“So what do you want from us?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Veronica rolled her eyes at Leke. “They want us to take Rasmus out.”
Wilson nodded, approval on his face.
“And now there is no time.” Edge’s eyes flashed. “Rasmus needs to be taken out fast, and I want to help. I know where he is every hour of the day—”
Veronica snorted. “You expect us to believe you?”
“No. I’m hoping you will.”
They had no other choice but to trust him at the moment, but it was a big ask. “You’re hoping for a lot.”
“I have risked a lot. By coming here.”
Leke looked at Veronica. “It’s your call.” He was going to put this on her? “You know these guys better than anyone. And at the moment, you’re the one who has the biggest beef with Rasmus. What do you think?”
She did not trust that wolf pack leader as far as she could throw him, and Edge—well, he was a supernatural she hardly knew. But finding Rasmus on their own was taking too long…she knew enough about the last crackdown on supernaturals to believe all hell would break loose if news got out that a non-human had his eyes on a government official.
What the fuck was wrong with Rasmus? He was always shit crazy, but he had upped it a notch this time. When it came down to it, they had no other fucking choice, did they? Because they could not risk interspecies fighting in the borough. She narrowed her eyes on the wolf. “What guarantee do we have, Edge? That you won’t double-cross us?”
“What do you want?”
“You’re also a supernatural, which means you can’t die unless it’s by certain means?”
Edge glanced at Wilson before turning back to her. “What is it? You’re going to shoot the messenger?”
“You will give us the information you have on Rasmus, and we’ll go after him. But when we do, you stay here, in the mansion.” Leke’s lips curled up in approval. “If it turns out you’ve double-crossed us, you will spend the rest of your life being a feeder for the bloodsuckers. They will make sure you don’t die before the end of your long natural life.” She looked Edge in the eyes, but his expression did not falter. “Agreed?”
“Yes.”
Wilson spoke quickly. “That is sorted then. Whatever the outcome, I want your guarantee that—”
“Yes, yes,” said Veronica. “Nothing will come back to you.”
The government contact’s attention went to Leke. “I hope that this time, everyone involved will stick to the plan.”
There was definitely something going on between the two of them—something that Wilson was still unhappy about, and it was to do with her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
* * *
LEKE GLARED AT HIS LAPTOP, trying to focus, but anxiety nagged at him.
Who the hell was he kidding? It was not anxiety; it was that damn human—no, vampire—because that was what she was now, even though she still resisted it like a fool, along with her powers and the need to feed. Yet, despite what she was going through, she’d shown amazing restraint in that meeting. He’d expected her to cause problems in his office earlier, but she’d quickly reached a solution that worked.
If only she still did not treat Leke as if he had taken something dear from her. But I have. I have taken her life. She’d lost everything she cared about, an identity she’d worked hard to build. Whatever she knew had been torn away from her, and she’d been thrown into a new world, one where she was forced to drink blood and work alongside beings she once hated. Yes, they’d drank from each other and fucked…but every glance she gave him, every bitter word, reminded him she still blamed him.
There was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” he called out. Part of him wished it was her, and the other part could not take any more of the confusion she brought with her as a side effect.
“It’s Fry.”
Relief and disappointment. “Come in,” he called out. When the vampire entered the room, Leke knew he had news. “What is going on?”
“I have information from Edge.” The wolf shifter had gone back to his pack for now, to avoid suspicion. “The Association has put Rasmus up in a bar owned by the mob, in a section nobody can get into without permission. They’re planning their little escapade from there.”
Fucking great. Just fucking—
“Edge has asked us to let him know if we’re planning a hit on the joint, so he can keep his side of the bargain and stay in the mansion until the job’s over.”
Leke resisted the urge to punch the table. “Those mobsters won’t be happy if a group of supernaturals turns up, wanting access to the restricted areas.”
“Forget the restricted areas…the whole bar is closed to supernaturals.”
“But that’s illegal—”
“And who’s going to tell the mob that?”
With all the crap going on, breaking into that kind of place was not the best idea. But if Rasmus was allowed to continue…
They had no choice but to go ahead, but another hit on a mobster was the last thing Leke wanted.
VERONICA HAD BEEN STUCK IN this damn bedroom since that meeting with Edge and Wilson. Fuck the vampire. Sometimes he behaved as if he could not get enough of her, but most often…well, it was as if she did not exist in his universe.
Why was she thinking of him, anyway? She flung herself on the king-size bed and picked up the remote to turn on the television, but whatever shit played on the box was not enough to take her mind off him. So she stood and smashed the remote against the wall.
I need to feed.
No. She would not give Leke the satisfaction. That bastard wanted her to succumb, and each time she did, she got closer to accepting life as a bloodsucker. Next, she’d be turning to supernatural powers to get by.
This hunger and rage…it was preferable to being one of his kind.
She went to the window and looked out over the grounds. Should she go for a walk? Or for some training? But no, that would not be enough to get rid of the unease inside her…the anxiety that gripped her, crushing until it pushed out all else until only one name remained. Leke. If he did not come to her, she would go to him. And she needed to know what Wilson’s cryptic comments were about, because something told her the government contact was somehow involved with what happened the night she was turned.
As she entered the corridor that led to the horde leader’s office, with its white walls stenciled with black borders and small chandeliers, Fry approached from the other side. He paused when he saw her. “Are you going to see Leke?”
“Yes. Is he busy?”
“Not any more than he usually is.”
Yet, she paused before she knocked on his door. What the hell was she doing, hankering after an argument? Still, she opened the door and barged in, slamming it behind her.
Leke closed the laptop on his desk before lifting his eyes to meet hers. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for a stroll.”
He leaned back, and his lips curled up in a smile as his eyes traveled over her. His grin widened. If he thought the tight leather mini skirt and figure-hugging blue top were for his benefit, he was mistaken. “I’m sure you have something you want to spit at me.” He leaned forward to rest his arms on the table. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing muscled forearms.
“What were you doing in the car park that night? You didn’t just come across me, did you?”
When his jaw tightened, his expression told her this wasn’t a question he expected. “What do you mean?”
“What part of my question didn’t you understand?”
He stared at his desk, his brow furrowed, as if considering whether to answer. “I was sent to kill you.”
“By the government?”
“Yes. They couldn’t risk having any more dangerous werewolves running around.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t care about the fact that the state had wanted her out of the way. She needed to know why Leke didn’t go through with it. “So why d
idn’t you let me die, when you knew what would happen to me?”
“It was my intention, but when I—” His face softened, those blue eyes exploring her face as if he searched for his own answers. “When I saw you, I couldn’t let you die.” He released a sigh. “Believe me, Veronica. I wish I understood my reaction…but I just could not let you go.”
His admission stirred something inside her, and when dizziness overcame her, she leaned back against the wall. “Why?”
She did not even know which question she wanted an answer to; she only knew that nothing made sense, and perhaps nothing ever would.
In a few strides, he circumvented the large desk and was before her. “You are weakened.” When she shook her head, “Do not lie to me, please. Hate me; fight me if you must. But please…you need blood.” He lifted his head, exposing his neck. “I do not want this.” But she did, didn’t she? More than anything, she wanted to sink her fangs into him and take his blood…not only his blood, she wanted all of him.
“I am not hungry,” she said, even when her gaze fixed on his neck as she imagined sinking her fangs into his skin. Her eyes trailed over his massive chest, moving lower…
And then his mobile rang. He shifted back to his desk and picked up his phone from it. After mumbling some words into it, he turned to her. “Time to go after your werewolf.”
“What do you mean?”
“I meant to tell you as soon as I saw you, but…anyway, Edge has told us that Rasmus is hiding out at a mob bar—Rouge—and we’re planning to infiltrate it…” He frowned at her expression. “What is it, Veronica?”
“I know the owner, Mike.”
His shook his head, his expression of disbelief. “How well?”
“Well enough. And I’ve carried out jobs for him before.”
He tapped his phone against the desk. “You can get us in?”
Before she was a supernatural, she might have been able to. “Like most mobsters, he hates non-humans.”
“Thought that might have been too easy—”
But Enzo might be able to help… “Just wait, Leke.”
She pulled out her phone and dialed Enzo’s number. He had said she could turn to him, hadn’t he? When he picked up after only one ring, she took it as a good sign. “Veronica? Is everything all right?”
“Yes. But I need your help.”
“Go ahead.” She explained the situation with Rasmus.
“Are you sure about the information?” Enzo asked. “From what I know of Mike, no way he’d allow a supernatural to step foot inside his place. And you’re saying he’s protecting a wolf who hates human?”
“The Association is backing Rasmus at the moment.” And everyone knew how tight that organization was with criminal elements in Manhattan.
“And you reckon they’re trying to instigate warfare between supernaturals and humans?”
“Yes.”
“I hate supernaturals as much as the mob…sorry, Veronica, I didn’t mean it like that—”
“It’s all right, Enzo.” Whether or not she liked it, she had to get used to others treating her as a non-human. “So tell me. Can you get us into Rouge?”
“Mike does owe us for some favors you did him, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. But considering what’s happened to me, whether I can hold him to those favors is another matter.”
“Let’s try speaking to him together. I’ll call him and ask him to meet us at the rear entrance”—the hidden one where only a few of Mike’s associates were allowed to venture—“But if this goes ahead, the horde has to stay behind until Mike agrees to let them enter. Don’t need the sight of them setting him off.”
“I get it. And Enzo? Thanks.”
“It’s the least I can do after not backing you when you turned. And this mission of yours? It’s for the good of humans, too.”
She turned to Leke after hanging up the phone. “He’s speaking to Mike now to arrange a meeting.”
“Good.”
“What about Edge? He was supposed to stay here while we went after his boss.”
“He’s already arrived here, and some of the hardest members of my horde will keep a close watch over him until this is over.”
After that, they both waited in silence. She looked around his office, her eyes landing on the screens on the wall. There was little action in the security footage. Cameron was ever silent as he walked through a corridor. Fatima was in the training center practicing with throwing blades…but Veronica kept her gaze on the scenes she’d seen plenty of times, just to draw her attention away from Leke. When her phone beeped, it made her jump, but she perked up when she saw Enzo’s message. It’s fixed. See you there in an hour. Remember, the horde has to stay behind.
“It’s happening.” She glanced up at Leke. “I’ll go ahead and meet Enzo outside Rouge. We’re going to talk to Mike, and I’ll let you know—”
“No fucking way.” His face tightened. “You’re not going there alone.”
“When the fuck are you going to trust me to deal with stuff on my own?” She drew a deep breath. “Look. This is the only way. Unless you want to resort to your supernatural abilities and teleport your way in there…or use guns to shoot your way through? Either way, you’ll have to deal with Mike and his guys as well as the wolves. And pick up a few more enemies while you’re at it.”
“Damn it.” He turned away from her and placed his forearms against the wall, resting his head against it. She didn’t need a supernatural instinct to sense his struggle. When he turned to her, his face was pale. “I come with you—”
“No, Leke. We are meeting Mike at a restricted entrance, where nobody goes without permission. If you guys go there, you’ll start a fight before we get a word in.”
“My horde will make sure the mobster doesn’t see any of them.”
“No way. We can’t take the risk—”
“Then no deal.”
“Leke—”
“Look, Veronica.” He held her shoulders, staring into her eyes. “You have no idea of what it’s like to have some humans hate you so much that the sight of you would drive them to kill. I won’t take any risks—not where you’re concerned.”
She would have been pleased at his admission if not for the fact that they needed to get moving. There was no point wasting time on this debate. “Fine. But you have to promise you will stay at a distance. If we want to get into Rouge, we do it my way.” When he nodded, “I’ll get changed and meet you in the car park.”
“Wait.” He paused. “Veronica—you need to drink…”
She subdued the temptation. “No, I don’t, Leke.”
“You’re preparing to fight some dangerous wolves. If you weaken—”
“I told you, this bloodsucking business is not for me. I’m not touching that stuff again.”
When she left the office, there was a strange emotion inside her…regret? Not possible. But sure enough, it was there, because after this was over, she would leave this place. She had prepared herself for it, but she couldn’t deny she felt something for Leke—yet, if she stayed here, she would eventually reconcile with what he had turned her to. Leaving was for the best, because she had enough to be dealing with, without all this confusion about the horde leader. But the thought of never seeing him again…unbearable…
She refused to acknowledge the emotion that rose inside her as she entered her bedroom—no, the bedroom—because after tonight, she would no longer sleep here. She opened the cupboard where she stored the weapons Leke had given her. After strapping a harness to her chest, she filled it with guns, blades and bullets, and then pulled her jacket over it.
A few hours, and then this would be over.
TONIGHT, IT WOULD END.
“Not like you to be so tense,” mentioned Fry.
Leke waited with his horde in the underground car park, each of them stood beside their chosen vehicle. He was taking ten of them on this mission.
“I’m no more tense than usual,” he lied.
There were always members of the horde inside this mansion, yet it would be empty without her…how had she become a need in such a small time? This lifestyle had suited him, with no emotions or angst to get in the way of work, but now, after meeting her, he longed for a…mate. He longed for someone to be part of his life, the one who would be with him at the end of the day…and that was a place he could only give to Veronica. But when she came closer, those thoughts shifted from his mind. Her eyes…so pale. “You need to drink.” Even as he said the words, he knew it was no use.
“Once this is over, I will make arrangements to sustain myself. You need not concern yourself with my welfare.” Her voice was cold, and even though he knew the agitation was caused by a need for blood, it cut through him.
He took a hand to her hair, smoothing away a strand that had fallen across her face. “Veronica…” He swallowed. “After this mission is over, will you come back and stay with me? Here?”
Surprise crossed her face, and for a moment, her expression softened before she drew her lips back, exposing her fangs. “Never, bloodsucker.” When she turned away, he did not stop her.
Damn it. He really chose his timing, didn’t he?
Maybe later, once Rasmus was out of the way, and she’d had a chance to think…but no, she didn’t even cast him a glance as she got on to her bike and drove out of the car park.
Will she ever forgive me?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
* * *
AS SHE HIT THE ROAD, Veronica tried to ignore the confusion stirring inside her.
Bitten And Twisted (Blood Moon Book 3) Page 14
