Damned if I Don't (The Harker Trilogy Book 2) (5 page)

Jude

Well, fuck.

Tonight went to hell in a handbasket pretty damn quickly. I guess that shows that everything can turn around in the blink of an eye.

I hadn’t expected Reiko and Ryoko to follow us back to the car. And goddammit, I should have. Just because they’re bouncers for the Hive doesn’t mean they’d never leave their post. Not usually, but
fuck
, nothing should surprise me these days. They saw me take Dean out of the basement. They followed me here.

And,
fucking hell,
they attacked, seeing us talk to the Harker. Oh God, they heard us talking about the Progenitor.

Son of a bitch. I’m so fucking stupid.

I remember the look of betrayal on Edie’s face as I stopped her, then the look of utter horror as she came to her senses. She even apologized, though she was only doing what she was supposed to do.

It kills me that I had to stop her, that I betrayed her, but I
had
to. Because if Reiko (or Ryoko, I don’t know which one is left alive) knows anything or works for anyone, I have to know.

“Dean,” I command, “get the kid.”

The younger vampire turns wide eyes on me. Oh hell, idiot, don’t go into shock on me as well. He looks like he’s about to pass out at any moment. For a vampire, he’s got a hell of a weak stomach.

“Wh-what?” he stammers.

“Get him.” I nod to Carl. I kneel to pick up Edie in my arms. I bring her face close to mine and quickly lick the line of blood on her cheek where the katana nicked her, my saliva helping to close the wound. Dean makes a face at that—Edie’s blood smells downright rotten to vampires, but it’s also like a hit of PCP for anyone who has a taste. My heart pounds more quickly, and my eyes dilate in response. I feel like I could do anything at the moment, which is what I need. Super vampire strength.

“What’re we doing with them?” Dean asks.

“Just put them in the car.” I open the back door. The front passenger’s side has the shattered window which is going to be a bitch in the May heat. I guess I’ll have to steal another car soon. This one is getting too banged up, too recognizable, especially after that attack.

I quickly wipe away any excess glass shards and gently place Edie in the back seat. The damn cat cries from her carrier as a reminder that she’s still there. Like an echo, Reiko/Ryoko screeches from her spot on the wall. I’ll have to hurry. She’s stuck there solidly, but she can get free if she tries hard enough.

I take off my jacket and cover Edie with it. I give her hand a quick squeeze even though she’s passed out, just to let her know that we’re okay.

Dean struggles with Carl’s weight, but manages to put him in the other side, slamming the door. How the hell Dean survives as a vampire, I’ll never know.

With both Edie and Carl’s unconscious forms more comfortable, I straighten and turn back to the girl I’ve impaled on the wall.

I hope the taste of Edie’s blood is enough.

“What’re you going to do?” Dean asks, coming around the other side of the car.

“Going to see what she has to say.”

“But-” His eyes flick to the girl who’s glaring at us.

“What do you suggest?” I ask.

“I…I don’t know.”

I nod, my point made, and I stride towards Reiko/Ryoko. I don’t know if she’ll talk, but I have to try.

She’s gone very still, watching me with wary eyes as she bleeds from the wound in her chest. Both of her hands are on the blade as she cautiously regards me. Blood runs down the length of the blade, dripping on the ground. Beside me, Dean licks his lips at her ichor. Vampires don’t generally like to drink other vampire blood—it tastes like a hard shot of whiskey, rough and raw, so we only drink it if we’re desperate.

Apparently Dean is desperate. I must have interrupted him at the beginning of his feeding of that girl back at the Hive.

“So you followed us,” I intone. “You and your sister.”

She coughs, spluttering some blood. She’s not mortally wounded, but based on the twist in her features being impaled hurts like a son of a bitch.

“Speak,” I tell her.

“You didn’t ask a question,” she hisses, her voice strained. She turns her head away from us and lets out a sigh. She’s spent from the fight earlier. And from seeing her sister incinerated, I imagine.

“Okay. Why did you follow us, Reiko?” I ask.

“Because you took a patron from the Hive.” She sneers. “It’s my job to make sure that all visitors have a good time.”

Apparently, I guessed her name correctly. Still though. “Bullshit. The kind of things you see there, you’d never follow anyone or you’d never get your job done.”

“Actually, Jude,” Dean starts behind me. “As a bouncer, that
is
her job.”

I whirl on him out of the sheer lunacy of what he’s saying. That’s beside the point, because she attacked the Harker without any sort of warning.

My attention diverts from her just for a second, and my ear picks up the sick sound of metal cutting through flesh. Dean’s eyes widen at a point behind me, and I turn back, too slowly, to see Reiko tear herself away from the katana impaled on the wall and rush towards me, like a rabid animal. It’s her last Hail Mary, her last attempt to make a point.

Okay, let’s see what a few drops of Edie’s blood does to me.

Reiko throws a punch in a perfect karate form to my face, catching my jaw and dislocating it momentarily. I snap it back into place as I begin to match her movements, her smooth, perfect kicks and punches, and my defensive ones. If her wound is slowing her down, I’m grateful for it. She’s stronger than me, and it’s only going to be a matter of time before she overpowers me.

Meanwhile, Dean is staring at both of us, open-mouthed. Like we’re some sort of spectacle.

Reiko is completely ignoring him; she must not think he’s a threat.

She lands a kick to my chest, and my entire body hits the brick wall behind me, barely avoiding the car. Chunks of brick and mortal fall around and I growl at the pain and the embarrassment of being bested by Reiko.

“Fuck you.” Reiko spits a glob of blood my way, and it lands hot on my face. Her accent is stronger when she’s winded and injured. “You’re just a meddling prick of a vampire who’s only doing this because you’re in love with—”

I roar, cutting her off before she can go any further. I spring to my feet and rush her, catching her in her injured mid-section and exposed insides. She screams, an inhuman sound that reverberates off the walls around us. I barely register it as I backpedal her towards the wall where I had her pinned earlier. I don’t even bother removing the katana from the wall. I push her back into the handle and hilt which explode through her abdomen, high enough that her feet don’t touch the ground.

“Now stay there,” I growl at her.

She continues to scream even louder now as there are two gaping holes in her body. She’ll have to feed pretty soon or else she’s going to have a rough time recuperating.

“Jude,” Dean says softly.

I glare at him as I step back from Reiko and wipe the blood and gore off myself. I keep a spare set of clothes in the Honda just for this kind of thing, but I’ll need a shower after this.

Dean is afraid of his own shadow and that he’s the kind of guy that would piss himself if you pulled out a stake, but he could at least tried to help.

I pointedly turn back to Reiko who still hasn’t stopped screaming on the katana. Luckily we’re pretty secluded, so no one’s heard us. She’s in too much pain to try to pull herself off again.

As an act of mercy and because I need her to talk, I bring my wrist to my mouth and pierce my skin with my incisors. My own blood fills my mouth and I can even taste a hint of Edie in there.

She’s flowing through my veins.
I don’t know why, but that thought feels so erotic at the moment.

I swallow the lump back down my throat as I turn back to the girl impaled on the wall.

Do I think that Reiko will try something else again? Possibly. Yet at the same time, I need her to speak and this is the best way to take the edge off her massive wounds.

I offer my wrist to her and she stops flailing and reaches out towards me. I tug my arm back.

“Don’t try to fuck around,” I warn.

“I won’t,” Reiko rasps. Desperate. I actually hurt just thinking about how much that must be killing her.

“Dean, can you help?” I nod to Reiko. “Grab her hands and make sure she doesn’t try to escape.”

The vampire actually hesitates and then steps forward. Reiko is too weak to fight or thrash as he takes both of her hands and holds her immobile. It may be overkill, but then again, she did just slice through half of her body in order to have a go at me. There’s merit to my caution.

She’s obedient the entire time, watching my wrist as I bring it to her lips. She sucks hungrily, slurping sounds and all, as she drinks up all that I allow.

After five big gulps, I step back as I lick my own wounds closed.

“Now, are you going to tell me why you attacked the Harker? Or do I need to put another hole in you?”

Her voice is weak when she speaks, but at least she’s coherent now. “Let’s just
say
I want to be on Anthony’s good side when he becomes the Progenitor. For after…”

“What do you know about the Progenitor?” I ask.

“You’re just going to kill me anyways,” she manages. “I know when there’s writing on the wall. Especially when it’s written in my own blood.”

I smile pedantically. “That last part is your fault.”

“I’m not speaking, traitor.”

“Do you think she’ll talk?” Dean asks me under his breath, even though we both know that Reiko can hear us.

“She has to,” I decide. “I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

Dean’s eyes shift back to her. “But I think she won’t give more at the moment.”

My hands are clumpy with gore and blood, but I still comb them through my hair due to my nerves. “Yeah, but we’ll have to figure out something.”

***

“What the fuck are you doing?” Dean hisses to me as I shut the trunk to the Honda Accord.

As the lid descends, I hear the muffled cry of Reiko in the trunk. I duct taped her mouth shut and wrapped her up in silver chains and a tarp I always keep in the trunk. It’s precautionary, okay? Even now, as I lock the trunk, my own hands are red and blistered from tying her up with the vile metal.

Vampires and silver never go together. My own silver facial piercings itch at the reminder.

I’ve changed clothes and cleaned up the best I could, although it’s going to take more than paper towels and hand sanitizer for me to get that feeling of Reiko’s blood off my skin.

“We are taking her to your ‘friend’,” I say, handing him both katanas that are now wrapped in a blanket. “And I mean it this time.”

Dean blinks, taken aback. “How will you know where to go?”

I walk around to the driver’s seat, throwing the door open. “You’re coming with me.”

“But…”

“Dean, get in the car.”

I see his indecision, but then his eyes flick to the trunk and widen with fear. With a huff, he wipes the rest of the glass from the broken window and gingerly sits in the passenger’s seat, gripping the bundled katanas with both hands. Maybe having some weapons will make him feel like he’s more in control. He could use the help.

I check the back seat to make sure that Edie and Carl are situated all right. The cat, seeing that I’ve turned around, cries for attention.

That’s really getting old.

“Where are we headed, Dean?”

“Uh, take I-49?” he offers uncertainly.

The cat meows again, this time louder.

“Shush, Puss,” I tell her as I throw the car into reverse.

To my surprise, she does.

Edie

“Edie…” The voice is millions of miles away. “Edie,” he repeats, louder this time.

I grimace and open my eyes. Jude’s face swims above mine, his eyebrows pinched together in concern. The haze of sleep is still heavy on me as I give him a lazy smile, stretching slightly. “Good morning, sunshine.”

He visibly relaxes with a sigh. “Time to get going.”

After the past couple of days, it’s almost nice to be able to sleep without a ghost trying to talk to me or trying to warn me. But then, reality sinks in, and the absence of my left arms hits me again, and the pain comes back to me.

That’s not the worst part. I remember everything that happened.

With stark clarity.

“Holy shit!” I cry, sitting up. “I almost…” I choke on my words as I look at him. He’s not incinerated, he’s not injured. But I almost…

“You didn’t.” He cups my cheek, brushing the sore spot from the blade on my cheek, and goosebumps trail down my body. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I-”

“You didn’t. You were kinda awesome actually.”

I’m not too sure about that, but he seems proud of me. I turn to my left and see that Carl is unconscious on the back seat with me. I remember him passing out from the vampire’s bite, probably out of shock more than anything. At least I hope there’s no lasting damage.

And between us is Purl’s cat carrier. She’s quiet, which is a good thing. I have a slight headache.

I take in a shuddering breath before I look around at my surroundings.

“Where are we?”

I’m in Jude’s car, but we’re in what looks like a parking garage with fluorescent lights above us and empty spots all around us. Beyond the edge of the garage, I see glittering lights and empty air, meaning that we’re a few floors up. The rear car door is open as Jude is leaning over me.

“We’re at 24/7 Fitness,” he tells me flatly.

I blink in disbelief. “A gym?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“We’re here to visit my friend,” a voice says from behind Jude. I look up to see that vampire—Dean—standing behind him. He looks tired, strung out, as he combs a hand through his greasy hair. “Isn’t that what you wanted, Harker? I didn’t want to bring you, but Jude insisted and-”

“Why are we at a gym?”

“She works here. Kinda.”

“At a gym?” I can’t wrap my head around it. Then I see the katanas nestled in the front passenger’s seat, and I think that it’s a very strange world I live in.

Dean makes a face. “Yeah.”

Still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but okay. “What happened to the other vampire? The one that attacked us?”
The one that I almost incinerated Jude to get to.

As if in answer, my seat jolts, followed by a loud banging in the trunk. I pause, look at Jude for an answer and then glance back behind me. The top of the trunk bangs again, this time leaving a dent from the inside.

“She knows we stopped,” Jude mutters, shaking his head.

“You brought her with us?”

“It wasn’t my idea!” Dean cries, as if I would take my wrath out on him or something.

Jude frowns in answer. “She has information we need, she wasn’t ready to chat, and I couldn’t let her go. So, I brought her along.”

Heh.
For the past five months, I’ve tried reasoning with vampires who didn’t want to talk about Anthony, and they never talked. I’ve had to always kill them. But, in my defense, they were bad vampires, and it’s the Harker’s duty to get rid of the bad ones.

At least that’s how I sleep at night.

I should be relieved that Jude didn’t kill her. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance that we can get some information out of this chick. I doubt it, but there are more immediate things to worry about.

“How are we going to bring her inside?” It’s not like we can leave her in the car. Or carry her inside.

“There’s a maintenance entrance over there—” Dean points to a door “—with an elevator that leads to the lobby.”

“O…kay?”

“We’ll just bundle her up and bring her inside,” Jude explains softly. He offers a small smile. “She’ll just look like we’re bringing in equipment. Dean, can you help me?”

Good thing we’re here at night then. I wonder about security cameras, although I suspect Dean’s friend would have that taken care of.

I look over the cat carrier at my cousin. He must have been hurriedly put in the car, as no one had taken care of the bite marks on his neck. A bit of blood loss, but he’ll be all right.

I hope.

“Hey Carl,” I whisper. When he doesn’t wake up, I gently shake his shoulder. “
Carl
.”

He jolts awake, his hand going to the marks on his neck. His eyes go wild as he looks around and cowers in the corner of the car.

I try to offer a placating smile. “Hey, we’re here. To see Dean’s friend.”

“Where?” he rasps.

“A
gym
.”

Even Carl raises an eyebrow, the façade of hatred melting away for a brief second.

“I know, it sounds stupid,” I sigh. I glance behind us to see the lid of the trunk up as Dean and Jude secure the vampire to bring her in. “But, that’s the story.”

Carl’s accusing gaze lands on me, and he frowns deeply before he unbuckles his seat belt. “Right,” he grumbles before he gets out of the car and into the garage.

Well, that could have gone better.
It’ll get better, Edie.

Purl cries softly, and I look down at her.

“Hey, girl,” I coo. “I guess you want to get out and stretch your legs as well.”

She answers by scratching at the door to the carrier. I move myself around to pick her up, except it’s hard with one arm. Suddenly, there’s a hand on my elbow and another one taking the carrier from me.

Jude
. Helping me again.

“I’ve got you, Edie,” he whispers, his breath hot in my ear, which causes shivers to run down my skin. With the cat in one hand, Jude puts a hand around my shoulders, protective and caring. It’s enough to distract me from my despair, and when I stand up, I don’t feel like I’m going to crumple anymore.

He gives me strength even before I need it.

“I thought you were getting the vampire?” I manage, my throat feeling oddly raw.

“Dean’s got her.”

“Thanks a lot,” the other vampire grumbles. I look up to see him with a roll of fitness mats carried across his shoulders in a pseudo-fireman’s carry. I can see the girl glaring directly at me from the center of the roll. Duct tape holds a coil of silver chains around her mouth, which makes me wince inwardly. She looks miserable and pale, and I understand why Jude didn’t kill her. It’s hard to kill someone when they look so utterly helpless.

The mats aren’t a perfect disguise for the vampire, because she’s still thrashing wildly. But it’s not meant to undergo too much scrutiny.

On the other side of the car, Carl’s cheeks lose all color as he sees the vampire. He must have guessed that she was one who sank her fangs into her neck. “I can’t believe you brought her,” he mutters. He’s rubbing at the twin marks on his neck. “Why the fuck did you keep her alive?”

“Questioning,” Jude says without missing a beat. “She’s worth more alive than dead to us. She knows about Anthony.” His gaze softens as he looks back at me. “Are you going to be all right?” he asks, his voice soft.

“Yeah. Peachy keen.”

I wonder what the opposite of that phrase is.
Not.

“Dean,” an unfamiliar voice says, “we didn’t expect you.”

I see a new vampire at the entrance to the elevator. He looks like one of those bros that works out at the gym all the time, with muscles that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger jealous. Except he looks a bit like a California surfer with a pink muscle tank and sunglasses. I never understood why vampires wear sunglasses at night, except to try to play up an air of mystery or to cater to movie stereotypes.

Dean blanches as he staggers towards the vampire either to placate him or join his side, but the weight of the fitness mats and the vampire he’s holding weighs him down. “Gowan, I—”

The new vampire,
Gowan
, crosses his bulging biceps and grins at me, recognizing me for who I am. “Harker,” he says, ignoring Dean. “What a pleasant surprise.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m sure.” Vampires never truly mean that. “This is Carl, Jude, you know Dean apparently, and…” Purl growls softly. “And that’s Purl.”

Bro Man purses his lips, amused at the cat’s presence. “I’m Gowan. What’re you doing here?”

Dean gulps audibly. “Uh, they wanted to talk about Anthony.”

Gowan’s sunglasses glint as he regards the sweaty vampire. The bundle that Dean is carrying thrashes, and Gowan grins again. “Is that so?”

Dean looks like he’s about to pass out from nerves.

“I made him do it,” I say quickly, in case there are repercussions in store for Dean. “I wanted to speak with the vampire that knows about Anthony and the Progenitor. She seems to know what’s happening.”

“No one makes Dean do anything he doesn’t want to do.” Gowan punches him in the arm to make his point, and Dean almost crumples to the ground, taking the vampire he’s carrying with him.

“What’s that, Dean?” Gowan asks, nodding at the folded up mats.

“Reiko from Uptown,” Jude answers.

Gowan raises an eyebrow above his glasses, looking at us. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“We adapt,” Jude says coolly.

“Well,” Carl says to Gowan, sounding irritated, “can we talk to Dean’s friend now?”

The big man grins. “Of course, man. Follow me.”

Purl whines as we follow Gowan into the elevators, unhappy at being in such close proximity to four vampires. My vampy sense is going crazy, but I don’t have a strong sense of where these vampires are, other than the ones who are with us.

I have no idea what to expect going into this place. I try flipping through my mental pages of information regarding all the known vampire hives, safe havens, and bars and I can’t remember anything taking place in a gym in Houston. We’re in uncharted territory. Essentially, we’re going to the Area-51 of vampires.

I sure hope they’re the good guys, because it will be hard getting out of here otherwise.

When the elevator doors open, we step out to the side of the gym’s lobby. Basically, it’s your typical, fancy gym. One desk that dominates the room, acting as a gatekeeper for the lifting equipment behind it. Twin staircases on either side of the front desk lead up to a second floor of cardio equipment.

There are even a few patrons working out at— I glance at the giant clock on the wall—eleven o’clock at night, but none pay attention as they’re too absorbed in their workouts.

Probably a good thing, considering that Dean’s charge, Reiko, is misbehaving by thrashing around.

The man at the front desk grins and nods at us. My vampy sense twitches, telling me that he’s another vampire.

“Dean!” the front desk guy says. “Haven’t seen you in a while…” His voice trails off as his gaze falls on me and he shuts up.

“Gonna take them to see the boss,” Gowan says.

The vampire nods, and reaches under the desk. I hear the distinct buzz of an alarm. A door to our left swings inward, leading to stairs.

“Stairs?” I say. “I hate stairs.” You can’t see what’s coming up to meet you, and stairwells like these are bottlenecks if something happens.

“Just one flight of ‘em,” Gowan says. “It’s on the sixth and a half floor.”

“Sixth and a half floor?”

He grins at me. “Isn’t it genius? Most people think that we want to live underground. But this is a hidden floor, where we can meet in privacy and in safety.”

“And do what?”

“Try to save the world.” He sounds dead serious when he says that. I guess I have no other choice but to believe him. “Hannah doesn’t want Anthony to become the next Progenitor. We’re trying to stop that.”

I feel Jude stiffen beside me. “Hannah?” he repeats, his voice slightly strangled.

Gowan chuckles. “Yes. Hannah.” He disappears down the flight of stairs.

I watch as Jude turns a paler shade of white.

“What’s wrong?”

“Th-that name,” he stammers. “It sounds familiar.”

In the five months I’ve known Jude, he’s never said anything “sounds familiar”. In his fifty years of memory he hasn’t forgotten anything. So for something to seem familiar, it must be from
before
. And what’s familiar is the name of a female. Jealousy nags at the back of my mind, but I push it aside, because I have bigger things to focus on at the moment. Like what this Hannah vampire can do for me and where to go next.

“Will you be all right?” I ask.

Jude swallows and nods. He’s sweating. He never sweats.

I reach out with my left arm to touch his hand, but then I remember with a sickening jolt that I no longer have that hand.