Black Blood (6 page)

“Get on.” The man kept his eyes on the
retreating truck.

Gemma's insides recoiled as she recognized
the dark hair and tanned skin of the man from the beach.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Do you really want do this now? I can’t get
him back on my own. Now get on the bike!”

Harrison’s eyes were wild as his gaze
flickered between the two of them.

“Is this…” he began to ask, but was cut off.
“Yeah, police?”

Gemma watched him pace away, running a
frantic hand through his hair as he spoke. Her legs began to jitter
as she looked at the expectant gaze of “beach mystery man” then
took on a mind of their own as they swung over the seat.

“Damn it,” she muttered as she wound her arms
around the man’s waist and hoped Harrison would forgive her.

She heard her name being called as they
accelerated away from her boyfriend.

At the speed the bike was going they soon had
the truck in view on the I-95. Gemma winced when she realized she
couldn’t see Sam’s little head screaming from the window anymore.
Panic sizzled through her system.

“I’m going to pull up alongside the truck.
Slap my shoulder when you’re ready to jump on and I’ll hold her
steady.”

Gemma listened to his yelled instructions,
emptying her brain of fear and focusing on the task at hand. The
highway traffic whizzed and honked as they wove towards the erratic
truck. Gemma braced her hands on the sturdy shoulders in front of
her and carefully brought her legs up onto the seat. Crouching in
that position, she narrowed her sights on the pick up and was
relieved to see the passenger window was open.

“Passenger’s side!”

The bike slid up beside the truck. She
noticed Sam huddled on the floor in tears, but there was no blood.
Her heart began palpitating again. Slapping the man’s right
shoulder, she launched herself towards the window, managing to
slide most of her body through in one movement.

The truck swerved. Hauling herself through,
she grabbed at the wheel while trying to fend off a couple of
fierce punches. She jabbed her elbow back in a swift movement that
had the carjacker releasing the wheel and grabbing at his bloodied
nose.

Gemma ignored his indignant cries of pain as
she kicked his foot off the gas and headed towards the shoulder.
Guiding the truck to an abrupt stop, she flicked the door open and
shoved the boy out with a firm boot to the backside. He crumpled to
the ground just as police sirens wailed into hearing.

Swiveling back, she reached for the
whimpering boy on the floor and heaved him into her arms. His
little hands snaked around her neck and he clung like a limpet.

“You okay?” She cupped the back of his head,
closing her eyes in relief.

“That was so cool,” Sam sobbed into her
shoulder. “What you did was so cool.”

Gemma shook with relieved laughter as she
pulled Sam away from her and looked into his laughing, crying,
smiling face.

She grabbed him back into her arms and
shimmied out the open door. The police were cuffing the young teen
who was busy yelling about how she had broken his nose and sending
cusses her way like bullet fire.

She wrapped herself and Sam in a bubble of
ignorance as she stepped away from the vehicle and headed to the
safety of the bank. Her eyes scanned the surrounding mayhem looking
for the black haired rider, but he was gone.

A shiver laced through her belly.

He’s been following me.

She clutched Sam against her shoulders and
sat down with a thud. With her spare hand, she rubbed at her aching
head.

He’s been… How long has he been…

“Gemma!”

Harrison raced towards them. He skidded to a
stop at her feet and wrapped her and Sam in a shaking embrace. Sam
struggled free of the sandwich hug and gave his brother a shy
smile.

“You okay?” Harrison brushed the damp curls
away from his brother’s face.

“Yeah, Gemma saved me.”

His adoration made her blush.

“It was nothing, kid.”

Harrison’s eyes
were rich as he leaned towards her with a kiss. He pulled away and
shot his brother an amused look.

“Now see,
that’s a story I really want to hear. How about we head home and
you can tell me all about it.”

Sam beamed as
he reached for his brother. Harrison stood tall with Sam in his
arms.

“The Mustang?”
Gemma followed the guys to the truck.

“The Mustang
can wait.”

“And the
police?”

Harrison’s
shoulders slumped. She slid her hand up his back and squeezed the
nape of his neck.

“I’ll deal with
it. You take Sam home. I’ll give a statement and get the cops to
drop me back to Bryan’s.”

Harrison was
shaking his head, but she ignored the gesture and pushed him
towards the truck.

“
I’ll see
you at home.” She put a finger to his protesting lips and stopped
him. “Sam needs you more than I do right now.” Kissing him lightly,
she turned and walked towards the police cruiser, giving Harrison
no chance to argue.

* * * *

The garage was
quiet as the police car pulled to a stop.

“
Thanks
for the ride.” Gemma shook the policewoman’s hand with a smile
before waving goodbye. Reaching into her pocket, she drew out her
bike key and flipped it around her forefinger as she approached the
Ducati.

Bryan had
closed up early for the day. She could just imagine his reaction
when he heard the news. Helen would have been even worse. She hoped
they were coping okay.

Swinging her
leg over the seat she reached for her helmet and smiled as she
pulled out the note inside.

We’re all at
home waiting to lavish you with hugs and kisses. I’ll see you soon.
Love you. Harrison.

She had been
expecting a P.S. Something like… we need to talk about the guy on
the bike that whisked you away from me with no explanation. You
scared the crap out of me. Don’t do it again.

He may not have
written it, but she knew to expect it. Gunning the engine, she
slowly turned her bike onto the road and accelerated towards the
Granger/Chatsworth residence.

The reception
was overwhelming. Helen’s embrace was unrelenting as she whispered
repetitive thanks. Gemma tried to brush it off as nothing, but she
could tell her antics had moved her up a notch in the whole aura
category. She was worried this might happen. She didn’t want them
to look at her this way. She just wanted to be normal like
everybody else. Why, oh why had God blessed her with the ability to
jump off motorbikes and into moving vehicles at 100 miles per
hour!

She could
feel her shoulders straining with tension as the evening wore on.
Her mind was tensed for questions that never actually came. If it
had been her, she’d be wondering why this strange girl had the
ability to do such things and who the man was that had helped her.
In the end she figured they were too blinded with relief to really
analyze the situation.

But what about
tomorrow when the dust settles?

Harrison
noticed her quiet distress and came to her rescue an hour before
she had to leave. Pulling her up to his room, he shoved her onto
his bed and began kneading her shoulders.

She let out a
sigh as she buried her face into the pillows. Harrison remained
quiet as he soothed away her tension. She knew he was waiting. He
was always so patient.

Fue
led by a
sudden guilt, her lips began moving.

“The guy on the
bike was the guy on the beach.”

Harrison’s
hands stilled and she rolled onto her back in order to see him.

His face was
pale, his eyes set with worry.

“So he’s been
following you?”

She nodded,
biting the inside of her cheek. Tears pricked at her eyes. “What
does he want?”

She felt a hand
slide up her neck, a sure thumb resting on her cheek.

“I mean, he
can’t be all bad if he helped me save Sam today, right?”

Harrison
nodded.

“I just… maybe
I should call him, but…” Gemma slumped onto the bed and covered her
face with her arms.

“But what?”
Harrison tried to pull her arms free, but she tensed her muscles in
defence. “Gemma, what are you so afraid of?”

He finally
wrenched her arms apart and held his face above hers.

She fought the
lump in her throat, sniffed at her tears and finally sighed. “I’m
scared that pure one crap is just a comparison to Decimus.”

Harrison looked
confused.

“Decimus was
the one who betrayed everybody.”

“I know who he
is, but what has it got to do with you?”

“I’ve fallen in
love with a normal human just like he did!”

“Gem.” Harrison
paused to lick his lips. “Do you think he’s going to make you break
up with me?”

Her head
bobbed. Her lips quivered.

Harrison’s face
went blank. He pushed away from her, swinging his legs over the
edge of the bed. Running his fingers through his hair with a sigh,
he then rested his elbows on his knees.

The inside of
Gemma’s cheek grew raw as she watched him. Cautiously she reached
out and felt a soft fire lick through her fingers as she ran her
hand up his back.

He turned to
smile at her, his eyes glowing.

“What if I have
nothing to do with it? What if it’s something else? Don’t you at
least want to know?”

He
swive
led his body to
face her. She felt the creeping worry disband at his confident
gaze.

“
Gem,”
his voice went silky as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear,
“if it is about me, we’ll deal with it. I’m not going to let you
betray your family.”

Her heart
dropped. Did that mean…

“But I’m not
losing you either,” he finished, picking up her heart and nestling
it back into its socket.

She forced a
smile over her lips.

“Will you come
with me?”

“Try and stop
me.”

Her smile
became natural as she took in his words. She said, “I love you”
with a silent look before pulling his head down to meet her.

Fire enveloped
them as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She let the flames
singe away her fears and thoughts of the little black cell phone in
the back of her underwear drawer.

Chapter
Eight

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – 2011 AD

Gemma
pulled her drawer open and rifled through her underwear. Harrison
leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets,
watching her. He kept his posture casual, trying to bring a sense
of calm to the situation.

He had been
woken with an early morning phone call inviting him up to her
place. Her mother had left early for the lab and her father was
away on business. He had agreed without question.

“Here we go.”
She pulled out the phone and rubbed her agitated fingers over
it.

He pushed
himself off the frame and approached her. Placing a hand on her
shoulder, he ran his fingers up and down her arm.

“Just do it,
Gem. Make the call.”

“Maybe you
should?” Gemma held out the phone to him.

“What?” He
stepped away with a shake of his head. “No way. He doesn’t want to
talk to me. It’s gotta come from you.”

She let out a
frustrated grunt and threw the phone onto her bed. He held his sigh
in check and calmly went to retrieve it.

“Stop being
such a chicken. Make the call, Gemma.” He used his sternest voice.
It felt a little weird speaking to her that way, but she needed it.
If she didn’t make this call today he might just shoot himself in
the head. This had gone on long enough. If the news was bad they
needed to know so they could deal with it.

Her eyes were
narrow with irritation as she snatched the phone from his fingers
and flipped it open. She selected the only number in the directory
and chewed her cheek. Her thumb wavered over the send button.
Grabbing her wrist, Harrison pulled the phone towards him and
pressed the button himself. He cut her protest short by lifting the
receiver to her ear then leaned in so he could hear as well.

“You kept me
waiting a while,” the man’s voice held a hint of amusement.

“Yeah, hi. Um…
so I’m ready to meet.”

“There’s a
little café just off the main road, near your house. Faban’s… you
know it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll see you
there in half an hour.”

“Wait! I’m
bringing someone with me.”

“Your
boyfriend, Harrison?”

Their mouths
dropped open as they looked at each other.

“Y-yeah.”

“I was
expecting as much. I’ll see you guys there.”

The phone went
dead. Gemma slowly lowered it and slapped it shut.

“So… he knows
about me then.” Harrison filled the eerie silence.

Gemma nodded,
still looking a little dazed. He squeezed her fingers.

“It’s going to
be fine.”

He wasn’t sure
if either of them believed it, but that’s what he’d keep saying
anyway.

Faban’s was a
quirky little café that looked out of place in the upper class
streets of Ponte Vedra Beach. The wooden walls were decorated with
pieces of local art that ranged from serene landscapes to retro
images that Harrison guessed held more meaning than he could
appreciate. The floors were dented and the tables were a mishmash
of varying sizes. The owner, a tall woman with dreadlocks, had an
easy smile. Coffees were served in huge bowls, the fries came
chunky and the sandwiches were thick slabs of bread stuffed with
every filling imaginable.

Gemma held
Harrison’s hand with a vice like grip as they wove their way
towards a back corner that housed a couple of beat up sofa chairs
around a low coffee table. They plonked themselves down in front of
the weathered man. Harrison could feel the tension oozing out of
his girlfriend. The man before them was the complete opposite. He
was leaning back in his chair, his ripped jeans exposing a sun
tanned knee and his whole posture giving away a calm assuredness
that Harrison immediately liked.