pick me up here. I'm going to watch and see which way he goes." I tapped my foot. Damned user frat boy. Not go to his own party? It didn't take a mind reader to see where this was headed. Penny was going to be so upset and I had a feeling she'd already figured the whole thing out.
She'd told me she hadn't read his mind before. Well, I bet she was paging through that dipstick's frontal lobe right now. And getting steamed. No way should she be alone with him once he stopped the car. I anxiously watched the car head down Sixth Street. It turned right several blocks down just as Jerry roared up in his own SUV, black of course.
I jumped in the passenger side and told him where to turn. It didn't take us long to catch up but we stayed a few cars back. Josh's car had tinted windows and it was impossible to see what was going on inside, but I soon had a pretty good idea where they were headed and I couldn't believe it.
"Jerry, they're going back to where that creep dumped Penny, the hilltop where he abandoned her the night she was turned."
"You're kidding me. The man has to have shit for brains. What woman would find that romantic?" Jerry reached over and took my hand. "Do you think Penny suggested it?"
"Had to. If she's read his mind, she's bound to have figured out that Josh is a loser with some insecurities." I realized I was grinding my teeth.
"Insecurities? What do you mean?" Jerry made a turn as we left the main highway and followed a narrow track up the hill. He turned off his headlights, not really needing them with his vamp vision and clearly getting off on playing private eye as he tailed Josh.
"The guy obviously likes Penny, but doesn't have the guts to be seen with her. Because she's not the same size six that most girls the frat boys date are." I sighed and looked out the window as we bounced along, noticing the brush and trees that lined the rutted road. The isolation was either creepy or romantic depending on your agenda.
"That's ridiculous. She's very attractive. I've always been partial to redheads." Jerry reached over and tugged at one of my curls. "After blondes, of course."
"Thanks. But you're old-school, Jer. Bless your blind eyes and Neanderthal outlook. Josh is a twenty-first-century guy and he wants someone model-thin on his arm. At least in front of his posse." I ran my tongue over my fangs, down at the thought of that idiot's attitude and how he was hurting Penny. My vulnerable fledgling's new fangs were probably already aimed at Josh's jugular. And she'd drain him dry unless we got there in time to stop her.
"He's ashamed to be seen with our Penny?" Jerry's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "That bastard! I'll teach him to toy with a woman's affections."
We were nearing the clearing where Penny had lost her mortality. Sure enough, she and Josh were already out of the car and he was lying flat on the ground, staring up at her like he couldn't believe she'd managed to put him there. Jerry pulled the car to a stop and we both jumped out.
"Stop! Penny, what are you going to do?" I ran up to her. Jerry was on her other side but neither of us touched her. She had tears running down her cheeks and a shoe in each hand.
"Help! The chick's gone psycho on me. First, she says let's go park, then she throws me to the ground and threatens me."
"Death by Payless?" I snickered. "Were you scared, fella? How'd a little thing like Penny manage to throw you anywhere?"
"Caught me by surprise is all." Josh wouldn't look at us. He just got to his feet, keeping a good distance between himself and Penny, and brushed off his expensive khakis. "What are you doing here? Oh, never mind. Guess that's obvious. This is a prime make-out spot. But I'm not letting her get in my car again. Can you take her home?"
"You thinking of abandoning your date? Up here?" Jerry grabbed Josh by the front of his designer shirt.
"What else can I do? She's nuts. Look at her. She tried to put a high heel into my skull." Josh's eyes were saucers as he focused on Jerry. "Uh, what the hell's going on here?" He'd finally noticed Jerry's fangs. And, yes, they were huge.