The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 44
“Ow.” I cupped my lower left side, anger welling up.
Dance moves be damned.
I flew at Sam, not even thinking, grabbing him by his long hair. He spun around under my arms and punched me in the stomach. Doubling over, I let go of his hair. The pain soared through me—and so did my anger. I raised my right elbow and caught the underside of his jaw. His head bounced back then forward. As he righted himself, he smiled.
Cocky. The blow didn’t faze my brother at all.
Before I could step back, he threw a punch, his fist hitting my nose, the bones inside cracking. I closed my eyes tightly as the pain bit me hard. I wiggled it back and forth. The bones snapped back into place, then the pain was gone. When I opened my eyes, Sam’s fist was inches from me. I squatted as his arm swept over my head, air whooshing past my ears. I swung my leg in a low sweep, knocking Sam to the ground. His head hit the mat, but he jumped seconds later. His movements were crisp and precise as he attacked again, throwing another punch, making contact with my right eye. I returned the gesture, only to his left eye. I wasn’t trying to follow the eye-for-an-eye cliché, but I guess the universe had a way of making it happen.
“Okay, you two. Break it up.” Olivia walked toward us. “That’s enough for today. I don’t want either of you expending all your energy. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
As though we didn’t hear her, Sam and I kept punching each other. When Olivia grabbed my arm, Sam’s fist hit her on the left side of her face. Suddenly, Olivia’s eyes blackened. She let go of my arm and pushed me out of the way.
“You don’t want to fight me, big guy. You won’t come out of this clean.”
Sam grinned and lunged at her, but Olivia disappeared behind Sam. I didn’t even see her move.
Sam whirled around. “What the hell?”
“I told you, you’re too young to fight me. There’s no point to my engaging you,” she said. “Now, class is over for today.” She looked at me. “Jo, nice job. You still have a long way to go, but it’s a good start.”
“By the way, sis, not bad,” Sam said.
“Um, thanks.”
“You okay?” Sam asked, sitting down next to me. “I want you to learn this. You need to learn this.”
“I know. You’ve been saying it all my life. Hitting another person is weird, that’s all. And it hurts.”
“Once you build up your strength, the pain won’t be as severe,” Olivia said. “Tomorrow. Same time.” She bent over to pick up her jacket.
Sam settled his gaze on Olivia again. Why was he so fixated on her? The vibe I got was a little anger and little…
I punched him on the arm.
“What?” he asked, feigning an innocent tone.
I shook my head back and forth. “You really do have a death wish,” I said in hushed whisper, hoping Olivia couldn’t hear me. “Besides, it’s gross.”
“Looking at a girl is gross? Like you looking at a boy isn’t.”
“I don’t look at boys. Either you or Dad would cut my head off.”
“Well, you’re right about that. But I’ve seen the way you look at Webb, so don’t preach to me.”
“Then maybe I should cut your head off,” I added.
He laughed as he wiped the sweat from his brow with his T-shirt.
Boys were lucky. They could get away with so much more than girls. It was okay for them to look at the opposite sex, but it wasn’t for a girl. How chauvinistic was that? Not to mention that boys could remove clothing and show bare skin without anyone batting an eye. Hell, when a girl did the same, showing her midriff, boys would stop what they were doing and ogle. It happened all the time in gym class. Some of the other girls at school would wear a sports bra and short shorts to gym class and the boys would stand around like zombies, staring at them. I sure wasn’t one of those girls. The most skin I put on display was my bony legs and arms, and only because I had to wear shorts in gym glass.
I took inventory of the room, wiping the perspiration from my face. The mirrorless wall had a dent in it courtesy of my backside and Sam’s vampire strength. Adjacent to the large indentation, a crack snaked up the sheetrock, all the way to the ceiling. The wall of mirrors on the sidewalls had come away unscathed, thank God. I didn’t want seven years of bad luck. I realized after a few pats with my fingers and a quick glance in the mirror that the skin below my nose was tight with dried blood. I was picking at it when the door to the training room opened and in walked a familiar figure.
Her brown hair hung freely around her shoulders while her navy blues glistened. What was Kate London, Webb’s sister, doing here? I hadn’t seen her in what seemed like forever. She reminded me so much of my best friend Darcy Rose, whom I hadn’t seen in weeks. Not since Webb removed me from school the day Sam went missing. I could only imagine Darcy was going crazy wondering where I was. I knew if I were in her shoes, I would be. I’d wanted to call her, but she’d have too many questions that I wasn’t prepared to answer.
As she sauntered toward us, Sam lifted his gaze and his heartbeat picked up speed. Kate had on a white buttoned-down blouse with three-quarter sleeves, belted at the waist, and a pair of blue jeans painted on her legs. Peeking out from her white blouse was a bright orange camisole. Her scent of cinnamon wafted toward us as she approached.
“What happened in here? The room looks like a cyclone hit and it stinks,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
Sam’s heartbeat was racing now, and if I wasn’t mistaken, his cheeks flushed redder the closer she got.
“They were sparring,” Olivia said, throwing her gym bag over her shoulder. “See you two tomorrow.”
I acknowledged Olivia, but Sam didn’t. His gaze was riveted on Kate. Whoa! Was my brother smitten with the beautiful Kate London?
“It’s impolite to stare like that,” I said, leaning over to whisper in his ear.
Sam’s demeanor around Kate was vastly different. Around Olivia he was more cocky and confident, but this encounter with Kate led me to believe Sam had a shy side. Or was he scared? He started gnawing the inside of his cheek.
Boy, what I would give to be in Sam’s head right now.
“Hey, Jo. Long time no see,” Kate said, standing in front of Sam and me.
“I know. My dad sent you on some assignment.” I nudged Sam. “Do you know Webb’s sister, Kate?” I asked.
He didn’t move. He didn’t speak.
“We met the night the Plutariums broke out,” Kate added. “Isn’t that right, Sam?”
He nodded.
Ah. Her phone in the hallway. That’s right. I forgot to ask Sam about it.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked.
“Sloan’s tied up. So your father wants me to escort you up to his office.”
“Now? I need to clean up.”
“He said to bring you straight away.”
I finger-combed my hair and then flipped it up, creating a messy bun of sorts. I rose and grabbed some water from the fountain and splashed it on my face, then wiped it using the hem of my T-shirt. I surveyed myself one last time. Yikes. My right eye was blackish yellow, but it seemed like the color was disappearing even as I stared back at myself. Oh well. If my father got mad, then he got mad. After all, it was the SEALs’ idea to have me learn how to fight anyway. Although, turned out I kind of liked going a few rounds with my brother. Of course, I didn’t like the pain that came with it, but I enjoyed the freedom of moving around like that, nonetheless.
“Okay. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be without a shower,” I said. “Sam, are you going back to the apartment? Oh, wait. Where’s Tripp? Isn’t he supposed to be here to escort you back?”
“He’s on his way,” Kate added. “He’ll be fine.”
How did she know? I turned to Sam and saw him frozen in place as if he were a mime artist.
“Kate, can I have a minute with my brother?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll be right outside.” She walked backwards, looking at Sam.
Once she was gone, I turned to him. “Is this about her phone?”
“No,” he snapped.
“Then what’s going on? Why are you so freaky? She said you met her that night. What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he growled low, throwing his head into his hands.
“I’ve never seen you like this. You like her?”
I wasn’t the expert on emotions. I couldn’t even decipher my own unless I was angry or sad. Still, my vampire senses were extremely sensitive and Sam gave off a nervous energy.
“No way. She just scares the shit out of me.” His voice was muffled.
“Wait. Kate scares the shit out of you, but Olivia doesn’t? I don’t get it.”
He raised his head. “I don’t know how to explain it. Kate’s emotions change around me. Her heart speeds up and her body temperature rises. She gives off a weird vibe. Olivia just gives off this outright rage and I’m-better-than-you vibe. I get that.”
I laughed.
“Don’t start, sis, unless you want to go another round.”
“Do you hear yourself? You’re the one who has the speeding heartbeat. You’re the one who gives off the nervous vibe. Besides, Kate was as calm as the water in a bathtub. Maybe there’s fire between you two.”
He jumped before I knew what was happening and tackled me. I guess he didn’t like his own words thrown back at him. He had me pinned to the mat in one of those wrestling moves. With my back digging into the floor, he gripped my neck and upper arm and locked it under his left armpit, cutting off my airway. I kicked my right leg up, then my left, rocking back and forth on my lower spine. Once I had momentum, I somersaulted backwards and Sam’s body came loose. I landed on my knees, gasping for breath.
“What the heck?”
“What’s all the commotion in here?” Kate asked, peeking her head through the door.
“Nothing. Just a brother and sister squabble,” I said, standing.
Sam rose and turned his back to me, picking up his shirt.
“You going to be okay?” I asked as I straightened my shirt and sweatpants.
He cast me a look over his shoulder. “I’ll see you upstairs. Now go before Pops sends out the troops.”
I tapped my heart twice and walked out.
The last hour had been quite bizarre. I was stunned I could even throw a punch, but wasn’t surprised I didn’t have strength to match Sam’s. I was going to have to work hard if I wanted to learn how to fight. Sam’s odd behavior around girls had me concerned and puzzled too. His actions toward Olivia were unlike him, at least the boy I knew. Then there was Kate. Sam’s whole personality instantly changed when she walked in the room. I had never seen him so timid before—ever. What was it about Kate London that made my brother shutdown? Did she like him? Sam didn’t fluster easily. The only thing my brother knew was anger, usually resulting in a fistfight with some bully or boy who came too close to me. Never had he been intimidated by anyone. Maybe girls were the answer to curing him of his anger. Maybe our old principal Mr. Jackson had it all wrong. Sam didn’t need an anger management class. It seemed he needed a female challenge.
8
I trudged through the basement of the SEAL compound. The space housed many rooms ranging from the weapons room—which was completely off limits and barricaded from everyone except those with a high security clearance—to different types of training rooms. It was nothing like the sort of basement I was accustomed to with dirt, darkness and creepy crawlies; this level reminded me of all the others within the main building. It was bright, clean and sterile. The tile floor had a sheen to it that almost blinded my sensitive eyes as I made my way through the hall to the exit.
My father wanted to see me. God only knew why. But right now, he didn’t figure in my thoughts as much as Sam’s behavior.
“Jo, slow down,” Kate said, tapping me on the shoulder.
I was so deep in thought I had forgotten she was escorting me.
I stopped. “Huh?”
“You’re in another world. You okay?” she asked.
“Sorry. I was thinking about my brother,” I said, lifting my gaze to her.
“He’ll be fine. He’s a big boy.” She looked away, as if she were hiding something.
“Do you want to tell me something?”
“Like what?” Her gaze was glued to the wall.
“Like why I found your phone in the stairwell when the Plutariums escaped? And what my brother has to do with it?” I studied her body language, searching for some sign she was hiding something.
She inclined her head to one side. The air suddenly grew thick and almost soup-like. I sensed a change in her chemistry. Her cheeks reddened. Was she embarrassed about something?
“Did Webb tell you that?” Her voice rose, echoing in the hall.
“Webb didn’t tell me a thing. What was he supposed to tell me?” I lifted my brows.
She didn’t know her brother didn’t talk to me just for the sake of it. Not Webb. That wasn’t his style.
“You can’t read minds, can you?” she asked. She fidgeted, playing with her belt.
“What would I find if I did?” I asked, irritation unfurling inside me.
I didn’t know Kate that well. She seemed to care about her brother. But at times she gave off mixed messages about her feelings toward him. One minute she ragged on him for his militaristic attitude and the next she praised him for his decision to save her life. Webb had turned vampire to save her, much like I did for Sam. Still, a disconnect sizzled between her and Webb. One I couldn’t quite figure out.
“You’re getting upset. Don’t. Sam and I had a little run-in that night. When the sirens went off, I dropped my phone on my way into the building. I didn’t realize it until later,” she explained.
“What kind of run-in?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
The stairwell door opened, and Tripp and Sloan emerged.
“Jo, there you are. Your father is waiting,” Sloan said.
“Why didn’t you escort her up?” Tripp asked, glaring at Kate. “Never mind. Webb needs you in the control room. Is Sam still in the training room?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
Kate was definitely hiding something. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she gave me a strange vibe. Whether she was going to tell me or not, I was going to get to the bottom of it.
“Let’s get you upstairs, Jo. The last thing I want is to incur your father’s wrath,” Sloan said.
I walked through the doorway with Sloan in tow. I climbed the stairs to the first floor and kept climbing, thinking of Kate and Sam. I’d made it to the third level and placed my hand on the door when Sloan grabbed my arm.
“Wait.”
“What?” I asked, turning, practically snapping my jaws at him.
“We have some unfinished business. I haven’t seen you since you almost crippled me.”
“Oh, yeah. That.” I bit my bottom lip.
“Well?” he asked.
I liked Sloan. He was a little more open with me and talkative. Unlike Webb, who hardly carried on a conversation with anyone. Or Tripp, who was affable, but getting him to talk was like trying to pull a hungry vampire off a human. Sloan had been patient with me. He didn’t deserve my crankiness. I imagined my father gave him enough discord, especially since he was my bodyguard. Babysitting the boss’s daughter had to be pain in the ass.
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m sorry I kicked you in the crotch.”
“Don’t ever do that again. I’m not your enemy. Now, get rid of the attitude before you go into see your father. I don’t know what happened between you and Kate, but you’re dripping with anger. Between you and your father, I can feel another tornado brewing.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Your father is just irritated about an incident. He snapped at me before I came down to get you. It’s just a warning. Take it or leave it.”
Argh! I hadn’t seen much of Dad in the past two days. He and the Sentinels had been even busier trying to gain more intel on the Plutariums since two of his undercover vamps spotted Jonah and Fernando at a medical supply store near the state line. I wasn’t even sure Dad had slept. I knew he wasn’t anywhere in the apartment when I awoke in the mornings. Ever since the Plutariums got out, I had a habit of opening up my senses as I woke, checking for two heartbeats, his and Sam’s.
“It’s not you. Take the worried look off your face.”
I let out a breath. A reprieve for a day. Woo-hoo! It wasn’t me.
I pulled open the door and walked through. A blast of warm air brushed my face, as I turned right, heading down the hall—a vast difference from the cold air in the basement.
The third floor of the main building was split into two sections with the enlisted barracks and the mess hall taking up one half and offices for all the Naval bigwigs comprising the other half. The only officer who didn’t have an office on the third floor was Webb. His office was on the second floor next to the war room and the command center. He said it was necessary to be close to both, just in case of an emergency.
Since my father was the big bad vampire in charge of the entire base, he had a corner office on the third floor. I had yet to step foot in it. I only knew its general location in the event I needed to find him.
I stopped outside his closed door and slid down the wall, parking my butt on the floor. I was drained from the all the physical training and really just wanted to go up to my bedroom to shower and sleep.
Voices trickled through the steel door. I concentrated to see if I could hear the conversation and gauge my father’s mood. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Sloan, but what he considered a bad mood, I might not. After all, I was learning my father was one moody vampire. Then again, I could set him off more easily than any of his soldiers. I propped my head against the wall and closed my eyes.
“Young man, you fucked up,” Dad said, the tenor of his voice rising.
“But, sir, it wasn’t…”
“No, buts. This is life or death we’re dealing with. Screw up again and I’ll put you on desk duty. Understood?”
