“I’ve not had reason to laugh in a good long time, and it surprises me that you can bring it out of me so easily.”She asked him how old he was.“Old.Thousands and thousands of years old, and I’m not even the oldest of our group.That would be Brew, and then there is his mother.She’s a good woman.You’ll get along well with her and Calla, Brew’s mate.”
“I’ll go up to the house with you, but no funny business.No biting me or trying to get into my pants.I’ll hurt you if you do try.”He said that he’d refrain from trying anything with her until she asked him to do it.“Don’t hold your breath on that, bucko.I’m stubborn too.In the event that you didn’t get that.”
As they walked up to the house, they talked about what was going on with her mother and Carl.Carl wasn’t a good person at all and would have raped her several times had she not gotten away from him.She thought that it would be good to keep that to herself.There is no telling what Sirous would do if he found that part out.He seemed like the jealous type to her.And she didn’t need anything more to worry about.
Chapter 4
Linda didn’t like waiting around.And no one in this stupid little town would tell her anything about her daughter.Perhaps she’d given them the winning horses at the races, but that would only get her into deeper trouble if she had.That money belonged to her.She’d just as soon kill her as to have her out doing nice things for other people.Linda had brought Tabby into this world, and she’d have no trouble whatsoever taking her out either.She should have let Carl do it.He’d make it messy and long.
“Are you Linda Williams?”She turned to look at the man and was upset that it was an officer.Telling him that’s who she was had him nodding at her.“I’ve had several complaints about you harassing people about finding your daughter.You’ve been told no less than a dozen times that she’s not been seen around here.Either settle that in your mind or leave.Those are your only two options.”
“She’s very dear to me, and I want her to be with me.A woman and her daughter need to be close, and Tabby has never been a dutiful daughter.”He asked her why she’d want to be around someone who wasn’t dutiful.“She’s my only child, and I need her to be with me.She has some abilities that will make my golden years much better.”
“You mean the races.You do know that there aren’t any kind of races around here that you can have her betting on for you.”She was shocked that he knew so much for not having been around her daughter and said as much to him.“I can read your mind, Ms.Williams, and it’s not all that difficult.Wherever she is, I hope she’s having a good time on her own.Now, I’ve told you what you must do to be welcome in this town, so either do that or move on.There isn’t any way that anyone is going to help you find your daughter.”
She knew that she was somewhere around here.Carl had been able to track her to this place, and she’d not moved on.There were plenty of places that she could hide out, but so far she’d not been able to find her at all.Linda wanted her daughter under lock and key and wouldn’t rest until she was where she wanted her.There was too much at stake for her to just be running around telling other people how they could win the money that she thought belonged to her.
There had been a time when she had liked her daughter.It wasn’t all that hard.She took care of her and kept the house cleaned up.There were times when food would suddenly appear in the cabinets, but she didn’t worry over that.It wasn’t until she found out that she knew the races that she really decided that she was worth more than a housekeeper.
Going back to the hotel that she’d been staying in, she went up to her room when the owner tried to get her to pay her bill.She didn’t have the money right now, but would soon enough.As soon as she was able to get her daughter to cooperate, then she’d be in so much money that she wouldn’t have to worry about it for a while.She would only admit this to herself.She was stupid when it came to money.
Linda would spend it as soon as it was in her hands.Even going so far as to spend what she didn’t have.Like this hotel.Only the best would do, and she wanted the best for all time.There was no point in cutting corners when she had a daughter who would get her the world should she just come to heel.Damn it, but she hated her.To be given this gift and to squander it away like it was nothing was just plain mean.Not to mention selfish.
“How did I have such a selfish daughter?”She rarely spoke to herself but was willing to do so when there was no one around.As it was right now, the only people that were around her were cops and Carl.And he’d better be coming through soon, or she’d have to find someone else to find her.“I have ways of making his ass pay.”
She knew his bruin leader well.Well, not well, but she knew his name, and that would get his ass in trouble.She decided that she wasn’t going to mess with him any longer and find a way to gethim out of her hair.Even with the idea that he could have Tabby, the idiot couldn’t catch her.She got away was all he ever said to her when she’d ask him about how much longer it was going to be before he was able to bring her to her.
Just as she was going to make a couple of calls on Carl’s behalf, she looked out the window and saw Tabby walking along the street like she didn’t have a care in the world.Rushing out the door, barely remembering to grab her key card, she was just ready to jerk her around to talk to her when she felt her arm being pulled up behind her back.The pain made her cross-eyed, and she was sick with it.She demanded to be let go.
“I don’t think so.You touch what is mine, and you’ll pay the consequences.”She tried to tell the man who was holding her in such a painful way that she was her mother, but he didn’t seem to care.“As I said, you touch what is mine, and I’ll make you pay.You must be Linda Williams.I’ve heard a great deal about you over the last several hours.You’re not a nice person, much less a good mother, are you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.I was just happy to see my little girl when you pulled this shit on me.Let me go.”He held her tighter while Tabby just stood there watching.“Aren’t you going to do something?Tell him to let me go, and I won’t hold this against you.”
“You know, until just now I thought that I didn’t care for Sirous, but you’ve changed my mind.He’s good to have around.”The man, she supposed his name was Sirous, thanked Tabby.“No problem.You can hold her all day for all I care.She’s certainly done enough to me that was worse.”
“The lies that come out of your mouth sometimes.I suppose you’ve told him about our little arrangement.”She asked if she meant the ponies.“Yes.”She looked around to see if anyone had heard her.That would be just like Tabby to blare out all her business to anyone around.“I demand that you help me out of this.And have him let me go.I have enough trouble walking around—where have you been hiding?I demand that you tell me right now.”
“You demand a great deal for someone who is locked up with her arm behind her back.What is it that you want me to do?Tell you the winning races?I’m not going to do that.You’ll just have to try and kill me.Which won’t work anymore, I’m happy to say.I’m immortal.”The man laughed, and she tried to look at him.“I’m sorry.I should have formally introduced you to the man who is going to marry me.Sirous Smith, I’d like for you to meet my mother.And I only use that term because she did give birth to me, sadly.Mother, this is Sirous, my soon-to-be husband.And my protector, too.We are getting married, correct?”
“As soon as it can be arranged.What changed your mind?”She told him that she was going to be safer with him around.“That you will be.I promise on your heart that no one will harm you so long as I’m around.And I plan to be around for a good long time with you.”
“Thank you.”He said it was his pleasure, and Linda had had enough.Stomping her foot, she told the two of them to pay attention to her.“That’s something else that I’d forgotten about, is how all the attention had to be on you when you were around.It’s not always about you, you understand that, don’t you?I mean, it could very well be about me.Like it is right now.”
“Let me go.”When she was freed, she nearly threw up; the pain took her breath away.“Christ, what did you do to me?I think you broke my shoulder.I’m going to sue you for everything you have.Then we’ll see how much Tabby wants to stay with you.I’ll bet before I win all your money, she’ll be headed out the door.”
“Not everyone is swayed by money alone.Perhaps she might love me one day.I already do her.Though I will admit that I wasn’t so willing to fall in love with her at the beginning.”Tabby told him that he was starting to grow on her, too.“Not like a fungus, I hope.I could be quite charming when I wish, and you make me want to be charming all the time.”
“Of for the love of fuck, get a room.But not before Tabby gives me the winning races for today.I have bills to catch up on and people to pay off.”Again, Tabby told her no, she wasn’t going to do that anymore.“You will when I finish with you.”The big man growled, and she thought that was funny.“What are you anyway?You have to be something other than human.No one would want mydaughter without some sort of incentive going on.Is it the races?What did she tell you about them?That’s my money if she’s already told you the winners for today.”
“Vampire.”There wasn’t too much that she was afraid of other than the wooded areas, and that was a vampire.They could kill you easily enough without having to be in the same room with you.Not to mention draining you dry before you knew he was sucking on your neck.Shivering, she took a step back from him and watched him carefully.“I see you’ve gained some smarts over the years.I will kill you, Linda Williams, if you don’t leave my lovely bride alone.I’m not above draining you dry, either, though I think that the blood would surely be tainted.I’m warning you for the last time to leave my Tabitha alone, or I shall show no more mercy on you than you did your child.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”But she was, and she had a feeling that he knew it to be true, too.“You’re just another notch in my bedpost on things that I’ve taken out when they get too close to what is mine.And she is mine, too, don’t you ever forget it.”
“I have no fear of your threats.Because that’s all they are, but threats.However, if you harm even a hair on her head, I will kill you in ways that you won’t ever understand.You’ll suffer too, and by that I mean for months before I allow you to die.”Linda felt her blood run cold at his promise.For there was no doubt that what he was saying to her was a promise.He would do just as he said he would and make her death something that she’d beg for, and still, he’d show her no mercy.“Have we come to an understanding, you and I?”
“I understand that you’re going to pay for this.I’m going to sue you, and I’m going to get my child to do what I tell her to do.She knows better.I have people in places to make her regret even being born.”Tabby said that she already regretted being born to her.“What an ungrateful cur you’ve turned out to be.After all that I’ve done for you, you have the nerve to treat me like this.You’re going to pay, Tabby.I promise you that you’re going to pay.Now give me the races before I have to hurt you while you stand there.”
“As I have said to you several times now, no.And I’m no longer afraid of you.”She turned her back on her, and Linda saw red.She would have hit her, too, had she not been still sick with pain.Whatever he’d done to her, it wasn’t getting any better with him no longer holding her.“I’m going to this Brew’s house and get to meet a bunch of other vampires that might well be nicer to me than you’ve ever been.”
