The small ranch-style house sat in the middle of a row of similar unassuming houses in the better part of town, from what Elliott could tell, if there was a better part of town in Pryor, Oklahoma. Driving in, he’d notice there wasn’t much about this tiny village to get too excited about.
Brandon said his mom usually got home from her job at the nursing home around 5:30, a little later if she stopped by the liquor store on the way, which Brandon noted was pretty much every afternoon. A glance at the time on his IAC told him she should be pulling into the driveway any minute now.
“Tell you?” Amanda echoed, her tone not nearly as calm as his. “Tell you? Why? So you could come and take him? Steal him away from me in the middle of the night?”“You know I’d never do that,” Elliott said, not taking her bait, not yet, anyway. An argument was brewing, but he’d weather the storm. For now.“How do I know that?” she s
Cassidy Findley sat alone on the top of the trainee apartment building in a comfortable wicker chair with thick pillows Brandon Keen, her boyfriend of about three weeks, had set up for her here. She decided that the higher the elevation, the nearer the atmosphere, the quieter, the more alone she felt, the better her chances of feeling into the darkness to see what she could discover. It was more than a little comforting, however, to know that he was just on the other side of the door that led back into the building, should the process freak her out.Her older sister Cadence had asked her a few
Elliott called the elevator with his IAC, boarded it, and waited for it to reach his floor, his mind still going over the conversation he’d had with Amanda. He honestly wasn’t too surprised at her reaction to seeing him, though he had hoped she’d take some time to think about things and at least decide to get help for her addiction.He walked into his apartment and was immediately surprised to see his son there. After living here for forty years alone, having a roommate was taking some getting used to. Brandon was pacing back and forth in front of the sofa where Cassidy was s
“Yeah, well, I didn’t have to cry like a little wussy baby either.” Brandon folded his arms.“Yes, three tears makes you a little wussy baby.” Cassidy rolled her eyes and slipped her arms around his waist. Her head came to just beneath his chin, and holding her in that position had become a bit of a security blanket for him. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind with his dad coming back from the dead and Cassidy moving to headquarters. Most of it was good, but when episodes like this newest one with his mom, which had also evolved to involve his dad, occurred, p
The sun was long gone below the horizon when two black SUVs inconspicuously pulled along the side of a dirt road a few miles away from I-49, still a good mile’s walk from their final destination but far enough away not to attract any unwanted attention from the residents of SouthWest Moe’s RV Park and Campground. Cadence had wondered if Moe was just a clever take on the abbreviation for the state of Missouri until she saw the website and realized the owner was an older fellow by the name of Moe Wilson whose parents may have had an affinity for slapstick and eye-poking. She wondered if he had any brothers named Larry or Curly.
Aaron continued to look at her questioningly for a second before he shifted his gaze back to the short field of high grass before him that ended at the tree line. “Okay—everyone know where you’re headed?”Answers came back from various team members. Aurora and Shane would head around to the very far side of the RV park, taking a wide entry angle so as not to be seen. Cadence was elated that Aaron had split Shane and Meagan up. They did not work well together. The making of the googly eyes at each other seemed to interfere with the Vampire hunting significantly.
Cassidy likely wasn’t too happy about that answer, but Cadence didn’t hear another peep out of her.“I think they know something’s going down,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot of heads popping up, looking around.”“Then let’s go get them,”
Looking over her shoulder, Cadence noticed Jamie reached down and retrieved his stake, something she didn’t even know any of the team was carrying anymore, before he leaned back against what was left of a dresser. She figured he just needed a minute, and then he’d be with them.It appeared to her that the situation in the other RV, with Hannah and Meagan, was under control, now that Elliott and Brandon were in there. Aaron had entered a small trailer on the other side of that one, and she headed that direction just as he was backing out the door, something she thought was unusual,