“No. Not really.” Troy was the one to answer. “Lillian watched over the child. She knew that the mother wasn’t up to snuff, so to speak. The child was known to roam those infested streets at night alone. The night that the two drug-induced rapists found their demise, Lillian had discovered the child out on the front stoop in front of their apartment building. She was alone and freezing there.”
“So heroine Lilly went inside, and killed old David and Jerry.” J
ack laughed out sarcastically.
“They were r
aping Kylie’s mother! She said they had done something to that affect before. They had raped and killed another woman.” Josh defended hotly.
“And how did she know that?” Jack spat out. Josh clamped his mouth shut. Troy frowned in furious registration.
“You read her journal, surely she made mention of what she can do?” he growled out. The detective appeared thoughtful for a moment. “She read it of their minds that night. She has the ability to look into a person’s mind, to read of their evil deeds.” Troy filled in on a dry angered note.
“And the boy, Bobby Williams?” Jack asked next.
“The so-called boy had just murdered an innocent kid, had in fact, been about to take the life of another.” Josh all but shouted.
“I see, so you believe she is a saint, a vigilante?” Jack grinned sarcastically. He shook his head in disgust, and fell back to sit on his sofa.
“If you truly believe she is all that bad then why do you plan to go in there after her?” Josh accused furiously, and Jack shrugged his big shoulders.
“I’ve seen it through this far.” he said, but Troy didn’t buy it.
“You love her.” he said knowingly, and Jack’s amber gaze lifted to meet his. He looked angry, damned angry, but he wasn’t totally unreadable.
“Until tonight
I believed so.” he confessed.
“And this erases it all
?” Josh growled loudly, and he began to pace the room in long, furious strides.
“The sun is rising.” Troy noticed, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. All three men turned to watch the first, bright rays as they streamed through Jack’s living room window. Josh sucked in his breath, and Troy thought he heard Jack wince. “They will have her some place dark. She has dealt with this Ewan before. He is obsessed with her. He won’t kill her.”
Troy said, but the underlying worry and concern were evident in his voice. Please be all right, Lillian, he closed his eyes to offer up a quick, heartfelt prayer.
“No. He longs to kill me in front of her.” Jack acknowledged. Troy’s eyes swept back to the man.
“How do you know that?” Josh inquired, stopping his pacing to listen.
“Because he believes that he has done so once before. The man who came here tonight called me
Jackson.” Jack met Troy’s gaze who gave a knowing nod. “Does that name sound familiar to you?”
“Yes.” Troy admitted. “And I must tell you that Lillian believes the same thing.”
“And that’s why she came to me. Why she…” Jack stopped, lowering his forehead into his hand as if to regain himself.
“It was a surprise to her.” Josh said from across the room. “Seeing you, knowing that she has known you once before. She never ex
pected to see you again after.”
“After Ewan tossed
Jackson into the ocean?” Jack spoke up to clarify.
Josh nodded.
“And you believe it too, that I am this Sloan Jackson?” Jack scoffed in disbelief. Troy nodded firmly.
“I do.” Josh replied, straight-faced. Jack laughed out.
“Then you are more insane than she is.” he accused.
“She was there, Jack. She saw Jackson first hand. She knew him. She loved him. Do you think that she would not be able to recognize him in you now?” Troy put to the man. Jack sobered somewhat. He still had that sarcastic smirk on his face when he shook whatever thoughts he had been thinking from his brain, and fell back onto his sofa with a loud, frustrated exhale.
“She wouldn’t want you to go tonight.” Josh said lowly.
“Right now I don’t give a shit what that woman wants!” Jack retaliated strongly.
“Then you’re going?” It was Troy who asked.
“What other choice do I have?”
“You could allow us to go in your stead. You have no idea what you are dealing with here. We do.” Josh said enthusiastically.
“Then I advice you to fill me in because they instructed me to come alone, and that’s exactly what I mean to do. No matter who she is, what she has done, I won’t leave her there to them.” Jack vowed, and
Troy couldn’t help the hope that leapt into his heart at the detective’s strong declaration. Perhaps, there was some hope yet? The detective didn’t have to know that Troy and Josh would be following him when he left out tonight. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, and perhaps, just perhaps there was a chance that together they could defeat these monsters once and for all.
Chapter thirty-five
A scream of denial erupted from Lillian when she awoke to the solid blackness around her. How had she come to be here? She had been like this once before, she recalled, locked away inside of a coffin where no escape was possible. Well she wasn’t the weakling that she used to be, she coaxed herself! Ewan Derringer had another thing coming if he thought she would put up no fight. No! She knew a thing or two now. She was ready for a fight. They had come upon her with the art of surprise on their side last night. Now, it was she who would possess that art.
Her nails digging frantically at the lining of the top of the coffin, she tore it away, and slammed a hard fist into what seemed to be unyielding steel. Screaming out in frustration, she tried again and again, not even making a dent! Damn! She screamed again, this time in fury. She would have to wait until the lid was lifted, she realized. She would save her strength, she was thinking when she heard something working the outside latches of the coffin. So soon?
“Lilly?” Jack’s urgent voice came to her. No!
“No! Jack get away from here! Go! Run now!” she screamed through the lid, hoping that he would hear her muffled screams, and do as she had instructed. “Jack?” she called after a moment of silence, and then she heard the latches working again.
“Roll to your left, Lilly. I’m going to have to shoot the lock off!” Jack’s muffled voice came to her inside the coffin.
“No!” she screamed. “Just leave! Please, Jack! Just leave! Run!” She cried out desperately, but then a loud gun shot rang out, and the coffin lid was being li
fted away. Moonlight poured in, and then she saw Jack’s handsome face above her. It was the sweetest thing she had ever seen in her life, she thought in settling alarm.
“Shut up.” he growled out, and he reached in to help her out. Lillian allowed him to lift her from the coffin
and set her on her feet. “Lilly, you have a lot of explaining to do.” he exhaled, and she stared at his eyes. She could read of him that he knew. He knew, and he was furious with her. He doubted her, her feelings for him, and she hated it.
“I will, Jack. I promise you.” she returned. “But first, we need to get out of this place.” she was saying when she heard the applause coming from just before them. “Get behind me!” she screamed, and she pressed his body behind hers.
“Like hell.” Jack muttered in complaint, and he stepped to her side.
“Jack Stone, don’t you do this to me again!” She hissed, and he threw her a wink before pulling the Nine from his shoulder holster, taking aim, and shooting Gerald, the dark haired vampire that Lillian recalled quite vividly from the past. Gerald went down hard, hitting the cement floor, and clutching his right knee that had been shattered on impact.
Ewan, who had been leading the pack, stopped, and stared with shocked green eyes.
“Who’s next?” Jack inquired of the room.
“You son of a bitch!” Gerald wailed up at him, and Jack grinned.
“Can’t blame a guy for evening the score. Hello, Ewan. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” Jack stepped in front of her now, and Lillian grabbed his shoulder, and pulled her way back to his side.
The white haired vampire, Martin was pacing madly back and forth before them like a caged lion waiting on his master’s permission to rip them to shreds. Ewan waved the vampire back. His bright green eyes met Lillian’s for the briefest of seconds, and then he turned his attention back to Jack. No, Lillian thought in alarm. I won’t let this happen again!
“You won’t find me as easy to conquer this time around, Ewan.” She called to get his attention away from Jack.
“Who said that I wanted to conquer you, Lillian?” Ewan spoke to her at last.
“Possess is more like it.” Jack muttered, and he took aim at Martin who was steadily advancing them. Ewan again waved the vampire back as Gerald continued to howl in pain from the floor.
“Be quiet, Jack. You don’t know what they’re capable of.” Lillian warned.
“You’re wrong. I do know. Your buddies Troy and Josh filled me in. I also read your journal.” Jack returned coolly. Lillian sent him a scowl for that one, and he grinned and shrugged his big shoulders.
“And you came anyway?” she cocked a blonde brow curiously. She could read the conflict within him. He wanted to hate her. He wanted to walk away from her forever, but he hadn’t been able to do so. Ewan clearing his throat to get their attention did the trick. She looked to the darkly, handsome vampire, and instantly recalled every ounce of grief and misery he had so callously bestowed upon her.
“Did you get my letter, Ewan?” she asked as if asking over the weather, and his green gaze narrowed on her.
“I did.” he returned
, smiling tightly.
“And it pissed the hell out of him too.” Jack added his two cents. Lillian looked to Gerald struggling with his busted knee on the floor. She watched as Martin lifted his friend up, allowing the injured vampire to lean on him for support. They wanted her blood, she realized. She could read it of their raging thoughts. The only thing that stopped them from attacking her now was Ewan.
“But it seems your plans didn’t quite turn out the way that you had hoped.” Ewan stepped in closer, and Jack aimed his gun at the vampire’s chest. Ewan smiled and paused. He glanced from the gun to Lillian. “So tell me, Lillian? What have you learned in all of these years that will help you to kick my ass now?” he laughed out.
“Be a man and face me alone and I’ll show you.” she taunted, and the smile slid from his face.
“A man? Why would I reduce myself to such a lowly creature when I can be a god?” the grin was firmly back into place.
“Then face me like a God, but face me alone. Or are you afraid of me now, Ewan, afraid I might win?” She hoped that her taunting would injure his pride.
Ewan laughed out loud and hard.
“What are you doing?” Jack muttered in worried complaint, but she ignored him, and stepped forward.
“Just you and I, Ewan.” she repeated.
“The devil facing off against an angel? It hardly seems fair.” Ewan taunted, raising a dark brow. “We’ve faced off once before if you will recall? As I recall that night ended in deep satisfaction for me, but you, dear, sweet child, you left in tears. Now, didn‘t you?” he reminded, and the evil, lustful thoughts of what he had done to her on that fateful night rushed his brain like an orgasm. He had enjoyed it, had enjoyed hurting her.
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!” Jack snarled, and he took aim, and shot at Ewan’s head. The vampire simply stepped out of the path of the bullet, and brushed imaginary dust from his shoulder as if Jack‘s shooting at him was as insignificant as a mosquito that had come to bite him.
“Is that all you got, Detective?” Ewan challenged, and Martin and Gerald laughed in amusement.
“There’s more where that came from.” Jack growled in a rage, and he tried to go after Ewan, but Lillian hauled him backward rather he wanted to go or not. His amber gaze came to her questionably, as if asking, how the hell did you do that?
“
Work with me, Jack. I’ll create a diversion. When I do, run!” She sent the order to his mind, hoping like hell that he would heed her advice, that he would do it, run and not look back. Only then would they stand a chance. His amber gaze came to her then in wonder that he had actually heard her voice in his head, but then he shook his dark blonde head in denial.
“Like hell.” He muttered aloud.
“It’s the only way.” Lillian hissed.
“They’ll kill you!”
“I’m already dead! What does it matter?” she argued fitfully, and then leading with him in his own mind. “Leave! Save yourself!”
“Not on your life, Lady.” Jack returned stubbornly, and Lillian scowled over at him.