Savannah Past Midnight (4 page)

She’s bent over, palms flat on her pale blue shorts.
She’s breathing hard as her head lifts. Furious green eyes meet
mine as she struggles to say, “Yeah, well, everyone gets lucky
sometimes, Colton. Tell you what. Double or nothing, you beat me up
to that large boulder up there and you’ll get both the lollipop
and
I’ll do your chores for three whole days. What’cha think
about
that?”

I stare up to where her finger is pointing. It’s not
too far up the craggy incline, maybe thirty feet or so
. I could
easily beat her.

“I’m not sure, Vivian. You know Pa told us over and
over again to stay well clear of these rocks. If he found out, he’d
whip both our butts red—”

She cuts me off, “He won’t. Not unless you run your
giant eleven-year-old mouth, that is. Now I’m thinkin’ you’re just
scared, knowing you’re gonna lose to your twin.”

That did it. “Fine. Deal.”

She smiles at me, the pigtails making her look nearly
innocent … almost, but not quite. “And Colton, when you
lose—which you will, big time—I’ll watch you do
all
of my
chores while I’m sucking on that lollipop. You ready?”

Am I ever.

“You’re the one stallin’, Viv.”

“Go!” She takes the lead and starts scrambling up the
huge rocks that are warmed by the July noonday sunshine.

I do my best to quickly strategize, desperate to make
it to that huge rock before she does. If there is one thing I hate
most in this world, it’s losing. My fingers claw for a good hold as
I heave myself up.
Almost there.

“Colton!”

At first I ignore her cry, thinking that she’s
playing games, trying to distract me from the finish line.

“Colton, please! Help … I-I’m stuck!”

Sweat drips down into my eyes as I quickly wipe my
brow and glance down at her. Sure enough, her left leg isn’t
visible. It’s trapped in a crevice between two fair-sized
boulders.

“Hold up! I’m comin’ back down.”

“Hurry, Colton. Think I twisted it or somethin’.”

“Just hang tight. I’ll pull ya out.”

I edge slowly back down the misshapen rocks until I’m
beside her.

“Now how’d you go and do such a stupid thing, Vivian?
Thought you were ’sposed to be the brain in the family.”

I stare at the rocks as I try to figure out the best
way to pull her out without cutting up her leg.

“You bleedin’?”

“I-I think so. Just pull me out, Colton. If Pa finds
out we’re both done for.”

“Yeah, you got that right. Here, I’m gonna get behind
you and try to lift ya. You got down there; surely we can get you
back out.”

“Just hurry.” She squirms violently, trying to free
herself.

I get a firm grip under her arms and start to pull,
quickly realizing that she’s not budging an inch.

“Oh God! Oh Jesus! Something’s biting me! Pull!!
Heeeelp me!”

Biting her?

I freeze in shock and she begins screaming at the top
of her lungs. I pull desperately at her little body as my heart
thunders violently in my chest. She is writhing manically,
desperate to get away from whatever it is.

“Colton! Pull harder, oh God! Puhleeeezzze!”

She is shaking and sweating in my grip as I use
everything I have to heave as hard as I can. Finally she is
wrenched free and I fall backward with the weight of her on top of
me.

“Vivian! You all right?”

Scrambling back up, I crawl around her to have a look
at her leg. The bloody scrapes are nothing compared to the dozen or
so puncture wounds that are covering her calf.

Oh no, oh shit, please no … prairie rattlers. Pa
warned us to steer clear of ’em. Normally they are reclusive. Maybe
she scared then or stepped on ’em or something.

She is shaking and crying as I touch her shoulder.
“We gotta get you to a hospital, Vivian. You wait here and I’ll go
for help.”

“No!” She sobs harder, her arms flying up to cling to
my neck. “No! Don’t leave me here, Colton! I’m scared. I’ll try and
walk if you help me, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Not sure what bit you but we gotta get
you help real quick.”

I get her up and half walk, half drag her as we inch
our way back toward the house. Every few minutes I look down at her
swollen, bloody leg, which is rapidly getting worse.

She stops, panting, and manages to eke out, “Can’t
walk anymore ….” Tears track down her pale face.

“Shh, it’s gonna be all right. Let’s get you up on my
back. Here, try to bind your legs about my waist.”

The added ninety pounds of weight on my skinny frame
slows our progress to a crawl. My legs are shaking as I put one
foot in front of the other, determined to make it to help. I’m
about to lay her down in the meadow and sprint back to the house
when I see Pa coming toward us on horseback.

Quickly I pant, “Pa’s comin’ now on Outlaw, Vivian.
Everything’s gonna be okay.”

A pathetic moan is her only reply.

I set her down as gently as I can and raise my arms
in a frantic crisscross motion, hoping my father will understand we
need him. He seems to understand because Outlaw breaks into a
gallop, heading straight toward us.

“Vivian, wha-what’s wrong?” The words fall from my
trembling lips as I stare down at my sister, who is now ashen white
and unconscious.

“Pa! Pa! Hurry!”

The horse comes to a halt not two feet from us. My
father jumps down and bends to scoop up my immobile sister. “Jesus
Christ, boy! What the hell happened to her?”

“Need to get her to the hospital. She was bitten a
bunch of times, might have been prairie rattlers. I didn’t see ’em.
She got her leg stuck down between two rocks.”

With my sister clutched high in his arms, he sets her
gently atop Outlaw right before he mounts up behind her, her back
leaning into his chest. He glares down at me—a hatred I’ve never
seen before in his dark eyes.

“Headed to the hospital in Helena. For your sake,
boy, you’d best hope she’ll be all right.”

I watch as he whips around and takes off in a
billowing cloud of dust.

“Pa, wait for me!” I race after them but by the time
I make it to the house the taillights of the old blue Chevy are
already a quarter mile up the driveway.

I collapse on the front porch swing and sob
uncontrollably. I didn’t know that many tears could come out of a
body. Then I just become numb, fearing deep down that something is
wrong—very, very wrong. Day turns into night and the only words
that are pounding around in a repeat loop in my head are, “Is she
all right?”

Finally, after what seems like a year-long wait, I
watch the streaky beams of the truck come down the lone dirt
drive.

I rush to the truck and in the darkness watch my
father get out, his battered Stetson clutched tightly in his right
hand. He looks older, beaten down. He won’t meet my eyes.

My lips tremble as I ask, “Pa, where’s Vivian?”

“Gone.”

“Gone?” I repeat the single word, not
understanding.

“Too late. Nothin’ they could do. Organs started
shuttin’ down on the drive there.”

“But, but, they can fix her. I saw on TV they have
medicine for snakebites—anti-venom I think it’s called—right Pa?
They’re gonna fix her, ain’t they? Never heard of nobody dyin’ of a
snakebite.”

I gasp and stumble back as he rages at me, “That’s
because you ain’t never seen a small girl get struck seventeen
times by rattlers and have to wait close to three hours for
treatment! They pumped her full of that shit—I watched ’em do their
best—but she was already in a coma. Now know this, boy, now and
forever, I put this all on your head, Colton.”

I stand alone, shaking in the night as he turns and
walks away from me.

“Vivian?” I whisper helplessly into the air.

Her reply never comes.

T
he smooth, rhythmic strains
of “Greyhound” by Swedish House Mafia throb in perfect unison with
the rapid flashes from the overhead strobe lights as I wind my way
through designer-clad bodies, heading toward the roped-off VIP area
of the ultra exclusive nightclub. Tristan’s pale eyes are watching
me with chilling potency as I close the distance between us. He
nods to one of his men to release the latch of the leather rope,
which obviously makes him feel quite important.

“Cosette, it’s been a while, my darling.”

“Not long enough.”

His mouth tightens in distaste at my insult, but he
shows no other sign that he’s affected before smoothly offering,
“You look stunning as always. Please join me. Belvedere and
tonic?”

“No. I’m here for one reason, Tristan, you know
that.”

With an exasperated sigh, he waves his men away
before leaning forward, both forearms resting on the thighs of his
gray designer suit. “Cosette, I’ll be straight with you. I want us
to put the past behind us. I want you back in my life. I want
things to be how they were before you moved out. And before you
respond, know that declining my offer would be a grave, regrettable
mistake.”

He can’t be serious. Threats? I thought this would be
a meeting about information regarding the recent attacks, and here
he is, turning it into something to benefit his needs.
Narcissist.

“You’re one hundred percent declined. That ship
sailed long ago, Tristan. Now, do you have the information I’m here
for, or was the phone call just a ploy to get face time?”

He pats the black leather seat beside him. “Sit with
me.”

I’m boiling with anger at his arrogance. “No. You
can’t smooth-talk me, not after what you’ve done. Now, you have
exactly five seconds to tell me what I came for tonight or I’m
gone. Five, four, three ….”

He straightens and runs his right hand back through
his long, flaxen hair. His controlled power is undeniable as he
muses, “All right, all right, always so tenacious, Cosette.
Actually, that is one of the qualities I’ve always loved in
you.”

Seething inside, I lean in and hiss cruelly, “Really?
That’s interesting, Tristan, because that quality couldn’t
possibly
have been in the forefront of your mind when you
repeatedly tried to turn me against my own uncle by filling my head
with black lies. Or to give another example, when I caught you with
Sonia’s mouth wrapped around your cock. I see that this meeting is
nothing but a complete waste of my time.”

He’s livid as I spin around and cut back the way I
came.

I hear his voice behind me calling out to his men in
barely contained rage, “Bring her back to me. Now!”

He wouldn’t dare make a scene here, in a club filled
with witnesses, would he? If they try to stop me then I definitely
will. Humans watching or not.

Suddenly a long arm lands hot and heavy across my
bare shoulders, momentarily stopping me in my tracks.

I’m about to shove the male aside when a low,
familiar voice floats down to me, “You’re sure in a hurry tonight,
wildcat. Somebody botherin’ you that I need to know about,
sweetheart?”

Does his timing ever suck!

“Move away, cowboy. I’m in kind of a hurry.”

Still holding me close, he pivots us around to watch
Tristan’s thugs fighting through the heaving crowd.

“You sure do keep some nasty company, sugar.”

“Not by choice. Now move or you’re going to regret
it.”

“Nuh-uh, princess, took me over a week of asking
around to try and find out anything about you. Just happened to be
on my way home tonight when I saw your ride parked out front. Not
missing this opportunity.”

I seethe, “Are you deranged?”

He grins, his white teeth flashing in the strobes,
“Fuck, yes, although I’ll admit, I’ve never been asked that
question by anyone as pretty as you. Kind of a turn on.”

I huff in exasperation as I shove him out of the way
and power forward toward the edge of the jammed dance floor, only
to be stopped by a mammoth human bouncer whose dark eyes are moving
between mine and the guard dogs rapidly closing in. He touches the
device in his ear, saying, “Got it, will do.”

Damn! I underestimated Tristan’s level of control in
this setting. I never should have come alone tonight. I should have
brought Ambrose and Alina with me for backup. Shit!

The towering bald bouncer frowns and says, “Back up,
lady. Looks like Tristan needs a word with you.”

A cool, menacing voice answers for me, “She’s with me
and
we’re
leavin’. You got a problem, my man? If so, let’s
settle that shit right now.”

His hand snakes around my waist and I’m pulled in
tightly against the warmth of his torso.

He hasn’t a clue who he’s starting trouble with.
Tristan could snap his neck as an afterthought while drinking a
martini, while playing a game of chess … all simply for
touching me.

Closing in from behind, one of Tristan’s guards
threatens, “Release her now. She’s coming with us.”

He twists us around to face them and I watch Colton
smile a malicious grin, one of a fearless killer, before he lands
the two giant vampires with, “You just
try
and take her from
me.” I’m stunned to see a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, as if
he would almost
welcome
the violent altercation.

I speak low and quickly, “Don’t do this. You don’t
know what they’re capable of.”

I know I can get out of here, but now I need to try
and get him out of here as well. Damn it!

His eyes never leave theirs as he says, “Think that’s
the other way around, wildcat. Time we bail. This place has always
been a den of fuckin’ wannabe assholes, anyhow.”

As fast as a whip he lashes out with a powerful
haymaker that catches the first of Tristan’s men square in the jaw.
It hardly fazes the vampire—only causes him to stagger back two
steps. Both of them lurch for us as we spin around, the bouncer
blocking our way.