Dead Man Running: Book Two - Supernatural Bounty Hunter Romance Novellas (2 page)

Surprisingly, when Viktor spoke his voice was even, but cold.  “You’re right. I never deserved to become a vampire.  But then, neither do you.”

Viktor turned around and walked away, picking up the chains as he went.  He heard alarms and muffled shouting emanating from the rest of the house.

Eric’s raspy threats followed him.  “You’ll regret this.  I’ll make sure you suffer for this!”

“Do your worst,” muttered Viktor.

“I’ll make sure every person you ever love suffers because of what you have done today.  I promise you that.  I’ll make you wish you were dead!  No one is safe from me, remember that, vampire.  No one!”

Viktor shook his head, ignoring the man’s ramblings.  He threw the chains through the large paneled window, shattering the glass.

This was going to hurt like a bitch
.  He took a deep fortifying breath before stepping into the light and jumping through the window toward freedom.

Chapter One

Present Day

“Hey look, there he is!” Carly excitedly leaned forward from the back seat and brazenly pointed.

Jackson grabbed her arm and forcibly lowered it.  “Stop that!  Do you want him to see you?”

Carly clucked her tongue.  “He’s all the way in there, no way can he see what we’re doing out here.”

Logan snorted.  “He’s a vampire; he can probably see that couple having sex in their car a block back.”

“Maybe we should have tapped on the window, and let them know there was a cop lurking around the area,” said Noah with a worried expression.

Carly smirked.  “No way, let those boys have their fun.  Besides one of them was a wolf shifter, and you know how they get when someone interrupts them while they’re getting busy.”

Red dusted Noah’s cheeks as Jackson growled.  “I said I was sorry, okay? I needed to get a printer cartridge.  Maybe if you two didn’t hump in the office...”

Jackson’s growls intensified as Carly and Logan giggled.  Noah had walked in on Carly and Jackson having sex in the office storage closet just over a week ago.  Jackson was still mad at Noah seeing his mate naked.  Noah was still embarrassed at seeing them both naked.  Carly and Logan still thought it was hilarious.

Jackson Carr and Logan Bordeaux, a wolf and a Kodiak bear shifter, were seasoned bounty hunters.  They were currently on the trail of a skip that missed their court date.  All they needed to do was capture him and drag him back to the cops.  There was just one little problem. 
The skip was a vampire
.  It was pretty hard to make a vampire do anything they didn’t want.

The vampire in question had been working as an escort.  A number of men and women enjoyed the added
intensity of being fed on while having sex, and would actually pay for the privilege. 
It was a great career for a vampire.

This vampire, who went by the name Nicholas
Everhard, had also started robbing his ‘dates.'  While they were passed out, he went through their belongings and took their cash, credit cards, and jewelry – in fact, anything he could.  Eventually, he was caught and put on trial for robbery.

The
Blau Bail Bond Agency, Jackson and Logan worked for, had taken the bond.  Everhard duly failed to show up for court, and so the bounty hunters had been dispatched to hunt him down.  They hadn’t planned on bringing the two fox shifters with them, however.

Noah Matheson, a white fox shifter, was training to be a bounty hunter.  He begged Logan to allow him to come.  He had never met a vampire before, and wa
nted to watch how the hunters went about tracking him.  Logan relented, on the proviso that the young fox stay out of the way.

Carly
Columbo, a red fox shifter, was desperate to be a bounty hunter.  After she mated with Jackson, he found her a job at the agency.  She had thought that they would catch skips together as a team; she envisioned it being romantic and fun.  It would be like Hart to Hart, or Macmillan and Wife. 
Jackson often told her she watched too much TV
.  So she was thoroughly annoyed to find that Jackson expected her to stay in the office and file things.  They’d had numerous arguments on the subject, all with Jackson telling her there was no way he was risking her safety by allowing her anywhere near criminals. 
He was a little possessive when it came to his mate
.  She cried, stamped her feet, and seduced him, to try and get him to change his mind – so far nothing worked.

However, when it came to hunting down
Everhard, the hunters decided they needed a vehicle a little more low-key than their own truck and SUV.  Jackson suggested Carly’s little compact.  She caught him trying to steal her keys and, much to his vexation, demanded she come too.  Reluctantly, he agreed, as long as she stayed behind him at all times, she didn’t engage with the vampire in any way, and she made sure that if she was in danger, she shifted to her fox and ran like hell. 
Impatiently, she agreed to everything he said, without really listening
.

After two days of trailing round the vampire’s normal haunts, they found him at an upscale restaurant called Noir.  The restaurant was popular with all species, serving real food, raw meat and also human blood.

Everhard was currently at the bar, feeding off one of the human entrees.  The four shifters were watching him avidly through the window.  After a lengthy fight, Carly had allowed Jackson to drive, and only got in the back because Logan asked her nicely if he could have shotgun.  Carly, like most women, had simpered, and agreed to whatever the large, handsome bear wanted.  In a fit of rage, Jackson punched the bear for flirting with his mate.  Logan was still rubbing his jaw and throwing Jackson dirty looks.

The wolf and the bear were calm, but the two foxes were becoming increasingly bouncy.  Carly leaned forward between the seats, complaining she couldn’t see anything.  Clumsily, she began climbing to the front.  She managed to kick Noah in the stomach, elbow Logan in the
throat and head butt Jackson.  Eventually, although it was cramped, she settled onto Jackson’s lap.  Jackson leaned his head on his mate’s shoulder and sniffed in satisfaction. 
Her lavender scent was delicious
.

Jackson’s stubble tickled Carly’s shoulder, and she wiggled in his lap.  He groaned as her soft buttocks cradled his growing erection.  Heat suffused her body as she blushed;
her mate had a voracious sex drive!

Logan rolled his eyes.  “Ugh!  Either cool it or take it outside.”

Jackson cleared his throat, trying to ignore his mounting lust.  “So, what’s the plan with Everhard?”

“We should call Marcus.”

Jackson snarled.  “We don’t need him...”

Logan shook his head as he took out his cell phone.  “You know the rule.”

Noah leaned forward.  “What is the rule?”

“We don’t attempt to take down a vampire without Marcus’
say so.  We have to be careful.  They’re really strong and fast.”

“Fucking, stupid rule,” muttered Jackson.

He seethed as Logan had a quick, terse conversation with Marcus.  Carly nuzzled at her mate soothingly.  Automatically, his hand caressed her thigh and the anger completely left him.

Logan ended the call and shifted in his seat.  “We’re to wait here.  Marcus is sending back up.”

Jackson grunted and was about to start complaining, so Carly silenced him with a kiss.  Logan hadn’t been thrilled about Carly coming with them, but he could see how useful she was.

Logan concentrated on covertly observing the vampire whilst Jackson and Carly made out.  He prayed back up was quick;
things were getting a bit too hot in there for his liking
.

Chapter Two

Alma Flores folded her arms and leaned against the
door jamb.  “We can do this.” 

Alma was a five foot eight Latina witch.  She was blessed with a slim frame, achingly long legs and long dark brown hair.  She also didn’t like to be told she couldn’t do something. 
Ever
.  She was smart, but she refused to acknowledge her own limitations.  She saw it as being courageous.  Others viewed it as bloody mindedness.

Marcus
Blau shook his head.    Marcus was a six foot boa constrictor shifter.  He was by no means cowardly, but he did play things a little more cleverly than Alma.  Whilst the witch was likely to blunder into any situation and take her chances, the snake was a little more cunning.  If he knew he couldn’t win, he came up with a better plan,
and he wasn’t afraid to play dirty
.

“It’s a vampire Alma.  We should call Viktor.”

Viktor was the only vampire bounty hunter they had on their books.  He worked every now and again, but he wasn’t exactly one of their regulars.  Viktor was an old friend of Marcus.'

Alma had been the first person Marcus hired.  The sassy witch was perfect for running the office.  She didn’t take crap from anyone. 
Period
.  In the beginning, Marcus had been both the bond agent and bounty hunter, with Alma assisting on numerous catches.  Over time, the business had grown, and they were able to hire more employees.  Now, Alma was solely in charge of the office, and Marcus only acted as a bond agent.  Unless there was a particularly tricky skip. 
In spite of the skills of their current bounty hunters, they still couldn’t hold a candle to Marcus.

Alma pouted prettily.  It had no effect on the snake; he’d seen it a thousand times before.  Viktor had started working for them four years ago, when Marcus had to take time off to tend to his sick wife.  It had been love at first sight for the witch and the vampire. 
Unfortunately, after that, it had not been plain sailing...

“We can do this on our own.  We used to all the time.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow.  She was right.  They were the first bail bond agency in Playa Lunar to actually accept a bond for a vampire.  Up until then, vampires were forced to sit and stew in jail.  They all thought he was crazy.  The vampire in question had inevitably skipped bail, and Marcus and Alma accordingly tracked him down, and, after some smooth moves, got him back to the cops. 
Their business doubled after that.

Marcus exhaled loudly.  “So what’s your plan?”

Alma rolled her shoulders.  “I put on my little black dress.  I flirt with him while you get behind him, and I throw out a few stunning spells while you strangle him.  Done and dusted!”

“You don’t have to prove anything to Viktor...”

Alma threw up her hands.  “It’s not about that.”

“He already knows you’re tough.”

“I said, it’s not about that,” she hissed.

Marcus was still and silent for a few beats, watching Alma closely.  She squirmed a little, but didn’t back down under his scrutinizing gaze.

“Okay,” he relented.  “But we have Logan and Jackson standing by, just in case.”

A triumphant smile swept over her face, and she almost fist pumped the air. 

“Go get dressed.”  Marcus dismissed her, and she shut the door behind her.

Sighing, he picked up his cell and dialed Viktor’s number. 
Alma would forgive him... probably
.

Alma practically danced into the office.

“You look happy,” said Mia, warily.

Mia
Blau was Marcus’ niece and a rabbit shifter.  Being such a small creature, she was adept at gauging the moods of large predators,
she had grown up in a den of snakes after all
, and, when necessary, running and hiding.  These skills had come in extremely useful when dealing with the moody witch.  Right now, she was deciding on a fight or flight strategy. 
She was leaning toward flight.

“Yep, we’re off to catch a vampire,” Alma told the little rabbit, gleefully.

It was good fortune that Alma had a date later on that evening and intended to go straight there from work; she had brought a change of clothes with her.  Shamelessly, she began stripping out of her conservative work dress and into her little black dress. 

Mia’s eyes bugged out.  She couldn’t help but feel envious of her tall, caramel skinned boss.  She could wear a garbage bag and still look like a model.  Clothes were made for women like her.  Mia was five foot two and skinny, clothes sagged on her. 
She looked like a kid playing dress-up
.

Mia frowned, averting her eyes.  “Oh umm, well that’s nice, I suppose.” 

Alma smoothed the wrinkles out of the skin tight dress.  She smiled indulgently at the young shifter.  Although she hadn’t been thrilled when Marcus told her his niece would be coming to work for her, she had grown very fond of the girl.  Despite looking anxious most of the time,
startled rabbit syndrome
, she ably dealt with all the madness that went on around there. 
Growing up with predatory snakes, she was tougher than she looked.

Seconds later, Marcus emerged from his office wearing a cheap, black jogging suit. 

“Ready?” he asked Alma.

Alma coated her lips in red lipstick.  “Definitely.”

Marcus stopped by Mia’s desk.  “You okay to lock up, sweetheart?”

She grinned.  Uncle Marcus was always her favorite relation.  He gave her a job when no one else would; everyone else was too afraid of her father.  “Of course.”

Marcus winked goodbye and glided out the door, closely followed by Alma, confidently striding.  “Wish us luck, little rabbit.”

“Good luck!” 
You’ll need it.