Bite Me If You Can - Argeneau Series - Book 6 Page 0,4
didn’t mean much.
“Do we give them a couple more minutes to settle in, or—” Mortimer’s question died, and they all glanced around as the sound of a vehicle disturbed the silence. They watched in silent surprise as a dark van turned into the driveway and crunched up the gravel lane.
“Hmm,” Lucian said, with his first real spark of interest. This was different. Usually the “vampires” would have been in-house by now, if not already snug in the coffins they seemed to favor.
They moved back a bit into the trees to be less visible. As they watched, the van parked close to the house, then the driver jumped out and ran around to open the rear doors.
Lucian stiffened as Morgan swept out of the van, a brunette in his arms. Dressed in a short black skirt and a bloodstained white blouse, her eyes shot over the house and yard as if seeking an escape, but the way she lay limp in Morgan’s arms told him that the rogue immortal had taken control of her body. There would be no escape.
“That’s Leigh,” Mortimer murmured with a frown.
“She works the bar at Coco’s. The restaurant we’ve eaten at all week,” Bricker explained, and Lucian grunted. Justin Bricker was young enough that he still ate, and Garrett Mortimer went along to keep him company and sometimes picked at food.
Lucian didn’t bother with food, but he’d heard a lot this week about the “pretty little thing” who’d served them their late meals in the bar. They both seemed taken with her charm and sense of humor, and he supposed this Leigh was the “pretty little thing” in question. Certainly, neither man seemed pleased to see her being carried up the porch steps, obviously about to become Morgan’s latest victim.
“We have to help her,” Bricker said.
Mortimer nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”
“She could be willing,” Lucian pointed out, though there had been something in her eyes that suggested she wasn’t.
Both men were silent, their gazes locked on the woman Morgan was carrying into the house.
“No. She isn’t,” Mortimer said with certainty as the door closed behind the trio. He sounded grim and angry. Mortimer rarely got angry.
Bricker agreed, “No, she isn’t.”
Shrugging, Lucian turned his gaze back to the house. “We should give them ten minutes or so to settle in for the night.”
“But the longer we wait, the worse it could be for Leigh,” Bricker protested.
“He’s already bitten her and given her his own blood,” Mortimer pointed out, obviously having gained the news from her thoughts when he’d read her. “There isn’t much more he’d bother doing to her before she finishes turning.”
Bricker frowned and glanced at Lucian. “We’re taking her out of there, right?” When Lucian hesitated, he argued, “She hasn’t bitten anyone yet, and doesn’t want to be there. Leigh’s a nice lady.”
“We’ll see,” Lucian said finally.
Realizing it was all he’d get for now, Bricker fell silent, but he looked worried.
Lucian ignored him and proceeded to examine his equipment. He gave his crossbow a once-over, then counted the specially made wooden arrows in the quiver strapped to his leg. Satisfied that all was in order there, he retrieved the gun from his pocket, checking to see that it was fully loaded and the safety was on before putting it back.
Lucian glanced toward the house, impatient to get things going. Then he forced himself to wait the full ten minutes, but the moment the digital face of his watch said that time had passed, his hand tightened on his crossbow and he started forward without a word.
Mortimer and Bricker fell into step on either side of him as he emerged from the trees and approached the dilapidated house. They mounted the front porch as silently as possible.
“Careless,” Mortimer murmured when Lucian turned the knob and the door opened. The red-haired guy hadn’t bothered to lock it. Lucian wasn’t terribly surprised. If he was newly turned, the man would see himself as invincible, and none of Morgan’s followers should be more than a month or so old. That was when the first whispers that Morgan had gone rogue started.
The three men eased into the house, eyes alert, ears straining for any sound. As expected, the upper floor appeared deserted. After setting the cans of gasoline in the kitchen, they separated to make a thorough, silent search of the top two floors, just to be sure. Once finished, they regrouped in the kitchen and approached the door they knew led to the basement.