Page 2 of Bound by Vengeance
She reminded herself to ask how much moneyhe’d received for her as her hand slid into her coat pocket, andshe rested her fingers against the stake there.
Turning a curve in the stairwell, shetrailed the couple as they flung open the metal door at the bottomand exited the building. They briefly vanished, but Vicky spottedthem again when she stepped into the brisk, late April air. Herbreath plumed before her as she shoved her hands into her pocketsand followed at a discreet distance from them.
More exit doors opened from different areasof the building, and people spilled out of the Garden. The crowdblended and swirled together, but she never lost sight of Duke ashe and his friend turned onto the main street.
Cars lined the road looking to pick upconcertgoers, and more vehicles were gridlocked in the street.Horns blared uselessly as no one could go anywhere. Lights andmusic spilled out of the bars and restaurants, and revelersgathered outside them, smoking cigarettes or trying to get insidethe establishments.
Vicky fell back when Duke turned onto a sideroad where fewer humans and businesses were around to keep herhidden. The couple’s idle chatter floated on the air as they turnedonto another side road and then another. Her heart hammered inanticipation of getting them somewhere she could go in for thekill.
When they slipped around a corner ahead ofher, she hurried to catch up, unwilling to let them out of hersight for long. When they came into view again, she discovered thecouple leaning against a building a hundred feet ahead, kissing.Judging by the way they were groping each other, the kiss washeading toward a public screwing.
Vicky paused to take in her surroundings.The scent of garbage was a little stronger here, but tomorrow mustbe trash day as cans lined the sidewalk. In the distance, a dogbarked, and overhead, the barren branches of the trees lining theroad clicked together in the small, spring breeze.
Cars were parked against the curb, but nohumans walked the street. The only sign of life came from the houseto her left; it had a couple of lamps on in a second-floor window.At this time of night, most of the residents of the brownstonehomes were in bed.
Perfect.
Duke’s hand slid down to the woman’s thigh;he pushed her skirt up as Vicky stalked toward them. She wasremoving the stake from her coat when movement came from the parkedcar on her right, and the stench of garbage flooded her nostrils. ASavage vampire burst out from where it had been hiding behind thevehicle.
Unprepared for the sudden attack, she swungout with her stake and cursed when it plunged into the Savage’sshoulder instead of his heart. The vampire hit her with the forceof a wrecking ball, lifted her off her feet, and flung her into theside of a van. Metal crunched, and the shattering glass spilledonto the pavement in a crashing wave as her body indented thevehicle.
Air burst from her battered lungs, and shefell to the ground. Struggling to breathe, her eyes widened on thevamp when he turned to charge at her again. On her hands and knees,Vicky scrambled under the van and lay on her belly as she tookstock of herself and the situation. Her ribs ached, her back wasbruised, but there weren’t any broken bones. Three against onewasn't the best odds, but she could take these bastards down.
Wincing, she inhaled a deep breath beforeremoving the crossbow secured to her side. Duke’s feet, and thoseof his date, ran toward her as she rolled across the pavement andout the other side of the vehicle. Scrambling forward, she ran in ahalf crouch to the front of the van and leaned against the bumperas the Savages stopped next to the door her body hadrearranged.
“This bitch ismine,” Dukesnarled.
You have no idea how much of a bitch I canbe, asshole.
Vicky crept forward and poked her head outfrom around the bumper. The larger vamp was bent down to peer underthe van. The woman stood beside Duke as he surveyed the sidewalk.She didn’t have a shot at Duke, but she had one at the woman.
Vicky lifted the crossbow, aimed it at thewoman’s chest, and fired. She released a guttural cry when the boltslammed into her heart. The woman hit the ground, her heels kickingagainst the sidewalk as she tried to pull the weapon from herchest, but it was already too late for her.
Vicky released her crossbow to let it danglefrom the tie keeping it attached to her belt as she pulled anotherstake free and grinned at Duke. When it came time to kill him, shewould be up close and personal for it.
Duke gawked at the body beside him beforeturning his attention to Vicky. She didn’t see any regret in hiseyes for his dead date, but she hadn’t expected any. The only thingDuke cared about was Duke.
“This bitch is more than ready for you,”Vicky promised.
Then, behind Duke, figures emerged frombetween the homes and loped down the street toward them. Vicky’snose wrinkled when the increased scent of garbage filled the air. Aflicker of apprehension raced through her as those figures cametogether in a swelling group of Savages.
“You think I didn’t smell you too,” Dukehissed. “You think you’re not still worth a fortune? Joseph has bigplans for you and your kind.”
A cold knot of dread formed in her stomachas the group grew to five—no,ninemore vampires. And shesensed there were more, somewhere.
Some sixth sense made her look up as twoshadows leapt across the rooftops.
Why are there so many of them? Shesuspected the answer to her question wasnotgood.
Behind her, she heard the increased, pantingbreaths of the Savage who had thrown her into the van. His feetthudded on the concrete as he raced toward her from the other sideof the vehicle. Torn between killing Duke, even if it resulted inher death, and fleeing, Vicky hesitated.
She wanted himdead.
Then, a grunt followed by a thud soundedfrom behind her. She turned to find the wrecking ball vampire faceplanting onto the sidewalk with a stake protruding from his back—akilling blow, but from who?
Lifting her gaze, she froze when she spottedthe man standing in the shadows behind the Savage. Eyes the colorof the sky on a cloudless spring day met hers as he held his handout over the body to her.
“Come on!” he commanded.
