Fatal (19 page)

"Where
ya going? Where do you think she's going, Joe?" Eric said.

"
Dunno. Looks like she's about to run though, right?" Joseph said.

So I turned around to face them. Of course, they both had their letterman jackets on. Eric grinned at me, the expression more wolfish than any I had seen lately (including looking a damn werewolf in the eye).

Girls were just pieces of meat to guys like him. Rich boys who thought they could do whatever they wanted to whomever they wanted because daddy has lots of money and influence.

The anger bubbling up inside me couldn't keep my skin from crawling as I felt Eric... appreciate me with his eyes.

"You want to party, don't you? Well, I'm always ready to party!" Eric said.

He came up close to me, Joseph standing a few feet behind trying to hide a smirk. My thigh started burning where he'd scratched me just a few nights ago. I knew if I closed my eyes, I'd feel their hands holding me
down, hear Eric shoot off his mouth.

"No, I don't want to party. I'm here to see Vick," I said, doing my best to stare through him. He had some really bad, expensive smelling cologne on that was cloying in my nose.

"Vick's so damn boring, baby. Why don't you come on up to my room and I'll show you a much better time?"

He started shifting forward again, raising his hands as though to put them on my hips and pull me close to asphyxiate in that cloud of cologne surrounding him. God, did he just dump a whole bottle of the s
tuff down his body this morning? My eyes started to water and sting.

"The only way you're showing a girl a good time is when you get out of her face," I said, taking a step back and giving him some ground.

The cool, pre-winter breeze that blew by was chillingly fresh and welcome.

Joseph started to snicker, but when Eric shot him a look over his shoulder he shut right up.

He put his hands on his hips and cocked his head at me.

"Maybe you're just not getting it,
Stephie. You are going to get that cute little ass of yours up to my room or..."

It was times like these that I wished I'd bought a can of mace or bear spray. I really wanted to get out of there. Something was broken in this guy, I knew. If I tried to run, he'd just chase me down.

Adam may be a werewolf, but this prick was a real monster.

"Or what, Eric?"

I recognized that voice. It was Vick.
Vick, who was taller and more broadly built than Eric or Joseph.

Eric gave a long, exasperated sigh before turning to face Vick, who stood in the open door to the frat house.

"Hey, uh, Vick? You mind giving me a few more minutes alone with your girlfriend? I promise I'll leave enough for you," Eric said.

"I'm not his...!" I started, the need to deny the accusation flaring up in me.

Vick leaned against the door frame, casually. The threat of violence seemed to come off him in waves.

"Here's the deal, Eric. Get lost right now, or I shove Joe's head up your ass. Though, with all the time you two spend together, I'm not really sure that's much of a threat, is it?" Vick said, scrutinizing a thumbnail.

Eric was stunned to silence, his mouth hanging open. I had to admit, it was pretty funny. It was the first time I'd ever seen him really quiet. Not even the professors in class could do more than hush him for a few moments.

I covered my mouth, trying to hide my chuckle. Eric heard. He spun back around, his face twisted in ugly rage.

"What are you laughing at, bitch? What?"

I stood my ground, even as my body dumped adrenaline down my veins, urging me to get out of there. This asshole wasn't going to get any sort of satisfaction from me.
Especially with Vick as my backup.

Vick sprung into action, moving so quickly it seemed like one moment he was leaning against the door frame and the next standing beside Eric.

Poor Joseph stared dumbfounded at the whole thing, clearly uncertain as to whether he should try to help Eric or run away himself.

Vick put one arm over Eric's shoulders and pulled the smaller man closer. If you saw them from behind, you might have thought them friends guiding each other home after a long night at the bar.

From the front, it was a different scene. Eric kept looking down at Vick's hand, apparently shocked that it was resting so non-chalantly on him.

"Don't you two have a class or a
make out session or something that you really need to get to?" Vick said.

"Oh, she's such a fucking square anyway," Eric said, looking at me, "Thanks for making me see that, bro."

Eric shrugged Vick's hand off and started walking away. He looked at me as long as he could, a smarmy smile curving his lips. The effect was somewhat ruined by Joseph snapping out of his indecisive daze and practically tripping over himself to catch up before Vick could do anything to him.

I stood beside Vick as we watched them follow the curve of the road out of sight.

"You're welcome," Vick said.

"I had it under control!"

"Once I got here, yeah. Why'd you come?"

For a second, I thought he was about to make a pass at me. But he relented, continuing to look down the road to make certain that the terrible twosome weren't coming back for seconds.

I opened my mouth, but my stomach made the reply for me. When Vick chuckled, my cheeks burned. Why did I care so much? Why did I feel like I had to make a good impression with him?

"Come on, I think there's still some pizza in the kitchen."

He went back inside. I followed him.

Chapter 28

Inside, the place kind of reminded me of Adam's house. If it was big on the outside, it was huge there. Rooms all over the place. Mostly converted into bedrooms or playing areas, I noticed.

On the way to the kitchen, I saw
a mini arcade, a billiards room with a long, green-covered table in it. There was also what seemed like a home theatre, from what I could tell from all the noise of gunfire and explosions coming out of it.

And, to my surprise, it was all pretty clean. An expensive-looking gold-fringed carpet ran the length of the hall. All the lights had gold-rimmed shades and bits of what I assumed were real crystal hanging from them. It even smelled lightly of lemon.

Until we got near the kitchen, when that heavenly aroma of promised pizza began leading me be the nose.

"Lively place," I said.

Vick looked around, and I thought I could detect an undercurrent of distaste. He even looked uncomfortable in that red-sleeved letterman jacket, despite it seeming to fit him well.

"Yeah, if it weren't for the hordes of cleaning ladies and maids coming through all the time it would be one house party away from getting condemned. Come on, kitchen's through here."

We went through one of those swinging doors. Stainless appliances seemed to be a thing here, though I doubted that the full range, the multiple ovens, and all the other expensive cookware got much use around here.

Though what interested me most was the box of open pizza on the island. It was one of those big, square party ones. And there were five squares left.
All cheese and pepperoni. My mouth watered so much I had trouble swallowing it all.

"Help
yourself," Vick said.

The words weren't out of his mouth before I grabbed one of those slices and bit into it. I could have died happy, right then and there.

It took me a second to realize how I was scarfing pizza down as fast I could right in front of a good looking guy. I stopped as my teeth sank in for another bite, feeling my cheeks burn again.

Vick winked at me.

"Don't worry. I won't tell everyone that you're a human vacuum cleaner."

"Shut up!" I said, unable to hide my grin.

It made me wonder why he was in the frat. He seemed like a nice guy, handsome and funny. Though he did have that chip on his shoulder.

It was then I remembered my real reason for coming. With no small amount of reluctance, I put the pizza back down on the grease-stained box.

"This is about Adam Arnold, isn't it?" Vick said, noting my change in attitude.

I looked around the kitchen, at that swinging
door, at another door on the other side that led to who knew where. We were alone.

"Adam's a werewolf," I said.

Vick didn't even try to feign shock. He just nodded and breathed a heavy sigh.

"I know," he said.

"I know you know."

God, it sounded like some bad comedy skit. It felt like it was getting away from me. I don't think he was trying to be smug or anything, but the way he said that pushed my buttons.

"What you don't know is that he killed someone a few nights ago. A friend of mine. Jenn McClaughlin."

Vick staggered back as though I'd given him an expert jab in the stomach. Grabbing the counter, he gave me an intense look.

"Damn it," he said, "God damn it! I knew it! I knew I should have got him earlier..."

Just bringing up Jenn sent what was left of my appetite running. I shoved the pizza box away. How could I think of eating, when she was lying dead somewhere, probably torn up and looking like a wild animal got to her?

I couldn't leave her out there like that. I knew it was my fault, still. I could have just gone to be with her that night, but I let my own stupid desires get in the way.

"We can't find her body. I thought maybe you knew something that might help..."

"What do you mean, 'we?'" Vick said.

"Adam and I.
We spent all morning looking..."

"You took him with you? What the hell is wrong with you? He kills your friend and you just act all buddy
buddy... Wait, did you tell him about me?"

Vick started looking around the kitchen. His eyes fixed on a block of black-handled kitchen knives. Was he really that scared?

I rushed in, trying for some damage control. This wasn't going as I'd hoped.

"No, I didn't tell him about you or your warning. I know
it's crazy... I mean, it's all crazy, right? Werewolves and monsters aren't supposed to be real... But he knows what he did, and that it was wrong. And besides, I'm not even really sure he and the monster are the same..."

I realized I was rambling. Vick still looked ready to leap over the island and grab one of those knives, as though werewolf Adam was going to jump out of the fridge at us.

The tension in Vick's body let up a little as he considered what I said. At first, it looked like I'd been speaking another language to him. Finally, he frowned at me like he was trying to comprehend a new math equation.

"What do you mean he and the monster aren't the same?"

"I think it's like multiple personalities, you know? Same body, different people. He transformed in this safe room he has. When I looked into his eyes, it wasn't Adam. It was something else entirely… I think. Someone else, really… I don’t know."

"No, no. That's not right. A monster's a monster, even if he's really only doing bad things some of the time, the remainder doesn't make up for it."

I could feel some sort of philosophical discussion of identity coming on, and I really didn't want to have it. Not only because I'd already argued with myself along those lines, but also because every second we spent on this was a moment we weren't using to find Jenn.

"Whatever. What's your deal, Vick? How do you know about Adam at all? Actually, why are you here at all? You just don't seem the type..."

"What? You mean I don't act like a jock fratboy asshole like the rest of them?" he said, his frustration giving way to amusement, "Maybe I should try harder..."

"Don't. Guys like Eric are complete
douche bags. But that's the thing, you're not like Eric at all. So, Vick, if that is your real name, what is your deal?"

I leaned my elbows on the island and rested my chin against my clasped hands.

"Vick is my real name. Look, the rest is so complicated, it'd take too long... I'll try for the short version. My family has hunted monsters for generations. Some kids grow up to work in offices, or at the factory or join the police or whatever their mom or dad did. Well, my mom and dad hunt down things like Adam."

"Are they here?
Your mom and dad?" I said.

It felt like I'd stepped through the TV screen into some paranormal TV show or something. The first guy I like in years is an actual, honest to God werewolf. And the second turns out to be from some sort of monster hunting dynasty.

That thought caught me up. Did I really like Vick? I tried to put it down to hormones and the whole getting saved from Eric thing, but rationalizing my feelings like that didn't make them go away.

"No, no... This is my, uh, initiation, I guess you could call it. You graduate high school. I graduate into the family after I pass my exam."

The way he stressed that last word brought all my attention to him. I studied his face. Did he mean what I think he meant?