Chapter 227
Loren shook Katelina awake the next evening. "Good morning!"
She resisted the urge to belt him for his cheer and climbed blindly to her feet. All her muscles ached. Her stomach grumbled and her left wrist throbbed. The darkness and dirt stretched around her and somewhere nearby, invisible in blackness, lay a corpse. There was nothing good about it.
"So we have her?" Torina drawled, apparently healed and awake. "Wonderful."
There was a crunching noise followed by a sick slurping sound. Katelina reached fearfully for the cellphone in her pocket. "What's that?"
Micah's laughter floated to her. "Breakfast. You want some?"
A rat squealed, followed by a crunch and then more slurping. Katelina wasn't hungry anymore.
The vampires finished their meal and Loren led her up the stairs. They left the anonymous woman's body behind and Katelina wondered if someone would find it, and if so, when. It seemed wrong to abandon her there. Her family would wonder what had happened to her. They weren't going to look miles away in an abandoned building.
After the basement, the street lights seemed like the sun and the heavy air felt fresh as spring. Katelina took deep lung fulls of it and savored the way it burned her throat.
Micah glanced back at her. "You better leave that fucking phone here. They can trace that shit."
She clutched it tightly and started to argue, but he was right. Reluctantly, she tossed it to the sidewalk.
Micah smashed it with the heel of his boot, then kicked the pieces aside. With a satisfied nod, he led them to the car. Torina gave a chirp of approval and all but shoved Katelina into the backseat with Alex and Loren.
"These cars aren't made for passengers," Loren complained as he squirmed to find a comfortable position in the middle.
"No, they certainly aren't." Torina offered Micah a suggestive smile, then settled smugly into the front seat.
Katelina dug the crushed bag of chips out of her pocket. Loren didn't care but the other three made nasty comments. She ignored them.
Torina and her cleavage controlled the radio and the passengers. Katelina was almost physically ill each time one of the guys used their best kiss-ass voice to address the redhead. It was as if they thought she'd bestow some delightful favor on them if they groveled enough. She was glad that Jorick wasn't as pathetic and transparent as they were.
Jorick. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. Had Senya killed him? Had she captured him? Was he at the Citadel? The ideas made her chest tight and she pushed them away, only to have them return.
They stopped at a truck stop. Despite her horrible appearance, Katelina used the last of the stolen money to buy food and drinks. The employees stared, but Torina sashayed indoors, a shiny credit card her hand, and all eyes turned to her. While she paid for the gas, Katelina hurried to the car.
"Where in the hell did she get a credit card?" she demanded as she shoved her way into the backseat.
"She had it on her," Loren answered and shrugged. "She said she keeps it for emergencies."
"Then why didn't we use that last night?"
Micah half turned in the seat to look at her. "I didn't know she had one, did you? No? Then that's why."
Micah turned back around and Katelina realized she had no argument.
***
It was early morning when they parked in the driveway of an unfamiliar house; Oren's new den. As usual they were out in the country. The house was sided in white vinyl and had a gray shingled roof. The second story addition looked out of place on top of what had originally been a ranch house. Only two of the downstairs windows glowed with cheerful yellow light, the others were black and uninviting. The yard was dotted with patches of snow and dead grass like a warped checkerboard. Tall, twisted trees disappeared into the night around them, the last of the pawns.
A row of cars was parked nearby, including Micah's bright sports car and Fabian's ugly, dented van. Alex gave a squeal of delight and hurried to a rusty hatchback. "Yaul's here already. Asshole!"
The group trudged across the yard to the long porch. Loren followed Torina like a puppy, and Katelina was sure that she swayed her hips to reward him for his faithfulness. It made her sick.
The door opened and Oren stared out at them. His tawny hair was tamed into its usual ponytail, and his clothes were clean. He'd obviously been there awhile.
"You took long enough," he said with no real emotion and stepped aside so they could enter.
"So how did it go-" Micah's question was cut off by Katelina.
"Where's Jorick?"
Oren didn't need to answer. Behind him stood the vampire in question, relief shining in his dark eyes. She gave a squeal of delight and flung herself into his surprised arms.
"I was so worried about you! Are you all right?"
Jorick gave her a tight hug. "I'm fine, little one. And you?"
Oren cleared his throat noisily. "We were just on our way to the basement to discuss business. There will be time for your- displays later."
Katelina glared at him, but Jorick nodded. His eyes swept over her, as if to assure himself that she was unharmed. "Why don't you take a bath and relax. I'll be back shortly."
"Relax?" she echoed incredulously.
Micah snickered. "It's his way of sayin' you smell like a bag lady."
Jorick's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No, it isn't. I just don't see the need to drag you along when I know how much you value your cleanliness."
Micah crossed his arms over his chest. "Told ya."
"Oh shut up." Katelina couldn't deny that a bath would be wonderful. "Where's the bag?"
"It's upstairs in the bedroom next to the bathroom. It has an American Western motif."
"So does the rest of the house," Micah commented dryly. "So you took Loren's room? Did ya think about asking him?"
The teen held up his hands. "It's okay, I don't mind. They probably won't stay more than a night."
"No," Jorick agreed. "We won't."
"The room at the end of the hall is also occupied," Oren added. "Fabian brought back a prisoner."
With a smile, Katelina imagined Senya bound and gagged.
Jorick brushed a kiss over Katelina's cheek and released her. "I'll see you in a little bit." His eyes snapped to Micah, a warning in them, and then he followed Oren through the doorway.
"Come on," Loren said cheerfully. "I'll show you where the room is. We can peek in on the prisoner first."
"All right."
They stopped in the bedroom to fetch the suitcase, then Loren led Katelina down the hallway like a child with a prize. They reached the door and Micah opened it with far too much fanfare. She took a cautious step into the small, dark room. In the gloom, she could see a handful of furniture, a medium sized wooden box and something lumpy slouched in the corner.
Micah switched on the light. The mound in the corner wasn't Senya, but Zuri, the Executioner who'd visited with Beldren at Christmas. He was covered by a heavy blanket and his head lolled to one side. His eyes were closed and his skin was whithery.
Micah's disappointment sounded genuine, "Ah, I was hoping for the bitch."
"Me, too." Katelina poked the box with a toe. "What's in there?"
"How the hell should I know?" Micah dropped down to open it, while Loren cautiously tugged aside the blanket covering Zuri.
Katelina choked back a cry. Where Zuri's arms belonged were bloody stumps. Clotted gore ran down his torso and onto his pants. Strings of sinew and muscle hung in wet clumps.
"Oh my god! What did you guys do? Where are his arms?"
Loren stepped back. "We didn't do anything. I guess someone did that after we left. Maybe Saeed."
Micah stood and dropped the lid on the box. "They got his arms packed in here. Guess they're saving them to bargain with."
She stepped back. Memories stabbed at her; Zuri and Beldren interrogating Jorick about Oren's letter. Zuri tackling Jorick to the floor in the motel. Zuri standing in Kale's doorway, warning them about the murders. He was an Executioner, but-
"That's sick! Give him back his arms!"
Micah frowned. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're defending one of those piece of shit Executioners? Are you out of your fucking mind?"
She covered her eyes. "No. There's just been too much. How many more people have to suffer?"
Micah stared at her as if he'd never seen her before. "Damn Lunch, you really are cracking up!" He flipped the blanket back over the injured Executioner. "It ain't up to us, anyway. You heard Oren, this is Fabian's fucking prisoner."
"It's one thing to keep a prisoner; it's another to mutilate them." Her gaze swung to Loren and the teen looked away guiltily.
She spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, lugging the gym bag.
Micah called after her, "Ah, come on! Toughen up a little, huh? No one's gonna believe you're a vampire slayer if you can't take a little mutilation." Before she slammed the bathroom door she heard him say to Loren, "Go find that prick Fabian and see if he wants us to put this asshole's arms back or what."
She leaned against the mauve wall for a moment and let her eyes wander to the mirror. The reflection shocked her. Micah was right, she probably did smell like a bag lady. She certainly looked like one!
The first thing she did was take a handful of pain pills, then she took a clumsy, one handed bath and dressed in clothes from the bag. They might be dirty, but they were cleaner than what she'd had on. With that bit of comfort, she finger combed her hair and, when she was as presentable as she was going to be, she decided to go find Jorick.
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