Thirteen years. That was way too long to expect Bones to wait for me, even if he didn’t age.
“Four, you set me and my mother up in separate residences but in one place. I am not going to be traveling like a gypsy from barrack to barrack or whatever you call them. I want a house, nothing fancy but mine, and a salary. Give my mother a home as well, just not too close to mine. Same state, different cities ought to do it. This arrangement with her will continue even if I die on the job. She gets my salary if I’m killed, understood? And you’re also going to take care of those girls who were rescued last night. Get them the best counseling money can buy, and make sure they’re set up with a good job and a place to stay also. They were chosen because they don’t have that. You’re going to give it to them.”
Don gave the faintest smile. “We would have done that anyway. You’ll find if you cooperate, we can have a mutually beneficial association for everyone involved.”
“I doubt it,” I said wearily. “But it’s a deal nonetheless. Last but absolutely not least, I refuse to go after vampires who aren’t killing people. This may sound like an oxymoron to you, but in my experience, I’ve met vampires who drank only enough to live and didn’t kill unnecessarily. They can feed off someone without their knowledge afterwards. I’ll kill killers, not sippers. Find someone else to hunt those for you, and good luck.”
Tate Bradley stirred, moaning softly and sitting up while pressing a hand to his bleeding head. Guess I’d cracked his skull a bit. He stood, but swayed and gave me a very unpleasant look.
“You hit me again and I’ll—”
“What? Bleed more? Thanks, but I only drink gin and tonic. That’s one vampire attribute I’m without. No fangs, see?”
With a wide smile I bared my teeth at him and returned his nasty stare. If he hated me now, wait until I started to train him. Then he’d know hatred.
Don coughed. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find enough unsavory types to keep you sufficiently busy so we won’t have to hunt the ones you feel are harmless.” The edge to his words told me he thought nothing undead was harmless. But the potential for harm wasn’t limited to vampires. I knew that from experience now. “Then we are finished. I’ll arrange to have you and your mother transported out of here immediately. Tate will accompany you to the airport, and you two should get to know one another. Tate, meet your new team leader, Catherine.”
“My name is Cat.”
It flew out of my mouth. Everything in my life was about to change, but some things I was keeping.
Bradley held open the door and Don once again wheeled out. Bradley paused for a moment and shook his head at me.
“Can’t say it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but I’ll see you soon. Try to let me stay conscious next time.”
My brow arched at him, shades of the vampire I loved. “We’ll see.”
TWENTY-SIX
TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT WAS DUE, DON WAS as good as his word in setting up my transportation. Within an hour, I was dressed and waiting in my mother’s room, sans handcuffs. I’d finally showered to wash off all of the blood, and while in there, I allowed myself to cry, since it mixed with the water and felt camouflaged. Yet looking down at my mother now, my eyes were dry as sand.
“Well?”
I’d just finished speaking to her about the offer and my subsequent acceptance of it. Some of the repugnance had left her face while I talked and at last she took my hand.
“You’re doing the right thing. The only thing to save yourself from a future of evil.”
Bitterness wafted from me and a small, selfish part of me hated her. If not for her, I could just disappear with Bones and live the rest of my life with the man I loved. Yet it was no more her fault for her unyielding hatred of vampires than it was my fault for being born. In this case, we were even.
“I don’t think it’s saving me from a future of evil, but I’m doing it anyway.”