Once Broken (Dove Creek Chronicles) (5 page)

“Not today. We mostly sold rather than bought.”

“Well, Hugo ought’a be happy about that,” she said. “Speaking of the boss man, any word on hiring another night person? We’re gettin’ close to losin’ Kevin, so we’ll need the help.”

I watched Diana check her lipstick as I answered. “Yeah, there’s an ad in the paper, and I got a new application this afternoon.”

“Good deal. Keep me posted.”

As I moved my hand over the computer mouse, she stopped me. “Just leave that up. I’ll need somethin’ to do, and I can finish that for ya.”

“Be my guest.” I did as I was told and rose from the desk chair. As I was gathering my things, I sensed the other woman’s appraising look.

“Really looked like you were thinkin’ hard about somethin’. You doin’ okay, hon?”

And there was the million-dollar question.

I could tell by the sympathy in her question and her knowing expression what she was getting at. Though I knew I should be used to people inquiring after my wellbeing this time of year, I wondered when everyone would finally stop doing so. I paused and nodded, appreciative of Diana’s concern even if I didn’t care for the attention.

“I’m good, thanks. I was just letting my mind wander, that’s all.” I smiled to reassure her that she need not worry. “I’m off tomorrow, so I’ll see you in a couple days?”

“You bet, hon.” Diana confirmed and hugged me. “Drive safe.”

I FOUND JOCELYN AND CASEY
on the back porch when I returned to headquarters. They both looked better than they had that morning, though their wounds still had plenty of healing to do. A fresh pang of guilt struck me as I was reminded that I hadn’t been there to help them. I was grateful when Casey interrupted my little self-pitying moment.

“Hey darlin’.” He drawled the greeting from his seat in a wicker chair. “Wasn’t expectin’ to see ya tonight.”

There’s a reason Casey Oliver is our enforcer. One night about a year after I finished my Amasai training, Gabriel and I went to break up a vampire attack. We found Casey, fighting off a young vamp with nothing but his bare hands. He was just too good not to recruit.

At w
ell over six feet tall, he’s one of the biggest men I’ve ever seen up close. He’s muscular and strong, but it’s the kind of definition and might that come from real work like hauling hay bales and mending fences rather than spending hours pumping iron in front of the mirrored wall at the gym. It’s no wonder. Casey grew up on a farm on the other side of the Red River near Ryan, Oklahoma. He has been everything from a farm hand to a welder, nightclub bouncer and now mechanic. There’s something about him working with his hands that women find appealing.

I can’t say that I blame them.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes. He has long dark hair that falls almost to his shoulders and hazel eyes that look dark brown indoors and greener in the sun. His jaw is strong and his remaining features might look harsh and rugged except that he’s laidback and usually jovial. He’s a smiler rather than a frowner. It’s a quality that draws in women like moths to a flame.

I took a chair that sat across from him, next to Jocelyn. “Thought I’d stop by after work and see what was going on.” I answered with a little shrug. “How are you two doing?”

“Didn’t even break a nail.” Joss’ reply came with a smirk.

“We’ll live,” Casey added. “What about you? How was your night in the clink?”

“Long. But Sol saved me from actually getting thrown behind bars.”

“Hope we don’t see you on an episode of COPs.” Jocelyn giggled.

I answered her with a good-natured eye roll.

We kept our conversation about the night before light, even if it was heavy on all our thoughts. The three of us knew from experience that it wouldn’t help us to be somber.

Casey pulled a tin of chewing tobacco out of his back pocket and tapped his finger against the lid a few times to pack it. I wrinkled my nose.

“I don’t know how you get so many girls to kiss you when you’re always using that nasty stuff,” I teased. Since there was never a shortage of women lining up to get close to Casey, bad habit or not, I guessed it wouldn’t be a sore subject.

“So you’re sayin’
you
wouldn’t kiss me, darlin’?” He fired back brazenly.

I hadn’t expected the ornery look in his eye, nor the bold question. Heat began to creep into my cheeks and I was grateful for the dim light. I somehow managed to reply in kind. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

All six-feet-four of Casey unfolded from the patio chair as he answered with nonchalant finality. “Guess I’ll just hafta quit, then. Ladies, if you’ll excuse me.”

Casey left me sputtering and I couldn’t muster a smart rejoinder before his towering outline disappeared through the door. I heard Jocelyn giggle and I looked at her blankly.

“I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” she said.

“Do what?”

“Flirt, you hussy.”

I didn’t, either.

chapter three

I woke in one of the spare beds at headquarters just before dawn, showered, and put on a change of clothes that I kept stowed away for just such an occasion. Gabriel had taken an extra night in the rotation, and I was in the kitchen talking to Garrett over a cup of coffee when he, Hugo, and Aric returned. They were looking tired but otherwise unscathed. Garrett may be able to keep up with us in his computer network when we’re on watch, but nothing was taken for granted until we came through the door each morning. We suspended our conversation and exchanged a look of pure relief.

The three men joined us at the kitchen counter and I poured them each a steaming mug of coffee before refilling my own. “How’d it go last night?” I asked.

Hugo shook his head. “Nothing unusual. One vampire and no suped-up humans. The wolves didn’t even get to stretch their legs.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” Garrett piped up.

“Or it could mean we should expect another blitz attack,” Gabe said between sips of coffee. “We still have no idea what those people want or what they’re after.”

“We should all remain on our guard,” Hugo agreed. “Even when not on watch. Gabriel, you’re good for another night?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Then you and Remi take your night as planned. Meredith and Aric will be here to back you up if need be. I’m going to get with Solomon and see if he’s found out anything at the precinct.”

Hugo finished the rest of his coffee and took his mug to the dishwasher. I thought he was beginning to look careworn on top of tired.

“Maybe I could go see Sol and you can go home and rest. I’m not working till later today,” I offered.

Hugo knew I’d rather eat deep fried demon toenails than go see Solomon voluntarily, so the look he gave me was one of true gratitude.

“Thanks, Remi, but I’ll go later this afternoon. You should get some rest, too.”

I couldn’t argue with that. If I was going to be up all night and be sharp about it, I needed more than the scant hours of shuteye I’d managed to squeeze in over the last two days.

Hugo left for home and the twins wandered off, leaving Gabriel and me together in the kitchen. I could stand there in awkward silence or I could clear the air with him. Neither choice was a comfortable one, so I sucked
in a breath and bit the bullet.

“Look, Gabe, about last night . . .”

He cut me off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not mad.”

“You sure seemed like it yesterday.”

He sighed heavily and passed the palm of his hand over his lower jaw. I could hear the scratching sound as rough skin rubbed against stubbly skin. Finally taking the time to really look at Gabriel, I saw that he was starting to show signs of being worn out, too.

His sandy blonde hair was sticking up in a few places it shouldn’t – a departure from the short, neat style he always wore. In spite of having a summer tan, his skin was on the verge of being dull. Though he is serious a great deal of the time, Gabe has the kind of smile that lights up his entire face and makes the skin around his bright blue eyes crinkle; I hadn’t seen that smile in I couldn’t remember how long. Even though we were in the middle of a squabble, I still found myself wanting to ask him if he was okay.

Then he opened his mouth, and my concern evaporated.

“I wasn’t pissed off at you. I was angry with the situation. Besides, I’m getting used to it. If you’re breathing, you’re probably breaking a rule.”

“I’m not
that
bad,” I protested.

A dubious look was the only answer I got.

“Gabe, seriously.”

“It’s about trust, Remi. When are you going to trust me? If you ran into trouble, you should’ve called me like
you’re supposed to. We have partners for a reason.”

“So we can end up in the slammer together?”

“If need be,” he retorted. “The thing is, I put my life in your hands every night we’re on watch together. I trust you to have my back even though I have more reason to doubt you than you do me. I’ve put the past behind me. The least you can do is to extend me the same courtesy.”

It had been Hugo’s reasoning that created my partnership with Gabe. His family was the Hatfields to our McCoys, and the feud dated all the way back to grade school. When I joined the Amasai, my membership came with a ready-made rivalry. Our clashes were explosive, doused with even more gasoline after we both figured out who my father really was.

I had known that the Wyatt kids’ mother died when we were all still very young, but the truth of her death was much different from the car accident that was common knowledge. Gabriel’s mother and father were attacked by a vampire and my father intervened. He was alone and too late to save Mrs. Wyatt. It had been easier for Gabriel’s father to blame mine for his wife’s death than it was for him to accept the reality of what had happened. George Wyatt was never able to let go, and he and encouraged his children to snub any of us who carried the McCoy name. One night when Gabe was still in college, Mr. Wyatt had a little too much to drink and slurred the truth to his son. Not long after that, he went looking for the Amasai.

Though he joined the Amasai to right wrongs his father had not found the strength to, Gabe’s blame transferred to me. Our animosity had threatened to divide the team and so Hugo forced us together. As Gabriel had just said,
we put our lives in each other’s hands. It fostered a truce between us, if not perfect trust.

That he brought up the past at all stung me.

“This isn’t about the past Gabe,” I said. “I’m not a child. I’m not going to ask permission before every move I make.”

“I don’t expect you to. Just trust me
to help you – that’s all I ask,” he said. I nodded and made a noncommittal sound as Gabriel drained his mug. “I’m going to get some rest. You, too?”

“Yeah.” I confirmed and got up from my chair as well. “Headed home now.”

“Alright. See you tonight.”

THERE WAS A CHARGE IN
the atmosphere that anyone from a storm-prone area would recognize. We didn’t need the weatherman to tell us that we were in for it that night.

I inhaled deeply, breathing in the heavy evening air as the sun disappeared behind the clouds that were building from the southwest. It smelled of dry grass and sun-baked dirt just as it always did that time of year, but there was a layer of freshness brought by the coming rain.

“Better pack our umbrellas,” Gabe said wryly as he stepped out onto the back patio with me.

“Afraid you’re gonna melt, sugar?”

I tipped up an eyebrow before downing the last swig of my energy drink. It tasted of tart fruit and artificial sweetener, but I needed the pep it would provide.

“Wasn’t it the Wicked Witch of the West who melted when water got thrown on her?”

He nodded toward me with a smirk that suggested it was
me
who needed protection from the coming rain. I punched his arm in response.

“We better get going,” I said, glancing toward the darkening sky. Dusk was coming early with the storm approaching.

“I’ll take the south roads if you go north?” Gabe asked.

I nodded once. “Sounds like a plan.”

LIGHTNING FLASHED IN THE WESTERN
sky as the storm closed in on us. My eyes were forced to adjust when the brighter displays changed the night sky to midday and back again.

I had gone north as Gabriel had suggested and with no word since our last check-in, I was left to assume that things were just as quiet for him as they were for me. Steering off of the farm-to-market road and onto the main highway, I switched to hugging the outskirts of town.

We were looking for more of those people with flashy powers, though we still didn’t know where to look. Searching for someone who thus far had been the seeker rather than the sought after had its challenges, to say the least.

L
ost in that train of thought, I nearly missed the car on the side of the road. It was a classic vampire ploy: Park a car on the shoulder and feign a breakdown. Sadly, there was always a gullible person who was like a fly to the trap. Even though the bloodsuckers knew we were onto them, they used the decoy anyway. As long as there were people who would fall for it, the vamps would harry us with it.

I touched the brakes and flipped a u-turn. A few cars and trucks whizzed by, but if they noticed the pair of vehicles now on the shoulder, they didn’t bother to investigate.

The car was a nondescript four-door, practical and plain. I was on the alert, expecting one of the vampires to come out of a hiding spot.

Nothing happened.

Nonplussed, I dropped my bow to my side as I peered into the empty car. I wondered briefly if the car was a real breakdown. Then I spotted the keys. It wasn’t often that someone left their keys in their car on the side of the road, broken down or not.

The vampire must have already claimed a victim, I thought. I circled around to the back of the car. There was no sign of anything or anyone having been there.

Frowning, I headed back to my jeep. Heaven knows I’m not always right, but I just couldn’t convince myself that I was wrong. Something had happened there and I was determined to figure out what. Another pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Gabe, telling myself it
was only to appease him.

“Hey, it’s me. How are things in your neck of the woods?” I asked. When he assured me that all was quiet but the weather, I told him what I had found. “I’m just inside the city limits, near the new Creek Crossing addition,” I finished.

He told me to stay put, so of course, I didn’t.

I had the gnawing feeling that this was the second trap in three days that had been laid for me, but I followed the breadcrumbs anyway. Call me a slow learner. If somebody was going to fall victim to a bloodsucking demon, I wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing just so that I could wait for Gabriel.

Thunder was beginning to rumble in earnest as I parked near the strip mall that was the crowning jewel of Creek Crossing. Dove Creek isn’t big enough for a real mall, so this is what we’ve got.

With the late hour and the storm bearing down on the town, the place was all but deserted. I cut the headlights and sat for a few moments, just watching. The sports bar was closed for the night, and two waitresses headed for their cars under the polite supervision of a man at the employee entrance. If his khakis and tie were any indication, he was the shift manager. He waved goodbye to the women after seeing that they were safe and sound in their cars, and went back inside. I willed him to get a move on and get the heck out of there.

The first fat drops of rain plunked against my windshield as I glanced at the clock on my phone. Storm winds began to rise and I wondered where the hell Gabe was. My skin prickled in anticipation.

Unable to sit idle any longer, I pulled up the hood of my raincoat and stepped out of my jeep. I didn’t care what Gabriel would say; he should’ve gotten there a little quicker.

The pair of female bloodsuckers must have scented me as soon as I was in the open air. They materialized from the shadows of the covered walkway and came straight for me. From the looks of them, they had been sisters in their human lives. Both were tall, blonde, and gorgeous – that much was apparent even with the cold eyes and gnashing teeth.

I lined up one of my silver tipped arrows with a wooden shaft and released it toward the blonde on the right. She burst into a cloud of ash that became a muddy gray mess before
the fiery red energy of the demon could dissipate into the Plane of Perdition. Her sister went only seconds after her, my aim faster than her exceptional speed.

The driving rain washed their remains into the gutter as I yanked another arrow from my quiver. The vampire that appeared at my left flank was upon me before I could do anything useful with that arrow.
Lightning illuminated his face, and I saw that it was the lizard-looking leech that had caused my run-in with the sheriff’s department. I slashed at his face with the silver tip of the arrow I had pulled, leaving a deep cut that sizzled in his flesh.

In retaliation, the vampire spun and kicked out, aiming for my head. I ducked behind the steel pole of a handicapped parking sign to deflect his attack. The metal twisted as his foot connected with it. I darted back toward him with the arrow still in hand, thrusting
it forward to bury it in the side of his neck. His fangs flashed as he opened his mouth, enraged. He came at me again, and I used my bow to hit him in the chest. With reflexes faster than mine, the vampire snatched the weapon from my hands and flung it away.

I reached down to grasp the end of a stake that was concealed in my boot, and yanked it out. The vampire lunged toward me. I dodged to the side just in time to allow his momentum to carry him past me, and I lodged the stake squarely in his back. It pierced his heart,
sending another demon back to Hell and rendering more ash for the gutter.

My hood had fallen back and I squinted against the falling rain as I turned my head from side to side to look for more foes. I saw nothing but lightning and shadows. I heard nothing but the rain pelting against the nearby awnings and the empty parking lot. But t
here wasn’t time for me to bask in my small victory before I felt long, icy fingers curl around my throat from behind.