Vampire Wake (Kiera Hudson Series #2) by Tim O'Rourke Read Free Book Online

man?” I asked her. “Sorry?” she said, almost as if my question had surprised her. “You said that the person watching your daughter is a man,” I reminded her.   “Marshal, the grounds man, disturbed him one night as he stood hidden in the undergrowth and bushes on the other side of the moat,” she said.
    “Could Marshal give a description of this man?” I asked.
    “No, it was dark. We live miles from anywhere, deep on the Welsh Moors. Save for the moonlight, the area is in complete darkness come nightfall. Marshal didn’t get a good look at him and he was quick on his feet – disappearing over the rugged landscape and into the night.”
    “Do you have any idea who this person might be and why he would want to watch your daughter?” I asked her.
    “I suspect that it’s someone she has met on one of her many escapades to London,” she said. “It scares me half to death, the thought of who she may have associated with while she was there. Perhaps she told him of her privileged upbringing and he has come to rob our home. Or maybe he has come to entice her back to London – for what reason I dare not wonder. But whatever the reason, Kiera, I feel that Kayla is at risk of much harm from him.”
    “Have you spoken to Kayla and asked her if she knows the identity of this stranger?” I asked.
    “Yes, but she becomes evasive and then angry, throwing the most violent of tantrums,” she said. “With the help of Marshal, we have had to lock her in her room until she calms herself.”
    “Tell me, did this stranger appear before or after your husband’s sudden disappearance?” I asked her.
    “Just after,” she said, eyeing me. “Why do you ask?”
    “No real reason,” I said trying to brush off her question. Changing the subject, I said, “Why haven’t you called the police to investigate this male?”
    “As of yet, he has done nothing wrong,” she said. “He has been seen loitering around at night, but as I’ve said, I wouldn’t even be able to describe him. He hasn’t committed burglary or harmed me, my daughter, or my staff. But you have to believe me, Kiera, there is something very wrong and although Kayla seems fearless, my heart is full of dread. We live miles from the nearest town, the manor is remote, and should this man gain access to our home in my absence, I’m terrified at the thought of what might happen to my daughter. So I beg you, Kiera Hudson, please accept my offer and come to my home and protect my dear Kayla– it will be a week at the most.”
    I looked into her eyes, and I could see the fear in them. What else did I have planned? Nights sitting in front of the T.V. cutting out news articles and tacking them to walls of my flat? A trip into the country would probably do me some good; take my mind off Luke, Potter, and Murphy and the search for my mother. But more than that, this was the most interesting case to come along since…since I was posted to The Ragged Cove.
    “Okay, I’ll come,” I told her, and for the briefest of moments I thought she was going to faint to the floor with relief. “Oh thank you! Thank you!” she gasped, clutching her hands together as if in prayer. “You’ll have to give me your address, so I can drive down tomorrow,” I said. Then springing to her feet, Lady Hunt said, “You must come tonight, Kiera, as I leave for America first thing tomorrow morning.” “But I’ll need to pack some stuff together -” I started. “My driver is waiting outside,” she said, her voice sounding urgent. “We must leave now!”

Chapter Four
    Within five minutes, I’d packed a rucksack with everything that I guessed I might need. If I’d had longer to think about Lady Hunt’s offer, maybe I wouldn’t have been so eager to go. But things in my life since returning from The Ragged Cove hadn’t been the same. Luke had left a hole somewhere inside of me, my dreams were plagued with images of my mother, nightmares haunted me day and night, and apart