Within Shooting Distance E-Book

Angel Rupert

• Herausgeber: Bentockiz
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

He pulled out of the driveway, and we headed for the hospital. I was glad we were getting her out. She needed to be with her family, not trapped in a room that smelled like ammonia. I’d spent enough days in that hospital to know that a person could go crazy there after so long. We got there and went inside since the others were already there. I noticed there were some police cars parked near the entrance and I worried.

Leseprobe

Title Page

Within Shooting Distance

Genuine Soul

Angel Rupert

Within Shooting Distance / 6th of series: Genuine Soul / By Angel Rupert

Published 2023 by Bentockiz

e-book Imprint: Uniochlors

e-book Registration: Stockholm, Sweden

e-book ISBN: 9789198846959

e-book editing: Athens, Greece

Cover Images created via AI art generators

Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Introduction

Through books we come into contact with everything important that has happened in the past, analyzing also current events and putting our thoughts together to predict the future. The book is a window to the world, acquiring valuable knowledge and sparking our vivid imagination. It is a means of entertainment and is generally seen as a best friend, or as a slave that carries together all valuable information for us. The book is a friend who stays together without demands, a friend you call upon at every moment and abandon when you want.

It accompanies us in the hours of boredom and loneliness, while at the same time it entertains us. In general, a book does not ask anything from us, while it waits patiently on a dusty shelf to give us its information, to get us out of dead ends and to travel us to magical worlds.

This may be the travel mission of our books. Abstract narration, weird or unconscious thoughts difficult to be understood, but always genuine and full of life experiences, these are stories of life that can’t be overlooked easily.

This may be the start of something amazing.

Chapter One

I walked into the hospital room and smiled when I saw Robin sleeping peacefully on her bed with Abe snoozing beside her. Danielle had returned and was reading a book in the corner. J.D. and Lucian weren’t there, but he’d promised to look out for Robin. They couldn’t have gone far.

“Hey, Lucas,” Danielle said in a quiet voice. “Did you speak with Kevin?”

“No. I guess he’s no longer pertinent to the case since the Miami P.D. took over. They’re going to incarcerate him like any other immortal.”

Danielle set her book down and sighed. “I was afraid this would happen when he called. But I couldn’t keep him from seeing his sister. Her death really took a toll on him and Lela.”

I vaguely remembered what Lucian told me of Robin’s death. My Uncle Aaron turned her after someone dropped down the stairs and then Lela felt it was best that she not live a life as an immortal child. I had no idea how she’d found the strength to do that.

“Where are Lucian and J.D.?” I asked.

“I sent them off. Your friend Mona invited them to see The Breakfast Club at the park and J.D. wouldn’t let Lucian say no. They tried to get a hold of you, but you weren’t answering.”

“Yeah, my dad took my phone. It’s a very long story.”

“You should join them. Robin is feeling better, thanks to you, and they gave her a sedative. She shouldn’t be awake for about ten hours.”

“All right, I think I will.” I chuckled. “Poor Lucian. At least when Gallard gets here, he’ll have someone his age to talk to.”

“That man needs you to make him feel young again. He may be nearly six hundred, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for him to enjoy his life. He never had the chance to be a normal young man.” She put a bookmark between her pages and set the book on the table. “Did he ever tell you his story?”

I shook my head. All I knew about Lucian was that he and my parents used to hate each other, and they’d worked through their differences. They must have if they’d made him my godfather. From what I gathered he hadn’t had that great of a life.

“You should ask him sometime. Okay, I’ll stop chatting your ear off. You go spend time with your friends, hon.”

I gave Robin a soft kiss on her forehead and waved at Danielle before leaving the room. I was kind of tired of driving around town, but I planned on bribing Mona into driving us home. I wanted to forget all the craziness I’d experienced that day for a couple of hours. Eventually, I would have to face these problems, but they were taking a toll. I was going to end up hospitalized myself if I didn’t stop to take a breath.

When I got to the park, it was during the part of the movie when Bender was sneaking the group down the hallway. It was annoying that I couldn’t text anyone, so I’d called Mona from a payphone at the hospital to find out where they were sitting. They’d managed to get a good spot on the hill, so I hurried there and scanned the crowd. I spotted Mona first, and I quietly walked up to her and tickled her side, causing her to scream.

“Lucas Wright! Don’t ever do that again!” she said.

“Couldn’t help myself.” I greeted Lucian and J.D before planting myself between Mona and J.D. “Where’s Nic?”

“Grandpa found out that she slept over at your place and freaked out. He’s been lecturing her all day, and now he wants to have a chat with you.”

“Oh boy. I’m looking forward to that.”

J.D. nudged me. “Just couldn’t help but get your freak on, could you?”

“That’s none of your business, cousin.”

“You totally did.”

“By the way, you need to tell your brother that he can’t be bringing women to my apartment every night. They’re loud, obscene, and it’s gross.”

“Now you know why I didn’t like living with him. By the way, I’m totally jealous. I decided to save myself for someone I see myself marrying. It’s my way of establishing self-respect. Besides, people in my family tend to get knocked up, and I don’t want a screaming baby for eighteen years.”

“I think they stop crying after the first five years, darling,” Lucian said. “I may have been a lousy father, but I do love my girls.”

“Wait, you have kids?” Mona asked.

Lucian looked worried like he’d said too much, so I decided to fill him in.

“Don’t worry, Mona knows about us. She’s weirdly not freaked out by it.”

“Tis because she is a Taylor,” Lucian said. “To answer your question, yes I do have children.”

“Aw! I love kids!” Mona said. “How old are they?”

“Melody is five hundred and two and Cherish is four hundred and ninety-six.”

Mona’s jaw dropped, and we all laughed. When Lucian said he had children, she probably thought he’d meant young kids around Colton’s age. I was still trying to get used to the whole immortal thing. How long would I live? Would I one day be telling people that my children were over five centuries old?

“You’re so old,” Mona said. “Did my uncle know about you?”

“Both he and your mother. Your uncle was what Lela liked to call a vampire groupie. I did not like him at first, but he died nobly. He was in the house where Lucas’ mother lived in London. They were harboring immortals at the time, and someone set fire to it. Only three people escaped— J.D.,’s mother, her father Jordan, and Kevin. He helped Kevin Sharmentino stay hidden when immortals were first being targeted.”

“Well then, I want to do the same. I promise I won’t tell anyone about you. Your secret is safe with me.”

We grew quiet after that and I did my best to focus on the movie. It was hard pretending like nothing was wrong, no matter how great it was to be with those closest to me. It didn’t change the fact that Robin was assaulted. It didn’t change that the MITF was secretly starving vampires and keeping them hidden in a room in the back. All I could do now was find a way to fix these problems.

The movie ended around eight o’clock, and we followed the rest of the crowd into the parking lot. Mona and Micah were talking, and Lucian was distracted with his phone again. I wished I could be distracted. I needed something more than a movie to get my mind off the bleak situation I had been sucked into.

“Earth to Lucas, are you there?” J.D. asked.

“Hmm? Yeah, did you say something?”

“I did. You look kind of sick. More than usual. You okay?”

“My body is starving, J.D. I’m not going to look like a supermodel until I’m properly fed.”

Her expression turned solemn. “Hang in there, Lucas. We need you to be alive.”

She and Lucian walked to her car, leaving the three of us behind. I wanted to fill both my brother and Mona in on what I’d discovered at the station, so I told Micah to meet us as my apartment and convinced Mona to drive me. I was feeling too sick to drive.

Once Micah was out of sight, Mona pulled me over to the car with a silly grin on her face.

“So, um. Last night after the diner, Micah and I borrowed Henry’s apartment.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? He told me it was occupied. What did you do, vandalize the place?”

“No, idiot, Micah and I—”

“No, no, no.” I covered my ears with my hands. “I don’t want to know about what you do or do not do with my brother. I’ve already been scarred enough with Abe and that naughty nurse.”

“What do you mean? I thought you and Nicola hooked up after the party.”

“She slept over, but that’s all we did—sleep. We’re taking things slow.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “Wait, what naughty nurse?”

“He brought home a nurse from my doctor’s office. Not to mention Henry used my place to hook up as well. I can’t get away from it.”

Her expressions softened. “Oh, Lucas. I’m sorry. It must be hard being around us when you don’t get to experience it for yourself. You said you don’t care, but I know you do. You deserve to have someone to love and love you back. To make love to them all night. To wake up with that person in your arms.”

I shrugged. “I don’t need to have that to have a complete life. And even if I did, your sister doesn’t want to be with me that way. Honestly, Des, I’m fine with how things are.”