“He’s in bad shape.”
Ned used some choice expletives I’d get into trouble writing down. He wheezed. “Sorry about your mom.”
“Me too.”
Vince arrived at the top of the stairs and tossed Ned more blood. “What was that about Coral?”
“She’s gonna have that slumber party, right? It’s tonight.” Ned slurped blood.
I crossed my arms. “I doubt it.” I started punching in Dad’s cell number.
“She doesn’t have a choice. It’s an obey-the-head-vampire thing. Larissa wants her to. She will. They want you, Abby.”
I waited for the ringing. It went to voicemail. Why did it go to voicemail? Where was my father? “Too bad. I’m not going.”
“Darn right, Abby.” Ned stood up. “I need the two of you to stay here. Better yet, go to Vince’s. Vince, tell Charlie—your dad—what’s going on. Sit tight.”
“That sounds like you’re not going with us,” Vince said.
“I’m not. I’m the last vampire standing.” Ned held his midsection together.
“Ned, you’re outgunned.”
“If I was Larissa, I would think I’m too scared to come back. Surprise is on my side.” He tossed back the last bag of blood. “I mean it. Go home, Vince. Watch Abby. Neither of you do anything stupid.”
“Ned,” Vince said, “wait.”
Ned was out the door.
My phone blasted music into the air. I popped it up to my ear. “Dad, it’s Abby—”
“It’s not Dad.”
Crap. “Hello, William. I’m going to need to change this number.”
“Aren’t you coming tonight?”
“Sorry, no. What with you being an evil vampire jerk and all.”
Vince’s eyes were shooting daggers. Not really shooting, but I’d read that phrase in an old Goosebumps book somewhere.
“Everyone else is here,” said William.
“Everyone?”
“Yup. Coral, Marty, lots of Wolcroft girls.”
“Okay,” I said. “I guess I’m gonna need to get my toothbrush.” I closed the phone and looked at Vince.
“I need to go get Marty.”
“Ned is doing that.”
“Ned is the perfect decoy for me getting the slumber party out.”
“I don’t think—” Vince began.
“I have to do this,” I said. “Vince, I don’t know where my dad is. He’s not answering his phone. What if they have him too?”
“I don’t think you should do this alone,” Vince said. “Let’s get a few things from your dad’s stash, Abby. Before we go. This is what I wanted to do tonight anyway.”
“Sure,” I said. “I need you for backup.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Pillow Fights from the Crypt
We stopped at my house, empty because Dad was at the hospital. Once again Vince and I were off the grid, and Vince’s mom and dad would be worried about us. This time around, I wasn’t an idiot. I kept trying to call Dad. He wasn’t picking up. Vince ditched his phone at Mr. Christopher’s. I didn’t say anything.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they are on their own, and those moments are the ones that tell you what kind of person you’re going to be. The difference between going after Ned three weeks ago, and going to rescue my friends? Now, I had the good sense to be scared. I wasn’t going to waltz into a vampire lair and save the day, but there was no way that I was going to let William and Larissa Bathory hurt my friends. They’d already done enough to Mom and Mr. Christopher. It was down to me and Vince.
At home, I found Dad’s phone on the kitchen table. I wasn’t sure what that meant. I handed it to Vince. Maybe Dad had forgotten his phone? He certainly had enough on his mind. Still, if they had him, I wasn’t taking any chances.
“I’m going to walk right up to the front door and I’m going to ask them to let me in,” I said.
“Because that’s a surefire way to get killed.”
“They don’t want to wipe me out. I bet Larissa wants to do something that’s going to make Mom and Dad more miserable. Like turn me into a vampire. You, William hates you.”
I unlocked Dad’s special trunk and pulled out his crossbow and its silver quarrels. I know he wanted to take it to the hospital, but he couldn’t, so he was relying on more subtle means to protect Mom. Holding it made me feel like I was taking my family with me. Besides, I wanted to put on a good show. I closed the lid of the trunk and tried to get some of my confident groove back. “I’m going in. I’m rescuing Marty and anyone else who needs rescuing.”
“Not alone,” Vince said.
“Yes, alone. I’m expected, and I’m not in as much danger as you if I go in.”
“If your theory is right, you think becoming a vampire isn’t much danger?”
“It’s working for Ned, right?”
Vince crossed his arms. “Not. Funny.”
“Vince, we can be leveraged against one another. I have enough to worry about with Marty and whoever else is there. It’s not glamorous, but we do need the cavalry. Someone has to get Mr. Christopher the help he needs. We can’t abandon him. Start with your parents. Find my dad, if you can.” I hoped he was at the hospital. I zipped up the duffle I placed the crossbow and quarrels in.
I could usually rely on Vince for common sense. However, he had a personal grudge against William. I sure didn’t want his grudge to become the basis upon which he made this decision.
“I’ll do it,” he said. “If you get yourself turned into a vampire, I will kill you.”
I laughed. “That’s what I asked you to do, remember?”
Vince frowned. “Still not funny. Be careful, Abby. I’ll bring help as soon as I can.”
And that’s how I came to be standing by myself in
