CHAPTER THREE
Penn was surprised when Angelus pulled up to the curb in spite of several police cars parked outside Lilah's building. Of course, what did the vampires have to fear? The police obviously weren't there for them, and neither he nor his sire were sloppy enough to have dribbled blood on themselves.
Angelus sauntered up to the night time door man. He gestured to the smashed car the police were supervising as it was loaded onto a wrecker. "That's Ms. Morgan's car. We're friends of her's. What happened?"
The older man took stock of them, seeing two wholesome-looking young men. He seemed relieved to have someone to talk to. "Some crazy women ran her off the road and tried to shoot her. The police are looking for her now."
"Damn!" Angelus did an admirable job of looking shocked and horrified. "Is Lilah all right?"
The door man shrugged. "She fled for her life. The police are looking for her, too."
Angelus put a hand on Penn's shoulder, steering him away from the building and back to the car. "Pity. I was so looking forward to burning down the building to get to Lilah."
"Unlucky woman to have more than just us after her," Penn said, sliding into Angelus' boat of a car.
"Lilah makes enemies," Angelus replied, wheeling away from the crime scene.
"That kind of woman always does. So, now what?" Penn leaned back against the comfortable seat. "A bar maybe? I could use a beer."
"There's a concert in the park tonight," Angelus offered. "Plenty of people and booze."
"What kind of music?" Penn scratched a finger in his goatee.
"Country. Up for some farm fresh chicks?" Angelus leered.
Penn laughed, picturing tearing into nubile, innocent flesh. "Fuck, yeah."
Angelus flipped on the radio and tuned it to classic rock. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Hellmouth."
"Sounds like fun." Penn shoved his glasses up. He didn't need them any more but he could never break himself of the affectation.
"There's a little blonde who lives there. If you like them feisty, she's the one for you." Angelus stabbed a finger against Penn's chest. "Not that I'm sharing her with you."
Penn rolled his eyes. "Jealous as ever, I see."
"And don't you forget it."
Penn knew there was no way he could. His sire's jealousy and temper were legendary. Penn had once grown too bold and put a hand on Darla uninvited. He never made that mistake again. Angelus knew more about pain than Penn could ever hope to learn. Too bad he hadn't learned more at his sire's knee before killing own family. They had been his first kills. Now he wished he had waited and taken his time. Ah, blood under the bridge. He wasn't going to waste time thinking about it. It was much more entertaining to follow Angelus on their current swath of destruction.
Sonia had to cast another of her tracking spells to find Lilah, after car-jacking a frightened young woman. She took the woman's shirt, too, since her own was reeking of pepper spray. She went in chase of Lilah dressed in a tight "Hooters" T-shirt. Sonia found her prey at a concert. Worse, Lilah had run right to Lindsey's side. He looked so out of place with cowboy boots and a white Stetson hat. What was he thinking? A perky-looking red-head, with boobs so big Sonia didn't know how she stood upright, was fastened to Lindsey's arm as if she could ward off the Amazon that was Lilah. Sonia could barely hear them over the band.
"I'm telling you, Lindsey, she's trying to kill me because she thinks I'm your girlfriend." Lilah's voice snapped like a bullwhip.
"You'd better not be two-timing me with this bitch, Lindsey." The red-head stomped her foot at Lilah.
"I'm not, believe me." Lindsey made a face. "Not in a million years."
"I'm a little too good for him, sweetie." Lilah smirked at the red head. "Lindsey, what do you have over this poor girl to make her go out with you. Just kill her. It's more merciful than this."
"Don't talk to my girlfriend, Lilah," Lindsey snapped back.
Sonia tromped over to Lindsey's blanket, spread on the carpet of grass. "How many women are there, Lindsey? Why can't you ever just be faithful?" She ignored the wriggling crowd, some of whom were shushing her before turning their attention back to the stage.
Lindsey's jaw dropped upon seeing her. "Sonia Moran?"
"That's the woman, Lindsey," Lilah hissed, stepping behind him.
"I told you to stay away from my boyfriend," Sonia shrilled, lunging at Lilah.
Lindsey caught Sonia, shoving her back. "When did you get out of the mental hospital?"
"Shut up!" Sonia glared, reaching into her purse. "Now we're all going to get out of here and go somewhere quiet where we can all talk."
"She has a gun," Lilah said.
"And I'll use it."
"Ummm, this is different. The stars are dancing." Angelus rolled off the girl on the blanket, nearly flattening out the one next to her. He reached down and lazily zipped up. "I sound like Drusilla."
"That's the ecstasy. That's why I said start with the young girls on the fringe of the crowd. They like to hang back and roll on X." Penn grinned, wondering if he should have turned the little blonde he had finished with. She had offered up a blow job without him even asking. He wouldn't mind keeping someone like that around. The cops patrolling the edges of the concert hadn't even bothered coming over to see what they were all up to rolling around on the blanket. The crowd just kept their backs to them as if nothing was going on.
"One of your smarter ideas." Angelus levered himself up off the grass. "Think we've out partied this crowd."
"Let's try that-a-way." Penn gestured. "We'll probably find couples to play with by the tree line. They like to come in early and pick a shady spot. Might not be able to see the stage as well but it's more private."
Angelus just nodded and let Penn lead. The younger vampire did so with gusto. He cut through the crowds to the lines of oaks. His eyes lit up, seeing something unexpected under the sprawling branches of one of the oaks.
"Angelus, isn't that your lady friend?" Penn pointed to a small cluster of people, three women and one lucky man.
Angelus smirked. "Lilah and Lindsey. The fates are smiling, my boy."
"Think one of them is the one out to kill Lilah?" Penn said, surveying the tense scene.
"I'm trying to figure out which one is Lindsey's, the one in the Hooters shirt or the one who actually has hooters." Angelus licked his lips.
"Ms. Hooter-shirt has a gun," Penn said, watching her pull the butt of the pistol out of her purse just enough to prove to her little audience that she was armed.
"Interesting. You take the one with the gun. I'll go for the wiggly-jiggly girl. Trust me, we'll want to keep Lindsey and Lilah for last."
Angelus picked up his pace, coming up behind the big-breasted red-head as Penn snuck up on the woman with the gun. Angelus touched the red head's shoulder. She squealed, whipping around. She looked up at the big vampire then grabbed hold of him.
"Get me out of here. That crazy woman has a gun," she babbled, pressing against his chest.
"Tori, shut up before you make her use it," Lindsey growled, looking disgusted with this woman.
"I will," Sonia assured them again.
Penn draped an arm around her neck in what looked like a causal movement then applied a choke hold. "That wouldn't be nice." Sonia went limp quickly.
"I never thought I'd be glad to see you, Angel," Lindsey said.
"That's not Angel," Lilah put in and her partner stared at her. His lips parted as the realization dawned on him that the situation had just gotten infinitely worse.
"She's so right," Angelus stroked Tori's hair as she blubbered against him. "So, what's up with the woman trying to take out Lilah? That's my job."
"She was obsessed with me in law school," Lindsey said cautiously, holding out his hand to Angelus. "Please let Tori go, Angelus."
"Well, you did ask nicely, but I think we're all going to go for a ride, have a little fun. It's too crowded here," Angelus said as Penn laid Sonia down on the blanket.
Penn went for Lilah who edged closer to Lindsey.
"I don't have a damn thing on me that will do anything to them. I left the holy water in my car," she said to her law partner.
"Given how tight Linds' jeans are, I'm sure he's not hiding anything in there," Angelus said then leered at Tori. "Well, maybe one thing. Bet you were going to find out, huh sweetie?"
"Lindsey?" Tori turned big eyes on Lindsey as Penn took Lilah's arm. He was impressed that Lilah didn't look more afraid.
"Leave her out of this, Angelus. She doesn't have a clue about our world," Lindsey said, actually braving a step toward the vampire.
"But she's too pretty to leave behind." Angelus squeezed one of Tori's nipples through her shirt.
"Leave me alone," she cried, and someone in the crowd told her to shut up.
"Shhh, baby. Don't make a scene." Angelus put a choke hold on her, her bones snapping audibly.
Penn grinned, watching Lindsey's face drain of color. Angelus eased the dead girl onto the blanket.
"Ooops." Angelus shrugged. "Take care of Lilah, Penn."
Penn clamped a hand over Lilah, trying to get her in a choke hold. She fought and he danced around with her, trying to make it look like they were into the music so not to get too much attention focused on them. Finally, she went down. He looked over and saw Lindsey being supported by Angelus. "Do we take all three?"
Angelus put Lindsey on the blanket next to his girlfriend. "Too difficult. Take the women." He scooped up the woman with the gun and snuggled her to his hip, making it look like he was walking his drunk girlfriend back to the car.
Penn did the same to Lilah. "Are you sure? Lindsey's got an awful pretty mouth you can make use of."
"Penn, weren't you a Puritan?" Angelus laughed. "Shame on you, thinking like that."
Penn shrugged. "Like you wouldn't do anything to humiliate a foe."
"Good point. Tempting, but no. Too many people here to try to get them all to the car."
Penn followed Angelus back through the crowd. He spotted a policeman on a horse on the outskirts of the crowd. "Angelus, stop." He passed Lilah to his sire and jogged over to the police man. "Officer, there's a man over there. He was choking his girl friend. I think he might have hurt her." He pointed back to where they left Lindsey and his dead friend. As the officer rode off, Penn rejoined Angelus and took Lilah back.
"Nice touch," Angelus said, approvingly.
Penn beamed at the praise. "Thanks."
They got back to their car and headed off. Both women were propped up in the back seat.
"Where're we going?" Penn asked.
Angelus shifted gears, smiling as the engine purred. "Somewhere fun."
One of the women groaned. Penn looked over the seat. "The woman with the gun is waking up."
"Make sure she doesn't try to jump out."
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, rubbing her neck.
"Some place fun," Penn told her.
"Let me go." She coughed. "I have to get back to Lindsey."
"He's got his own problems right now," Angelus said.
"Let me go," she screamed.
"Penn, shut her up."
"Gladly." Penn slithered over the back of the seat, plopping down between the women. "Got a name, baby?"
"Sonia," she said then punched him. Sonia dived for her purse on the floorboards.
Penn laughed. "Ooo, another feisty one. If you're looking for your gun, Angelus has it." He shoved her head against the car door. While she was dazed, he hoisted Lilah up and shoved her into the front seat. Her head landed on Angelus' thigh. "Looks like Lilah's ready for you, Angelus."
Angelus snorted. "This one would try to bite it off." He reached a hand down Lilah's shirt, grabbing a breast. "Nice."
"Good luck then. And as for you, let's have a little fun," Penn said to Sonia, pulling her legs open and her down on the seat.
"Just don't get anything on my interior. This car's a bitch to maintain," Angelus said, turning the radio up over Sonia's screams.