by TL Reeve
She shrugged, popping open the door to the SUV. “I liked to read the classics.”
Hmm... Another little tidbit he’d put aside for another day when he wasn’t about to give himself up for the good of the mission.
“The easiest way for this to happen is for them to appear as though they fought with me. Bites and all.” Grainger removed his long-sleeved black shirt, then bent down. It had been a few days since their little romp between the sheets and since they decided to use him as bait.
So far, things were going according to plan. They already had a few more names of those involved in the operation, and low and behold an auction was coming up. They needed to get him in there, quick.
Abraham and Fallon had been spending tons of time together. Scratch that, Suān ní, Abraham, Warren, and Fallon were spending tons of time together. Grainger kept to the peripherals. He realized after their night together the bond between him and Fallon had grown exponentially, and it scared him. This mission put them all at risk. He didn't particularly care what happened to him, however, the others, well, he wouldn't be able to continue, if one of them died. Still, after everything Fallon had gone through, the idea he too could be another death hefted upon the grief she’d already had a hard time coping with, gnawed at his chest, right over his heart.
“It would be for the best. I can't have any suspicion placed on them. Don't need their cover blown before they even get in there.” Warren agreed, gnashing his teeth.
The threads of their mating were drawing all of them closer and with it, Warren’s ability to experience each of their emotional states. Grainger’s white-hot anger always bubbled to the surface. He hadn’t understood the impact he had on his team until Warren’s tongue lashing (not in a good way) when they'd begun planning stage. His fury verbally flayed Grainger opened. In those few moments, before he locked down his emotions, Warren laid everything swirling within Grainger bare, exposing him to the other members of the team. It'd also been when Warren realized how tapped into each other they'd become.
Grainger dug his fingers into the wet clay then rubbed the crumbles on his arms and face. He had to appear lost, broken and starving. If they were right about the information gathered, Yegor wanted healthy specimens. One 'feeding,' and he'd be in tip-top shape, nevertheless, he had to appear pitiful for them to think they had the upper hand in the situation. He grabbed the collar of his plain white T-shirt and ripped it, before running his hands all over it.
“What do you think?”
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Warren replied. “At least turn on the contact lens camera so we can send the feed straight to Kalkin and Mrs. Keeley.”
“It also helps with our cover story too.” Abraham wrapped his arm around Fallon. “Fú zé and I will add a bit of detail to our looks too.”
“Whatever makes it look real.” She shrugged before exposing her neck to Abraham. Before they left the hotel, Fallon used some of her makeup to cover the tiny scars on either side of her neck from where she’d been claimed by both Grainger and Abraham. “Can’t look too competent in this.”
Abraham punctured her porcelain skin with his teeth and groaned. He drank from her then allowed the small wound to remain open, allowing her blood to seep out. The scent hit Grainger in the chest. The sweet delicacy spun around him, tempting him to taste her, but he couldn’t feed. Not yet. As it was, he’d gone two days without blood to give himself the appearance of being frail and gaunt.
Grainger grunted.
“Abraham and Fallon will make up this convoluted, but not a too out-there story about how they found you and captured you. From there, they'll ask about payment and perhaps about picking up a few jobs. If it all goes accordingly, they'll get their first assignment, and we can begin intel-gathering with Grainger's minimal help,” Warren said.
“While you’re in there, attain as much information about this site and where the product is going. Also, more specifically, where they’re keeping the other vampires and shifters. Since it appears Éviel is being released as well, we’ll need to gather as much intel as possible and send it on to Kalkin so he can relay it to the other team,” Abraham added.
“There are many moving parts to this operation. If one piece should slide in the wrong direction, a hole might open taking all of us with it.” Suān ní frowned. “I cannot expose what I am or else, I fear, I will be captured too, leaving us severely outnumbered.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound ominous or anything,” Fallon groused. “I guess we all need to watch our backs out there tonight.”
“We will.” Warren stepped forward. “All of us have trackers in our watches. Engage it if something happens. Suān ní, stay within Fallon’s shadow. Don’t show yourself unless she is in danger. We can mitigate your exposure with a few simple steps.”
Suān ní nodded. “I will protect her with my life.”
“Good to know.” Grainger grabbed the small pack with the cameras in it and started down the rutted trail they’d taken two nights ago. When he got to the lookout spot, he dropped the bag and waited for the others to catch up.
“While you four make your way to the building, I’ll set up the camera. Let me know when you’re in place.” Warren opened the bag at his feet and began pulling the pieces out while Grainger continued down the lane with Abraham and Fallon behind him.
“This won’t work if you stay too far away from us,” Abraham hissed. “I get it you want to be the hero, but don’t fuck it up for us.”
Grainger’s gaze snapped to Abraham. He slowed his pace allowing them to catch up. He didn’t want to drag them into it. It would have been easier if they were all on the outside. Hell, seeing a vampire going into that place, especially with its notorious reputation should have been enough to take the business down.
He also understood when he didn’t include Fallon into his initial plan, she’d been thoroughly pissed off at him. Which meant she’d get him out of there then kick his ass if something went wrong because he was being a stubborn asshole. He smirked to himself. He did enjoy poking the tiger a bit more than he should. And, though it took all of them having sex together for him to claim her, they hadn’t talked about it since then. He’d been too bound up to broach the subject and, due to his not eating, he didn’t want to hurt her if things became a little wild.
Later though, if they made it out alive, he would.
Possibly.
Shit. Don’t think about her. Focus on your mission.
He bent down, using the shrubbery as cover, to grab a hand full of dirt to cake on his body once more. He didn’t produce enough body heat to sweat, however, he could smell like he rolled in a pig pen and laid with hogs. “Hit me hard enough so I bleed.” Fallon couldn’t be the only one with a bite mark, he had to look the part of a beat down vampire.
“What?” Abraham stared at him.
“Hit me.” Grainger motioned to his face. “You can’t tell me you found me, I bit her, and you didn’t inflict damage on me.”
“You’ll heal,” Abraham stated.
“Slowly since I haven’t fed. Now do it, we don’t have much time.” He placed his hands behind his back and stepped toward Abraham. “I can take it. I am a vampire after all.”
Abraham sighed. “Your funeral.” He balled up his fist and drew back. The whoosh of air had been the only indication the man had made the attempt to hit Grainger. However, when his fist struck Grainger’s cheek, he tumbled sideways, spitting out blood. His head spun and his jaw cracked as though his friend had broken it with one punch.
Perfect.
Grainger placed his hand to the side of his face as the bones began to knit ever so slowly back together. It would take hours before he could speak again. A few more before his head wouldn’t feel as though a bull ran his horn through his brain. He held his thumb up, indicating the damage would do then stumbled out into the open area near the loading docks.
Abraham and Fallon were right behind him, keeping their hands on his shoulders to steady him
. Damn, maybe Abraham hit me harder than I thought. A pang of worry shot through him. Being inside the warehouse left him defenseless. Had he miscalculated his plan?
Abraham squeezed his shoulder, directing him toward the entrance. He only hoped whatever happened next, they’d make it out without their cover being blown. As they stepped into the light illuminating the area, three men jumped off the dock, guns drawn. They only spoke Russian, which made their work all the more difficult.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” A man from the back of the group stepped forward. He wore a blue beanie, black coat, dark jeans, and carried a semi-automatic rifle on his back. The other men pointing their rifles at the trio didn't flinch as the man stepped between them, coming to a stop right in front of Grainger.
“We heard this place liked vampires and shifters and we were told you’d pay good money for them too.” Abraham shoved his hands into his pockets. “We brought you a vampire.”
Fallon swallowed hard. The stickiness of her blood against her neck irritated her skin adding to the anxiousness coursing through her veins. These human men, bratva, more specifically, weren’t what she’d been expecting. They all smelled like death and had an undercurrent of evil running through them. She fought to keep still and to keep her tiger in check.
“A damaged vampire.” The man’s accent was so thick, she could hardly understand him.
“He bit my girl.” Abraham shrugged.
Fallon tilted her neck, to give a better view of the abused area and sticky blood. “He came up on us so fast. I—we weren’t prepared.”
“No one ever is.” The man narrowed his eyes. “You say you captured this vampire on your own?”
“Yes. He’s stupid hungry, obviously, and we saw it as our chance to bring him here.”
The man shifted his gaze between Abraham and Fallon. “Vampires are stronger when hungry.”
“Not this one,” Fallon added, licking her bottom lip. “He could barely move. When we found him, I thought he was just injured. Stupid me, right?”
“Da.” The man circled Grainger. “We’ll give you ten thousand.”
“Ten grand? for a vampire? I thought it was two-fifty.” Abraham crossed his arms over his chest.
“You brought me broken vampire. Take it or leave it.”
Fallon stepped forward. “Ten grand upfront, another fifty grand when we bring you a healthy vampire.”
“Nyet,” the man snapped. “We don’t negotiate.”
No, of course, they didn't. “Look, you can check my record. I have a knack for these things. I'll get you the product, you get me the cash. It's a win-win.” The words tumbled from her and she couldn't stop them. Had she said too much or pressed too hard.
The man stared at her. “Give me all of your information. I want to run your 'record,' as you say.” He motioned for them to follow. The other thugs with them snatched Grainger up and carried him in the other direction.
“Sure.” Fallon hurried to the man’s side as he headed into the building. “It’s Fú zé Wu.” She glanced around the building surprised by how normal it appeared. Not as though they can lay the body parts for everyone to see. True. She thought it would be a bit more nefarious though. As they strode down one of the aisles, she spotted a cage. “So, this place is pretty cool.”
The man didn’t acknowledge her comment. “What is your birth date?”
“Oh right, my birthday. It’s July 2nd, 2034.” She hoped they’d get closer to the crate allowing her a glimpse inside. “Where do you want me to wait?”
The man came to a stop. “Here.” He pointed to an area not far from the obstructed cage and a thread of adrenaline shot through her. “Wait here. Do not touch anything.”
She raised her hands. “Won’t touch anything.” Moments later, Abraham joined her. “There’s a cage. I want a better look.”
“Don’t do it,” Abraham muttered. “This shit is fucked up.”
“I know. It’s my job.”
“Just give it a minute. He’s going to look you up, make sure you check out. When he comes back, we’ll go exploring.” The stern expression on his face, along with the way Abraham continued to watch the exits, put Fallon on alert.
“You don’t think this will go well.” It was a statement more than a question. She hadn’t thought about something bad happening. Maybe she was being naïve about it.
“It’s too easy.” He shook his head. “No one is questioning our stories. They’re not even trying here.”
“Maybe they’re thinking about the money and not the semantics of it.” She shrugged; her gaze still locked on the corner of the cage.
“Maybe. Or they were prepared for us to come here.” Abraham fisted his hands at his side. A nervous vampire wasn’t a good thing.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” A door opened down the hall from where they stood and the man appeared. “Everything check out?”
“Da.” He handed Abraham a manila envelope. “Here.” He handed Fallon a scrap of paper. “I need this next. Bring it to me. You have two days.”
She peered down at the paper and swallowed hard. Seers eyes. “Can I ask a question?”
“Nyet.”
“No, promise it's not me reneging on the deal. I'm just curious what can a seer's eyes do for someone?”
The man smirked before walking away. “Read their future.”
Fallon blinked. “Woah. Interesting. Can we look around? This place is huge.” She pushed her luck, she knew it, but she also wanted to give Kalkin as much information she could before the auction and now, before she had to deliver seers eyeballs.
“Look, don't touch. Get familiar with the layout. The seer's eyes will net you a quarter million.” Another one of the men in the warehouse motioned for the leader. “I'll be seeing you again, Fú zé.”
“Two days.” She nodded. “Until then.”
When the man disappeared around the corner of the building, she blew out a breath. There were several ways to go about getting the eyes. Most of them had to do with going to a morgue or calling Kalkin and seeing if he has someone who could pull a pair of seers eyes out of their ass.
“I know where we can get them,” Abraham said, as they closed the distance between them and the cage. “We have a person.”
“Who happens to collect eyes?” She tilted her head. “You are one morbid person, Abraham van Helsing.
He chuckled. “I’ll explain it later. Now, what’s so special about the crate you saw?”
As she drew near the pen, the scent of heat and something sickeningly sweet wafted from the enclosure. She stepped around the edge of the aisle and came to a dead stop. Fallon inhaled again. She knew the tiger’s smell inside the cage. It was Lyle. Oh, God. He wasn't alone either. Beside him was an incubi and a female wolf and one of the leathery wings from the demon were draped over them. “What is going on here?” She kept her voice down so as not to alert any of them to their presence.
“I don’t know, but I think this is our clue to get the fuck out of here and regroup.” Abraham stared at Lyle then the incubi and wolf. “We have to tell Kalkin. We might have to call off the mission and breach this place now.”
She thought the same thing. No way she’d leave her brother or Grainger in the for longer than need be. “You’re right. We should call him.”
“We’ll get them out. I promise.” Abraham wrapped his arm around her shoulders and directed her out of the building, into the warm evening air. “Let’s go, we have a long ass fucking walk back.”
When they arrived at the lookout point, two hours later than they’d expected, Warren waited for them. His features were pulled tight and his impressive horns were out. Rage rolled off of him in heavy waves, spoiling her morose mood—though it was better to be pissed off then crying about it.
“I saw everything. Lyle too.” The deep growling edge of his voice sent a shiver of trepidation down her spine. “Made the call to Kalkin. He said we have a guy for these situations. They’ll be here tomo
rrow.”
Fallon begrudgingly trudged back to their waiting vehicle. Her heart ached as did her body. Their plan, in the beginning, had been sound. Now, as she stared off in the direction of the warehouse, her gut churned. Leaving Grainger behind made her sick. Leaving her brother—her flesh and blood—devastated her.
Hang in there, big brother. I’ll be back, and I’m bringing backup.
Chapter 10
Fallon hated leaving Grainger and Lyle behind. The knot in her stomach hadn't lessened overnight. Add in the fact her brother, Lyle, some shifter, and an incubi were also in that cage with him, set off all kinds of alarm bells along with a niggle of curiosity, like how they all ended up together. She scrubbed her face and groaned. What are we going to do?
“You're up early.” Warren pulled her against him. His thick forearm covered her midsection. The molten hues of blue covering his skin showed his incubi stayed with them. “Or should I say you're thinking too hard?”
“Both.” She glanced up at him. His horns had grown. Don't ask her how she knew, but the tips were closer to his shoulders. “Hey, congrats on the growth.” She touched the tip of the right horn.
He shivered. “They’re sensitive.”
“Oh?” She arched a brow. “Why?”
Warren chuckled while huffing out a breath. “No clue.”
When they returned home, she'd been ready to cry herself to sleep. The idea of her brother being caged and used for whatever reason, tore her already broken heart to pieces. Lyle and Ji were all she had left. Sure, she had Ayí along with Rey and Crow, but they weren't her siblings. After losing her mother and father, her brothers were her life. Knowing Lu died saving innocent shifters and children not only filled her with pride, but it also enraged her. But, without being able to do anything about it, she'd been left a swirling mess of emotions.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how anyone wanted to look at it, neither Suān ní or Warren allowed her to wallow. Instead, they took her to bed and did deliciously devious things to her until she fell into a dreamless sleep. “I like them.”
