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“At this point, it doesn’t matter. Just put it in drive and floor it. I’ll keep him here.” The SUV roars to life as he slides the seat as close to the wheel as possible. “Don’t stop until you get to a police station!” I yell as he slides the gear shift and the wheels spin.
Kragen is in front of me in an instant as the SUV pulls away from the edge of the water. “Leave them alone,” I warn.
He smiles as the SUV continues to bump over the terrain, working its way toward an escape. “I will say, I’m enjoying this feisty side of you. It’s cute.”
Cute? What the hell?
“Fuck you, Kragen.”
“Oh, you will, my dear. You will.”
“You killed her,” I nod toward the body of the young girl.
“Hmm?” he turns, following my line of sight. “Oh, her. She wasn’t part of our deal.”
“You are a son of a bitch.”
Kragen shrugs, holding his arm toward me. “Shall we?”
“I’ll never marry you,” I retort.
“Then you won’t be holding up yourend of the deal.” He nods toward the path the SUV took. “Shall I stop them?”
“You wouldn’t.”
He’s in front of me in a second. “Don’t presume to know me, Elsbeth. You are nothing more to me than a monetary exchange to heighten my wealth.” Hot breath touches my face. “I will not hesitate to end your life once you are no longer needed.” Kragen wraps my arm through his, and together, we walk into the water toward his awaiting ship.
Vampires don’t need to breathe, but the sensation of being underwater brings back terrifying images of my baths while a prisoner. As we approach the vessel, I notice two large anchors embedded into the sea floor. Both show signs of wear and deterioration.
Kragen grabs my arm and leaps to the deck of the ship. “Change your dress,” he demands before turning and leaving me alone.
EIGHTEEN
stranger from the past
I stareat the closed door, not sure what just happened. What did Kragen mean by me being a monetary exchange?
Miraculously, a dress similar to the one I’m wearing is hanging on the side of the wardrobe. Water drips from every orifice of my body as I replay our conversation word for word, hoping for a clue into his insanity.
I dry off, using the towel from earlier, and change into the dry clothing. Copying my braid from earlier, I pile it on top of my head, the same way my mother would all that time ago.
Jimmy’s body, or what’s left of it, is still lying in the middle of the quarters. His eyes have glassed over, turning him into a character from a nightmare. “Bastard,” I whisper, kicking his head across the room. It hits the mahogany wall with a sickening thud, leaving a dark stain behind.
A soft vibration echoes through the wooden room. It takes a few minutes to realize that the sound is coming from Jimmy’s body. Oh, my God. A cell phone?
I search, finding the ancient flip phone in the front pocket of his jeans. “Dammit!” I stand, realizing the phone doesn’t have access to the internet, meaning I don’t have any phone numbers for the people I need to contact.
The phone vibrates again. The contact pulls up as “Britt-Britt.”
“Hello?” I answer.
I’m met with silence on the other end. “Who the hell is this?” the voice finally speaks.
“Elsbeth,” I answer. “Who is this?”
“Elsbeth, who?”
I sigh, not sure what to say. “Do you know Jimmy?”
