"Save me," she gasped out.
"I will. Mandy, what did they want with you? Didthey hurt you?" I was getting her out of there one way or another, but ifthis was what I thought it was, a touch of patience might save more lives.
"They didn't do anything to me yet. I don't know whatthey want, but they talked about buyers. Mal, I'm so scared."
"Mandy. I'll get you out of here now, if youwant, but if we can get these two guys arrested, the cops might be able tocatch more bad guys."
"Don't leave me." She clutched at my shirt.
"I'm not leaving you."
Something must have woken one of the guys. I tensed asI heard him moving around. The walls were thin. Maybe they'd heard us talking.
"Do you know what happened to your phone?"
She pointed over to the table by the door. "Theywere teasing me with it. Said if I could get it, I could get away."
I glanced down at her leg. It was torn bloody. Thesource of the blood smell.
"I'm going to get your phone."
She nodded, rubbing at her tear-stained face.
"I'll text the cops, and I'm going to stay rightwith you. I will not let them hurt you. If I have to, I'll kill them myself."
She nodded.
"But if we can wait for the cops to get here, everythingwill be a little easier to explain."
"Okay. What if they see you?"
I grinned at her. "I promise, they won't."
She let me release her and I grabbed the phone andfaded into the shadows just as one of the men slammed the door open.
Mandy shrieked, eyes seeking mine for reassurance. Igestured for her to remain quiet, and she turned her attention back to hercaptors.
It was only the strongest self-control that kept mefrom tearing the guys throat out as he leered at her.
"Have a good night, sweetheart?"
She whimpered.
I quickly sent a text to the authorities with Mandy'sphone. That they'd added in the ability to text a 911 call made this wholething easier. I just gave the address and that she'd been kidnapped and hername and a please help. Hopefully, that got them here quickly. I'd have to dosomething about the two humans to make them easier to subdue. I didn't want thecops to be in any sort of extra danger.
My plan to leave them alone until the cops came diedwhen he started talking about what they were going to do to Mandy. One, shedidn't need to deal with that, two, these fuckers really needed their asseskicked. I'd just have to do it without leaving a lot of evidence. A bit of mindcontrol after beating the shit out of them would help.
I lunged forward and grabbed the guy by the back ofthe neck.
He shouted in anger and I kicked his knee out, beforeslamming him to the ground.
His buddy came in just then, gun in hand. I snatchedit out of his hand and smashed it into his face.
Blood spurted, but it had no appeal to me. I wantednothing to do with anything these jerks were putting into their bodies.
He gurgled in pain and I slammed him to the ground.
I heard sirens in the distance, thankfully. Both men groaned,not getting up any time soon, but not unconscious. Yet.
I snagged the first one by the front of the shirt anddragged his face in front of mine. I grabbed his mind with my powers.
"You aren't going to fight the cops."
"No," he groaned out.
"You were fighting with your friend."
"Yes. He's an asshole," he slurred.
"And you'll tell the cops everything."
"Yes," he muttered.
"Sleep."
He passed out.
I repeated the procedure with the other guy. Then Iwiped my prints off the gun and dropped it next to them.
Mandy's eyes were even wider when I returned to her side.I pulled her phone back out of my pocket and quickly put my phone number in it.
She stared at me.
"The cops are almost here. Take your phone. Whenthey get here, ask if you can call someone, and call me."
"Don't leave," she gasped.
"I'm not leaving, but I don't want them to seeme, okay? I need to search the house and make sure they don't have anyrecording equipment or anything."
She nodded.
"As soon as the cops get here, I'm going to goget my car. Call me, and I'll come and stay with you. They may need to take youto the hospital. I'll follow. I won't leave you alone until you're safe back inSanta Fe or with your parents, unless you want me to leave."
She launched herself into my arms again. "Don'tleave me," she whimpered.
"I won't."
"Okay."
I managed to extract myself and did a quick, vampirespeed search of the house. Fortunately, they hadn't upgraded this place toactual video stuff, and I had tucked myself back into the corner where Mandycould see me, just as the cops showed up.
They knocked on the door.
"Yell help or something," I encouraged andwinced as she let loose with a terror filled call for help.
That got them to bust in the door, and the restproceeded fairly quickly. Mandy stuck to the story that the two men had gotteninto a fight with each other. The cops got the paramedics called for her, andshe told them she was calling a friend to come help her.
I raced back to my car and answered my phone. I talkedto Mandy as if I hadn't just been talking with her, and then to one of the copsto get some instructions, and then after a few more minutes, I was back at herside.
She clung to my hand while the cops questioned her,and the paramedics checked her physical condition.
It took a while, but the police were compassionate,and they released her to the paramedics as quickly as they could. Mandy calledher parents and we headed to the hospital, her in the ambulance, me followingbehind.
Now I was almost wishing she'd run into a vampireinstead. This would have been easier to deal with, at least on my end ofthings. Still, it didn't get awkward until her parents showed up and wanted toknow who the hell I was. I hadn't thought of that complication.
"Uh, Mom, Dad, this is Mal.
