Page 69 of Fire in My Blood

Lyn picks up something from the kitchen table and shows it to me, and my heart sinks. It’s Erica’s phone.

I struggle to my feet. “David Heart, her brother. We’ll have to find out where he lives.”

“On it.” Lyn is already working on her phone. “I’ve got it. It’s almost directly south of here.”

“Let’s go.” I start for the door. “Where’s your car?”

“The limo’s right outside.” Markus’s voice comes from directly behind me as we exit the apartment.

Chapter 42

Erica

I pay attention to where we’re going. The driver hasn’t bothered to blindfold me to prevent me from knowing where he’s taking me. But I guess that makes sense. It’s not like I’m going to risk my brother’s life by trying to escape, and he knows it.

We drive in a southeasterly direction. After a while we pull in by a big old warehouse. It looks like it’s been deserted for years, and the outside is in poor condition. One side of the roof has caved in, and the rest of the building looks like it might suffer the same fate at any time.

We drive around the back of the building and park in an area concealed from the road. The driver gets out of the car, and I follow suit before letting him lead the way into the warehouse. We enter a dirty hallway with trash stacked against the walls and a single dirty lightbulb doing a poor job of lighting the area close to the entrance.

Following the hallway deeper into the building, I soon find myself struggling to see where I’m going. I can hear the driver walking in front of me, and I’m just about to tell him to wait when he opens a door to the right. Light streams out into the hallway, and I squint as I follow the man into a brightly lit room.

My eyes immediately land on David, and I press my lips together not to make a sound. He’s sitting on a chair with his ankles tied to the chair legs and his hands behind his back. Blood is flowing slowly from a cut on his cheek, but apart from that, he looks alert and unharmed.

Our gazes lock, and I see the dread in his eyes as he takes me in.

“Erica, you shouldn’t have come.”

Shaking my head slowly, I give him a small smile. “And leave you here to be tortured by the asshole vampire that’s after me? Not an option. You’re my brother, and you have a family to take care of.”

“He’ll hurt you again.” My brother’s eyes narrow with anger.

“I know.” I turn to the vampire I had hoped to never lay eyes on again. He’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a nasty grin on his face.

“Welcome. As you can see, I have refrained from playing with your brother. The cut is a result of his admirable resistance to coming with us.” His evil grin broadens when his eyes move slowly down my body.

“Where is his wife and children?” I let my hatred be evident on my face.

His eyes snap to mine, and his grin is replaced with an angry sneer when he sees my expression. “I haven’t touched them. They’re still at their house where we left them, unless they’ve fled. They know not to contact the police.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” I stare at him, my fear for myself buried under my hate and determination.

“I am. You’ll just have to trust me on that.” The nasty grin is back on his face. “As long as you give me what I want I have no reason to hurt them.”

“What exactly is it you want from me?” I know he wants to rape me again, but I doubt he would go to all this trouble just for that.

“You will be mine forever, my slave to do with as I please.” The blatant lust in his eyes causes me to shudder with disgust and terror, and seeing my reaction is obviously a turn-on. He grabs the bulge at his crotch and squeezes as he takes a couple of steps toward me.

David is protesting loudly behind me, but I don’t have time for him.

I know what will get this asshole’s attention. After taking a deep breath, I let all my fear follow the air out of my lungs and out of my body. Looking directly at him, I shrug and give him a small smile.

“I can’t stop you, but if you hurt my family, there’s no reason for me to care about what you’re doing to me. There will be nothing more to threaten me with, because I won’t care about my own life or pain. So, it’s up to you. If you want me to show any kind of emotions, you’ll leave my family alone, and if I find out you or anyone you know have caused them any distress or pain I’ll just shut down.” I keep my eyes on him, letting him see my blank stare.

∞∞∞

Lucas

I study the woman and her two kids through the window. They’re huddled close together on the couch in their living room. There’s no sign of anyone else in the room, but that doesn’t mean they’re alone in the house.