Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

finger that had been slowly tantalizing her cheek down to her chin, lifting it to gently place his lips to hers.
    His kiss was so gentle and light, it felt like a feather playing across her lips. It ended almost as quickly as it started, and Erica blinked open her eyes only to find Kevin had disappeared and Jennifer was now sitting in the seat Kevin had just occupied seconds before.
    “Let’s see what this baby will do!” Jennifer announced excitedly. She seemed even more excited about the car than Erica was.
    As they pulled out of the driveway, Jennifer was all too willing to show Erica the gizmos and gadgets that came with the car. Erica thought with some bemusement that Jennifer had missed her calling in life. She should have been a car salesperson. “Here is your cruise control,” Jennifer stated while pointing to the button. “And look, you even have control of the radio built right into the steering wheel!”
    “Now, you should recognize this button,” Jennifer continued. “It is the same one I have in my car. It is for the car phone, and should be used only in emergencies. One push of that button, and I promise you Kevin will be on the other end, immediately!” She continued chattering.
    The girls arrived at school with only minutes to spare. Erica tried to ignore the stares that were aimed their way as she pulled into a parking spot. She was accustomed to the stares when Jennifer was driving her Mustang. No one ever took a second look at her driving an old relic of a car, though.
    As she stopped the car and headed for class, she had to admit, the car drove like a dream. Knowing Kevin, he already had her old car towed to the nearest junkyard, which meant she really had no choice but to keep the new one. Oh, the hardships of life!
     
    * * * *
     
    Kevin was a little surprised that Erica didn’t throw anywhere near as big of a fit over the new car as he had anticipated. That was a good thing, because her old one had already been flattened. Unfortunately, his good luck was not to last.
    His phone went off shortly after the girls left for school. “Hey, our drug runners finally took the bait. We have a major sting operation going down in an hour. I thought you might like to be in on the action,” Marshall stated to Kevin on the phone.
    “Damn right I want to be there! Make sure no one else takes my bike, I’ll meet the team on site,” Kevin replied as he quickly headed for his car.
    Forty-five minutes later the team was in place, waiting for the drug runners to show up. Kevin and Alec were the team members assigned to handle the transaction, or sting, and everyone else was in place hidden nearby. Kevin instructed Marshall to send a text to Jennifer with instructions to get Erica to the back of the building and explain why. “Jennifer should have her earpiece with her. Hopefully, after you send her a text, she will activate it,” Kevin stated just prior to taking his position in the parking lot, waiting for their drug runners to show up.
     
    * * * *
     
    Class had been in session for thirty minutes when cell phones started vibrating throughout. It was a standard rule to turn off ringers, but a quick glance around confirmed at least thirty phones vibrating, with their owners quietly checking the incoming text message. Jennifer’s cell phone was also lighting up silently. She quickly glanced down at her phone, and then Erica noticed her begin to speak very quietly and quickly. She had bent her head down with her hand up alongside her face. Erica couldn’t hear a word she stated, but after a moment realized she must be wearing an earpiece similar to Kevin’s. Erica leaned closer, trying to catch a word or two of what Jennifer was saying. It sounded like Jennifer was humming rather than speaking any words. A moment later, Jennifer reached over and placed her hand on top of Erica’s, calmly stating, “We need to get out of here, now!”
    Just as Erica reached down to collect her things, the intercom system started chiming. She stopped short, wondering what was going on. They usually only interrupted class if it was an emergency.
    An announcement followed a series of chimes, declaring the school was on lock down. No explanations were given, but gunshots suddenly went off, sounding like they came from the parking lot. A few people panicked, and several girls screamed. The instructor gave up teaching, trying to keep the class calm instead. He had his work cut out for him.
    Erica’s own heart