Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations Read online

  “In the bedroom.”

  “Everyone?” he asked, shocked.

  “Yeah, now Momma and Papa had their own bed, but we shared one. All six kids.”

  “We are so spoiled now it’s not funny,” Kenneth mumbled.

  “I’m not going to argue,” she agreed. “But that way of life drove you to an early death, aging you fast.”

  “So at fourteen, were you considered an adult?”

  “Not really. When you turned sixteen, you could leave, but you always wanted your parents’ blessing,” she told him. Then she turned to him with a soft smile. “Papa was trying to set me up with Reginald O’Connell. His father was a rather strong lord and owned lots of land. Reginald always watched me at gatherings.”

  “So were teens the same then as they are now?”

  “Reginald was twenty,” she told him, and Kenneth stomped the brakes, pulling off the road to horns sounding behind him. Rolling down his window, he gave them the one-finger American salute.

  He turned to Besseta. “Your father was trying to fix you up with a twenty-year-old man?” he asked, trying to work that through his brain.

  “Yes, I had friends that married that young and knew a girl who married at twelve,” she told him.

  “To men?” he almost shouted.

  She reached over, patting his arm. “Kenneth, think in those times. Why would a family want their girl to marry a boy? He wasn’t established on a farm, and lords were training for war or learning how to rule. Most men didn’t marry till their late teens or early twenties. I didn’t think Reginald was too bad.”

  Kenneth just stared ahead for a few minutes then pulled back on the road. “If you would’ve been a princess, I guess it would’ve been okay,” he mumbled.

  She smiled and looked off. “To be honest, I just wanted to be able to sleep late once in a while. Not have to worry about food and not have to bring the damn pigs inside when it got cold.”

  “When did you come to America?” he asked.

  “The first time was around 1540. I had heard some Norseman talk about a far off land to the west, so I wanted to see it,” she told him.

  “Norseman?” he asked.

  “You would know them as Vikings,” she told him.

  “Wow,” he said.

  “You do realize I was over a hundred before Columbus made his sail?” she asked then laughed. “It was thirty years after he did it before I heard about it, and I was in Spain at the time.”

  Blown away, Kenneth just sat there with his mouth hanging open. She smiled and leaned over the console, resting her head on his arm. “The second time I came to America was the year before the War of Independence. I’m not going to lie; I came just to help fight the British. Then I really started liking the colonists with their idea of being free of a crown. For a year, I pretended to be a boy and just stalked the British lines.”

  In shock, Kenneth just mumbled, “Did you meet any of the founding fathers?”

  “Just a few and not formally. Just at parties or in passing. Let me tell you Benjamin Franklin was a womanizer like you can’t even imagine,” she snickered.

  “I’ve read that,” Kenneth said with his shock subsiding.

  Shaking her head, she said, “It doesn’t even come close.”

  “You went to parties?” he asked.

  “Ah, yeah. What, you think I just lived in caves, lying in wait for a criminal to walk by?” she asked, laughing. “It was the only way I could move about without attracting attention. I remained very visibly single just to present an easy target. I really liked it when my prey came to me and I didn’t have to go after them.”

  “Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

  “Yes,” she said in a stony voice, moving back to her seat.

  “Hey, I’m sorry,” he said quickly.

  Besseta let out a long sigh. “It’s not you,” she huffed. “I knew he was an ass but ignored it.”

  “Oh, so that really was true?” he asked, and she looked at him, confused. “Before you told me what you were, you said that you had a boyfriend a long time ago, but he was an ass.”

  “Yes, that was true,” she said regretfully.

  Kenneth took a deep breath. “Okay, who and where is he?”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I take it he’s a vampire, so I’m going to kick his ass or kill him. Anyone that treats you like an ass deserves no forgiveness,” Kenneth told her.

  “If you do that, they will try to kill us,” she said, getting worried at the look on Kenneth’s face.

  “So I’ll have to kill more,” he said, shrugging.

  Shaking her head, she said, “You are starting to get bloodthirsty.”

  “Are you going to tell me, or will I have to figure it out?” he asked.

  “Okay,” she said. “His name is Bereno, and he’s on the American League.”

  “Thank you,” Kenneth said with a smile. “So how did you meet?”

  “Kenneth,” she said, turning in her seat to face him. “I’ve seen TV shows; you’re not supposed to ask about old boyfriends, and I can see it in your face. I’m not talking about the ass because you’ll try to kill him.”

  He turned to face her and smiled. “I never try, Besseta, and you’ve asked about old girlfriends more times than I can remember.”

  “Yeah, and you tell me shit!” she snapped.

  “Fine, even trade,” he said. “Ask me.”

  “Who did you go out with two years ago?” she shot off really fast.

  “Corporal Jena Copper from traffic,” he answered. “How did you two meet?”

  “I was tracking down a band of cutthroats in Rome around 1551. They were killing when they didn’t have to when they robbed and kidnapped kids from parents for ransom and sent back the pieces if they didn’t pay,” she shot back. “How long did you two date?”

  “Six months?” he answered. “How long were you and Bereno together?”

  “We were never really ‘together,’” she said with air quotes, “but from the time I met him till I tried to cut his head off was twenty-one years,” she told him and saw him smile at that. “Why did you two quit seeing each other?” she asked.

  “I told you, girlfriends have always seen my work as competition, not as part of me,” Kenneth explained. “Now w—” he stopped.

  Looking at his face, she knew he wasn’t telling her something. “Bullshit, now why did you stop seeing her?” Besseta asked again.

  “See started seeing someone else,” Kenneth said. “H—” and stopped again.

  “Spit it out, or I burn the shirt,” she threatened.

  Sighing, he said, “I went over to her apartment and saw her and another man on the couch, and they weren’t watching TV.”

  “Where’s this bitch now?” Besseta asked with her cheeks getting red.

  “Besseta, I wasn’t paying her enough attention,” he tried to explain.

  “She still a cop?” Besseta asked with narrowed eyes.

  “Besseta, are you going to go after all the women in my life that slept with someone?”

  “Oh,” she said politely, “there’s more than one? Thank you, names please?” she asked with a cold smile.

  “Besseta, you need to quit. They didn’t understand my work was part of me,” he pleaded.

  “I did, and I loved that part of you, but we are getting off track. Names please?” she asked again.

  Glancing at her, Kenneth was actually worried she was about to knock the door off and go hunting. “I’ve only dated three women in my adult life,” Kenneth admitted.

  “Fascinating,” she droned. “Names?” she snarled. “Mickey and Maria know, don’t they?”

  “Hey, Maria almost went to jail when Mickey told her why Jena and I weren’t seeing each other anymore. She beat the shit out of her and literally pulled half Jena’s hair out,” Kenneth said.

  “Mickey didn’t get jealous?” Besseta asked, genuinely surprised.

  “Ah, no,” he coughed. “He’s the one that
drove her over to Jena’s. He said he couldn’t beat the shit out of a woman like that,” Kenneth admitted in a low voice.

  “I love those two,” Besseta grinned. Then the grin fell off. “I know how to find Jenna now. Who are the other two?”

  “Besseta,” Kenneth pleaded, and she just gazed at him. “One was in college, and the other seven years ago,” he said, hoping that was enough.

  “IN COLLEGE!” she screeched. Her breathing got deeper. “Before or after?” she asked, huffing and puffing.

  Keeping his eyes on the road, Kenneth stayed quiet but could feel his face getting warm from the glare Besseta was giving him. “Three months after.”

  “Fucking turn this car south! I’m dipping that bitch in acid!” she screamed, reaching for the steering wheel. Trying to keep her hands off the steering wheel, he hit the brakes harder this time, heading for the shoulder, and ignored the horn that blew beside them.

  When the car came to a stop, he tried to fight her hands, but she was many times stronger even in daylight. Besseta reached down, undid his seatbelt, and pulled him out of the seat into hers then climbed over, getting behind the steering wheel. Reaching over, Kenneth grabbed the keys. “Besseta, she has a family now!” he yelled.

  “Then they can watch the bitch die!” she yelled back, reaching for his hand.

  “Besseta, please,” he begged, and she kept coming, grabbing his hand and prying his fingers open one at a time. “Please, please, please stop,” he begged harder, and she held his wrist, leaving the last finger holding the key.

  “It better be good.” She glared at him.

  “Connie regrets it now. She even sent a letter apologizing for it,” he offered, and Besseta reached for the last finger. “Besseta, Connie isn’t worth you getting mad,” he said, reaching out and hugging her. “If she wouldn’t have done that, I wouldn’t have gotten you.”

  She let go of the last finger and felt his arm around her. “That is true,” she said. “But the bitch still needs to die,” she said quickly, grabbing the keys as a police siren sounded behind them. Kenneth looked back to see a patrol car with its lights on.

  Turning to Besseta, he saw she was putting the keys in the ignition. “We can’t outrun him,” Kenneth told her.

  “He’s not in a Jag,” she growled.

  “He has a radio,” Kenneth pointed out.

  Slowly, she took her hand off the key. “Get rid of him, or I will. I’ll knock him out and handcuff him to a tree ten miles in the forest,” she warned as an older officer came up to her window. Kenneth reached over and hit the window button on the center console.

  The officer bent down, looking in the open window. The look on Besseta’s face alone told a story that came close to making the officer step back. Looking over at Kenneth, the officer saw him shoot a pleading look at Besseta. “Sir, may I see you at the back of the car?” the officer told him and headed to the back of the car.

  “You have five minutes,” Besseta growled. Quickly getting out, Kenneth almost ran back to the officer.

  “Everything alright? I’m just checking since the next store is seventy miles away,” the officer told him.

  Holding up his left hand, Kenneth rolled his wedding band with his thumb. “Sorry, sir, but we’ve only been married for a little over two months, and she asked me about my exes. It seems she doesn’t like how they treated me and wants to know everything,” Kenneth explained.

  The officer looked back at the car then at Kenneth, who was still holding up his hand. “I’ve been married twenty-two years, and I’m going to tell you now. You tell them whatever they want to know, son. They will threaten to kill and beat the ones in your past, but it’s better your wife is mad at them and not you. When they act like they are going to follow through, jump in front of the car, and tell them it’s not worth it. You don’t want them doing something that will take them away from you,” the officer explained, and Kenneth caught, “When they act,” but he didn’t have a doubt in his mind Besseta would.

  Stepping closer, Kenneth said, “You, ah, sound like you’ve had firsthand experience.”

  “Yep, first year we were married. Wife grabbed a meat clever and headed for the door. I climbed under the truck and held on the axle so she wouldn’t leave. It got complicated after that, but she ended up staying home. You tell them everything they ask for so it doesn’t come out later. Just make sure your wife knows she’s the one that has you now and the only one you love,” the officer told him.

  Kenneth looked back at the car then his watch. “Does this happen in all marriages?” he asked.

  “Only in the ones that last forever,” the officer told him with a grin.

  Intrigued, Kenneth leaned closer. “Did you, ah, want to chase down the sack of shit that hurt her?” he asked in a low voice, hoping Besseta wouldn’t hear, but forgot Besseta could hear the officer’s thoughts easily along with Kenneth’s voice.

  “I caught the son of a bitch and beat the shit out of him,” the officer said proudly. “That’s the difference; we just want to beat the hell out of the ones that hurt them. Women want to come back with body parts.”

  Kenneth stuck out his hand. “Thank you more than you’ll ever know,” he said, shaking the officer’s hand. “You may want to leave because I’m about to try and climb under the car. That’s good advice.”

  “Only if you’ve told her everything,” the officer corrected.

  “Then I’ll tell her everything then climb under the car,” Kenneth said, making a mental checklist. The officer wished him luck and left. Taking a deep breath, Kenneth walked back to the car and climbed in. “Okay—”

  “I heard,” she interrupted. He was just glad she wasn’t breathing hard anymore, and he quickly spilled everything.

  “Besseta, I know I can’t stop you, but I’ll try. Not because I care for them but because I care for you. I don’t want you to live with that,” he told her.

  “I’m a vampire; I’ve killed for fewer reasons,” she droned. Taking a deep breath, Kenneth pushed his thoughts forward in his mind. Caught off guard, Besseta closed her eyes, feeling the thoughts of worry for her safety, mind, and soul if she did it. Slowly, she turned to him. “Okay, I won’t actively hunt Connie, but if I run across the bitch, I rip her arms off,” she compromised.

  “I’ll take that,” Kenneth smiled. He reached over and hugged her, feeling the tension leave her body. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m thrilled you care for me that much, but it’s in the past.”

  “You still going to go after Bereno?” she asked.

  “If I lie and tell you no, are we heading south?” he asked, and she softly chuckled.

  “Maybe,” she told him.

  “If he acts like an ass, I’m going to,” Kenneth admitted, “but you are better than me.”

  She leaned back, smiling. “No, you’re the best,” she told him. “We could just go off and kill our exes,” she threw out.

  “Well…” Kenneth thought. “Nah, that would take time away from us. Not that the thought doesn’t have merit. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” She smiled, and they kissed.

  “How about we go see your friend, and we can talk about our past without wanting to kill people?” he offered.

  “Sounds good,” she agreed, starting the car.

  As she pulled out, he said, “Damn, never heard ‘dip the bitch in acid.’”

  “Well, while you were talking with the cop, I got on my cell, looking for a supplier,” she admitted sheepishly.

  “I have to say, I think you and I are made for each other,” Kenneth confessed.

  “Damn well better be because I’ll never marry again.”

  Kenneth laughed. “You got that right. I found who I always looked for. You know when I first saw you I didn’t believe you were real.”

  A blush exploded on Besseta’s face. “I know,” she whispered. “I caught the one and only complete thought then; you thought I was an angel.”

  “And you are,” he said, reaching o
ver and grabbing her leg, and Besseta stopped the car.

  When they started back up, Kenneth moved the seat all the way back as she sat in his lap. They talked the entire way, laughing and sharing stories, cementing their paths in life together.

  Chapter 4

  In twenty-one hours, they came to the end of the road in British Columbia overlooking a tidal bay off the Pacific Ocean. They climbed out, and Kenneth looked over at Besseta. “Are you sure?” he asked. “We are still like eighty miles from the ocean.”

  “Yes, Tiffany doesn’t like company,” she said, walking around to the front of the car. “You still want to go?”

  “Hell yeah! I didn’t ride this far to not see your friend,” he said as he walked over to her, looking down the ravine to the bay. He then looked up to the dark, overcast sky.

  “You’re going to have to get on my back, or I’ll have to carry you. If we hike your way, it will take us a few days to get to her, and the babies will be out of food before we get back,” she told him.

  “You want to carry me or have me ride your back?” he asked with complete dignity.

  “I’ll carry you,” she said, picking him up. “I think your legs would get in the way of mine.”

  Kenneth was about to say something when the world sat on his body. He looked around to see Besseta had jumped off the ravine, way out and off. Fighting not to scream and wet his pants as the ground came rushing up, Kenneth tensed for impact. When he didn’t feel one, he relaxed as Besseta barely seemed to touch the ground, and they shot forward.

  The wind blasted against him, and he felt her arms tighten around him as his tightened around her neck. Feeling like he was standing behind a jet engine, Kenneth just kept his eyes closed and quit trying to open them. He could feel them going up and over mountains and Besseta jumping. He didn’t know what she was jumping over, but could tell when they went airborne.

  Then suddenly, Besseta came to a sliding stop. Kenneth opened one eye just to make sure it was okay then opened the other. They were in a small valley that opened to a much smaller bay, and he could smell the ocean. “We there?” he asked nervously.

  “Almost. We’re close enough she can smell us,” Besseta told him as she let him down.