Pretty When She Kills (21 page)

“Yes, I have located the master vampire. Apparently he was killed in a small ghost town called Fenton. Sergio Guerra and his grandmother are taking me there now. By tonight I should have all the ingredients for the ritual to restore Amaliya. So, yes, everything is fine. Nothing to worry about.” Ethan’s voice was calm, measured, and a somehow reassuring. “Okay. Talk to you later.” Once the phone was stored away, Ethan said to Pete, “That was my employer. They’re pleased with how things are progressing. If not for you, I’m not sure I could have gotten this far.”

“I want to help Amaliya,” Pete answered. “Who does your employer want to help?”

Ethan cast a shadow of a smile in Pete’s direction. “Believe it or not...Amaliya.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t find that strange? That someone that’s not her family is trying to make her human again?” Pete lifted his eyebrows, turning to view the driver.”

“The world is a lot more complicated than you realize, Pete. It’s not all nice and tidy like most of humanity thinks it is. Those who become aware of the truth, that the monsters really are lurking in the dark, either go crazy or adapt. I have adapted. My employer has as well.”

“That’s not answering my question.”

“Maybe not. Besides, you’re going to get what you want. Amaliya human again.” Ethan said pointedly. “Am I right?”

Pete frowned as he stared at Sergio’s truck speeding along before them. “Yeah, but I don’t get why you were hired.”

“Maybe my employer just wants one less vampire in the world.” Ethan shrugged slightly. “Did that occur to you?”

“So someone hired you, a vampire hunter, to go and kill Amaliya’s creator and then make her human just because they want one less vampire?” Pete pondered on his own words, mulling them over. Could it be that simple? Maybe it was. Why couldn’t it be possible that someone out there was so afraid of vampires they wanted them dead or turned back to mortals?

“Again, does it really matter what the motives of my employer are? I’m a vampire hunter. People hire me to eliminate vampires one way or the other. I’m good at it. It’s what I do. Be happy that I’ve been hired to make her mortal, not stake her through the heart and chop off her head.”

“You’d do that?” Pete gulped, the mere thought making him a bit sick to his stomach.

“It’s the only way to make sure they don’t come back.” Ethan shrugged slightly. “But your girlfriend is lucky. She’s young enough for the ritual to work. She can go home, say she was in hiding, and start her life all over again.”

“Yeah,” Pete said thoughtfully, picturing it all in his mind. A smile tugged on his lips and he glanced out the window at the hills streaming past him.

“It’s a second chance. Most people don’t get those, do they?”

Pete shook his head. “No they don’t.”

“So stop worrying and relax. We’ll find a few bits of that bastard’s body, burn it, and prepare the ritual. Easy as that.”

“Easy,” Pete said, his voice full of wonder, hope, and a little fear. “Can it really be that easy?”

“Why not?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, why not?” Grinning, Pete settled in his chair. Maybe this was God’s way of working it all out and he just had to accept it. He was helping rescue the woman he loved and it was a good and noble thing.

Chapter 18

Samantha stared out the passenger window of Jeff’s battered Land Rover at the crowded sidewalks lining Congress Avenue. Even though the thermometer had tipped over the 100 degree mark, there were plenty of people out and about. Dogs trotted in front of owners while babies in strollers stared out at the world through tiny sunglasses.

The food trailers clustered in a lot were under siege by hungry shoppers. Women in filmy summer dresses and sandals and men in shorts and t-shirts huddled in the shade sipping water and eating delicious entrees or sweet desserts.

It made Samantha want to cry. It was all so beautiful and normal. Families, young couples, old couples, friends, siblings, pets with their owners, all living their lives without the knowledge that the world was not as it seemed.

Among them, Samantha could now clearly see the specters of those who had passed on. They wandered amidst the crowds, unseen and unnoticed. A few of the dead looked confused by the chaos around them, but others tilted their heads to gaze at her when the SUV drove past. A male ghost in a pink thong, boa, and big sunglasses stood on a corner and waved to her as she passed. Samantha returned his smile and blew him a kiss.

Jeff turned down a residential street and the shade of the trees was a welcome relief from the blazing sunlight.

“Are you okay?” Jeff asked, reaching out to touch her hand.

“There are so many ghosts,” Samantha answered. “I never realized.”

“You’re growing stronger, aren’t you?”

“I think so.” Samantha tore her gaze away from the hazy figure of an old woman sitting on the porch of a house. She looked straight ahead and curled her hands into fists. “It feels weird not being human anymore.”

“You’re still human,” Jeff assured her. “Just with extra powers.”

“Like a superhero,” Samantha said, flashing a smile in his direction.

“Absolutely.”

“It’s kind of a relief. Seeing all of them makes me not so afraid of dying. Not that I want to die. I really don’t want to experience the pain of it.”

“Let’s not talk about dying.”

“But it could happen,” Samantha said sadly.

Jeff lapsed into silence at her words. She felt a little bitchy for speaking the truth, but she was tired of hiding from it. For the last year she had lived a life of half-truths that had done nothing more than slowly wreck her life. Now she recognized she couldn’t allow herself to lie about the reality of her life. She was a phasmagnus and there was no going back. Even though her heart was still bruised from her relationship with Cian, she was beginning to love Jeff. He was sweet, kind, and goofy just like her. She loved his soulful eyes and floppy brown hair. When his thick brows arched upward, he looked so cute she wanted to smother him with kisses. The last few months while she had come to terms with her heartache over Cian, she had probably taken advantage of Jeff’s kind nature. She wouldn’t do that again. She was done pining over a lost fantasy.

The Land Rover pulled into the alley that led to the parking lot of the bookstore. A hunter-green van was tucked under the big cedar tree that shaded the rear entrance. The door was open and Alexia and Benchley were carrying boxes to the van. Jeff pulled up beside the van and parked.

“Sam?”

“Yeah?” Unbuckling her seatbelt, she twisted in her seat toward him.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight, but I want you to know that I have no regrets. Even if things go really wrong tonight, I’m glad that I met you that day at the Spiderhouse.”

The earnest expression coupled with his sincere gaze melted Samantha’s heart just that much more. Gripping his hand, she leaned over and kissed him. His lips were soft against hers and she marveled at how much she loved his kisses already.

Sharing smiles, they parted and slid out of the SUV.

“About damn time,” Benchley called out to them from where he stood next to the open side doors of the van.

Alexia leaned her head out to glare at them before ducking back inside.

“We agreed to meet at four o’clock today. We’re not late,” Jeff pointed out as he greeted Benchley. They clasped hands and briefly embraced even though Benchley looked decidedly grumpy.

“Yeah, dude, but we were busting our asses while you were...” Benchley trailed off as he caught Samantha’s expression.

“Just shut up, Shark Boy,” Samantha said, playfully punching his shoulder. “If you could spend the afternoon getting laid, you would have done exactly that.”

“Yeah...” Benchley admitted. His crush on her was sweet, but she could see he was a little hurt by the reality that Jeff and Samantha really were together at last.

Samantha peered into the van. “Whoa. All FBI-ish and stuff.”

Alexia was tucked under a console messing with wires. Monitors and computers were tucked into a custom-built workstation that could seat two. A bench lined the opposite side, complete with seatbelts. The seat was open to reveal weapons arranged carefully, cushioned by black foam. A thick black curtain separated the two front seats from the rest of the area.

“Still have more work to do on it,” Alexia admitted. She grunted as she crawled out from under the console. She was dressed in dark shorts, purple Converse sneakers, a purple tank top, and a lightweight sleeveless hoodie. Her short hair was messy and her glasses were crooked. “But it’ll do for tonight.”

Jeff leaned against the doorway. “Looks good, Alexia. Got all the cameras set up?”

“Got it done this morning before sunrise. I have them set to start transmitting at ten when they meet with Rachon. I have four set up so we can see what is going on clearly. We can get the van a little closer than I thought because of a service road. We’ll have to off-road it a little, but Benchley assures me that his mods on the van will hold up.”

“I know what I’m doing. Games and cars, those are my things,” Benchley said confidently.

“But what’s going on with Ethan Logan? That dude is fucking scary bad news,” Alexia asked worriedly.

“We don’t know,” Jeff admitted, “which is why I’m considering driving out there.”

Samantha gave him a sharp look. “Huh?”

“I want to know what he’s up to. And if Innocente and Sergio are with him, I feel an obligation to go make sure they’re okay.” Jeff met her gaze steadily. There was unexpected steel in his eyes.

Her stomach knotted. He was right. Though Sergio and Innocente didn’t live in Austin, they were a part of their crew.

“I’ve tried calling both of them after you told me what’s up. No answer. I tried finding out Ethan’s cell number by calling his ‘work number’, but his answering service just took a message.” Benchley stood with his arms folded across his wide chest. His dour expression spoke loudly.

“You think he’ll do something to them?” Samantha asked.

“Ethan’s a dick,” Alexia said grumpily. “He’ll fuck over anyone to get his job done.”

“So you’ve met him?” Samantha tilted her head to study Jeff’s tense face. “Jeff?”

He shook his head. “No. We’ve only heard stories. He’s a bit of a legend.”

“He’s ruthless. And he has money to back him up.” Benchley climbed into the van and sat on one of the chairs bolted to the floor next to the console. “Word is he killed some cops in Chicago. They arrested him, but he was out the next morning with no charges. Some other guy ended up going to trial and got convicted. They even kept Ethan’s name out of the news. That’s what kind of clout he has.”

The mildew smell of the creek that ran behind the store mingled with the fresh aroma of cupcakes emanating from the bakery on the other side of Jeff’s store. The fresh breeze was warm against her skin and the heat coming off the van burned her arm as she leaned against it. With a sigh, Samantha lifted her eyes to gaze at the blue sky through the canopy of the pecan tree.

“We should go,” she said at last.

“We’ve got to cover Amaliya and Cian tonight,” Benchley pointed out.

“No, me and Jeff should go. It’s a graveyard, right? Ghosts will be there. I can do my ghost magic if we run into trouble.”

“You really think you can use it?” Alexia said, looking impressed. “Already?”

Samantha shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Jeff scrutinized her, and she met his gaze steadily.

“We can leave Shark Boy, Alexia, and Eduardo to help Amaliya and Cian. We can go check out this Ethan guy,” Samantha insisted, ready for a fight. There was no way in hell Jeff was going alone.

“Okay,” Jeff said.

“Okay?” Samantha was ready for an argument, so her surprise made her voice squeak.

“Yep. Okay. Let’s go. Benchley and Alexia know what they’re doing. So does Eduardo. We’ll haul ass out of town and get to the graveyard.” Jeff climbed into the van and leaned over the weapons in the bench.

“We can handle Rachon and Prosper,” Benchley said confidently. “Two vampires, a shifter, and me and my mean sister are more than enough to handle those two.”

Alexia rolled her eyes. “Take silver and blessed bullets just in case, Jeff.”

“We’re going to shoot Ethan?” Samantha asked incredulously.

“Not if we can help it,” Jeff answered. He tucked a pistol into a holster and handed it to Sam. “Not quite your pretty pink Glock, but this will do.”

Samantha gave him a small smile as she started to fasten the holster to her belt. “I can shoot the wings off flies.”

“Really?” Benchley asked, impressed.

“She’s a fierce shot,” Jeff admitted.

“A woman of many talents,” Benchley mused.

Alexia made gagging noises.

On more than one occasion, Jeff had joined her and her family at the firing range. Samantha prided herself on her ability to outshoot everyone in her family except her mother. Jeff had been startled by her accuracy.

Finishing with the holster, Samantha tugged her shirt down over it. The gun felt good and solid against her back. Jeff crammed extra ammunition into his shorts before sliding out of the van. His gun had disappeared under the hem of his shirt.

“Alexia, can we take the Little Bitch?” Jeff asked. “The Land Rover has been temperamental.”

Tossing him the keys, Alexia gave him a stern look. “No dents. No scratches. No guts. No blood.”

Jeff looked hurt. “Like I would do that.”

Samantha glanced over at Alexia’s white Jeep. It was an exact replica of Cher’s 1994 Jeep Wrangler in the movie
Clueless
. It was pretty cute. Samantha respected Alexia’s devotion to such a great movie. Samantha had considered herself a bit of a Cher when she was younger.

Alexia narrowed her eyes slightly. “Any scratch and I will cut you.”

“She will. She’s vicious. Those nails.” Benchley shuddered.

Alexia hissed like a cat and bared her sharp little nails.

“We’ll try to keep in touch, but it seems everyone is having bad cell service out there,” Jeff said as he snagged Samantha’s hand.