Immortal Revenge (29 page)

19

Steven grinned and set the phone on the cushion beside him. The conversation he’d had with Katie Dillinger had turned out better than he’d planned. She seemed hesitant, which he expected given her circumstance and knowing what she did about vampires. Her tone, though curt, suggested she was smart. She knew what she had to face. Curiously, he didn’t suspect a hint of fear in her voice.

“Think she’ll show up?” Brandon stood, leaning on the sofa arm and biting his nails.

“She’ll show.” He didn’t doubt it. Humans were too attached to their emotions. It was a known fact throughout history and vampires loved to use and abuse, play with and distort those little feelings to get what they wanted. It worked every time. Case in point, she’d agree to a meeting as soon as she heard the dying man’s voice. How could she sit back and let her best friend’s lover die? She couldn’t.

“Why midnight? Why not ask her to come over now?” He fisted his hand and punched his palm. A loud smack sounded. “I’m ready to kill the bitch and go.”

“Relax. I don’t plan to wait until midnight.”

Brandon stepped away from the sofa. “You don’t?” He stood with his legs wide and crossed his arms.

“No. While you were in the shower, I came up with a plan. Chaz will call soon with the coordinates for the phone numbers I gave him. We’ll find out where she is, then surprise her with a visit. This way, she won’t have time to come up with a way to save her friends.” Or herself.

Steven had already made plans for Katie before ending her precious life. The firmness of her tone over the phone suggested she would resist and try to fight them. Considering she’d had a vampire for a boyfriend for several years, Kyle probably showed her a few moves. Still, the woman was human–weak and incapable of defeating any vampire. Steven welcomed the challenge and he’d show her a few moves of his own. Ones that included a little biting and a little pleasure, at least for him.

“Can we check on Debbie first?”

Steven rolled his eyes and turned away from Brandon. The young vamp needed to get over his dark thoughts about the Asian. Nobody in town could hurt her.

“Please, Steven?”

“We’ll see.”

Joe, still lying on the floor, groaned. The man stank of piss and blood. His slow heart revealed his weakened condition. The three feedings Brandon took from him along with the loss of blood from his fingers supported his state of frailty. Too much more stress and death would greet Joe.

“What about him?” Brandon extended his arm toward Joe.

“We leave him.”

Brandon moved closer to the dying man. “Shouldn’t we finish him off?”

“No need to. He’ll be dead before sunrise.”

“So the plan is we pick up Debbie, kill the Dillinger woman and her friend, then leave for New Mexico.”

“We’ll need to stop at the police station one last time and make another mind sweep.”

Brandon scratched his chin. “Right. Right.”

The phone in Steven’s pocket vibrated. “This should be him.” He rose and dug the cell out. A glimpse at the screen showed Chaz’s number.

“Chaz, what have you found for me?”

Steven strode out the living room and headed down the hall to the bedrooms. Passing the room with the young Jennings girl, he glanced inside. The young beauty lay naked and tied to the bed. He might have to taste her and satisfy his cock before leaving. Continuing, he stepped into the bedroom at the end of the hall. He’d set up a laptop on the desk after they’d first arrived at the orchard. The dark screen waited for his touch to bring it to life.

“One of the numbers isn’t registering. I ran the numbers on the other two a half hour ago after I woke up, then waited to see if they moved. They didn’t.”

No movement was good news for the soon to be dead women. On the other hand, the news sounded bad for Debbie. The sun had set an hour ago. Why hadn’t she called or moved? Was her number the one not registering? If it were, Brandon would not take kindly to the news.

Steven sat at the desk, in front of the computer. Brandon hovered nearby like a lost puppy. He surmised the young vamp wanted to hear Chaz’s every word.

“Got a pen and paper?” Chaz asked.

Steven pressed a button on the keypad and the screen in front of him flashed to life. He picked up the pen lying on the tablet. “Hang on.” He squeezed the phone between his shoulder and ear while he flipped the pages up to find a blank one. “Go ahead.”

Chaz read digits corresponding to each telephone number and Steven jotted them on the paper.

“I looked at a map and the number for Debbie appears to be…I don’t know. At a farm maybe. The second one is a hotel. The third one isn’t giving any signal. If I had to guess, the chip has been destroyed. Even if it were charging, it would emit a signal.”

Steven bounced the end of his pen on the tablet. The third number belonged to Katie’s phone. Maybe she’d accidently broke it. No matter, he had Julie’s number and their location. It was a hotel. Since he’d spoke with Katie on Julie’s phone, he surmised they were both together at said hotel. Perfect.

Brandon pointed to the digits near Debbie’s number on the paper. “He thinks this is a farm?”

“And you checked these coordinates twice?” Steven asked.

“Sure did. That’s why I’m calling late. Thought you’d want to make sure of the location before heading out. Sure, they can change at any time, but since they haven’t for the last thirty-five minutes, I think you can find whoever you’re looking for within the next half hour.”

Steven held the phone with his shoulder while he typed on the keypad. “If I need to call you with updated–”

“I’ll be here for the next couple of hours, two tops. Then I’m out for a bit.”

“Understood. Thanks, Chaz.”

He placed the phone on the notebook while a map of Mishawaka loaded on the screen. Then, he entered the coordinates Chaz had given him. The map refreshed with a closer image. When he recognized the location, his eyes widened.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Brandon took a step back, shaking his head. “No fucking way. Something is wrong.”

Steven entered the numbers again, then pressed the enter button. The map showed the same location as the one before, which was Kyle Brown’s property five miles from the orchard.

“I’m going there right now.” Brandon took off down the hall.

“Brandon wait!” Steven roared in a deep tone, then rose.

The young vamp stopped, then spun around. His fisted hands and glowing eyes revealed his unhappiness. “I need to know what the fuck is going on.”

“Let me check this other location, then we’ll leave together.”

“I need–”

“You need to fucking calm down and start thinking with your head instead of your dick.”

Brandon lowered his head and shook it, not liking he had to wait.

Frustration rushed within Steven. The young vamp knew how to push his buttons. Stupid vamp. Rushing out to the unknown was one way to loose a head. When would they ever learn?

He typed the numbers into the box on the screen and waited for the page to load. Brandon came to stand next to him. The map finished refreshing and the location matched Chaz’s description.

Brandon peered at the monitor. “I know where that is. We passed it the other night. It’s off the interstate, not far from the bar we stopped at.”

Well, well, Ms. Dillinger. Prepare for a visit.

“Can we go now?” Brandon asked, back stepping toward the hall.

Steven lowered the screen on the laptop, then picked up his phone. “Grab Joe’s cell in case we need it.”

The young vamp disappeared around the corner. Steven slid his phone into his pocket and proceeded down the hall. He paused near the open doorway to look at the young Jennings female. Her heartbeat was strong and her blood warm. He could smell it along with the fragrant scent coming from between her legs. His cock urged him to stay while his mouth watered.

“I’ll meet you in the car,” Brandon yelled, then his feet thudded on the staircase.

Steven inhaled her scent, then strode down the hall. He’d come back for a feast and fuck before leaving for New Mexico.

Brandon drove fast down the country road to Kyle’s property. For the life of Steven, he couldn’t figure out why Debbie would be there. The house burned down. Nothing remained.

“Slow down,” Steven said.

“Why?”

He pointed. “There’s a cop waiting in the driveway.”

“Right.” The young vamp obeyed, slowing the vehicle. When they reached the driveway, he turned and came to a stop next to the police cruiser.

Brandon lowered his window, then leaned over the edge. “Evening officer.”

Steven peered to the side and watched the cop stare at Brandon.

“Has anyone been here today?” Brandon asked.

The cop held an impassive expression and simply shook his head.

“No one at all?” Brandon pressed.

“My shift started at seven. Jacob was here before me and said no one had been here, but he did catch some teens speeding by.”

“Thank you, and don’t mind us. We’re not even here.” Brandon twisted back in his seat. He pressed his foot on the accelerator, then turned to Steven with a worrisome expression. “He’s telling the truth. Nobody was here.”

“Maybe she dropped her phone.”

“Not possible. I saw it with her the last time I saw her.”

Then why would Chaz give him coordinates matching Kyle’s house? By the look of the rubble, nothing had changed since the last time they drove by two nights ago. Confusion racked his mind. What the fuck was going on?

Brandon parked sideways in front of the crumbled farmhouse. They left the van, slamming their doors behind them. Steven headed toward the rubble and came to a stop several feet away. A quick scan of the area revealed no sign of life, other than the usual bugs whizzing and chirping in the fields.

“We can’t dig through that,” Brandon said, stopping next to him.

“You got your phone?”

“Yeah.”

“Call her number.”

Brandon drew his phone out as fast as a cowboy in an old west movie, withdrawing his gun for a shoot out. He held the phone and quickly moved his fingers over the screen. “Got it.”

A melody rose from the distance, somewhere behind the massive pile of wood and mortar.

“Behind the house,” Brandon said, then took off running.

Steven clamped his jaw tight, irritated by Brandon. Although he hadn’t picked up any signs of life, trouble could still be waiting for them. He jogged after Brandon.

The stench of burnt wood lingered along with something else, something foul and decaying. Steven met up with Brandon at the back corner.

“Damn it, the ring tone stopped.” He had his head tilted toward the phone in his hands. “The call is going through, but I don’t hear her ring tone.”

Steven passed by him and scanned the area near the rubble. The sound from her phone had given them an idea where to look, but they no longer needed it to guide them. They had superior sight and hearing. Surely, they could find the cell, or her body. He pressed his lips together, resisting the desire to tell his partner in crime what he thought about the decaying odor. If Steven was right, Debbie was the source of the scent.

The soft ground gave way with each step Steven took. Near the mid section of what was once a home, a large pile of debris stuck out from the rest of the rubble. Drawing closer, he spotted something round impaled by a piece of wood. He ran toward it.

“Did you find it?” Brandon yelled, running to catch up.

Steven came to a quick halt upon reaching the source of the decay. He took a step back and covered his nose. Debbie’s charred head, impaled by a plank, faced them. Her body sat perched against the rubble. Dried blood covered her clothes and her skin looked burnt to a crisp. She’d spent the day in the sun. Her jacket hung from one of the pieces of wood sticking out of the rubble.

Brandon fell to his knees. “Oh no.” He held his hands to his head. “No, no, no.”

Steven surveyed the nearby area, looking for clues. The pile of debris looked like ordinary wood strewn about from a disaster. He reached for her jacket, hoping he’d find something.