Page 51 of Blood Moon

“Did you do it?” Eli asked simply and I assumed that he knew what Viktor wanted to discuss.

“I did what I had to in order to escape. I’ll explain it all to Delilah when I see her.”

“You’ll have to explain it to me as well. It makes no sense. Why would you kill someone whose life you saved? Why would you pay his hospital bill in full if you were only going to end his life?” Eli sounded as confused as I felt.

“What are you talking about? Did something happen to Vinny?” Now Viktor sounded confused. “I think we must be having two different conversations here.”

“You didn’t kill him?” Eli asked, pausing before continuing, “Because whoever did it used your signature. They drained the body, then slit the throat, removing the bite marks.”

“Fuck. No, I didn’t kill him. I killed the nurse so I could escape. I thought that’s what you were talking about. I didn’t want to do it, but she came in throwing around the idea that someone had paid her to prep me for transport. They were going to knock me out and move me somewhere.”

I winced at the reminder of how my uncle had died. No, he hadn’t died. He’d been murdered. I knew it couldn’t have been Viktor, but I felt a wave of relief wash over me when Viktor said he wasn’t responsible for Uncle Vinny’s death. I guess there was still a part of me that didn’t fully trust him. How could I with all the things he was hiding from me?

At this point, I felt as if I were suffocating under the blanket. It didn’t matter how mad they got, I couldn’t stay hidden for another moment.

Just as I was about to throw the blanket off, the car went spinning. I looked up to see Eli lying on the pavement a few feet away from the car. Before I could call out to him a pair of strong hands clamped down on my arms and pulled me from the wreckage.

My vision blurred. I felt the scratching of rope as it was wound around my hands and feet. Then I watched as someone attacked Eli. I tried to move but couldn’t. All I could do was lie there and watch as this man fought with my love. I tried to scream, only to realize that a cloth had been tied around my mouth.

I watched as two more men came from the shadows and joined the first one, all three attacking Eli. He seemed to be holding his own, but I wasn’t sure he could keep fighting. I was terrified for him and for me. He didn’t even know I was in the car.

Why hadn’t I listened to him when he said it was safer to stay at the house while he picked Viktor up? I was certain they’d both be pissed that I’d rebelled against his command. At this point, I would happily take any punishment from both of them if only I could find a way out of these ropes.

“It’s pointless to fight. You’ll only get yourself killed before your time.” A gravely voice crept into my ear. Hot breath on my neck made me cringe. I knew that if Viktor or Eli knew that I was here, they would save me. There had to be a way to let them know.

I watched as the three men attacking Eli wore him down. His movements were getting slower and they were landing more punches. I wasn’t sure how much more he could take I tried to pull my cell from my pocket but one of my captors was paying attention. He jerked it from my hand and crushed it before throwing it. Defeat washed over me.

Just when I thought it was too late, a blur of movement came from the shadows and started helping Eli. It had to be Viktor. Hope filled my heart but only lasted a moment. Once the man who’d tied me up realized that the other three were losing, the tailgate of the truck was slammed closed and the truck started flying down the street.

One of the men who’d been fighting Eli jumped into the bed with me. I cringed at his touch, even though he was keeping me from banging my head on the cold metal as the truck sped away. I silently prayed that Eli and Viktor would find my phone and somehow find me.

I tried to focus on the buildings we passed and which direction we turned. If I knew where I was, I could plan my escape. There had to be a way. After a couple of turns, the guy holding me must have realized what I was doing. He took off his bandana and wrapped it over my eyes. “We can’t have you spying now, can we?” The words came out as a growl and I wondered how long it would be before he bit me. If my own guys had trouble resisting me, I knew that a stranger wouldn’t be able to.

I slammed against the cold metal as the truck screeched to a halt. The man who’d been holding onto me grunted, then lifted me up and jumped from the truck. I wondered where we were and what they had planned for me. My heart raced as my imagination poured through every crime documentary I’d ever seen. If I survived this, I swore to myself I’d start reading more and avoid crime shows.

I didn’t try to fight since I was tied up and gagged anyway. I let myself go limp as he carried me, and the bandana that was covering my eyes fell to the ground. I wanted him to think that I had passed out from fear. I carefully turned my head and took in details of the building he carried me into. If I had a chance to escape, I had to know where I was and how to get out.

Chapter 50

Viktor

I pulled up to the meeting area, expecting to find Eli waiting for me. Instead, I found a trap. At least now I knew who I was dealing with. I just had to find out why. It didn’t matter at the moment; I had to help Eli. There were three guys attacking him and he didn’t seem to be able to defeat them.

I rushed over, jumping on the tallest one. I kicked him in the stomach and turned to throw another off of Eli. I wanted to ask if Delilah was safe, but he’d assured me she was staying behind. It was one less thing to worry about. These guys were fighting dirty. I shot a look at the truck that seemed to be hovering just far enough away that I couldn’t tell who was in it.

“Eli! Behind you!” I called as one of the men rushed him with a bat. My warning was enough to have him spinning and grabbing the asshole by the throat. I knew that we had a small window to defeat them before they called for backup. These were my guys after all. The betrayal hit like a ton of bricks. What could have convinced them to work against me? I needed answers.

“Vik, look out!” Eli yelled.

I turned my head in time to see the third guy coming at me with a hunting knife. Without Eli’s warning, he would have taken my heart. I spent the next few moments reevaluating my choice in friends as I fought off a familiar face. I knew this guy. Jones introduced us on his first day with the company. What the fuck was his name? Corey, Kyle, Jeff? It didn’t matter because I was about to rip his heart out for betraying me. I knew if they defeated us, they would hunt Delilah down next. Protecting her gave me just enough determination to kill this bastard.

The moment I spent trying to remember his name was all he needed to stab me. I refocused the moment the blade penetrated my side. As many times as I’d been in fights before, I knew that he’d missed my vital organs. Not that it mattered much, since the only way to kill me was to remove my head or heart. Blood trickled down my side as I adjusted my stance. I knew this guy wouldn’t give up until one of us was dead for good. I was determined it wouldn’t be me.

He tried to slice me with the knife, but I grabbed his hand and knocked him to the ground. I stood on his chest and pulled his arm off. I knew the injury wouldn’t kill him because he was one of us. He was a vampire, fighting other vampires. I threw his arm a few feet away and bent down to pick up the knife with one foot still holding him in place.

I glanced around for Eli, who had the second man subdued. The third had run off. I wasn’t going to worry about that right now, or the fact that the truck had also left. I needed to end this so Eli and I could get back to Delilah. I clutched the knife in my hand and leaned down. “Who are you working for?”

He shook his head, refusing to answer. He wouldn’t betray his boss, but it didn’t matter. I was certain it was Jones.

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