The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

Weapons clattered to the floor. Every kid had at least two.

"Kick them under the chaise lounge, out of reach."

They did so. I glanced at Vinny. For the first time, there was fear in her eyes.

"Ready to be a help rather than a hindrance?" Rhoan asked softly.

She nodded. Rhoan lowered her back to the ground and eased his grip on her neck. "Now, be pleasant and answer Riley's questions."

Vinny licked her lips, then said, "What do you want to know?"

"Why is Aron Young kidnapping and murdering those who were in tenth grade with him?"

"As I told you before, he seeks vengeance for his death."

"Why now, though? Why not in the years immediately after his death?"

"Because he was unable to get out before now."

So he had been kept prisoner by his parents. "How did he get out?"

"His mother - she was sick. Her heart or something. She let him out."

And then she'd died, and he'd buried her rather than let her rot where she lay. I guess even evil bhutas had one soft spot. "Tell me where he is."

"I gave you an address - "

"One address," I cut in sharply. "Vampires intent on foul deeds always have more than one hidey-hole."

I'd learned that the hard way.

Amusement flitted briefly through her eyes. "That is true. I cannot, however, give you that information, because I do not have it."

Shit. I was so hoping that Vinny would give us the easy answers, but I guess I should have known better. Fate was never one for giving me the quick way out.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about him? Anything that might help us find him?"

She considered me for a moment, then said, "Try his home. I tasted memories of it in his thoughts."

"We have people in his home. He's not there."

"Which home, though? I do not speak of the home after his death, but rather the home when he lived. The place where it all started."

Beechworth. But how would he get that many people up there, let alone keep them contained? Beechworth was a good three-hour drive from Melbourne. There were eighteen teenagers in that school photo, which meant there could still be fifteen on Aron's hit list. That was a whole lot of people to hunt down. A whole lot of people to control.

And then I remembered the plate number I'd gotten from Ron Cowden. Young owned a van, and that could certainly carry a number of people.

"Let her go, Rhoan."

He glanced at me. "We got everything we need?"

"I think so."

He released her and stepped back. Vinny retreated to the safety of her chair, but her toga-clad fledglings didn't move to comfort or caress her. Quinn was still holding them immobile.

The scary thing was, it didn't even seem to be much of an effort.

"You are no longer welcome here," Vinny said, her gaze sweeping us and her eyes dark with anger. "Please leave."