Black Heart: Wild On (28 page)

            "Antoinette, the Trudeaus, Vanessa, and Jeff Howell. They really hit Jeff hard," Boney said. "Four of the nine businesses they burned down were his, and made up the core of his wealth. The Trudeaus and Vanessa each lost one business, and Antoinette lost two very lucrative gentlemen's clubs."

            Okay, the fact they hit Jeff and Antoinette the hardest kinda pleased me. At least they were hitting the worst of the lot hardest. I did not like the fact they hit Vanessa. Of all the council members, she seemed the most rational. But she looked like she could have a temper, too. And hitting vampire mafia is just plain suicidal.

            "Thanks, Boney, I can always count on you to fill my heart with dread and foreboding," I said. He chuckled. "Any good news?"

            "No. Nothing but bad news," he said. "Antoinette is livid. Jeff was already angry from last night's humiliating defeat, and now this. And you are tied to them, so he will be doubly pissed."

            "Do we absolutely know it was mine and Timmy's parents that did this?"

            "They are on TV all but admitting it," he said. "That Saxon bastard looks so damned smug, too. He's pissing me off just with that attitude."

            Ice filled my veins. The phone slipped from my fingers and clattered on the floor. Kale grabbed my shoulders, fear filling him as well. Fear for me.

            "They are on TV admitting they are burning down vampire businesses," I said. Disbelief filled his face.

            "Nobody is that stupid."

            "Wanna bet," I said. I grimaced. "They have
God
on their side."

            Picking up the phone, "Boney, you still there?"

            "Yes. Where did you go?"

            "La-la land," I said. "Did they say why they burned the businesses down?"

            "They want Timmy back."

            "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Timmy, you bastard!" I cried to the Heavens. "Why didn't you call them!"

            Kale backpedaled three steps, alarm filling his face and aura. The phone was crushed in my hand. I still had minutes on that phone, too.

            For the second time that evening my eyes started burning. I was shaking. Trembling. I couldn't stop.

            "It was supposed to be over," I whispered. "I found Timmy. I found him! Dammit. I asked him to call home. I demanded it, and he agreed." I squeezed my eyes shut, fists clenched. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

            Truth was I didn't know if I was calling myself stupid, or my parents and the Saxons. We were all stupid. Timmy was stupid for not calling, and that failure gave our parents time to do something monumentally stupid. So we were all stupid, especially me. I shouldn't have trusted Timmy to call. It was my responsibility.

            "What's happening?" Kale said. "What can I do?"

            "You? Run and hide," I said. "I have to stop a massacre. Take me back to the house."

            While Kale drove, I started making calls. I called Dane and Gabe. They were my best firepower, especially Gabe since he kept an incredible stash of weapons. I called Sabrina and told her to go to Kale's house, too. Heidi was already there.

            By the time I finished with the phone calls Kale pulled up into his driveway, behind Desiree's red Dodge Charger. Sabrina's silver Mustang was parked on the curb behind Heidi's silver BMW SUV. My battered black Mustang was in the driveway, too.

            "Are Dane and Gabe coming?" Sabrina said the second I walked in the door.

            "They are going straight to the church," I said. "But first they are gathering up all the guns and silver ammo they can carry."

            Everyone seemed dressed for battle. They all wore jeans and jackets, with the straps of shoulder holsters visible. Even Heidi, which was a first for her, was dressed for a fight. Heidi, though, was wearing a black latex catsuit, knee boots and leather jacket. Heidi and Sabrina had their hair back in ponytails.

            "Where are we going?" Desiree said.

            "Are you sure you want to do this?" I said. "I mean, you've never gotten involved in the fighting before."

            "Don't worry about me," Desiree said, smiling grimly. "I haven't lasted eighteen years on the streets without being tough."

            Eighteen years? She started at thirteen? I shuddered. But she was right, and God knew we needed the extra help. I glanced at Heidi, trying to look all badass, but she was just too pretty and feminine. Of course, she was a vampire so was incredibly deadly.

            "You and Sabrina are going to the church," I said. "It's already setup for defense against vampires."

            "Are Momma and Daddy already there?" Sabrina said.

            Good question. I called everyone but them. I just assumed. Probably not a good idea to assume. I mean, I assumed they were sane and wouldn't do anything suicidal, and they proved me wrong.

            I picked up the house phone, calling my father's cell. He answered on the fourth ring.

            "Daddy? Where are you?"

            "At the church," he said. He sounded stressed.

            "Are you all right? What's the matter?"

            "Nothing. Nothing," he said, but there was something. "It's just we were attacked by a trio of vampires. One of the men went outside of the circle of crosses, to his car, and was attacked."

            "Is he all right?"

            "No. He's dead. They took their time killing him, too," Daddy said. He choked up for a second. "There are pieces of him scattered all around the church yard."

            "Stay inside the church. Dane and Gabe are on the way with weapons and silver ammo. Do what they say," I said. "They know how to fight vampires."

            "Yes. Good," he said. He didn't sound relieved. "We can't reach Charlotte. Have you heard from her?"

            "No," I said, feeling soul sick. It was after dark. The vampires knew who the players were, and where to strike to cause the most pain. "I'll check on her, and get her to the church first thing." I paused to take a deep, steadying breath. "Have the Saxon's heard from Timmy yet?"

            "No, should they have?"

            "Yes," I said. Okay, I snapped it out. He so infuriated me. "I found Timmy late last night."

            "You did? Great!"

            "No, very bad. Timmy wasn't taken by vampires. He joined a
werewolf
pack," I said. Daddy gasped. "The vampires had
nothing
to do with his disappearance."

            "Oh," he said. That was enough. He understood the gravity of their mistake.

            "Exactly," I said. "Why couldn't y'all listen to me? Why did you have to go out and burn down vampire owned businesses? Are you crazy? Do you all have death wishes or something?"

            "We-We might've made a mistake or two," he said.

            "You think?" I said. "Okay, pointing fingers is less than useless. I'm sending more people to help defend you. Some of them might be friendly vampires. You make sure those idiots in the church with you can tell the difference. I won't take kindly to having my friends attacked by the people they are helping."

            "Yes," he said. I think he was shell shocked. "I'll tell them. What are you going to do?"

            "Find Charlotte, then go try to stop this at the source."

            "The source?"

            "The vampire community leadership."

            "Vampires have a community?"

            "Yeah, I was surprised, too," I said. "Stay safe. Love you."

            I started stripping. I couldn't fight vampires in a dress. Well, I could but I'd be naked pretty quick. It wasn't that durable. I needed tough clothes, and something I could fly in without ripping the clothes apart.

            "Good luck," Sabrina said, hugging me.

            She and Desiree headed for the door. Kale was already out the door. I suspect he was heading for his kids, to take them into hiding.

            "Desiree, do me a big favor and talk to Boney. He has to help us with Antoinette. We have to keep her out of the fight," I said. "Lie, beg, promise her the blood of a thousand virgins, I don't care. Find a way to keep Antoinette out of this fight."

            "Will do," she said, pulling her phone as she walked out the door.

            "What about me?" Heidi said.

            "You're with me," I said. "I can't send you to the church. It surrounded by crosses. That would leave you alone outside with all the bad guys."

            I headed into the master bedroom, going straight for my closet. I pulled on black latex low-rider pants, a wide belt and a matching halter top. The halter top left the space where my wings came out open. After putting on lace-up ankle boots, I strapped a double holster around my waist, with holsters for two Glocks, one hanging off each hip. The bottom of the holsters strapped around my thighs so they wouldn't flap around when I walked, ran, or fought.

            "We'll take my car. You drive," I said. "I have more calls to make on the way to Charlotte's house."

            "More calls?"

            "I have to convince Henri Trudeau not to kill everyone," I said.

Chapter 17

            Heidi never ceased to amaze me. She was a girlie-girl. She was selfish, self-centered, and petulant at times. But she showed remarkable depths of courage and resourcefulness at times, too. I'm sure her courage was helped by her nearly indestructible body, but she'd taken on me while still a mortal, and did rather well, too.

            On the trip to Garland, she drove like a bat out of Hell. It was just after seven at night, so rush hour wasn't completely over. But Heidi weaved through it going eastbound on Loop 635. I couldn't have done any better.

            While she drove I borrowed her cell phone and worked my way through the tiers of Trudeau Family lackeys and lieutenants, working my way up to Henri, the Big Boss. It was never easy calling Henri, and actually talking to him, but it seemed especially difficult that night.

            "Henri?"

            "
Oui
," he said.

            That's it. It was the first time I recalled he spoke French. Well, except for during sex. I insisted he speak French to me when we made love, even though I didn't understand a word. It was just so sexy.

            "Don't go all macho on me, Henri," I said. "I need you to think rationally."

            "They attacked me," he said. "Without provocation."

            "They were scared and desperate," I said. "Believe me, if they'd known who actually owned that business they wouldn't have gone within ten miles of it."

            "That is neither here nor there," Henri said. "They burned down my property, a family business. There were two Family vampires within that building, and both perished."

            Heidi and I looked at each other with big eyes. She could hear every word. Besides, we were linked.

            Trudeau vampires were more often than not actual members of the Trudeau family, descendants of the four brothers, who had "earned" their fangs. That made their loss more meaningful. I was starting to have doubts I could stay Henri's hand. He liked me, but I didn't think he liked me that much.

            "I'm sorry. I didn't know any vampires died," I said. Heidi started gnawing on her lip. "We'll try to make it up to you."

            "How? Are you going to Change two members of your family and give them to me?" he said.

            Oh, he was angry.

            "You know I can't do that," I said. "I'll find a way. I'll owe you if you do me this favor."

            "Just let them go? Without doing anything to punish them?" Henri said, sounding disgusted. "I don't think so. We don’t work that way, Sable."

            I wasn't making any headway. Henri was determined.

            "I saved your life," I said.

            "What?"

            "I saved your life, when Roger Rippner had you dead to right," I said. "That should be worth something."

            Henri started cursing. I didn't understand a single word, but French cursing was sexy, too. I could listen to French people speak all night.

            "You weren't there to save my life, but to catch Roger," he said. I had a mental picture of him, eyes flashing, fists clenched. Why wasn't he wearing a shirt? Well, it was my mental picture. "So it was no real favor."

            "Oh, it was a favor. I didn't want you hurt," I said. "I put in extra effort to ensure you weren't hurt. Does that mean nothing to you?"

            More cursing, then, "Hold."

            "He put me on hold," I said.

            "How rude," Heidi said. "He has a sexy voice."

            "I know. Don't tell anyone, but listening to him makes me weak in the knees," I said. "Henri really knows how to please a woman, too, if you know what I mean."

            "Thank you," Henri said.

            "Jesus! You pig!" I cried. "You aren't allowed to listen in on girl talk."

            Was that a chuckle?

            "We have discussed it," Henri said. "We might be able to work out a mutually agreeable resolution."

            "Oh, that sounds interesting," Heidi muttered. "Like scary interesting."

            "Not so scary," Henri said.

            "What's your offer?" I said, dreading the answer.

            "Because you did save me, once, perhaps you are not the enemy," Henri said. "Time will tell, heh? In the meantime, we will not seek retribution for the crimes committed against us
if
you agree to perform a favor for us."

            "What favor is that?"

            "It is not time," Henri said. "Indeed, we may never call in that favor, but we want you available if necessary."

            I looked at Heidi. She shrugged. Big help there. I didn't have time to figure out what incredibly dangerous stunt they wanted to do.