Pretty When She Kills (16 page)

“It’s worse than that,” Cian said.

“What can be worse than everyone trying to kill us, me going all
Sixth Sense
and Amaliya being a bitch?” Samantha asked.

Amaliya gave Samantha a sly wink.

Samantha giggled.

Jeff sat back in his chair, his gaze darting back and forth between the two women. This newfound truce between them was a little eerie. He saw from Cian’s facial expression he felt the same way.

“Um, what’s worse is that Bianca has powers that Amaliya doesn’t have. She can astral project,” Cian pointed out. “Or did all of you hunters miss that point?”

Benchley squirmed on his chair as Alexia opened her mouth to protest, then resorted to just glaring at Cian. Eduardo chuckled.

“Uh, that was missed,” Jeff admitted. “Amaliya can’t do that, I take it?”

Amaliya shook her head.

“So, we have a necro-vamp who is the daughter of one of the most powerful documented mediums of all time,” Alexia said, twisting the corner of her mouth, “and she’s coming here.”

“We’re boned, huh?” Benchley rested his forehead on the table with a small thump.

“Grandmama is pretty sure that Rachon is coming to kill me,” Amaliya said, shrugging. “The Summoner and I did have the same power, but his worked differently. I have to shed blood to make the dead rise. He didn’t.”

“But that worked to your advantage,” Benchley remarked, his head still resting on the table. “You took the zombies from him when you sprinkled them with blood.”

Samantha made a face. “Ugh. Blood. Why is it always blood with you guys?”

“Because we’re vampires?” Cian gave her an amused look.

Samantha wrinkled her nose at him.

Jeff rubbed his chin. “So if Bianca can astral project, maybe the way she summons the dead will be different, too.”

“Aren’t we all ignoring one important fact?” Alexia scowled at everyone, tugging at the strings of her hoodie.

“What is that?” Cian asked curiously.

“She’s asking for help,” Alexia said. “Duh.”

“But the blood bond with Rachon will force her to obey, right?” Amaliya tilted her head to look at Cian. “Right?”

Nodding, but looking a little unsure, Cian answered, “There is a distinct possibility the answer is yes.”

“But she’s defiant enough to astral project to Innocente and beg for help,” Alexia said, her finger tapping the table. “She wants our help. So if that’s true, we have to just deal with Rachon and whoever else she brings.”

“You’re assuming that Rachon will not be able to rein her in,” Cian responded, slightly shaking his head. “We have to assume the worst. That Rachon will be able to control Bianca. We may have to kill them both.”

There was a long silence.

“I think I have a problem killing someone that is asking for our help,” Alexia said at last.

“Me, too. It seems kind of shitty,” Samantha agreed.

Amaliya raked her fingers through her long hair and sighed. “I don’t want to kill her, Cian. She’s asking for help. He fucked Bianca up just like he did me.”

“You’re making this a lot more complicated.” Cian sighed.

Jeff tapped his fingers on the table. “Benchley, Eduardo, what do you think?”

“I’m with my sister. It seems like a dick move.”

Eduardo shrugged. “I say kill her. She’s a danger to our pack.”

Cian exchanged glances with Eduardo that indicated very clearly they were on the same page.

“You’re such an ass,” Alexia grunted.

“I’m a fine piece of ass,” Eduardo corrected her.

Jeff stared at the newspaper article in the book before him, his hand lightly stroking the page. “Fine. We try to save Bianca. It makes things harder, but…”

Cian’s snort indicated his contempt for the idea.

“If we’re allies, Cian, then we have a say in this, too. We’re not your minions,” Jeff said boldly, and was relieved when his voice didn’t crack.

Cian gave Jeff a terse nod.

“So we have to determine ahead of time what her powers might be. Benchley, you need to dive deep into our information on Bianca’s mother. Compile a list of her known abilities and then we’ll try to ascertain what we should be ready for.”

Benchley inclined his head. “Okay.”

“Alexia, please get all our gear in order. We’ll need the surveillance equipment and the van ready. Also, pull all the weapons and stock the van.”

Alexia gave him a thumbs up.

“Eduardo, you might be the muscle, as you like to put it, but I need you to work with Amaliya.” Jeff glanced at the shape shifter to see him grinning. “And, what I mean by that is please make sure you pour her blood in all the cemeteries in Austin every night. That’s how she can call the dead to her. Right?”

Amaliya nodded. “Yep.”

Eduardo sighed. “I thought it would be more exciting than that.”

Cian narrowed his eyes at the coyote. “I’ll need you to act as a guard the night we meet with Rachon. Think you can handle it?”

“I’ve eaten your kind on more than one occasion,” Eduardo said, shrugging. Fastening a charming smile on Amaliya, he said, “In many different ways.”

Amaliya rolled her eyes, but looked amused.

“And what about me?” Samantha asked.

Jeff leaned toward her. “I think we’ll have to test you and see what you are capable of. We may require your help.”

“Only three can meet with Rachon and her entourage,” Alexia reminded him.

“But a few of us could monitor nearby,” Jeff responded with a wry smile. “Right?”

“Considering we’re anticipating a betrayal, yes,” Cian agreed.

“Where will the meeting take place?” Samantha asked.

“Zilker Park. In the open, but away from human activity,” Cian answered. “It’s best to not allow her near my haven.”

“Location doesn’t matter if she’s going to attack you anyway,” Alexia said, shrugging. “I can probably rig up remote cameras if you can pinpoint the exact location for me. I can snag you guys on the digital cameras.”

“I long for the days when film rendered us invisible,” Cian said, winking at Alexia.

She blushed.

“What if Rachon is in cahoots with Etzli and Santos?” Benchley ran his hands through his hair. “Oh, man. That could be bad.”

“Santos hates Rachon. He hates anyone associated with The Summoner. Etzli does speak with Rachon, but I have a feeling that it’s her way of keeping tabs on both Rachon and me. Etzli is...” Cian fell silent, his hand gently rubbing Amaliya’s leg.

“Well?” Benchley prompted.

“Duplicitous,” Cian finally finished.

“So basically we’re just fucked every which way, huh?” Benchley rubbed his face vigorously.

“I plan to survive it,” Eduardo said with a shrug. “Vampires are pussies.”

Cian gave him a dark look.

“Oh, yeah?” Amaliya looked ready to throw down with the coyote.

“Eduardo, stop causing shit,” Jeff said in a weary tone.

“What?” Eduardo had the audacity to look hurt.

“We have less than twenty-four hours to come up with a way to deal with all of this crap coming down on us,” Jeff said. “We need to not fight with each other.”

“The plan should be simple,” Cian said, his voice taking on a dominating tone.

The table fell silent as all eyes turned to him.

“If Rachon attacks, we kill her and her entourage. If we can save Bianca, we’ll do so, but if not, she dies, too. If Etzli or Santos interferes, we will have to deal with them as well.” Cian glanced at Jeff. “We could really use more people.”

“This is it,” Jeff said with a shrug.

“We need more vampires,” Amaliya decided. “Any volunteers?”

“Ha, ha,” Benchley retorted.

Samantha reached out and touched Jeff’s hand gently. “I can shoot, you know. Give me silver bullets.”

“We’re all going to have to be armed for this,” Alexia agreed.

Eduardo lounged in his chair looking bored. “Vampires die just like everything else.”

“We’re harder to kill,” Cian responded.

“Eh, not that hard,” Eduardo shot back with a sardonic smile.

“Enough!” Samantha said, surprising everyone. “This isn’t a time to be arguing over who is more of a bad ass! Okay? Fuck me sideways! Do what Jeff said! We make a plan. We do it! I don’t want to die, okay? I almost did it once and I don’t want to do it again!”

“At least we have an idea of what we’re dealing with,” Jeff said at last. “There shouldn’t be any surprises that we can’t anticipate.”

Amaliya busted out laughing.

“What?” Jeff felt defensive at her outburst.

“Now that you said that, we’re fucking doomed to have something come out of left field and knock us on our asses,” Amaliya answered.

“I’m not that superstitious,” Jeff answered shortly.

“I am,” Benchley said, holding up his hand.

“Me, too,” Alexia said, holding up hers.

“You fucked us,” Eduardo agreed.

“Yeah, honey, you kinda did,” Samantha said, joining the traitorous crew.

“I agree with Jeff,” Cian said firmly.

“Well, thanks,” Jeff grumbled.

Considering what they were facing, at least he had the support of the master vampire.

“Meeting adjourned,” Cian said.

“Yeah,” Jeff said, feeling a little swept aside as the chairs were shoved back and people rose to their feet.

Samantha leaned toward him, her fingers brushing his hand. “It’s okay, Jeff. If we all die, we know it’s not your fault.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then joined the others in gathering around the donuts and coffee maker.

Jeff stared at the open book in front of him, dread filling his heart. Nothing felt right. Nothing was really making sense. They were missing something vital, but he was hard pressed to figure out what it was.

Part Four

Sunday

Chapter 14

The heat shimmered over the highway edging the gas station as Pete climbed out of Ethan’s truck and stretched his long legs. Tucking his cowboy hat on his head, he glanced toward the bigger man. Ethan was already messing with the gas pumps, preparing to fill up after their long haul from East Texas to just inside Eastland County.

It was almost six hours since they’d left in the very early morning and the sun was still trekking upward in the cloudless pale blue sky. The hot summer air was scorching as it brushed over his face and tugged at his clothes.

Holding his cowboy hat in place, he stared off down the road that would lead to the home of Amaliya’s grandmother. His head was still throbbing from his hangover, but his stomach had finally settled down. He was starting to feel hungry. It was nearly ten in the morning, but he was hoping he might be able to snag a leftover breakfast taco. Amaliya’s grandmother was an awesome cook.

“I should call them and see if they went to church,” Pete called out.

Ethan glanced over his burly shoulder and gave him a brief nod. The other man’s long duster danced and snapped around his tall form. Somehow his cowboy hat remained firmly on his head in defiance of the hot gusts of wind. “Go ahead, but don’t tell them too much. Keep it simple.”

Pete dug his cellphone out of his pocket. His brain still felt a little mushy and his eyes grainy from what little sleep he had snagged during the trip. Ethan wasn’t much for talking as he drove, so Pete had found himself trying to start up a conversation with unsuccessful results. He’d finally fallen given up and dozed off to sleep away his beer haze. Yawning, he quickly scanned his contact list and found the number for Innocente.

The phone rang three times, then a small voice said, “Hello? Ottmer-Guerra residence.”

Pete hesitated, surprised to hear a child on the phone. But the name was correct: Innocente Ottmer. He knew Guerra was the name of one of the family tree offshoots, so he said, “Hey, this is a friend of Innocente. My name is Pete Talbert.”

“I’ll get her,” the child said, and noisily lay down the phone.

A second later a female voice said, “This is Cynthia Guerra. Who’s calling?”

“Uh, hey, Cynthia. It’s Pete Talbert.”

“Hey, Pete! How are you?”

“I’m good. You and Sergio visiting Innocente?” Pete tugged on his goatee, not really wanting to interrupt a family event.

“We live here now. She’s getting older and with the economy like it is...”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Hey, I’m in the area. Would you mind if I dropped by?” Pete glanced toward Ethan. The other man was still pumping the gas, but his body was slightly angled toward Pete. The dark sunglasses hid his eyes, but Pete knew he was under scrutiny.

There was a pause, then Cynthia said, “Sure. Come on by. Shouldn’t be a problem. We got up late so we’re just now eating breakfast. How far out are you?”

“Uh, I would say about fifteen minutes.”

“Great. That gives me time to get the kids dressed. We’ll see you soon.”

“Talk to you in a few,” Pete answered, then hung up. “They’re just getting up, so it’s all good.”

“No church today, huh?” Ethan finished up at the pump and holstered the nozzle.

“Yeah,” Pete said, realizing how odd it was for the family not to be at church. Innocente was very devout and so was Sergio.

“Wonder what’s up.” Ethan tucked his credit card away in his wallet as he let his words hang in the air.

Pete shifted uncomfortably on his feet, gazing at Ethan through the gloomy interior of the truck. He had a feeling that the mysterious man knew a lot more than he was letting on. “You know something?”

“Nope. Just wondering.” Ethan slid behind the wheel of the truck and yanked his door shut.

Pete climbed back into the cab. In the few short minutes the vehicle had been standing still, the interior had already heated up. He tilted the air conditioning vents toward him as Ethan started up the truck and blinked the sweat from his eyes. As Pete shut the passenger door, he tilted his head to regard the man next to him thoughtfully.

Ethan caught his look and gave him a slight smile. “I haven’t the faintest idea why they aren’t at church. I’m just trying to track down Amaliya.”

“Okay. Because if you need me to help you there needs to be some measure of trust between us,” Pete said in an even voice.