Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (5 page)

“I’ll
meet you at the cabin and we’ll talk about it, I promise. For now, all that
matters is protecting Amanda.”

The
cabin was hours away. “And if I can’t make it?”
Thanks so much for your wonderful advice, Aunt Gwen.

But
Gwen wasn’t apologetic; her voice was stern. “You’ll make it. High tail your
ass there. Now.” Gwen ordered in a militant tone.

Jessica
sucked up her tears and nodded. Right now that’s what she needed. Someone
needed to give her orders and tell her everything would be all right, even if
it wouldn’t be.

Get
to the cabin. Worry about the rest later. She could do that. Keep her head down
and the rest would fall in line.

Too
bad no one told the demons.

They
were beginning to flank the van. Some were speeding up to overtake them. If
Jessica couldn’t keep control of the van, if she crashed, there’d be no way out
of this. She sat up straighter and gripped the wheel as city lights came into
view. Jessica drove down a hill over an embankment and toward the
town
square.

They
van’s tires rocked right over a curb and Jessica gripped the wheel hard. She
shouldn’t have come back to town, but what other choice did she have? The open
road was a death sentence in a van.

But
the people of the
town
? If Jessica
couldn’t get her sister and herself out of there, the town’s people would be in
trouble. It was the Blood’s mission to help this town; not allow it to rot or
be destroyed.

She
pushed it all aside and let the town’s bank sign beckon her home. Slamming on
the brakes, the tires squealed and Jessica spun the wheel so she wouldn’t hit
the building.
Instead,
the van slid
between
the police station and the local diner.
It was such a tight fit that the van’s side mirror rubbed against the brick
wall.

Orange
sparks flew out from the friction and the squeal of brick against metal drowned
out all else.

They
sped towards the next intersection and its blinking yellow traffic lights. A
row of brick buildings lined up, but a green dumpster blocked the way. With her
eye trained on the rear view mirror and no choices left, Jessica slowed the van
down and took a hard left, heading backward toward the open road.

Applying
the brakes gently, Jessica slowed her breath to alleviate the panic in her
chest. She thought only about what to do next, nothing about what had come
before, nothing about what would come after. All that mattered was this moment.
Get from point A to B, and that was it.

The
rearview mirror was clear of motorcycle headlights and the sound of their
engines grew fainter.

She
gave them the slip. Thank God. So relieved, Jessica’s hands shook. She pushed
her hair from her face and leaned back against the seat. The last time she was
that scared? She couldn’t remember a time.

Jessica
glanced at her unconscious sister and it stirred feelings of
protection,
like it always did. She took a
moment to push Amanda’s hair
back,
and
cup her soft skin. Time to take you home, buttercup.

Lips
pressed together with determination, Jessica slipped her seatbelt off and
slowly opened the van door so it wouldn’t creak. The corner of the door hit the
brick wall.

It
was going to be a tight squeeze.

Jessica
gripped the top of the van with one
hand,
while her other held her trusty shotgun. She pulled herself up, using the
tension in her arms to pull from her seat. Her boots met the roof of the van
hard and the metallic clomp echoed through the alley. She lunged for the ladder
dangling from the adjacent building and hoisted herself up the cold, damp metal
to get a better vantage point.

Late
at night, the adjacent parking lot was mostly empty and the traffic lights
silently changed from red to green.

And
the motorcycles?

Jessica
made out their trail, like a series of ants off in the distance. They were
headed further away; lost the trail of the sisters Blood. Jessica breathed a
sigh of relief. Now to ditch the van and find something that could get them to
the cabin in record time. Part of her wanted to head back to the clubhouse and
grab the family car, but the words from Aunt Gwen rang in her head.

Keep
Amanda safe. Dad wouldn’t care about his car.

He
only cared about his girls.

Lucky
for them, Jessica spotted a parking lot across the way. The building flashed a
neon sign out front with a pair of hot legs flashing their skirt. Above that
flashing in blue was the XXX.

Triple
X. Naughty. Now to decide who deserved to lose their car.

Jessica’s
eyes scanned the parking lot and saw mostly generic boring SUVs either in black
or silver. How typical. Parked away from the pack was a flashy red 1962 Ford
Thunderbird. It wasn’t as shiny as it had been back in its day, but that baby
had curves and wings that went on for miles.

“Oooh,”
Jessica’s voice dripped with desire. “Who’s your Momma?”

For
a
moment,
her mind flashed back to when
she was little—before everything changed. Back when her dad, Jacob Blood, was
restoring his 1966 Chrysler and Jessica had been his trusty assistant. Well,
she thought she was helping, but she loved to sit on the hood of the car with
the cuffs of her shirt rolled up just like his.

His
black hair was thick and wavy, his smile so friendly, it was her favorite thing
about him. He extended his arm and one small tattoo was visible in the center.
She always wanted to ask him about
it,
but never had the chance. “Hand me that 3/8 wrench, would you Jessie?”

So
long ago, but Jessica still smelled the oil like it was fresh from yesterday.
And Dad—her heart ached with longing. Was she doing a good job? Would he be
proud?

Jessica
shook her head to clear the cobwebs. If they had to abandon that car, at
least
they could replace it with something
worthy. She jumped down in front of the van and
startled
when she saw Amanda there.

Her
eyes were heavy, lidded with sleep.

.
“I thought maybe you were bird watching.”

Resisting
rolling her eyes, Jessica grabbed Amanda’s wrist and dragged her through the
alley. “C’mon.”

Amanda
tripped as she hurried to keep up. “Where are we going?”

“You
know where we’re going.” Jessica scanned the area. “And don’t try to talk me
out of it. We need a car that can move, and since we can’t go back and get
ours…”

“I’m
sorry about that.” Amanda’s voice was soft, rich with sincerity. “Jessica…”

Jessica
held up a finger and didn’t look at her sister.
Instead,
she popped the Thunderbird’s hood to hot wire the muscle car. One wire and a
piece of metal to trigger the starter
was
all she
needed,
plus a little luck

“What
about the drugs in the van? You know if we leave them here the demons will find
a way to get them back.”

“I
know, but we don’t have a choice.” Jessica did her work and ignored what her
words meant, but Amanda never could.

Amanda
blew out a deep breath. “We came here to save this town.”

“We
saved one. You.” Jessica looked up at her sister. “Three, if you count that
woman and her two kids.”

Amanda’s
forehead crinkled with grief. “Is that enough?”

It
had to be. Jessica went back to splicing wires and a few moments later, Amanda
blew a shaky breath of air. Never a good sign, Goosebumps rose over Jessica’s
arm.

“Are
you stealing my car? Get away from my car! Police!”

Jessica
rose up to see a chunky man in a tight t-shirt and bad striped shorts. His hand
gripped a brown paper bag from the naughty store and he had a receding hairline
with a ridiculous comb over. With a double chin covered in two days’ worth of
stubble, it was clear this hunk had no one waiting for him at home.

“How’s
life in your mommy’s basement working out for you?” Jessica pulled her arm back
and when the douche grew close enough, she jabbed him quick in the nose.

He
groaned and covered his face with both hands, the brown paper bag falling from
his grip. “Did you just punch me? Seriously?”

Jessica
scowled that the guy hadn’t gone unconscious yet. To level the playing field,
Jessica kicked him in the balls and when he doubled over in pain, Jessica cold
clocked
him over the head with both her fists.
He crashed to his knees, finally down for the count and Jessica bent over,
searching his pockets for the keys.

Dangling
them from her finger, she smiled at Amanda. It was always easier this way, but
Amanda’s mouth was fallen open. Her usual pale skin was frog like green.

She
never did appreciate Jessica’s best work. Jessica clamped her fists around the
keys and snarled. “Get in the car.”

“You
could’ve really hurt him. I think I should—”

“No.”
Jessica barked and pushed Amanda toward the passenger side.

Her
younger sister’s eyes pleaded with her. “Please. Just a quick—”

“He’ll
be fine. Save your strength and heal yourself. You’re still bleeding.” Jessica
pulled the passenger door open and made sure Amanda got in by blocking the way.

With
Amanda safe inside, Jessica slid behind the wheel. The car had that authentic
classic smell, from the richness of the gasoline to the leather seats that had
been ripped long ago. Still, some tender care was all this baby needed to come
back to
life
.

Headlights
on, the car came to
live
with a purr
Jessica hadn’t expected. Pulling out of the parking lot, Jessica turned to
Amanda. Her sister’s eyes were transfixed out the window, a hand on the glass.
“Not everyone deserves saving.”

Amanda
cast
Jessica a look. It wasn’t
dirty,
but was sad. “Are you talking about this
guy? Or the guy back in the clubhouse?” Jessica sat up straighter and defensive
anger
rose
in her chest, but Amanda just
shook her head. “He was possessed. Just a regular person and he
was
in trouble. It was the demons—”

“It
cut us off from the car. Our escape route. You could have died, Amanda.” Jessica’s
cheeks flushed and she couldn’t control the anger that rode off in her waves.
Her sister’s face was crestfallen, sagging as if Jessica just killed her puppy.

Jessica
was sorry. So damn sorry that Amanda got hurt emotionally, and physically all
the time, but sometimes Jessica couldn’t control how she felt. Jessica slammed
her hand on the steering wheel as she turned out of town toward the open road.
“You have to think. We can’t save people just to doom ourselves.”

“That
demon was going to hurt people. Kill them. We saved people tonight, Jessica.
I’m sorry about the car.” Amanda’s chin wobbled and tears rose in her eyes. Her
hands hugged her waist like she was in physical distress and Jessica knew she
was. She knew how much pain Amanda felt when others were upset or angry. “I
didn’t mean to lose Papa’s car.”

Jessica
couldn’t stand to see her like that. She fought back her own tears and ran a
hand over Amanda’s head. “All he’d care about is that you’re safe. Understand?
We came close tonight, but we lucked out. We’ll head to the cabin and regroup
with Aunt Gwen. A few days’ rest sounds nice, right?”

Amanda
sucked on her bottom lip and nodded. She laid her head back and gazed at
Jessica. The curl on the side of her head was back to its ginger color. “Maybe
we can make S’mores.”

Jessica
snorted. “It’ll rot your teeth.” She said it, but she smirked. “You strong
enough to heal your arm?”

“I
think so.” Amanda lifted her hand toward her
arm,
but flinched. “Why won’t they leave us alone?”

It
was a question they tried to never ask, but tonight they were both vulnerable.
The standard answer rolled off Jessica’s tongue even if she knew it wasn’t
enough. “You’re special. Everyone loves special.”

Amanda’s
eyes flashed to Jessica’s before her hand crackled with healing energy. She
didn’t need to ask the question in her eyes because Jessica knew what it was.
It had been asked enough times through the years.

But
why am I so special?

Jessica
didn’t know then and she didn’t know now, but she thought maybe it was time to find
out. If they could slow down enough to catch their breath, maybe it was time to
find out.

Finding
the Blood girls was easier said than done.

Two
steps behind, Duncan found traces of them in a Midwest
city
not far from Lake Michigan.
Homegrown
roots, it was there the girls spent Jessica’s eighteenth birthday. You could
really appreciate the synergy of something like that. The city was plagued with
drugs, crime, and a strip club syndicate that’d make New York City jealous.

That
was just the tip of the iceberg. People should’ve noticed. Should have seen,
but demons crept in the shadows. And let’s face it, humans saw what they wanted
and ignored the rest.

Everywhere
Duncan went there were foreclosure signs. Homeless people littered park benches
and everyone walked around in a stupor. The demon essence drug here had become
an infestation, sucking the life out of the community and harvesting souls for
the underworld.

Demons
were moving in. Soon they’d own this town and any humans who dared remain would
be dead, or so addicted to drugs, they wouldn’t even care.

Seeing
how bad it was, it was no wonder the Blood sisters came here. Their primary
mission, stop the demons. They didn’t realize how large the bounty on their
heads had grown. Whatever they were up to, they had pissed demons off in high
places. Lourdes didn’t set a bounty on just anyone, so whatever the Bloods had
done to piss her off, must’ve been huge.

The
girls were in more trouble than ever.

Duncan
checked out the apartment building they visited while in town. Where a
disturbed single mother had been shot and left for dead. Duncan talked to her
at the hospital.

Her
room was vacant, no flowers, which meant no family and friends. There was only
the quiet hum
of
the machines.

Her
name was Nancy and she gave him a smile he would have considered flirtatious
under any other circumstances. “Why, don’t you have the best blue eyes.”

The
smile and statement made Duncan’s stomach churn and bile rose in his throat.
Laid up in her bed, the woman was more bones than flesh. Her blond hair like
limp straw framed a skeletal face. Her
cheekbones
were too prominent and she had trouble swallowing. her eyes so deeply sunken
that he had trouble even keeping eye contact.

How
far could humanity fall? It was staring him right in the face, man. The essence
of demon could destroy a person, but it was their choice to take the drugs.
Their choice to shoot up in the first place. There was no doubt why the girls
chose to help her. Amanda couldn’t resist a head case and Jessica, for the most
part, was helpless against her sister’s wishes.

“I
was left for dead. I know I was, but I’m healed now. No sign of the gunshot
wound!” Nancy shook her head and her hands trembled. When she swallowed, it was
a struggle as if something was caught in her throat. “I think I might have been
given a second chance, for me and my babies.”

A
second chance, the type only Amanda Blood could give. Not many things made
Duncan’s heart swell with awe, but that woman, Amanda, did it every time.
“There was a struggle, you said?”

The
woman nodded. “I wasn’t really awake, but I heard her scream. There was…I think
there was a gunshot.” Her eyes widened as her eyebrows rose up. “Lots of
gunshots, actually.”

“Did
you see another woman?” Duncan tried to keep the urgency out of his voice. “A
sister? A friend?”

“She
was cut off from us in another room, protecting my kids. And to think I didn’t
like her.” The woman rolled her eyes. “She was mean. In my face talking about
what drugs would do to me. Well,” she shrugged and rolled her arm over. It was
covered in self-inflicted puncture marks. “The point is moot, isn’t it? She was
right.”

Sounded
like Jessica. She was the one he needed to find, but the notion of actually
catching up to
her,
made his heart pound.
His palms broke out into a sweat, at just the idea of laying eyes on her again.

Jessica
and Amanda, they went together. Always did. If Amanda was snatched by a gang of
demons, Jessica wouldn’t be far behind.

“Thank
you, Ma’am. Any idea where they were headed?”

She
turned toward the window with a trembling lip, her eyes dark and scared. “The
Gypsy Curse. Branger would’ve taken Amanda there. It’s his…hide out.” Middle of
the day and Nancy shuddered.

A quic
k good-bye and that’s
where Duncan headed. The Gypsy Curse, a demon biker gang clubhouse, the kind he
suspected might be nearby. The town stank of
demon
,
like the smell of gas seeping from a freshly filled car. Demons were here and
claiming lives in what might have been a nice place, once. Now one by one, it
would fall.

Demons
were spreading their filth across the country and they had to be stopped.

But
first, the Blood sisters.

Duncan
dismounted his Harley. He wore tight blue jeans and a black leather jacket. The
emblem on the back was of his old gang, the Black Scorpions. The red and gold
tattoo on his shoulder crept up the side of his neck and his sandy brown hair
fell over one eyebrow.

His
eyes were blue and paired with his roguish grin, ladies had a hard time
resisting his charm. Duncan didn’t mind, often it got him out of a jam, but he
rarely had time for ladies, except to satisfy his sexual needs. There were only
a few who managed to wrestle their way into his heart.

Now
they were in big trouble.

His
jacket fit
snug,
but was loose enough to
hide his gun. His thumbs hitched into his belt buckle as he swaggered toward
the front entrance. Too bad there was a car rammed right through its gullet.

A
toothpick
twirled in his mouth as he
stuck his head inside. He saw
the 1966
Chrysler crashed through the front door. There was fluid leaking all around.
Duncan suspected a cracked radiator and that was probably only half of its
problems.

Daddy’s
car abandoned here? If they left it, things were bad.

The
Gypsy Curse
was a disaster zone with
bullet holes in nearly every surface like it was a good
ol
’ shootout at the O.K. corral.

The
center bar was still standing, but the bottles of booze were broken and blood
ran like a river onto the bar stools. Duncan turned his attention toward the
overturned tables, pelted with bullets. This must have been where Jessica made
her stand
to rescue
Amanda.

Damn
it,
girl, she would make any mango
prematurely gray.

But
to leave her car behind? It was practically her second baby, her other sister
that needed caring for. If she wasn’t here, things went bad, or she hadn’t left
of her own accord. Duncan’s chest tightened at the thought. Nobody
tamed
Jessica Blood, not even a horde of
demons.

Somehow
she got out of this, but how?

Duncan
pulled the door to the car open and looked inside. There wasn’t much left
except a few maps. He snatched the key from the ignition. It’d be a shame to
run the engine into the ground like that. She wasn’t immortal.

“Hold
it right there, Mister.”

The
drawl
of the word came out harsh, like a local.
Duncan glanced at the side mirror and all he saw was the brown brim of a police
hat.

Here
went nothing. Again.

Duncan
held his hands up and turned. The officer stood like a rail with a grim
expression on his face. It was hard to get a read on his beady little eyes
covered up in thick brown eyebrows, but Duncan went for broke. “I know what
you’re thinking officer, but let me just show you my identification—”

When
he reached for his pocket, the officer twitched for his gun. “Whoa there, just
going to grab my wallet, okay?”

He
slid the faux leather
billfold
open and
let the officer get a peek at his badge. Real or not, it never failed to
impress, but the officer was staring at him with his mouth hung open. “You’re
DEA? You?” His nose wrinkled in disgust.

Why
did everyone always say that? “This?” Duncan pointed to his jacket. “I’ve been
deep undercover, son. Deep undercover. So deep, some days I don’t know which
end is up, but this here is a drug house like you wouldn’t believe. It’d be
best if you left this job to the big leagues. I’ll just ask you some
questions—”

The
officer
huffed
with his hands on his
hips. “We’ve been having more and more trouble in town. I guess I can’t say I’m
surprised.”

He
twirled the end of his mustache like he was a damn super villain, but then
again maybe he was. Maybe he had been possessed and he was just waiting to
unload his trap right on Duncan’s head.

Casually
Duncan slipped his hand into his pocket and grabbed a few granules of sea salt.
If the officer noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, copper just continued
with the questions. “You know anything about this car? I ran its plates—”

Crap.
An officer that actually did his job. “I followed her here too. Blood. Jessica.
Dangerous. It’s best you leave it to me and the department.” Duncan widened his
stance and tried to appear official.

The
officer’s eyes widened and he nodded. “She sure is. I have a guy down at the
station who can attest to that. He was knocked unconscious and his car was stolen.
When I showed him this Blood’s mug shot, said that was her to a T. Started
sniffling and crying right away too.” The officer laughed.

Duncan
huffed. It was like Jessica didn’t believe on doing anything if it wasn’t loud.
Attracting attention to herself like that? “Thanks for the information,
officer.” Duncan patted his shoulder, slipping the salt against his skin. The
officer rubbed it away and gave him a dirty snarl, but he didn’t turn foul.

“What
make did you say the car was?” Duncan asked.

The
officer shrugged. “A red 1968 Ford Thunderbird. Only one like it in town.” He
held out his pad and Duncan leaned in to read over his shoulder, committing the
license plate to memory.

Duncan
couldn’t stop a small smile.
At least,
Jessica still had taste in cars. “Put a trace on it but forward all leads to my
phone. You can do that, can’t you officer…? Well, sorry about that. I haven’t
got your name yet.”

“Officer
Andrews. And yours?”

Duncan
flashed a grin. “It’s best you don’t know. Now, how about we move this car out
of here, and whatever you do, don’t open the trunk. You’re going to have to
leave that to me.”

Andrews
frowned. “She’s really that dangerous?”

Duncan
didn’t want to tell him what she really was. It’d take too long and regular
folk wouldn’t believe him. “You’ve seen her rap sheet. People that get in
Jessica Blood’s way die.”

The
words he spoke were technically factual but the truth behind it?
Well,
that was much different. Much different
indeed.