Real Vampires Know Hips Happen by Gerry Bartlett Read Free Book Online Page B

wished for a sweater but wasn’t about to go back for one. “I’m sorry. I know how you love to ride.”
    “No horses? How do you get around?” He glanced back at the castle. No cars were parked close enough for him to see in the mist, now obscuring everything.
    “Cars, trucks, four-wheelers. Vehicles with engines, Jer. You’ll see when we get there. Keep going. I don’t know if we’ll find horses. Maybe we will.” I crossed my fingers.
    Jerry charged down the path, so fast I had to run to keepup with him. He stopped dead when he came to the garage/stables. They were in much better repair than the castle and clearly hadn’t held a horse in more than a decade. The driveway was paved and a sleek Jaguar sat in front of one of the six doors. It was Jerry’s. I remembered him talking about the big engine. Lots of horsepower. But not the kind he was looking for.
    He took a deep breath, obviously trying to catch a scent of horses. I knew he wasn’t finding any. “Bloody hell.” He stalked over to the Jaguar and stared down at it. “This is it, then? The thing I use to get around in? How do we tend the sheep?”
    “You haven’t tended sheep in centuries. As son of the laird I’m sure you remember that much.” I had to hide a smile.
    “Of course.” He frowned. “We used dogs and villagers. But to get to the high pastures…”
    “The men who take care of the woolly beasts use those.” I pointed at a group of four-wheelers and a couple of bicycles leaning against a wall in an open doorway.
    Jerry rubbed his forehead. “I have a headache. I’m going back to the house.”
    “I’m sorry, Jer. This is a lot to take in.” I wanted to comfort him but kept my distance. I let him walk away and fingered the phone in my pocket. I needed to talk to someone else, someone who might know what to do. There was only one other person who might have the knowledge to help a vamp with amnesia and I had a feeling calling him would put me in trouble with the Campbells. If they found out about it. I looked around to make sure I was truly alone, then pulled out the phone and hit speed dial.
    “Ian, I have a problem.”
    “Hello to you, Gloriana.” He sounded as superior and amused at my stupidity as always. Ian MacDonald was a genius, a doctor, and something of a psychiatrist. If anyone knew how to help Jerry, it would be Ian. Of course he was also a vampire and Jer’s sworn enemy. I’d have to make itworth his while or pique his interest to get him to help Jerry.
    “I’m in Scotland, at Castle Campbell.”
    “Lucky you. No wonder you have a problem. Your lord and master not glad to see you?” He chuckled. Bastard.
    “He was thrilled to see me. Until he had an accident.”
    “Fatal, I hope.” Ian cleared his throat. “One of my kin finally take decent aim? Is the feud on again, and I need to watch my back?”
    “No, it wasn’t a MacDonald.” I looked around again. Was that a security camera? No, I was being paranoid. “But he was knifed and it was coated in some kind of chemical. After the attack, Jerry woke up with amnesia.”
    “No kidding. Brilliant.” Ian loved a good puzzle. I had him hooked. “Details, Gloriana. What does he remember? What doesn’t he remember?”
    “He knows his name.”
    “Too bad.” Ian chuckled. “Keep going.”
    Tears clogged my throat but I fought them back down as I told him the essentials.
    “Someone’s been very clever. I’d like to meet them.” He had that tone in his voice, the one that meant his brain was going a mile a minute and he was trying to figure this out. Good.
    “Of course you would. A product like this could make you big bucks.” Ian was a businessman first, scientist second.
    “Of course it would. So you want my help? How? An antidote? Did you save the knife so I could analyze the potion?”
    I wanted to slap my forehead. The knife. Where was it? Had Angus taken it? Of course he had. Surely he hadn’t cleaned it, but someone in his efficient staff