Younger, Bree - Burn [All American Vampires 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (14 page)

They made good time, meeting only the occasional oncoming traffic. Each time Ty would duck down, folding his long, lean body into what had to be an uncomfortable ball, and Libby would tense up until they’d passed the car or truck, not relaxing until they’d completed disappeared from the rearview mirror.

“You’re doing great, Lib,” Ty reassured her after they’d passed another pickup truck and he’d climbed back up into his seat.

She darted a sideways glance at him and found his eyes on her. “I just want to get out of here in one piece. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I left home two days ago.”

“What were you doing out here anyway, Lib? I mean, sorry to say it, but you don’t exactly look like the country girl type.”

She laughed. “Well, looks can be deceiving. Actually, I was born and raised in Wayne County. It’s hard to get more country than that.”

“Huh.” She could tell she’d surprised him.

“Yeah. I can run a trotline or drive a four-wheeler with the best of ‘em. I was a real tomboy growing up.”

“So you were just on a camping trip out here?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I was actually taking photos for a class I’m taking.”

“Really? Do you want to be a professional photographer?” He sounded surprised.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. I just never would have guessed it.”

She wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Well…to tell you the truth, I’ve only recently thought about being a photographer. According to my mother, I’m still trying to ‘find myself.’”

“Is that right? Me, too.” He smiled, obviously knowing how ridiculous that comment was. If he hadn’t found himself in over two hundred years, he never would. And Libby didn’t believe it anyway. If she’d ever met anyone who knew exactly who and what he was, it was Ty. The air of confidence he wore like a cloak made that glaringly apparent.

She just rolled her eyes and murmured, “Right.”

“What do you do besides take photography classes? Are you a student full-time? Or do you work somewhere?”

She didn’t really want to tell him, but…”I’m a waitress at The Front Porch in Gulfport.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you live in Gulfport, too, or do you just work there?”

She nodded. “I rent a small house out near the airport.”

“You live alone? No roommates? Significant others?”

She was a little startled by the question, but maybe she shouldn’t have been. After all, they had had sex twice. And they knew relatively little about each other. Maybe he had a girlfriend or a wife…Good Lord. “Yes. I live alone. No boyfriends or husbands or anything like that. Not even a cat. What about you?”

She held her breath, hoping she hadn’t been boinking somebody’s man. “Well, I live at the casino with my brother. The top two floors are our private quarters. But no significant others in my life either.”

“Footloose and fancy free, huh?” A player. Yeah. He was obviously a guy who enjoyed the company of women. Probably in large numbers. She was just another notch on his bedpost.
Or his casket lid
, she thought to herself with a spurt of vampire humor. She thought about sharing it with him, but decided he probably wouldn’t think it as funny as she did.

“I guess so.” He shrugged. “What about you? You have a steady boyfriend or anything?”

She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t have slept with you if I did.”

“Good.” She could hear the satisfaction in his voice and tried not to let that please her. She was unsuccessful.

Another car’s headlights came into view, and he ducked down again as they passed them. Once they were out of sight, he sat back up. After a few more minutes he observed, “There are more houses around here. I think we’re getting closer to civilization. We’ll probably be passing a lot more cars now.”

He was right. Over the next few miles they passed several cars and trucks. Each time he slid down in the seat, and Libby held her breath until they were safely past the vehicle.

For a while neither spoke. Libby reached out and fiddled with the radio. AM stations only, ugh. Well, at least it worked, which was a pleasant surprise. She finally found one that had some good country classics and left it there. She could hear his groan at her choice. He reached out to change the station, but she swatted at his hand. “Oh, no, you don’t. Driver picks radio stations. It’s the rule.”

“I can’t listen to this stuff, Libby. Come on. Raindrops and broken hearts and pickup trucks? How about some classic rock? Or some R and B?”

Libby shook her head. “No way, mister. Hands off.” She glanced down and caught sight of the gas gauge, and all thoughts about music evaporated. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Oh, no.”

“What is it?”

She indicated the gauges. “We’re almost out of gas.”

“Shit. That’s just what we need.”

He looked around as if a gas station might appear out of nowhere. “Okay. Just keep going. We’ve got to be getting close to a main road. There’s bound to be some gas stations nearby.”

She tightened her grip on the wheel and did as he said, mentally keeping her fingers crossed that he was right. Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before they came to a stop sign. Before them was a four-lane road. “It’s Highway 11.” She read the highway marker with relief. This was the road she had come in on. If they headed south, it would eventually take them to I-10. And home. Definite silver lining.

“Excellent. Let’s go.”

She pulled out onto the highway. They had gone only a few miles before they spotted a small mom-and-pop gas station. She couldn’t contain her relief. “Hallelujah!”

Ty’s lips quirked up. “Pull in.”

She pulled to a stop right beside the pumps. As she turned and set the hand brake, she looked over at Ty questioningly.

“Just leave it running. Go on in and pay while I pump. And grab yourself a couple of snacks or something. You really need to get more food in you. Something with lots of calories and nourishment. You still look too pale to me.”

She grabbed her purse and ran the short distance to the front door. After she looked around, she picked a couple of packs of peanut butter crackers and an orange juice. Taking them to the counter, she got in line behind a couple of teenagers buying cigarettes and beer. When the man behind the counter asked for some ID, they hemmed and hawed around until they finally gave it up. With a lot of complaining, they left their purchases on the counter. The clerk just rolled his eyes and set the packages to one side. As she stepped up the counter, she heard the door behind her open again. She glanced back, expecting to see Ty walking toward her. Instead, two large men clothed in jeans and dark shirts strolled toward the counter.

There was something about them that put her on guard. Maybe it was the fact that they looked completely out of place. One of them stared right at her and she froze. Those eyes…

“That’ll be twenty-eight eighty-nine, miss.” Gratefully jerked from her near-trance, she quickly handed over two twenties and impatiently waited for the clerk to count the change back into her hand. She felt one of the men draw to a halt directly behind her, and it was all she could do to not run screaming from the store. Vampires. They were vampires. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she did. Were these the vampires hunting Ty? Had to be. Oh, God. Had they seen him outside? Were they coming in to get her?

She took the money from the clerk and turned to leave, almost running into the vampire and losing her balance. He reached out a hand to steady her, and she glanced down at where his hand encircled her arm before she looked up and straight into his eyes. She barely contained the shudder at the utterly cold look on his face. Even if she hadn’t known what he was, she would have still recognized the danger he represented. His face was hard, with a heavy five o’clock shadow. Heavily muscled arms practically burst through the fabric covering them. The rolled-up sleeve of his shirt didn’t quite conceal the tattoo that covered his forearm. He didn’t look as if he’d ever smiled.

Forcing herself, she flashed him a smile of her own. “Excuse me,” she murmured, and, after letting his eyes slide down her body in a way that made her feel dirty and used, he released her and moved to one side. Quickly she made her way to the exit and out into the parking lot, trying to act nonchalant as she scanned the area around the truck. No sign of Ty. Where the hell was he?

Not knowing what else to do and wanting to arouse no suspicion, she got in the truck and sat there for a moment. A tapping on the back window almost sent her jumping out of her seat. She turned around and saw Ty stretched out in the truck’s bed. He motioned for her to get them out of there. She didn’t have to be told twice, quickly putting the truck in gear and pulling out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. She mashed down on the gas pedal until she was afraid the truck was going to rattle to pieces. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Gradually she slowed down. She didn’t stop until they had crossed into Hancock County. Then she pulled off the road, set the parking brake, and laid her head down on the steering wheel.

She heard the door next to her open and then warm arms were pulling her out of the cab of the truck and against a firm body. “You were great, babe. Perfect.”

She stood there, just absorbing the feel of him against her, reassuringly alive. “That was them, wasn’t it?” Her voice was muffled, but he heard her anyway because he answered briefly.

“Yes.”

Her hands tightened on his shirt, pulling him closer. She looked at him. “Kiss me.”

He didn’t hesitate, seemed to understand her need for closeness and grounding. His mouth covered hers in a hard, plundering kiss of heat and reassurance. His tongue swept through in a quick, thorough glide before he pulled back and looked down at her. “You okay, sweetheart?”

“Yeah.” She reached up and gave him another quick kiss. “Let’s get the hell out of here, Ty.”

“Okay. Ah—I’ll drive.”

She laughed weakly and jumped back into the cab, scooting over as Ty followed closely behind her.

Ty snapped his fingers. “Damn, I almost forgot. Your cell phone. I put it back in your purse. Get it out. See if we’ve got a signal. We need to call Quinn.”

* * * *

He couldn’t just stand around here and wait any longer. He had to do something. If nothing else, he would hit the streets with the other vamps and weres who were helping in the search. At least he would feel like he was doing something. Quinn moved toward the door as the buzz of his phone pierced the room. He looked down but didn’t recognize the number. He flipped open the cell. “Yes, Buchanan here.” As Quinn waited to hear the news, he tried to get his worry and anger under control. If anything had happened to his brother, whoever the hell was behind this wouldn’t be able to find a hole deep enough to hide from him.

“Quinn. It’s Ty.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and let the relief he felt at hearing his brother’s voice fill him. For a moment his knees felt so weak with relief that he thought he might crumple to the floor. Then he rigidly pulled himself back under control. “Fuck, Ty. Where the hell are you? Do you know how worried we’ve been?”

All noise in the room faded as the word quickly spread that it was Ty on the phone. While he listened to his brother begin to give him a brief sketch of what had happened, he motioned for RJ. “Hang on. I’m sending RJ and Hawk to you. Where should they meet you?”

RJ stood before him. “Got it. Highway 11. Exit to I-10. Parking lot of the Cavanaugh Inn. He’s in a battered, old, red pickup truck.”

RJ nodded and motioned to Hawk and two other vamps. The four of them quickly exited the room. Quinn ended the call a few minutes later. Then he began issuing orders. When he’d finished, everyone sprang into action. He turned and went to his office, shutting the door and sinking down into the huge leather chair behind his desk.

Ty had been burnt? From what? And who was this girl that he was bringing in? Had he been completely wrong about the bloodslaves? He wouldn’t rest until he knew exactly who or what was threatening his family and his territory. And that threat had been eliminated.

* * * *

Ty was relieved as hell to see RJ’s car pull in beside them at the motel parking lot. He looked over at Libby. “Wait here.” As soon as he got out, he was enfolded in one of those typical man-hugs that included a squeeze and a couple of quick thumps on the back. Then RJ stepped back. His face was creased in an easy smile, but Ty knew that RJ had been concerned about him. He was practically like another brother, and, though they didn’t really talk about it much, Ty knew that RJ would put his life on the line for him or Quinn. And vice versa.

“Good to see you alive and kickin’, man.”

“Good to be seen, bud.”

“Oh, hell, I knew they’d never be able to take you down, Ty.”

“You knew more than I did, then. It was close. Damn close.”

Hawk joined them, indicating where Libby sat peering out the window of the truck. “So who’s the lady?”

“Her name’s Libby. She saved my life, Hawk. Literally. If it weren’t for her, I’d be toast.” He told Hawk and RJ how Libby had found him.

When he was finished, Hawk just grunted, “Huh,” but Ty could tell he was impressed.