Of A Darker Nature (27 page)

The pig-man answered with a grunt. In the excitement of the struggle, his nose now resembled a snout. Starr grumbled a curse then stalked away.

The rattle of chains drew Emily’s attention back to Marcus. He surged to his feet and launched himself at the men. The chain wrapped around Larry’s throat and Marcus gave it a yank. Pig-man's neck snapped. Ace grabbed Marcus by the time he swung the length of silver from the body.

Marcus was pulled into the crushing embrace of the black man.

The weakened vampire twisted and writhed and somehow managed to work the knife from his chest. Ace didn’t have time to react.

Marcus plunged the blade into the big man’s right eye socket. He dropped Marcus and fell onto the gravel.

Marcus turned and stalked toward Brenda and Emily. Brenda pointed the gun at him, her hand steady. “Stay back!”

Emily grasped her arm and tried to yank the gun away. She got an elbow in the face for her efforts. Marcus took two shots to the chest and one in the neck.

He didn’t fall this time. A determined expression swallowed his features. His darkened eyes focused on Brenda. Had he not been slowed down by his injuries, he most likely would have reached her before she dove into the car.

Brenda floored the gas, and the engine whined. The car surged forward, and Marcus yanked Emily out of the way just in time. Brenda sped out of the lot and screeched down the block.

Marcus fell heavily against the trunk of the closest car. He dragged in a few ragged breaths and his fingers scrabbled at the worst of the wounds.

Emily hurried to his side. God, but he looked a mess. Close to tears and unsure of what to do, she ran her hands over his hips in search of keys and his phone. The phone had been smashed beyond use, so she allowed it to fall away. She dipped her fingers into his pocket again and fished the keys out. With careful fingers, she smoothed the hair out of his eyes. “Please don't die.”

Marcus gripped her wrist, fingers leaving a crimson smear. Blue eyes drifted shut, and his hand fell away.

Emily wrestled his limp body into the Corvette. She supposed a person could do most anything they put their mind to, given the right circumstances.

Marcus groaned and shifted in the passenger’s seat. His right hand pressed against his chest in an effort to slow the trickle of blood. The breath in his lungs bubbled and crackled. “Something’s not right.”

“What can I do?” Emily’s panic was full blown at this point. She put the car into gear and sped through the lot.

“Morgue.” The hand fell from his chest and his head rolled against the seat. His reflection in the window looked grim. Dark circles stood out beneath his eyes and his cheeks were sunken.

The bleeding had stopped, but he hadn’t begun to heal. The most visible wounds were glistening, raw holes. Emily worried there had been more in the gun than plain old bullets. She tried not to think about how or why her best friend had betrayed her. There were far more pressing matters at hand.

The gears grinded and made a terrible racket. Marcus didn’t even open his eyes. “Morgue. Claude knows.” He gasped and choked on blood. “What to do.”

Emily rolled through several intersections, much to the chagrin of other motorists. Several honked their displeasure, but she was beyond caring. She’d never driven so fast in her life.

She pawed through her purse with one hand and dug her cell phone out. She speed dialed Scott's number, but he didn’t answer. The car swerved, nearly taking them into the ditch. She dropped the phone in the cup holder and gripped the wheel with both hands.

Marcus fumbled with the cell phone during one of his lucid moments. He even managed to press a few buttons before it slipped from limp fingers and landed at his feet. She didn’t think he’d managed to call anyone.

“Marcus, please don't die.” Her throat burned, and tears made her vision swim. “I just found you. I can’t lose you now.”

Moments later, Emily parked behind the city morgue. She swung the car door open and ran toward the building. Claude answered her pounding at the back door after only a few seconds.

“Is that you, Emily Cross?” The bald man’s breath reeked of pepperoncini and cherry cigars. He fingered the cleft that dimpled his chin.

Emily suppressed a shudder. She turned and pointed toward the car. “Marcus needs your help. He’s been hurt.”

Claudius Ballinger craned his neck and peered over her shoulder at the Corvette. “Is he conscious? Can he walk?”

Emily regarded the dark vehicle. “No, he’s really out of it. He should be healing by now, but isn’t. Please don't let him die.”

An odd smile twitched at the corners of Claude’s mouth. “Why don’t you go wait inside and I’ll take a look at him.”

He moved aside to allow Emily entry, but she didn’t budge. She peered into his craggy face. Couldn’t he see how urgent this was?

“Please, you’ve got to help him.”

Claude grasped her arm and pulled her into the building with him. “Have a seat and I’ll run out and get old Marcus. I’ll have him fixed up in no time, you’ll see.”

Emily stiffened at the coroner’s touch. He dragged her into the workroom, oblivious to her discomfort. Once inside, she spied a man with claws and sharp teeth lying on one of the tables. His eyes were clouded in death, but there wasn't a mark on him.

“Do you mind if I cover him? He gives me the creeps.” She grasped the sheet and made sure to allow her fingers to brush across his skin as she pulled it over him.

The shifter, a gray tabby cat, Marcus had asked to investigate Claude. This man had spent a great deal of time pretending to be a stray the coroner fed and cared for. He hadn't actually believed good old Claude was to blame for the disappearances of vampires and shifters in the community. He was a healer at heart and would never turn away one of God's creatures.

A little over a month ago, the cat had witnessed money change hands—dirty money for the dirtiest of deeds. There was no turning back now. Claude's hands were stained with the blood money Starr had offered. He had told her, “I'll do it because the goddamned supernatural is taking over.”

The cat witnessed the doctor destroy the very ones he used to mend. Claude had purposely sent Marcus to the Hall Funeral Home. Corey and the others would look for him at the morgue instead, giving Trent time to reach him. He'd been paid big bucks to keep his trap shut and “accidentally” switch the paperwork with another body that was headed elsewhere.

Cat-man wondered if Scott had accepted the money Starr offered him. He honestly doubted it. Scott had always been such a goody-goody, with his self-righteous nose in the air.

The cat hung around every time business was going down. Claude began to suspect the cat wasn't an ordinary cat. For days, the cat was locked in a large cage and watched over. He hadn't had a chance to report back to Marcus or Isabella. He finally broke and transformed back. Claude was there to slip a needle beneath his skin. The man had writhed and screamed. His system shut down, unable to fully return to human.

Claude maneuvered Emily toward an orange plastic chair in the corner. “Why don’t you sit here and I’ll go grab a stretcher from down the hall.”

Despite her growing anxieties, Emily nodded. She sincerely hoped he didn’t know about her ability. “Sure, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“No, no I got this. You look pretty banged up yourself. I’ll give you a looking over too.” He raised bushy gray brows and fingered the cleft again.

Claude moved toward the door leading to the hallway. It was all Emily could do to stay perched on the edge of that seat, waiting for the disgusting man to drop his guard and leave the room. Finally, he stepped into the hall. Just as the door swung shut, she noticed him take out his cell phone.

Emily bolted, knowing it would only be a matter of moments before he returned. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who he was calling either. She planned on being long gone before Starr and her crew showed up to finish what they started.

Emily burst out the back door and ran toward the car. She nearly killed the motor in her haste to get away. Marcus slumped further in the seat. Even though she talked to him, he did not respond.

“We’re at Scott's.” She pulled around to the alley at the back of the funeral home. She'd driven across town in record time. “He’ll know what to do.” At this point, she was unsure who she was trying to convince. Still, she felt better for saying it.

Scott opened the door on the fifth knock. He was sleepy eyed and confused. He wore pajamas pants with no shirt and mismatched socks. His hair stood up in odd little tufts all over his head. “Emily? What are you doing here?”

“Oh thank heavens you’re here!” Emily bullied her way into the building.

“Where else would I be at two in the morning?” He rubbed at bloodshot eyes with the heel of his hands. “What are you doing?”

“Quick, we have to get something to carry Marcus in on. He needs help.”

A dark frown twisted his features. Apparently he was unhappy to see her at such an early hour. Or maybe the idea of helping her vampire was what he opposed. “What’s going on? What happened to you?”

Emily’s adrenaline was waning. Aches and pains from the beating became much more noticeable. “Don’t just stand there, Scott. Help me!”

“Slow down. Let’s just calm down.” Scott’s expression darkened. Maybe he finally grasped that something dreadful had happened. He grabbed Emily by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He touched the knot on her forehead. “Did he hurt you?”

She slapped his hand away. She didn’t have time for this. Marcus needed his help much worse than she did. “Marcus was shot.”

Her steam finally fizzled, and she slumped heavily against him. Scott seemed hesitant at first, but eventually he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “You aren’t making any sense, Emily. He’s a vampire, remember? Give him time, he’ll heal on his own.”

“No, you don’t understand. I think they shot him with silver or something. He’s not healing and he’s—he’s just dying.” Her voice broke and tears flowed freely now. “Could you take a look at him, please? Can’t you just do this one thing for me?”

He drew back enough to stare into her face. A grim expression clouded his features. “There’s nothing I can do for him.”

“Please help him.” She quickly summed up how he had gotten into the condition he was in. Desperate tears trailed down her cheeks and she wiped them away with dirty hands.

Two bright spots of color appeared on Scott's cheeks. “What kind of business do you have at a place like Red Door?”

Emily waved his obtrusive words away. “He’s saved me too many times to count. Can’t you see that I owe him big time?” She couldn't admit it to Scott, but she'd come to care about the vampire. It had all happened so fast, she didn't fully understand the why's or how's of it herself.

Scott’s expression flitted between shocked and annoyed. “And you just assumed I’d be okay with treating him? Damn it, Emily, why did you involve me? You could have taken him back to the other enforcers.”

She shook her head. “We're running out of time. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Scott ran fingers through his short, thick hair and groaned.

“I took him to Claude first. He’s been running an all-night medical clinic over there, but you already knew that didn’t you? I found out he’s killing them off as they come in. He’s the one who switched Marcus’s paperwork.”

Emily pushed past her hardheaded friend and went into the workroom. Marcus needed help. If nothing else, she could at least bring him inside until she could figure out what to do next. She seized a stretcher and pushed it toward the back door. She shot Scott the evil eye as she passed.

Scott’s socked feet slapped the floor behind her. “They’re going to figure out where you took him. Mark my words, Emily. They’ll come looking for him here.”

Emily maneuvered the stretcher down the hall. “Man up and help or get out of the damned way!”

Scott opened the door for her. “How do you know Claude was the one running the disposal?”

“He killed his cat, cat-man or whatever. I read the shifter laying on his worktable.” She manhandled the stretcher outside without his help. “He witnessed the meeting between them.”

Emily froze in her tracks. A large man had opened the passenger’s side door and was bent over Marcus’s inert body. Starr’s people had acted faster than she’d believed possible.

“What the hell did you do to him, Miss Cross?” A familiar crew cut in a dark suit turned to survey her. “I called Corey. He’s already on his way.”

“Me?” Emily was shocked that Chad would even think her capable of such an atrocity. “Starr’s people did this.”

Scott cleared his throat, reminding her that he was still annoyed. “So if his friends are coming to get him, why am I even out here? Good night to both of you.”

He turned to leave, but Chad grasped his arm. “Not so fast. We’re taking him inside.”

Chad bent into the car again, scooped up Marcus, and gently deposited him onto the stretcher. He leveled a hard gaze on Scott and used his elbow to brush aside the suit jacket. His weapon was in clear view. “Lead the way, mortuary man.”

Headlights at the end of the alley illuminated the night. Unsure whether it was Starr or Isabella’s enforcers, Emily hurried toward the building.

Corey, Jai Li and two vampires she’d never seen before exited the parked car. Corey was the first to reach them. “He looks terrible.”

Scott seemed irritated that more people had crowded into his workroom. His mouth was set on permanent grimace. “Give me some room, people. You there…” He pointed at Corey. “Lay him on the table.”

Emily shrank back against one of the cabinets lining the wall, eager to be out of the way. 

Jai Li stood at the foot of the worktable, a sour expression on her face. Her dark gaze slid toward Emily. “Starr’s people did this?”

Emily’s mind whirled. Should she tell them about Brenda or keep that information to herself?
Screw her.
Brenda had lied. Her betrayal cut deeper than any knife ever could. If anything were to happen to her ex-best friend… Well, she’d deal with the guilt later. Emily gathered her wits and told them what she remembered.

Jai Li snapped her stern gaze around to Chad and the two vampires who had arrived with her. “The three of you divide up and watch this place. If any of the witch’s people come snooping around, take care of them. If you see Starr, send Chad inside to get us.”