Five minutes later, he flicked off the van’s lights and loosened the cord around the top of the pouch before slipping it and the taser into his pocket. His cricket pads creaked against his shins as he wrapped the chain around his left hand. He picked up the loaded gun and torch from his lap and opened the door.
The old wooden cross dangling from the rear-view mirror, left by the van’s previous owner, swung back and forth as Tommy inched himself out into the night. He leaned in, grabbed the cross and looped it over his head. It slipped beneath the bulletproof vest he’d also bought from Psychotic Phil and had put on earlier underneath his sweatshirt. He wasn’t religious, he wasn’t fighting vampires, but somehow the cross gave him a glimmer of comfort.
He took a deep breath and headed towards the dark farmhouse.
“I’m coming for you, Paul. You’d better not be fuckin’ dead.”
LIAM’S HAND SHOT OUT. His damp fingers found the light switch and bright light filled the room.
“Beccy?”
She crouched in the doorway shielding her eyes from the sudden burst of light.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I had to pee and get a drink. I dropped my towel.” She scooped up her towel and held it against her pyjama clad body.
“That’s okay. I...er.” Liam hesitated, trying to wrap his head around the golden eyes he’d seen glowing in the moonlight. “I wasn’t asleep.”
Still covering her eyes, she stood up.
“Come here,” Liam said and sat up in bed.
She tiptoed across the room, all the time looking away.
“Beccy,” Liam said gently, “look at me.”
She shook her head. Tangled locks of dark hair slipped over her shoulders.
“Look at me,” he repeated.
She slowly turned her head and met his eyes. Liam sucked in his breath.
“Your eyes, they’re stunning.”
She looked away, but Liam reached up and cupped her cheek, turning her face back.
“I’m serious. They are the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen.”
Beccy gave a faint smile.
“You don’t believe me, but I wouldn’t lie to you.” He took her hand and pulled her gently to the bed. “How? I mean, why?”
“Contact lenses.” She picked at her towel as she spoke. “People find our eyes unsettling. You know the superstition about yellow eyes...so we hide them. It’s easier that way. Stops the strange looks.”
Lines appeared on Liam’s forehead as he digested her words.
“Sit.” He tapped the covers. She perched on the edge, hugging the towel. “Our eyes?”
“It runs in our family. My aunt has the same weird colour. So did my mum and grandmother.”
“Okay. Next question. What superstition?”
“You know the one—if you stare in yellow eyes, you’ll be dead before sunrise.”
Liam’s frown deepened. “I’ve never, ever heard that before.”
Beccy shrugged. “Everyone knows it round my way.”
“Well, you’re not up in Sandborn now. When you’re with me, I don’t ever want to see you hide those beautiful eyes again.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Liam took a deep breath. “The only problem is...you’ve just made it a hundred times harder for me to keep my hands off you.”
Beccy looked up at him coyly. Her amber eyes sparkled mischievously behind thick dark lashes. Even the mascara smudges around her eyes didn’t distract from the mesmerizing pull they had on Liam
“Perhaps you don’t need to keep your hands off me. I am only here for two more days.”
Liam closed his eyes. It was the only way he could say the word, “No.” He took a deep breath and waited until his thumping heart had quietened. “How’s your head?”
“Fuzzy...and a bit woozy.”
“See? We wait and do this right. Besides...” He gave her a sly grin. “You have to earn your reward, and hiding those eyes from me deserves a punishment, don’t you think?”
She stuck out her bottom lip and nodded slightly.
“Go over to that box in the corner and open it.”
Liam watched the soft material of her satin pyjamas glide over her curves as she walked over to the carboard box and pulled open the flaps. She lifted out a long coil of rope and looked over her shoulder at him with a huge grin.
“It’s jute rope. The best for what I have planned. Now go to bed and fall asleep thinking about what that might be. Get a good rest.”
The rope fell back into the box with a thud, and Beccy walked over to the door. She looked over her shoulder and spoke in a voice that could have turned sugar into caramel. “Goodnight, Master.”
“Goodnight, Rebecca.”
When Liam heard her door shut he dropped his head and let out a long gush of air. It was going to be a long night.
Friday, 29th January
Moon Visibility: 100%
Full Moon
Chapter Six
THE COMFORTING SMELL of freshly baked bread filled the apartment. Liam heard the bathroom door close and switched on the gas under the saucepan. In between stirring the scrambled eggs, he made two cups of coffee and slid one across to Beccy when she appeared a few minutes later.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?”
Beccy perched herself on the kitchen stool, straightened her pyjama top, and scratched her messy tangle of dark hair.
“Don’t ever let me mix my drinks like that again,” she grumbled and slid her mobile next to her mug. “Can I charge this up somewhere? I’m on 4%”
Liam removed the cable from his Samsung and plugged in her phone. “Drink your coffee. You’ll feel better. I’m making your favourite—scrambled eggs on toast.”
A faint smile appeared on her face. “Thank you, I think. What time is it?”
“Nearly ten.”
“Sorry I slept so late. Have you been up long?” she got up and walked over to Liam. “Could I get a glass? I’m really dehydrated.”
Liam took a tumbler out of the cupboard and handed it to her. “I’ve not been up too long.” That was true, but he hadn’t had much sleep either. His libido had kept on conjuring up a popup book of Things I’d Like to Do with Rebecca and insisted he keep flicking through its X-rated pages.
She filled the glass from the tap and glugged it back in one go. Water slipped from the corner of her mouth and trickled down her chin.
“I needed that,” she gasped and put the glass on the counter.
Liam turned her shoulders towards him and gently wiped the water with his thumb. His stomach lurched as bleary, amber eyes stared back. A slight pink glow rose in her cheeks and her lips parted. Liam couldn’t hold back any longer. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.
A tingling charge shot from his lips, down to his stomach and exploded in his groin. He pulled her closer. The warmth from her soft body enveloped his senses and made his head spin. Her lips pushed back against his until Liam felt time had frozen into one delicious intoxicating moment. She titled her head back as Liam ran a trail of kisses down her neck.
“Something’s burning,” she murmured.