychic wave that invisibly assaulted him. ―We‘ve prepared for
every eventuality, including your talents, Dr. Scott. Miss Graves, I‘d suggest you not try any
other foolish pranks or any mental manipulation—brain damage would be a very real
possibility.‖ The speaker clicked off.
Shit. These definitely weren‘t the cops.
Dr. Scott collapsed onto the cushions. His eyes were glazed and his breathing shallow and
ragged. ―Jeff? Are you all right?‖ Stupid question. Of course he wasn‘t. But it‘s what you say
in situations like this.
It took him a minute to answer and when he did his voice was hoarse. ―Do I look all right to
you?‖ He glared up at me.
All I could do was shrug, embarrassed. He might not have gotten the second dose if I hadn‘t
kicked the door. ―Sorry.‖
―Give me a minute.‖ He had another bout of dry heaves. They sounded painful enough to
make me feel really bad for him. More than a little guilty, too. When he finally finished, he
moved carefully to a spot as far from the vomit as he could get, sinking limply into the seat.
―Um . . . can you see?‖ I asked him.
―Yes. Why?‖
―You‘ve broken some blood vessels in your eyes.‖ Actually, he‘d broken most of them. His
eyes didn‘t have whites. They had reds. That was going to hurt soon. Badly.
―Terrific.‖ He sighed, closing his eyes. ―At least I got a few things from his mind as he was
attacking me.‖
Really? Wow. Tough guy, after all.
―They‘re not with the police. But they have someone on the inside, someone who gave them
access to squad cars from the repair lot.‖
I opened my mouth to get Ivy started, but apparently he wasn‘t finished.
―Originally, they really were just going to deliver you to the state facility. Your future
roommate has been paid to kill you. After I climbed in the car with you, they called the person
in charge and there was a change of plans.‖
His voice was a whisper that I probably wouldn‘t have been able to pick up if I were still a
vanilla human. There was a thread of rage running through it. They might have hurt him, but
he wasn‘t out of the fight yet. Assuming he didn‘t go into psychic shock, which, looking at
him, he just might. ―Oh?‖
―They‘re going to kill me and make it look like you did it, then claim they had to kill you in
self-defense.‖
Great. Why wasn‘t I surprised? ―You got all of that in a couple of seconds? I‘m impressed.‖
I meant it. The human brain is a maze. At any given time most people are thinking one primary
thing, but there‘s all kinds of stuff going on in the background, autonomic physical functions,
background sights and sounds that the conscious mind filters out but the subconscious records.
It takes real skill and strong talent to pull out individual threads from the mess. Jeff had barely
had any time to work with and had come up with the jackpot . . . while being tortured.
―Nice work.‖
He kept on talking, fast and low, like he had to get it all out in case they noticed his lips
moving. He was probably right. ―The guy I looked in on had just been talking to the boss, so it
was at the front of his consciousness. I‘d have gotten more if he hadn‘t caught me at it. That
was probably why they attacked me the second time.‖
Maybe. But I figured I was sort of at fault, too. ―You did good.‖ Of course he knew that.
―I‘m sorry you got hurt.‖
―I‘ll live.‖ He didn‘t really look like he believed it, but—
―Here‘s hoping we both will.‖ I took a deep breath. ―You ready?‖
Jeff wedged himself into the corner, one arm pressed hard against the gray leather seat,
trying to make it seem casual in case they were watching through the tinted glass. Then he
pushed his other hand against the cabin wall. He still looked like hell. Pale, with beads of
sweat on his forehead. But his expression was determined and he gave me a curt nod.
―Okay, Ivy, do it.‖
It took about a ten count before the car lurched left, hard enough to send me sliding across
the slick leather. She‘d chosen the tires. The force of the move to the side told me she‘d gotten
both on one side. I whispered to the cool breeze that flitted around, proud of herself,
―Attagirl!‖ Our speed slowed and the driver moved over to the side of the road. Out of the
corner of my eye, through the tinted partition, I saw the limo driver reach over to flick the
intercom button.
―Don‘t try anything stupid.‖ He turned to glare at us in the rearview mirror, then turned it
down as he swept his jacket aside, giving me a good look at a very nice Glock.
I hoped he thought the flat tires were random chance, that they hadn‘t been listening in on
my thoughts. I wanted the element of surprise if I could get it. Because while I‘d tried to act
confident for Jeff‘s benefit, the truth was that I could barely dignify this by calling it a plan. It
was more the equivalent of a last-second Hail Mary pass.
―Too late for that,‖ Jeff muttered, but without heat. Finding out that he was scheduled to die
seemed to have given him a totally different outlook on making an escape attempt.
I leaned over and grabbed the champagne bottle and a glass. The glass was for show. The
driver was watching through the glass as he dialed his cell phone. Let him think I needed
another drink. I adjusted my position under the skylight as carefully as I could manage without
being obvious. Tensing my muscles, I dropped the glass and started shaking the bottle
vigorously. The driver had his back to us now, talking on his cell phone—which worked. Since
I hadn‘t felt the magic go down, the front of the car wasn‘t covered by the spell. Which meant
it was probably fifty-fifty odds whether the trunk and tires were. Crap. ―Remember, as soon as
the barrier goes down, try dialing nine-one-one.‖ I sounded more confident than I felt. Not that
that took much.
Jeff flicked a thumbs-up at me. He already had his cell phone out and I could see the
numbers displayed prominently on the screen. All he had to do was press ―send.‖ I was
gathering my strength, making sure of my placement. I can do this. I almost believed me, but it
wouldn‘t be easy.
&nbs
p; Keeping the driver in my peripheral vision, I strained the power that let me sense magic to
the fullest. Luck was on our side. The second his hand touched the door handle I felt the barrier
waver and fall. Still, I waited. I waited for that golden instant when he was outside the car and
couldn‘t see. If I was lucky, it would be before the others got the door to our part of the limo
open and their guns trained on us. They were bound to do it, but I was betting they were going
to head for the damaged door.
Time slowed to a crawl. The driver climbed out of the car. I slid from my seat into a crouch.
As his door slammed shut I sprang upward, champagne bottle at the ready.
The windowsill scraped against my back as I passed through the sunroof, but didn‘t slow me
down. In an instant that seemed to take forever, I soared nearly ten feet into the air. Thanks to
adrenaline and vampire strength, I‘d gotten a lot more loft than I‘d expected. More than my
captors had planned, too. The three cars had pulled onto the side of the road in a line, with the
limo in the center. To my surprise there seemed to be only four men escorting us. Under the
circumstances, I was thrilled.
The night was to my advantage. I could see the men as clearly as if it were daylight, despite
the deep shadows that made the landscape disappear. Each man glowed and pulsed in time to
the blood flowing beneath his paper-thin skin. I stayed in the air longer than should be
realistically possible and it confused them.
The man in the front squad car was the smartest. He‘d ignored the obvious exit of the door
and already had his gun out, trained on the sunroof. The leap had startled him, but he was
recovering, his weapon moving up to track my progress. So he got the prize. If it caught the
guy with him so much the better. I flung the champagne bottle with all my strength to the
ground at his feet. The shaken, pressurized alcohol exploded like a bomb, sending vicious
shards of glass outward, shredding his face and legs as he screamed in agony.
The limo driver had been turned slightly to open the door to the passenger cabin, so he was a
fraction too slow on the draw. By the time he had his gun out I‘d landed on the roof. He looked
at me squarely, confidence in his cold blue eyes. So I hissed and bared fangs, my skin creating
