Immortal Revenge (18 page)

“Shit,” she mumbled softly.

“Ms. Dillinger, if you are done, I’d like to speak with you please,” Riker said from the other side of the closed door. For a change, he sounded pleasant. The tone alarmed her. When did he become Mr. Nice?

“I’m coming.” She made sure the robe concealed her goods and then opened the door.

Cool air greeted her as she stepped from the bathroom. Jules sat in a slouching position at the end of the king-sized bed. She had a Kleenex box beside her and a tissue in her hand. She looked drained and miserable with puffy eyes and a red nose. Upon seeing Katie, she straightened.

Riker walked past Jules and stopped at the desk where his computer laid propped open. With his back turned, Katie couldn’t determine if the vamp was still angry or calm and ready to listen to her story.

As Katie slowly passed by Jules, her friend held out her empty hand. Katie squeezed it and smiled. The small gesture twisted Jules’s lips briefly. Their hands slipped apart, then Katie took a seat at the round table not far from the desk Riker worked at.

Jules stared at Katie. “What happened?”

Riker faced her and crossed his arms. “Do tell, Ms. Dillinger.”

“After you left to get Jules, Amy called me and said there were two people at the Devil matching the description we gave her.”

“Two?” Jules asked with wide eyes.

“A man who had the same description as the one Ben gave me, and a woman.”

“Really?” Riker said as if the notion of a female vamp in town had impressed him.

“So I left to check them out. The man had left by the time I arrived, but the woman was still at the bar.”

“Given your current state of appearance, I’m assuming she’s no longer in existence.”

Katie grinned. “Her head and body are in a dumpster behind the strip mall near the Devil. I didn’t know what to do with them and I was hoping you might be able to help me get rid of her remains.”

“You destroyed a female vampire?” Jules asked, surprised. “How?”

Riker sat down in the chair next to Katie. In his dark pants and t-shirt, he actually looked a bit attractive. His shoulder length hair fell forward as he leaned over his knees.

“I’d very much like to know how, too. And how did you manage to make it two miles up the road and back so fast?”

Katie inhaled a long breath as she prepared her statement. Based on Riker’s sharp gaze boring through her, she suspected he knew the answer.

“Kyle gave me a small vial of his blood to carry with me in case of an emergency.”

Riker shook his head.

“You drank vampire blood?” Jules asked with her lip curled in disgust.

“It’s not the first time, well, actually it is the first time I drank it. The other times he injected it into my vein with a syringe.”

Jules raised her hand to her mouth. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Think about it Jules. Kyle taught me for years how to fight. He was stronger and faster. How could I ever compete with him?”

“You never said–”

“I didn’t think I needed to.”

Jules lowered her eyes. “I guess I blocked out that part. When you said you were getting help the other day, I assumed the person working with you would handle destroying the vampire.”

“So we have two days,” Riker said.

Katie gave a slow nod. “Maybe three.”

“Two days for what?” Jules asked, her gaze jumping from Katie to Riker, then back to Katie.

“Two days before my strength is gone and the side effects kick in.” A time she dreaded. In the past, Kyle talked to her, fixed her food, tried to feed her and gave her hot baths. He performed as a perfect, loving caretaker. Now that he was gone, she’d have to suffer through the withdraw pain alone.

“There are side effects to drinking vampire blood?” Jules asked.

Riker leaned back in the chair and held his hands together in his lap. He glared at Katie.

“What?”

“She’s knows too much.”

“She’s known about Kyle for years. She doesn’t have all the knowledge and details because there was no need to tell her everything before.”

“There is no need now.”

Frustration warmed Katie’s blood. “I disagree. Her boyfriend is missing and a vampire is still out there.”

“What value would this information have for her?”

Katie frowned at his attitude. Although it had little value to Jules, she should at least know what to expect from Katie when the blood ran its course through her system.

She turned to Jules without replying to Riker. “Vampire blood makes a human stronger, faster and full of energy. Think of it as super vitamins multiplied by a thousand. The fluid also has healing abilities.”

“But?” Jules prompted.

“After the body has consumed all the vampire nutrients, it craves more in the worst way. Think of a junkie having been addicted for twenty years and has suddenly stopped taking their drug of choice.”

“You mean you get sick. You vomit, sweat…”

“Yes, but worse. It’s painful and takes a few days, sometimes a week to recover depending on the dosage ingested.”

“And you’ve done this before?”

Katie glanced at Riker. He lifted his brow. Clearly, he wanted to hear her explanation as much as Jules.

“Kyle warned me what would happen before I took his blood for the first time. He even tried to persuade me not to. I wanted to learn, to be a good fighter, to prove to him I could…beat him, but not in a sense of conquering him. I wanted to prove to myself I could defeat a vampire and show him his time and effort was never wasted.”

“Interesting psychology,” Riker said.

“Can it kill you?”

“The withdraw symptoms can’t kill you, but ingesting too much vampire blood can. There’s a fine line.”

“You knew it could kill you and took it anyway.” A hint of anger flavored her tone.

“Kyle estimated the dosage and decreased it some. I never took more than three vials in one night.”

“Wow.” Jules stared with wide eyes. “You’re like the female version of Rambo.”

“Something like that.”

“I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Katie chuckled and glanced at Riker. His stone face lacked the humor she found in Jules’s comment.

“Please tell me you’re not going to grow fangs or try and bite me.”

“No, dear. No chance of that.”

“Good. ‘Cause I can’t handle losing you.”

“I’m the same person I’ve always been. I’m not going to change,” Katie said with a smile.

“You mentioned the male vampire–”

“Did you see Joe at the Devil?” Jules asked excitedly, interrupting Riker.

Katie looked from Riker to Jules. Riker rolled his eyes.

“Did you?” Jules asked.

“No, he wasn’t there.”

“Damn.” She hit her knee with edge of her balled hand. “Where could he be?”

Riker jerked forward. “You said the male vampire had left before you arrived.”

“Yes. I never saw him.”

“Then you don’t know if Joe was there.”

“We could call Amy and ask, but they were really busy when I got there. I’m not certain she would have noticed him.”

“We should try,” Jules said. “I called a few more times and his phone was still off.”

“If Joe was there with the other vampire, he won’t last the night.”

Katie shot a death glare at Riker. His insensitivity to the matter made her want to slap him across the face. Her best friend worried for her boyfriend and he just sealed the coffin on him. “You’re an asshole.”

“What? What do you mean he won’t last the night?” Jules asked in a panicky tone.

He faced Jules with a cold, emotionless face. “The vampire is looking for Katie. Now that he has your boyfriend, he will use him for information. Joe will lead him to your house. When he can’t find you or Katie, he’ll call and try to bargain. But first–”

“So Joe will be okay?” Jules asked, hopeful.

“Don’t count on it. Vampires typically keep the mortals within an inch of their life, and that’s only until they get what they want.”

“Oh, God,” Jules squealed as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

“This vampire will try to contact his girlfriend after he can’t find you or Katie. Once he discovers she is missing, I’m sure he won’t waste time with Joe.”

Katie stiffened at the thought. She hadn’t considered what kind of response her actions would bring. Yet, it made sense. The vamp would figure out something happened to his girlfriend, then he would take revenge on Joe.

Guilt squeezed Katie’s heart, knowing Joe would die because of she’d done. She moved to Jules and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”

Jules leaned her head on Katie’s shoulder and cried. Tears swelled in Katie’s eyes. She never wanted anything to happen to her best friend, or her boyfriend. The familiar pain was one she didn’t want anyone to suffer.

“I expect he’ll call before sunrise when his girlfriend doesn’t respond.”

“If he does, can we negotiate?” Katie asked, and Jules lifted her head.

“Did you not hear what I said a moment ago?”

Katie couldn’t resist the urge to snap at him. “You don’t have to be so heartless. Think outside your fucking boxed vampire world for a change.”

He leaped to his feet. “I’m here to protect you, not negotiate for a human’s life.”

“Then I will.”

“You will not!”

“Will,” Katie grunted through her clenched teeth. A fucking vampire wouldn’t control her decisions or actions, ever.

Riker’s eyes glowed and he took a step forward. A vibrating sound from the bathroom jerked his attention away from Katie. By the time she realized the noise came from her phone, it was too late. He’d raced past her and vanished into the small room.

Katie left Jules sitting on the bed and hurried toward the bathroom. Riker stepped out, holding her cell phone. He read off the digits to her.

“That’s Joe!” Jules rushed toward them.

“How did he get my number?” Katie looked at Jules for the answer.

She froze, staring at Katie.

Snaps, loud crackles and plastic crunching jarred their attention to Riker. Pieces of plastic thudded on the floor. The object in Riker’s hand no longer represented Katie’s phone.

“My phone! You fucking destroyed my phone.”

Her temper erupted hot and furious. Jules stepped out of the way as Katie twisted and reached toward the bed. She snatched one of the daggers, removed the sheath, then swung around to face the vampire. Jules gasped as Katie thrust the pointed blade at Riker.

The vampire caught her wrist and spun her around so her back faced him. He held one arm under her ribs, locking her to his frame, then forced her to hold her weapon too close to her chin. She fought him, holding the pointy tip inches away.

“Control yourself, Ms. Dillinger.” The blade inched closer.

“You’re a fucking asshole. I could’ve saved him.” She grunted, thrusting her strength against his hand to avoid nicking herself with her own weapon.

Jules grabbed her backpack and unzipped it. In two seconds, she claimed hold of a gun and pointed it at Riker’s head.

“Let her go.” A soft click sounded from the gun, an indication Jules had released the safety.

“I’d do what she says. Those bullets hurt and I trained Jules how to shoot.”

Riker responded by removing the dagger from Katie’s hand and shoving her toward Jules. The frightened queen of disco lowered the gun as Katie smacked into her. They crashed onto the bed.

Katie twisted as Riker yanked the gun from Jules’s hand. He removed the shell casing from the weapon and then tossed the gun on the bed.

“What is in the bullets?” he asked, holding the shells in his hand.