Misty (15 page)

“Great, in this economy you need all the help you can get. I’m heading to Riverside. Know where that is?” He glanced at her and she shook her head. “Southern California. I’ve moved my family there and we’re working for a small packing firm. So I picked up the last of our furniture.”

“Riverside sounds great. If you don’t mind, I could ride along and I could go north to my family.” She looked over at him to see how he was taking this. “I have some money, I could buy food or something to pay my way.”

“Just buy your own food. My wife’s family packed me a lot and I just pick up a little when I get gas.” He pointed to the back.

“Tell me about your family.” So she listened as they followed the route to California to a very proud, very tired husband and father. She dozed in the truck and he had to stop to sleep in the truck himself. By the time they reached Riverside she felt she already knew his family. Even so, he introduced her.

After meeting his family, she explained about him rescuing her, and the kids, who already thought their dad was a hero, had a great story to tell. She only stayed a night, using the excuse of getting to her own family. She moved north, then turned south, as Riverside was on the edge of the deserts, where she felt would keep away the Vampires.

She found a rundown garage that needed a bookkeeper, and she went to work three days a week. They let her stay in a room over the back for part of the pay. It stank of motor oil and overheated engines but it suited her. It only took her a couple of nights before the nightmare of pale blue eyes woke her up in a damp bed. She knew he was still searching for her.

* * * *

He had followed one trail after another. This had been the hardest hunt he had ever undertaken. It was becoming more and more a personal and urgent hunt. It had brought out a thrill he thought he had lost. This mortal was amazing. She had instinctively found ways to cover her tracks that even rogue Vampires had not thought of trying. He was not sure what was driving him the most, concern that she might be attacked by a rogue, or his own need to get close to her again.

Now, tonight, he was following a woman. Something was wrong. She smelled a little like Misty, but he knew she was not Misty. He needed to find out what had happened. The smell was not that strong. Besides, he could tell the woman was using drugs. He approached the woman slowly.

She looked up and smiled. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen outside of movies. He was leaning against a very nice BMW with his arms folded and his ankles crossed. His long legs were in black leather and when he uncrossed his arms she saw that he had on a tight matching leather jacket that was partly unzipped. He had no shirt on under it and the dark skin of his chest was adorned only with a gold amulet on a chain. He had a crooked smile that just drew her in.

She did not mind the dangerous look of his dark hair and muscular build. It was sexy and she was always ready for a little excitement. She smiled back and turned away for the man she had been walking beside. She just looked at him with an eyebrow raised in a question. He moved and opened the passenger door, waiting. She looked at him for a long moment then began to walk towards the car, swinging her hips. She knew that she had treated her body badly, but she was still drawing a crowd, like the slugger she had allowed to pick her up earlier this evening.

The guy she was with grabbed her arm. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

She shrugged him off. “Get lost. I have been offered a better deal.” She smiled at the tall dark man, hurried over and got into the luxury car. He wasted no time and was not gentle, just took control. She immediately put her head back and her eyes were glazed as he took her over. He drove to a dark deserted parking lot and had her offer her neck so that he could taste her blood.

He took only a little and drew back totally puzzled. It was so diluted, but it was there, along with drugs and by products that were distasteful. He would not feed from this woman. But he needed to go into her mind to find out how she seemed to be like Misty. Was she related in some way to Misty?

Her mind was a cesspool. How could someone who had a good education and a nice family do the things to her body that this woman had done? But he plowed backward, day by day, watching her put different things into her body, watching her misuse others around her. He almost missed it, but he went back, the dark stinky room, the bodies lying around. There it was, in the shadows. The drugs were already in her body and Misty was walking in, offering two needles full. He watched her grab one and push the plunger to take the entire amount into her body. The other one flew through the air as two men fought over it, then hit the floor. The glass broke and red splattered everywhere. He dwelt in her feelings, but she felt nothing and the woman, Misty, was gone. He swallowed his sickness as he heard the sick young woman laugh and look for more drugs. He broke off control to put her to sleep.

He wiped all memory of Misty, the needle and the blood. He erased all memory of him, took her out of the car and sat her up against the side of the building at the parking lot. She had passed out in a lot worse areas. He placed a call to the police about the woman before he left. He was heading for Texas and New Mexico.

He called Alex. “How goes it, Rad?” Alex was always in a happy mode until Rad brought him down.

“Where is Marco?” He used his command voice.

“Trying to keep up with all of your companies and businesses. You have more money than the Council. Why don’t you eliminate a few and relax? Or let poor Marco relax. By the way, Vasa has sent a message. She wonders where you are and would like a social visit from you. I wonder why she never asks me for a social visit?” Rad felt the relief in Alex’s voice. More than that, a whisper of doubt about Vasa began to bring out some questions in his mind.

“I will tell you, Alex, there is a heavy price to pay to be with Vasa. Be glad that she isn’t interested in you. As for Marco, it makes him feel important to handle so much. He will tell me when it’s time to close or sell a firm or company.” Rad took a deep breath.

“How goes the hunt?”

“Amazing. I wasted days following her scent. She actually took her own blood and inserted it into another. I will really pay her for that little folly, starting with those lovely lips. But I am learning her tricks. As she thought she was learning ways to stay away from me, I have learned how she thinks, and actually now I am getting closer. I’m going to Texas and New Mexico. But I won’t need to be there very long. Her scent and memory is coming to me, even this far away. I will stop only long enough to feed, read and go on.” There was calmness in Rad’s voice.

Alex knew that Rad had many talents that he didn’t share, and that the Council used Rad when Rad let them. Alex wondered if the blood from this woman would make Rad so powerful that the Council wouldn’t be able to touch him. “Rad, I’m with you no matter what, remember that. But make sure you are doing what is right for you and for all us who walk the night on your side.”

There was silence except for the noise from the phones. Finally Rad spoke. “I won’t interfere with the Council. All those of the night need a ruling body. But I won’t let the Council rule me. As for what happens when I have this lady, that might be fate. Alex, she is in my dreams. Vampires do not have dreams. I’ll need to stay in my original home. Make sure it is ready.”

Alex heard the disconnect. Alex made a couple of calls in order to get the house in New Orleans ready for Radames return. He began to think about Rad having dreams. There had to be something happening between Rad and this woman with the unusual blood antigens.

Chapter Twelve

She had been working at the little garage for about four weeks. The time had gone faster than she thought. The guys were nice, funny and flirted in a pleasant way. She picked up used clothes at a couple of church outreach stores. She left a couple of dollars each time she went. She was happy to find some that fit. She really didn’t care how much they had been repaired or faded from washes.

She had found a big t-shirt to sleep in. This one was actually a football shirt for some local team and it was huge. The short sleeves came below her elbows and it hit in the middle of her thighs. She loved it, even if it was orange and white. She had to rely on Wal-Mart for the underwear, but the stores offered all sizes and prices, so she went cheap. She still did not want to get too much because she could not take a lot with her when she had to leave. Traveling light was a necessity.

She woke up one night, aware she was having the dreams again. This time they were a little different. She would be with a friend and as he turned around, he had those pale blue eyes. She ran and ran and it got dark and the eyes were still there. Finally she would wake up. Usually it was only around three AM, but she could not go back to sleep. She tried to keep quiet, because a time or two she had made enough noise to wake up their other boarder in the room next to hers. The walls were thin and they could hear each other cough. She had apologized and Mike, the guy next door, seemed to really be concerned. Nice guy.

“You know, you eat wrong. You need to try some of the green foods that I get from the farms up in the valley. It really helps clean out your system. It will let you sleep better.” He patted her shoulder and made her a salad for lunch. It actually was pretty good.

But she was getting antsy. She did not get any Vamp tingle but something just didn’t feel right. Time to move on. She decided to wait for the paycheck, which was just one more day to do the disappearing act. The owner paid them off in cash, which was nice and everyone appreciated it.

This was one of the days she wasn’t supposed to work, so she decided to take off for the local laundromat. She yelled at Mike as he worked on a car to see if he needed anything washed. He smiled, nodded, and ran up to return with a small bag of clothes. She took the usual two hours and did both her loads along with Mike’s stuff. When she brought the everything back, Mike gave her a couple of dollars for what she had put in the machines and bought her a bottle of water for her work.

She went to her room, dug out the usual backpack to put in what she would need. She thought that she would go into the little office, get her cash and would just do her thing down the road. She read and took a shower down the hall, then changed into her orange and white shirt. She was restless
—
sleep wouldn’t settle behind her eyes. She stretched back in bed reading until she finally felt that she might get some sleep. She had even dozed off once but rolled over on her book. She woke up enough to turn off the light and went right back to sleep.

* * * *

He pulled the dark sedan up outside the door that led up the stairs to her room. He had been watching her for a couple of days. He was not sure why he hadn’t taken her the first moment he had found her. But the first sight of her had put a burning in his center that actually brought a hard on so tight, the leathers he wore chafed. He thought of the ugly minds he had been forced to fuck with, like dumping out week old garbage pails, in order to chase the trails of her memories in minds so twisted by drugs and misuse that there was no daylight in them. He gripped the wheel tightly and worked to get some control of his emotions but more important his body.

The high he had been on during the hunt was beginning to burn out. All he wanted was to throw her down on the floor, the road, anywhere and enter her body, penetrating her vein at the same time. He knew he needed to get this under control before he took her back to New Orleans. So he had watched for a couple of days. He sat here tonight, finally as much under control as he was going to get, because he had to go ahead, get her into this car, and head east, so that he felt he had some control of the whole situation.

* * * *

She had heard the soft knock, as it slowly brought her out of her sleep. She looked at the clock. It was only twelve-thirty
—
she had not been asleep too long. She switched on the light, wondering about the knocking. It must be Mike
—
he must have a problem. She ran a hand through her hair pushing it out of her eyes, as she made her way to the door, pulled the two slide locks, turned the handle and opened the door.

She had no time to move back, no time to react except in her mind, no time to even say anything. He had both hands around her and she was lifted off her feet. They were moving down the narrow hall before her sleepy mind began to react.

“No, Rad, leave me alone.” She pushed against him. It was like pushing against a wall. He did not say anything, he just kept moving and taking her with him.

Suddenly Mike was at his door behind them. “Hey, what the hell is going on.” He lunged towards them.

Rad stopped and since he had a grip on her she was pulled to a halt also. He looked at Mike, and Mike just turned around and went back into his bedroom. That was when she realized it was useless to resist. She didn’t want anyone hurt, so she just let him hustle her down the back stairs. They went around the building and there was a black car with tinted windows sitting at the curb.

“You drive.” This was the first he had said as he opened the driver’s door and pushed her in behind the wheel.

“Wait.” She shoved against the door before he closed it.

“Misty, don’t give me one second of problems right now. You are in very dangerous territory with me at this fuckin’ moment.” His voice was only a rasp of metal.