Up in a Blaze (2 page)

“Why don’t you call your friend and explain that your brother-in-law is head of the Texas Rangers. Tell her it simply isn’t safe for you to go to her, because it isn’t, Betty. You know as well as I do the asshole is just waiting for you to show up.” He waited until she glanced up and gave him a short nod. “But, I can have someone else go, another ranger, to accompany her here. He will make sure she arrives safely.”

“You can do that? You would send one of the guys to go get her?” The hopeful look on her face let him know he was doing the right thing. She’d had a rough road in life, and in a lot of ways was still trying to become accustomed to having family around to help.

“Of course I will. Besides, a number of the guys need a short break anyways. A few days in California should do the trick!” He winked at her when she gave him a small smile.

Donte Chaverez tried to concentrate on the book in his hands. Though there wasn’t much the big, tall vampire was afraid of, but flying was on the top of his list of things he wished was never invented because as a vampire, most things in life were easily within his control, so he had never understood the human’s fascination with flying.

To him, it was like turning over your life to some unknown man or woman who sat in the pilot seat. Why would so many people put their lives in the hands of one or two people? Their reasoning eluded him. Yes, the fact he could go from Texas to California in three hours was nice. He was old enough to remember the horse and wagon days when it would have taken literally weeks to travel what he was now able to do in a few short hours.

Still, there was just something about being so far up in the air, knowing that if the plane went down there was very little he or any other passenger on the plane could do to save their lives, which totally creeped him out.

He reached into his briefcase and took out a folder. Inside held everything he and his team had been able to come up with on one Cassandra Vicors. She resided in what looked to be a rundown neighborhood. The images they had pulled off google maps of her house left little to be desired. According to her friend, Betty, Ms. Vicors lived by herself, was a bit of a recluse, and held a full time job at a local Cash & Go.

But then he opened the folder yet again to gaze at the stunning beauty before him. Brown hair halfway down her shoulders, chocolate eyes, she was a beauty to behold. How could a pretty young woman like herself be single and alone in this world? Didn’t human men give a damn anymore about the fairer sex? He stared at the photo in his hand. An innocence showed in her eyes he didn’t understand. It had been his experience that young, single, pretty women no longer held an innocence to them. Hell, it was one of the main reasons he’d given up on dating years ago.

He closed the folder and leaned his head back, sighing deeply as he closed his eyes. He had come close to asking his boss’s brother’s mate, Susan, out before she had mated with Nathaniel. Walter had brought her into the ranger family after her security guard husband had turned over secrets of the Rangers to the enemy. Her husband had been killed, and she, along with Walter’s wife and sister-in-law, had been kidnapped and held hostage before they had been able to take down the rogue vampire and his group.

Susan had come to work for the Rangers shortly after. She already knew about vampires at that point, but Donte had left her alone to allow her time to mourn her dead husband. He’d been almost ready to ask her out when Walter’s brother had walked in the door to report for duty his first day and discovered his mate sitting at the front desk. Now they were happily expecting a baby, and Donte honestly couldn’t be happier for them, even though there was a twinge of jealousy in his heart.

As the pilot announced over the intercom they would be landing within the next ten minutes, he reminded himself that having a mate just wasn’t in the cards for him. He’d lived a long time, and felt sure that if he had a mate, she would have shown up by now. No, having a mate just wasn’t for him.

He stepped off the plane and quickly made his way through the airport. He traveled light, only bringing one duffel bag and a small brief case, which he’d been able to carry on the plane. He made his way outside and cursed the bright sunshine of the afternoon.

Yes, he was accustomed to the sun living in Texas, but the fact remained that sunlight and vampires never mixed well. While he could be out in the bright sunlight without turning to ash or anything of the sort, he was forced to go home every evening and spend the night rejuvenating. He had his choices on how to accomplish this. The easiest and fastest way was just to spend the night in his walk-in deep freezer. He’d had it special built when he bought his house ten years ago. He’d since set up a cot to sleep on, as well as built in shelves that housed his blood supply. He’d taken great pains to assure, that to the naked eye, a human would never even realize the deep freeze existed, it blended into the wall that well. His other choice was to crank up the two window air conditioning units in his bedroom to full blast, and sleep in his own bed.

He grabbed a taxi and gave the driver the address to the hospital as he reached into his briefcase for his extra dark sunglasses. He frowned as he loosened the top button on his dress shirt. The air conditioner in the cab didn’t even feel like it was putting out cool air.

“How much longer?” he asked the driver.

“Oh, with a little luck we will be there in about fifteen minutes. Thankfully, it’s not rush hour, or else it would take five times longer.” The driver chuckled as he glanced in his rearview mirror.

Donte nodded his head and stared out the window, his mind once again going to the young woman he was there to meet.

When he arrived at the hospital, he paid the driver and got out, his mind automatically switching to work mode. He was here to do a job. He was to escort Ms. Vicors safely back to Texas, delivering her to his boss, Walter’s, house. Walter’s sister-in-law was still staying with his boss, and probably would remain there until the threat her ex posed had been completely removed.

Donte had brushed up on that case also. A few short months ago, his boss’s sister-in-law had been beaten to within an inch of her life. Her asshat of a boyfriend had then turned his drunken temper toward Betty’s young son, Timmy. It had been a miracle help had arrived when it did, saving both of them. By the time Walter and Sissy had arrived from Texas, Betty had taken a turn for the worse and her life was slipping away. Sissy had made the quick decision to change her sister over so she could live.

Her son ended up going home with his grandfather, who had arrived from Atlanta, and Betty had come back to Texas with her sister and Walter. Her ex had already made it loud and clear that just as soon as he got out of jail, he would find her. The only picture they had of Betty’s ex was a grainy, very out of focus mug shot, but just looking at the deranged individual in the photo, Donte had little doubt the man would not stop until he had his revenge.

Over the years Donte had run into a lot of men like Betty’s ex. As far as he was concerned, they needed to be locked up for life, or their life forfeited. There was only so much you could do with people like him, and the world would be a much safer place without them in it.

He strolled down the hall to the room his charge was staying in. She hadn’t been released from the hospital yet, but was due out tomorrow. He noticed a man standing right outside her room, and for some unknown reason, his protective instincts came roaring to life. He picked up his speed, if his charge was in danger…

As he reached the stranger standing in front of her door, out of habit he gave a quick whiff. A vampire. He reached into his back pocket and quickly produced his Texas Ranger badge. The stranger gave a quick nod of his head, then moved to the side allowing him into the room. Hmm, the local vampires must have assigned a guard over her until he arrived. That didn’t surprise him. Most large towns had enough vampires that had banded together years ago not only to police their own kind, but also to help one another out and keep their existence a secret. The last thing humans needed to get ahold of was proof of vampires being real. Besides, the local vampires had originally been the ones that saved Betty and her son a few months back, as well as help Sissy convert her sister. Walter and Sissy had both told him how friendly this group of vampires were, and how they had been impressed with their general setup. It seemed the California group had done so well, many other large cities teaming with vampires had adopted their by-laws.

He walked into the room and stopped. Whatever he had been expecting, this was surely not it. Although Donte had seen a picture of Cassandra Vicors, seeing this young woman for the first time was a far different experience than he had ever dreamed.

After a moment of not moving, he realized her eyes were glaring at him as she frowned, and he was openly staring at her. He dropped his gaze to the floor immediately, in an effort to make her more comfortable, because holy moly, Cassandra Vicors was his mate.

He slowly made his way to the side of her bed, avoiding eye contact. “Umm, I am very sorry about that. You caught me off guard. I’m Donte Chaverez from the Texas Rangers. I’m here to escort you back to Texas for your friend, Betty.” He whipped his ID out of his back pocket again and held it out in front of him.

Her voice a moment later left little doubt that he had managed to piss her off. “Well, Mr. Chaverez, I am sorry if I was not what you were anticipating. I realize I don’t look the greatest, but you don’t have to be so rude about it.”

He jerked his head up so fast he heard his neck pop. “What? Wait, I don’t think you understand.”

She cut him off from continuing. “Oh, I think I understand very well. I am sorry I’m a disappointment to you, but for your information, I have been through hell in the last forty-eight hours. The bruises that obviously disgust you, were not by choice! I have been beaten trying to protect a friend, hospitalized, and now I am supposed to accompany a stranger to Texas who obviously can’t stand the sight of me, all because some psychotic a-hole won’t leave me alone…”

He was standing directly in front of her, her chin lightly resting on his fingers, before she could even blink. “I happen to think you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Those marks on your face don’t turn me off, sweetheart, they only tell me what a fighter you are. They represent how strong you are. Don’t let that jerk-off win, baby.” He ever so lightly ghosted his other hand down the side of her face.

He watched as she narrowed her eyes up at him. “How many times have you used that line on a woman?”

He looked down at the tiny woman sitting on the bed in front of him. Other than Walter’s wife, Sissy, no woman had dared speak to him in that tone of voice in too many years to count. Damn if she wasn’t the cutest thing when she got her feathers in a ruffle.

He flashed her his million-dollar smile. “That one was all for you, babe.”

His fingertips were still brushing down her cheek until she reached up and slapped his hand away. “I am not your babe, and I believe I’ve changed my mind about going to Texas with you. You may leave now.”

She attempted to cross her arms over her chest, but squeaked in pain as her ribs protested the movement. Donte sighed and pulled up the chair next to the bed to sit down. “Look, we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, and for that I do apologize. What caught me off guard was your beauty. And yes, while I am bothered by your bruises, it is not for the reason you think. Men like the one who attacked you need to be hunted down and done away with, and the fact there’s another one out there to be found is the only thing that bothers me. I can assure you your inner strength and beauty come shining through, and I’m not just spouting off at the mouth. No, I don’t make it a habit of going around telling women they are beautiful two minutes after we meet. As a matter of fact, you may have a hard time believing this, but I rarely have anything to do with the finer sex.”

He watched as she rolled her eyes, as if she didn’t believe him. Her words a few seconds later affirmed just that. “Right, a total hottie like you, who has lines as smooth as silk, and able to put a woman into a trance, and I’m supposed to believe you aren’t a player? Pulease, Mr. Chaverez. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“It’s Donte, please call me Donte, and you think I’m hot?” He couldn’t help the predatory grin that was stretched across his face.

She looked over to him incredulously. “Is that the only thing you heard?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Men, you are all the same.”

“Hey now, darlin’, don’t go throwing us all in the dumpster. You don’t even know me yet.” He stopped and tilted his head as if trying to figure her out. “Tell you what. How about if I walk out that door over there, and you forget our first ten minutes together. I’ll walk back in, and we start fresh, does that work for you?”

She raked a hand over her face, but then gave him a smirk. “Okay, I apologize for being a bitch. I’m tired, and sore, and I just don’t know who I can trust anymore. I guess it is coloring my viewpoint on humanity as a whole.”

Donte nodded to her in understanding. “I know, and for that I am sorry. But if there is one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty, it’s that you can trust a Texas Ranger. Every one of us has dedicated our lives to helping hu…people, and we don’t take that oath lightly. Now,” he stood hoping he wasn’t getting ready to piss her off again, “why don’t you lay back and get some rest? And why are you suffering in pain? Why haven’t they given you something for it?”