by ERIN BEDFORD
Drake sank lower into his seat, his eyes dropping down.
It wasn't often Allister yelled at his brother. In fact, it's only happened twice in the time I'd known them. For Allister to go off on him now showed how dire the situation was.
"Come now, Allister." Antoine glanced away from the window, his voice tired and strained. "We are all worried about Marcus, but there's no need to take it out on each other." Though, he was right. This was all my fault.
"No, there isn’t," I interrupted him, speaking for the first time since we'd gotten on the plane. "Marcus knew what he was doing. He is the most capable of all of us. And while I can't read his thoughts, I know that right now, he would be thinking at least he learned where their base was." I offered him a reassuring smile. The atmosphere of the plane lifted a little bit, but it was still hard to be positive when one of our own was held captive or worse, dead.
Good thing they couldn't read my thoughts.
"Rayne is right. We can't do anything until we know where the base is," Allister explained, nodding in my direction. "Checking on the others is a good plan and we might also find out something useful."
Drake sighed and placed his face in his hand. "Fine. I guess I'm outvoted either way." We're just gonna get bitched at by Piper for letting Marcus get captured anyway, he thought
I winced. That wasn't completely untrue. Piper and Marcus might not be together yet, but she would still rip them a new one for letting even one of our members be captured. I didn't look forward to that conversation.
However, it would be worth it to have her in my arms again. It felt like a lifetime since I'd kissed her. Since I'd lain beside her and just held her as she slept. Even cleaning up one of our messes would do. God, I would give anything to see her bent over cleaning the toilet again.
"Gentlemen, we are starting our final descent." The pilot's voice came over a large speaker, interrupting my thoughts.
We buckled our seat belts and prepared for landing. Normally, we wouldn't care about wearing them. It's not like we could die from it, but we didn't have time to nurse any wounds today. We had to get to where Piper and Darren had been living and find out if they knew anything, or worse, if the hunters had found them too.
I shuddered at the thought. Just the possibility that the hunters could have my girl in their lair was more than I could take. They could be doing all manner of things to her right now and she would have no one there to save her.
We filed out of the airplane in solemn silence, each of us focused on our thoughts on what was ahead. I pulled my powers into myself, unable to bear the others’ doubts and fears along with my own. Mine were bad enough.
Antoine turned to us once we sat inside of the limo. "When we arrive, refrain from telling Piper about Marcus right away. We don't need her to be hysterical before we can find out anything useful from her."
Drake snorted. "That's an understatement."
Giving Drake a sharp look, Antoine continued, crossing one leg and then the other. "We don't know how much time Marcus has, so we have to work quickly. We need to make sure that none of them have found their way to Seabrick and then leave immediately. We don't want to bring them to Piper's doorstep if we don't have to."
Wynn leaned forward on his knees, his usual nonchalance missing. "And what is the plan if dear Piper and Darren do not know anything? How will we go after Marcus?" He splayed his hands out in front of him.
Antoine ran a hand over his face and blew out a breath. It wasn't often we saw our leader so distraught and without a plan. "Then I suppose we have to look to our other contacts to find him." Though, Morpheus might be the worst of the two.
I gaped at him. "No way. You can't mean to go back to that bastard. He already tried to fuck me over once, and instead got Piper in the mix. We should figure it out on our own."
The others looked at me with my outburst, not quite catching up to who Antoine was thinking about. Then it clicked and they weren't any happier than I had been. Their shouts of protest overlapped each other until I couldn't tell who was saying what.
"After what he did to Piper? You can't be serious!"
"He'd more likely feed us to them than help us find them."
"Enough." The single word from Antoine quieted the whole limo. "This is not up for discussion. We do what we have to for our brother." His eyes locked on Wynn. "We agreed together when we fled Boris's that none of us would be left behind, ever."
A mumble of agreement ran through the limo.
"Fine. Then let's hope that Piper and Darren know something. Or there’s at least a hunter around I can pound into." Drake smacked his fist against the palm of his other hand.
I knew how he felt. I could do with a good fight myself. Some way to blow off this growing ball of tension in my chest.
The limo pulled up to the house Darren and Piper had been living in. Or as Wynn told it, Piper owned. Something that didn't really surprise me. That woman had more drive in her than people gave her credit for. If she set her mind to it, then she could do anything.
Even in the moonlight, the house could only be described as cute. Definitely something Piper would pick out. Darren would have gone for something more modern and durable. Not something with red shingles and white shutters. All it needed was a white picket fence and it would be the typical cliché of human homes.
A single light shined in the window, the curtains hiding the darkened figured moving inside of the house.
"Maybe only one of us should go?" I glanced toward my brothers, all of them restless to get out of the limo. Their gazes turned to me. I lifted my shoulders. "I'm just saying. If all of us go in there now, she's going to think something is wrong and it might be easier to break the news if only one of us goes inside."
Before my brothers could protest, Antoine announced, "Rayne's right. I'll go. Wait here."
None of us had the chance to argue before Antoine was out of the car and halfway up the brick walkway. Little lanterns lit the path and cast shadows where Antoine moved. I tuned out my brothers and reached my mind toward the house. There was low murmuring and then...
Rayne. Get everyone the fuck in here.
If Antoine was cursing, then it had to be bad. I jolted up in my seat and reached for the door handle. "Come on, Antoine needs us now."
No one argued as we piled out of the limo and hurried up the front walkway. The door was unlocked, but Drake practically broke the door down trying to get inside first. However, he stopped in the entryway, making his brother run into the back of him. Wynn and I barely had time to stop ourselves from doing the same.
"Where's Piper?" Drake gaped at something in the living room. Allister pushed past him, giving us room to file in behind him. Sitting in an armchair with knitting needles in her hand was not Piper, but Gretchen, our cook.
"I'm confused." Allister stepped forward to Antoine, who stared down at the older woman. "I thought you were watching the house? Where are Piper and Darren?"
Antoine crossed his arms and glared down at Gretchen hard. "That is exactly what I'd like to know."
Had it been any other human, they would have been quaking in their seat from having a lethal vampire like Antoine scowling at them. Gretchen either was used to putting up with our shit or just was so old she didn't give a crap anymore.
Setting aside her knitting, Gretchen picked up the teacup and saucer on the end table. She took a long sip before sighing. "You weren't supposed to find out like this."
Dear Lord, did they really run off together after all?
The thought came from Wynn, and it made me wonder what exactly had gone on when he visited last.
"What?" Drake snapped. "What weren't we supposed to find out?"
"Darren and Piper ran off together, isn't it obvious?" Wynn sagged into the nearby couch, sadness coating his form. A mixture of thoughts swirled through his head—elation, disappointment, and regret.
Gretchen's brows rose. "Well, I don't know anything about that. They certainly went together, but if break
ing into the vampire hunter's base counted as a lover's rendezvous, I've been doing it wrong." She chuckled to herself as the rest of us froze in terror.
"I'm sorry, Gretchen. I must have wax in my ear." Allister wiggled a finger in his ear and smiled. "But I thought you said that Piper and Darren went to infiltrate the hunter's base?"
Gretchen nodded matter-of-factly, sipping slowly from her cup. "Precisely."
Antoine didn't yell. He didn't scream or threaten to rip her head off. He simply closed his eyes and seemed to count to ten before opening them again and asking, "Gretchen, dear, how did they even find the hunter's base? We've been searching for months and have found nothing."
Her lips curled into a wicked grin. Disturbing to see on a woman of her age. "Why, I told them.”
Everyone but Antoine balked at her words. Was Gretchen a hunter?
No way that old broad is a hunter. She's like my grandma.
What. The. Fuck.
"I'm assuming you, Gretchen..." Antoine said her name slow and meaningful. "You somehow found out their location and passed the information on, and not because you're part of this heinous organization."
Gretchen's brows rose and then she burst out laughing. Setting down her teacup, she coughed through her laughter. "Oh, my, Master Antoine, you sure know how to make an old woman's day." She cleared her throat and shook her head. "No. I was a hellcat in my day, but I never did something so extreme as to hunt vampires."
"Then how did you find out their location?" Drake demanded, suspicion in his tone.
Amusement twinkled in Gretchen's eyes. "Some of those imbeciles were poking around the house, and when they questioned me, I stuck a tracker on them. Then I told Piper and Darren where they were."
Everyone in the room visibly relaxed. I understood. It was a relief to find out that someone we had cared for, trusted, and invited into our home hadn't betrayed us. There was already too much at stake right now to have to worry about trouble from within.
"What I don't understand, Gretchen," Antoine continued, keeping that low-level tone that was far scarier than if he'd yelled, "is why didn't you bring that information to me? Why bring it here to Piper and Darren?"
Gretchen shrugged a shoulder. "You have enough on your hands. Besides, it was safer to come to them than it was to find you. What they did with the information...well, I can't be held responsible for that."
Drake growled and punched a nearby wall. The plaster broke and crumbled to the ground. "Well, I don't like it. Why the fuck would she think it was a good idea?"
"Hey, watch it. This is Piper's house. She's going to be pissed." I pointed at Drake and scowled.
Allister turned to his brother. "What makes you think it was Piper's idea?"
Drake snorted. "Only she would be stupid enough to do something so rash. She's always putting herself in harm’s way for us. We don't die that easily. She's human."
"A superhuman now, to be technical," I added with an incline of my head. "She's got a bigger chance of blending in than us."
"But those guys are hardcore killers, trained in weapons, martial arts, and who knows what else!" Drake threw his hands up in the air and stalked around the room. "I just don't understand how she thought she wouldn't be found out."
Perhaps, she didn't. Wynn thought.
I turned to Wynn. "What do you mean?"
Wynn lounged back on the couch and cocked his head to the side. "When I was here last, Piper was...different."
Antoine's brows furrowed. "Different how?"
Wynn's lips ticked up at the edges, and his hands came out in front of him like he was cupping something in his hands. "Her body no longer had that supple feel to it. It was lean, hard, that of someone who had been using their muscles far more than an average maid."
Drake's face hardened and his lips pressed into a thoughtful frown. "You're saying that you think Piper's been preparing for this all year? How could we have missed this?"
"We've kind of been busy." Allister gave a helpless shrug. "It's likely we've missed a lot."
Before we could get any further into it, the doorbell rang. Five heads turned toward the door.
"That better be Piper coming to grovel for our forgiveness," Drake snarled, stomping toward the door.
I snickered. "In your dreams. Besides, why would she be ringing her own doorbell?"
Allister, Drake, and I crowded around the front door as Drake opened it. A tall human man stood on the other side, holding a bouquet of roses and what smelled like soup inside of the paper bag he carried. When the man saw the three of us, his face went white and he shifted on the front porch.
"Uh, this is Piper Billings’ home, isn't it?" If he'd been wearing a necktie, he would have been pulling at it right now. Fuck, what are they doing here? Doesn’t she know any ugly guys?
Drake's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Yes, it is. Who may I say is asking?"
The man licked his lips and stumbled over his words. He stopped and breathed. Get a hold of yourself, Jack. You're the Big Man, remember? Hotshot lawyer. These guys have nothing on you. I stifled a chuckle. "I'm Jack Biggs, Piper's boss."
Drake leaned against one side of the doorframe and cocked a brow. "And do you usually come by your employee’s home at," he glanced at the watch on his wrist, "nine o'clock at night? With flowers and food?"
Allister crowded in next to him, but I was comfortable standing back to watch the scene unfold before me. Though Wynn and Antoine weren't at the door, I could feel them shift in this direction, no doubt listening in.
Jack 'the Big Man' frowned at them. "No, but I do bring flowers when I was an ass and need to apologize. The soup is for the flu. Isn't she sick?"
Drake froze and then he dropped his arms to his side. Fuck. What do I say?
I sighed and pushed between the twins. "Piper's too sick for visitors, but we'll tell her you stopped by. Thanks." I grabbed the flowers and bag from his hands and backed into the house.
"But I wanted to—"
Drake shut the door in the lawyer's face.
"So, that's Piper's boss?" Allister mused, scratching his chin.
I snorted. "That guy’s not her boss. He's the 'Big Man.'" I cackled all the way back into the living room where our real problems were.
Chapter 8
Piper
Tristan was as chatty as they came. At least, for a vampire hunter. He’d done nothing but talk my ear off the whole tour of the headquarters. I’d seen the rec room, the weapon galley—which, coincidentally, was not the wall of torture devices in the common area—and the kitchen. All that was left were some offices and the sleeping accommodations. That, to my disappointment, were little more than soldiers’ barracks. Everyone slept in a tiny bunk bed that didn’t even constitute as a twin.
Looked like finding some privacy to report in was close to nil. I’d have to figure out something else.
“I’m bunking here.” Tristan pointed to his spot on the bottom bunk three rows into the first room. Yep, there were rows. Each bunk had its own footlocker and that was it. Nothing else. Apparently, the hunters were akin to monks, minus the celibacy based on the way Tristan kept eyeballing me like a cupcake whenever he thought I wasn’t looking.
I grunted in response. It was my go-to answer. I didn’t want to talk too much. I knew myself, and if pressured, I’d spill my guts like a newbie on their first sea voyage. Tristan didn’t seem to take offense to my lack of answers, so I decided to stick with it.
“You could take the one next to me…” Tristan rubbed the back of his head, pointing toward a bed one bunk over.
I took the crossbow off my back and sat it on the bed before sitting next to it. I bounced a little bit to see if it was softer than it looked. No such luck. Might as well be sleeping on a rock.
“The last person died during the raid in Paris. If it hasn’t been picked over— ”
“Paris?” I perked up, my brows rising. “Like France?”
Tristan smiled, dimples appearing in his cheeks. “No, so
rry. Texas. We don’t get many destination places. Vampires tend to gravitate toward smaller towns. Easier to hide out. Frankfurt was one of the biggest raids we’ve had in a while.”
I grunted again.
“Anyway...” Tristan moved over to the footlocker. “You can put your stuff in here.” He lifted the lock on the locker with a frown before dropping it. Then he kicked the lock with his heavy boots and the lock clattered to the floor. I made a startled sound in my throat but then covered it with a cough. Flipping the lid, he shuffled something around inside. “You can have whatever they left behind or trash it.” He lifted a pair of fuzzy handcuffs with a grin before twirling them around one finger.
My lips ticked up.
He pointed the cuffs toward a box on the wall at the beginning of the room. “That’s the donation box. You can put whatever you don’t want in there.” He winked and folded the handcuffs up before tucking them into his back pocket.
“So…” Tristan trailed off as if unable to think of something else to keep himself there longer. “Chow time is at eighteen hundred hours. Breakfast is at oh seven hundred. Feel free to find me if you need anything.” He pointed toward his bunk. “You know where to find me.”
I inclined my head.
Seeing that I wasn’t going to continue the conversation, Tristan nodded back and headed toward the barracks’ door. At the last moment, I realized something. Something that had been bugging me.
“Uh, hey, Tristan.” I stood and jogged the few feet to catch up to him. Tristan stopped and turned back to me, hope springing into his eyes. “Uh, do you know if they brought back anyone from Frankfurt? Another vampire?”
Tristan’s brow furrowed. “No, they killed them all. Except for the nest they’re still hunting. Even that creepy ancient vamp.” His lips curled up at the edges. “You know, I heard he looked more monster than human. With clubbed hands and fangs down to his chin.” He put his fingers up to his face like fangs.
I chuckled. “Not clubbed, but good. Good. That’s good.”
“You saw him?” Tristan’s brows raised.
