After ten minutes, they had risen and started toward the graveyard again. Lights flickered and danced in the old weedy cemetery. There were several people silhouetted against the lantern illumination. Samantha counted five people, but it was difficult to discern who they were.
Samantha eyed Jeff and he motioned for her to remain silent. He scrounged around in his messenger bag and pulled out a small pair of binoculars. Raising them to his face, he studied the scene before them.
Scratching her arm, Samantha cursed not wearing a long sleeved shirt. The wild grass and weeds were making her skin itch. The air smelled oddly stale and the warmth of the night was uncomfortable.
Jeff handed her the binoculars and gestured for her to take a peek. Lifting them, she peered at the people. A tall man in a cowboy hat and duster held Innocente and another man at gunpoint. There was no sign of Sergio. A beautiful woman and an imposing man with a bald head stood over a slim young woman with whitish hair dressed in an old-fashioned ivory dress. Samantha knew instantly who they were. Rachon was here - not in Austin - and Bianca was with her.
Scribbling on a pad of paper, Jeff's mouth was tightened into a harsh line. Samantha poked his side to get his attention and emphatically motioned at the scene. If he couldn't understand her urging him into action, he was an idiot.
Jeff grabbed her wildly-gesturing hands and leaned toward her. His voice was barely audible. “We need to be careful not to lose the element of surprise. ” He then pointed to a copse of trees near the cemetery and pantomimed them crawling.
Samantha nodded her head.
Jeff stroked her cheek. She ran her fingers lightly over his features and kissed him. Not needing words, they shared a moment before they both sighed.
Together, they crept slowly forward.
* * *
When Ethan dragged her out of the truck and ripped her purse from her hands, Innocente had promptly kicked him in the shins. He instantly shoved her off her feet and onto the hard soil.
“Hey!” Pete protested from where he sat on the ground nursing a bloody nose. He had tried to disarm Ethan and failed miserably.
“You don't need this anymore. We don't want to insult our guests, do we?” Ethan threw her purse into the brush and, gripping her arm, yanked her to her feet. “Get up, lover boy. Let's not waste her time. ”
Innocente tried to wrench free, but she was no match for Ethan. He easily dragged her along behind him as he aimed his gun at Pete's head.
“Get up,” Ethan ordered.
Looking a bit woozy, Pete clambered to his feet. He stood on wobbly legs as he wiped the blood from his face. “So it was all a lie. ”
Ethan shrugged. “A bit of a lie, a bit of truth. They are going to turn her human, strip her of her powers, and then kill her. Sorry, Pete, no happy ending for you. ”
Innocente observed Bianca staring at her. Tired and angry, Innocente summoned her power. It boiled up inside of her and swirled out into the night, seeking the remnants of the dead. None answered her. She wasn't sure how they could help her, but she was desperate. Her gaze shifted from Bianca to the grave where Sergio now lay. She wasn't certain if he was even alive and her anger and frustration grew.
Beside her, Pete looked crushed and just as furious as she was. They were both in a terrible position and they knew it. There appeared to be little or no hope of escaping whatever the ebony-skinned woman had planned for them. The vampire stood confidently next to Bianca and the tall handsome man loomed over both of them. The female vampire’s large maroon eyes rested on Innocente, a satisfied smile on her face.
Ethan kicked Pete's ass to get him moving forward. Pete cast an angry look over one shoulder, but marched forward. Ethan shoved Innocente before him, gripping her upper arm tightly. The gun Ethan had aimed at her head was enough to keep Pete under control. Innocente knew that Pete wouldn't dare do anything if he thought they would hurt her
“I have to say I'm not disappointed at all in your services, Mr. Logan. All that I heard about you is absolutely true. You certainly do get the job done,” Rachon said, laughter in her voice.
“I aim to please, ma'am, especially when the wire transfer has so many zeros. ” Ethan hauled Innocente over the broken wrought-iron fence. Stumbling, she fell to her hands and knees.
“You could be a bit nicer to an old woman,” the big black man protested.
“I thought mortals didn't matter to your kind,” Ethan answered, dragging Innocente to her feet.
“It doesn't hurt to be respectful to the elderly,” the man answered.
“Prosper is a stickler for manners,” Rachon explained.
Beside her, Bianca gaped openly at Innocente.
Innocente returned her gaze. On impulse, she silently reached out to the girl on the wings of her power. Her power allowed her to speak to the dead and technically Bianca was dead. Innocente felt a shiver of a link.
Bianca blinked.
Bianca, help us.