Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (13 page)

Amanda
flashed the magazine at her. More like last decade’s fashions, gross. Well, it
was good to know her flannel shirt was always in style.

“Dear
Abby. What do you say? Maybe we can pen a letter?” Amanda asked.

Jessica
cocked an eyebrow. “Funny.”

Amanda
pretended to write in the air with a clearing of her throat. “Dear Abby, my
sister is a grouchy, complaining, mess, who can’t admit when she’s
staring
at what she wants right in the face.”

Jessica
scowled deep, her eyebrows covering most of her eyes. “You better think about
where this case of mockery and sarcasm is taking us.”

“But,”
Amanda grinned, “she’s really good with a gun.”

Jessica
relaxed and slid further onto the bed. “That sounds better. Any recipes in that
thing? Been awhile since we’ve had access to a real kitchen.”

“Or
a real man.” Amanda was pushing it, really pushing it. She sensed it because
she rolled her eyes. “Sorry if I’m excited to see him again. He’s Duncan
Jasper; he’s not going to hurt us! He loves us. He loves you.”

Jessica
snorted and avoided Amanda’s eyes. “As if…”

“Who
is the
empath
here? You or me, Jess?”
Amanda slid her hand on Jessica’s leg. “You can’t feel what I feel, but you
also can’t see what a regular person sees. Your anger and offensiveness
blinds
you to what is staring you right in the
face. And it isn’t me.”

Jessica
bit on the inside of her lip. “Then why didn’t he ever come back? Why didn’t he
ever try to find us?”

Amanda
shrugged. “You’re going to have to ask him that, not me. I feel. I don’t read
minds.”

Jessica
picked up her pillow and used it to smack Amanda in the face. She didn’t
deserve it, but it made her feel better.

Her
sister squealed as the pillow collided with her nose and fell over onto the
bed. “Jessica Blood!” Amanda grabbed Jessica by the ponytail, an old fashioned
hair pulling.

And
Jessica laughed, untangling herself from Amanda’s long, piano playing fingers.
Maybe the day was looking up after all.

****

The
family car sat in the old red barn, its hood popped open. Jessica’s bare arms
were exposed as she worked on replacing hoses, fluids, and belts. It was a
surprise to her that Duncan had the parts, but he shrugged as they stood in the
living room. “Picked them up when I fixed the fuel line you punctured going
through that building. Lucky for you the
junkyard
had a radiator in perfect condition, or we might not be having this
conversation. Got you a new transmission too. You’re welcome.”

Duncan
went to a lot of trouble to fix her car. Jessica didn’t know how to
say thank
you
for
something like that. He had his own vehicles, a bike. There was no reason to go
through so much trouble, unless…unless…

Her
heart wouldn’t let her go there. Not today. Maybe not ever.

 
On the plywood counter, a radio played soft,
classic rock music. The kind of music that soothed her soul and kept her mind
occupied while she worked.

It
had been a long time since she had been able to do any proper maintenance on
the old girl, and at her age, maintenance was an important thing.

When
she was done, Jessica slammed the hood down and wiped her hands on an old white
rag. It was good to feel the cool metal of the car again and smell the oil
under her nails. Working like this always kept Jessica the best kind of busy.

Jessica
slipped behind the wheel and with the door still open, she turned over the
engine and lightly pushed the gas pedal. She couldn’t help but smile as she
listened to her baby purr; it brought her back to those early days. Back then
Jessica was so young, she couldn’t reach the pedals, but Dad had instructed her
anyway.

“You hear that? The way
it roars? That’s its power, Jess,” Dad said. “And what do we like most of all?”

“Horsepower!” Jessica
said with a toothless front grin.

Dad chuckled. “Pass me that
rag and I’m going to show you, teach you, how to make this baby shine.”

 
Jessica remembered how the chrome polish
smelled that day as she poured some of the white liquid on an old rag. She
always kept a spare bottle in the trunk for moments like this. The car had a
lot of chrome. The front and back bumper, along the doors and even on the
inside, the dash was
accented
and
beautiful.

To
do it right would take at least an hour, and she didn’t want help. It was
something she liked to do herself, alone, because when she did it, Jessica
always felt like her dad was right there with her. She smiled as she smeared
the lotion on the chrome and then buffed it away with the clean side of a
cloth.

Mind
empty, no worries or problems, Jessica rubbed until the chrome shined so
bright, her face was mirrored in the reflection. Closing her eyes, she
remembered Dad teaching her to ride a bike, and walks along the city streets,
sometimes with little Amanda’s hand in hers.

The
smell of the chrome polish brought it all back, even how Mom would
smile—sometimes exasperated—at how much time they spent together in the garage.

When
it was all over, when the police took Dad’s car away to the impound, it
darkened Jessica as if they had just sold off a part of her own heart. Just a kid,
she attacked them, went crazy. It had been her first trip to the hospital for
observation. How painful it had been
then,
to be separated from Amanda.

The
one thing she had left. And she, Jessica, was a threat? She was
eight-years-old.

The
fact that Aunt Gwen had been able to get her hands on the car and kept it for
her until she was old enough to
drive
meant the world to Jessica.

She’d
never forget. Jessica tried to keep that in mind, even though she was angry at
her aunt—felt abandoned. She had to remember in the end they were blood. What
couldn’t be forgiven between family?

Crouching,
Jessica finished rubbing the bumper when footsteps approached. Glancing up, she
saw Amanda’s smiling face. There wasn’t a lot that that smile couldn’t fix.
Baby sister held a small plate and was about to set it down on the hood of the
car. Jessica barely got the rag under it in time.

“Lunch,”
Amanda said and then her brow furrowed. “Oh, right. Sorry. Scratches.”

“Guess
it doesn’t matter much, since I drove it through the front door.” Jessica
grabbed half of a sandwich off the plate. Wonder Bread, soft and squishy; when
was the last time Jessica was able to have such a sandwich?

Plus,
it was stuffed with potato chips. Her absolute favorite since she was a kid.
Jessica took a bite and reveled in the soft bread, the crunch of the salty
chips, and the mixture of turkey and cheese in her mouth. Jessica licked at a
bit of mustard that leaked out of her lip before putting the sandwich back on
the plate.

Amanda
cringed. “Well, I do appreciate you coming in to get me. You’ve always had
flair.”

“For
saving you, or for the dramatic?” Jessica wiped her hands on the ass of her
jeans. “Any sign of her?” She tried to not sound expectant, but…

Amanda
shook her head and bounced slightly on her toes. “No, but Duncan is keeping an
eye out.”

“I’m
sure she’ll be here any minute,” Jessica said, though her spirits deflated like
a balloon. “You didn’t bring me a glass of milk, did you?”

“Sorry,”
Amanda raised her eyebrows. “I guess you’ll have to just come in and get one.
When you’re done here.”

“This
wouldn’t be a sorry attempt to get me to apologize to Duncan, would it?”

Amanda
smirked. “Here I thought I was the
empath
in the family.”

“You’re
just transparent.” Jessica picked up a wrench and tossed it in her hand. “I’ll
be in soon, I promise. Almost as good as it’s going to get. I can’t fix bullet
holes.”

Amanda
nodded and backed away. “Okay. Enjoy your time alone.” She headed toward the
exit,
but hesitated. “I didn’t have with him
what you had.”

Jessica
scowled and lines crinkled around her eyes. “What’s that?”

Turning
around, Amanda held onto a gathering of fabric from her dress. “You and dad.
You had this car. You have this thing that keeps him alive for you. I can feel
it whenever you get to work on it.” Amanda tapped on her stomach. “The bundle
of raw nerves you really are, settle; like a swaddled baby. Calm, soft. I just
wish I had that.”

Jessica
frowned. She didn’t know Amanda felt that way. After all the years that had
passed, how hadn’t she known? “You had other things. Star gazing, right?
Storytime
. That stupid teddy bear magic act he
always used to do for you. Like he was really a magician?” Jessica rolled her
eyes. “Please.”

 
“Kid’s stuff.” Amanda’s eyes were wide with
sadness.

“He
loved you. Just like Mom did.” Jessica rubbed Amanda’s shoulders. “You have to
know that.”

Amanda
nodded. “I do, I just wish I had something. Something that made me feel him the
way you feel him.” She gazed at the car and Jessica saw the longing in her
face.

“Maybe
you can’t feel him because you feel so much else. You feel me, the people you
pass.” Jessica gazed down at Amanda’s dirty toes gripping the dirt floor in the
barn. “The Earth and all that it connects us to.”

Jessica
sighed. “Gaze at the stars tonight. You guys loved seeing the constellations
together. Gaze at them when no one’s around and maybe you’ll feel him. Mom too.
She’d always bring us…”

Amanda’s
nose crinkled and a smile shined on her face. “Cookies and milk.” Amanda threw
her arms around Jessica and rested her head on her shoulder. Jessica hugged her
back, feeling the warmth she could only describe as Amanda spread through her.

“And
to think, people think you’re heartless and a killer.” Amanda kissed Jessica’s
cheek. “Well, I know better. Big softy you are.”

“Tell
anyone and you’re dead.”

Amanda
laughed and covered her mouth. “Okay, but only because I’m scared of you.”

“Good.”
Jessica did her best to sneer, but it didn’t work out.
Instead,
she beamed. As her sister started toward the house, Jessica
slid back behind the steering wheel in time to hear her cell phone ring. She
picked it off the passenger side seat and it flashed with Aunt Gwen’s phone
number.

“Aunt
Gwen?” Jessica’s voice was rushed, but hopeful.

“Hi,
darling girl.”

“Where
are you? We thought—”

“I
know, I know. Car trouble. Busted a tire, of all the luck. I’m getting it
fixed, but I might not make it there until morning, I’m afraid to say. You can
have Duncan keep the coffee on because hell or high water, I’ll be there.”

Jessica
closed her eyes and her soul plummeted like a rock to the bottom of the ocean.
“I’ll come get you. Where—”

“That
won’t be necessary, Jessica. Stay with your sister where it’s safe. If you’re
being protected right now from the demon’s vision, we can’t have you pop back
on the
radar
, can we? Amanda can’t be
found.”

Jessica
knew that. Of course she did, that had always been her mission. “I really want
to talk to you. We need to figure out what to do. And figure out what they
want. How can I protect her if I don’t know?”

Aunt
Gwen’s voice was calming, as it always was. Even when Jessica’s blood was
pumping hot and fast, her aunt had a way of taming the ocean of her rage. “I’ll
explain when I get there. There’s a reason I haven’t been around, Jessica. I’ve
found the answers you’ve been dying for your entire life, ever since that
night.”

That
night. Always code for the night her parents were killed. Jessica wanted the
answers so bad; she could taste them on the tip of her tongue. “Then I want to
ride out and meet you even more. I need to know.”

“I
know how badly you need to know, but don’t rush out. Hang tight. The answers
will be the same whether you have them now or tomorrow. Is it worth risking
Amanda’s safety?”

No,
no it wasn’t. Jessica took a long breath aimed at steadying her, but it was
hard. When she took
a deep breath,
so
many images flashed
through
her mind.
Images of the mental hospital that was her home for a few years, then the
foster homes she always ran away from.

Especially
the ones that left bruises on her cheeks or a tummy empty of the food it
craved. Everything about it was bad, but the worst was being separated from
Amanda.

Jessica,
the dangerous sister who only wanted her
family
,
her sister. Regular people couldn’t understand, they had come for her parents
and one day they would come for Amanda. Jessica had seen them, heard them. That
night, long ago, she had heard them murder her mother. Was it deliberate, so
they could get to Amanda?