Part 21 (2/2)
At point-blank range.
With a will of their own, knowing there was nowhere to run, instead of facing her attackers, her uncooperative eyes slid closed.
And then it was done.
SAM jammed a finger to the touch screen on his phone and bellowed, ”Stinky? That was five minutes and twenty-eight seconds. I got some new a.s.shole to chew!”
The pop of gum snapped in Sam's ear. ”You know what would solve all your problems, Sam? Herbal tea. Chamomile, maybe. You're always so wound up.”
”Speak, and it better be good!” he demanded with a roar.
Static crackled over the line. ”You'll never believe it.”
”And you'll never believe the damage I can do to your esophagus with just one blow.”
”She's at O-Tech, dude.”
His look of disbelief alerted Nina and Darnell, who'd been pacing the pavement, waiting on Stinky's call. ”But you said there's nothing going on over there. Swear to Christ, Stinky, if you're plucking my ball hairs, I'll take you out in your sleep,” he snarled while precious minutes ticked away.
”Hey, Cowboy Sam! This is not bulls.h.i.+t. I tracked her phone to O-Tech. If she's still got her phone, she's inside O-Tech!”
Sam's lips formed a sneer. ”You'd better be right, Stinky-or it'll be your scrawny a.s.s!” Clenching his fist, he held on to his phone, resisting the urge to throw it when he ended the call.
Nina was at him like some fierce mother cub. ”Where the f.u.c.k is she, Sam? Is she okay?”
Cool, Sam. Keep your cool. It's the only way to get anything accomplished. He eyed Nina, letting warmth seep into his gaze. ”I don't know if she's okay. I just know her phone's at O-Tech.”
”Hoo-boy. We got some high IQs to beat down, then, huh?” Darnell whooped, stomping his sneakered foot in a puddle.
Nina shook her head, her wet hoodie sticking to the sides of her face. ”What in the ever-lovin' f.u.c.k is going on here? I thought your friend Smelly said there was nothing to find over there?”
”Stinky. His name's Stinky. And that is what he said. But if Phoebe has her phone, she's at O-Tech. Stinky may be a greedy twerp, but he's almost never wrong on a location.”
Nina cracked her knuckles. ”Then O-Tech it is, and I promise you, one hair on Fluffy Barbie's head outta place, and someone's gonna have a s.h.i.+tty day,” Nina said from between teeth so tightly clenched Sam wondered how she'd managed to spew the words.
He nodded his consent.
Just one hair was all it would take.
One hair.
”WANDA?”
”Phoebe? Oh, sweet heaven, Phoebe! Where are you, honey? Are you all right? Did they hurt you? I'll kill them myself if they put one itty-bitty finger on you!” Wanda cried.
Thank G.o.d she'd remembered the number for OOPS. Without her phone, she was lost, which, if you asked her, was a sad state of affairs. Back in the day, if you didn't know your phone number by heart, speed dial wasn't an option, but screwed was.
But she'd picked up the phone a hundred times at least to make that phone call to Nina when she'd found out it was where she worked. Now she was grateful not only to have memorized it, but that she remembered if no one was in the OOPS offices, the call would be rerouted to their cell phones.
”Phoebe? Honey, answer me!”
”I'm okay, Wanda,” she whispered against the mouthpiece. ”But could you maybe come get me? I feel so incredibly weak, and my legs just don't seem to want to cooperate.” It hit her the moment she'd landed and she'd just barely managed to dial the phone she was using now.
”Ohhhh, you need to feed, Phoebe. It's been hours since you last drank. That's what the problem is, honey. Where are you? Are you safe from harm?”
Phoebe gave a glance over her shoulder at her surroundings. ”I can't remember the last time a Wamsutta comforter set, complete with sheets and two matching pillows, was unsafe. But you just never can tell with the way things are made these days.”
”Phoebe?”
”Yes?” she muttered, glancing up at the kind elderly woman who'd allowed her to use her cell phone, but only after Phoebe had convinced her she was absolutely not an alien from the beyond part of the store's moniker. And it hadn't been all suns.h.i.+ne and lollipops while she'd convinced her, either. At first, the woman, a woman who appeared so harmless, yet had rapped her over the head with her new toilet bowl scrubber like she was playing for the Yankees, had been skeptical.
And really, who could blame this poor, unsuspecting shopper? Phoebe had quite literally fallen from the sky on top of a pile of towels shelved in the middle of the aisle, bounced off them, thereby hitting her head on the edge of the display, and somersaulted headfirst into this fine citizen's carriage.
”Phoebe? Where are you?”
”I'm a little embarra.s.sed.”
”Well, you can be embarra.s.sed after I pick you up, too, if you'd like. Choice is yours.”
”Um, Bed Bath and Beyond. Conveniently located right down the road from Sam's apartment, in fact. In the comforter aisle.” The last place she'd thought of before she'd zoned out of that clinical trial h.e.l.l.
”Say no more. Don't move. Auntie Wanda's there.”
From her place in the carriage, Phoebe located the ”end call” b.u.t.ton and handed the phone up to the woman with the kind face with sheepish eyes. ”Thank you. I'm sure your kindnesses will come back to you tenfold.”
Placing her hands on the edges of the cart, she lifted herself up with shaking hands and willed her last ounce of energy to allow her to climb out.
That the loud rip that followed her exit made an entire store full of shoppers turn around was just par for the course in this vampire's day.
Standing in your underwear in the middle of Bed Bath & Beyond, barefoot, with smeared mascara and a torn nail was certainly not the worst that had happened to her today.
Certainly not.
SAM burst through his apartment door, with Nina and Darnell directly behind him, heading straight for Wanda. ”Where is she?” he demanded in the authoritative tone he often used when he needed answers out of a suspect.
Wanda held up a hand and gave him a haughty raise of her eyebrow. ”I'm sorry, Sam. Did you just ask me a question like I'm some kind of terrorist subject to your interrogation?” She landed a finger in the soft spot between his armpit and his shoulder and drove it into his flesh. ”Never, ever, ever talk to me that way, Mr. McLean, or you're going to find out what happens to a lady when she goes bats.h.i.+t wild.”
Nina cackled her clear enjoyment, shedding her wet hoodie. ”I don't like admitting it, Sammy, but Wanda's a crazy-a.s.sed psycho when she gets loose. So go be a big boy now and take your lickin' like manly men do.”
Archibald rushed in, putting his stout body between Sam and Wanda and handed him a winegla.s.s of blood. ”Sir? Drink or you'll be no good to anyone, especially our battle-weary Phoebe.”
He took the blood and nodded his thanks, zeroing in on Wanda. Seeing her anger, he gave her a humble gaze and fought the impulse to tear through the apartment to locate Phoebe. ”My apologies. Would you please tell me where she is?”
Wanda put her hand on his arm, her eyes only a little less confrontational now. ”Slow down, Sam. She's taking a bath. Give her a few moments to gather herself.”
Sam fought the urge to set Wanda aside and asked, ”Did she tell you what happened?”
<script>