Page 37 of Graced
“Uhh, yes.In the office.”
“Call him.He wants me to ask you to call him.He’ll tell you the same thing I just did.”
Her eyes narrowed.“He’ll tell me he’s a vampire?”
“Miss Lockhart, Welsh is going to show up sometime soon because Rhyne found out the color sight doesn’t last.And when Welsh finds out, he’s going to come after you!”Releasing her, Norris shook his hands in frustration.“Even if you don’t believe me, you gotta get away from here before Welsh finds you!”
“And you know Welsh is on his way here?Now?”
“Well, maybe not right now.”
“Then let me go clock in,” she firmly said and walked past him.
Norris followed her as they went in via the rear employee entrance, swiping their badges before the door unlocked to allow them inside.He remained inside and out of the way as she dumped her purse inside her assigned locker.
“Morning, Norris!”a voice chirped behind him.Susan strode up with a smile and a little wave as she disappeared into a back room.Down the short hallway he spotted Marcia already at the front desk.
Grace walked past him again, this time going up to join Marcia.Realizing she wasn’t taking his warning to heart, Norris slipped out the back and exited the building.Once he was outside and out of earshot, he pulled out his cell phone and called Rhyne.The man answered almost immediately.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to call.”
“She doesn’t believe me,” Norris flatly stated.
There was some slight hesitancy.“She doesn’t believe…what?What did you tell her?”
“I told her Welsh was going to come looking for her, and she had to leave the hospital and find a place of safety.”
“Where is she now?”
“She clocked in.She’s here at work.”
“Did you explain to her why it was urgent?”
“I told her…some stuff about you guys.”
“Like what?What else did you tell her?”
Steadying himself, Norris confessed.“Everything.I told her about you and Welsh and Nash.I told her you guys were vampires.Real vampires.”
The explosion he’d expected never came.Instead, Rhyne urged him to continue.
“I told her about you drinking the AB negative blood, and how it gave you color sight.And when Welsh somehow got a taste of her blood, how it gave him color sight, too.”
“She didn’t question you about that?About the color sight?”
“No.She just gave me that look.You know, the one that tells me I’m either making it all up, or I’ve gone off my rocker.So I told her you wanted her to call you.I don’t know if she will, but now I’m starting to doubt myself.Will Welsh really try to kidnap her?”
“He’s already told me and Nash what he plans to do.He’s invited another nest to come down, and he’s going to serve them some of her blood.Actually, he’s going to charge them for it.He plans to make money off of her.He even told us our basement might be an ideal location to keep her captive.That way, she can scream all she wants because no one will hear her.”Rhyne’s tone was bitter, but his words were terrifying.
“Rhyne, I don’t know what to do,” Norris declared.“She won’t leave, and I don’t think I can say anything more to convince her to.”
“I’m on my way there now,” Rhyne informed him.“Just hang around until I get there, okay?”
“What are you going to do?”
“Maybe she’ll listen to me,” Rhyne replied.“If she’s determined to stay, I might have to stand guard outside the hospital… Hold on.I’m getting another call.Don’t hang up.”
There were a few beeps, and the line went silent.Norris took that opportunity to walk around to the front of the hospital.He’d reached the front entrance when Rhyne returned.
