Assassins Bite (27 page)

On the way to DTL, I got a strange urge to stop at Dolly Barton's Curl Up and Dye.

A Ruffles' gut instinct—
run!
But Aiden had called me lucky. He hadn't changed my mind about that, but he had changed my
hopes
. Anyway, what the hell. It was just a beauty parlor. How bad could it be, I'd get moussed to death? I detoured.

Dolly's salon was in the Scenic Shopping district, a block north of the Caffeine Café and the Fudgy Delight. I pushed inside. A small bell tinkled, announcing my arrival.

To say Dolly was the town gossip was like saying you only have to pay taxes in years with a number in them. Dolly knew everything that went on, sometimes even before it happened. She made the NSA look like a bunch of kids with tin cans and string.

“Hey, sugar.” Dolly called everyone sugar. She was a seventy-year-old platinum-blonde dynamo, four foot eight—hey, three people shorter than me—forty-two D, exactly like the country singer except older and shorter. Like a Dolly Parton Mini-Me. She wore pink fifties diner-style uniforms and chewed a wad of gum as big as your head. “I'm glad you stopped by. A slot opened up after your appointment next week. Want something besides your usual cut? I could do a mani-pedi or bikini wax.”

“No…well, maybe the wax.” I wondered if Aiden would like me partly cloudy or full Sunny.

“Maybe a fresh hairstyle?”

That was a no-brainer. I opened my mouth to say
absolutely not
. I'd had the bowl cut since childhood, since kindergarten…my God.

I'd had this cut since Dirk was hurt.

But Dirk was a new man…er, vampire now. Even Aiden was starting to change, to reveal an open, confident leader.

Why not a new Sunny? Better yet, why not tonight?

A shaft of scared skewered me. Why not? Because I'd had this haircut forever.

But I'd also been single forever. An unlucky Ruffles forever.

Damn it, I wanted different. It might be worse—but I'd deal, just as I had with my brother's change, just as I had with Aiden's past. “Actually, that sounds good—if you can do it now.”

She smiled. “Have a seat. I have to finish up your aunt's perm.”

In her chair was my Aunt Matilde, aka Mrs. Police Chief. As Dolly started pulling curlers, pads of steel wool sprung up. I won't say Auntie's hair was frizzy, but she and Uncle John had been married so long, it seemed twins of his mutton chops had crawled onto her head.

Auntie waved in the mirror. “Hello, Sun-Hee. Did you hear I'm getting new wallpaper?”

“Nice. Did you go with the Edward Gorey pastiche or Kinkade/Rubens mash-up?”

“An Anne Bel Geddes montage.”

“Oh, is that the artist who poses babies?”

“Like her, but using octogenarians.”

“Um.”

Dolly dried and styled. Aunt Matilde gave her a two-dollar tip and traipsed out. Dolly tucked it away in her cash register. “Okay, sugar. You're up.”

This was it. Renewed doubts bubbled in my stomach. I lowered myself into the chair. “I'm not so sure—”

“Trust me. You'll love it.” Dolly spun me away from the mirror. Her shears flew, a crisp rhythmic snip-snip. Black hair floated to the floor. I winced with every hunk. Too late I remembered Dolly's sense of style was formed when bouffants were in.

“Voila!” She spun me back.

My shiny black bob had become a fringed elfin cap, a marvel that framed my face, made my eyes huge and gave me actual cheekbones. “Wow. I'm…pretty.”

“Ha. This'll make your hunky boyfriend's eyes fall out.”

“He's not…aw heck. Okay. How much?”

“On the house, sugar. I've been dying to give you an adult cut for years.” She swirled off the cape. “You're going to see him now, right? Win him away from his ex?”

“He doesn't have an ex.”

“Small, dark and insane?” She snapped gum.

“Eloise isn't Aiden's ex…” Good grief, Dolly was right. I don't know how she knew about Eloise, or her past with Aiden…same way she knew everything, I suppose…but the evidence was there. Eloise's attack on him with handcuffs and phallic silver stake shouted sexual repression. She hated him—which meant she'd loved him first. Hate doesn't grow from indifference.

And, remembering how quickly Milwaukee and Madison had responded to a challenge, here was the bomb to goad her into action. “Yes, Aiden is
mine
. Eloise can just try to take him from me—at Dawn Truck Lines, tonight.”

“Got it, sugar.” Dolly snagged an old-fashioned princess phone and dialed. “Thelma Thuggoh? Hey sugar, I have a message.” She frowned. “Where?”

I left Dolly a tip and headed out. I'd done it. I'd lit a bomb under the bizatch. Now I'd go let the truckers at Dawn know—Aiden said some usually stayed over during the day—and be safely at cop central before Eloise took the bait.

I made good time to DTL, trundling up the drive as the sun neared the horizon.

Two vans sat in the asphalt lot, a shiny black minivan near the door and an oversize, anonymous white delivery vehicle a handful of spaces away. The black minivan was normal but the white was extra-tall too. I stared at it as I passed. Great crispy cream, that sucker was big.

The side panel door
shooped
open inches from my nose. My blood froze.

“Aiden's not yours, human bitch. He's mine.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I spun. Eloise hopped out of the van, keeping to the long shadow cast by the tall vehicle in the setting sun. Behind her, in the dark of the open side door were a dozen sets of red eyes glowing like light bulbs. Even after all I'd learned, vampires still surprised me.

If Aiden helped, I'd have a lifetime to learn.

But for now, escape was on the menu. I cocked a sassy grin at her, to cover my easing back to put a larger swatch of waning light between us. “Have you asked him that? I'm pretty sure you blew it when you staked him and tried to cut off his head, if not before.”

She snarled and attacked, lunging into the sunshine to grab my collar and yank me back into the van's shadow with her. She hissed, “He was going to fight for me.”

Damn it. I cut anxious eyes toward at the terminal, hoping at least one of the truckers had arisen early. Although from what Aiden had said, they were too young to tolerate even the setting sun. Still, maybe they could call Elena.

To my surprise, several forms darkened the windows. The largest waved from the doorway's shadows. “Officer!” He held the Viper.

I stretched out my hands.

“
Human guards,
” Eloise shouted.

From the black minivan near the door, half a dozen black-garbed humans poured out, including Thuggoh and the redhead. They made a barrier, bristling rifles, between me and the Viper. My hands fell.

But if the truckers had called Elena, I only had to delay five minutes. Even if they hadn't, I'd just delay until sunset. “How'd you get here so fast? I talked to Dolly ten minutes ago.”

She twisted my collar tighter to pull our faces together, incidentally throttling me. “Stupid bitch. We were staking out Strongwells' when one of my minions phoned it in.”

My lungs started burning. I rasped, “Aiden won't like…if you hurt me.”

“Who cares? You'll be dead and I'll be long gone by the time he gets here—”

“Get the fuck away from her,” Aiden shouted.

In a replay of that first night I saw him haloed in the sparkling light of oxygen deprivation, running up the driveway so fast he was a blur.

Eloise snarled but he'd already knocked me out of her hands. Before I hit pavement, he scooped me into his arms and dashed to the terminal building.

I gasped, “Minions—”

Bam.
He bowled through the line like the humans weren't there. The truckers had already opened the door. He barreled in past half a dozen vampires.

Outside, Eloise shouted, “Human guards, stay.
Hold them.
”

A cry came from a wiry trucker at the window. “She's getting away!”

Aiden spun. Through the door we could see Eloise jump into the van's open panel door even as the vehicle lumbered into a turn.

“I'll get her.” Aiden set me down and shot back outside, plowing through the human minions like water.

“Aiden, no! There are too many…fuck.” I really saw him for the first time as he dashed into the lot.

His knife glittered in his off hand, his jeans rode low on his hips—and he wore nothing else. Apparently the truckers had phoned him, not Elena, and he'd thrown on pants, grabbed the most basic of weapons and took off. His exposed skin was sunburn red, heading for blisters. Had he run all the way from Elena's? Even a car would take almost two minutes.

A couple of the human minions opened fire. Eloise screeched, “You're hitting us, you idiots.” They stopped.

The van's door slammed shut just as Aiden reached it. He jammed fingers in the gap and planted his feet. The van continued to turn. The door peeled away like a can lid.

Aiden disappeared inside.

The van turned so I couldn't see what was going on. “Give me the Viper.” I held out my hand.

Nothing happened. I jerked a look. The truckers were all glancing at each other. Finally the largest one, Elwood I thought, said, “He'd kill us.”

“Damn it, Blackthorne!” I shouted at no one and everyone. “I can fucking take care of my fucking self!” I turned my glintiest gaze on the vamps and growled like Clint-fucking-Eastwood, “He needs help. Unless any of you can go out in the damned sun,
give me the damned Viper
.”

With a rattle, a dozen weapons were thrust at me.

Another time I'd have been amazed. My inner Cop had finally kicked in.

But I was too worried about Aiden. I snatched the Viper and the silver-bullet RFP and stuck both weapons in my waistband—not terribly safe but at that point I didn't care. Aiden was battling a fangy bakers' dozen and I was his only help.

The van jerked to a stop. A ball of snarling, clawing vampires rolled out, Aiden in the middle.

Eloise hopped out behind them, watching avidly, a rapacious red glint to her eyes. She saw me start down the stairs. “Human guards. Stop her!”

The line of human minions was a black-clad wall. Beyond them, under the weight of half a dozen vampires, Aiden stumbled for the first time.

My heart leaped into my throat. Aiden was here because of me. He was vulnerable because of
me
.

Rage seized me. I pulled my gun, aimed at the line of minions and shot the pavement in front of them. Chips of concrete hit the redhead, who grabbed his leg with a cry and bounced out of line.

Thuggoh shot back, a
pop-pop-pop
of semi-automatic. I dove back inside the terminal for cover. The rounds cracked against the outer wall. My heart shot into my throat. I swallowed it and peeked out.

Half Aiden's attackers sprawled around him but the rest stabbed with silver knives. Horror stitched up my spine. My mouth dried and my heart pummeled my ribs.

He blocked and parried but there were too many and he was too wounded. More and more blows got through, blows that didn't heal. As he struggled, Eloise taunted him. “What's wrong with you, assassin? You used to be so aloof, so invulnerable. So much
better
. Your little girlfriend has made you weak.”

I swallowed gall. The once-invulnerable assassin had an Achilles' heels—me. And Ric, but Aiden had never lost before today. I'd done this to him.

One eye swollen shut, blood running freely from a scalp wound, he nailed her with his good eye. “You're wrong. It's not vulnerability. It's possibility. Growth. I've finally opened to
real
friends.”

She lost it. She started beating at him, fists windmilling in the dying light.

Silver knuckles glinted on one fist.

My breath stopped. If he took a solid blow from those knuckles…

He dodged, slow because of the clinging vampires, but enough that she missed. Now if he could just get away…but he wasn't. He swayed to avoid the worst of her crashing fists and oh fuck, he was wearing the grimmest of smiles.

He had no intention of escape, he was
baiting
her. Trying to keep her occupied until sunset when the Dawn vampires could tag in. Why would he risk death…oh God. Because if he didn't capture her, Minnesota would still be vulnerable.

The stupid loner asshole. Sunset wasn't for several minutes yet and he was too injured to keep dodging that long—and too fucking self-disciplined to let that stop him.

I spun to the DTL vampires. “Take these humans out.
Now
. I don't care how you do it.”

Elwood signaled. Two vampires wielding rifles muscled me out of the doorway and opened fire.

Eloise's minions shot back but they were in the open and the Dawn truckers weren't. The humans fell, bleeding.

Cold invaded me. I'd started this. This was my fault, and it wasn't merely broken bones this time, but dead or dying men.

Then I heard groaning. The men held bloody fingers to shoulder, leg, and belly wounds, but, rolling on the pavement, they were alive.

I breathed a thanks. When the shooting stopped I ran for Aiden.

He was covered with huge purple bruises, long cuts and deep gashes that weren't healing. Eloise pummeled at him with her silver knuckles, landing one hit in ten, but his skull was blue with bruises and his good eye was whirling.

The bitch had given him a concussion. I flew toward her.

She saw me. “Ooh, Aiden, your chew toy wants to play.” She cocked her fist back, ready for me.

Aiden roared. Trailing vampires, he lunged for her. She punched him, so fast I barely saw the blur. He dodged but he was slow.

She managed a glancing blow.

He stumbled a second time. The vampires surged, grabbing his wrists and elbows, hanging on to him like grim death.

I pulled the Viper from my waistband and aimed at her.

She saw me, her eyes widening as if she recognized the stun gun as a threat. She blurred, ducking around her lieutenants, directly behind Aiden.

“Fuck you, cop.” She laughed and jumped into the van through the ruined side cargo door.

Aiden roared and fought left, then right, trying to shake off his captors. The dying sun winked under the van at their feet, like they waded in a river of blood. But no matter how he surged, Eloise kept him between me and her.

Hands grabbing the top frame, she leaned out, taunting me. “You lose, sweetmeat.”

Then she straightened and slapped a palm on the window pillar. “Let's go!”

The Viper would only take out one lieutenant at a time, my normal gun ditto. She'd be gone before I could reach her.

Exchanging the Viper for the rapid-fire pistol loaded with silver bullets, I aimed at her. The gun pointed at Aiden.

She laughed. The van began moving.

Cold shivered through me. If I fired now I'd hit him. I hoped for an opening, but if she got away, we'd lose our bait for Nosferatu, opening Minnesota up to invasion.

While I could live with that, if she got away, she'd also go on trying to destroy Aiden.

I knew what I had to do. I just didn't know if I could live with myself.

Seventeen years ago, when I'd gone ballistic to save my brother, I'd made the best choice I could between bad options and reaped a lifetime of shame and guilt. Five days ago I'd made no choice, and it had cost my brother his life.

My choices now were no better. To stop her I'd have to shoot through the man I loved. Worse, the first bullet wouldn't reach her, shattering in his flesh. I'd have to drill more than one in the exact same spot. The sheer pain…

Violence is never the right answer—but in life, some days there are
no
right answers.

I had to make the decision anyway.

Aiden caught my eye. Trust, reassurance, deep affection and maybe something more was in his black gaze. He nodded.

For him. I fired.

“Bitch.” Eloise laughed. “Bullets can't…”

The first bullet hit him. He arched so hard I nearly didn't keep going. But my training was already squeezing off the follow-up shots. The RFP barked rapidly in succession, bam-bam-bam.

“…hurt me?” Her eyes sprung wide. She clapped a hand to her chest and stared down, her face deathly pale.

Blood ran beneath her clasped fingers.

She clutched with both hands, tried to breathe and fell back in the van with a thud.

“Mistress!” One of the lieutenants spun and jumped into the vehicle, which was taking on speed. The rest realized what was happening and released Aiden to scramble into the van.

I was already running parallel to the cab. A human manned the wheel. I tossed aside the RFP and drew my regular firearm. I shot through the window. The spray of glass distracted the driver but didn't stop him.

A red blur whipped past me. The passenger window burst as Aiden dove through. The struggle was brief. The vehicle ground to a halt.

The last of the sun winked out behind the horizon. Truckers poured out of the terminal, immediately pounding on the vamps groaning on the pavement. Elwood and the wiry trucker jumped into the van. I heard some gleeful punching going on.

Aiden slid out of the cab's passenger door, leaned against it, panting for a moment, his fire-red color fading to merely alarm-red, blisters healing but stab wounds still bleeding. He spat on his hand, wiping while he hoarsely shouted, “Elwood!”

The trucker popped out of the side door, hooted and tossed Aiden the antivamp cuffs.

Aiden caught them and held them out to me. His features were tight with pain, but his black eyes were warm.

I took the cuffs in one hand and his arm in the other and we limped toward the cargo door. Elwood and the wiry trucker hoisted a trembling Eloise out and shoved her arms behind her. Those exploding bullets must hurt like crazy. Her pupils were pinholes and she didn't try to mist, didn't even fight much. I realized how disciplined Aiden was, that he was still functioning. I cuffed her with an extra-enthusiastic click. A push of the button and a green light glowed.

Aiden nodded, then squinted at me with his good eye. “Thanks.” His voice was gaspy. The silver bullet shards must be tearing up his insides.

He was so fucking stoic.

“Thanks?
Thanks?
Do you realize how bad you scared me?” I shrieked.

“Elwood called.” He blinked. “You needed help.”

“We had an agreement. You don't have to protect me, especially not at such a high personal cost—”

“Sorry. It's instinct.”

That deflated my scared mad. His instinct was to protect me? Instinct was in a person's very bones. It meant I was in Aiden Blackthorne's bones. “Asshole,” I muttered. I got an arm around him and helped him toward the terminal. “Let's get those shards out of you.”