The doctor okayed Vicki's release the next morning. As soon as she knew she could leave, she called Bobbie Sue and asked if she'd mind driving her home, and if she would please stop off at her house and bring her something to wear since all she had was her bloody Tinkerbell costume, which she intended to get rid of as soon as possible. Once she had a ride home, Vicki asked the nurse to distribute the roses Antonio had sent her to some of the patients who didn't have any friends or visitors, all except for the dozen he had given her personally.
Now she sat on the bed, waiting for a nurse to bring her a wheelchair. Bobbie Sue sat beside her, idly thumbing through an old magazine.
After a few minutes, Bobbie Sue tossed the magazine aside. "So, where are you and Antonio going?"
"He has a house somewhere in Maine. We're going there. Should be interesting," Vicki said with a grin. "It's supposed to be haunted."
Bobbie Sue stared at her. "You're going to a haunted house with a vampire? Have you lost your mind, hon?"
"I know what I'm doing," Vicki assured her.
"You don't sound all that convinced to me," Bobbie Sue retorted "Are you sure you know what you're doing? He's a vampire, Vicki. It's not like he just thinks he's one, you know.
He really is, and they kill people."
Vicki took Bobbie Sue's hands in hers. "I love him, Bobbie. What else can I do?"
"Sakes alive, hon, I can think of a lot of things that would be smarter!"
"I know, so can I."
"Where is this house of his?"
"I'm not sure. Somewhere on the coast. He said it's a castle."
"A haunted castle on the coast of Maine?" Bobbie Sue asked incredulously. "How Stephen King can you get? Are you sure you won't change your mind and come and stay with me?"
"I'm sure. And no matter what Tom says, I'm sure he'd rather I didn't stay there."
Vicki stood as the nurse appeared in the doorway. "Let's go, Bobbie Sue. I've got a lot of packing to do when I get home."
Chapter 25
Vicki stood in the middle of the living-room floor. It seemed like years had passed since she had been home last. After putting the roses in a vase, she went through the house and opened all the curtains and the window in the kitchen.
She was going to miss this place. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she told herself she wasn't leaving Pear Blossom Creek forever— just for a few weeks, until Dimitri Falco was no longer a threat— but she couldn't shake the feeling that her life was about to undergo a major change, and that she would never live in this house or in this quiet town again.
Shaking off her feelings of doom and gloom, she went upstairs and took a long, hot shower, washing away the antiseptic smell of the hospital. She slipped into a pair of comfortable sweats, pulled her suitcase off the top shelf of the closet, and began to go through her clothes, trying to decide what to take and what to leave. Figuring a castle in Maine would probably be cold and drafty this time of year, she packed mostly jeans and sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. She added a few dresses, a warm nightgown and robe, slippers, underwear, several pairs of shoes, and a pair of fur-lined boots. She packed her toiletries in a small bag, added her camera, a portable CD player and her favorite CDs, and the book Bobbie Sue had given her. She called the utility company and left a message on their answering machine, informing them she would be going on vacation and to please turn off the gas, electricity, and phone until further notice starting the day after tomorrow. She started to write a note to the mailman, but stopped when she realized she didn't have a forwarding address. She would have to ask Antonio about that later.
In spite of her repeated assurances to herself that there was nothing to worry about, she grew increasingly nervous as the day wore on.
She spent an hour on the phone with her sister and her mother, then drove over to see Mrs. Heath.
" Victoria, dear!" Mrs. Heath said, taking Vicki's hands in hers. "I've been so worried about you."
"Worried? Why?"
"Well, dear, you know how rumors spread in a town this size." Mrs. Heath placed a hand over her heart. "Now, dear, I know it's none of my business how you conduct your social life, but land sakes, child, what were you thinking?"
Perplexed, Vicki said, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
Mrs. Heath cupped her hand to Vicki's ear and whispered, "Bondage."
"Bondage!" Vicki stared at the other woman. "I'm not doing anything like that. Where on earth did you hear such a thing?" she asked, but of course she knew. You couldn't keep a secret in Pear Blossom Creek. The fact that she'd been wearing manacles when she was admitted to the hospital must be all over town by now.
"At the market this morning. It was all anyone could talk about."
Vicki groaned softly. Before nightfall, her reputation would be in shreds. Bondage, indeed! "Mrs. Heath, you've got to believe me— "
"Now, dear, you don't have to explain anything to me, but, well, and this is none of my business, have you been to confession lately?"
"Mrs. Heath, I swear to you, there's nothing like that going on, honest. It's all a misunderstanding. It was Falco. He kidnapped me and imprisoned me in that old house down by the Hollow."
Mrs. Heath sat down on the stone bench, her face going pale. "Oh, my dear! Thank the good Lord that you're all right. You haven't told anyone about him, have you?"
"No, I didn't think anyone would believe me."
"You're so right." Mrs. Heath blew out a deep breath. "I tried to tell people what had happened to me. No one believed a word I said. I had no proof, of course. My father threatened to send me to a convent if I didn't stop telling such outrageous stories. My mother took to her bed. I knew right then that when the truth was ugly, people didn't want to hear it."
For a moment, Vicki was tempted to confide in Mrs. Heath, to tell her about Antonio, but she quickly decided against it. The woman would only worry more if she knew there were two vampires in town instead of one.
Vicki was about to take her leave when ten-year-old Jimmy Hernandez came running down the street, crying incoherently.
"Jimmy," Vicki called, "what's wrong?"
"Body!" Slowing, he stopped in front of her, panting hard. "My dad… We were fishing…
He found a body… near the lake. He sent me… to find Officer Williams."
Vicki glanced at Mrs. Heath, then looked back at Jimmy. "Do you know who it… who it was?"
Jimmy nodded. "Miz Collins," he said, and ran down the street toward the police department.
" Victoria, dear, I think it's time you got out of town."
"Yes," Vicki said. "I think you're right."
Another murder. Another girl drained of blood, her body discarded in a ditch like an empty cup. It was all Vicki could think of while she paced the floor, waiting for the sun to go down. Waiting for Antonio.
She practically jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang. " Victoria?"
"Antonio!" Remembering how Falco had imitated Antonio's voice, she peered out the window to find him looking back at her. Vampires can change their shape. She paused with her hand on the door knob. "How do I know it's you?"
"Search your senses. They will tell you."
"How do I do that?"
"Open your mind. Think of me, of the kisses we have shared."
She did as he said and knew without doubt that it was Antonio standing on her porch.
She could feel his essence, unlike that of anyone else. Smiling, she opened the door.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes. Did you hear about… about Suzie Collins?"
"Yes." A muscle worked in his jaw.
"I feel like such a coward, running away like this."
Antonio drew her into his arms. "I am the coward," he said, his breath fanning her cheek. "I fear I cannot protect you here, and I cannot abide the thought of losing you."
He gestured at the luggage she had stacked beside the door. "Is that everything?"
"Yes, except for my coat and pocketbook."
"Let us go, then." He gathered the bags under one arm, then held out his hand.
"Just let me get my keys."
"You will not need them."
"No?"
"No." He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close against him.
"Relax."
"How can I relax when I don't know what you're going to do?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Close your eyes and trust me, my sweet one."
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She experienced a sense of movement, as if she were flying, a sudden queasiness in the pit of her stomach, followed by a feeling of weightlessness, as if she had left her body behind.
"Are you all right?" His voice sounded in her ear.
"I don't know. Am I?" Opening her eyes, she glanced at her surroundings, murmured, "Oh my," when she saw the castle. It sat on a verdant hill, looking almost iridescent in the moonlight. A long curving driveway stretched away from the front of the house.
There were trees everywhere, all heavy with fall foliage. The air was thick with the scent of rain, damp earth, and moss.
"Welcome to my home," Antonio said.
Taking her by the hand, he led her up the stone steps. The door opened as if by magic.
Candles sprang to life, lighting their way through a narrow foyer tiled in black and gray and into a large parlor with vaulted ceilings and tall, leaded windows. Tapestries hung on three of the walls, depicting a variety of hunting scenes. Other than that, there were no pictures or decorations in the room. The furniture was heavy and dark. A massive stone fireplace, the mantel higher than the top of her head, took up most of the fourth wall. A fire sprang to life in the hearth.