Stanley: Dalton’s Kiss Book 2 (Dalton's Kiss) Read online

  “Seriously, Remy. She’s strong enough to keep me from ordering her to do things. I could really push it, but I don’t think either of us will come out unscathed from it. There is something about her that worries me. Not about her, but whoever this person is that changed her. If there was that powerful of a vampire in my area, why did I not ever feel it?” Remy could tell he was worried. And like he said, not about the woman, but this other vampire. “the one she killed might not be the one that changed her. I asked her about the night she was changed, and I checked—there are no memories of what happened to her at all. Like—”

  “Like someone erased her memories.” Banny nodded. “Why? Why do that to someone? Especially if your plans were to kill her all along. I can’t believe for a moment that this person changed her only to decide to kill her. Also, how, as a baby, could she push off compulsion? Something isn’t right here.”

  “Why? Because you weren’t there to witness it? That you’d do something differently?” Both he and Banny stood up when the woman spoke from the doorway. Kelly was right there with the woman, and she too was spitting mad. “Is it because the great and powerful vampire men are so astonished that a woman such as myself could take care of herself? That’s it, isn’t it?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to overhear us.” Lizzy, Remy thought Banny had called the woman, snorted at them both. “You were the one that was eavesdropping. What you heard was two old vampires speculating on why you were changed and left for dead as the others had been.”

  “So you’re speculating that I killed them? Is that your conclusion? That since I’m a baby vamp, I’d have no ability to be able to do anything but be a killer.” Remy started to tell her that wasn’t what he meant. “I’ve had plenty of time to come to terms with what I can do, mister. I’m sure this will tie your knickers up too.”

  He felt himself being lifted from the floor and then slammed hard against the ceiling. She did it three times before he simply dropped to the floor. Before he was able to stand, she picked him up again, holding him up by magic and one leg as she moved toward him. He could see the anger on her face then. It was like a shield of armor he might well have worn long ago.

  “I’m sorry.” She told him to fuck off. “No, I’m truly sorry that I misjudged you at all. You’re stronger than any of us thought.”

  “Oh, so now you have it in your head to kill me off too.” He shook his head, but she was pissed and going to do him harm. “Killing me isn’t going to be as easy as changing me. I’m telling you exactly what I told the monster that changed me when he came back to the cave to collect what was left of us. He actually was thrilled to tell me what he’d done to me. I’m awake now, and full of whatever fucking shit he did to me.”

  Remy was blasted across the room. This time he hit the wall hard enough that he was unconscious for several seconds. When he opened his eyes, he saw Banny stand up, as if he was going to tackle the young woman. Before he could move, Banny was bound to the chair he had been in without any ropes or chains. Remy couldn’t move either, only to watch Lizzy walk to the desk and put down a sheet of paper.

  “These are the names of the other women. There are markers where they are buried, as well as their belongings in their bags hanging from the markers.” She turned to both of them again. “You come near me again, and I won’t hesitate to try and kill you both. I know you’re stronger, I can taste it. But at this point in my fucked up life, don’t expect me to fight back. The sooner I can end this shit, the better off I’ll be.”

  Then, just like that, she was gone. Disappeared as if she’d never been in the room with them at all. Remy stood up, checking to make sure he wasn’t bleeding out anyplace he’d not be able to fix. Banny could now move too. His body wasn’t nearly as beaten as Remy’s was, but he had the look of something that had been tangled with. But instead of being as pissed off as Remy was, Banny started laughing. It was a good five minutes before he could slow enough to speak.

  “We’ve just gotten our collectives asses handed to us by a newborn, Remy. Not only that, but she could have killed us both, I think, and not thought another thing about it.” Kelly asked Banny if he was sure. “Yes. She had me hogtied to that chair, and it would have been nothing for her to take out my throat. With Remy, she could have slammed him against a chair—I have no doubt about her aim being that good—and it would have killed him too if a chunk of wood ended up through his heart. She’s not one to mess with. I would hate to be around when she finds the person she’s mated to. Christ, there is no telling what sort of magic she’ll have when she’s found him.”

  “You two should be beaten.” They both looked at Kelly, and Banny said he was sorry. “Sorry isn’t going to cut it. Do you have any idea what she’s had to endure? To find not only that she was something else, but that she’s literally left her fiancé at the altar? To wake alone in a cave filled with the bodies of others like her? To have to bury them all by herself? What do you think would have happened if that had been one of you? Do you think you could have done so well for yourself? I don’t think so. Lizzy told me she had no idea what was wrong with her when she woke up, naked and bleeding all over her body. That there wasn’t a note, nothing for her to go on for the date or how long she’d been in there. The first time she thought she knew what she was was when she stepped into the sunlight and nearly died, a whole month after waking. I’m ashamed of both of you. Ashamed, I tell you.”

  She stormed out of the room, then came back in. Neither of them knew what was going to happen until she slapped them both. Remy felt the pain of the slap all the way to his feet. Not that she’d hurt him, but that he’d driven her to do it. He liked the younger woman.

  “You two are going to stay away from her. Do you hear me?” They both said they would. “What do you think your parents would say if they saw the way you acted today? I know, they’d be appalled. Just as I am. What do you think your grandmother is going to say, Bancroft? I’m sure she’s going to be thrilled to death that she wasn’t here to witness the great Bancroft getting his bottom handed to him by a mere slip of a woman.”

  Neither of them moved when she left them the second time. When they were sure she wasn’t returning again, Banny sat down in his desk chair and held his head up by his hands. Remy thought for sure he was sobbing until he lifted his head, and Remy saw that he was laughing. He asked him what the hell was so funny.

  “Not once, but twice today we’ve been put in our place by women. What do you think your parents would have said about that?” Remy laughed and said they’d tell him to marry her. “No doubt. She’s strong-willed, Lizzy is. Heaven help us if she’s a mate to anyone we know. There isn’t any way that she’ll be forgiving us anytime too soon. Now that she’s a vampire too, she might well outlive both of us.”

  After a few more laughs, the two of them spoke about the call he’d gotten and how he’d been trying to trace the man who had been telling the league lies about him. Kelly had been helping him with his receipts for paying his dues. Hopefully, she’d still help him out with that. But now, well, he just didn’t know. He had managed to piss her off as well.

  “What is this vampire’s name that is accusing you of making baby vamps?” Remy told Banny it was all there in the paperwork that had been sent to him. He told him his name too. “Calhoun Richardson isn’t a very common name, do you think? I mean, not in our world. We’re both lucky that we have family that goes back for generations, or we might not have adopted a last name. But Richardson doesn’t ring any bells with me either.”

  Jamison had been walking by the door when they were talking. He paused in front of the doorway and asked what they were talking about. He’d not meant to be rude, but he just wanted to know why they were discussing Richardson.

  “You know him?” Jamison told Banny that he’d heard the young lady mention his name as her maker. “Are you sure? I mean, you’re sure that’s what she said his name was?”

>   “Quite sure, sir. She said that Cal Richardson was the—pardon my language—but the bastard that had killed her. I do believe she was telling the young miss that she was ready to meet her own maker now that he was out of commission. Does that mean she wishes herself dead, sir?” Remy answered for Banny. “Oh my. That would be a terrible shame. The lady of the house was quite taken with Ms. Strickland. I do now remember seeing her name some time ago in the newspaper. Not long ago. I do believe, if he is the one, this might help Lord Remy with his predicaments with the league.”

  Jamison walked away, telling them he was sorry for interrupting their talk, and Remy looked at Banny. It couldn’t be the same person. His luck was never that good. While Banny tapped around on his keyboard, Remy had to think if she’d mentioned the vampire’s name. Thinking that he had to find her, he decided he might well live longer if he went to see Kelly. She was pissed at him too, but he wasn’t nearly as afraid of her as he was Lizzy right now. She’d already wounded him once, his pride and body. Remy thought he’d be less beaten up, at least physically, if he groveled to Kelly a little.

  Before he left the office, Banny told him he’d found her name in the paper. “Remy, she was set to marry a man by the name of Josh Hinkley. You don’t know him, do you?” Remy went to the computer when Banny turned it in his direction, laughing. “Boy, talk about it being a small world. She was created by your accuser, Richardson, who is blaming you for making baby vamps. She was going to marry a man by the name of Josh Hinkley, an ass of the highest order. She certainly might be strong, but she has nasty taste in men. There is an entire article here that tells what sort of ass Hinkley is.”

  Remy read the article about the wedding that wasn’t to be. He also saw where it mentioned Lizzy had disappeared with six other women the night of her bachelorette party. It was speculated then that Josh had done something to his bride to be. However, since her attorney had been in contact with Lizzy in the months following her disappearance, there was nothing they could pin on him about the other missing women.

  Chapter 2

  Josh answered the phone on the fourth ring. He didn’t care for the telephone, but he was trying to find out who Lizzy’s attorney was so he could have a little talk with him. It would be like Lizzy not to be dead. He’d been planning her demise for months before she’d been kidnapped, or whatever had happened to her. But he’d been planning for it to happen after they were married. She had herself a nice little nest egg built up that he wanted in the worst kind of way.

  “Josh Hinkley here.” There wasn’t a sound on the other end of the call. “Hello? This is your dime, so speak or stop calling me. I’m a very busy man.”

  Still nothing. He started to hang up when he heard someone speaking. Josh pushed the phone harder to his ear, trying to understand what was being said. He didn’t think whoever it was, was speaking to him, but he needed some answers and thought this caller might have them.

  “Did you say this was Josh Hinkley?” He said that he did. The woman’s voice was one he’d never heard before, but he knew instinctively that she was calling him for a good reason. “I’m calling you from Parker Insurance. The policy you have taken out on Ms. Strickland has been denied payment. There is evidence she is still alive, and the policy is going to be canceled as well. For reasons of trying to collect on a living person, if you’d like to know.”

  “How do you know she’s alive? Have you seen her? I’ve not. She hasn’t been seen since the night before we were to be married. If she is dead and I can prove it, are you going to pay off then?” She told him no. That was all, just a simple no. “And the reason for that is what?”

  “The policy states that you were wed, and you are not. The premiums were to be paid monthly, and you’ve missed several payments. There are a list of other reasons why the policy has been cancelled, and they are being mailed to you with the policy marked as denied. You have a good day, sir.” He told her to wait a moment. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hinkley, there is nothing more that we can do for you. Also, we’ve notified other agencies that you are trying to collect on the death benefits of a living person. I’m sure if you’ve taken out more insurance on Ms. Strickland, those too will be cancelled. You have a good day, sir.”

  This time she simply hung up on him. Damn it all to hell and back, he needed that money. He wished he’d killed her himself now. All he had to show for dating the damned woman was a ring he’d gone into great debt for in hopes of making Lizzy trust him more. The engraving she’d wanted on it was why he couldn’t return it. Fuckity fuck, he was beginning to hate everyone.

  He hadn’t wanted to marry Lizzy. She didn’t love him, and he certainly didn’t love her. When he’d asked, he hadn’t expected her to say yes. Well, it was more like an “I guess so” than a yes. But the money she had in the bank and her job made him think they could work it out to his advantage until he found someone else. What he hadn’t expected, however, was to find out a week after she left him at the altar that she didn’t just have money in the bank, but had a great deal more than that.

  Houses, cars, businesses. She traveled a great deal too. He’d thought she only had a simple job to do and didn’t spend her paychecks on silly, girly things. That had been a sore spot a couple of times when they’d gone out. He thought she should be willing to pay for meals since she was working. Lizzy pointed out that she’d not wanted to go out in the first place, so he should pay. After that, they rarely went anywhere except to her home or his apartment.

  Josh realized about a month before the wedding that she wasn’t going to be as free with her money as he’d hoped. Asking her if she’d put him on her accounts, she flat out told him no. Then, when he asked her to help him out with his rent that month, she refused that as well. The next night, she sat him down and told him, if they married, there were going to be rules.

  “What do you mean if we’re married? I thought with the invitations going out tomorrow that things were set for us.” She explained to him about her money. “What about us having the money? Sharing the bills and even paying off credit cards. I’m sure you have enough to take care of all our bills. Mine can go for extras.”

  “I don’t mind paying half the bills we incur as a couple. However, I’m not going to pay off things that you had before we got married. Nor would I expect you to pay mine if I had any. I’m not a sap, Josh.” He was so dumbfounded by her reasoning that he just sat there. “Now that we have that out in the open, I’m not going to put you on any of my accounts. You’re a man with means, right? I mean, you seem to have money in your wallet all the time. If you want any extras, as you call them, you can use your money after the bills are paid. Also, since I’m assuming we’ll live in my home, half of what the house payment will be is part of your bills. That’s only fair since I’m paying the taxes and upkeep on it.”

  “It sounds as if you don’t trust me with your money.” She said she didn’t. “Why not? I mean, it’s not like I’d make you broke. That would be stupid of me, don’t you think?”

  “It would be stupid. Something that I’m not.” She got up, making her way to the dining room, and came back with a sheet of paper. Handing it to him, she sat down on the couch across from him. “In the year that we’ve been seeing each other, you’ve had a total of eleven jobs. That’s a job you’ve lost per month, Josh. Also, you’ve had your car repossessed. From what I’ve found out about you, you’re four months behind in your rent. You’re currently unemployed, and you waste your money on odds at the race track, as well as football games. As you mentioned, the invitations should be going out tomorrow. However, I’m not going to send them out until you have a job. I’m not a sap, as I said. Taking you as my partner in life means that we both will give our all to being married. You can’t, in your current state, even buy a newspaper to look up any listed jobs.”

  They’d had a vicious fight. Josh had tried to hit her a couple of times, but she’d been able to knock him on his ass instead
. When the police showed up, about ten minutes after she’d bloodied his nose, he was told to leave, and she didn’t make sure he was all right. After that, he’d tried his best to make it up to her. Josh even told her he had a job. He did, just not one she would approve of.

  The invitations, as far as he knew, had never been sent. The more he thought about them, he didn’t think she’d ever had them made. The day before they were to be wed, that afternoon, they’d had a second fight, and this one had sent her for stitches and him spending a few hours in a cell. At least until she had made arrangements for him to be released around midnight. Much too late, he thought, for him to have been able to talk to her again. Then she was gone.

  He had hired a man to knock her around a little. That was all. The fact that she was missing from everywhere had bothered him enough to find the guy. He said that since he’d never seen a dime of the money Josh had promised him, he’d decided not to engage with Lizzy. Like they were going out on the town or something. So where the fuck was she?

  No one seemed to be too worried about her being missing, really. Her attorney, Josh supposed, was making sure things were taken care of with her job and shit. There hadn’t been any article in the paper, but her name was attached to several other women that had gone missing that night.

  He’d read the article that had been in the paper several days after he’d shown up at the courthouse to be married. No one knew anything about a wedding to take place, and that had pissed him off royally. Nor did anyone have any idea what he was talking about when he told them he was to have his name on all her accounts.

  Josh knew it was a long shot to lie his way into her accounts. Hell, it was the least she could have done since she’d not married him. But that was locked up tighter than her legs had been when he wanted to screw her. She had this unthinkable idea that they should wait until they were married. Bitch. That never happened either.