Jack skidded to a stop, the car fishtailing on the snowy tarmac.
“His heart stopped beating,” Steven said.
I checked Ray’s pulse just the same. Nothing. I swallowed down my nerves and emotions, not ready to deal with his death.
Jack rushed over. “He’s gone?”
I rose. “I’m sorry.”
“This is all your fault, Layla,” Jack shouted as he dove into action, administering CPR.
I ignored Jack’s accusation, shoving them into a compartment for now. There would be plenty of time for us to exchange words and process what had happened. I would shoulder part of the burden, but I wasn’t the only one with blood on my hands.
Jack gave Ray mouth-to-mouth, then I performed compressions. After my first round, Steven took over.
Several minutes later, when Ray didn’t budge, Jack threw his head in his hands. “I don’t know how this happened.” Then he pushed his fingers through his thinning red hair with murder in his gray-blue eyes. “What did you do to him, Layla?”
I ground my back teeth together, trying not to yell at my uncle. “I didn’t touch him. All I did was scream.” Surely, I didn’t possess that supernatural ability to wail right before an impending death, which if I wasn’t mistaken, was the definition of a banshee.
Webb, Tripp, and Jo joined us, severing my crazy thought. I mean, if Mom had vampires in her family, maybe she had other supernatural beings.
Webb combed a hand through his brown hair, his blue eyes glowing in the waning daylight. “The SWAT guy didn’t make it. Steven, we need to regroup. I’ll get Sawyer and his tech team on the phone. Let’s meet in the hangar.” He glanced around. “With the snow coming down, we might be here for the night.”
It was probably best we didn’t fly in this weather. I wasn’t afraid to fly like Sam, but I wouldn’t chance it. Then something hit me. I only had a small amount of Sam’s blood on hand, so time was of the essence for the baby and me.
2
LAYLA
After placing both bodies in the hangar, we had a moment of silence as we stared at Ray and the SWAT guy, who had a bullet hole in his throat. I’d never taken a human life before, and I’d been responsible for two deaths in less than a day. I took in a quiet breath, then released it. I repeated the sequence a couple more times in the hopes I could tamp down the nausea. I was sure that at some point later on, the weight of what I’d done would hit me even harder. My mind was too fuzzy to even think about how Ray’s wife and kids would react when they learned one of their own might’ve murdered their patriarch.
As if Steven knew my struggle, he grabbed my hand and squeezed. I was sandwiched between him and Jack, who had his head down with his fingers locked together in front of him. He was probably silently swearing like a sailor or maybe plotting his revenge against me. I wouldn’t blame him. Still, I wasn’t that cold of a person not to sympathize with Jack. After all, Jack had lost his baby brother, my father, and now Ray.
A tear escaped.Dad, if you’re watching over me, can you please help me deal with the crap that is stacking up higher than a mountain? Give me a sign that will point me in the right direction.Another tear trickled out as sadness comingled with anger.I’m angry at you, Dad, for not telling me about Mom and her family. Who was Mom, really? Why didn’t you tell me about her lineage? I might not be in this mess if you were still here.If that were the case, I would’ve never met Sam, and that thought made my heart hurt.
You can’t dwell on the past, girl, my inner voice supplied.Stop brooding, stand up, and fight like the warrior you are. You’re destined for this journey. Trust fate has your back.
How could I put my faith in the unknown? It seemed like an impossible feat. But I could dig deep for that fierce strength I always had. Though, recently, with all the crap flying at me at warp speed, I was losing faith in myself.
Voices hummed around me, and one cracked through the war in my head, drawing me back to the present.
“I’ll talk to the pilot,” Tripp said as he stalked out of the hangar.
Then Jack left in a hurry.
I held my stomach. “I don’t feel so well.” Reality was setting in like a rotten apple.Where do I go from here?I had to find Sam. I was not raising a vampire child on my own. I wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity, but I felt like I was heading in that direction. The poor-me syndrome was taking over my psyche like a vortex about to suck me in with no way out.
Jo skirted around the bodies. Her silver eyes held compassion and concern. “Come on, Layla. You’re looking peaked. I’ll warm some blood.”
A giggle wriggled free, despite the feeling of hopelessness.
She curled black strands of her damp hair behind her ear. “You’ll like it warm. I promise.”
I quivered, suddenly realizing my clothes and hair were wet, my hands were still ice cold, and my nose was running. Warm blood sounded fantastic to counteract the chill. Still, whatever helped take away the nausea, I was all for it.
“Ray said he was working with a guy from Carly’s company. Shouldn’t we head to Chicago?” I asked. “That’s where Noah is too.” My tone dropped on the last line as images of my hands around Noah’s neck played out in front of me like a silent movie.
Webb adjusted the sheath strapped around his leg, making sure his dagger was secured. “We need more intel. Then we can devise a strategy.”
