22. Confrontation
Chapter 22
Confrontation
Honeymoon Suite—A short while later
C erissa blinked, a little shocked, as Henry disconnected the call. Tig had just briefed them on the full picture, the information she’d previously withheld. Now they knew about the break-in at the station, the fact someone stole Jonathan’s journal, how the thief accessed the criminal file, and the silver stakes Evelina and Mikhail both received. It was becoming increasingly apparent everything connected to Jonathan.
“Well, that’s…” Cerissa began.
“Interesting news,” Henry finished, shaking his head.
Cerissa bit her lip, trying to get her mind wrapped around all she’d just heard. “Could our current situation link to Jonathan, too?”
“The live-feeding vampire? The same thought occurred to me, but no. She’s intentionally avoiding us. We are hunting her—not the reverse. No, I think she’s just a poor coincidence.”
Cerissa nodded. Henry’s educated guess was probably true. There wasn’t anything to suggest a connection. “I better tell Ari before we leave.”
She made a quick call and got his help hacking the ship’s cameras. The last thing she wanted was human security guards rushing to the cargo hold when they confronted the vampire, especially if things went sideways and they had to subdue the woman.
After Antonio and Rolf joined them in the hallway outside their suite, Rolf excused himself to check on Karen.
Through the walls, Cerissa heard loud voices.
“You can’t treat me like a caged pet,” Karen yelled. “You’ve taken me along before into greater danger. What’s changed now?”
“In the past, you were armed with silver bullets. We couldn’t bring guns on board the ship, so you’re defenseless.”
“I have other ways of protecting myself.”
“ Liebling , a silver mesh shawl will not stop a determined vampire. Besides, I’m your mate. When I decide something, the discussion is over.”
Cerissa rolled her eyes. Rolf was in trouble now—that attitude wouldn’t wash with Karen any more than it would with her.
Henry stared at the hallway ceiling, acting like he wasn’t hearing anything. Even Antonio looked uncomfortable.
We don’t have time for this.
Cerissa urged Henry toward the door of the Grand Suite. “Henry, we need to go.”
“Perhaps we…wait.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
He bowed his head, gave it a shake, and then knocked on the suite’s door.
Rolf stuck his head out. “What?”
“We are quickly losing the night and should leave now.”
Rolf narrowed his eyes a moment, as if weighing things. He glanced at Cerissa, then at his watch. “ Bah . Fine, she can come along. We don’t have time to argue.”
Karen pushed past Rolf to join Cerissa in the hallway. “Let’s go.”
Cerissa had a better solution to protect Karen—she removed the cylinder of aerosolized garlic from her small purse, palming and handing it to her bestie. “You remember how to use the spray?”
“Easier than a gun.”
Rolf was already at the elevator door. “Are we going to do this, or are you two hens going to keep clucking?”
“No need to be nasty, Rolf.” Cerissa stepped into the elevator, and Karen followed on her heels.
Antonio took them to the fourth floor. “Guest elevators don’t go to the first deck. We’ll have to go through here.” The doctor led the way into crew-only territory and stopped at a stairway marked with arrows leading to the lower floors. “Or we could take the cargo elevators.”
Henry took over the lead. “The stairs are fine.”
“I’ve told security I’m leading a tour in case they see us on camera.”
When they reached the first floor, Cerissa turned around, momentarily disoriented. The corridor looked so different through human eyes. “Which way is the storage area?”
“The stern. Follow me.” Antonio waved at a security camera as they passed. “How did you find her?”
“I can’t explain it without giving away some of my specialized training. You would have to become an envoy to understand.”
Antonio’s lips twisted into a grimace, but he didn’t challenge her assertion.
As they got closer to the cargo hold, Cerissa stopped and surveyed the cavernous space. “We’re headed in the right direction.” They passed through a utilitarian hallway painted white and gray—not the colorful and ornate décor of the passenger areas. When they came to a corridor that split off, she detected the scent of the vampire. “This way.”
Henry and Rolf must have detected it, too, as they both sniffed at the air like predators scenting their prey. Despite Rolf’s acting insulted earlier, he clearly knew vampires smelled differently.
Cerissa continued to lead the group. Finally, the scent overwhelmed the area. “This corridor turns and opens into the hold. She’s in the sixth cargo container from the door.”
“Mortals behind us,” Rolf whispered. “Henry and I will take point. Cerissa will bring up the rear, as she has tactical training. Hand signals only—no talking. If you need my attention, tap the person in front of you, and they will do the same.” He then demonstrated the primary hand signs for stop, danger, look, move forward, and move left or right.
She wasn’t inclined to argue with his plan. Having served on Tig’s police force for years, Rolf moved into command mode seamlessly, and no one argued with his leadership when he did. In formation, they advanced. She scanned the rear, then faced ahead to check each side of Karen and pivoted to walk backward, repeating the cycle.
So she missed the action when the woman, who’d been waxing another surfboard, swung around and belted Henry, but the meaty thud grabbed Cerissa’s attention, and she turned in time to see the woman kick at Rolf, who blocked the move, but her next strike landed along his temple, and he went down.
Cerissa stayed out of the fray, not sure how to help. Henry jumped back in, caught the vampire’s neck in the crook of his elbow, and took her to the ground. “We only want to talk,” he yelled.
“Like I believe that.” She twisted to get a leg free and kneed him between the legs.
He doubled over and released her.
Rolf bounced to his feet and whooshed in, putting her in an armlock, trying to handcuff her one-handed, but she flipped him to the side, and he went flying again.
Cerissa hadn’t missed the problem—both men seemed unwilling to hurt the woman. They should use more aggressive force. The young vampire hadn’t balked at fighting dirty. But then, she acted like she was fighting for her life.
Maybe she thought she was.
The woman leapt to her feet and advanced on Cerissa, who now stood in front of Karen and Antonio, arms spread and weaponless. She’d do anything to protect Karen, but she hesitated to reveal her true nature in front of the doctor or the hostile vampire. The blonde grabbed for Cerissa, revealing her fangs, readying to bite.
“Karen, the spray!”
The liquid garlic shot past Cerissa’s shoulder to hit the woman’s eyes.
She screamed, blasting Cerissa’s eardrums with her shriek, before dropping to her knees.
Thank the Goddess for all of Karen’s target practice with a handgun. She was scarily accurate with the aerosol canister.
Henry and Rolf recovered enough to pounce on the wailing woman, and, grabbing her from behind, they slapped on the leather-lined silver handcuffs.
“It burns,” she shrieked. “You fucking assholes. It burns!”
“What was that?” Henry demanded. He held out his hand. The telltale rash was forming where he’d brushed against some of the liquid. “Why does it smell like garlic?”
“Um, because it is,” Cerissa said. “You’ve seen the container before. The spray won’t stay airborne too long. I designed it to settle quickly.”
Which was why Henry and Rolf weren’t overcome by the noxious substance, too. There was no aerosolized garlic lingering in the air. From her purse, Cerissa handed Henry a jar of vampire blood salve for his hand.
The female vampire continued to wail and curse them.
Antonio stepped forward with a blade. “Clean vampire blood will cure it.”
Henry glared at the writhing vampire, holding his legs spread, as if still in pain from the blow he’d received. “I am not feeling kindly disposed to her at the moment.” Then he motioned at his hand, calling attention to the rash again. “And as you can see, I was exposed.”
Antonio was right. Cerissa gestured to Rolf. “We need uncontaminated vampire blood to stop the allergic reaction. I don’t want to put the salve in her eyes—the waxy substance coating the beads isn’t cleared for ophthalmic use.”
“I’ll do it,” Rolf replied, “just to shut her up.”
Cerissa bit her lower lip. Maybe she should change the weapon’s formula and reduce the garlic concentration. The aerosol was more than just incapacitating. When the eyes were targeted, the spray left the recipient in agony, if she judged by the vampire’s screams.
Rolf held out his wrist for Antonio’s knife, then let the blood drip into the vampire’s eyes. “Hold still. I can’t help if you keep writhing like that.”
“Goddamn you bastards, my eyes are burning out of my head. I’m blind.”
Cerissa grabbed the woman’s head, clamped it in place with her knees, and pried open her eyes, which were almost swollen shut, bright red, like a human with a terrible case of pinkeye. A red rash had spread across the vampire’s face where the liquid splashed. With Cerissa holding the lids back, the healing blood finally reached the woman’s eyes. Cerissa used her fingertips to smear Rolf’s blood over the allergic reaction, and the bumps faded. The pain must have ebbed, because the vampire held still and let Cerissa work.
“She should be all right now,” Antonio said.
Cerissa released the woman and stepped away fast before she could snap with her fangs.
Rolf withdrew his arm and pressed the wound to his lips to stop the flow of blood.
Henry gripped the female vampire and hauled her to her feet.
Removing his wrist from his mouth, Rolf demanded, “Who are you?”
She bared her fangs and hissed. “Go to hell.”
Rolf laughed. “In due course, but if you don’t want to precede me there, you’ll start talking.”
“Fuck you.” She spat at him.
Rolf raised his hand as if to slap her. Karen, who’d moved closer, grabbed his arm. “Not so fast, mister. You won’t treat her that way. She’s in restraints and can’t fight back.”
“Karen, if you don’t—”
“Don’t even think it. How would the town council feel if you hit a restrained vampire? We don’t know who she is or what her status is in another community. You may want to tread lightly until you know more. We only came here to talk to her, remember?”
“Well, how do you suggest we get her to talk?” Rolf asked.
Karen turned to the vampire. “Please tell us who you are and which community you belong to.”
“Fuck you.”
Karen huffed. “No thanks. But if you don’t answer our questions, you’ll stay in those restraints for the rest of the trip until we turn you over to the Oahu nest.”
“That’s fine with me.” The woman jerked her head, flipping her long hair disdainfully, and looked away from them. “They’re expecting me—and they’ll be pissed you attacked me.”
Henry stepped closer. “We did not attack you. You attacked us.”
“You were sneaking up on me, dude. What should I do? Wait for you to kill me? I’m not a complete dork, unlike you.”
Cerissa rubbed her chin. Should she play good cop? All the bad cops weren’t getting the job done. “She has a point, Henry. We invaded her territory.”
“Totally,” the woman replied. “I’m just hanging out, waxing my board, and you people come hunting for me. That’s a real downer.”
Henry spun on his heels, facing Cerissa, and threw his hands in the air. “You are the one who wanted to stop her. And now you think we invaded her territory?”
Before she could reply, Karen stepped closer to the bound vampire. “Let’s start over. I’m Karen Turner. This is my mate, Mayor Rolf Müller. That’s Dr. Cerissa Patel-Vasquez and her husband Henry. They’re on their honeymoon. We’re all from Sierra Escondida. And this is the ship’s doctor, Dr. Antonio Martinez. He’s the mate of Victoria Rutherford, who is head of the San Francisco Lodge.”
Antonio gave a wave. “I’m her husband.”
“And we got dragged into this because you were live feeding,” Cerissa said, continuing the story’s thread. “The doctor accused Henry and Rolf of being responsible. They weren’t, but we were worried your actions would call attention to us, and we just wanted to offer you an alternative to live feeding. Your last victim required medical intervention.”
“Yeah, I felt bad about that. I usually feed twice each night, but with you guys breathing down my neck, I had to make do with one.”
Cerissa groaned. That explained why she’d overfed. “So now you know who we are and why we came looking for you. Who are you?”
“You’re from Sierra Escondida? Small world.” She paused. “I’m Jill Hendrix.”
“And what community are you with, Ms. Hendrix?” Henry asked.
“I’m not.” Jill gave a shake of her head, swishing her long blond hair over her shoulders. “Too confining. I was meant to be free.”
Cerissa tilted her head, thinking. Some unaffiliated vampires still roamed freely, unwilling to settle in one place. In the past, the treaty communities tolerated them as long as they didn’t cause problems with mortals—but the time for the unaffiliated to join was rapidly running out.
“Why is it a small world, then?” Rolf asked. “How do you know our community?”
“I know Matt Blaine.”
“Father Matt has met you?” Henry’s voice rose with disbelief.
“Sure. Call him. He can tell you who I am.”
Henry took out his phone and tapped a contact, and Cerissa watched over his shoulder as the vidcon app rang, attempting to connect.
The tone stopped suddenly, and Father Matt appeared on the screen. “Good evening, Henry. I hope everything is all right on your honeymoon.”
“We are well. But a minor situation has developed. A female vampire on the ship has been feeding on passengers. She is apparently a stowaway. And she claims to know you—could you confirm her identity?”
“I can try. What’s her name, Henry?”
“Jill Hendrix.”
“Aha. May I see her?”
Henry pivoted the screen toward the woman.
“Hello, Matt.”
“Jill.”
“Can you tell these freaks who I am?”
Henry flipped the screen back toward himself, and Cerissa could see Father Matt again.
Father Matt stroked his closely cropped beard. “Yes, that’s Jill.”
Cerissa tapped Henry’s arm, then reached for the phone to aim the camera at herself. “How do you know her?”
“Well, that’s complicated. Henry, you recall I met you at the Buddhist monastery?”
“You were a foundling, and the monastery members took you in and got you through the worst of the new vampire bloodlust. They contacted me and suggested you might be a good fit for Sierra Escondida. After we were introduced, I invited you to join the Hill.”
“That’s correct, up to a point.” Father Matt paused, as if considering something. “I wasn’t just abandoned at the monastery. I knew who my maker was.”
Cerissa’s lungs froze. The answer spookily floated through her mind before she formed the question, foreboding holding her firmly in place. “Matt, who is your maker?”
“Jill Hendrix.”