The Comanche Vampire (24 page)

She
leapt up and jerked her pants back in place.
 
Then she heaved her hair back out of her face and marched to stare out
the front windows.
 
Ned managed to tuck
his dick back into his jeans.
 
He opened
his bag and dug through it in frantic search for something.
 
Ten seconds later, a man burst into the room.
“Hey, little sister,” he said. “What in the hell are you doing up here with
Kawliga
?”

Ned
knew the reference, from Hank Williams’s country tune about the cigar store
Indian, the one
ol
’ Hank made famous sixty-odd years
ago.
 
He didn’t like the comment but he
schooled his face into a bland mask while Anne bristled. “David
Delahanty
, that’s a rude thing to say!” she cried. “This is
Ned Big Eagle and you owe him an apology.”

Anne’s
brother, his hair the same bright auburn as hers, snorted.
 
He put his large leather suitcase on the
other bed and walked over to Ned, hand outstretched. “Sorry, man. Let’s try
this shit over.
 
I’m David, as you
probably know by now.
 
I’m really not a
racist prick and I’m sorry I sounded like one.”

“No
offense taken,” Ned said.
 
Inwardly,
though, he’d like to use his knife to inflict torture the way a Comanche
warrior did best. He pegged him as an asshole, but he kept his opinion to
himself.

“So,”
David said as he flopped down beside his suitcase. “You’re Anne’s what?
Boyfriend? Best friend? Lover?”

“Ned
and I are together,” Anne said with a stubborn tilt of her head. “That’s all
you need to know, David.
 
Is everyone
here?”

“Hell,
yes, the ones coming tonight are.
 
Sara
and her kids, me, and the two of you are the guests of honor. Mama’s got the
table set and Daddy’s carving the roast. They’re all waiting on you.
 
Guess you’d rather I not say what you two
were doing up here, huh?”

Ned
ached to cut off David’s nose or maybe an ear.
 
He hadn’t been so tempted to resort to traditional Comanche torture methods
in two or three decades, but he longed to do it now.
 
Anne’s face flushed but he suspected rage,
not embarrassment brought color. “Do what you like,” Ned said in a brusque
tone. “Your sister is a grown woman, not a little girl.
 
And while I respect elders and their wishes,
I’ll take her home before you or anyone else gives her shit.”

Anne’s
mouth dropped open with shock before her lips shifted into a tiny smile.
 
Her brother shrugged and spread his hands
wide. “Oh, well, who cares? But don’t think you’re fooling me. I may not be
getting any, but I recognize the smell of cum.”

“We’ll
see you downstairs,” Anne said and grabbed Ned’s hand. “Let’s go.”

On
the way, she led him into the bathroom so they could wash up.
 
Ned noticed she picked up a bottle of cologne
and spritzed her wrists with it.
 
Then
she added another shot between her breasts.
 
When she noticed his stare, she said, “Well, just in case.”

“Tell
me he’s not always such an asshole.”

“He
didn’t used to be. Now, I don’t know.
 
He’s upset about his marriage breaking up, I guess, but he’s being a
prick.”

Ned
grasped her wrist for a moment. “This is why you didn’t want to tell me, isn’t
it?”

She
nodded. “Yes, it is.
 
I’m sorry, Ned.”

Two more days and we’ll be out of
here.
“All
right, honey.
 
I hope the rest of your
family’s got better manners and things go smoothly.”

Nothing
went well.
 
Although Rose’s meal tasted
great, no one enjoyed it.
 
Bob smoked one
cigarillo after another at the table and the harsh aroma wafted over
everything.
 
David made cutting remarks
about anything anyone said.
 
Anne’s
sister, Sara, kept quiet except to admonish her children, two teenagers, to
behave.
 
The boy, in full Goth gear,
tossed the F-bomb around without any remorse.
 
Each time he uttered it, Rose jerked as if she’d been slapped hard in
the face and Bob glowered.
 
Sara’s
daughter stirred most of her dinner around the plate and ate almost
nothing.
 
Her pale skin, her extreme
slenderness gave her an unhealthy appearance and Ned, savvy because a
co-worker’s daughter suffered from it, figured she must be anorexic.

After
dinner, the houseguests divided into a group who wanted to listen to Christmas
carols in the parlor and another who settled down to watch reality
television.
 
Ned craved solitude and some
cold, crisp air.
 
He announced he needed
to fuel the truck and ended up taking Anne, her niece Amber, and Sara to look
at Christmas lights.
 
The activity
entailed driving around Rusk and searching for the most elaborate and lavish
holiday displays.
 
Anne asked him to tune
in some Christmas tunes on the radio so Ned did, but by the time he delivered
them back to the house, he considered taking off.
 
He could return after Christmas to get
Anne.
 
Ned debated it for about a minute
and decided she’d be mad.
 
So he girded
his loins and headed inside with the others.
 
He endured festive hot chocolate and cookies before he escaped upstairs
for a few minutes alone.

Ned
smoked and stared out at the stars above the small town.
 
David came in, kicked off his shoes, and
needled Ned.
 
He asked what he did for a
living and found fault with it. “You mean my college professor sister’s dating
a card dealer? What the fuck is wrong with her?” After a few more questions,
Ned shut up and refused to answer anything else.
 
He feigned sleep until David stopped talking
and began to snore.
 
The annoying rattle
was an improvement over his bitter spew but Ned still considered smothering the
man with a pillow.
 
Antsy and full of
energy he had no way to expend, he paced the attic floor instead until realizing
his steady tread might be audible below.
 
In sock feet Ned crept down to visit Anne, but she was asleep. If he
woke her, he’d rouse the house.
 
In slow
motion he made his way downstairs and thought he would go outside but when he
touched the doorknob and turned it, an alarm screeched and he let go.

Before
he could bolt back upstairs Bob charged down the stairs with a .410 shotgun in
his hand.
 
Rose trailed her husband and
by the time Bob reached the entryway, everyone including Anne descended behind
him.
 
No one spoke and in the utter quiet
Ned heard Bob cock the firearm.
 
Anne
gasped and came down three steps to grasp her daddy’s arm. “
Don’t shoot,
” she cried. “It’s Ned.”

Bob
lowered the shotgun. “Well, what in the hell is he doing?”

With
every bit of dignity he could muster, Ned faced the
Delahanty
family. “I couldn’t sleep and I thought I’d step out on the porch for a few
minutes, that’s all.
 
I didn’t know the
place was wired like Fort Knox.”

Rose
spoke up. “There were a lot of break-ins in the area so we got the alarm
system.”

“People
ought to be in bed this time of night,” Bob groused. “Wandering around at all
hours, prowling like some god damn burglar or something.”

“Daddy,
that’s enough!” Anne cried. “Ned’s my friend and a guest in your home.
 
You act like he did something wrong.”

David
added his two cents worth. “Maybe he wanted to scalp someone or something.”

I could break his neck so easily
or cut his throat with one slash.
 
Ned said nothing but stood as still as
death.
 
If he spoke now, he’d regret the
words.
 
He used every ounce of
self-control to remain.
 
Anne’s eyes met
his, concerned and filled with tears.
 
Ned wanted to take his woman and leave but that might not be Anne’s
choice.
 
He pulled words from deep
within, translated his turbulent thoughts from Comanche into English. “I
apologize if I’ve done something out of line.
 
I didn’t mean to upset the entire house.
 
All I wanted was some fresh air.
 
I’m not a thief and I’m not planning to take any scalps.
 
I’m sorry if I offended any of you.
 
If you want, I’ll pack up and go stay at a
motel.
 
Or I’ll go home.
 
But if I’m not welcome, just say so.”

Ned
spoke with a quiet dignity and he never raised his voice.
 
The gathered family stared until Anne broke
ranks and pushed past the others to join Ned.
 
She offered him her hand and he took it. “If Ned goes, I will too.”

Sara
muffled a sob with her hand.
 
“Don’t go,
sis,” she said. “It’s Christmas.”
 
Anne’s
grip on Ned’s hand tightened when her mother joined the chorus. “Anne, please
stay and Ned, too.
 
Of course, you’re
welcome. Bob, tell him.”

The
older man rolled his eyes and coughed.
 
Then he said, “Oh, hell, you’re welcome here. My daughter wants you here
and so I’d like you to stay.
 
I’m sorry
if I went off half-cocked.
 
It’s the
middle of the damn night, so let’s forget about it and go back to bed.”

Anne
nodded at Ned so he said, “Apology accepted.”

A
chorus of ‘good nights’ echoed as Anne’s folks retreated upstairs.
 
Ned lingered and so did Anne. “Thank you,”
she told him. “And I’m sorry this happened.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry too. Your brother’s an asshole.”

“I
noticed.
 
He didn’t used to be, not like
this.”
 
She linked her arm through his
and tilted her face upward.
 

Ned
delivered a kiss, a slow, sweet one. “Is there any place else I can sleep?” he
asked. “I don’t look forward to heading back up to share space with David.”

She
cocked her head as she considered it. “Tim’s not here yet with his family so I
guess you could bunk in the den.
 
Tomorrow night, Tim’s boys will be there, but if you don’t mind the
couch, you could spend the night there. Do you want me to get you some blankets
and a pillow?”

“I’ll
manage.” Ned kissed her one more time. “Good night, honey. I’ll see you in the
morning.”

Christmas
Eve began early.
 
Good thing I don’t need sleep
.
 
A clatter from the kitchen warned him the day was underway.
 
Rose banged pans and sang Christmas
carols.
 

A
steady stream of family members filed past to get coffee and a roll but Ned
lingered until Anne stuck her head into the den. “Hi,” she said. “I wasn’t sure
if you were awake yet.
 
Everybody’s
up.
 
Want some breakfast?”

“Coffee
will do.”
 

Anne
came into the den and sat on the edge of the couch.
 
“Don’t you want a sweet roll or something?”
she asked.

He
shook his head. Ned longed to go home, back to the wide-open spaces of western
Oklahoma, to his place where he could be himself without artifice. “No, thanks,
I’m not hungry.”

She
frowned. “Okay.
 
Well, soon as you’re
ready, would you mind driving me to the supermarket? Mama’s making cookies
today and cooking some of the stuff for tomorrow.
 
She’s got a mile long list.”

He’d
rather jump head first into a den of rattlesnakes or work a triple shift at the
casino but he forced a smile. “Yeah, I’ll take you to the store. Let’s get some
coffee and go.”

Ned
knew it would be a very long day.

Chapter Twelve

Ned
preferred his coffee strong and black.
 
Rose’s coffee tasted like lukewarm dishwater, but he managed to down one
cup.
 
Anne’s bunch nattered and
chattered, everyone almost too friendly after the middle of the night’s events.
 
Although Anne offered him a cinnamon bun and
Rose pushed a cookie his way, he turned both down with the best smile he could
muster.
 
Ned craved blood and he’d need
it soon to make it through the holiday.
 
A nagging headache plagued him and he figured he’d have to find a way to
get a donor during the shopping trip.
 
At
least, though, he’d get some time alone with Anne.