Vicente
Authors: Kathi S. Barton
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
World Castle Publishing, LLC
Pensacola, Florida
Copyright © Kathi S. Barton 2015
Hardback ISBN: 9781629892634
Print ISBN: 9781629892641
eBook ISBN: 9781629892658
First Edition World Castle Publishing, LLC May 15, 2015
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com
Licensing Notes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Cover: Karen Fuller
Editor: Eric Johnston
Editor: Maxine Bringenberg
Table of Contents
Abbie Curry moved as far as she could before she simply dropped to her knees. Her strength was gone, and she was going to bleed to death soon anyway if no one came to help her. She was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. No one had come so far. Looking at the snow around her knees, she watched as it turned red, then melted around her. If she stayed like this for much longer, she’d be a frozen statue and no one that could actually help her would ever find her for sure.
The men behind her would have no problem finding her at this rate. The trail of blood alone would have led them to her, but the footprints were there as well. The snow and blood were making her trek all too easy to follow. She wanted to call out to them to hurry, but knew that when they found her—and she knew they would—they’d make her get up and run again. Her being their prey was what they wanted. They had found her three times already.
Abbie had been working at her office when she began to feel sick. It wasn’t enough to send her running to the bathroom at first, but the longer she stayed at work, the harder it was not to lay her head on the desk and rest. She’d thrown up several times, and if not for her need to complete her job before going home, she might have been home and safe when they had taken her.
Her body didn’t just hurt, but felt as if she’d been run over twice before they picked her up, shook her out, and ran over her again. Abbie had never been so ill in her life. On her way to her car she must have passed out, because when she woke, she knew a new kind of terror.
There were three of them. Each man had worn a mask to hide who they were, but she’d been able to figure it out quickly enough. Then when she’d called them out, told them to let her go, the beatings began.
Her arm was broken, she knew. Every time she’d tried to move it—or, as had happened just a few minutes ago, tried to keep from falling on her face—she cried out in pain. But the arrows in her back hurt her the most. She had no idea after the first three how many more times they’d hit her, but she knew that it had been a lot.
Abbie heard them then, or at least she thought she did. Usually they made enough noise to wake the dead, but this time they were quiet. Perhaps they’d finally grown tired of their game and were going to kill her.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Abbie smiled at the voice behind her, knowing that whatever he did would not be anything she’d feel. Her body was as cold as ice and ready for her to simply lie down and end it all. She wondered just how cold it was. She’d had nothing on but a pair of men’s boxer briefs and a bra for two days now.
“Kill me.” Her voice sounded harsh even to her own ears. She’d been screaming so much she was sure that she’d never be able to talk like a normal person again. “Please, kill me before they find me.”
“I’m not going to kill you, and they won’t be finding you any time soon.” She nodded and cried out in pain. “If you would allow me to, I’ll put you into a deep sleep and remove the arrows from your back.”
“No.” She hadn’t meant to scream at him, but the thought of going to sleep by drugs was too much. “I don’t want you to drug me. If you’re going to finish what they started, then have at it. I’m not going to fight you.”
She thought he said something about giving up, but she didn’t have the strength to tell him she was too hurt and didn’t have the energy to tell him to fuck off. When someone touched her she tried to look around, but it hurt too much. The pain that radiated from it made her sob.
“They’d been…do you know why they’d do this to you? Or better yet, do you know who they are?” She told him no, she didn’t. She had an idea that they’d deny it, and she’d be in deep shit…more than she was now. Powerful men like the ones who held her and the others didn’t fuck around with peons like her.
“They said I was going to be their prey so they could practice with their Christmas presents. Hunting season, they said.” He growled behind her, and she thought of a great big dog. “I was beaten first because they said I was in better shape than they had hoped. They didn’t want me to get away.”
“Fucking bastards.” She started to fall forward, her body simply giving up. She heard the stranger start cursing and thought he could string the words together better than she could…and she’d been told she was a champ. But the snow was coming up fast, and she let it take her.
~~~
Vinnie grabbed her into his arms just before she fell. Her screams tore through him, and he laid her down as gently as he could on her belly, because there was no way he could lay her on her back. He pulled out his cell phone and called the police. As much as he wanted to take her to safety, he knew that picking her up would kill her, and his dragon would only cause her more harm than good. Whoever had done this to her was going to pay.
After explaining where he was and what he’d found twice, he hung up the phone and called for Samuel. While this wasn’t his land, he did oversee most of the area around it. Vinnie told him what he’d found too. He got a great deal more help from him than he had the woman at the station.
Is she going to make it?
He told him he didn’t know.
What do you mean she was used as target practice? You mean someone shot her? What the fuck for?
Just before she passed out she told me that these bastards had told her she was going to be their prey as practice. They’d apparently gotten bows and arrows for Christmas and wanted to get in some practice before the season opened. She didn’t tell me what season they were waiting for. Oh, and they beat her to shit too. Apparently she was too healthy for them to hunt down. I’m thinking her arm is broken as well as…Samuel, there are nine arrows in her body, five of which are in her back. Three are broken off in her legs, and she has one in her shoulder that looks like it’s gone through.
Vinnie thought of the bloodied trail he’d been following.
I think she’s been at this for over three hours. And she’s walked at least five miles dressed in nothing but some men’s underclothing. She doesn’t even have on a decent pair of boots. A pair of tennis shoes, for Christ’s sake. There is nine inches of snow here.
Samuel told him he was on his way.
But the police just went by the house, so I’m betting they’ll be there before me. I was going to shift, but I don’t think that’s a good idea right now, do you?
No. The hunters are still out there. I scared them off about thirty minutes ago by roaring at them. They’re going to pay for this.
He thought about going to find them now, but he didn’t want to leave the woman unattended. He had no idea where the men were, and he knew if he left her they’d come in behind him and kill her.
Samuel, I’m going to find these bastards and kill them all.
I’ll help you.
He knew that Samuel was talking to someone else, because Vinnie could feel them. He thought it was Kennedy, Samuel’s mate, but didn’t know. When he spoke again, Vinnie felt a good deal better.
I’ve sent Jimmy and a few of his men to search for them. I’ve also told them not to kill but to capture. I thought you’d want to deal with them on your own.
Vinnie thanked him.
And so you know, we’re coming across fields and not the roads. We’re making better time that way.
Vinnie looked down at the woman and took off his coat. He felt stupid for not doing it sooner, and laid it as gently as he could over her. When she cried out again, he stepped back but he didn’t leave her. The men were going to pay for this. No one should be treated this way.
When the police arrived, he told them everything he could. He’d left out the conversation with Samuel, as well as how he’d been flying overhead trying to work out a problem at work when he’d smelled the blood. For whatever reason, it had called to him…something humans just wouldn’t understand. When the medical helicopter came into view, he asked the first officer if he could ride with her.
“I don’t know if they’ll have the room. You can ask, but they get kind of territorial about that thing.” Vinnie knew that he’d be in the chopper even if he had to fly it himself. “You know her?”
“I don’t. In fact, I don’t even know what she looks like.” Her face had been battered as well. Vinnie had touched the largest gash on her cheek that he could see and healed it, but he’d done nothing else. Humans were very testy about things like that as well. When they saw that you’d been injured, they wanted you to remain that way until you healed in their time frame. When the cop asked him what he’d been doing out in this weather, Vinnie lied.
“Looking for some property to buy. I’m sort of a health nut too, and thought I’d take a run.” The officer looked at how he was dressed and then at his face. “Yeah, well I didn’t say I was a smart health nut.”
His clothes were a pair of sweatpants and a heavy sweatshirt. His jacket, a lightweight one, was still on the girl. His shoes, while boots, were untied and opened, but he’d pulled them on in a hurry. Vinnie had been dressed just like this when he’d left his house over three hours ago. He was one of the few dragons he knew that could shift and keep his clothing on.
By the time Samuel and Kaleb got to them, the girl was being loaded in the helicopter. Samuel was moving up to him when Vinnie saw the men. He nearly took off after them until Samuel put his hand on his shoulder.
“They’ll be at my house after you take care of the woman. If you leave her now the police are going to want to know why, and I’d just as soon not have to explain to them why this big assed dragon has gone after a few humans to have for dinner.”
Vinnie nodded. “I wouldn’t eat them, just so you know. I plan to hurt them a great deal, but not eat them. I don’t want to be too ill.”
Kaleb laughed and told him to get going.
Vinnie was crawling into the front of the chopper when the woman started screaming, and she continued to scream until someone gave her something for the pain. Vinnie was ready to eat every one of the fuckers in the chopper before she finally settled down.
The staff at the hospital was prepared for her when they finally landed. Seventeen people in coats and hats were on the landing pad when the chopper sat down. Each of them moved toward the back end of it as soon as it was opened, and they had her inside before he could get to the door. One of the crew led him to a room to wait. He was sitting there when Samuel walked down the hall.
“I don’t know anything as yet. They’ve taken her to surgery and said that it would be a while. I was told to go and fill out her paperwork, but I wouldn’t have the first clue as to what to put about her.” Vinnie rubbed his hand over his face and stared down the hall. “They said she would be dead by morning.”
“No, she won’t. I have a feeling that she’s a little more stubborn than that.” Vinnie told him how she’d begged him to kill her. “I’m sure it was the pain talking. When Kennedy was in labor, she told me all kinds of things I’m betting she’s forgotten about. Some of them were down right scary too.”
Somehow Vinnie thought Kennedy remembered everything she’d said. He loved the lioness, but that didn’t make him any less terrified of her. She could be as mean as a dragon when her Irish was up. And her Irish went up higher when she thought an injustice had been committed. She’d been pissed off since she arrived an hour after Samuel had.
The surgery took nearly five hours. The nurse had talked to them twice, since he’d been the one who had been with her when she’d arrived. Then the doctor had sent a message telling them that he’d been able to remove the broken arrows, but the police had taken them. Vinnie knew that it wouldn’t matter to him if they had evidence or not, the hunters were still dead men. The doctor coming toward them had all of them standing up.
“She’s in good shape or we’d be having a different conversation. I still don’t know if she’ll make it or not, but I think she stands a better chance than most.” He asked them to sit. “I’m telling you this because we still have no idea who she is. And as you brought her in, I’m going to assume you’re going to be caring for her for the time being.”
“I will. And any bills she might have as well. I don’t know her, but I do feel responsible for her.” Vinnie tried to ignore the look that Samuel and Kaleb gave him. He knew just what they were thinking but said nothing. “What is her prognosis now?”
“Her left arm is broken in two places, but it should heal well. Her face had to have over two hundreds stitches to put it back together, mostly in her cheeks and inside her mouth. Two of the wounds had to be stitched twice, as they were all the way through to her gums. A gash in her head was closed, though we’re going to keep an eye on it for swelling. Then there was her back.” He took a deep breath as if he was trying to get a grip on his anger. “Why the hell would anyone do that to someone?”
“I don’t know. When I found her she was on her knees and staining the snow around her red. I think she thought she was going to die out there.” The doctor nodded. “I have a friend I’d like to see her. She could use his special kind of magic.”
“A vampire.” Vinnie nodded, knowing the man would understand because he too was a super. A panther, as a matter of fact. “Just let me know when he gets here and I’ll make sure he has no problems. I’d like for her to live as well. She’s been through enough. I don’t suppose he’d be able to come now, would he?” Vinnie told him that Stephen was coming in as soon as it was possible for him to get there. The doctor nodded.
“Was she raped?” Everyone looked at Kennedy. “Did those bastards rape her as well as what else they did to her? I’m hoping you say no. I’d hate to have to hurt them more than once for this.”