Immortal Revenge (11 page)

Katie’s mouth watered as she eyed the food. “I love you, Jules. Marry me please.” She pulled out the chair and set her purse on the table.

Jules laughed as she sat next to her. “Sorry hon. I like dick. Big, hard–”

“I’m going to eat now,” Katie said, stopping her before the graphic description took her hunger away.

Jules grinned. “Fine.”

“Where’s Joe?”

“He left about fifteen minutes ago. You just missed him.”

Katie chewed while she held her food close to her mouth. She’d hoped to talk to both Joe and Jules together. Now, she’d have to rely on her friend to convince Joe to take a vacation.

“So, tell me about your vampire friend.”

Riker? A friend? No way. The cold vamp was not the sort she wanted to shop, chat and play with. How Kyle managed to be friends with him was a question she considered more than once.

She set her hamburger down and wiped her hand on her jeans. “He’s not like Kyle at all.”

“Oh? Do tell.” She leaned her elbow on the table.

“He’s…unfriendly.”

“What, like mean?”

“No, he’s arrogant and lacks compassion.”

Jules straightened. “How old is he?”

“I think three hundred years older than Kyle was.”

“Maybe that’s why he seems that way.”

Katie nodded as she chewed on another bite.

“What does he look like?”

“Stringy blondish-brown hair. Tall. He looks European. Swedish maybe.”

“He sounds kind of cute. Did he have a decent body?”

Katie lifted her shoulder while she gnawed on her food. She had no attraction to Riker whatsoever. In fact, she doubted she could feel an attraction toward any man for quite some time. Kyle had been her lover since she was eighteen and he was a damn fine one. The thought of having sex with another man was one she couldn’t fathom. Love, sex and everything in between died with Kyle.

“The vamp gets under my skin with his attitude, but I can’t let him bother me. I have to overlook his rudeness and try to be nice.”

“He’s that bad?”

“He’s agreed to help me, so that’s all that matters. I can handle him.” She hoped.

Jules shook her head. “Maybe you should reconsider.”

“Not happening disco baby.”

Jules placed her hand on Katie’s knee and gave her a worrisome look. “Are you sure you can trust him?”

“Yes, and no. He said he made a promise to Kyle to protect me. In that respect, yes, I trust him even though I don’t like him.”

“But?” Jules prompted.

“He asked me where I went after I spoke to the police and if I had spoken to anyone about Kyle’s demise. I lied to him and said I slept in my car.”

“Why is he concerned?”

“Because the vampire in town is still here to clean up the mess, erase minds and any evidence Kyle existed. He visited the police station to wipe their minds. When he did, he found out from Ben that I knew Kyle.”

“Are you sure about this?” Skepticism clung to her voice.

“Pretty damn sure. I called Ben and asked about the investigation into Kyle’s death and he responded as if he never heard of a Kyle. I plan to stop by there later and talk to Ben, but I know a vampire manipulated his mind.”

“Oh, Katie. Why even go there?”

“I’m hoping he might have a description of the vampire who visited him. It’s worth checking.”

Jules shook her head. “Poor Ben.”

“There’s more.” Katie pushed the empty dish away from her.

Jules stared at her and waited. After a few seconds of silence, her eyes widened slightly. “Please tell me it doesn’t involve me.”

“I’m afraid it does, but I have a solution.”

“Oh, God.”

Katie reached for friend’s hand and grasped it. “I don’t want Riker to find out about you, and I don’t want to risk this other vampire finding out we’re friends.”

“What do we do?”

“I stopped at the bank on my way over here. I have enough money for you and Joe to take a vacation in Indianapolis. In a week, perhaps less, you two can come back and everything will be fine.”

“A week?” Her eyes filled with tears. “You want Joe and I to take your money and go on vacation while you stay here and deal with these vampires?”

She squeezed Jules’s hand. “Listen to me. This is serious. I don’t know if I could stop Riker if he found out about you and wanted to wipe out your memories. And if the other vamp found out we were friends…”

Jules pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze.

“You
have
to do this. And you
have
to convince Joe to go with you.”

“Oh, Katie.”

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Jules. She hated asking Jules to leave her house, her job, everything, but she loved her friend. Saving her life and memories were top priority.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Jules whined.

“I know. I’ll miss you, but everything will work out. You’ll see. Just take the money and leave tonight. Have Joe call in his vacation to his other job.” She lowered her arms and leaned back into her chair.

“He’s not going to want to go.”

“You have to find a way to persuade him. Tell him how much fun you’ll have getting away for a while, just the two of you. Make it sound romantic, or kinky. Whatever works.”

“God, I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

“It’ll be over soon.”

“I hope you’re right. And I hope we never see another vampire again.”

“There’s one more thing I need for you to do.”

“What?” Jules asked hesitantly.

“If you have any tote bags, I need you to get them and follow me to Kyle’s place. I want to get some weapons out of the cellar before the sun sets.”

“Sure,” she said, sounding more upbeat. “Where are you going to store them?”

Katie disliked asking Jules, but she didn’t have anyone else to turn to. “Can I store them in your mini-barn?”

“If you can find room. It’s a mess with all the gardening equipment everywhere.”

“I’ll find room. It’s only temporary. I promise.”

Jules stood and placed her hand on Katie’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to, you and your weapons of mass destruction.” She picked up the plate and headed for the sink.

“Thank you for being so accommodating.” Katie left her seat to stand next to Jules. “I’ll pay you back.”

She chuckled. “You’re giving me money for Joe and I to take a week long vacation. I think you’ve more than paid me back.”

“I’ll check on the house during the day and pick up the mail.”

Jules turned off the faucet and the room became silent except for the ticking clock. “Promise me one thing.” She picked up the dishtowel and wiped her hands. “Promise me you’re not going to get yourself killed.”

Katie met her friend’s gaze. “I’m going to fight like a queen bitch to stay alive. I give you my word.”

“Now that I believe.”

They both grinned.

“When are we leaving for Kyle’s?”

“Now, if you’re ready.”

Jules lifted a finger. “Give me ten minutes.”

“I’ll wait on the sofa.”

As Jules ran out of the kitchen, Katie strolled into the living room and took a seat on sofa. She relaxed her head against the soft cushion behind her and closed her eyes. In one of the rooms, she heard drawers banging and water flowing. Time passed and her mind drifted.

“I’m ready,” Jules said, snapping Katie back to reality.

She took a deep breath and jerked her head up. “Okay.”

“Are you all right? Maybe you should sleep for a little bit. We have time.” She halted in the hallway with several empty bags hanging from her arms. Instead of sweatpants, she now wore skintight jeans.

Katie stretched her back. “I’m good. Just need to get my purse.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed it from the table.

“Shall I follow you?”

“If you can keep up.” Katie grinned, then headed for the front door.

“You might want to ease up on that gas pedal now that Kyle isn’t around.”

“Yeah.” Katie let out a deep sigh. “I know.”

From Jules’s house, Katie led the way in her Camaro to the back roads outside of town. The sun shined in the clear sky, forcing her to wear sunglasses. Warmth penetrated the windows and heated the inside of her vehicle. She glanced in her rearview mirror multiple times, checking on Jules. Her friend kept a short distance between them.

Anxiety prodded Katie when she turned on the road leading to Kyle’s house. She hadn’t been home in two days. Without any doubt, the damage to the house and the burn mark on the lawn would cause her heart to ache.

She slowed her vehicle as she approached the driveway. Yellow tape stretched from the mailbox to the other side where a wooden fence stood. At first, she considered driving through it, but she didn’t want to risk any damage to her vehicle. She stopped the car on the side of the road.

Jules parked behind her while Katie pulled out one of the ring knives from her purse. She stepped from her Camaro and lifted her hand to Jules, signaling her to stay in her car. Sun bearing down upon Katie, she strode up to the yellow police tape and sliced it with her small knife. She returned to her vehicle and placed the ring in an open slot on her dashboard, close in case she needed it again at the barn.

After Katie turned onto the driveway, she held her foot above the accelerator and let the car crawl forward. A big, black spot in the yard stole her gaze briefly. At least the cross was gone. Ahead the once lively two-story farmhouse lay demolished. The concrete steps were the only part of the structure remaining. Even the long front porch was gone. Wood and debris lay everywhere with more yellow tape fluttering in the wind. She longed to find a way to reach the basement, but given the hazardous appearance of the home, she didn’t dare risk it.

“What happened, Kyle?” She parked near the front of the mountain of burnt lumber. “How did this vampire find you? How did he manage to…cut your head off?”

Kyle was strong and fast, ready to fight at any given second. She couldn’t figure out how someone could’ve destroyed him. It just didn’t seem possible. Yet, it happened.

She grabbed her ring knife, pushed her door open, then stepped out.

Jules came to stand near her. She held her hands on her hips and gazed at mess. “Wow.”

Really, what more could one say?

“Let’s get going.” She slid the ring on her forefinger as she strolled past Jules’s car.

The barn sat off to the side of the house, several car lengths away. It held up well, but part of it had received damage. The once red front and left side of the structure appeared charred. Perhaps the firemen had arrived in a nick of time to save the building.

Beyond the driveway, the ground was soft and deep gouges indicated a heavy vehicle had indeed approached the barn. Katie could only imagine the effort the firemen had given to save the structure. She considered thanking the entire fire department, but quickly tossed the idea out the window. Odds were likely they no longer had a memory of quenching the fire.

“Do you think your weapons are still safe in there?” Jules asked, walking next to her and carrying empty tote bags.

Katie took the supply from one of her hands. “They should be.”

“Oh my God!” Jules’s eyes enlarged as they pointed at Katie’s hand. “Is that a knife?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I know how to use it.”

“There are details about your life I really do
not
want to know about. You told me he taught you how to fight with weapons, but I guess I never…”

“Put two and two together?” Katie grinned. “That’s not like you, detective Jules.”

“I know. I guess I overlooked the gory details. Blood and guts have never been my forte. I like action. Give me Mission Impossible and CSI, but leave out the gruesome details.”