The Vampire and the Virgin (31 page)

sense any emotions from Harrison or the sheriff. They’d gone completely blank. And she couldn’t sense

anything from the men in kilts.

The sheriff strode past the kilted men, climbed into his car, and drove away. Then Harrison drove away, too.

J.L. made a noise of disbelief. “What the hell?”

The kilted men turned toward them. Olivia and J.L. quickly plastered themselves against the wall on each

side of the window. A beam of light shot through the window as one of the strangers aimed a flashlight in their

direction.

Olivia held her breath. Her heart raced. Who were those men? She recalled a photo she’d seen of Robby in a

kilt. There couldn’t be any connection. He was in New York. But on the other hand, she couldn’t read him. He

was blank like the two kilted men in the road.

J.L. flipped open his cell phone and punched a number. He waited, then whispered, “Harrison, leave your

phone on, dammit. And why did you drive off like that? Get back here now.” He hung up and jammed the phone

into his suit pocket.

“Harrison turned his phone off?” Olivia asked. Why would he do that? Why would he abandon them? She

ventured a glance out the window. The men in kilts were coming down the road, headed in their direction.

J.L. drew his weapon. “Don’t worry, Liv. Everything will be fine. I know it.”

She swallowed hard. J.L. had just told a lie.

She swallowed hard. J.L. had just told a lie.

O
livia took a deep breath and removed her automatic from its holster at her waist.

“Two against two,” J.L. whispered. “Let’s find out who these guys are.” He led the way quietly down the stairs.

The stairwell was dark, but they didn’t dare turn on their flashlights. They crept toward the living room at the

front of the house and peered out the window.

J.L. pointed, then lifted his finger to his lips.

She didn’t need the warning to stay quiet. The two kilted men were now in the front yard. She could see them

well in the outdoor lighting, and neither one was Robby. The man in the red and green plaid kilt had a brighter

shade of red hair. The guy in the blue and green kilt looked similar to Robby, with the same dark auburn hair.

J.L. touched his back, then his right calf, signaling to her that the two men had swords on their backs and

knives in their right knee socks. A bad sign when the two bodies in the next room had slashed throats.

She wished Barker would come back. She’d feel better if it was three against two.

The kilted men removed cell phones from their sporrans and made calls. A man suddenly materialized in the

front yard. Olivia covered her mouth to stifle her gasp. She blinked, not believing her eyes. Then another man

appeared. And another.

She struggled to breathe. More people were appearing, and they were all armed with swords and pistols.

She thought she detected a woman and a few more men in kilts.

J.L. grabbed her arm and motioned with his head to the back door. She moved quietly with him through the

family room and into the kitchen. Her heart pounded in her ears. They slipped out the back door just as they

heard the front door creaking open.

They ran for the cornfield. Immediately, she was enveloped in a sea of green. It grew so dark, she could

barely make out J.L.’s form. She bumped into him when he suddenly stopped. He grabbed her by the forearms

and lowered her into a crouch beside him. She could hear his quick breaths and sense his alarm.

“Those guys materialized like it was a sci-fi movie,” he whispered. “What are they—aliens?”

“I don’t think aliens wear kilts.”

“You’re right. And they’d be armed with lasers instead of swords.”

She shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re having this discussion.”

“Whatever they are, they’ve got us seriously outnumbered.”

“And they have swords, knives, and guns,” she mumbled.

“Could be worse. They could have machine guns and bazookas.”

“Thanks. I feel so much better.”

“Sorry.” He grew quiet.

She glanced back at the farmhouse. She could only see the upstairs, but lights were flickering in the

windows. What were they doing? Were they searching for something?

She opened her senses to get a feel for their emotions. Nothing. They were completely blank. Like Robby.

“My first name is Jin,” J.L. whispered.

She winced. Did this mean he was afraid they wouldn’t get out of this? “That’s a nice name.”

“Not if the guys in school keep calling you Jennifer.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“The L stands for Long.”

“Jin Long…Wang.” She smiled. “Sounds very masculine.”

He snorted. “Now you know why I go by J.L. But it could be worse. They named my brother L.H.—Lo Hung

Wang.”

She covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

His teeth flashed white in the dark as he grinned. “I just made that part up. I don’t have a brother. But you

probably already detected that.”

She had. And she’d also realized he was trying to cheer her up.

“So here’s the plan,” J.L. said. “We move through the corn and get as close to the car as possible. We make

a dash for it, drive into town, and get the sheriff and Harrison. And we call for backup.”

She nodded. “What about Barker?”

“We’ll find him. Let’s go.”

“We’ll find him. Let’s go.”

They moved as quietly as possible through the corn. They were behind the first house when J.L. abruptly

halted and reached out to stop her. He pressed a finger to his mouth to warn her to stay quiet, and she

remained perfectly still. Then she heard it. A rustling in the corn.

They were not alone.

She pivoted, searching for the source of the noise. She spotted the swaying plants. Whoever it was, he was

moving straight toward them.

J.L. raised his pistol.

The corn in front of them rustled, then out trotted a dog.

Olivia’s knees nearly buckled with relief.

J.L. holstered his weapon. “Good boy,” he whispered.

It was a huge dog. An Irish wolfhound with long lanky legs and a long thin face. He sat on his haunches and

regarded them curiously.

She raised her hand slowly to let him sniff her, then patted him on the head. “Aren’t you a big boy.”

The dog seemed to grin.

She smiled. She felt safer with him there.

“Let’s go.” J.L. led the way through the corn, with Olivia and the wolfhound following. They skirted the

farmhouse and ventured into the field that extended up to the dirt road. They stopped when they spotted the car

in the driveway about thirty yards away.

“You wait here.” J.L. handed Olivia the car keys. “I’ll find Barker. If we’re not back in fifteen minutes, leave.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“Liv, we’re outnumbered. You can bring the sheriff and Harrison back and alert the state patrolmen. Okay?”

She nodded reluctantly. “Okay.”

J.L. dashed off with the Irish wolfhound trotting along beside him. She was grateful he wasn’t alone.

She sat between two rows of corn and pushed the button on her watch to make the digital time light up. This

was going to be a long and lonely fifteen minutes.

She took long breaths to calm her racing heart. She considered calling Harrison on her cell phone, but it

wouldn’t do any good if he’d turned his phone off. Why had he left after speaking to the kilted men? Had they

told him to turn off his phone? She considered calling Robby, but he was far away in New York. It would take

him hours to get here.

After a few minutes she crept close to the edge of the cornfield. She spotted the guys who had materialized

earlier. They’d divided into smaller groups and appeared to be searching for something. Most of them were way

off by the barns. When one of them located a storm cellar in the distance, they gathered around it and went

inside.

With most of them in the cellar, it seemed like a good time to dash to the car. She glanced at her watch.

Fourteen minutes had passed. Still, she was reluctant to leave without J.L. and Barker. On the other hand, she

would be more helpful to them if she brought back reinforcements.

She groaned inwardly. She was overanalyzing again.

A car engine roared in the distance. Someone was approaching fast. Maybe Harrison or the sheriff was

coming back? She hurried down a corn row till she was close to the road. A black sedan pulled over and

parked. It looked like a government car. Three people emerged—a middle-aged man, a younger man, and a

young woman. The men were tense and high on adrenaline. The woman seemed reluctant and afraid.

The middle-aged man barked out some orders. “Garrett, check the houses on the left. I’ll check the ones on

the right. Alyssa, look over the grounds.”

Garrett clicked on his flashlight and shone it around. “I don’t see Connor anywhere.”

“He’s here,” the older man growled. “And he won’t be alone.”

Alyssa shuddered. “I don’t understand why we had to involve them.”

“They’re better at killing Malcontents than we are,” the older man grumbled. “If you see any of them, keep your

distance. And keep your psychic guards up. Especially you, Alyssa. They prefer to target young women.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

Olivia felt sorry for the young woman. She was clearly terrified. The young man, Garrett, was excited, and he

sprinted to the houses on the left. The older man strode toward the houses on the right. He’d mentioned

Malcontents. Was that a gang? Were they the ones who’d committed the murders? And what was the deal with

psychic guards?

Alyssa remained close to the car, swinging her flashlight back and forth. “Great,” she muttered. “You just stay

here, all alone, with a bunch of murdering Malcontents close by.”

Olivia wanted to know who these people were, so she stepped out of the cornfield and moved slowly toward

the woman. “Alyssa?”

The woman squealed and dropped her flashlight.

“I’m sorry.” Olivia held her hands out so the woman could see they were empty. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Alyssa drew her gun. “How did you know my name? Are you one of them? Did you read my mind?”

Olivia raised her hands higher. “I heard your conversation with the other two men, and they used your name.

I’m with the FBI. Would you like to see my badge?”

“You’re FBI? You’re not one of them?”

“Who are they?” Olivia assumed she was referring to the men who had teleported in. “Are they the

Malcontents?”

Malcontents?”

“Alyssa?” The middle-aged man came running back. “I heard you yell.” He spotted Olivia and drew his

weapon. “Who the hell are you?”

She cursed silently. She should have remained hidden in the corn. “I’m Olivia Sotiris, FBI. Who are you?”

“CIA.” He moved closer. “Show me your badge.”

She did, and squinted when he beamed his flashlight in her face.

“Ms. Sotiris, what you are doing here?”

What did he think? She was on a picnic? “I’m investigating a multiple homicide. May I see your badge,

please?”

“I don’t have time to fool with this.” He holstered his weapon. “We’re taking over this investigation, Ms. Sotiris.

You may leave.”

His attitude was seriously annoying her. “This is an FBI matter. The local sheriff requested our help.”

“I don’t care,” the CIA man snarled. “Get the hell out of here.”

“I don’t take orders from you, Mister…?”

“Whelan.” He stepped closer to her. “And you will do as I say. We’re a special presidential task force assigned

to this mission, so you have no jurisdiction here.”

She lifted her chin. “I suggest you rethink the situation. You could use our help. There are only three of you,

and there are about a dozen of…I don’t know who exactly they are.”

Alyssa inhaled sharply. “Did you see them?”

“If you’re referring to the guys who magically materialized in the front yard over there, yes. They’re heavily

armed with guns and swords.”

“Did they see you?” the CIA man asked.

Whelan, he’d said his name was. Somehow that sounded familiar. “No,” Olivia answered. “Who are they? Did

they commit the murders?”

Whelan snorted. “No. They’re hunting the murderers. But don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re innocent.

Do yourself a favor and get out of here before they see you.”

“I can help—”

“Forget it, Ms. Sotiris. You’ll have no defense against them. They can take over your mind and make you do

whatever they want.”

She gulped. Was that what had happened to Harrison and the sheriff?

“They’re dangerous,” Alyssa whispered. “We’ve lost two members of our team because of them.”

Olivia winced. No wonder this woman was so afraid. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Oh, they weren’t killed,” Alyssa said. “They’re just…gone.”

A shiver skittered down Olivia’s back.

“Get a grip, Alyssa,” Whelan growled. “And you, Ms. Sotiris, you’ve wasted enough of my time.”

Olivia stumbled back a step when a spurt of heat shot across her brow. Her mind went fuzzy, then sharpened

with a sudden compulsion to leave. “I must leave.” She wandered down the road to the driveway.

What was she doing? She glanced back and saw Whelan and Alyssa following her.

Keep going. Leave.

She shook her head. This wasn’t her decision.

Go to your car and leave. Now.

She turned onto the driveway. Dammit, what was wrong with her? She kept walking toward J.L.’s car. She

glanced toward the cornfield, wishing he and Barker would emerge. She looked in the other direction and