Tainted Blood (18 page)

“No problem.” Brian responded. “We'll take care of that in just a few minutes.”

Scot nodded and thanked him, then headed back to the front office, but not without first taking another quick look at Meryl. Brian shut the door and walked towards the girl. She was standing there at the side of the bed with her arms crossed underneath her bosom shaking her head. She looked a little disgusted, most likely that Bobby was still sleeping. The profile that she presented Brian with was almost overwhelming. The leather was smooth and shiny as it reflected the light from the room, despite the fact that it was black.

“So, how long has he been like this?” Meryl asked as she pointed at him.

“Since he got here.” Brian said as he sat down on his chair and continued to look Meryl up and down. Surprisingly she didn't even seem to notice Brian’s stares. He had been expecting her to tell him to put his eyes back into his head or some such thing.

“Well, we need to wake him up and get this started.” She said, then reached down and started to shake the old man.

“Wait you're not going, are you?” Brian asked.

“I'm here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but I was only expecting Bobby and me to go. How did you know he was even in town, by the way?”

“He called me as he was pulling into town. He told me to get ready.”

Brian stood up and walked over to the bed next to her. “He told you to come over?”

Meryl stopped shaking the trucker, stood up, and nodded her head. Brian thought about that for a second. It was harder to concentrate on things while she was standing so close to him. He could smell her scent, and hear her breathing.

The memory of the taste of her blood came rushing back to him and almost made his fangs pop out again. It was just crazy. He couldn't even think around the woman. Well, scratch that, he could think, but only about her. How was he going to conduct a rescue with her hanging around?

Bobby's snort caught Brian’s attention as the man rolled over onto his side. Bobby really should have told Brian about the plan of calling Meryl. Then Brian could have told him no, now what was he going to do?

Brian took his foot and pressed it against the now exposed back of the trucker, with a slight shove Brian sent Bobby spiraling off the bed and smacking down on the wooden floor, maybe a bit harder than he had intended, but then again, it served the old trucker right.

“What the hell is goin' on!” Bobby sat up with a roar. “I can't get two minutes rest without you buggin' me, kid?”

“More like four hours.” Brian responded as he glanced over at the nearby clock. “Any longer and it would be four hours.”

“Nonsense, it's only been minutes, I'm sure of it.” He paused in pulling himself onto the bed when he saw Meryl standing there looking at him with a smile.

“What are you doin' here already?” Bobby asked as he wiped the spit from his mouth and beard.

Brian winced as he realized the man had started to make a puddle of spit where he had rolled over. It was a good thing he hadn't slept on his side the whole night, even so, now Brian would have to lay in it when this mission was over. Then again, maybe not. If this was a success, would he even need to come back here?

“I'm here when you told me to be.” She responded, crossing her arms again underneath her breasts.

“Well,” He glanced over at the table clock, and then shook his head, almost like he was trying to get the cobwebs out. “What the hell is that you're wearing?”

“What? This?”

“Yeah, that. We're supposed to look inconspicuous. Looking like some sort've cross of a Lara Croft movie and a bondage flick ain’t the way to do that.”

Brian watched as she took a more defensive posture as he spoke. He could see that she was taking quick glances at him as she answered.

“I thought it would be fine. No one else complained about it.”

“Yeah right, like he,” Bobby pointed at Brian, “or any other male around his age would complain about the show you were puttin' on.”

“Uncle, I'm a grown woman, I can dress any way I want!” her voice changed to sound more like a chided girl.

“We ain’t got time for this.” Bobby threw his hands up as he walked over to Brain. “So what's the plan?”

Now Brian’s head was awhirl, as if it wasn't bad enough with her standing here. How was he going to function? She was his niece? Great, he all but had sex with the girl, and drank who knows how much of her blood, and she was Bobby's niece?

“Um, I just figured we would bust in, take him down, and find Heather.” Brian mumbled as his head tried to wrap around who Meryl was.

“That’s your plan?” Bobby asked, sounding a bit skeptical. “We're just going to waltz into his headquarters and snuff the guy? Is your head screwed on right?”

“What?” Brian answered defensively. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong. “What's wrong with it? We go in and I handle this guy.”

“What’s wrong with it, you ask? Let’s see, I can see a dozen things wrong with your plan, the two biggest are the barrier you told me about, and the fact that he got all wizardly last time and booted your ass outta his place.” Bobby began to storm around the room, “That doesn't count his guards or the fact that Heather might not even be there. If you kill him right out, then what if you can't find her?”

“I'm sure she has to be there, I mean where else could she be?”

“Fine, fine,” Bobby lifted his hands up over his head. “Let’s start by you telling me how you're going to get through his magical barrier or whatever it is?”

“Maybe he just needs to be invited in?” Meryl said

“That could be,” Bobby nodded, “But what if it isn't, and how do we get this invite? Otherwise the two of us,” He pointed at Meryl, then himself, “will be doing this all by our lonesome, and I don't like those odds.”

The old guy was right.

The last time he had been there, he had been invited in by one of the guy’s workers. Maybe he could get them to let him in again on the pretense of wanting to talk. Except, then all the guy had to do was throw that sand at him again and Bobby and Meryl would be alone with Jason. Not a pretty thought.

The last thing he wanted to see was those two killed, or worse, eaten by Jason. No, what he needed was a way to bring down the barrier, or a way that he could force himself through it. He suspected that whatever kept him out of Heather's cage was that barrier. That’s why he was so sure she was there. In his dream form he could pass through the barrier with enough blood in him, or...

He glanced over at Meryl, who was sitting on the side of the bed with her legs crossed, staring at him. She smiled as he turned toward her. Meryl's blood seemed to make him stronger than usual. He wasn't sure why, but he bet with her blood in him he could force his way through.

“I think I know of a way to get through the barrier.” Brian said and looked away from her.

“Let's hear it.” Bobby said.

“If I drink enough blood, I should have more than enough strength to walk through it.” At least, he hoped so.

“When did you figure this out?” Bobby asked.

Brian explained what he had been doing lately to reach Heather. About his successes and almost failures, of how he was drained one time from staying to long, and how he was out of it for a week. He pointed out that if he actually went in with his body, then he shouldn't be all that tired, or suffer the same effects. He also mentioned offhandedly without naming names about the blood of one person he had drank from, and how it made him strong enough to pass through without any weakness and with almost no difficulty.

“Isn't it different with a real body?” Bobby asked. “It seems to me it'd be harder, perhaps you should get some of the blood from that person you mentioned, if they're still willing?” Bobby grimaced as he spoke. “Can't believe I just said that.”

Brian shook his head, “I don't think that’s an option anymore.”

Meryl stood up as Brian was speaking, and began to zip her leather body suit open so that her neck was exposed. “I don't see why not.” She smiled as she slowly walked toward Brian.

Bobby's eyes bulged at the sight of his niece's scabbed neck. “You are shitting me!” He stood up with a roar. “I come all the way here to help you, drivin' day and night, just to find out you been feeding on my
niece
!”

“Bobby, it's not like that!” Brian lifted his hands to try and defend himself. It would be so much easier if he just suggested Bobby.

“Like bloody
hell
it is!”

“Uncle. wait!” Meryl stepped between her charging uncle and Brian. “He didn't do anything I didn't
want
him to.”

“Are you out of your flaming gourd? He's a vampire, a monster! He could have killed you.”

“Uncle, it's your fault for sending him to me. You knew my obsession. I made no secret about it.” She continued to stand between the two of them, her hands on Bobby's chest. “What did you expect to happen? Besides, you're not my father!”

That seemed to hit Bobby between the eyes. The fight in him disappeared when she said that, and he turned and headed back toward the bed.

“I promised your dad that I'd look out for you.”

Meryl walked after him and placed her forehead on his back. “You have, Uncle Bobby, you've done a great job, but I'm all grown up now. I need to make my own choices.”

“You think that being fed upon by a vampire is one of them?” The anger rose up in his voice again as he said that.

“Shh.” She said as he turned and began to stare over her shoulder past Brian. “It's my decision.”

“Who the hell is that?” Bobby asked as he pointed behind Brian.

Aunt Jenn was standing by the closed front door shaking her head and chuckling to herself. “I so enjoy family reunions.”

“Aunty, what are you doing here?”

“I'm here to help. I know a way around the barrier.”

“Well, I don't like it, and I think you’re a fool if you accept her offer.” Bobby said in a not too quiet voice, as he stood in conference with Brian and Meryl. Brian had to agree with him. He didn't like being forced to trust his aunt, and if there was a better way, he would do it. He winced at the thought. There were other ways, just not better ones.

Sure, he could take Meryl's blood and give it a go. He was pretty sure it would work, too, the problem was twofold, however. First, how would Bobby react? The old man was already up in arms over what little he knew about it. He had no idea how far that would push the old man, and he wasn't ready to test their new found friendship, at least not if he didn't have to.

The second reason was that he had to keep his fangs off the girl. He wasn't sure what was flowing in those veins of hers, but he knew one thing for sure: he needed to stay away from it before he became addicted to it and her. The last thing he needed in his life was more complications. He had a lifetime’s supply already, and he was sure Heather would never understand an addiction to someone. There was no question that he loved Heather, and not only wanted to stay with her for as long as the two of them lived, but also to be as normal as possible. A nice picket fence, a home of their own, all of those things.

That wasn't going to be possible if he kept drinking Meryl's blood. God knew what would happen then.

Of course, the entire time he told himself this, Brian found himself repressing thoughts that tried to rise to the surface of his mind. Thoughts that he refused to entertain. Like, did he really love Heather? What if it was just a childhood infatuation that would wear off as soon as he had her? What if, worst of all, Heather didn't feel the same way about him, or was just influenced by his suggestion he put in her head? Would that mean in time she would find herself free of it, and then leave him? Would he be forced to let her go, or bend her to his will just to keep her? If he did, how could he ever say he really loved her?

Those were the strongest of the storms that raged inside him, the maelstrom of discontent and worry, but not the only ones. He knew at some level that it had been wrong to ever mess with her head, but the necessity as well as the desire was there. And he had to admit, he was younger then, not in years, but as a person.

“You’re right, Bobby, I don't trust her,” Brian said, “but if you don't have any other options...”

“I say we just go into the place,” Bobby said, “ and put some buckshot into this Jason's ass. Then the barrier should come down. Sounds simple enough to me.”

“That’s not going to work,” Jenn answered from the other side of the room. “The barrier’s already up, killing him will change nothing.”

“I didn't say kill him,” Bobby laughed, “just put some buckshot in him. Soften him up for Brian.”

Jenn arched her right eyebrow as she listened to the old man, then turned to Brian. “I don't see what the problem with accepting my offer is. It comes with no strings attached.”

“Yeah, heard that one before.” Bobby snorted then headed for Brian’s fridge.

“Pardon me? Before today, I don't think I've ever spoken to you.”

“Ya haven’t. I was just saying...Heard that before all the time on TV.” Bobby said as he opened the refrigerator.

Which he promptly slammed closed after taking a look in it.

“What?” Brian said, “What did you think a vampire would have in their refrigerator?”

“I don't know. A beer maybe?” Bobby shook his head as he walked away from the appliance. “I'm starting to dislike this whole thing more an’ more. That ain’t any of yours in there is it?” Bobby stopped in front of Meryl and pointed back at the fridge. She shook her head and stared back at the fridge in what looked like fascination to Brian. She definitely had an unsafe interest in him.