Vampire’s Dilemma. Penny Ash
head.
“I’m going to take your gag off now. Don’t bother screaming, no one will hear you.” The voice was soft, with a Russian accent. Lucy squinted. She could see the man’s shape silhouetted against the glare from the windows.
The man pulled the cloth out of her mouth. Lucy grimaced. “Take this.” The man held a pill up to her mouth. Lucy shook her head.
“It is only aspirin.”
Lucy shook her head again.
“I could force you.”
Lucy turned her head away and ignored him. No way was she going to voluntarily take anything her kidnappers gave her.
The man shrugged. “Fine. Enjoy your pain.” He walked away.
“Where am I?” She was relatively sure Sergei had ordered her kidnapping.
“You are at my cabin.” Another voice came from behind her. A second, older man stepped past her and went to the window. “Shame on you, Yevgeny, to let so much light in.” He reached out and drew the curtains across the big picture window. Lucy blinked as the room grew dim.
“Why did you kidnap me? What do you want from me?” Lucy tried the cords at her wrists again.
“Where is the key you found in the doll?” The man came to stand in front of her.
She looked up at him, all innocence. “What doll?” This had to be Sergei. He looked mean.
Sergei backhanded Lucy, rocking her in the chair. “Where is the key?”
Blood trickled from Lucy’s split lip. “Where is Sheldon? What did you do to him?”
“Your boyfriend is dead.” Sergei gently turned her head back toward him and almost tenderly wiped the blood from her face. “The key. What did you do with it?”
Lucy shook her head. Sheldon is dead? She went weak. The news hit Lucy like a ton of bricks. Tears welled up in her eyes and Lucy blinked them back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The young man stepped up and said something to Sergei in Russian. Sergei frowned, said something back, then looked at her with cold eyes. “I will be back. You will tell me where the key is.” Sergei strode from the room. A chill ran up Lucy’s spine at his tone. She had no doubt, when Sergei returned her questioning would get much rougher.
When the door shut behind the men Lucy bowed her head and let the tears come. Oh, Shel…I am so sorry I got you into this. For the first time since Lucy had lost her family she had let herself open her heart. Now she’d lost the one man who had ever made her feel truly loved and cared for. It was her fault Shel was dead. Pain worse than anything Sergei and his henchmen could do to her rocked her.
Chapter Nine: All I Have To Give
All was quiet. The soft ocean breeze fluttered through the debris of the search, scattering the lighter bits. A piece of paper had stuck in the partially dried puddle of blood under Shel’s body. The late afternoon sun came through the salon and galley windows like fingers of light searching for something. A trio of seagulls moved about the deck looking for something to eat. The braver of the creatures hopped into the little salon. Cautiously it drew closer to the body, turning its head from side to side, examining this thing that might be something to eat. The other gulls followed their companion with querulous squawks. If there was food to be had, they would fight for their share.
Shel’s eyes snapped open. In a blur of movement, he snatched the closest gull, sinking his teeth into the bird’s body. In seconds, Shel had drained the bird. He shuddered. Slowly Shel pushed himself up from the floor. The other two birds stood in the middle of the room. They stared stupidly as he approached. Less than a minute later, they joined their leader and became Shel’s first meal.
He made a face. Gulls tasted awful but their blood was warm and they’d do for the moment. Shel looked around at the ransacked room. Lucy’s purse had been dumped and thrown to the floor. Shel smiled and picked it up, reaching in to tug the lining out. The key fell into his hand. He had no illusion about who had attacked them. Still weak, Shel made his way to the wheel console. He hoped Sergei’s men hadn’t thrown the satellite phone overboard.
The drawers had been emptied and the phone lay just out of reach under the console. Shel swore softly and went inside to find something to use to retrieve it. The second examination of the destroyed room made him feel ill. Shel’s searching gaze fell on the tiny galley stove. A pan sat on one of the burners with a wooden spoon resting in it. Lucy had been making spaghetti. He blinked back tears. Forcing himself back to the job at hand, Shel got the spoon. One of their attackers had turned off the burner. Shel was grateful for that. When he managed to snag it, he dropped the spoon and opened the phone, dialing the one person he knew would help.
DeLong answered on the third ring. “What?” He sounded surly. The Werewolf must have been curled up in the sun for a nap.
“I need your help.” Shel hated asking but if anyone could help him find Lucy, it was DeLong.
“Leech.” Disgust and exasperation colored DeLong’s voice. “I told you I’d get back to you when I…”
“He’s got her, DeLong. Sergei has Lucy.” Shel heard the Werewolf moving.
“Shit. When? What the hell happened?”
“Last night. About an hour after sundown.” Things went very still on the other end of the line.
“Last night. And you’re just now calling for help?”
Shel heard the accusation in the Werewolf’s question. “They shot me. I just came back.”
“Shot you. Sergei, a Helsing, had his men, also Helsings, shoot you but they didn’t kill you? They’ve been hunting you bloodsuckers for years, they’d never let you live when they had the upper hand.”
“Sergei doesn’t know I’m a Vampire. Yet. Now are you going to help me or not?” The silence stretched out and Shel knew the wolf was thinking through all possible scenarios. Finally, he heard a sigh so light human ears couldn’t have detected it.
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can find out. When will you be here?”
“I should be there in a few hours. And bring vests.”
“Right.” DeLong hung up. Shel pressed the end button and tossed the phone into the drawer by the wheel. He’d done all he could for the moment.
* * * *
By the time Shel showered and cleaned up the yacht darkness had fallen. Lucy had been with Sergei nearly twenty-four hours. Shel stepped out onto the deck. He gazed at the fast approaching line of city lights on the horizon. He analyzed his feelings. Shel remembered the night he told Lucy exactly what kind of monster he was. Lucy responded by loving him anyway. If that wasn’t true love, it was still close enough for him.
Shel thought about his life up to that point, all the betrayals, the lies, and the danger. If she was still alive, Shel would get Lucy back, he would see to it that she was safe, make sure she wanted for nothing, and he would slip out of her life forever. Then he’d track down Madeline and kill her. If that meant he had to remain a Vampire forever, then so be it. Lucy was the all that mattered now. If Lucy were dead, well then, the Helsing would see what a Vampire really could do. With cold resolve, Shel turned and went to the wheel. He sat down and disengaged the autopilot.
* * * *
DeLong stood under a dock light, hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched. A duffle bag sat on the weathered boards next to DeLong’s sandal clad feet. Shel let the boat slide into the space, bumping softly against the dock. He turned off the engine. It took seconds to tie up, and then Shel was on the dock. DeLong straightened and pushed away from the light pole as Shel approached.
“They aren’t in the city.” DeLong pulled a slip of paper from his shirt pocket. Shel winced at the ill-fitting clothes, a bright oversized Hawaiian shirt and loose tan board shorts the Werewolf