The White Blood Trilogy - Complete Box Set Books 1-3 Page 13

  George stood at the edge of the kitchen, listening quietly to our conversation. I saw a guilty look on his face that made me feel bad for him.

  “It was intrusive for Ben to go looking into my past like he did, but I don’t blame either of you for what can’t be changed anymore. I’m happy you two are out and together now, and as strange as it is to think about, I’m happy I have some answers about my parents.” I adjusted the icepack on the back of my neck. “Even if those answers are a little difficult to process.”

  My thoughts turned to the vampire sanctuary in Bermuda and the looming question of whether or not I would let Ben turn me if they decided that I wasn’t a worthy enough human. Learning that my parents were vampires made me realize that everyone I cared about wasn’t human, and that I was the only non-vampire among them. Still, there was something about giving up my humanity that scared me so completely that I didn’t want to let it go.

  Sure, there were benefits like rapid healing, excellent night vision, super human speed and strength, not worrying about aging or having my breasts get saggy or my ass grow flabby as I aged, but there were unsettling things that came along with that. Not only could I no longer take pleasure from a fine wine or a delicious meal, but I’d be forced to subsist on a diet of blood taken from animals, or worse, other humans. The idea of people like Ben or my parents having to do it in order to survive was understandable, but it was another matter entirely when it came down to me making the choice to become one of the undead.

  “You said my parents could help us somehow?” I asked, remembering why we were even talking about them in the first place. “What could my parents possibly do to protect us?”

  “They have a boat,” said Ben. “Your father bought it shortly after they moved here since it was something they could do together that kept them out of the public eye, and it’s big enough that it could safely make the trip to Bermuda.”

  “Why didn’t we just go to them right away? I remember you saying that they were a last resort, but if they can help us then why not go to them?”

  George spoke up. “If we go to your parents for help, we risk bringing down not only the attention of the local police, but every government anti-vamp agency there is. It might take them time, but they’ll track us to your parents eventually. Even if we’re long gone by then, your folks will have to pack up and clear out immediately.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “Given everything that’s happened, and how much danger we’re all in, I think it’s time we consider them as our only option,” said Ben. “You’re their daughter, and from what I gather, they still love you very much if they’re making a point to stay near you, so I think they’ll be willing to absorb the risk of helping us.”

  “I guess it’s settled then,” I said, feeling a lump form in my throat. “We go see my parents and ask them for help.”

  “I should probably warn you,” said Ben, “it might be a shock to see them again. Don’t forget that they won't look exactly how you remember your loving parents to look.”

  I nodded mutely, afraid that if I spoke I’d lose it and burst into tears. On the one hand, the prospect of seeing my parents again was exciting and positive, but I didn’t want it to be this way. We were going to come crashing into their lives and would likely send them on the run just so I could escape with Ben and George. My seeing them again would force us to split apart in a way that could mean I’d never see them once they relocated. If the FBI attention on us was as strong as I thought it was, they’d have to hide themselves much more than they had before. I would be meeting my parents just to say goodbye to them all over again.

  “We’re going to need a new vehicle if we’re going to get to where Jen’s parents live,” said George. “We’ll also need some money for gas and supplies before we get on the boat.”

  “It looks like we’ll have to visit my safe house,” said Ben. “It’s on the way to where Jen’s parents live, and I have the last of my cash hidden there. There’s a chance the FBI has located it, but given how many layers of subsidiary agents I went through to rent it, I doubt they’ll have found it yet. The rent was prepaid for another six months, so it should still be safe for us to spend the night there.”

  George nodded. “I guess I better get busy finding us a new ride then. You two sit tight while I go see about picking us up a vehicle.”

  *

  “How are you holding up?” asked Ben when we were alone again. He shifted out of his chair and sat next to me on the floor.

  “Oh, you know,” I said, trying to sound cheerful and failing miserably, “my whole world has been turned upside down, everyone I know and love is a vampire, and I’m probably on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list. All things considered, I’m happy I’m able to do anything more than curl up in a ball and sob my eyes out.”

  Ben placed his hand on my knee and gave it a little squeeze. “You’re a tough girl. I know this is hard for you, hell, it’s hard enough on me, but we’ll get through it somehow and then try to find a way to live something of a normal life.”

  “Normal? Is that possible for us?” I tried to imagine what our daily routine would be if we made it to the island sanctuary Ben and George had so much faith in. Would we live in a thatched bamboo bungalow and run around half naked with nothing to do all day but fuck and stay hidden from the people trying to find us? Would I be expected to serve as Ben’s feeding partner? I didn’t have any idea what went on at the sanctuary, but it was hard not to wonder if it wouldn’t just be another form of prison for us. There was so much they could do to protect us from the reach of the government anti-vampire task forces.

  “I don’t really know what normal is anymore,” said Ben. “To be honest, I haven’t thought about much beyond the plan to escape from Facility 47 and reaching the sanctuary in Bermuda. It was such a long shot that we’d even make it this far, and I didn’t have time to speculate about what our lives would be like after it was all said and done. And having you here was obviously something I didn’t prepare for. Don’t get me wrong,” he added hastily, “I’m so glad you’re here, but I never thought about how that would affect everything that happened after we escaped.”

  “I guess if we can get through this, we can deal with anything we’ll encounter at the sanctuary,” I said. “I mean, it can’t be worse than breaking out of a top secret vampire prison and then being chased by the FBI, can it?”

  Ben smiled and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his embrace. “Let’s hope not.”

  The tone of his voice suggested that he wasn’t as sure as he was trying to pretend he was, and I resolved to not let it become an issue while we dealt with the next few days. The sanctuary was still a long way off, a thousand miles of open ocean away to be exact, and we still had a lot of challenges ahead of us.

  Chapter2

  “Nice ride, dad.” Ben took the key from his father and stepped into the driver’s seat. His dad walked around the beat up maroon minivan and pulled open the rear door for me before jumping into the passenger seat.

  “It’s the best I could do in this neighborhood,” said George. “Besides, it had a magnetic hide-a-key in the wheel well. Way easier than hot-wiring it. Truth is, I feel bad even taking this thing. I doubt most of the people around here have comprehensive insurance coverage, and they’re probably going to be out a vehicle now.”

  “We can’t afford to think about that,” I said. “I feel the same way you do, but this thing can’t be worth more than a thousand dollars, and right now it’s the only thing keeping the three of us from spending the rest of our lives locked away in prison.”

  George grunted in response, and I could tell he still felt bad about having to take something from people who already had so little. I didn’t know much about what the man did before he became a vampire, but he seemed like a good honest hardworking person, and I figured he felt more in common with the people that lived in this ramshackle community than he might with a business man in a suit and tie.


  Ben put the car in gear and pulled out slowly. They’d taken their hats and sunglasses with them from the old car, and they slipped them back on and pulled down the sun shades in an effort to make it more difficult for passers by to see into the vehicle. It was late in the day, and the sun was weakening to the point where the sunglasses were overkill, but it was better that they look a little stupid than risk being recognized by a random patrol car.

  I was a little luckier in the back seat. The windows had enough of their aftermarket tint remaining that it was nearly impossible for anyone to see me in the back seat. The police would be looking for white men traveling with a black woman, so it only made sense that I try to stay as out of sight as possible.

  No one spoke as we drove through a series of small backwater towns. There was a palpable tension in the car, and I knew I was doing my share of contributing to it. All I could think about was seeing my parents again. Would I recognize them after all these years? Would it be different now that they were vampires and I was still human? After what George had said about vampires becoming cold hearted after a few years, I had to admit to being worried that they might not even care about me anymore. The way Ben told it, that probably wasn’t true, but several years of med school had taught me to be ruthlessly calculating and to focus on the fact of what was instead of what I wished things to be. I couldn’t let emotion dictate a diagnosis in the ER, and I had to do the same when it came to preparing for meeting with my parents.

  After just over an hour of driving, we pulled into a simple looking house in a small suburb of a town that I recognized as being only twenty miles away from Facility 47. It made sense that Ben’s safe house would have to be close to the place he was trying to infiltrate and escape from, but I had to wonder how smart it was for us to be coming here.

  “Are you sure this is a smart idea?” I asked. Ben had turned off the engine and we all still sat in the van, staring at the front door.

  “Everything looks just like I left it,” said Ben. “There don’t seem to be any broken windows or signs that an investigation took place here. If the feds had compromised my safe house, then there’d be police tape up and it would probably be boarded off to make sure no one tried to go inside.”

  “Unless it’s a trap,” said George.

  “Do we have any other choice?” I asked.

  “We need the money I left behind, and the information on your parents’ address is in there. I hired an investigator to look into them, so I never actually went to see them. I have a rough idea of where it is, but I don’t think I could find it or get in touch with them without the information in that house.”

  “I guess we’re going in then,” I said.

  “Guess so,” echoed George.

  “You two wait here while I go unlock the door. Dad, I’ll go through the interior and open the garage door from inside, then you drive in, okay?”

  Ben slipped out of the car and walked quickly to the front door. He slipped a key in the lock, twisted it, and pushed his way inside. Seconds later, the door was closed behind him, and only the most snoopy of neighbors would have seen him enter the house.

  The garage door clacked loudly in a way that made me jump, and then it ground upwards on what sounded like a barely functioning motor. It felt like there were several sets of eyes watching us from nearby windows, and I tried to calm my wild imagination as George started the car again and drove it into the garage.

  The inside of the house was sparsely furnished and looked more like it was being squatted in than anything else. There was a small table and single chair in the kitchen, but it appeared to be otherwise empty. The living room contained only a thin mattress with a pillow and wool blanket, and there were a few books and clothes stacked neatly nearby. No television or radio. No furniture that would make the place half way livable. I was about to ask why Ben had been sleeping in the living room instead of the bedroom, when he opened the door and I caught a look over his shoulder.

  I stepped into the room behind him and saw that every inch of the walls was covered in photos and plans. A desk sat against one wall, and it was covered in piles of manila folders and stacks of documents. Bankers boxes were scattered about the room, the open ones displaying just some of the tremendous amount of work Ben had done to prepare for his attempt to break his father out of Facility 47.

  As overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information as I was, my eyes darted to a collection of half covered photos that showed a youngish black couple climbing aboard a sleek but modest looking sailboat. Before I could inspect them closer, Ben dropped a box of files on the table on top of them and began to rifle through the paperwork. He removed a single folder and found the page he was looking for.

  “There we go,” he said, folding the paper up and stuffing it in his pocket. “This is the address for your parents’ place.”

  “How long did it take you to collect all of this information?” I asked.

  “Not as long as you might think. I was on a strict timeframe with a limited window of opportunity. I only had a few months to come up with my plan before going into the Facility.”

  “It’s almost scary how detailed this is.”

  “I am a very dedicated and efficient person.” Ben closed the box but didn’t remove it from the desk. I think he knew what I’d been looking at before he placed the box just where he did. “Once I set my sights on something, there’s not much that will stop me from achieving it.”

  “I think I recognized that in you when we first met,” I said. “God, that seems like forever ago already.”

  I watched Ben move to a corner of the room where he produced a folding knife from his pocket, flipped it open, and used the tip of it to pry up a floorboard. He reached down into the narrow gap and pulled out a handful of thin stacks of bound bills.

  “It’s not much,” he said. “Not enough to buy or rent a boat at least, but it will get us the gas we need, and make sure that we have enough freshwater and food for you. Hopefully there’ll be some extra that I can give to your parents to help them do what they need to do to stay ahead of the FBI.”

  “I wish there was a way we could do this without involving them,” I said. “I want to see them, but not like this.”

  “I know. I really am sorry it had to come down to this.”

  George popped his head in the door. “How are we doing in here? Being here has got me on edge, and I’d like to get the hell out as soon as we can.”

  “Almost ready,” said Ben. “I just need to grab the keys to the car I left parked a couple of blocks away, and we can get out of here.”

  Ben opened a desk drawer and rifled through its contents. He grunted in disappointment, slammed it shut, and opened the only other drawer. There wasn’t anything in there but a couple of paperclips and a pen, and he pushed this one shut too. He stood there and scratched the back of his head as though trying to remember where he’d left the keys.

  “I swear I left them in that drawer, but I was so anxious before getting myself caught that I must have left them in the kitchen or something.”

  We followed him out of the room with the plans and into the kitchen while he checked the few places he might have left the keys. Standing on his toes and reaching back on top of the fridge, he suddenly punched at the nearby wall and cursed under his breath.

  “We need to get out of here right now,” he said. Ben pointed to the floor where one corner of the fridge’s feet sat a half inch away from the deep divot that indicated where it had probably stood for years. “Someone’s been in here and searching around. They don’t seem to have the place under surveillance, which is good for us, but I’m worried we might have triggered an alert by entering the house. There’s no telling how long we have before the FBI shows up, if it was the FBI that is.”

  “Come on then,” said George. “Back to the van. Let’s get out of the area and then trade it out for another car when we get a chance.”

  “One last thing,” said Ben. “You guys go ahead and pull the car ba
ck, I’ll be right behind you.”

  Ben came with us as far as the garage, but while we got into the vehicle, I watched him pick up a red jerry can like the kind people used to carry extra gas. It was only when we backed out of the garage and I saw him re-enter the house that I realized what he intended to do.

  A minute or two passed before I saw flames licking out of a side window of the house. The fire burned strong and acrid, thick black smoke billowing out into the sky as the peeling flammable exterior paint began to burn. Ben came running out of the garage towards the car, and George didn’t even wait for him to slam the door shut before slamming his foot down on the gas to send us peeling out of there in a hurry.

  “If they were on to us, then there’s no sense in leaving anything behind for them to find. If they went through the files and saw that I’d been looking at the documents relating to your parents, then we’d never make it out of here.”

  “But if they were there before, do you think they might already know about my parents?”

  “It’s hard to say,” replied Ben. “The FBI could very well know about them and be watching them already, but at this point we’re low on options.”

  “I still think it’s the best plan,” said George. He’d slowed the van down to a more reasonable speed now that we were only a few blocks away. “Although we’re pretty much out of gas, and we’re going to have to take care of that before we do anything else to draw attention to ourselves.”

  Chapter3

  George pulled the minivan into a quiet looking gas station and drove it up to the furthermost pump in case we had to drive out of there in a hurry. He shifted into park and clicked the engine off, but left the key in the ignition.

  “Since we can’t use a credit card, I’ll have to go in and pay with cash first,” he said. “Ben, you jump out and start pumping the second you see the meter kick on, and Jen honey, I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay out of sight for now. Can I get you anything while I’m inside?”