Halfway to the Grave

  “Let me see it,” he said, reaching out to me.

  “It’s fine.” Tension and pain made my voice sharp.

  Bones ignored that and pried my fingers off the wound, undoing my makeshift bandage.

  “Nasty bite, tore the flesh around the vein. You’ll need blood for that.”

  He pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and started to press the tip against his palm.

  “Don’t. I said it’s fine.”

  He just gave me an irritated glance and scored the blade along his palm. Blood welled up at once and he clamped it against my resisting forearm.

  “Don’t be irrational. How much did he take?”

  My wrist actually tingled as his blood mingled with mine. The magic of healing, in real time. Somehow it seemed almost as intimate as when I had to lick blood off his fingers.

  “About four good pulls, I guess. Stabbed him in the neck as fast as I could to get his mind off it. Where were you, anyway? I didn’t see a car behind us.”

  “That was the idea. I drove my bike but kept back far enough so Sergio wouldn’t know he was being followed. Bike’s about a mile from here down the road.” Bones nodded toward the nearby trees. “I ran that last part through the woods so there’d be less noise.”

  Our heads were only inches apart and his knees were pressed against mine. Uncomfortable, I tried to scoot back, but the car door left nowhere to go. “I think the car’s ruined. The rear door is in scraps.”

  Indeed it was. Sergio had mangled it beyond belief. A wrecking ball would have done similar damage.

  “Why did he go for your wrist, if you were both in the backseat? Couldn’t get to your neck?”

  “No.” Inwardly I cursed at the memory. “He got frisky in the front seat and tried to feel me up, thanks to you and the no-panties idea. I wasn’t about to let that happen, so I climbed into the back and put my arms around him from behind so he wouldn’t get suspicious. Stupid of me, I know now, but I didn’t even think of my wrists. Every other vampire had always gone for my neck.”

  “Yeah, including me, right? The car swerved off the road so fast, I thought you two were already sprawling inside. What made him pull off so erratically then?”

  “I told him to come and get me.” My voice was flippant, but the words hurt. He’d come and gotten me, all right. A question suddenly leapt to mind.

  “Is he okay back there in the trunk?”

  Bones chuckled. “You want to keep him company?”

  An evil glare accompanied my retort. “No, but is he really gone? I’d always cut off their heads to be sure.”

  “Critiquing my work? Yeah, he’s really gone. Right now we need to get out of here before some nosy driver pops alongside and asks if we need help.” Releasing my wrist, he examined the wound. The flesh was already closed together as if by invisible stitches. His hand no longer even bore a mark. “That’ll hold you. We need to move this vehicle.”

  I stood up and again looked at the mangled car. Not only was the door hanging by a mere few scraps of metal, but there was a fair amount of blood in the front area from my wrist and Sergio’s neck.

  “How I am supposed to drive in this wreck? Any cop that sees this car is going to pull me over!”

  He grinned that cocky smile of his. “Don’t fret. Have it all worked out.” From out of his jacket he pulled a cell phone.

  “It’s me, we’re finished. Looks like I’m going to need that lift after all, mate. You’ll like the ride, it’s a Benz. Needs a little body work on the door, though. We’re on Planter’s Road, just south of the club. Step on it, right?” Without saying goodbye, he hung up and turned his attention back to me.

  “Sit tight, Kitten. Our ride will be here in a minute. Don’t worry, he’s nearby. Told him I might have a use for him tonight. Course, he was probably figuring on it being a little later in the evening.” He paused, giving me a knowing look. “You left with him right quick, didn’t you? He must have been quite pleased with you.”

  “Yeah, real happy. Color me flattered. Seriously, Bones, even if you tow this car there’s still too much blood in it. And you didn’t listen to me about bringing cleaning materials. This thing could have been at least mopped up.”

  He moved closer to pull my arm out for another inspection. There was only a thin red line of healed skin now, but after satisfying himself with its condition, he still didn’t let me go. Avoiding his gaze didn’t prevent me from feeling its weight.

  “Trust me, luv. I know you don’t, but you should. You did a smashing job tonight, by the way. That stake in his back was just a thought away from his heart. It slowed him, as did the one in his neck. You would have had him even if I wasn’t here. You’re strong, Kitten. Be glad of it.”

  “Glad? That’s not quite the word I’d use. Relieved? You could say that. Relieved I’m alive and there’s one less murderer prowling around for naïve girls. But glad? Glad would be if I never had this lineage. Glad would be if I had two normal parents and a bunch of friends, and the only thing I’d ever killed was time. Or if even once I had been to a club just to go dancing and have fun instead of ending up staking something that tried to kill me. That’s glad. This is just…existing. Until the next time.”

  I pulled my hand away and moved off a few feet to put some distance between us. A wave of melancholy coursed through me at the things I had just mentioned that would never be mine. Sometimes it was frightening to feel old at twenty-two.

  “Rot.” The single word broke the silence.

  “Excuse me?” How like a vampire, to have no sympathy.

  “Rot, I said. You play the hand you’re dealt just like everyone else in this bloody world. You have gifts people would kill for, no matter that you scorn them. You have a mum who loves you and a nice house to go home to. Sod your backwoods neighbors who look down their ignorant noses at you for your lack of a father. This world is a big place and you’ve got an important role to play in it. Think everyone goes around whistling about the life they lead? Think everyone is given the power to choose the way their fate goes? Sorry, luv, it doesn’t work that way. You hold the ones you love close and fight the battles you can win, and that, Kitten, is how it is.”

  “What would you know about it?” Bitterness made me brave, and the words flung out of my mouth.

  Surprisingly, he threw back his head and laughed before he seized my shoulders, moving closer until his mouth almost touched mine.

  “You…haven’t…the…slightest…inkling of what I’ve been through, so don’t…tell…me…what I know.”

  There was thinly veiled menace in the way he deliberately spoke each syllable. My heart started to pound, and I knew he could hear it. His grip loosened until his fingers no longer dug into my skin, but his hands remained. God, he was close…so close. Unconsciously I licked my lips, and a jolt went through me as I saw his eyes follow the movement. The air fairly crackled between us, either from his natural vampire energy…or something else. Slowly his tongue snaked out and caressed his bottom lip. It was mesmerizing to watch.

  A horn blaring made me jump nearly out of my skin. My heart caught in my throat as an eighteen-wheeler slowed down and parked just ahead of us. The noise of the axles releasing and brakes locking sounded deafening in the suddenly quiet night.

  “Bones…!” Frightened of discovery, I was about to say more when he walked up to the vehicle and called out a greeting.

  “Ted, you buggering bastard, good of you to arrive so quickly!”

  It might have been me, but I thought I detected a note of insincerity in his voice. Me, I wanted to throw my arms around this Ted and thank him for interrupting what could have been a very dangerous moment.

  A tall skinny man climbed down from the trailer and gave a grinning reply. “I’m missin’ my shows because of you, buddy. Hope I didn’t interrupt nothin’ between you and that gal. Two of you looked awful cozy.”

  “No!” It escaped me with all the denial of a condemned soul. “Nothing going on here!”

 
Ted laughed and walked around to the damaged side of the car, poking his head inside and wrinkling his nose at the sight of the blood.

  “Sure…I can see that.”

  Bones arched a brow at me in silent challenge, causing me to look away. Then he clapped his friend on the shoulders.

  “Ted, old chap, the car is yours. Just need to get a piece out of the boot and then we’re golden. Drive us to the place, we’ll be done by then.”

  “Sure thing, bud. You’ll like the back. It’s air-conditioned. Some boxes to sit on, or you could ride in the car. Come on, now. Let’s put this baby to bed.”

  Ted opened the back of the trailer. It was equipped with stabilizing clamps to fasten a car onto. I shook my head in admiration. Bones really had thought of everything.

  When Ted lowered the steel ramp on the back, Bones jumped into the Mercedes and drove it straight onto the clamps. After a few adjustments were made, the car was secure. Then Bones left to get his motorcycle, returning in a few minutes to put it in the trailer on its side. When he was finished, he grinned down at me.

  “Come on, Kitten. Your taxi’s waiting.”

  “We’re riding in back?” Frankly, the thought of being alone in a confined space with him frightened me, and not for concern of my arteries.

  “Yeah, here. Old Ted doesn’t want to risk being seen with me. Values his health, he does. Keeps our friendship a secret. Smart bloke.”

  “Smart,” I muttered as I climbed into the trailer’s interior. Ted closed the door with a decisive click and sound of a lock turning. “I envy that.”

  I refused to sit back in the car where my blood stained the seats and a body lay in the trunk. Instead, I was as far away from Bones as the tight interior of the truck’s trailer could manage. There were crates toward the front, filled with God knows what, and I huddled into a ball on one of them. Bones perched contentedly on a similar box as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  “I know this isn’t a concern for you, but is there enough oxygen in here?”

  “Plenty of air. Just as long as there isn’t any heavy breathing.” His brow arched as he spoke, while his eyes told me loud and clear that he hadn’t overlooked an instant of our earlier moment.

  “Well, then I’m safe. Absolutely safe.” Damn him for the knowing twist of the lips he gave me in reply. What would I have done if he’d moved closer before? If he’d separated that last inch between our mouths? Would I have slapped him? Or…

  “Shit.” Oops, said that out loud.

  “Something wrong?”

  That half smile still curled his lips, but his expression was serious. My heart started to beat faster again. The air seemed to close in around us, and desperately I searched for something to break the tension.

  “So who’s this Hennessey you were asking about?”

  His expression became guarded. “Someone dangerous.”

  “Yeah, I gathered that. Sergio seemed pretty scared of him, so I didn’t think he was a Boy Scout. I take it he’s our next target?”

  Bones paused before answering, seeming to choose his words.

  “He’s someone I’ve been tracking, yes, but I’ll be going after him alone.”

  My hackles rose at once. “Why? You don’t think I can handle it? Or you still don’t trust me to keep this secret? I thought we covered this already!”

  “I think there are certain things you’d do well to stay out of,” he replied, evasive.

  I switched tactics. At least this topic cut the strange mood from earlier. “You said something about Sergio being Hennessey’s best client. What do you mean by that? What did Hennessey do to whoever hired you? Do you know, or did you just take the contract on him without asking?”

  Bones let out a soft noise. “Questions like that are why I won’t tell you more about it. Suffice it to say there’s a reason why Ohio’s been such a hazardous place for young girls lately. It’s why I don’t want you chasing after vampires without me. Hennessey’s more than just a sod who bleeds someone when he can get away with it. Beyond that, don’t ask.”

  “Can you at least tell me how long you’ve been after him? That can’t be top secret.”

  He caught the snippiness in my tone and frowned. I didn’t mind. Better to be arguing with each other than, well, anything else.

  “’Round eleven years.”

  I almost fell off my crate. “Good God! He must have a real fancy price on his head! Come on, what did he do? He pissed off someone rich, obviously.”

  Bones gave me a look I couldn’t decipher. “Not everything is about money.”

  From his tone, I wasn’t getting anything else out of him. Fine. If he wanted to play it that way, fine. I’d just try later.

  “How did you become a vampire?” I asked next, surprising even myself with the question.

  A brow arched.

  “Want an interview with the vampire, luv? It didn’t turn out too well for the reporter in the movie.”

  As I murmured, “I never saw it. My mother thought it was too violent,” the humor of it made me laugh. Bones grinned as well, and cast a meaningful look toward the car.

  “I can see that. Good thing you didn’t watch it, then. Heaven knows what might have happened.”

  Laughter fading, it occurred to me that I really did want to know, so I looked at him pointedly until he let out an acquiescing noise.

  “All right, I’ll tell you, but then you’ll have to answer one of my questions. Got an hour to burn anyhow.”

  “Is this quid pro quo, Dr. Lecter?” I scoffed. “Fine, but I hardly see the point. You already know everything about me.”

  A look of pure heat was shot my way and his voice lowered to a whisper. “Not everything.”

  Whoa. Back came that awkwardness in a flash. Clearing my suddenly dry throat, I fidgeted until I was scrunched up even smaller.

  “When did it happen? When you were changed?” Please just talk. Please stop looking at me that way.

  “Let’s see, it was 1790 and I was in Australia. I did this bloke a favor and he thought he was returning it by making me a vampire.”

  “What?” I was shocked. “You’re Australian? I thought you were English!”

  He smiled, but with little amusement.

  “I’m a bit of both, as it were. I was born in England. It’s where I spent my youth, but it was in Australia that I was changed. That makes me part of it as well.”

  Now I was fascinated, my earlier consternation forgotten. “You have to go into more detail than that.”

  He settled back against the side of the trailer, legs casually splayed in front of him. “I was twenty-four. It happened just a month after my birthday.”

  “My God, we’re almost the same age!” As soon they were out, I realized the absurdity of the words.

  He snorted. “Sure. Give or take two hundred and seventeen years.”

  “Er, you know what I mean. You look older than twenty-four.”

  “Thanks ever so.” He laughed at my obvious chagrin, but put me out of my misery. “Times were different. People aged far more rapidly. You bloody folks don’t know how good you have it.”

  “Tell me more.” He hesitated, and I blurted out, “Please.”

  Bones leaned forward, all serious now. “It’s not pretty, Kitten. Not romantic like the movies or books. You remember you told me you slugged those lads when you were young because they called your mum a whore? Well, my mum was a whore. Her name was Penelope and she was fifteen when she had me. It was fortunate that she and the madam of the place were friendly, or I never would have been allowed to live there. Only girl-children were kept at the whorehouse, for obvious reasons. When I was little, I didn’t know there was anything unusual with where I lived. All the women doted on me, and I would do house chores and such until I got older. The madam, her name was Lucille, later inquired as to whether or not I wanted to follow in the family business. Several of the male customers who were so inclined had taken notice of me, for I was a pretty lad. But by the time Mada
m approached me with the offer, I knew enough to know I wouldn’t want to perform such activities. Begging was a common occupation in London then. Thieving was as well, so to earn my keep, I began to steal. Then when I was seventeen, my mum died of syphilis. She was thirty-three.”

  My face paled considerably listening to him speak, but I wanted to hear the rest. “Go on.”

  “Lucille informed me two weeks afterwards that I had to go. Wasn’t bringing in enough quid to justify the space. It wasn’t that she was cruel, she was simply being practical. Another girl could take my room and bring in three times the money. Again she offered me a choice—leave and face the streets, or stay and service the customers. Yet she added a kindness. There were a few highborn women she was acquainted with that she’d described me to, and they were interested. I could choose to sell myself to women rather than men. And so that is what I did.

  “The girls at the house trained me first, of course, and it turned out I had a knack for the work. Lucille kept me in high demand and soon I had quite a few regulars among the blue bloods. One of them ended up saving my life.

  “I was still picking pockets, you see. One unlucky day, I pulled the purse off a toff right in front of a bobby. Next thing I knew, I was in chains and up before one of the meanest hanging judges in London. One of my clients heard of my predicament and took pity on me. She persuaded the judge through carnal means that sending me to the new penal colonies would be just the thing. Three weeks later they shipped me and sixty-two other unlucky buggers to South Wales.”

  His eyes clouded, and he ran a hand through his hair reflectively.

  “I won’t tell you about the voyage except to say it went beyond any misery man should ever have to endure. Once we were at the colony, they worked us literally unto death. There were three men I became mates with—Timothy, Charles, and Ian. After a few months, Ian managed to escape. Then, almost a year later, he came back.”