Immortal Revenge (6 page)

And what promise did he make to Kyle?

She tossed her phone on the bed and it bounced next to some clothes. The shirt with the words
Tasmanian Devil
and a image of a female devil appeared too big to belong to Jules. A pair of pink sweatpants lay underneath it. Those were definitely from Jules’s wardrobe. Though her friend was a few inches taller than Katie was, they wore the same size, except in shirts. Katie had bigger breasts than her friend did. She wondered if that was the reason Jules gave her one of Joe’s shirts. Without complaining one bit, she dropped her towel and donned the borrowed clothes.

Katie stepped from the room and proceeded down the hall. The smell of bacon and coffee lassoed her toward the kitchen. She stopped in the open double doorway. Joe with his large, baldhead, sat at the far end of the dining room table eating a sandwich. The husky man wore jeans and t-shirt. Come to think of it, Katie never saw him in a different set of clothes, unless it was winter. Then, he wore a sweatshirt on occasion.

Joe turned his head toward her. “She’s alive.” Grinning, he placed the sandwich on his plate and then rubbed his hands together.

Jules took a step back from the stove. “Want a BLT?” She wore an oversized shirt and purple sweat pants similar to the outfit Katie wore.

“Sure. Sounds good.” Anything sounded good to her empty and angry belly. She’d tortured it long enough.

Joe stood as Katie stepped into the dining part of the kitchen. “Come here.”

Katie turned her head to the side slightly, eyeing him with suspicion. “What?”

He stretched his arms out. “Come here.”

She slowly walked up to him and he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry, Katie. Jules told me what happened. I can’t imagine how you must feel.”

Katie shifted her gaze to Jules and she smiled at Katie.

Joe let go of her. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to. In fact, I would prefer you did, so you can keep company with Jules at night. I worry about her, especially now with what’s happened to Kyle.”

“Thanks.” His generosity lifted Katie’s spirit.

“You want some coffee?” Jules asked. “It’s fresh.”

“Sure.”

“Have a seat.” Joe returned to his chair.

While Jules fixed her drink, Katie walked around the table and sat in the chair facing Joe.

“Jules said the police think it was a drug dealer,” Joe said, lifting his sandwich. “Did you ever think he was into that sort of thing?”

Jules stepped between them and set a mug on the table. “Do you feel better?”

“Some, and thank you.” Katie slipped her fingers under the handle of the cup.

“For you, anything.” Jules returned to the stove.

Katie lifted her drink and met Joe’s gaze. “He wasn’t a drug dealer. The police have it wrong. I know for a fact he was never, ever, into drugs.” She chose her words carefully about the situation since he didn’t know the truth about Kyle.

Joe wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “That’s crazy what happened. I used to think this town was safe.”

“I’m not sure they’ll find the killer. They burned the house and…” Katie hesitated to finish while Joe chewed on his sandwich. The gruesome details might make him sick.

Katie glanced at the clock on the wall. The time showed a little after one.

“Here you are, hon.” Jules set a dish on the table. The BLT between slices of white bread looked delicious. Her stomach growled in agreement.

“I’ll ask around the mill and see if anyone noticed any unusual people or anything,” Joe asked.

“Are you working at the mill now?” Katie asked.

“Part time, when they need extra help and I’m not working on a project.”

“I swear the man is always working. He’s going to work himself to death.” Jules slid the chair out from the end of the table and sat.

“I’m saving up for the holidays. I have a great idea for a gift this year,” he said.

“You need to schedule some time off to spend with me.” Jules’s statement sounded like a complaint.

Joe stood. “I will.”

“When?”

Katie ate her sandwich while she listened to their conversation.

“Soon.” He walked around the table, stopped next to her, then kissed her forehead. “I promise. Now, I have to get back to work.”

Jules grumbled. “Call me later.”

Joe left, shutting the front door hard enough the clock on the wall rattled.

“That man really needs to stop working so much,” Jules said.

“He loves you, you know? He’s trying to make you happy.”

Jules pushed her chair back and scraped it over the tiled floor. “He works too much. I want to be able to spend some time with him.” She gathered his dish and cup, then headed for the sink.

“Maybe you should talk to him.” Katie said the words and a round of déjà vu slammed into her. How many times had Jules said the same words to her when Katie was having problems with Kyle? Problems that seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things.

“I have many times.” Dishes clanked in the sink while Jules scrubbed them. “He gives me the same response.
I will. I promise. Soon.
It’s not soon enough. I have needs he’s supposed to fill.”

Katie sipped more coffee, then set it down. “Next time he’s home for more than hour, tie him to the bed and take what you need. Problem solved.”

Jules and Katie had different approaches to solving problems. Katie preferred a direct approach whereas Jules believed in communication and sharing. Although Katie had a more aggressive way to tackling issues, the outcome turned out the same. One just took longer then the other.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea.” Jules shut off the water. “He might enjoy it. I know I would. I think I have some handcuffs tucked in a drawer.”

As Katie finished her sandwich, Jules wiped her hands on a dishtowel and sat down again. Her long, curly hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Tense brows and pressed lips suggested she had thoughts swimming around in her head.

“I could never tell Joe the truth about Kyle. Even now with Kyle gone, I won’t say anything about what he was. Joe would never understand.”

People like Joe who followed regular routines, obeyed all the rules and listened to the government often had a narrow mind. Sprinkle a little of the unknown into their world, such as UFO sightings or ghostly encounters, and they panicked. Whereas open-minded people tended to be skeptical yet receptive to the idea humans weren’t alone in the universe. Merely one of many creatures on the planet and intelligent life existed in different forms, such as ghostly, alien, vampire, or other. Show those with an open mind proof, and they followed with curiosity. Sadly, Joe was not one of the latter.

“No need to open the flood gates and cause chaos.”

“I agree,” Jules said with a sigh, then curled her lips slightly. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Her soft words reflected her concern. Jules was obnoxious and sly at times, but was a caring and loving woman who’d do anything for those close to her heart.

“Thank you for listening, letting me stay here, covering me with a blanket…” Katie held up the last bite of her sandwich and tugged her two-sizes too big shirt away from her. “The food, the clothes, everything. Thank you.”

Jules gave her a bright smile. “I couldn’t possibly let you sleep on that cold floor without a cover. And speaking of clothes, we should go shopping this afternoon.”

Katie nodded as she chewed on the last bit of food. “Yes, but I can’t go out like this.”

“I can toss your clothes in the washer.”

“I need to stop at a store too and buy a charger for my phone.”

“Maybe you should make a list of things before we go anywhere.”

“Yeah, and if we go to the grocery I’ll buy more food.”

Jules moved closer and rested her arms on top of the table. “I was thinking last night after you fell asleep…” Eyes lowered, she rubbed her forefinger in a circular motion on the smooth surface.

“What were you thinking?”

Jules met Katie’s gaze. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea to go after the vampire who ended Kyle’s…existence.”

Katie inhaled a deep breath. “I contacted a friend of Kyle’s who can help me.”

“A friend?” Her eyes tightened. “What, like a vampire friend?”

“His name is Riker. Kyle told me he worked with him and trusted him. He made me memorize his information and said if something ever happened to him, I should call his friend.”

“So you did.”

“A little while ago,” Katie said, nodding. “I’m going to pick him up at either the Chicago or Fort Wayne airport sometime tonight.”

“Do you trust this guy?”

Katie bit her tongue, holding back her immediate negative response. Without knowing much about Riker and having never met him, instinct warned her to stay alert and be cautious. Kyle had been the only vampire she’d ever met. She trusted him with her life. Since Riker was an ally to Kyle, she’d adhere to her late lover’s advice and find out if the vampire was equally deserving of her trust.

“He won’t hurt me.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

Katie rose with her empty plate and mug in her hands and headed to the sink. “I need his help to find the vampire who destroyed Kyle. I’m certain he will assist me, then be on his way.”

Jules came to stand beside her as she washed her dishes. “Katie, I wish–”

“Don’t try to stop me. Please. I have to do this.”

Jules’s sad eyes pressed upon Katie’s soul and filled her with warmth. Her concern for Katie ran deep. They didn’t need to share the same blood to feel such sisterly love.

“I don’t want to lose you. Please be careful,” Jules said.

“I will.”

“Promise?”

Katie hesitated. She didn’t like to make promises she couldn’t keep. While she’d try her damnedest not to end up dead, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t. The risk was high, and Katie understood it.

“I’ll do my best,” she finally replied.

Jules embraced her. “I love you. I hope you know that.”

Katie hugged her friend back. Love was such a crazy emotion. It ripped hearts apart and brought people together. She wished love had the power to return the ones stripped away.

“Everything will be fine,” Katie said, sounding optimistic as always.

A few days walking around town with a cold, lifeless vamp couldn’t be too bad. They’d find Kyle’s assassin, then Katie could claim her revenge. The plan was simple. Really, what could go wrong?

5

A buzzing sound not far from Katie’s head yanked her from sleepy land. She inhaled a quick breath and opened her eyes. The scent of lasagna filled her nostrils while a soft glow from the kitchen trickled into the living room. She lay sideways on the sofa. On the coffee table, an arm’s reach away, her phone vibrated and the red light blinked. Katie stretched her arm and picked up the annoying device. She pressed the button on the side and the screen lit up.

My plane lands in an hour at Chicago O’Hare. Pick me up.

No need to guess who’d sent the message. She glanced at the time on her phone. It showed past one in the morning.

Yawning, she lowered her hand and twisted onto her back. Her body felt rested with only a slight soreness in her stomach from all the retching the night before. One more day and she’d feel normal again. Her heart wouldn’t, but her body would anyway.

Katie rubbed her eyes and sat up. Silence filled the house, except for the clicking of the grandfather clock near the television. She welcomed the peace and solitude. After she and Jules spent the afternoon shopping from store to store, they returned to the house, cleaned Katie’s new clothes, then fixed dinner. Joe arrived home and ate with them. At nine, Jules and Joe both left and Katie crashed on the sofa. Sleep had claimed her within minutes.

The clock chimed, snapping Katie from her dreamy state of consciousness. Riker’s plane would land in an hour. Chicago O’Hare was over two hours away. Even speeding, she couldn’t make it there in an hour. Why didn’t he send a message earlier?