Jeaniene Frost - Halfway to the Grave

The question sounded innocent, but I knew what it meant. Will anyone miss you if you leave?

“No. She was supposed to meet me, but she hasn’t shown up yet. Maybe she met someone, you know how it is. You just forget everything else around you.”

He covered my hand with his and I almost gasped. Ten more points for Bones. Sergio’s power nearly crawled up my arm. None of the other vampires but one had felt like this, and look where he’d gotten me.

“I know what you mean,” he said, squeezing my hand.

I smiled seductively and squeezed back. “I think I do, too.”

Less than thirty minutes later we were out the door. I made sure to drink multiple gin and tonics beforehand, so there was valid reason for me to be staggering in his eyes. Sergio kept up a steady stream of innuendo about pussies, cream, and licking that would have shocked me into bolting if it hadn’t been for Bones. Damn him, but it was turning out he’d come in handy.

Sergio drove a Mercedes. Never having been in one before, I kept up a line of suggestive compliments about how I loved the interior. Especially the backseat. So roomy.

“This leather feels wonderful,” I purred, rubbing my cheek against the cushion of the passenger seat. “That’s why I wear the gloves and boots. Love the way it rubs against my skin.”

The tops of my breasts were straining against my push-up bra. Sergio grinned, showing a crooked front tooth he’d managed to conceal at the bar.

“Stop doing that, little pussycat, or I won’t be able to drive. How about we go to my place instead of that club I told you about?”

Warning. “No,” I breathed, getting an angry look in return. Clearly he didn’t expect to be disagreed with, but there was no way we were doing that. Thinking fast, I caressed his arm. “I don’t want to wait that long. Pull off somewhere. Kitty needs a tongue bath.” Ick, my mind protested, but as incentive I rubbed my hands across my stomach and down to skim my outer thighs.

He bought it, hook, line, and sinker. Too well.

Sergio kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached over to run his other hand along my leg. It climbed higher up my thigh and toward his goal with relentless determination. As instructed, I wasn’t wearing any underwear. The thought of his fingers touching me there sent a wave of revulsion through me. Quickly, I grabbed his hand and stuck it in my cleavage instead. Better there than the alternative.

“Not yet.” Anxiety made me breathless. Hopefully he would think it was desire. “Pull off. Pull off now.”

The sooner I had a stake in him, the better. His hand seemed happy where it was, but just in case, I unfastened my seat belt and climbed over the seat.

He gave me a surprised look. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, licking the side of his ear. Double ick. “I’m waiting, Roberto. Come and get me.”

The car swerved to the shoulder of the road. Damn, we weren’t even in the woods yet. I hoped someone wouldn’t drive by while we were decapitating him. That would be hard to explain.

“I’m coming, pussycat,” Sergio promised, and then his teeth clamped on my wrist.

“Motherfucker!”

The word flew out of my mouth in a yelp as he bit me savagely.

“You like this, pussycat?” he snarled, sucking at the blood pouring from my forearm. “Slut. Whore.”

Furious, I unsheathed my stake with my free hand and plunged it into his neck. “Didn’t your mother tell you not to talk with your mouth full?”

A howl escaped him and he let go of me to grab the stake. I yanked my arm out of his mouth, tearing it more, and went for my other stake.

In a flash, he was in the backseat. Sergio loomed over me, but I kicked out hard and scored a direct hit to his groin. Another pain-filled bellow shook the car.

“Bitch! I’m going to rip out your throat and fuck your bleeding neck!”

Not wanting him to get anywhere near my neck, I brought my knees up as a barrier when he flung himself on me. With my boots so close, I managed to extract the other stake and then ram it in his back.

Sergio flew out of the car, smashing through the doorframe as though it were paper. I charged after him, needing to retrieve one of my weapons. A blow knocked me sideways as soon as I cleared the door. I rolled to avoid the kick aimed at my head and sprang to my feet.

Sergio lunged at me again-and then was yanked backward by the vampire who seemed to materialize behind him. Bones held him roughly, one hand on the stake in his neck, the other gripping the one in his back.

“About time,” I muttered.

“Hallo, Sergio!” Bones said cheerfully, giving a vicious jerk to the stake in Sergio’s neck.

There were a few sickening gurgles before Sergio spoke. “Filthy bastard, how’d you find me?”

It amazed me he could talk at all with half his throat laid open. Bones tightened his hold on the stake in Sergio’s back next, digging it deeper until it must have been grazing the other vampire’s heart.

“I see you’ve met my friend. Isn’t she just wonderful?”

Blood was running in rivulets down my arm. I ripped off one of my sleeves and wrapped it around the wound, which throbbed in accordance with my pulse. Even with that, I managed to get a grim satisfaction out of the look on Sergio’s face when his eyes swung back to me.

“You. Set me up.” Incredulity filled his voice.

“That’s right, pussycat. Guess you won’t be giving me that tongue bath after all.” There was a piece of me that was startled by my coldness, and another that gloried in it.

“She is something, isn’t she?” Bones went on. “Knew you couldn’t pass up a pretty girl, you worthless sod. Isn’t it fitting that now you’re the one who’s been lured into a trap? What, did you grow short on funds so you had to go out for dinner instead of order in?”

Sergio went still. “I don’t know what you say.”

From his expression, he did know. Well, I didn’t have a clue.

“Of course you do. You’re his best client, from what I hear. Now, I have just one question for you, and I know you’re going to answer me honestly, because if not”-he gave another twist of the stake in Sergio’s back-“I’m going to be really unhappy. Do you know what happens when I’m unhappy? My hand twitches.”

“What? What? I tell you! I tell you!” His accent was thicker now, almost incoherently so.

Bones smiled a truly frightening smile. “Where’s Hennessey?”

A petrified look came over Sergio’s face. If it were possible, he blanched even paler than his vampire white.

“Hennessey will kill me. You don’t cross him and live to brag about it! You don’t know what he’ll do if I talk. And you kill me anyway if I tell you.”

“See, mate.” Twist, turn, yank. “I promise I won’t kill you if you tell me. That gives you a chance to run from Hennessey. But I swear to you, if you don’t tell me where he is”-another thrust of the stake, and Sergio let out a high-pitched wail-“you’ll die right here. Your call. Make it now.”

He had no choice, it was clear on the doomed vampire’s face. Defeated, his head slumped forward and a single sentence emerged from his bloody mouth.

“Chicago Heights, south side of town.”

“Thanks ever so, mate.” With a cock of his eyebrow, Bones turned his attention to me. “This your stake, luv?”

He ripped the one out of Sergio’s back and threw it at me. Catching it in midair, I met his eyes with perfect comprehension.

“You promised! You promised!”

Sergio whimpered as I advanced, my torn arm clutched to my chest. It was amazing how frightened he was at the thought of his own death when minutes ago he’d been delighted to hasten mine.

“I did. She didn’t. Got something you want to say to him, Kitten?”