CHAPTER 11
“It wasn’t any of those guys, but I found out where there’s a party tonight from the kid whose nose you permanently rearranged,” Julian told Quinn when they stepped outside of the club. He scented the fresh air, glad to be free of the noise and smells permeating the strip club.
Quinn’s gaze had been focused on the parking lot, but she finally looked at him. “Bonfire?”
“Yeah.”
She shoved her hands into her pockets. “I know where it is.”
“You’ve been before?”
“No.” The word was blunt but she didn’t expound on it. “We’re going to have to borrow Clint’s Jeep.”
They followed her down to Clint’s Bar and waited while she went inside before returning with the keys. She gestured to the back of the building. Julian walked beside her around the bar to the wooden garage set up behind it. He slid the garage door open and stepped back to admire the red Jeep parked inside. The roof and doors had been taken off the Wrangler. The jacked up tires, roll bar running across the top, and the winch on the front made it clear this was more than just a vehicle to get from point a to point b.
“Want me to drive?” he asked.
Quinn shook her head; her face remained impassive, but there was an eager glimmer in her eyes. She climbed onto the high step and swung into the driver’s seat. Julian climbed up beside her; Chris and Melissa slid into the back.
Quinn shifted into first, popped the e-brake and pulled out of the garage with a lurch of the massive tires. They didn’t head for the road but drove behind the garage and into the desert. The headlights bounced off of a road consisting only of sand packed down beneath the weight of the countless vehicles that had traveled over it.
The sky spread out before them with a vast array of twinkling stars. The full moon hanging heavily in the midnight sky lit the night. Quinn shifted into fourth; her smile grew as they sped across the sand. The cool wind felt refreshing against Julian’s skin as it whipped through his hair and tugged at his clothes.
Sand kicked up around them and dinged off the undercarriage of the Jeep when Quinn pressed down harder on the gas. Julian grabbed hold of the roll bar over his head as the Jeep left the earth and briefly caught flight over a dune. Chris’s knees pressed into the back of his seat as he braced himself more firmly. Julian heard the clicks of Melissa and Chris’s seat belts sliding into place seconds before the tires crashed back to earth. They all bounced in their seats; the struts and springs squeaked and groaned, but the sounds were drowned out by Quinn’s vivacious laughter.
The force of the landing was nothing compared to the amazement cascading through him at the sound of her laughing. He’d never heard her laugh before, he found it refreshing and enticing as he turned to look at her. Her honey hued eyes were aglow with pleasure; the smile curling her full mouth lit up her face as she hit the gas even harder. The illumination of the moon and the joy she radiated made her appear softer, and more approachable. She actually looked like a young woman acting her age for a change, something he didn’t think she did often.
Her laughter continued as they flew over top of another dune. They crashed back to earth with enough force that he would have been launched from his seat if he didn’t already have his hand braced against the roll bar. Quinn let out a whoop of joy; her hair whipped behind her as the Jeep left the earth again.
Julian couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the pleasure she took in the speed and power of the vehicle. Flying over top of another dune, Julian spotted a glow in the distance and the scent of burning wood drifted into his nostrils. He wasn’t ready for Quinn’s laughter to stop, but he realized he didn’t have a choice as she eased off the gas and sat back in her seat.
Coming over top of the next dune, the large bonfire and nearly fifty people gathered around it came into view. Jeeps, dirt bikes, ATV’s, and other assorted off road vehicles encircled the bonfire. Quinn parked the Jeep and turned the vehicle off.
“Crazy freaking vampires,” Chris said. “You know, we can die.”
Quinn chuckled as she pulled the keys from the ignition. “You’re a Hunter, you heal fast.”
“I still like my bones intact.”
“We all do,” Melissa agreed as she climbed out of the Jeep. “And we can’t heal from death.”
“I wouldn’t have killed you,” Quinn promised.
Julian ran a hand through his tussled hair as Quinn hopped out of the vehicle in one easy bound. He studied her as she moved around the Jeep with the flowing grace of a ballerina. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as he climbed down.
“You’re driving back,” Chris muttered to him as he walked past.
Julian nodded but his mind was replaying Quinn’s words. “How did you know about Hunters?” he inquired as he walked around to meet Quinn in front of the Jeep.
“Huh?” she asked absently, her gaze focused on the bonfire and the people gathered around it.
“How did you know that Hunters heal fast?”
She didn’t look at him, but he felt a subtle change in her as she shrugged. “I already told you I knew about Hunters and how they were created.”
“Yes, but it took me years to find out about all of their capabilities. I learned something new, and somewhat surprising, from another Hunter we’re friends with two years ago.” He wasn’t going to go into detail about what Cassie could do, that was something they all kept secret. “Hunters aren’t exactly open about what they can and can’t do, especially not around vampires.”
She finally looked at him. “I guess I figure things out quicker than you. They were created from us. It would only make sense they would inherit our healing abilities, since they receive an extrasensory ability from our blood too.”
Maybe that was true, but he wasn’t buying her explanation. Before he could question her further, and maybe uncover a little of what she was hiding from him, a loud squeal sounded and a rolling ball of energy flung herself into Quinn’s arms, knocking her back a step.
“I can’t believe you came!” It took Julian a second to recognize the human cannonball as Angie. “Finally! You’re going to have so much fun!” She hooked her arm through Quinn’s and pulled her forward. “Come on!”
Julian watched as Angie dragged Quinn toward the fire and a group of men gathered around a keg. One of the men lifted his hands into the air, and stepped forward to hug Quinn. Julian stiffened; his eyes narrowed upon the man as Quinn remained rigid in his grasp and slapped him awkwardly on the back.
Stepping away from the man, she took hold of the red plastic cup shoved into her hand. “Are we going to walk around and see if we can find the guy?” Chris asked.
Realizing his teeth were clamped together, Julian forced himself to relax his jaw. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The heat of the bonfire beat against his skin as he walked across the slipping sand. Quinn glanced over at them, said something to Angie, and broke away from the group. She jogged toward them without spilling a drop of her beer onto the sand.
“There’s a group of people that were at Clint’s on the other side of the fire,” she said as she stopped before them. “Angie said there had been another group of fighters here, but they took off when they saw the guys they’d been fighting with last night. This way.”
She gulped down her beer as she took the lead. Finishing off the drink, she wiped away the layer of foam on her upper lip and tossed the cup into a trash bag set off to the side. The orange glow of the fire caught her eyes, causing them to gleam like a citrine. She bee-lined through some more people, but began to slow as they advanced on a group of five men and three women gathered around another keg. Three of the men barely looked old enough to drive, never mind drink, and the other two would have been questionable to vote.
“Those five guys were there last night,” Quinn informed them in a conspiring whisper. He doubted anyone would have heard her over the competing music coming from the radios of the vehicles parked around the fire, and the crackling of the ten-foot
high flames.
“Do you know them?” he inquired.
“Not really, they just started coming into Clint’s.”
“Ok. Come with me.” Her lips compressed into a flat line as she stared at him disapprovingly. He wasn’t used to having to play nice with strangers, even after two years he was barely used to playing nice with Chris and Melissa. “It will be weird for me to walk over and start talking with a group of people I don’t know.”
She glanced at Chris, but to Julian’s amazement she didn’t protest further. Turning away, Quinn walked beside him toward the group of men and women. The overwhelming scent of alcohol drifted to him, but he also caught the sweeter scent of lust and the mustier scent of sex upon the man and woman holding hands and leaning close to each other.
“Hey,” Quinn greeted as she stepped up to the keg. “How’s it going?”
Their gazes slid over her, two of them broke into smiles, threw back their shoulders, and grinned at her. The other two were busy filling their cups at the keg. “Ya work at Clint’s,” one of them said in a voice already slightly slurred.
“I do,” she replied with a smile. Then the boy’s eyes flickered to him and Julian saw a lot of their interest fade away. They looked past her toward a group of girls who were giggling near a Ford Explorer. Sensing their waning attention, Quinn turned toward him; the smile on her face should have warned him. “You see that guy over there?” They all nodded when she pointed to Chris, who gave them a brief wave. “That’s Chris, and this is his boyfriend, Julian.”
Julian managed to keep his mouth closed as she continued to smile at him sweetly. He didn’t know how to respond, but he was spared from having to by the eagerness of the two guys who had been ogling her before. One of them stepped forward and handed her a drink while the other began to enthusiastically offer up Dorito’s and Twinkies.
Julian remained by Quinn’s side, as the girls by the Ford gave him a disappointed look. He barely spared them another glance as Quinn laughed with the men. They didn’t hear it, but he caught the falseness of her tone. While she kept them occupied, he managed to find a subtle way to touch three of them. It wasn’t until Chris and Melissa joined them that he was able to confirm none of these guys were who they were looking for.
“I think it’s time to go,” Julian said and gave Quinn a pointed look.
“Sorry boys but party pooper here is my ride,” Quinn told them.
“Aw,” one of them protested. “We can give you a ride.”
“Not tonight,” she replied.
Their faces fell, Julian’s teeth ground together when Dorito boy “accidentally” touched her ass for the third time. It took all he had not to break one of the orange, cheese coated fingers that were far too grabby for his liking.
“Will we see you at Clint’s?” Dorito asked eagerly.
“I’ll be there,” Quinn replied airily. It wasn’t until they were out of view of the guys that she shuddered and wiped at her ass. “Do I have cheese on my butt?” she demanded.
“No,” Melissa assured her.
“Please tell me one of them was who we’re looking for. I don’t think I can take anymore skeasy drunk guys, parties, or strip clubs tonight.”
“No, they weren’t,” Julian informed her. “If you hadn’t told them I was gay, I would have stepped in and stopped it.”
Chris and Melissa choked on their laughter as they swung admiring eyes toward her. “I never told them you were gay,” Quinn replied flippantly.
“Yes, you did,” he said to her before turning to glare at Chris. “If I were you, I wouldn’t laugh so much, you’re my partner.”
Chris’s laughter died down, but he continued to grin like an idiot. “No.” Quinn halted and turned to face him. “I told them you were Chris’s boyfriend.” Julian shot Chris a look when he began to laugh again. “Angie could be considered my girlfriend, but I’m not a lesbian. They jumped to the conclusion you were gay, and apparently, so did you. Is there something you would like to tell us about yourself?”
For the first time in years, Julian found himself completely speechless as she turned on her heel and walked away. Chris lifted his finger and pointed it at Quinn when she stopped to talk with Angie again. “I like her,” Chris managed to get out in between grating bursts of laughter. “I really like her.”
Chris didn’t acknowledge Julian’s glower at him. “I agree,” Melissa replied with a chuckle.
“Yeah, she’s a ball of sunshine and fun,” Julian muttered. “Or more like a thistle.”
Chris and Melissa almost tripped over themselves from laughing so hard when they started to walk with him toward Quinn and Angie. “She knows how to put you in your place,” Chris said.
“It’s about time someone did,” Melissa added.
“What did I ever do to you?” Julian protested. “After I stopped trying to kill you, of course.”
“I do remember something about someone being called Romeo,” she replied with a smile.
“I stand by my earlier assessment of Zachariah.”
“Zach,” she replied automatically.
“I’ve noticed you’ve backed off the poet too.”
“He’s a good guy, and he’s not really mushy like that, he was just teasing.”
“But?” Chris prodded.
“But nothing. I’ve known him for three days, can I know him a week before you two start questioning me on it.”
“Ok,” Chris agreed. “We’ll give you a week.”
“Thanks,” she muttered sarcastically.
“Anything for you,” Chris assured her as he draped his arm around her shoulders.
Quinn barely glanced at Julian when they stopped before her and her friends. Angie bit on her bottom lip; her admiring gaze raked him from head to toe. Julian instantly looked away from her when Quinn began to speak. “Angie says the four men who took off from here earlier were heading to the Mitchum’s place.”
“Then we should get going,” Julian said.
“It’s at someone’s house, they might not let you in,” Angie interjected.
Julian flashed her a smile. “There’s nothing I can’t get into.”
Angie giggled, “I believe it.” Quinn’s nose wrinkled, her upper lip curled before she pressed her lips flat in disapproval. “Why are you looking for those guys anyway?”
“One of them stole Chris’s wallet during the fight,” Julian answered.
“That’s awful!” Angie gushed. “But you can always find them some other time, maybe tomorrow.”
“Need my license,” Chris said. “And credit cards.”
Angie’s face fell. “Oh yeah.” She turned to Quinn. “You finally come out and you’re going to leave already.” Her gaze scanned over him again; she gave a little shrug. “I guess I can see why.”
“It’s not like that, Ang,” Quinn murmured. “I’m only trying to help out, and I know where the Mitchum’s place is.”
Angie’s head tilted to the side as she studied them all. “What happened to your friend from the other night?” she inquired.
Julian frowned questioningly as he turned toward Quinn. “Oh, Scully was just passing through town and could only stay for a couple of hours. We had a cup of coffee, and he went on his way.” Quinn’s words were flippant, but her eyes had hardened at the reminder of Scully. Stepping forward, Quinn gave Angie a hug. “We should get going.”
Before Angie could protest further, Quinn released her and hurried across the sand. “Have fun!” Angie called after them.
Quinn didn’t look back when she waved at her. “I’ll drive,” Julian offered when they got to the Jeep.
“Nope,” Quinn replied.
Chris shot him a look; he made an odd gesturing motion with his hand as his eyes pleaded with Julian to try again. Julian smiled at him before sliding into the passenger seat. Melissa and Chris both hesitated before reluctantly climbing into the backseat again.