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  I nodded and squeezed him tighter. “I think so.”

  “Good.” Ben shifted his attention back to the front seat. “Dad, how’s it looking up ahead?”

  “We’ve got problems, son.”

  I turned my gaze out through the front windshield and saw the flashing of blue and red lights far off down the straight section of road we were currently racing down. It was a road block. They were still a few miles off in the distance, but at the speed we were going, we’d be on them in seconds. With our way blocked ahead, and the cars following close behind, we were trapped between them with nowhere to go.

  Chapter8

  “We can’t afford to get stopped by that roadblock and there’s no way around it,” said Ben. “Quickly, turn the lights off and pull into the trees.”

  Without hesitation, George flipped the car’s headlights off and swerved into a gap in the trees. The car lurched back and forth, bouncing over ruts and bumps that it wasn’t made to drive over, but by some miracle, he was able to keep it from crashing into any of the sturdy looking palm trees that would conceal them from the helicopter above.

  I risked a look out the back window and saw that the lights of the chase cars had dropped significantly behind us. They were still moving through the trees, but they couldn’t navigate through the densely packed foliage and tree trunks nearly as well as George was.

  “It’s his vampire sight,” said Ben, anticipating my confusion. “With the fast reflexes and near perfect night vision, we can see through this like it was full daylight, and dad can maneuver through the gaps in the trees like they were twenty feet apart instead of six or seven. There’s no way they can follow us through here, as long as we don’t wind up in a ravine or hit a patch of swamp.”

  “Not while I’m driving,” said George through gritted teeth. “I feel like I’m sixteen again. My dad used to get mad at me for taking the family car off road when I first got my license, but damn it if all that screwing around isn’t paying off now.”

  Ben laughed at his father. “You know dad, sometimes I really forget which one of us is the adult around here. Hell, you look like you could be my brother.”

  “Just because I’ve been around a lot longer than you doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have a little fun. Ain’t nothing going to change the fact that we’ve got half the country law enforcement after us, so I might as well enjoy the opportunity to drive like a madman.”

  “How can you be joking around at a time like this?” I asked, completely incredulous. I felt like I was going to die at any second after we slammed into one of the thick tree trunks zooming by just inches out of the window.

  “Your perspective shifts a lot after being turned,” said George, wrenching the steering wheel hard to the left and then back right again to compensate for a patch of loose dirt that caused them to fishtail wildly. “I’m not afraid to die, and I know I can push us through this a lot better than those cops behind us, but one thing’s for certain, and that’s that I am never going back to that damned Facility ever again.”

  “Don’t forget that I’m still a weak and pathetic mortal back here,” I said, trying to make it sound lighthearted. “You two might survive a crash, but I sure as hell won’t.”

  “There!” shouted Ben, pointing over the seats and out the window so his father could see.

  It was too dark for me to tell what was going on, but a second later the car lurched hard to right and there was a distinct change in the sound coming from beneath us that meant we were back on a road of some sort. Early morning sunlight was coming through the trees in the gap that the road made, and I could see that we were on what looked like an old private lane way.

  “We lost the helicopter,” said Ben.

  “And we definitely left those police cars way behind us,” said George. “Where to now?”

  “Just keep driving. We’ve lost our boat for good now, and it’s not like we can just walk into a travel agent and book three tickets on a commercial flight to Bermuda.”

  “What about a private airline?” I asked. “With all the drug smuggling and other criminal activity that goes on in this part of the country, there has to be someone we can pay to fly us out of here. Maybe we can get fake I.D.s and charter a private plane?”

  “Not enough time or money,” said Ben. “We used the last of my savings to pay ahead for the boat trip we just lost access to.”

  “I guess we have to find another boat then. Can we steal one and pilot it ourselves?” I asked.

  “Not unless you have nautical navigation experience you haven’t told us about,” explained Ben. “Bermuda is a thousand miles off the coast with nothing but open water on the other side of it. One miscalculation in the currents, and we’re on our way to Portugal or Morocco. No, we need an experienced captain if we’re going to make the journey by sea.”

  “There’s always the last resort option we discussed,” said George. His voice was quiet and uncertain, as though he wasn’t sure if he should mention it around me.

  “Hmmmm,” said Ben. “I don’t know if we can risk it.”

  “What’s this last resort?” I asked.

  “It’s not important,” said Ben. “It’s not a real option at this point, and it’s not worth discussing.”

  “I don’t like that you’re keeping things from me,” I said. There was anger in my voice but I didn’t try to keep it in check.

  “I’m sorry about this, but it’s safer for everyone if we keep that option as an extreme last resort. Right now we need to deal with some pressing issues like the fact that we’re going to run out of gas soon, and that we’re going to need a new car. There’ll be a maximum priority A.P.B. out on this vehicle, and we need to ditch it before we get anywhere near civilization of any kind.”

  George lowered the speed at which we raced through the narrow and rough old road, and soon we were traveling at a more reasonable pace for a normal car driving on a private back road. If by some chance the helicopter swept over us in search of the vehicle, they might recognize the color and make, but there was every chance they’d overlook us if we weren’t speeding along like criminals.

  For several minutes we rode in silence. I looked at the two men with me and saw the tension in their bodies and in Ben’s eyes. We’d escaped from the trap they’d laid for us, but it was impossible to tell how much time we had before they caught up with us again. One little mistake on our part and they’d have us in custody.

  The needle on the gas gauge dipped into the red. Mile by mile, George pushed the car until it was running on fumes, and we eventually had to pull it over in a clump of thick foliage where we did our best to conceal it from aerial search. Anyone driving by would see the tail end of it sticking out of the prehistoric looking rhododendron leaves, but with time working against us, we had to keep moving and couldn’t afford to spend any more time trying to disguise it.

  “I don’t suppose anyone packed any water, huh?” I asked, knowing that neither Ben nor George required anything more than blood to survive. With how much they’d fed recently, I knew they’d be okay for another day or two. I wouldn’t be so lucky.

  Ben shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. The boat was fully stocked and you drank the last of what we had on the drive over. I didn’t think to pick up more.”

  “It’s okay,” I replied. “You couldn’t have known this would happen.”

  “Let’s get a move on,” said George.

  We hiked along the road, careful to stay near the shoulder, and ever alert for the sound of an approaching vehicle, or the telltale sound of a helicopter searching overhead. It seemed as though we’d lost our pursuers, because for hours we heard no indication that anyone was searching the area.

  “They’re probably focusing their search closer to where we evaded the roadblock,” said Ben after I commented on how lucky we were to escape. “It’s one of the problems the government has when it comes to tracking down vampires, they always underestimate what we’re capable of and how motivated we are to sta
y out of their control, so they’re never ready for us when we use our talents.”

  “Besides,” said George, “that was local law enforcement back there. The feds probably didn’t tell them they were after vampires, so we were lucky there wasn’t a special team sent in to capture us. Had they had time, you can damn well bet they’d pull out all the stops to bring us in. They’re probably assuming Trevor King is still with us.”

  “You’re right,” I said, thinking back to how the Mad Vamp’s body had disappeared without a trace after I’d staked him through the heart. “They’d have no way of knowing that he’s completely gone now.”

  “Shush up now,” said George. He dropped his voice to a near whisper. “Up ahead about a half mile on the right. See that building?”

  “Looks like the edge of a town,” said Ben. “Maybe we can find an empty house or something.”

  George put his fingers to his lips and stepped into the tall grass at the edge of the road. The tree cover had dwindled to almost nothing, and in the light of the midday sun, we were extremely exposed. Crouching low, we moved quickly and silently towards what was now evident as a cluster of ramshackle houses lining a wide section of river. Most of the buildings seemed occupied, but George motioned for us to stop and wait while he ran off to inspect one that looked like it was empty.

  “How are you doing?” asked Ben in a low whisper.

  “I feel pretty dizzy,” I admitted. “I need some water soon, or I’m worried I might pass out. I’m dangerously dehydrated.”

  “We’ll get you something to drink as soon as we can. Dad’s coming back already and hopefully he has some place for us to hide while we figure this out.”

  The grass rustled and George rejoined us.

  “Alright, I’ve got us a place to hide, and there’s running water and a bit of food in the fridge for Jen here. We won’t be able to stay long, but we can rest up and make a plan at least.”

  My legs felt wobbly and useless beneath me, but Ben was right there to support me the last bit of the way. He slipped his arm around me and helped me shuffle towards the house that George had broken into. I didn’t know how he knew it was safe for us to hide there, but I didn’t care. I needed to get fluids in me, and I needed to rest from the relentless heat beating down on us.

  “There you go,” said Ben, easing me down onto a plush couch that had seen better days.

  It wasn’t the classiest of things, but it was well worn and extremely soft. I closed my eyes and felt like I could sleep for a week.

  “Drink this,” said George, holding out a glass of something that looked like filthy brown water. He saw the look of confusion and disgust on my face and laughed. “It’s sweet tea, kiddo. Your body needs the sugar and electrolytes. Drink it down and then you can rest a little.”

  “How long until the owners come back,” said Ben.

  “I dunno,” answered George. “Judging by the mail that’s piled up and the way the electronics are all unplugged, I’d say they’ve already been gone a few days. They could be back next week, or they could be back in an hour.”

  Having downed the last of the sugary tea, I put the glass down on the coffee table and curled up on the couch. My eyelids felt so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open any longer, and so I closed them and decided to give in to the sleepiness. I thought I’d drift off immediately, but the sound of Ben and George arguing in harsh whispers kept me awake and alert. Still lying there with closed eyes, I strained to hear what they were saying.

  “It’s too risky,” said Ben.

  “Dammit, Ben. You can’t make these kinds of decisions for her. She’s a full grown woman and she deserves to know the truth. It’s not our place to hide this information from her.”

  “Can you imagine what it will do to her after all this time? We need to focus on getting out of here, and we can’t risk letting her know right now.”

  “They could help us,” said George. “I don’t see how we have any other option.”

  Groggy and still feeling weak, I pulled myself upright and staggered towards the kitchen where I found the two men sitting at a table. I leaned against the doorframe to keep myself from falling over, and looked Ben straight in the eyes.

  “Whatever is going on with you two, you need to tell me right now. I don’t appreciate the secrets being kept around me, and if there’s something you’re not telling me about this sanctuary or someone that could help us, then you need to cut that shit out right now and tell me.”

  Ben jumped up and slipped his arm around my waist, helping me to a chair. He lowered me into it and sat across from me, glanced at his father who just shrugged and shook his head, and then opened his mouth to speak words that made so little sense to me, that I thought I might have fallen asleep after all.

  “It’s your parents, Jen.” Ben reached out and took my hand in his. “They didn’t die in a car crash like you think they did. They’re still alive and that is who we think will help us.”

  The dehydration, the oppressive heat, and the shock of what he’d just told me slammed into me like a ton of bricks. I tried to speak, but no words came out. Instead, the room spun around me, and everything went black.

  To Be Concluded...

  BOOK 3

  WHITE BLOOD

  REVELATION

  Don't Forget...

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  Chapter1

  Sitting on the cool linoleum floor, my head resting against the wooden cupboards in the kitchen of the house we’d broken into, I sipped from a glass of water and tried to process everything that had happened over the last few days. As a doctor, I felt stupid for not having taken better care of my body. I don’t know how I missed the obvious signs of dehydration and malnutrition, but in the chaos of being rescued from a prison transport, chasing down and destroying a powerful vampire, having our escape plan cut off by the police, and then finding out my parents didn’t really die when I was young; I’d completely lost track of how often I’d eaten or had anything to drink. I was probably only consuming one meal per day, and the long hot walk through the Florida sun before finding this temporary hideout had certainly taken its toll on me.

  Ben and George seemed to be in the usual good health that vampires didn’t have to work hard to maintain. As long as they fed every few days, and I knew they’d both done that less then twenty-four hours ago, they’d be able to walk for hours on end without stopping or resting. It was my mistake thinking I could keep up with their pace without showing weakness, and now I was paying for it. Black and white spots appeared at the edges of my vision, and it was difficult for me to focus on any one particular thing without it going blurry or spinning around like I was on an amusement park ride.

  “Here, put this on your neck,” said George.

  He passed me a Ziploc freezer bag he’d partially filled with ice and rolled it up with a dish towel to create a sort of cold sausage that I could drape around my neck. It felt amazing, and some of my wits started to come back to me.

  “What do you mean, my parents are alive?” I asked Ben. “And how do you even know about this part of my life?”

  “It’s technically an untrue statement to say that they’re alive. They’re no more living humans than my dad or I are.”

  “You mean they’re… vampires? What about the car accident? The police confirmed that they were dead. It… it doesn’t make sense.”

  “I’m sorry for not telling you, Jen.” Ben pulled a chair out and sat facing me. He ran a hand through his raggedly unkempt hair and exhaled in that way people do when they don’t really want to say what they have to say. “I read the news articles from that event and managed to get my hands on some files that became public record a few years ago. They did find two bodies within the car crash, but they never bothered running tests to confirm their identity. I guess it was all too easy to put together, and there was no suspicion of foul play, s
o they just went with the obvious answer.”

  “Why would they do that to me then? I can’t accept that my own parents would just abandon me like that.”

  “These are bad times for vampires, and my best guess is that they did it to protect you which could not have been easy for them. It used to be that we could live in relative peace if we practiced the less violent feeding methods of only getting blood from animals or willing human partners. Your parents live that way, keeping a small batch of livestock that they feed from in the same way a human might milk a cow or take eggs from a chicken. It’s all done very humanely, and the animals don’t suffer at all. Your parents do their best to stay out of the public eye and live their lives the only way they know how.”

  “Where do they live? Are they here in Florida?” I was stunned to hear that not only were they not dead and gone, but that they might even be in the area.

  “They’re not too far from here,” explained Ben. “They moved to Florida around the same time you took your job at Facility 47. From what I understand, they’ve been keeping an eye on you your whole life. They knew it was too dangerous to contact you, but they couldn’t bear to let you go completely.”

  “I don’t understand how you could possibly know all of this,” I said, shaking my head. It was too much to take in.

  “Before getting myself locked up in Facility 47, I did a lot of research on the place. That included as many of the staff as I could identify. You were one of the key employees that I knew I’d have to deal with, so I dug as hard as I could into your background. I know that sounds invasive, but it was what I thought was right at the time. I just had to be prepared.”