Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) (17 page)

He straightened and made his way over to their water bottles. “I don’t know about that. You’ve put in a lot of hours here. Maybe more than some of the SEALs I was partnered with.”

She took a sip from her own bottle. “A girl’s gotta be prepared.”

“For what? The zombie apocalypse?”

More like vampire invasion
. “It’s a crazy world out there. The news was saying there was a skinhead attack last week in Marietta.”

Charlie didn’t look fazed. “If there are skinheads in Atlanta, I wouldn’t worry about it. We’re far enough away and small enough that they probably wouldn’t even look twice at the highway exit.”

Ella nodded, hoping he was right. The entire reason she’d moved to the small town of Pikesville, Georgia was because it was far away from Maine and tiny enough to avoid the notice of vampires and myotis.

The country had been dealing with the growing violence from the newest gang only known as “skinheads.” It was the name the news had bestowed them, but not one had ever been caught or interrogated in the year since they had popped up on the national radar.

All the talking heads were flabbergasted that an entire gang could elude capture for this long. Ella wasn’t. She knew exactly how they were doing it. They were vampires.

And, judging from the body count, not the good kind. Which meant Lucian and his men were losing the war and she had no idea whether either party was out looking for her.

“You still there?” asked Charlie.

She snapped her head back to him, not realizing he was just inches away from her. “Yeah, sorry. I really shouldn’t watch the news. It messes me up.”

“It’s good to be informed. Just remember, if those skinheads ever do attack you, you’re better prepared than just about anyone they’ve ever fucked with.”

She smiled up at him. “You always know just what to say to cheer me up.”

His mouth twitched up and the air suddenly seemed to grow thicker. “I try,” he said softly.

Was it her imagination, or was he inching even closer?

Ella tried not to let her panic show as she casually backed away. “It’s good to know I have you as backup.”

He must’ve taken the hint, because he didn’t follow her. “You know it.”

She turned to gather all her things in her gym bag.
How long would it be before Charlie made a pass at her?
He’d been her personal trainer for over two years, ever since just after she moved to Pikeville. He was the owner of the local gym and, when he saw how inept she was at using free weights, had offered her some training sessions.

He wasn’t cheap, but the training was so worth it. With his help, she could squat more than her own bodyweight and was, according to him, a very dangerous woman. Of course, after spending so much time with the most eligible bachelor in town, it seemed everyone expected them to start dating.

Not that Charlie wasn’t a great catch. He was definitely handsome. He had the type of chiseled jaw and ripped body that all Hollywood movie stars aspired to. His nose had been broken a time or two, and a few scars marred his perfect physique, but he was a head turner. On top of that, he was a successful business owner and had no problem listening to her complain about the politics of working for the government for two hours while they threw punches at each other.

Working in the library wasn’t too high up the political ladder, but the bureaucracy she had to deal with to get anything done was ridiculous. Sometimes her three training sessions a week were the only thing that kept her sane.

She pulled a light hoodie over her sweaty tank top. Her long hair was a mess, but it was back in a ponytail, and she wasn’t even going to try to fix it. She turned back to Charlie and he quickly looked away.
Please don’t tell me he was checking out my butt.

To be fair, yoga pants and regular squats did amazing things to a woman’s derrière. Still, she was aiming to keep Charlie firmly in the friend-zone.

She hadn’t even considered dating since Lucian. How could she? Everything with Lucian was so intense and hot and messed up.
What man could compare to that?

She wasn’t waiting for him
. That’s what she told herself every day. He’d kidnapped her. Made her submit to medical experiments and played tricks with her mind. What happened between them was a one-time deal. Not that she blamed him for the sex. That had been her.

She’d felt so empowered by their narrow escape and his promise to free her. He was the most physically attractive man she’d ever met, and she wanted to get to know
all
of him. Their one day of mad lovemaking was the most powerful she’d ever felt in her life.

Dad was convinced she hadn't been in her right mind, accusing the myotis of sexual assault and brainwashing, but Ella knew she wasn’t brainwashed. She’d read every single book she could get her hands on about Patty Hearst. This wasn’t Stockholm syndrome. This was just two people thrown into a strange situation.

No matter his methods, Lucian cared about her in his own way. It was why he let her go.

Unfortunately, he didn’t always see things in a logical manner. As long as the vampires were still a problem, he would let her be. But the second the threat was neutralized, he’d come for her.

And she could never let that happen.

“Are you thinking about him again?” asked Charlie.

Ella frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know exactly
who
I’m talking about. I know you still think about him. It’s pretty obvious.”

Darn it.
She thought she was better at hiding her emotions by now. A kickass ninja in training shouldn’t be so easy to read!

“Just tell me one thing,” he said.

“What?”
Please don’t let it be something I have to lie about
.

“Is he the reason you wanted to learn self-defense so bad?”

Ella took a deep breath as she considered the answer. “My ex was, um, he, well—” She took another breath. “He was dangerous. Not to me necessarily, but his entire lifestyle was violent and scary and whenever I was with him, I felt so out of control.

“I just never want to feel that way again.”

Charlie nodded. “I understand that.” She highly doubted he did, but didn’t say it out loud. “If you ever want me to have his ass kicked, you just give me a name. I know people.”

Ella snorted. Charlie did know people. Dangerous people she’d never want to come across in a dark alley. That being said, Lucian played in a completely different league.

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll let you know if I’m ever in the mood to issue a hit,” she said with a sardonic grin. “In the meantime, it’s late and I need to pick up dinner.”

Charlie walked her out of the fitness studio, past the cardio equipment and to the door, politely holding it open as she stepped out into the Southern November air. “It’s not too busy here. We can walk to the sub shop together.”

Way too close to a date.
“I really have to get home and I have my car with me. I’ll see you Wednesday?”

He nodded with a smile, showing no sign of rejection. “See you then. Tell Clara and Reno I said hi.”

“Will do.” She walked to her car as quickly as possible without running. She sat down and banged her head against the steering wheel.

Why was he pushing this now?
They had such a good thing and she’d been so careful not to give any signs of interest!

Well, she had straddled him a few times, but they were training! Physical contact didn’t count as flirting when you were learning how to kill someone!

Shaking her head, she turned the key in the ignition.

Five minutes later, she walked into the sub shop between the gym and her house and cursed at the long line. It was already dark out and she hadn’t even gotten dinner. Sometimes she felt selfish for all the time she spent at the gym, but she would remind herself it was for the best.

The world was filled with super-fast and super-strong monsters. She might never be at their level, but she had to be in tip-top shape if she wanted to have a chance in hell of staying alive.

Chances were she would never even see, or recognize, another vampire, myotis, werewolf, or anything else Lucian had mentioned. That didn’t mean she couldn’t be prepared.

As though fate was reading her mind, the door swung open as a new customer walked in. Ella glanced over her shoulder and whipped her head back to face the counter. Her breaths sped up as her heart beat harder in her chest.

Calm down! He can hear your heartbeat!
The man filled up the entire doorway, which said a lot considering he didn’t have any hair to make him appear taller.

Just a bald head and intricate tattoos.

His footsteps got closer as he walked farther into the shop. Her body vibrated with the urge to turn around. Having her back to something so dangerous went against everything she’d learned in the past two years of self-defense, but she pushed down her nerves.

She fisted her hand so it wouldn’t tremble as she reached into her purse. She pulled her cell phone out and scrolled through her favorites list. She almost didn’t hit the Send button. If this vampire was half as dangerous as the last one she’d faced, there wasn’t much Charlie could do.

She sent the call. No matter what he said, Charlie was a better fighter than her and she needed all the help she could get.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the vampire. He was dressed relatively normally in jeans and a flannel shirt. Except he wasn’t looking at the menu. He was eyeing the people in line.

Charlie answered on the third ring. “Hey, stranger.”

She forced herself to smile. “Hey you. Listen. I think you should come get subs with me. I’m here
right now
and could really use your expertise.”

How good was the vampire’s hearing? Would he be able to hear Charlie? Please don’t say anything stupid
...

“Are you okay?” he asked.

A woman in front of Ella finally noticed the man. Her jaw dropped; she turned to the man next to her and whispered something.

The vampire approached. “I’m sorry, what did you say? Did you say I look like the guys they talk about on the news?”

Yep, the hearing was just as strong as ever.

“Something’s going on. I’ll have to talk to you later,” she said into the phone and hung up.
Would that sound too suspicious?
Something
was
going on.

The woman took a step back and her partner moved between her and the vampire. “We don’t want any trouble.” He held his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Well, I do,” growled the vampire. He grabbed the man by his shirt and threw him into the counter, breaking the glass and probably a bunch of the man’s bones in the process. The woman screamed and everyone scrambled toward the door.

Except for Ella.

Her eyes widened at the violence as her hand reached into her purse. She looked at the people scattering around her and knew she made a mistake. The vampire stared right at her.

She should’ve run like the rest of them. Now she stood out like a sore thumb.

The woman screamed again and he turned back to her. “You don’t remember me or anything that happened today.”

She stopped screaming as her brows furrowed. She turned in a slow circle, taking in the chaos around her.

The vampire strode to Ella. She looked to the door, but customers were still squeezing through the opening. She’d never make it to the street before he caught her. The kitchen was her best bet.

She scrambled on the tile floor, but the vampire was in front of her before she’d even taken two steps.

She couldn’t control her nerves anymore. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest as she tried to take in enough air.

The vampire leaned toward her and sniffed. “You’re different. Do you taste as good as you smell?”

Ella pulled the small spray canister out of her purse and he smiled. Apparently he wasn’t afraid of pepper spray.

Luckily for her, there were no spices in this special formula. She pulled the trigger, dousing his face with water saturated with silver. He grabbed his eyes and screamed.

She ducked under his arm and ran for the kitchen. There had to be a back way out of this place. She ran past the stainless-steel refrigerators toward the first door she saw. She turned the knob and pulled, only to come face to face with a broom and pile of cleaning supplies.

Crap
. She looked behind her and saw the other door, clearly labeled with an “Exit” sign, but there was no time to run for it.

The vampire charged into the kitchen, running straight into the sink holding all the dirty dishes, causing the spoons and bowls to clatter to the floor. “Get over here, you bitch!”

Ella crouched down behind one of the counters. The whole kitchen was a big rectangle with an island in the middle that served as a prep station.

She heard him move closer and she inched in the opposite direction.

“I can smell your fear, you little cunt. You have any idea how much I’m going to enjoy ripping your fucking throat out?”

Her hand frantically dug through her purse. If he was still blinded, this might be her one chance.

She must’ve been too loud. The vampire flew over the island, landing in a crouch just in front of her.

His eyes were swollen and blistered, but it didn’t detract from his huge smile, showing off very sharp-looking fangs. “Miss me?”

Ella shoved the silver knife into his chest and relished the sight of his smile disappearing. “By the way,” she twisted the blade into his heart, “I taste fantastic.”

She left the knife in as he sunk to the floor.

Was he dead?
It was hard to tell when she couldn’t see his eyes.

Pounding footsteps came from the dining area. Ella bent down and ripped the knife from the vampire’s chest, readying herself for the next attack.

When Charlie ran into the kitchen, she let out a sigh of relief. “Charlie!” Without thinking, she ran to him, jumping into his arms, and the tears broke free.

“Oh my God, Elly. Are you okay?” He stepped back, smoothing her hair out of her face.