Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Alice Brown

quickly decided to hand over the cash to her, figuring if Kevin was going to get upset, Jennifer could take the heat. As long as she managed to pick up the few items needed, she would just go along for the ride on the remainder of their shopping spree.
    Four hours and a trunk full of bags later, the girls left the mall to head home.
    Erica openly admitted she’d had fun, although she was currently exhausted from walking one end of the mall to the other. Jennifer had just pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road when she suddenly exclaimed, “Shit!” The exclamation caught Erica off guard, and she glanced over to see a cold black fury settle over Jennifer’s usual contented expression.
    “Jennifer, what is wrong?” She asked with a mixture of concern and anxiety, as she willed her heart beat to slow down.
    “We’ve got to get home immediately.” Erica noticed Jennifer continuously glancing up at the rearview mirror. Erica stole a quick peek behind, and the sudden feeling of terror hit her so hard it took her breath away.
    She knew immediately who was behind them. She would recognize his car anywhere. Her heart dropped to her stomach, as realization hit that Shawn had managed to find her. Oh, why had she been so stubborn about going out today? She wanted to kick herself for talking Kevin into letting her go. She would have been better off staying curled up nice and safe in her bed. Unfortunately, because of her own carelessness, not only was she putting her own life in danger, she now had Kevin’s younger sister’s life in danger, also.
    Her fingers clasped together in her lap, her mind raced to figure out how to get out of this predicament. Now that Shawn had found her, he would never let her go. He would follow them home, where he would carelessly and effectively eliminate anyone who got in between her and him.
    A motor revving up caught her attention as she watched Shawn’s car come up beside Jennifer’s Mustang. It became clear he intended to run them off the road. She gulped and her mind spun in amazement as she tried to comprehend the skills Jennifer was currently employing to keep them alive. For as young as she was, Erica would have never guessed Jennifer knew such advanced evasive maneuvering skills. She watched as Jennifer outmaneuvered their aggressor, keeping the Mustang on the road at all times, all the while spouting off curse words aimed at Shawn. Erica stole a quick peek over at the speedometer to see they were pushing ninety. She noted the look of determination upon Jennifer’s face. She had no intention of falling victim to Shawn’s bullying. Erica shook her head slightly, amazed that her young chauffeur wasn’t freaking out, which Erica herself was not that far from doing. Jennifer was evidently one stubborn little gal!
    As Jennifer reached over and pushed a button on the dashboard, she was regretting having to make this call. She knew her brother would be livid the second he found out they were in trouble. There were only two options though, call Kevin, or take care of the problem herself. The safer option was to call her brother. She felt fairly confident she could wipe Shawn’s face across the pavement. After all, he didn’t have a clue she was a vampire. The problem was, neither did Erica. Better to let Sir Romeo take care of this situation. Kevin’s voice was immediately on the speaker.
    “Jennifer, what is it?” His voice came across low and stressed. He knew instantly something was wrong. Jennifer never used her car phone. His father had installed a phone in each family member’s car for emergency use only. The fact that Jennifer was using the phone instantly told Kevin she was in trouble.
    “I’ve got company following us home. Shawn picked us up as soon as we left the mall,” Jennifer stated. She purposely kept calmness in her voice, and tried keeping a calming atmosphere going in the car, but she knew after one quick glance at Erica that her efforts were in vain.