Hunting Tess by Kathryn Summers (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

one that has the best possibility of getting us out alive.

“Rule number one,” I instruct calmly, keeping my voice low and reassuring. There is no way these two killers will let Nathan go unmolested. The safest place for him now is with me.

Taking everything with minimal confusion considering the strange turn of events our date has taken, he starts to stand before a hand clasps his shoulder holding him in place.

“There’s no need for your boyfriend to go so soon,” Dmitri purrs, applying enough pressure to make Nathan wince.

“Aren’t there rules or something about your kind causing a scene?” I ask casually while slipping on my jacket. Racking my mind on what I know about their rules, I’m sure one of them entails staying under the radar. Otherwise their existence would be more than myth and people wouldn’t be so careless. But if there isn’t such a rule, it’s a good idea to move where less innocent people will get hurt.

“Are you willing to take the chance?”

“Why do you think I’m putting on my jacket? It’s not because I’m cold.”

Taking Nathan’s arm out from Dmitri’s grip, I tug him to my side as we snake around the occupants unaware of the possible bloodbath about to go down. The parking lot shares its space with several other establishments making it difficult to stab these monsters through the heart without getting the cops called on me.

Handing Nathan my car keys, or rather forcefully shoving them into his hands, I tell him to get in the passenger side and lock the doors behind him.

Viktor moves to intercept Nathan when I shove my hand against the creature’s chest. “Didn’t anyone tell you that stalking is rude.”

Gauging the parking lot, my stomach plummets when several others take interest in the exchange happening. But not so much of a ‘let’s break up this fight’ interest as ‘this is the girl we came for’.

“Yes, the same ones who said life is fair,” Viktor sneers. “See how well that worked out?”

I wait exactly three seconds before punching him in the face. Dmitri moves to put me in a choke hold so I duck under his arms and knee him in the groin. Leaping over my car I use the privately designed finger print setting on the handle to jump inside. Slamming the door behind me, I push a little red button saved for emergencies such as these.

Metal shifts like a lock clinking into place just as the Dmitri rams into Nathan’s window. The specialized glass paid off. I’ll have to thank my parents.

Revving the engine to life, I hit the gas and both Nathan and I hit the back of our seats. Quickly glancing over I make sure Nathan is wearing his seat belt. Just in case. Viktor jumps in front of the car, probably hoping to slow us down since I can’t veer around him without scraping against other parked cars. The only logical step, in my mind, is to speed up.

Grinning when he goes rolling over the windshield, I realize I probably look insane and might still get the cops called.

“Who was that? What is going on?” Nathan asks panicked. Though to be fair I did just run a something over with my car.

“Rule number two,” is all I say. Ten minutes. He has to give me ten minutes before I respond to his questions, which I’m sure are plentiful and ones I wish I did not have to answer. But I made the choice to go out. He will, unfortunately, deal with those consequences.

“Call Leo,” I instruct the car.

I would much rather keep this conversation as private as possible, but with the enemy hot on my tail I need both hands free in case I need to punch through a window.

My heart hammers through my chest from the short scuffle and I tightly clench the steering wheel to keep from bouncing in my seat. I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunity to burn off this excess energy. After the third ring Leo picks up.

“What’s up, Samantha?” he asks, someone laughing in the background.

“There are eight in pursuit and I’m bringing them to you.”

Any humor in his voice vanishes. “How close?”

Checking the rearview mirror, I expect to see bodies leaping from the darkness to attack my car. It takes half an hour to reach his secluded home buried in the foothills. “Fifteen minutes.” My foot hits the gas as I merge onto the freeway, bypassing a slow white minivan with a blue light glowing from within, highlighting the face of a child watching something on a tablet.

“We’ll be ready,” Leo says before a click ends the call.

Though one of Leo’s expertise lies in obtaining special weapons, it is not the main reason I’m bringing at least eight angry monsters to his front door. His home, as opposed to my apartment, will be well-fortified with silver and other artilleries. I’m lucky to have met him, and it doesn’t hurt that he has two older brothers with a very special skillset.

The car amplifies the ring from the next call I make.

“Tess, honey, what a nice surprise! We weren’t expecting a call for another couple of days.” The sound of my mother’s voice nearly brings me to tears and I wish I was home curled up on the couch with her instead of driving in the night.

I feel Nathan’s eyes burning into me with angry, unspoken questions. For the last three years I have been going by Samantha Wigg since Tess Addams is supposed to be dead, but now my cover is blown.

“You and dad need to leave.” My throat tightens as I say the words and I wish for the umpteenth time they had moved after I left. It would have been harder to track them down.

“You sound funny. Are you okay?” my mom asks in her comforting voice before calling for my father whose lumbering steps come through clearer the closer he gets.

“Who is it?” I hear him ask before my mother answers.

“Alright honey, what’s wrong?”