"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as her fingertips came away bloody.
"I'm not surprised. I don't know what the devil he hit me with, but it felt like a sledgehammer."
"It was a rather large rock," Antonio said.
Tom looked up, frowning. "Who the hell are you?"
"No one of importance. I suggest you go to a doctor."
"I'm all right." Tom stared at the other man, his eyes narrowing. "You look familiar."
"Do I?" Antonio replied.
Tom lifted a hand to his head. "I'm sure we've met."
"You can figure it out later," Vicki said, taking a closer look at his injury. "I think Antonio's right. I think you might need some stitches."
Duncan lifted one hand to his head, wincing when his fingers hit the bump.
"You might have a concussion," Vicki said. "I'll… " She took a deep breath. "I'll drive you." She could think of a hundred things she would rather do than go out in the dark knowing a killer was out there, but what else could she do? She couldn't let Tom sit here and bleed to death on her sofa.
"No." The two men spoke simultaneously.
"I can drive myself," Tom said.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Vicki said. "I'll take you."
"We will both take him," Battista said. The tone of his voice indicated there would be no further discussion.
Vicki turned on the porch light, left lights burning in the living room, the kitchen, and her bedroom, and grabbed her purse.
By unspoken agreement, the two men put Vicki between them as they descended the porch stairs and made their way to where Tom had parked his car.
"I will drive," Battista said.
Tom climbed into the backseat, Vicki slid into the front seat. No one spoke on the drive to the hospital.
As had become her habit, Vicki kept looking over her shoulder, expecting and dreading what she might see. But there were no glowing yellow eyes staring back at her this time.
Battista pulled into the hospital parking lot a few minutes later. Exiting the car, he pulled the front seat forward and helped Duncan out of the backseat.
For a small town, Pear Blossom Creek boasted a modern hospital with all the latest equipment. A nurse in a crisp white uniform took one look at Tom Duncan's face, called for a wheelchair, and whisked him into an examination room.
Vicki crossed her arms over her br**sts. "I hate hospitals," she muttered.
Battista nodded, his senses inundated by the myriad odors of drugs and antibiotics, of sickness and death. And blood. Rich red blood pumping in the hearts of patients and doctors alike, plasma stored in neat plastic bags. A veritable smorgasbord for a thirsty vampire. He turned away from Victoria lest she see the hunger he knew must be burning in his eyes.
Vicki paced up and down the corridor. She had a decided aversion to doctors and hospitals. Both reminded her of the days and nights she had sat at her grandfather's bedside during the last days of his life.
The soft shush-shush of leather-soled shoes heralded the return of the nurse.
"How is he?" Vicki asked.
"His condition is good, but the doctor wants to keep him overnight to make sure he doesn't have a concussion. He can go home in the morning."
"Can I see him?"
"Yes, if you like, but he's asleep."
"Oh." Vicki glanced at Battista, then looked back at the nurse. "Well, just tell him I'll call him in the morning, then."
"I will. And don't worry, he'll be fine."
"Thank you."
Turning away, Vicki headed for the door. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Antonio was behind her, surprised to find him right on her heels. It was a mystery how he moved so noiselessly in those boots when a nurse wearing soft-soled shoes could be heard walking in the corridor.
She stopped at the door, her gaze darting right and left through the glass.
Antonio opened the door and stepped out into the night, then turned and offered her his hand. She took it, grateful for his presence.
Antonio opened the car door for her. She checked the backseat before getting inside.
"He is not here," Battista said, getting behind the wheel.
"How do you know?"
He put the key in the ignition and started the engine. "I know."
She stared at him a moment, then locked her door. She hated being afraid like this. She had never thought of herself as a coward before, but she felt like one now, afraid of the dark, afraid of staying home alone after the sun went down.
She slid a glance at Antonio. He looked relaxed and confident, sitting there with one hand on the wheel. But then she noticed the taut muscle along his jaw, the way his gaze was constantly moving as he checked the road ahead and behind, peering into the darkness on both sides of the street.
"There was another murder." The words erupted from her throat, unbidden.
Battista nodded.
"He did it, didn't he? That thing with the yellow eyes?"
Battista nodded again.
"I guess he's going to stick around until there aren't any redheads left in town," she remarked, hoping he would deny it.
"I will not let him hurt you."
"What about Suzie Collins and Rhonda McGee? Can you defend them, too? And what about the women in nearby towns like Woods Hollow, and Pine Crest? There's bound to be some redheads in those places. And in all the other towns hereabouts. Can you protect them all?"
"I cannot save the world, Victoria."
"Can't you make him stop?"
"There is only one way to stop him."
"Can you do it?"
"I can try."
"You told me you weren't a vampire hunter," she said accusingly. "But you are, aren't you? Like Tom?"
"I am not." Battista made a sound of disgust in his throat. "I had heard he was one of the best, but from what I saw tonight, I am surprised he has lived as long as he has."
"He was trying to protect me."
"He cannot protect you from a hospital bed," Battista said gruffly, then added, in a softer tone, "I am all the protection you need."
Vicki stared at him. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn he sounded a trifle jealous.
She was still toying with that surprising thought when Battista pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. He exited the car, then made a slow circle around the vehicle, reminding her of a wild animal testing the wind for danger.
She rolled down the window. "Is he here?"
"No."
She wanted to ask him how he knew that with such certainty, but she was suddenly afraid of the answer.