Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2) (20 page)

Jared would see us in the hallway if we tried to make a run for the sliding door.

Slowly, we backed up toward the bathroom. Our quiet steps were followed by louder ones as Jared stomped his way up the stairs. He entered the first room. “And where has Etienne gone to?” His voice had an unsettling way of carrying through the walls.

There was a metal scraping sound as Jared yanked back the shower curtain in the bathroom down the hall.

“Nice try, girls,” he said.

The following gun blast shook the walls. My eardrums rang in protest. I thought I saw
Giselle twitch on the floor, but it must have been my eyes playing tricks on me. Valerie and I were in the bathroom with her in a flash. Valerie slammed the door shut behind us and leaned her body up against it.

“It’s locked,” I said.

Jared rammed against the other side. Valerie shrieked, jumped away from the door, and grabbed me. I screamed. She let go. The ramming noise stopped. “Come on girls, I know you have Giselle in there. Open up and I’ll finish the job.”

For one sick moment I considered tossing the girl out
. Maybe Valerie was wrong. Maybe if we went along with the plan Jared would spare us. I looked around the bathroom. No windows. No way out.

“What’s with the gun?” Valerie
called back. I had to give her points for asking in a steady voice.

“Andre pulled it on me. Damn fool. Half the homes on the hill probably heard which is why we need to stop wasting time.” The last three words were spoken with more menace than the beginning of Jared’s sentence. “Open the door.”

I looked at Valerie. She looked at the door. “No.”

“Open the door now, Red
. You do not want to get on my bad side.”

I didn’t doubt that for a second
after witnessing how ruthlessly he’d snapped his ex-wife’s neck, but Valerie hadn’t heard the conversation below.

“Do you think I’m stupid? I know what will happen if I open this door.”

Jared didn’t respond. I couldn’t make out any movement or breathing on the other side of the door. I tried to listen, but all the keeping quiet had frayed my last nerve. My breath came out ragged. I tried to still it, but I couldn’t.

“You had your chance,” Jared said calmly.

I heard a brusque movement in the room then silence.

“I think he left,” Valerie whispered.

“Probably to get an ax,” I whispered back.

“Then we should make a run for it now.”

My body tensed. “No way! What if he’s waiting in the hall?”

Valerie chewed on her lower lip. I looked at the girl lying at our feet. Sorry, G, I tried. At least her death would be painless and terror free.

“Hey,” Valerie whispered. She reached into one of her coat pockets and pulled out the brown bottle. “I still have half a bottle.” She pulled a pink washcloth off a stack of folded towels on a metal rack above the toilet. Valerie handed the cloth and bottle to me.

I took them in my
hands. “What am I supposed to do with these?”

Valerie pulled her revolver out of her pocket. “I’ll hold him at gunpoint while you chloroform him.”

If I weren’t freaked out of my mind I would have laughed at her insanity. “No way!”

“Shh!” Valerie hissed louder than I’d spoken.
She held up her left hand and we listened as Jared returned.

Something banged against the door. Valerie and I screamed. Jared whacked the door again.

Oh God, it was
The Shining
. Unfortunately, I actually had been present the day Mrs. Campbell played the Jack Nicolson horror film in class. The movie might be dated, but it had still freaked me out, especially the part where Jack’s wife locked herself in the bathroom, screaming as Jack hacked it down with an ax.

I could just hear him breaking a hole
through the door and announcing, “Heeere’s Jared,” all creepy and crazy-eyed.

He hit the door again.

And again.

Valerie pulled out her revolver
, drew back the hammer, and aimed it at the door. She nodded at me once.

My heart froze in my chest. I’d battled baddies and fought for my life, but this I couldn’t do. I shook my head.

Valerie shot me a stern glare. It was sort of comforting to see her give one of her normal bitchy looks.

Jared
beat at the door without pause. Each blow made a sickening crack. The wood splintered at eye level, but he hadn’t broken through.

Valerie gave me another look, full of
unspoken orders. She gazed pointedly at the spot beside the door.

Fuck! One way or another we were going to have to fight for our lives. I moved beside the door, jumping slightly when Jared smashed
against it. I looked at Valerie. She looked at my hands. I unscrewed the bottle of chloroform and dumped the remaining contents onto the pink washcloth.

“
All right!” Valerie yelled. “We’ll come out but first you have to promise you’ll calm down.”

Jared whacked the door in answer.

A look came over Valerie’s face, anger replacing fear. She placed her left foot in front of the right and held the gun steady.

I wished whatever calmness had come over her would rub off on me a little. Sheer terror coursed through my bones. At that point, I didn’t even care about looking like a scaredy
-cat in front of Valerie.

Jared continued hacking a
t the door.

The wood splintered around the hole he made when he broke through. We caught a glimpse of his weapon. At least it was a
n aluminum bat, not an ax or sword. That also meant he didn’t have the gun in his hand.

Jared whacked at the
hole several more times then reached through. I screamed when his arm shot inside the bathroom and grabbed the doorknob. The lock clicked open when he turned the handle. He yanked his arm back and threw open the door.

I froze.

Valerie didn’t.

She fired her pistol without a second thought.

Jared’s murderous look turned to one that seemed perplexed. He took a step back and dropped the bat. He looked down. Valerie had gotten him just below his shoulder blade. Blood stained through his t-shirt.

I felt almost as shocked as Jared. It wasn’t enough to put him down though. He bent to pick the bat up.

Scared or not, I knew it was my one and only chance. I leapt forward, pivoting around him, and grabbed his head in my hands as I shoved the washcloth over his mouth.

Please work. Please pass out
,
I chanted in my head. My mind played back images of Jared snapping Henriette’s neck.

Jared grabbed my arm. It was the same grip
he had on me in the totem park earlier. This time he meant to break it. I felt it in his bone-crushing grip. I pressed the washcloth against Jared’s face with everything I had.

14

Just as my bones felt ready to snap, Jared’s grip relaxed and he fell face first onto the carpet.

A sob I’d been holding back
gurgled up my throat. I stood up and jumped back as though Jared might revive himself instantly and come after me, but he lay motionless on the ground.

I caught Valerie’s movement as she stepped slowly
out of the bathroom. She had both hands wrapped around her gun. She kept it aimed at Jared.

“Do you still have your knife?” Valerie asked, never taking her eyes off
of him.

“Yes,” I answered slowly, not sure what she was getting at.

“Finish him off.”

My jaw dropped. “He’s our team leader.”

“He tried to kill us.”

And he
killed Henriette, Andre, and Etienne without pause. But I wasn’t about to stick a knife in him. “It’s Melcher’s call,” I said.

“Screw Melcher! If you won’t do it, I will.” Valerie leveled her gun at Jared’s head. Her anger took me aback.

“Leave it for Melcher,” I said. “We’ve been through enough this evening, and we have to get out of here. I’m surprised we haven’t heard sirens yet.”

That got Valerie’s attention.
She hesitated a moment then pocketed her gun. I thought the situation was diffused, but then Valerie began kicking Jared and screaming, “You fucking son of a bitch!”

“Val!” I yelled.

She stopped and looked at me.

“We need to get the girl in the car.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“What if he wakes up before her?”

Valerie grabbed the bat beside Jared, took it inside the bathroom and tossed it beside Giselle’s unconscious body. The aluminum clanged against the tile floor. “There,” she said. “If she wakes up first then she can finish him off for us.”

“We’re not leaving without her.”

“Well, we need to go,” she said.

“Then grab her fucking ankles.” Cussing seemed to get Valerie’s attention. She scowled at me, but at least she obeyed and grabbed Giselle’s legs while I went for her arms.

We didn’t talk after that. We carried the body successfully down the hall and stairs, setting her down for a moment on the second floor, then brought her down the last set of stairs leading into the garage.

We stopped and set the girl down while I opened the door to the garage. At least she was skinny.

There were four vehicles inside the garage. I looked at the SUV wistfully.

“Which one?” Valerie asked.

“The Mini.”

“Fucking A.”

“Yep,” I replied, feeling the first hint of a grin since the whole ordeal began.

I unlocked the Mini and pulled the passenger’s seat up as far as it would go. While I did so, I heard a loud
slap
. I twisted my head around in time to see Valerie pulling her hand away from the girl’s face. “Valerie, what the hell?”

Valerie shrugged. “Worth a try. It would be a lot
easier if she could get inside herself.”

I sighed. “Let’s just get her in the car and get out of here.
”

I took Giselle
’s shoulders again and backed my way into the Mini, taking her with me. Valerie held her legs while I did all the lifting and pulling.

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to bring her,”
she said when I let out a groan.

The Mini was too short to lay the girl across the backseat. I did what I could, bending her legs to make her fit. Once her feet were clear of the door, I scooted back the way I’d come in, bumping my head on the roof before making it out. I stepped out of the car and moved the passenger seat back into sitting position. As I did so, I got a glimpse inside the front of the vehicle. “Shit!”

“What now?” Valerie asked.

I pulled my head out of the car and looked back at
her. “It’s a stick shift.”

Valerie held out her hand. “Give me the keys.”

I handed them over and climbed into the passenger’s seat as she made her way to the driver’s side. I clicked the garage door opener attached to the visor inside the car. The door groaned as it lifted.

Valerie started the car. She grabbed the
stick and rammed it into first gear. We jerked out of the garage. She pulled the stick back and the car jerked again. I didn’t care so long as she didn’t kill the engine. We careened down the hill, passing our rental car parked at the vacant house.

“We have to get off this island,” Valerie said.

“Agreed.”

“Do you think Jared left the plane tickets in his room?”

“It’s possible.”

“Okay.” Valerie sounded more assured. She stayed the course, backtracking to the hotel.
It didn’t take long being trapped on a small island and all.

Valerie parked in the far corner of the lot, leaving the keys in the ignition.

I looked back at the girl. She was still unconscious. “What about her?”

“She didn’t see our faces. She’ll wake up wondering what the hell happened, drive home, and have to deal with finding out her vampire family is dead.” Valerie didn’t sound particularly sympathetic. “She should be grateful she’s alive, but somehow I doubt she’ll appreciate that fact.”

In my opinion, family was family whether they were vampires or humans. This loss wouldn’t come easy. It might be worse. This girl had spent generations with her family. Then to lose every single one of them suddenly…. Then again, I had my own problems to deal with and Valerie was right—she was lucky to be alive.

Valerie got out of the car first. Before I slipped out, I pressed the self-lock button on the Mini’s key fob, securing Giselle inside the car.

Valerie and I walked up to the hotel in silence. A middle
-aged man wearing a pair of black framed glasses stood at the front counter, tapping at the computer in the deserted lobby. “Leave this to me,” Valerie said. “I’ll get Jared’s spare key and meet you back at our room.”

I nodded once. We split apart.

I quickened my pace in the hall, wanting only to get to the room and feel safe, but once I reached it, I wanted to grab my things as fast as I could and get the hell out of there. Jared knew where our room was. This was the least safe place in all of Sitka.

Most of my things were still in my duffel bag. I tossed in the items that weren’t.
That completed, I went into the bathroom.

Valerie had her shit all over the countertop: hair dryer, big round brush, hairspray,
lipstick, mascara, toothpaste and toothbrush.

I looked up, staring
into the mirror. My face seemed paler than usual. Although I didn’t have any open wounds to clean this time, I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water over my face. Rubbing my skin dry with the hand towel reminded me of how I’d chloroformed Jared.

And Valerie had shot him.

If he ever caught up to us, we were dead. Not undead. Dead. Goodbye cruel life!

Maybe I should have let Valerie kill him. It’s not the kind of decision I had wanted to make with only seconds to spare.
We needed to get back to Anchorage, and we needed to tell Melcher what happened.

I froze and stared into the mirror, locking eyes with myself. I had big pupils. People were always telling me they made my eyes look black
the way they practically covered my irises. I looked into those black spots and tried to control the tremble that had started in my legs.

Jared was a rogue agent now. A rogue
vampire
agent! He knew our operations. He knew our names. No matter where we went, he knew where to find us. Melcher would expect us to finish him off. He was a threat to us all.

Is that how Agent Crist died? Had she discovered his secret? Perhaps she’d been on her way to tell Melcher. And Mike? That still didn’t add up. Jared didn’t seem to have a clue about Mike.

I slipped my knife out of its sheath, holding it in front of the mirror much the same way Valerie had held her dagger and gun in front of the window.

“It has to be done,” I said to my reflection. I returned my knife to its sheath and waited for Valerie in the bedroom.

She returned, grinning as she held up a piece of paper. “Found our flight confirmation inside the bastard’s baggage.”

I frowned. “Valerie
…”

Valerie’s smile dropped. “What?” she asked impatiently.

“We have to go back.”

Her entire face contorted in disdain. “The hell we do!”

“You know we can’t let Jared wake up.”

“Wait a minute. Now you’re telling me you want to kill him? I told you that back at the house. You had your chance, Aurora. It’s too late now.” Valerie made a sound of disgust and stormed over to her suitcase.
She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the revolver. I heard the bullets clink together inside her suitcase as she emptied the chamber.

I took a step toward her, stopping at the edge of her bed to give her space.
“If we don’t take care of him, we’re leaving ourselves in danger, not to mention Noel, Dante, and every operative in our unit. I think he killed Agent Crist.” I was sure of it. And how convenient to remove her cross after killing her and plant it at the Morrel’s house. Hell, he didn’t even have to plant it. He simply waved it in front of our faces and told us what he wanted us to believe. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was Mike. How would Jared have tracked him down and why? And if he had killed Mike, why not pocket a memento of his, like his class ring, and use it as part of his charade? That simply didn’t add up. It’s like two unrelated killings had occurred, but then why had both bodies been found dumped at the same location and time? Argh! I felt like my mind was going to explode.

“Probably,”
Valerie said in answer to my theory about Crist. She tossed her gun inside her suitcase, stormed past me, and disappeared into the bathroom. Her toiletries clacked together as she gathered them up. She returned a moment later, carrying a striped bag which she tossed in her suitcase. The zipper made a ripping sound as Valerie closed it. She set it on its wheels and met my eyes. “There’s nothing we can do. The police are probably there by now. Melcher can have someone take care of him while he’s inside a cell.”

“We should call Melcher.”

Valerie snorted. “Right. I’m sure he’s sitting behind his desk in the middle of the night waiting for our call.” She held up the piece of paper she’d snagged from Jared’s room. “What we need to do is get out of here. Lucky for us, our return flight leaves at 6AM. So let’s say we get our asses to the airport and off this damn island.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Valerie cut me off. “It’s our only option.” She moved
briskly to the phone on the nightstand. “Yes, this is Ginger in room 102,” she said into the phone. “We’re going to need a taxi to the airport. Thanks.” She set the phone in the receiver. “Let’s wait out front. I want to put this place behind me as soon as possible.”

I didn’t argue. Valerie was right. What could we do at this point?

I hoisted my duffel bag over my right shoulder and followed Valerie into the hallway to the lobby.

Our breath
came out in foggy puffs as we waited for the cab outside. This early in the morning, the sky was as black as the Prince William Sound right after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Valerie’s hand shook slightly as she lit a cigarette. For the second time in my life, I felt like asking for a drag.

I think
we both breathed a sigh of relief when the taxi pulled up.

“
To the airport?” our driver asked once we’d tossed our luggage in the trunk and taken our seats in the back of the car.

“Yes,”
we said simultaneously.

“How long is our layover in Juneau?” I asked once the wheels on the cab began moving.

Valerie studied the flight conformation. The paper hadn’t left her hand since she walked into the room with it. “Our flight lands in Juneau at 6:43 a.m., departing Juneau at 12:27, and arriving in Anchorage at 2:05 p.m.”

I leaned into Valerie, doing some quick calculations as I stared at the flight confirmation. “Six hours.” That was a long time to
stick around the capital twiddling our thumbs. I thought briefly of Mendenhall Glacier. I definitely was NOT in the sightseeing mood. I felt like I was running for my life, which was ridiculous. Jared was the one in the wrong. Jared should be the one afraid. Melcher hunted vampires. Well, not personally, but he had a team of hunters at his beck and call.

I still wanted to know how Melcher recruited
The Recruiter
. And no more of his cryptic, bullshit answers. Our team leader had nearly killed us.

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