Steven bobbed his head, easing me onto the snowy field. I wobbled and stumbled like an alcoholic after a fifth of tequila. Jo had her arms out to steady me, but I took off and ran toward Jack.
“Layla,” Steven shouted as he caught up to me. “You need to rest.”
“There’s no time for that. Sam’s life is on the line, and if Ray is about to die, then we have to find out what he knows.”
Jo jogged up on my other side. “I’ll try to read the mind of the man that Layla shot. Maybe now that the helicopter is out of range, my powers will reengage.” She stabbed a finger at her husband, Webb, and Tripp. Both of the Vampire Navy SEALs were searching the SWAT guy’s pockets not far from Jack and Ray.
“Jo, a word, please,” Steven said. “Layla, I’ll be right there.”
I ran toward my uncles before slowing to a walk, listing to one side on the slick, snowy tarmac. Steven was right. My balance was off.
Jack swiped his hand over his thinning red hair as he knelt beside Ray. “Don’t you croak on me, brother.”
“Where is Sam, Uncle Ray?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Huh? What did you do?” I clenched my freezing hands together, anger melting the chill and sending my adrenaline off the charts.
Lying flat on his back, Ray choked. His blue eyes were the color of gunmetal. His face was pale, and blood oozed out of his ears.
Jack glared at me, seething. “All you’re worried about is your vampire? Can’t you see Ray is in dire straits?”
I clenched my freezing hands together. The need to punch my uncle Jack made me itch. “Can’t you see that Ray betrayed you?” The world was beginning to right itself as the dizziness waned and my mind sharpened. “Let me summarize the convo we had earlier today in the hangar. Ray knows where Noah is, and Ray brought you here as a ruse to help in the kidnapping of Sam.”
“He didn’t bring me here,” Jack said. “I was the one who called the meeting with Steven.”
I threw up my hands. My damn family would be the death of me before any outside enemy. Or I might be doing jail time for strangling one of them. “Fine. But Ray used that opportunity to set us up.”
Ray pressed his bony fingers into his chest and choked. “Sorry, brother, but Layla is right.”
I reared back as shock gripped me. Ray actually admitted I was right. My uncle had never once agreed with me on anything, and we’d argued on several occasions about different topics, particularly how to hunt vampires. Granted, he was my elder, but he was a hothead who had gotten us into bad situations, not only when it came to the family business, but his gambling debts had also taken a toll on the Aberdeen family.
Jack bared his teeth at me. “So what? That doesn’t mean Ray should die for what he’s done.”
“I know that.” I wanted to knock some sense into Ray, or even make him feel pain, but I didn’t want him to die. “Ray, where are they taking Sam?” I toned down my ire just a bit and infused some kindness, or at least tried to, anyway.
“Fuck you,” Ray bit out. “You’ll die, Layla, if you continue to hang around vampires.”
I was ready to scream at the top of my lungs again. “You’re sprawled out on the ground, look like death, might be dying, and you are still being an ass. At least if I croak, I’ll feel content, knowing I tried to save humanity. What you’ve done could just wipe out our existence. Handing Sam over to whoever won’t only kill him but will turn humans into vampires. Is that what you want—more bloodsuckers in this world?” I shivered at the idea of Sam on some table in a lab or in a cage being treated like a test rat.
Jack tried to help Ray up. “I’m taking you to a hospital.”
Ray winced as he climbed to his feet, holding onto Jack’s shoulder. No sooner than he stood, he fell to the ground, taking Jack with him.
Jack scrambled to help his brother. “Ray, what’s wrong?”
Ray clutched his chest. “I can’t breathe.”
“I’m calling an ambulance.” Jack whipped out his phone.
Steven came out of nowhere and snagged Jack’s cell before he had a chance to unlock it. “No. Get your car. I’ll have Tripp go with you. The paramedics will alert the human authorities, and they’ll have too many questions. We can’t exactly give them answers, now can we?”
Ray swung out his hand to Jack. “If I don’t make it, take care of my family.”
Jack’s forehead creased. “Don’t say shit like that. You’ll make it.” Jack sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Ray.
“If you want to save your brother, get the car,” Steven barked at Jack. “He doesn’t have much time.” No doubt Steven could hear Ray’s heart beating. “He might be bleeding internally.”
Jack angled his head at Ray. “Or having a heart attack. They do run in our family.”
My grandfather had died of one right in the middle of hunting vampires. My grandmother blamed his death on the fanged predator, but an autopsy proved the cause had been my grandfather’s heart.
