Аманда Хокинг - Wisdom

“You know them?” Jack asked, looking warily down at me.

“And you took the Lamborghini?” Ezra asked, his voice resonating behind me. I glanced back to see him standing in the dining room, holding back Matilda. She growled and gnashed her teeth, and if he let her go, she’d get herself killed up against Samantha.

“Why are you following me?” I asked, ignoring Ezra and Jack.

“If I let go of you, do you promise to be good?” Thomas asked Milo. Milo mumbled something in response, and I heard the sound of cracking bone, making Milo yell out in pain. “Answer me, or I’ll do that to the human.”

“Whatever you want, you guys can have it,” Jack said. He took a step towards them, and Milo cried out again. “Stop it! Leave him alone!”

“What do you want?!”I yelled.

My mouth tasted like battery acid, and my veins surged with hot adrenaline. Every time Milo cried out, I felt a jolt through me so intense, it reminded me of bloodlust. Like an animal instinct, and I had to clench my fists to keep from ripping off Samantha’s head.

“There’s no need to yell.” Thomas walked past Jack and descended the steps with a casual grace. He pushed the black hair from his forehead and noticed a bit of my brother’s blood on his hands. With some disdain, he licked it from his hand, and I gritted my teeth to stop from tearing out his throat.

Dane followed a few steps behind Thomas, dragging Bobby with him. Dane held him by his throat, and he had him so far off the ground, Bobby’s feet couldn’t reach the steps. Bobby clawed and struggled to release his grip, but he couldn’t.

Jack looked down at me, then turned back to tend to Milo. I could hear Milo’s bones cracking as Jack tried to set them, and he let out a few more painful groans.

Ezra shoved Matilda in a nearby room, and she instantly began scratching and barking at the door. He walked towards me until Samantha cast him a glare, and he stopped a few feet back from us.

“What is this all about?” Ezra asked.

“We need to know what you’re involvement is,” Thomas said, resting his black eyes on me. “And why you have a human helping you.”

“He’s my brother’s boyfriend!” I gestured to Bobby. Dane had lowered him enough where Bobby’s feet could touch the ground and he gasped for air. “He doesn’t know anything about anything! He’s a moron!”

“She’s right,” Bobby croaked, and Dane tightened his grip around his throat, making Bobby’s face turn purple.

“I will tell you anything you want! Just let him go!” I reached my arm out for him, but I didn’t dare move forward. Dane was far enough away where he could snap Bobby’s neck before I got to him.

“We will kill you if you lie to us,” Thomas said. “You know that, right?”

“Yes!” I shouted, watching Bobby struggle to stay alive.

“Fine.” Thomas shrugged, and Dane released Bobby. He collapsed onto the floor, breathing hard.

Even though they hadn’t given me permission, I ran towards Bobby. I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him a few steps back from them. I couldn’t really check on him because I didn’t want to let my guard down, but I stood in front of him.

“Are you a part of a movement?” Thomas asked.

“A movement?” I shook my head. “Like a dance movement? What?”

“Don’t get smart with us,” Samantha narrowed her eyes. “We have no problem killing any of you. It’s all part of our job.”

“Look, I want to answer your questions. I just have no idea what you’re talking about!” I told them as emphatically as I could. “You only speak in riddles. I don’t know what you want from me!”

“We know you and the human are involved with the serial killer, and we have reason to believe that you have a child vampire as well,” Samantha said. “Are you part of the movement to expose vampires?”

“What?” I raised my eyebrow and looked over to Ezra. His expression remained blank, not wanting to give anything away to them, but he had to know something. “I already told you. I’m not involved with the serial killer. I’m looking for him, but I’m starting to think you guys are the killers.”

“Don’t be absurd.” Samantha rolled her eyes.

“We’re here to catch him. It’s what we do,” Thomas gestured to Samantha and Dane. “We keep order in an order-less society.”

Bobby coughed and got to his feet. He stood next to me. I glared at him, hoping he would take the hint and fall back, but he didn’t.

“You guys are vampire hunters, right?” Bobby asked, rubbing his throat. In one synchronized movement, Samantha, Thomas, and Dane looked at him, and I stepped in front of him a bit more so my shoulder shielded part of him.

“They’re more bounty hunters, actually,” Ezra said.

“Bounty hunter is such a loaded term,” Thomas said with exaggerated disdain.

“Besides, we hardly ever work on commission anymore.”

“So no one’s paying you to be here?” Ezra took a step closer to us, his arms crossed over his chest.

“We’re doing a service for the community,” Samantha smiled thinly.

“Who called you?” Ezra asked.

“We’re not at liberty to divulge that,” Samantha replied, her tone getting icier.

“But you know several people that have our number,” Thomas grinned. “The Commissioner has always been a big fan of our work.”

“Oh!” Bobby gasped, and then lowered his voice to a whisper. “I told you the police were in on this.”

“Bobby,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Can we just get this over with?” Dane sounded exasperated, and he checked the neon green and pink watch on his wrist.

“Oh my god!” Bobby pointed at him. “That dude is supposed to be a vampire hunter, and he’s got on a fricking swatch! There is no way these guys are for real!”

“Bobby!” I snapped.

“Whatever. I’m just saying this whole thing is messed up,” Bobby insisted.

“If you don’t shut up, I will kill you,” I glared back at him, and he rolled his eyes, but he fell silent. I turned back to the supposed-vampire hunters. “I’ve already told you everything I know.”

“What about the child vampire?” Thomas asked, and I fought to keep my expression neutral.

“The only child vampire we have here is Milo upstairs, and you just kicked his ass,” I said.

I wanted to look over at Ezra to see how he reacted, but I knew that’d give something away. Milo had stopped groaning upstairs, and his bones weren’t cracking, but I couldn’t see him or Jack.

“I don’t know if I should believe you.” Thomas crossed his arms over his chest, staring at me with false contemplation. “I want to, but something about you just screams

‘liar’ to me.”

“I don’t know what I can say to make you believe me,” I told them honestly.

“I tend to think that people are most honest under pressure,” Thomas said, and Dane stepped forward.

“I have already told you everything!” I shouted and put my hands up. I’m not sure if Dane meant to hurt me or kill Bobby or what, but I didn’t want to find out.

“Really?” Thomas asked. “Are you sure?”

“This serial killer, he killed my best friend Jane, and I’ve been hunting all over for him,” I said hurriedly, thinking if I said it quickly it would make it more believable. “I know that the killer is a vampire, that he’s branding the girls, and he wants to get caught. He wants people to know that it was a vampire, but I don’t know why. He knew Jane, but I don’t even know if it is a him. It could be a girl. Or it could be a group. Or it could be… anybody.”

“You don’t know why he wants to get caught?” Samantha looked at me seriously.

“No. I have no idea why,” I said.