I tapped the numbers one at a time with a shaking finger. There were ten in all, and I was glad when Georgina stopped her deadly count. She gently pulled me out of the way and pulled out a small leather bag. "Now it's my turn again. And you might want to look away in a moment.
Georgina pulled piece of putty from the bag and shoved it into the keyhole. She grabbed her hat and that was my cue to shut my eyes. I heard the rustle of cloth, the faint hiss, and then the cloth again. I risked a look and watched her grab the frozen putty that stuck out of the keyhole. She grabbed the flat end and turned it like a key. I heard a click and the door swung outward.
Georgina smiled and grabbed the edge of the door. "Perfect. We make a wonderful team."
"She is already taken."
Georgina and I started back. The door flew out of her hands and knocked against the wall. The open doorway revealed the interior of a lock box vault, and there, standing in the center of the room, was Simon.
My vampire lover stood as still as a statue. His hard, narrowed eyes glared at my companion.
Georgina gathered herself and coyly smiled at him. "I see. Now I understand why the manager was 'called away' so conveniently. I'd forgotten how fast you traveled when you were angry." I winced when she set her hands on my shoulders. "As for your little vampire here, I merely took her for some fun." Simon continued to glare at her. She stepped back and dragged me with her. "What? No witty banter? No quick retort?"
Simon's lips curled back in a snarl. "Release her."
Georgina laughed. "Come, come, Simon. I may have underestimated you once, but I'm not so stupid as to let my trump card go."
"You have nothing to gain from any further trouble," he told her.
Georgina scooted against me and shrugged. "You mean this little breaking and entering? It's nothing. I am after my box, after all," she pointed out. I felt the vibrations through the floor as a few of her werewolf thugs moved to stand behind us. Her eyes swept over him. "You, however, are another matter. I could say I'm doing the bank a favor by dealing with their pest problem."
One of the werewolves howled, but not as a war cry. It was a cry of pain. Georgina swung me around in time to watch a transformed Dolf bite into the second throat of one of her men. Certus, too, was in the fray swiping and punching at her minions. The cramped quarters gave the more agile pair the upper-hand, and they worked through the half dozen werewolves like they were humans.
Georgina grabbed my arms and dragged me into the vault. The door, of its own accord, slammed shut behind us, engulfing us in total darkness. I felt her hands tremble as she spun me around to face where Simon had stood. I couldn't make out if he was still there or not.
"Very funny, Simon!" Georgina called to the darkness. She shook me. "But you forget I still hold your little vampire, and she knows the truth you've been hiding from her."
His voice came from nowhere and everywhere. "What truth is that?"
Georgina shoved me in front of her like a shield and spun us in slow, jerky circles. "That you intended to allow her to die rather than risk her destroying you." There was no response. She leaned close to me. "He doesn't deny it, does he? Ask him to if he hasn't kept it from you."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Is it true?"
There was a long pause. "Yes."
Georgina laughed. "You see? He means to keep you for himself! He cares nothing about you!"
Simon's chuckle echoed from the darkness. "If you believe that, then release her." Georgina stiffened. I felt something brush against my shoulder. Simon's voice whispered into my ear. "But is that what you want? Freedom from me?"
"Shut up!" Georgina shrieked. She wrenched me backwards and I heard a heavy cloth drop to the floor. The hissing of snakes filled the room. I scrunched my eyes shut and cringed when she shoved my back against her chest. "Don't try to confuse her! She won't go with you!"
"You're shaking," Simon called.
Georgina clutched onto me like I was a raft and she a drowning woman. "Attack me and your little vampire will be stone in an instant!"
"You forget, Mistress of Snakes-" Simon pulled me from Georgina's shaky grasp and pressed me against his side. I clutched onto him and instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. "Your 'pets' must be able to see their target to turn them to stone."
Simon reached into his pocket and raised his arm. "Shut your eyes!"
I shut my eyes and pressed my face against his chest. Light pierced my eyelids. There was a horrific scream, and then silence. The light disappeared.
Simon's voice broke the stillness. "You may open them."
I peeked one open. The room was still perfectly black. "What happened?" I whispered.
"Georgina has met the same fate as her victims."
I squinted at the blackness. "How can you tell?"
The door to the vault swung open. Light streamed into the room and fell on a gray figure that stood in the middle of the room. It was Georgina, or what was left of her. Her body was now stone. Her face held a look of horror and her arms were half raised to cover her eyes. The snakes atop her head were frozen in mid-strike.
Certus and Dolf stood in the doorway. Dolf whistled through his long fangs. "That's one ugly statue."
Certus hurried forward, but Simon held up his hand with the palm facing outward. "I am unscathed."
Certus stopped and his eyes fell on me. "And my lady?"
I gave him a shaky smile. "I'm alive. Mostly."
Dolf jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Now that we've defeated the bad guy and her thugs, think we could get the fleece and get out of here?"
Simon swept his hand over the room. "You may search."
Dolf leapt into the vault and sniffed the walls full of tin boxes. He stopped at one large one and drew it off the shelf. "Got it. Now let's scram before the manager gets back."
CHAPTER 10
Simon led our group outside. The three vehicles that belonged to Georgina sat on the curb, but all their occupants were dead inside the bank. Simon's limo was parked around the corner.
Dolf stopped in front of the vehicle and held out the box. "Doc isn't going to like this, but I'd rather you hold this. I don't want to have to rescue this thing every month."
Simon took the box and tucked the box under one arm. I was wrapped in the other. "It will be stored in a more secure vault."
Dolf smiled and stepped back. "Good. I guess I owe you one for this."
Simon smiled and bowed his head. "Yes."
Dolf waved. "Well, call me when you need me. See ya." And with that he loped into the darkness.
Certus opened the limo door and we slipped in. I ignored my usual seat opposite Simon and went for the one beside him. He didn't argue as he tossed the box where I usually sat. Simon wrapped his arm over my shoulders and held me close. I leaned my head against Simon's side and closed my eyes. The car pulled away from the curb and drove away from that nightmare.
It was quiet until the curiosity inside me demanded a few answers. "Mind telling me how you managed to get into that vault?"
Simon chuckled. "The manager is a close acquaintance. I convinced him to let me remain in the vault and had Certus call him away before you arrived."
I glanced up at him and arched an eyebrow. "Isn't he going to be mad when he finds out what happened? We did steal somebody else's box."
Simon shook his head. "I have made sure he will not remember we were ever present and Certus has already taken care of the security system cameras."
I smiled and nestled myself back against his side. "Why did I even doubt you?"
"Did you truly doubt me?" he whispered.
My face fell. "You mean in the vault?"
"Yes."
I pursed my lips. "Were you. . .did you tell me the truth back there? If I killed you would I be human again?"
There was a look in his eyes. There was. . .sadness. "You would."
Horrible thoughts flashed through my mind. All I needed to do was whittle a stake out of a chair leg and-
"Your thoughts are most disturbing."
I leaned away from Simon and glared at his teasing expression. "I told you not to do that."
He shrugged. "Old habits die hard." The humor fled from his face as he studied mine. "But now that you know there is a way to be free of undeath, what will you do?"
I snorted. "Even if I did try to do something you'd kill me in a heartbeat."
"And if I proposed to do nothing?" he suggested.
I arched an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't you?"
His bright eyes gazed upon me with a soft, pained expression. "Do you believe I would kill you?"
I looked away and sank into the seat. "I don't know." A mirthless snort escaped me. "I've been thinking so long about what I'd do if I was human again, and now that I can do something about it I-" I looked up into his face and smiled, "-I don't think I want to do anything about it."
Simon cupped one of my cheeks in his palm and looked into my eyes. "Then you will stay with me?"
I gave him a sly smile. "That depends."
He arched an eyebrow. "On what?"
I leaned towards him and brushed my lips against his. "On whether or not you behave yourself."
He chuckled. "Would you wish for me to behave myself?"
I shook my head. "Nope."