Page 23 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

My hands were sweaty on the wheel but I followed his directions to the letter and then we were back on the main road. I could feel the slight hesitation in the vehicle that indicated I was pulling more weight than usual but there were no mishaps and soon it was time to turn onto the road to the Robertson’s house.

‘Signal, slow down and make the turn slowly,’ Parker instructed. ‘Don’t forget to swing wide again.’

Thankfully there was no one around. I swung out and made sure the trailer didn’t go off the road on the turn; my heart gavea solid thump, but before I knew it we were heading down the road. Who knew driving with a trailer was so stressful? I’d look at the fishermen pulling their boats with more respect in the future. Badasses, every one of them.

We pulled into the Robertson’s driveway and I parked up with relief. I hadn’t told Faye what I was planning, and I saw the curtain on the front window twitch a little. I didn’t go to the house to explain: I was pretty sure in this instance that it would be better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Parker unloaded the machines and showed me the basics. The quad bikes had power steering and were automatic rather than manual, which made controlling them a lot easier. He told me to take it easy on the petrol and, after a couple of minutes, I felt like I was getting the hang of it.

Fluffy guided us across the grass to the woods where we’d seen the tracks. Funnily enough, he hadn’t wanted to ride with me; in fact he’d sent me a very distrustful glance as if he doubted my competence. Still, having his nose to the ground would be helpful if we lost the tracks for some reason.

We followed the kidnapper’s quad-bike trail for what felt like a mile or maybe even two. There only appeared to be a single track; this wasn’t a well-used hunters’ trail, just an arsehole busting through the woods to steal two girls.

It ended at a dirt road where no doubt the quad bike had been loaded onto a trailer. I made Fluffy sniff this way and that but he lowered his head and looked morose. The trail had ended here.

Despair rose in me. Dammit, I’d been hoping the tracks would lead us directly to the girls. The chances of finding them before the clock ran out were shrinking by the hour.

‘Well, that’s it,’ Parker said, and Fluffy yipped agreement. Too many vehicles had passed by. The kidnapper had simply driven down the dirt road to the highway and on to town. Fuck.

I managed a smile for my vampire helper. ‘Thanks, Parker. I really appreciate your help with this.’

‘You know I’ll do anything for you.’

The statement was simple – and devastating. ‘I know, but I don’t want you to feel you’ve lost your free will.’

He nodded. ‘That just shows that you really are the most wonderful person in the world. If I have to be bound to anyone, I’m glad it’s you.’

He was delusional. I wasn’t anyone special, just a vamp fumbling along and trying to do some good. I’d taken everything from him and he wasthankingme for it. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I said yet again.

From what Connor had told me, Parker had been violent, and prone to fights and bragging before I’d saved him. With my donation of my blood, I’d changed him fundamentally. He wasn’t the man he once was and it was all my fault.

He shook his head. ‘Don’t be sorry. I’m much happier now than I ever was before. I was so dissatisfied. Now I find great joy in helping you.’

I sent him a watery smile. The stress was getting to me, that was all. I was tired.

We rode back to the Robertson’s house and loaded the quads back on the trailer. This time I let Parker drive us to Kamluck – I’d proved to myself that Icoulddo it but that didn’t mean I’d enjoyed it, and life was too short to do shit you hated. Okay, as a vampire I would probably have a very long life but, either way, I asked Parker to drive.

At Kamluck we unhitched the trailer and I went to the office to see if Connor was around. I needed to see him like I needed to breathe. I’d missed him last night – and the night before.

He was at his desk. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, which meant he’d been running his fingers through it. As he looked up and met my eyes, he gave a warm smile then stood and closed the distance between us to press his lips to mine like he needed them to survive. God knows, I did.

I pressed against him and gave a happy sigh when we finally parted.

‘All right?’ he asked me softly. His eyes showed the strain he was under. He was clearly run ragged, and the threat from his dad was hanging over him.

I smiled. ‘Better than you, I reckon.’ I jostled his hip.

‘I’m all right.’

‘Liar.’

‘Any leads?’ He tried – and failed – to keep his tone casual.

‘No. The kidnapper probably met up with a truck so we lost the trail. That was close to the main road, so they could have gone anywhere.’

Connor closed his eyes. ‘Fuck,’ he breathed.

‘Sorry.’

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