Page 35 of Midlife Vampire Unexpected

We turned onto the dirt road and bumped along into the hills.

I tried to imagine what it must’ve been for a prisoner of war or a Japanese American citizen to be taken on these back roads. We were surrounded by what looked like an endless forest.

“If this was a prisoner of war camp for humans,” I asked, “How do we know about it?”

“There are only about one million supernaturals on the planet. Compared to the eight billion humans, we are a small number. We are strategic, though. We know we’re outnumbered, and we try to stay focused to make sure we hide in plain sight. We also make sure we’ve got plenty of places to hide should the need arise. Prisoner of war camps and abandoned train stations are prime safety locations for us.”

“You’re telling me if there was a zombie apocalypse, the demigod corporation would set up shop out here in the middle of nowhere. That’s crazy,” I said. “These are the guys from Manhattan, right?”

“Good Lord, no,” Antonio chuckled. “They’ve got bunkers in Virginia they would use, especially for the demigod president. These kinds of places are for people like me. You know, the bounty hunters and the renegades and the shifters who don’t really fit into the demigod world. The demigods can’t function without a group of people working for them.” He pointed up the road to the left. “Up there you want to turn off of the main road.”

I slowed down and looked at the road he was telling me to take. It wasn’t much more than a dirt path, a double wide dirt road that led into the shadows of the forest.

Chapter 24

“Do you have any idea who were up against? “I asked as we drove through the trees.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there are multiple people,” Antonio said. “We’ve got to get in there quick and get her out.”

“How are we ever going to stop this?” It suddenly felt so hopeless. “We can try to get her out of this situation, but it’s not going to stop the next lot of bounty hunters from going after her, simply because she’s a werewolf.”

“Until we figure out who is responsible for the bounty, we will be stuck in this situation.” Antonio agreed. “The other option is that she leaves Southern Oregon.”

“That’s not going to happen.” I immediately dismissed the idea. “She’s part of the coven and has to stay here.”

“Exactly,” Antonio agreed.

“The person who created the hit clearly wants the coven broken up so they can take over the cemetery. It must be the renegade dark Fae Jane mentioned.”

“Not necessarily,” Antonio disagreed. “Fae politics are often complex. They have many layered reasons for their often-confusing actions. Their webs are centuries old and easy to get caught in.

“Sounds like a charming race,” I muttered.

“They like their games,” Antonio shrugged. “In this case the bounty has existed for so long, they must have a very good reason for creating it.”

“Did you say there’s a very good reason for putting out a death threat on my friend?” I asked indignantly.

“No.” He narrowed his gaze at me. “What I’m saying is the guy who placed the bounty is committed. He’s unlikely to cancel it. You’ve got to think like a criminal. Not like a cop.”

“I’ve spent my career trying to think like a criminal. Don’t start giving me lectures.” I replied belligerently.

Antonio grated on my nerves, but in a way that drew me to him. I couldn’t explain it. He was harsh, curt, and arrogant, but he was attractive as all hell and he had a magnetism that charged me. Even though he was fierce and wild, or maybe because of that, I was drawn to him. I couldn’t let my attraction for him get in the way of any type of business we had to take care of. I had to stay focused. My friend was in danger.

“My apologies,” Antonio said. “I wasn’t trying to offend you. It’s just you seem always so clear and straight and right. It’s not how most criminals live. In this case, whoever has the hit is going to want to make an example of her.”

“She could be killed on the spot?” My gut clenched at the thought of it. How could I be in a group with these women and I couldn’t even protect them? We’d been trying to protect Jane and instead we lost Bianca. No man left behind, but I was in danger of losing two.

“Do you need to feed?” Antonio’s voice was gruff as he asked me.

“What? No!” My reaction was too swift, too sharp.

He glanced at me sideways and I hated the way the corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile as if he knew how much I craved his blood. The taste of Jane had been nourishing and good and sweet, but it was nothing like the fire and synergy I found with Antonio’s blood.

“Really,” I said softly. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

He looked a little bit surprised, but he didn’t say anything. My irritation with him hadn’t been making the partnership to find Bianca any easier, so maybe I would try killing him with kindness. We needed to be on the same page, especially if we were about to take on a bounty hunter or perhaps multiples of them.

“Pull over here. We’ll go the rest of the way on foot,” he said.

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