by Judith Post
“She liked the idea. I just hope it works.”
So did Danny. When he left the station and called it a night, Enoch followed him home. Maggie wasn’t there.
"Jason will be guarding her," Enoch said, "so I'll stick around until Claudia gets back."
"Fine with me." Danny felt safer with vampire muscle standing guard over him. He and Enoch were scrounging through the refrigerator, looking for something to eat, when someone knocked on Maggie’s door. Danny opened it and stared. Claudia, lush curves smooshed into tight leather, stood before him. Her thick, dark hair tumbled past her shoulders. He shook his head. "What is it with vampires? Does a mortal have to be sexy as hell to get bitten?"
She smiled, pleased with the compliment, but when he opened the door wider to let her in, she held up a hand to stop him. "Don't invite me in.”
“But you saved my life.” He still couldn't believe that one female took out five, young studs.
“If I get caught, my captors could use me to enter your house. I’d rather not take any chances.”
"Vampire rules sure are complicated." He pulled on a coat to go outside to talk to her. Enoch followed him.
“I’ve never gotten to thank you for protecting me,” Danny said.
She looked surprised. “Humans don’t usually welcome us even when we’re helping them.”
“Then they don't hang out with Enoch enough.”
“You've actually made my job easier," she told him. "So has Voronika. Rogues have a hard time resisting bait.”
"Bait?" He grimaced. He hadn't thought of himself that way, wasn't too crazy about it. Decided to stick with what he knew. “Any luck tonight?”
“Your guy didn’t panic. He went home and made a phone call. Then he stayed home.”
“Someone told him to shut up and stay put,” Danny said. “It was worth a try, though. Thanks.” He held out his hand. Claudia gave it a quick shake and he couldn't hide his surprise.
“Yeah, we’re cold. No body temperature,” Claudia said.
“It’s not just from being outside all the time?”
“I’d be just as cold sitting next to a fireplace.” She turned her head when Maggie's friend pulled into the drive and caught them in her headlights. Maggie got out, a smile on her lips to greet them. "Gotta go," Claudia said and bound out of sight.
When Maggie reached them, she looked around expectantly. "Where did your friend go?"
"She had to run," Danny lied. He didn't like bending the truth, but he was doing Maggie a favor.
Enoch gave Danny a quick wave and started to his Land Rover. “You’re on your own, old buddy. Voronika’s awake by now. I’m going home.” He gave Danny a sympathetic smile when Maggie asked, “But where did she go? It's like she just disappeared.”
"Yeah, she's good." Danny pulled Maggie into the house, saying, “She's one of the best at undercover.”
Chapter 54
Enoch went home to find Voronika in the kitchen. She had steaks ready to throw on the grill, and she'd opened different bags of greens.
"I'm getting the knack of this," she said. "I take the food out, and you fix it."
He grinned. "That's your idea of learning to cook?"
"I watched a show on TV, all about food. Iron Chef. There was a head chef—" She pointed at Enoch. "And sous chefs—" She pointed to herself. "I liked that idea."
He did too. They worked together in the kitchen, making a Caesar salad from scratch and a red wine sauce for their steaks. He started to tell her about Danny and the man with the tattoo, but she shook her head. "Not now. Not tonight."
"But it might connect to Gail Lahmeyer."
She raised a brow in warning. "Sometimes, if you take a break, things look fresh again and you see things in a different light."
He got the message. No shop talk. When they finished their meal, she asked for a dessert. They looked through cookbooks together and settled on gooey, chocolate cakes served warm in ramekins. Voronika moaned when she bit into hers. "Is there any woman who doesn't love chocolate?" she asked.
Dessert led to other pleasures. By the time Enoch got up the next morning to stand watch over Jenny Yost, he felt more confident. This time, the killer wouldn't get away. This time, they'd catch him. He was listening to Rimsky-Korsakov when an unmarked police car pulled behind his SUV.
Enoch rolled down his window as the officer approached. “They’ve found another body in an alley,” he said. “Danny told me to spell you so you can meet him there." It was the same cop who'd watched over Paige in Monroeville. "Sorry about Paige," he told Enoch. "I couldn't see her leave with the privacy fence blocking the alley.”
"That's why she picked her ex-boyfriend's, to give us the slip. I'm Enoch."
The officer extended a hand. "Wayne." He gave directions to the body.
On his drive toward town, Enoch thought about the different cops he'd met. He was getting familiar with them. Was that a good thing? In some ways, it made his job easier. None of them questioned why he was with Danny any more. On the other hand, more and more people were learning about him. But to them, he was just a psychic. What could that hurt?
The techs were leaving when he walked to the body, slumped against a dumpster. Danny waited until they were alone. “Drained. Want to touch him and see if we’re going to find more of these scattered around town?”
Enoch put a hand on the dead man’s shoulder, waited, and shook his head. “Not from this vamp.” He and Danny were turning to leave when a group of rogues jumped Enoch. He shook them off as two others grabbed Danny. Enoch started to yell for Claudia to stay put when she landed with a thud to join the fray. She yanked one vampire off Danny and snapped his neck. When she reached for the second one, three older, stronger vampires swooped into the alley and attacked her.
Fangs spurted past her lips and talons sprang from her fingers as Claudia fought them off, but these were no raw recruits. They circled and dodged, worked as a team. While one rushed her, another slashed her right forearm down to the bone. One faked to the right, and a fang grazed her cheek.
The vampire who had Danny started to fly away. Enoch raised his hand and aimed the Light. It hit the vampire in the forehead. When he exploded in a puff of dust, Enoch snapped the neck of the last vampire clinging to him and caught Danny before he hit the pavement. Then he pushed Danny out of the way and waded into the ruckus to rescue Claudia. He grabbed the biggest, oldest vampire, pushed his hand over his face, and smashed his skull against the brick wall. It cracked open like the shell of a pumpkin. Only two more to go. He was reaching for the next one when Bart plummeted out of the sky, picked the vampire off the ground, and whipped him upside down. He rammed him against the pavement like a post hole digger. Another pile of dust. Claudia finished the third vampire herself with a twist of his neck.
Bart rushed to her and checked her arm. “That’s deep."
She winced when he touched it. The slash looked red and angry.
"They weren't just keeping you busy, trying to distract you so they could steal Danny. These were some of Vlad's personal guards."
Enoch agreed. "Vlad meant to destroy you."
Bart flexed his muscles. "When I find him, he’s dead.”
“No." She put a hand on Bart’s shoulder. "Caleb will punish you.” Sweat beaded on her forehead. Vampires were always cold.
Enoch looked at the long, deep slice in her arm. It was festering. “These vamps were older, more toxic. The fever will come soon."
"I’ll heal. It’s our way.”
Bart looked worried. "How old was the vamp who cut you?"
“Older than she is, old enough to make her really sick." Then Enoch understood. "They didn't want to destroy her. Even Vlad knows better than that. They just wanted to infect her, to keep both of you out of the way for a while."
"Well, it worked." Bart put an arm around Claudia when she started to sag. Her yellow eyes were glazed, and she looked disoriented.
Enoch unbuttoned his coat and shirt, offering his
neck. "Bite me. Now.”
She shrank back against Bart. “No.”
“You can’t hurt me any more than you can hurt Caleb, but my blood will fix you, right here on the spot.”
"How?"
"I'm immortal, not undead. My blood heals."
Bart gave him an odd look. "Does Caleb's?"
"I don't know. He doesn't have the Light, but we need Claudia…and you. If she gets sick enough, you'll have to stay with her. They knew that."
Bart nodded. He gave his mate a gentle push. “Do it.”
Danny blanched and turned his back on them. “I don’t want to watch.”
"I don't either." Bart pushed Danny's shoulder to move him forward. "The hunger's always with me. If I watch, the craving will get worse. Let's walk." He glanced at Enoch. "We'll be back soon."
When they returned ten minutes later, Danny stared at Enoch’s neck. “There’s nothing, no bite marks.”
“You saw me put the letter opener through my hand. I heal.”
Danny turned his attention to Claudia. She looked radiant. The slit in her arm was gone—the skin healed over, healthy and firm. Danny took a deep breath. His complexion looked ashen. Enoch could tell he was struggling. “You scare me,” he said.
“I know, but you’ll get used to it.”
"I don't think so."
Bart wrapped an arm around Claudia. “Thank you.”
“You help us, we help you," Enoch told him. "That’s the way it is.”
“Will you be with your friend for a while? I’d like to call Caleb, have a few words with him, but Danny shouldn't be unprotected. I can call in someone else.” Danny held out his cell phone, but Bart shook his head. “We use telepathy. I can reach any vampire any time, anywhere.”
“I'm taking Danny to lunch,” Enoch said. “We could use a little time to unwind. Will you be finished by then?”
“It won't take long. Just summon Claudia before you leave him.”
Danny rubbed a hand over his forehead as he followed Enoch to the Land Rover. “Okay, another surprise. You have telepathy with vamps?”
“That’s how they communicate,” Enoch said. “It comes in handy. I mentioned it, but this is the first time you've seen it. Come on. Call your guys in to bag the body, so we can get out of here.”
Bart and Claudia flew off while Danny made his call. A short time later, Enoch drove Danny to the Gas House to grab fish and chips. “I’ll drive you back to your car when we’re done, and then I’ll go to the shop to watch over Jenny.”
Danny sighed and took a long sip of beer before he brought up what was on his mind. “If you hadn’t shown up today, would I have been a vampire snack?”
“No, they’d have used you as bait to draw me out, but their real target was Claudia.”
“Why? To make her sick?”
“Vlad’s getting impatient. He can't get to Voronika while she's in my apartment, so he's trying to force our hands. Claudia and Bart keep getting in his way. So do I.”
“I thought you and your friend had a deal. I have another drained body to send to Doc.”
“As usual, there are loopholes. But enough’s enough. After Bart and Claudia talk to Caleb, it’s my turn. When I get home tonight, we're going to have a long conversation.”
“Will it make a difference?”
Enoch didn’t answer right away. Finally he said, “It better.”
“So what happens next?”
“If one more person gets drained, I look for Vlad.”
“Is that legal?”
“I agreed not to go after Caleb, and I won't, but I’m not interested in loopholes or word games. He knows that. We’re not lawyers. A technicality doesn’t change anything.”
Danny nodded, satisfied. "Maggie's giving a party tonight, the usual thing with her friends. Laid back. Casual. Will both vampires be there?"
"Yeah, are you going to invite them in for drinks?" Too late, Enoch tried to bite back the words. They were flippant and callous. Time to calm down.
Danny looked horrified. "I just want everyone to be safe."
"With Claudia and Jason working together?"
"Good, we're covered."
When they finished eating, Enoch drove Danny to his unmarked car. He looked to the rooftops and Claudia gave him a wave. Danny was safe. He drove to Wells Street to watch over Jenny’s shop. His thoughts roamed far and wide while he sat in the Rover with little to distract him, and the more he thought, the angrier he got. What the hell was wrong with Caleb? He let Vlad attack one of his own generals. And for what? To please one mean, spoiled, vampire bully. By the time Jenny's husband came for her, Enoch could hardly contain his fury. When he called Caleb to appear, he wasn’t in the mood to mince words.
Caleb's golden radiance filled the Land Rover. He immediately held up a hand in self defense. “I already have blisters from Bart's scolding."
"Scolding?" Is that what Caleb called it?
"Vlad’s being bad. I’ll talk to him, and I’ll send more troops.”
“Vlad's a monster, and if one more person's bitten or grabbed, I hunt him,” Enoch said. “That was the whole point of the deal. No mortals get hurt.”
“That’s what I intended. I haven’t tried to trick you. Neither of us has broken our word, but I haven’t lived up to mine." The usual prattle, trying to put a good spin on things. When Enoch's expression turned darker, Caleb hurried to say, "By tomorrow morning, Bart and Claudia will have an army. The last thing I need is to have both you and Bart mad at me."
“Then call Vlad home.”
“Vlad doesn’t give up easily. It will take some time, but there won’t be any more people attacked. I’ll see to that. Are we good?”
“For now.” But Enoch didn’t feel good when he drove back to his apartment. How far would Caleb let Vlad go before he grew tired of him or punished him? Would it ever happen? And if Vlad pushed his luck too much, how would Caleb react when Enoch hunted him down and destroyed him?
Chapter 55
Danny pressed the buzzer for Enoch's apartment and jostled from one foot to the other. They finally got a break. It was about time.
“Good news,” Danny said, stepping inside the penthouse. He looked around the room. Enoch had been working at the computer and Voronika was sewing. What was wrong with this picture? “You guys look like an old, married couple.”
“We are old,” Enoch said.
“This is sad. You just got together, and you're already in a gram and gramp's routine.”
“Did you come for a reason?” Enoch asked.
“Oh, yeah. Right. I put Derek on stake-out at Noah Miser’s house. Noah never ran to his friends, he's too smart for that, but he had to have his fix. He led us to the dealer who supplies that neighborhood, and Derek caught them both. Want to come with me while we grill him?”
“Isn't Maggie's get together tonight?” Voronika asked.
"Yeah, it's routine with her and her friends."
"And you left her?"
“Business. I’ve been waiting a long time for this case to crack, and this might be the night.”
“Did Maggie mind?” Voronika persisted.
“What is this? The girl power talk? Everyone’s having a good time. She’s okay with it.”
“Then I am too,” Voronika snapped. “Enoch’s yours. Take him.” Her voice had a crackle to it, though.
Danny stared at them and shook his head. “Somehow this isn’t what I pictured. An immortal and an undead—I was thinking lots of passion, maybe even something kinky.”
“Some nights. Not this one.” She picked up her needle and thread.
Danny grinned at her. “Let me guess. You have a headache.”
She stopped sewing and slanted him an evil look. “You’d better get out of here, or I’ll tell you exactly what turns me on.” She licked her lips and let her fangs slip forward. "Maybe you and Maggie can try it."
“Gross! Disgusting."
She laughed as Danny grabbed Enoch and propelled him towar
d the door.
Once outside, Danny said, “She’s kidding, isn’t she?”
“You have no idea.”
“You two are just trying to freak me out.”
“And it’s so easy.” Enoch smiled as they rode down to the lobby.
“Not cool, and here I came to be nice to you.”
Their banter ended when they reached the station. Danny straightened his shoulders and walked into the interrogation room, all business. He sat opposite Noah and read the report on the table. “Your friends and your lawyer can’t get you out of this one. The dealer’s singing like a canary in the next room. Your ass is ours.”
Noah gave his lawyer a quick glance, and the lawyer said, “This is small-time stuff. You know that. We know that. You’ll be lucky if my client gets sixty days.”
“For buying, maybe." Danny wasn't going to argue. "But we can connect the dots between a string of robberies and Noah's drug deals. One of them leads straight to a murder. Your client knocked an old lady over the head and stole her purse to get drug money. I think we can do better than sixty days.”
Noah and his lawyer exchanged looks, and Noah gave a quick nod. “If my client agrees to cooperate, can we make a deal?”
“I’m all ears, but you two had better not try anything funny. If your info doesn’t match the dealer’s, I’ll wonder why.”
Noah started talking. Yes, he was part of the gang that robbed the stores. The other members were Kevin Vorley and Lane Clancy. No, he didn’t rob cars from Kevin’s car lot. No, he didn’t help murder Lane’s aunt. But Lane had the money to buy drugs the night his aunt died, and he hadn’t had it before. "They both got greedy. Broke out on their own. I'm not going down with them."
When Danny and Enoch left him and went to the next room where the dealer sat, Danny got right down to business. The dealer was strictly small time. When Danny asked him if he had anything to do with the two men who were found murdered near the Laundromat, he turned white with worry. “Did they stiff you on payments?” Danny asked. “So you killed them?”
