Hunters Hit List (Fox Brothers Book 1) (10 page)

“What did you give him?” Ryan asked.

“It’s just etorphine hydrochloride.” She nonchalantly answered.

“Etor-hydro-what?” Max could barely pronounce the word.

“Horse tranq.” Scar hunched. “I knocked him out. Could you guys get him in the truck before someone sees us out here and calls the law.”

Max grabbed Roy’s legs and Ryan held Roy’s upper body. They hauled Roy over to the Range Rover. Scar quickly opened the back door.

“No, No, this douche bag goes in the trunk.” Max ordered and that’s exactly where they placed Roy.

After driving for an hour Max decided to stop off at a seedy motel. He needed a place that didn’t ask questions. He needed a place that was off the beaten path. The first order of business was to get Roy settled. Max knew they had no other option but to use Roy for bait. This wasn’t a problem for Max. He loathed Roy and for good reason.

The brothers had removed Roy from the truck’s trunk and tucked him away in the motel room. Roy Raymond was lying alone in one of two double beds. Roy tried to open his eyes. His vision was blurry. As it cleared he focused on Max sitting in a chair near the bed.

Max’s scowl was heated and intense. He loathed Roy. Roy had briefly made life hard for Max. Although it was two years ago Max wasn’t the kind of man that would let the past go. Now that it was staring him in the face.

Max rested his forearms on his knees. He gave Roy his signature tough guy look. Little did Max know the tough guy look was never needed? People knew to fear the Fox brothers, especially Max. He was the personification of tough. He was badass to his core.

Roy was disoriented and confused. This was the first time he had been kidnapped.

“Where the hell am I?” He said as he looked around the room.

Max scowled. “Warner Brothers studios dumbass.”

“What?”

Roy sat up in bed and noticed Scar and Ryan standing off in the distance. Roy swiftly reached down in his cowboy boot but there was nothing there. He reached into his blue jeans pocket and came up empty. Roy tried his inside jacket pocket and still nothing.

Max was grinning from ear to ear. “Full body search, bitch. I took your gun, your back up gun, your switchblade and your fucking dental floss.”

“You think you’re so clever.” Roy had run out of tricks and witty retorts.

“No, I just think you’re dumb as rocks.”

“You asshole kutchers kidnapped me.” Roy shouted.

“We need you to smoke out the vamps.” Ryan said. “You’re number three.”

“So I’m your guinea pig.” It was all starting to make perfect sense to Roy now. They needed him. That’s why he was still alive.

“Guinea pig no. You’re a murdering son of a bitch. You owe us big time”.

“I don’t owe you jack squat. I didn’t shoot you Max. If you haven’t noticed, you are still alive.”

“Guilt by association you son of a bitch.”

“This is bullshit. I still don’t know how you turned from a vamp to a human.”

“Are you so warped in your brain that you don’t see we’re trying to help your hillbilly ass?” Roy’s resistance pissed Max off. Max had better things to do.

“I don’t need no saving.” Roy balked.

“These vamps killed seven of the best hunters in this country and you think you don’t need our help.” Max shook his head.

“Listen to him Roy. Seven hunters are already dead.” Scar tried to convince Roy that he was better off with their help.

“What are you supposed to be? Vampire hunter Barbie? What did they brainwash you with, their pretty boy good looks?”

“You know Roy, you’re a real fucking dick.” Max spit.

“Bite me.” Roy barked.

Max’s face read-- seriously-- gross. That was a thought that he never wanted to be in his head, Roy’s penis.

Roy directed all his attention to Scar. He wanted to appeal to her. After all she was a girl. She had a heart, unlike the Fox brothers. Two stone cold killing machines. Truthfully they were no different from all the other vampire hunters. The Fox brothers were just exceptionally good at their job.

“Listen Scar, the quickest way to end up in a pine box is to hang out with the Fox brothers. You need to keep away from them.” Roy pleaded.

“Now hold up Roy--” Ryan had heard enough of Roy’s constant jabbering. Sure Ryan was usually passive but Roy was bad mouthing them when all they ever cared about was making the world a safer place.

“You hold up, you’re a recovering chew toy for Drack. I don’t know what magic blood ritual he used on you. I’m not even sure you’re human.” Roy barked at Ryan.

Max had to defend his brother. “Roy you’re on the road to pissing me off.”

“Boo hoo you ex-vamp. You two ass wipes are the kiss of death. Us regular folk don’t have magic cures for vampirism or no get out the Drack’s lair free cards. When we die, we’re dead forever.”

“Spoken like the cowardly lion.” Max stood. He leered down at Roy. He hovered over Roy as he sat stagnant in the bed.

“What are you going to do?” Roy taunted.

Max balled his fist, cocked his arm back and landed a clean punch on Roy’s jaw. Roy was knocked out cold. Roy had heard about Max’s killer knockout punches and today he actually knew it to be the truth and not another one of those Fox brother myths.

“Max why did you do that?” Ryan asked. He wished he could keep his brothers temper in check.

“What?” Max shrugged. “He deserved it.”

Ryan tilted his head. After a second of thought he completely agreed. Roy had it coming to him.

Max shook out his knockout fist. He flexed his fingers.

“So what’s next?” Ryan asked. Max was the leader. Ryan always looked to him for answers.

“You baby-sit Shaggy. Scar and me are going to go back to the Roadhouse and try to attract some vamps. As far as I know we are next on their stupid list. Someone has to be looking for us.”

Ryan agreed with another head tilt. “Hey you guys be careful.” It wasn’t like Ryan to say such a thing. He was always cautious but still fearless. But something made him think twice, something made him worry about his brother’s safety.

“I’m always careful.” Max said to Ryan.

Ryan frowned. That entire statement was a lie. Max was never careful he just was Max. He was an actions guy he did what he felt. He didn’t think twice about danger, more so now than ever his brother’s fearlessness really worried Ryan.

Max and Scar grabbed their jackets and left Ryan all alone in the motel room with a punched out cold Roy.

Max and Scar walked toward the gravel parking lot of the motel. An inebriated, overweight hooker in a mini skirt and go-go boots stumbled by. The hooker gave Scar a hard, cold once over, a dirty look for the history books.

Max noticed this and arched an eyebrow in Scar’s bewildered direction. In this Scar saw his silent call to ignore the hooker.

They silently approached the truck. Scar and Max hopped in the Range Rover and closed their doors.

“Hey how you holding up?”

“I’m doing good. All things considered.” Scar faked a smile.

“I really care about you and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You have to believe that.”

“I do. I believe you. I feel safe with you.”

“You should. I have you for as long as you’ll have me.”

“Okay.”

“You ready to go back to the roadhouse.”

“Can we just sit here a minute?”

“Sure.” He said.

“Can I just feel you inside me again tonight?”

Max’s eyes lit up. His cock grew inside his jeans. He never expected to hear that from her. He understood her urgent need for intimacy, her intense dire need to have a connection. He felt it too, like he had never felt it before. Max had fallen so hard for her. He wanted to protect her in a way he had never felt before.

This was a scary feeling but it also was exhilarating. He had another person to care about. It felt good to care. For so long it had only been him and Ryan. Of course he also cared about his Uncle but a woman’s love was something he had always longed for and now he had it. This feeling of love building in his heart was more terrifying than any vamp.

There was someone lurking in the darkness of the night. Pedro, the bar patron laid in wait off in the distance a few cars down. He was in the lot of the motel crouched down in the front seat of a 2005 black Ford Taurus.

His eyes followed Max’s Range Rover as it pulled away from the parking spot and out the gravel lot.

Walt, Colin and Jerry were packing up their minimal belongings. It seemed they were always packing, going from place to place, trying to hide from sunlight and dwell in darkness.

They had to get out on the open road soon. They only had a few hours until sunrise. Walt wanted to get out of the vacant house before Janette returned. He knew she was out trolling for human food. He hoped she wouldn’t find a meal so easy.

He tossed a few items into a duffel bag when Janette entered from a back room. She had been out feasting on some lonely human man. Walt could smell the aroma of aftershave as she entered.

Janette was shocked when she saw things in disarray. She was shocked that the guys looked like they were going to bail on her. It was a good thing she cut her night short. She knew that Walt was the asshole jerk that turned Jerry and Colin against her.

All the male vamps stuck together and without Dorian she knew she was on her own. Janette wanted to kill Walt but she knew that she would forever have to be on the run if she chose that option. Killing your own was strictly prohibited. Vamps were killers but they still had rules that governed their actions.

There was a thick cloud of silence as the guys ignored her presence.

Janette hated being on the outside. Her mouth won out and she decided to just address the silence that loomed throughout the basement.

“Where the hell are you guys going?” The three vampires ignored her. This only fueled her anger. “Hello!”

Walt glared at Janette but didn’t speak.

“Walt! Did you find number three?” She asked.

Walt grabbed his knife and stopped. He turned to Janette. She actually thought he was going to say something to her but he didn’t. He just rolled his eyes and went back to stuffing things into his bag.

“So what you guys were going to cut out without me?”

“Listen twit, I don’t have time for this.”

“What’s your problem?”

“Look, you’re my fucking problem. I don’t have time for your shit.” Walt turned to Colin and Jerry. “Start the car. I’ll be right out.”

Colin nodded. He couldn’t wait to hit the road. He grabbed his duffel bag and skipped up the stairs with Jerry right behind him.

Walt slowly turned to Janette. He looked her square in the eyes. She felt a chill as his eyes assessed her closely.

“I can’t trust you. Scar may be there. The runner spotted her with number three.”

“Your precious Scar. I know your history with her.”

Walt was becoming more annoyed. “I put her on the list. I’m not going to give you the opportunity to mess up my plans.”

“You and your stupid plans.”

Janette charged Walt and he swiftly moved out of her way. Walt whipped around and grabbed Janette by the throat.

Janette fought to break free. She coughed and gagged as she struggled to break free. Although vampires didn’t breathe choking was a way to temporality render her helpless.

Walt choked her out until she was unconscious. She was dead already so she was out in a vampire sense of the word.

***

Back at the Hunters Roadhouse Max and Scar sat in a corner booth with full view of the roadhouse entrance and exit. Max was always on guard for an attack. He always gave off a cool calm demeanor but he really was always prepared for the worse.

Max looked around the bar with his 20/20 vision. “You see anybody suspicious?”

Scar grinned. “This is a bar full of hunters, everyone looks suspicious. Do you think it was okay to leave Ryan alone with Roy?”

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. He just seems a little preoccupied.”

“He’s just weird. Ryan can handle Roy. He’s one hellava hunter.”

“I’m sure he is. He is a Fox brother.”

“I have to admit. Sometimes he’s even better than me. He has been off a little lately but I’m not sure why?”

“You think it has something to do with Drack?”

“No but if you thought it maybe, it’s possible.”

“I mean everyone knows he was possessed by Drack’s demon. Drack is the most powerful vampire out there. He’s half demon half vamp. We have fragile human bodies. Most people who are possessed by demons die right after the demon vacates their body. Ryan is still alive. Something like that has got to take a toll on you.”

“When you say it like that.”