Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (40 page)

"It's not so easy," Alex finished.

"Yeah.
 
The taste, I can't describe it.
 
I hated myself when I bit him, but I couldn't stop.
 
If you wouldn't have showed up, I would have killed him.
 
I'm…I'm a monster."

Kylie laughed.
 
"I can't argue with that.
 
I can think of a few other words, too."

"I saw Kylie tonight," Zoey said.
 
"In the alley.
 
I thought I was going crazy, or dying."

"You weren't.
 
You saw her ghost.
 
It's a long story, but I can let the living talk to the dead."

Zoey perked up for the first time.
 
"You can?
 
Can I talk to her?"

He looked to Kylie for approval, of which he found none.
 
She didn't have to say a word.
 
Her body language said it all.
 
The other day she was desperate to talk to Zoey.
 
Now she wanted nothing to do with her.

"I don't have anything to say."

Kylie vanished, leaving Nate's arm hanging in mid-air.
 
He smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"She just went back to the motel," he said.
 
"It's the only place she really knows how to teleport long distance.
 
I'll give her a few minutes, then check on her."

Nate disappeared as well.

"Well," Zoey said.
 
"Please?
 
Can I talk to her?"

"She doesn't really feel like talking right now.
 
She just left."

Zoey rested her head against the column.

"She hates me."

"She's angry, hurt.
 
Can you blame her?"

Zoey didn't respond.
 
Alex gave her a minute before unleashing his next set of questions.

"What's the vampire's name?
 
You said he left town.
 
Do you know where he went?"

She shook her head.
 
"He said his name was Steven, although I don't even know if I believe that.
 
He didn't tell me where he was going."

"You said you moved Kylie's body.
 
What kind of car did he drive?
 
Anything at all?"

"Shit…Alex, right?
 
I don't even remember what planet I was on that night.
 
I'm sorry, but I can't help."

He groaned as he leaned back against the column next to Zoey, contemplating his next move.
 
His next move announced itself as his stomach grumbled and the pain and soreness in his body intensified.
 
He needed to eat and sleep.

But he couldn't leave Zoey as she was, for her own safety as well as those around her.

"So," he said.
 
"What's your plan in all of this?"

She laughed sarcastically.
 
"My plan.
 
That's funny.
 
You know what my biggest problem was two weeks ago?
 
Senior prom.
 
It doesn't matter how far away it is.
 
Kylie and I talked about it.
 
We were going to get it all started early.
 
Looking for dates, picking out dresses.
 
Now, my biggest problem is making sure the sun stays out of the basement.
 
I have no idea how I'm going to handle school, or my parents, or anything.
 
Like Steven said, I'll probably be dead in a few more weeks."

Alex struggled to pull himself to his feet.

"Well, today may be your lucky day, Zoey.
 
I think I can get you in touch with someone that can help.
 
Can I borrow your phone?"

Zoey eyed him curiously, but handed over her phone.
 
It took him a moment to remember the number.
 
Technology was beginning to spoil him.
 
He seldom remembered numbers anymore.

But there were a few that were very important.

"Hello?"

"Victoria, it's Alex."

She laughed.
 
"I know who it is."

"How are things over there in New Delhi?"

"Oh, it's beautiful.
 
There are a few dark moments.
 
I'd forgotten how much of an asshole certain members of my kind can be.
 
And the politics and vampires pointing at each other across conference tables, I could do without, but the country is beautiful.
 
You and Cindy will have to see it someday."

"Uh, yeah," he said, glancing at the graffiti and concrete around him.
 
What appeared to be a used condom lay not far away, next to a syringe.
 
"It's beautiful over here, too."

"Are you still working your case?"

"I am, and about that…there's a crazy story behind all this, but I was hoping I could get a favor."

"Anything you need."

Alex smiled.
 
There wasn't anyone alive or dead that had friends like him.

*****

Almost an hour passed as they waited under the overpass.
 
Alex waged a war with fatigue, and fatigue was winning.
 
He had to stand up and move about to keep from drifting off.
 
Zoey, after a short conversation with Victoria on the phone, was in a slightly better mood.
 
He wouldn't have gone as far as describing it as hope, but at least it wasn't despair.

"Do you know what we're waiting on?" Zoey asked.
 
"I don't want to sound ungrateful, but the sun will be up soon."

"You've got hours."

"Yeah, well, that's soon.
 
The sun hit my hand once, for a second, in the basement.
 
Worst pain I've ever felt."

"Victoria just wanted a nearby address and told us to wait here.
 
That's good enough for me.
 
What did she say to you?"

"Same, but she wanted my number.
 
Said she'd call when she got back to the states."

Alex nodded.
 
"That's a call you should definitely take."

His attention was drawn to a Lincoln town car approaching.
 
Any thoughts of it moving past them disappeared as its headlights went out and it slowed down, finally stopping next to them.
 
Zoey stood up and stayed behind Alex.
 
She self-consciously wiped her mouth and kept her head low, trying to seem smaller, although it wasn't necessary.

A well-dressed driver opened the door.
 
He climbed out and made eye contact with Alex for a brief moment, signaling with his head to follow.
 
Alex and Zoey fell in behind the driver and walked to the back of the car.
 
He popped the trunk and stepped aside for them to see.

Zoey's brow furrowed in confusion, but Alex nodded and smiled.
 
Sitting before them were four red and white coolers, side by side.
 
He opened one and saw exactly what he thought he would.
 
Many bags of blood and layers of ice.

"Oh, wow," Zoey said, her eyes growing wide.
 
She reached out and touched a bag.
 
"We…can drink cold blood?"

"Of course.
 
We keep a stash at our house for when Victoria stops by."

"But Steven said—"

He held up a hand.
 
"Forget everything Steven said."

"This is all for me?"

He looked at the driver for confirmation.
 
The driver smiled slightly and gave a wink.

"I don't know what to say."

"I'll tell Victoria you said
thank you
," Alex said, laughing.
 
"This will at least get you by until she gets in touch with you."
 
He looked at the driver.
 
"Hi, I'm Alex."

The driver glanced behind him.
 
"You're talking to me?"

"Yeah."

He smiled.
 
"Most of the things I do for Victoria, people don't talk to me.
 
I'm Ken."
 
Ken regarded the area they were in.
 
"Do you two need a ride somewhere?"

Alex could have flown, but wanted to make sure Zoey got home safely.
 
A relaxing ride to the motel was also exactly what he needed.

They stopped at Zoey's house first.
 
The three of them carried the coolers into the basement.
 
Her father was working, her mother sound asleep.
 
There was a door leading directly to the basement in the rear of the house.
 
It only took a minute to drop the coolers off, then Ken returned to the car.
 
Alex stood near the back door with Zoey.

"I'm sorry," Zoey said again.
 
She stopped just short of touching the cuts on his face.
 
"I didn't mean to hurt you.
 
I didn't mean to hurt anyone."
 
She looked at her hands.
 
"I thought I could control it."

"You got lucky tonight, for sure.
 
No one died.
 
And don't worry about this."
 
He touched his face.
 
"I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Victoria.
 
She must be amazing."

"Yeah," he said, smiling.
 
"If she's looking out for you, you're in good hands."

"Do you think…?"
 
She lowered her eyes.
 
"Do you think Kylie will talk to me?"

Alex didn't have an answer.

*****

Alex nearly dozed off as Ken drove him back to the motel.
 
Ken offered to take him to the hospital, which he declined.
 
He had the cure to all his injuries sitting in the glove compartment of his truck.

He opened the door to his room and flipped on the light to see Kylie laying in bed.
 
She looked up at his arrival, then fell through the bed to the floor.
 
He wanted to hold in laughter, not knowing her mood, but simply couldn't.
 
Shaking his head, he grabbed the outstretched hand sticking through the mattress.

"Every time I think I'm getting better, I do something that makes me look like an idiot."

He laughed.
 
"Sounds like my life."

She winced when she saw his face, as if seeing his wounds for the first time.
 
His face had stopped bleeding, but the cuts were still open, raw.
 
Dried blood covered his cheek, neck, most of his shirt.

"God, Alex," Kylie said.
 
"Are you okay?"

He waved away his concern as he pulled his shirt off.

"I'm fine.
 
I'm really going through the shirts."
 
He headed for the bathroom.
 
"At least this one wasn't mine."

His eyes fell on his phone.
 
He'd gone without it all day.
 
So much had happened.
 
He'd been in a car wreck, shot at, swiped at by a vampire.
 
He hadn't taken a single note for the case or Demons LLC.
 
Hopefully after a night's rest he'd be able to resume acting like an investigator.

After cleaning the blood off in the bathroom sink he held the flame from the lighter to his face.
 
He let out a relaxed sigh as he felt the wounds closing, his skin healing.
 
Kylie watched from the doorway with a frown.

"That still freaks me out," she said.

"You should have seen Cindy the first time she saw this.
 
She's known about my powers almost as long as I have, but hadn't seen the fire stuff.
 
I broke my ankle playing basketball.
 
I thought she was going to lose her mind when I held a candle to my leg."

Kylie laughed, and Alex realized it was much quieter than normal.

"Where's Nate?"

"He's out visiting friends."

He shook his head.
 
"I've never met a more popular ghost."

"Well, uh, actually," she said, staring at the floor.
 
"I asked him to leave for a while.
 
I wanted to talk to you."

He glanced at her.
 
She smiled nervously and wouldn't look him in the eye.
 
She moved hair away from her face.
 
He looked himself over in the mirror while waiting for her to speak.
 
The fire had done its job.
 
His face was better, the injuries gone.

He pulled a fresh shirt over his head and sat on the edge of the bed.
 
Kylie still hadn't spoken.
 
He checked his phone to see he'd missed four calls from Cindy and few text messages.

"Is everything okay?" he said.

"I don't know how to say this."

He crossed his arms and waited as patiently as his body would allow.
 
He didn't dare risk lying down, as sleep would take him quickly.
 
His concern for Kylie grew as he watched emotions battle on her face.
 
Pain, confusion, worry, sadness.

"What's up?" he said gently.

"I'm…I'm done.
 
I don't want to do this anymore."

He chewed on her words as he slid off his shoes.

"Wow.
 
I've never been fired from a job before."

He meant it as a joke, but Kylie looked about to cry as she grabbed his shoulder.

"You're not being fired.
 
Hell, you
did
the job.
 
You did exactly what you said you would.
 
I know what happened that night.
 
I know who killed me.
 
But, you know what?
 
I don't feel any better.
 
If anything, I feel worse.
 
Besides meeting everyone, you, Cindy, Nate, I wish I wouldn't have done this."