by K B Everly
“Please, Diego. I need you…” I whispered, closing the distance between our mouths.
He clutched my biceps, keeping our lips a hair’s breadth away from each other.
“I don’t want to make things worse for you, Claudia,” he whispered gravelly.
I shook my head, making my lips feather against his as I did. “You won’t. Nothing from you could ever be bad for me. Make me forget, Diego…”
I heard him swallow hard, before finally pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was slow at first, but quickly picked up in rhythm. His tongue swept against mine, tasting heavily of blood like he fed recently. It spurred the desire within me, making me throw my arms around his neck and pull our bodies together tightly.
As if he wasn’t able to resist, he wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me up and out of the bath. My body soaked his clothes when I anchored my legs around his waist. He kissed me as he walked me out of the bathroom, not daring to stop.
He didn’t stop until I felt him bend down and the soft fabric of the couch pressed into my back. His body covered mine as he feasted on my mouth, hands gliding over every inch of my slick body.
He was so worried about this being a mistake, but already, I felt the weight of everything lifting away. I needed the touch of a man who I trusted without fault. Who wasn’t connected to anything in my past. Who loved me in all my flaws.
I ripped his clothes away from him, dying to have his deliciously inked up skin caressing mine. When there was finally nothing left between us, he made eye contact with me, asking if I was ready without a single word. I kissed him hungrily in response, begging for him to fill me. When I felt the pleasuring pressure of him entering me, I couldn’t stop myself from dragging my nails over his perfect ass and yanking him into me harder. He obliged without question.
I fell apart in his arms over and over again, burning and gasping, only to find myself rebuilding with every euphoric wave that hit me. It was beautiful destruction in its purest form.
And it made me feel whole again.
Chapter Eighteen
Diego
A part of me feared still that what happened between me and Claudia would have adverse effects on her healing. But as I watched her resting soundly on her couch, a soft smile lighting her face, I had a feeling all would be well with time.
My phone chimed by the door where I left it, alerting me to a call. I quietly stood and walked over, seeing Hollis’ name on the caller ID. I walked outside the loft and accepted the call in the hallway, not wanting to wake Claudia.
“Hey, Diego. I hate to bother you right now. Lucy let me know you’re with Claudia trying to help her, but I didn’t think this could wait.”
The seriousness of his tone had me instantly alert. “It’s fine. She’s doing better and resting. What’s going on?”
“Good. That girl needed some rest,” he said with an air of relief, then continued. “Agent Teller got word from one of our informants who’s been keeping an eye on Rogue and his entourage. He called him, stating that one of Rogue’s inner circle has made it known to some of the lackies that there will be a move tonight. A big one.”
My brow furrowed. “What kind of move?”
“The kind where a few of the girls he currently has in his possession are moved to another location before being sold off. This could be the break were waiting for to catch him.”
From what we understood about Rogue, he only made moves like this once or twice a year. The window was usually small and the mode of transportation secret to all except the inner circle. We never managed to gather intel on these moves until after they were already done. This was one of the luckiest breaks we’ve had.
Internally, I was excited to finally have this chance. Claudia had finally told me as many details as she could before passing out, and I was hungry for a bit of revenge on her behalf. Rogue was a fucking monster that needed to be put down immediately. But at the same time, nothing ever goes to plan with these kind of stake outs. Case in point, the one I went on with Hollis that got me snagged by Vex and his idiot minions.
The thoughts of Claudia overruled everything, though. I wanted to do this for her and all the other girls who had suffered at his hands. If this was our only break, I’d take it.
“What’s the plan?” I asked him, mind made up.
“Meet at the station in thirty when the sun goes down. We’ll be suiting up and going over the details as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be there,” I stated firmly. We exchanged goodbyes and I hung up. A throat cleared by the stairwell.
I looked over my shoulder to see Abraham leaning against the wall, lips pulled tight in a grimace and arms crossed.
“It’s a trap, Diego. Rogue keeps close eyes on the people around him, especially those he suspects are informants. You’ll never get close enough.”
I wanted to be aggravated that he’d listened in on my conversation, but I couldn’t muster the energy to care. He knew Rogue better than any of us and had just as much stake in claiming vengeance for Claudia as I did. If not more.
So instead, I asked him, “What do you suggest we do? Ignore the tip that could possibly be good and risk losing this chance?”
He straightened and walked towards me, head shaking. “No. But I would have someone with you that knew this monster and how he works. I know his tricks. His patterns. His flaws. Let me help you in this endeavor, and I promise we will get him.”
I frowned. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. While your intel would be paramount, who would be here for Claudia should things go sideways and I end up dead? She can’t lose us both and you know that. You think she was broken before? The damage would be irreparable if we both died.”
Abraham scoffed. “That weasel couldn’t kill me no matter how badly he wanted to. You forget I’m an ancient, Diego. I’m not easily killed, and I sure as hell wouldn’t do this if I had even the slightest worry that she’d lose either of us. You’d do well to include me. I can arrange for Lucy to watch over her tonight. She’s better from what I could hear.” That last part seemed sour on his tongue.
“You were here the whole time listening?” I said dryly.
He shrugged. “I hadn’t intended to, but when I finally heard her talking, I couldn’t leave. Even though I had to listen to you two together, it warmed my cold, dead heart that she was speaking again. Even laughing a little. I feared I’d never hear that again.”
His expression was so solemn, I couldn’t convince myself to get mad. I was a bit weirded out that he listened, but it just went to show how badly he wanted her to be better again. I probably would’ve done the same in his shoes.
“Okay. But let’s not make a habit of this. I’m grateful you gave your blessing on her being with me as well, but I can only go so far with this. I’m totally fine sharing her as long as it’s not like...at the same time.”
Abraham’s face turned to disgust. “Oh calm yourself, boy. I have no intentions of ever pushing that envelope.”
“Good,” I stated with a nod. Then we fell into an awkward silence for a moment.
“So, am I coming along?” Abraham asked, breaking that silence.
“Let’s take it up with Hollis. I’ll leave Claudia a note, then you can just ride with me. Go ahead and contact Lucy about coming over at sun down.”
He nodded and proceeded back towards the stairwell. As I turned, he called back to me. I glanced over my shoulder.
“Thank you. For everything. I’m glad she chose you.”
I only nodded in response and headed back inside. Claudia still lay there, arms curled around a pillow and a slight bit of drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. I smiled, unable to resist walking over and gently wiping it away. Even in this state, she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever encountered. I watched her for a few moments more, letting my eyes take in every single feature of her and encoding it in my memory. Then, I forced myself to write her a note, telling her Brahm and I loved her and would be back. Th
at was all. Lucy could fill her in on anything else, but I felt this was all that she needed from us.
I bent down and kissed her silk cheek. “Sleep well, Querida,” I whispered, then grabbed my keys and headed out, hoping what I’d written to her hadn’t been a lie.
She’d never forgive either of us if it was.
Abraham
I didn’t want to admit even to myself that I was jealous Diego was able to get through to Claudia. But, I was.
I had always hoped if the time came that her memories would come back, I’d be the one to help her through it. I never imagined it’d backfire on me so badly.
“Are you listening, Abraham?” Diego said from the driver’s seat beside me.
I pulled myself from my thoughts and glanced at the GPS mounted to Diego’s car. He had just asked me if I knew what was in store for us with Rogue should things go south.
“Sorry. Just thinking about things. I don’t know what Rogue has planned. Just that whatever it is, it’s bad. He has a merciless grudge against me for taking Claudia from him.”
Diego huffed. “Yeah, I figured as much. We’re still a good distance from the last caravan, so at least they haven’t seen us yet.”
We’d been following behind the line of vehicles Rogue had leaving the club. We suspected they were moving some of the girls to a secondary location where Rogue had to be hiding out when he wasn’t at the club. So far, luck was on our side.
“Is it just me, or does this road lead to the compound Bellamy had used?” Diego asked, suspicion evident in his tone.
I looked around at our surroundings, there was nothing but woods and mountains for miles. The stretch of road was long and winding. I checked my pockets, realizing I hadn’t brought my phone.
“Give me your phone. I’ll check GPS.”
Diego handed it to me, and I opened the maps app. Sure enough, we were headed in the direction of the compound.
“What is that?” Diego asked.
I looked up from the phone in time to see the last vehicle had slowed down. The back doors of the van were wide open and a vampire was holding something in his hand. He tossed it in our direction and slammed the doors shut. The van took off once again.
We’d been going so fast, we had no chance of stopping in time.
“Fuck! Hold on!” Diego shouted, veering the car to the right.
He was too late. An explosion hit the left, front side of the car so hard, it sent the car up into the air and tumbling sideways. We braced ourselves as we were rolled over and over into the trees; our bodies being knocked around. I felt my head slam into the side of the car and my vision blurred.
We were upside down, both of us dangling useless. Diego groaned next to me, but made no other noises. My mind was fuzzy, but I could still see Diego’s phone in my hand. Even through the haze, I knew Rogue had gotten us.
With my consciousness fading quickly, I pulled up Claudia’s name and typed out a quick message to her. I had to say something. Just so she’d know.
It had been a trap the whole time, and we’d fallen for it.
The last thing I remember was feet walking towards us and a stinging sensation in my neck, with the words I’d sent to Claudia replaying in my mind alongside her face.
“We’re sorry. We love you.”
Claudia
I awakened to someone tapping the side of my face. At first, I thought it was Diego, but the scent proved to be another familiar person.
“Claude? Wakey, wakey. You drool when you sleep, just so you know,” Lucy said, continuing to poke at my cheek.
I groaned and swatted her hand away. “I do not,” I replied, sitting up and stretching. A quick scan of the loft confirmed Diego wasn’t here anymore.
A piece of paper was shoved in my face. “Diego left this for you. It’s so cute that he leaves you notes. Though, it’s funny since he said ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. Was Abraham here?”
I grabbed the note from her, ignoring her question. It simply read, “We’ll be back soon. We love you, Claudia.”
It was an odd note. I could clearly read the endearment in it, as if disguising itself as a simple love note. But to me, it screamed something else.
“Do you know where they went?” I asked Lucy.
“Oh don’t worry about them, give me a hug!” She threw her arms around me and squeezed tightly. “I was so worried about you. It was so hard watching you suffer like you were and not able to help you. Thank goodness for Diego. He seemed to be just what you needed this whole time.”
I hugged her back, allowing her to get what assurance she needed from me that I was okay. But I couldn’t stop myself from thinking she was hiding something. I gently extracted her and grasped her biceps. “I love you to death Lucy Bryant-Grey-Jenkens-and whatever Vex’s last name is, but I need you to tell me what’s going on. I know this note isn’t a simple, ‘hey, honey, see you later. Love you,’ kind of notes. This is a ‘shit is going down and we’re protecting you’ kind. So, tell me.”
Lucy’s face fell and she shook her head. “No way. You’ll worry needlessly and that can’t be good for you right now. They are fine and will be back later, just as they said they would be.”
I looked at the note again, then at the clock on the wall. It was three hours after the sun usually set. I’d been asleep for hours.
“What time did they leave, Lucy? Where did they go?”
She finally sighed. “They left right at sun down to the station. I don’t know exactly where they were going after that, only that Abraham was helping Diego and Hollis on a stakeout.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Abraham went with them? Does this have to do with Rogue?” I asked her sternly.
She looked away from me, snagging a wayward dread and twirling it around her finger and refusing to answer.
“Lucy! Tell me!”
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then gazed at me with a look that confirmed my suspicion. Dread pumped through my heart like fire.
She quickly grabbed my shoulders. “Claudia, they will be fine. They can handle themselves, especially together. Abraham is an ancient for goodness sake. No one can take him down.”
But just as I began to breathe through the panic, my phone lit up with an incoming text. I saw Diego’s name on the pop up banner. I almost sighed in relief, until I read the message.
My vision tunneled, and my panic returned full force.
“Oh my god...Lucy...they’re in trouble.”
Chapter Nineteen
Falling apart was not an option. Not anymore. I’d let the memories suffocate me for days, but I wouldn’t allow the source of those memories to take another piece of my life away. Never again.
Lucy had called Hollis immediately after I got the message. He didn’t answer. My resolve to find out what happened to them grew exponentially.
In my gut, I knew Rogue had gotten them. There was no question in my mind. I didn’t remember just the things that monster had done to me, I remembered the monster in his entirety. I knew how his warped mind worked, and if left alive, he’d stop at nothing to get back at Abraham for stealing what he’d thought was his. It didn’t matter if I was alive or dead, Rogue would’ve still wanted Brahm’s heart, beating and bloody in his palm. Diego being an STF agent would be an added bonus for him.
I wouldn’t allow him to take them from me. I was done letting that vile vampire get away with hurting anyone else. The plan in my mind had a slim chance of working, but I’d try it anyway.
Lucy kept trying to calm me as I walked through the loft collecting clothes, shoes, and makeup, before shutting myself in the bathroom. I slipped on the revealing black dress and stiletto pumps, did my makeup seductive and smoky, and curled my hair. Lucy had knocked several times while I got my unusual version of war getup on but gave up after thirty minutes.
I lathered on a thick layer of deep burgundy lipstick then gave myself a once over. This would due perfectly. I left the bathroom with Lucy trailing behind me as I grabbed a thin thigh hol
ster from one of my drawers and strapped it to the inside of my leg. I slid a silver dagger into the holster and grabbed my phone. I may not be as much of a fighter as Brahm and Diego, but I sure as hell knew where to stick a vampire to kill them. I just had to get close enough.
“What the fuck are you doing, Claudia?” Lucy balked at me, eyes flicking down my outfit and to the blade hidden beneath my dress.
“I’m going after them,” I answered her as I scrolled through my phone looking for the number of the one person that I knew could help me. “No one on the force will be able to get close enough to Rogue to save them. I can.”
Lucy sighed. “Claude, there’s no telling what Diego meant by that message. I think you’re looking too much into these notes he left you.”
I narrowed my eyes on her, aggravated that she couldn’t just trust me. “You don’t get to lecture me on this, Lucy. I know Diego. That message was basically telling me goodbye as fast as he could. I’m not losing my mind or being irrational. I know in my heart he and Brahm are in trouble. Maybe even Hollis. Did you think about that?”
Lucy sighed again and rubbed her hands down her face. “Hollis wasn’t in the same group as them. He told me that Diego and Brahm would be with the team that followed the transport while Hollis’ team stayed behind to watch the club in case it was a decoy.”
“Well, I’d say the club was the decoy, not the transport. Call him again and make sure he’s okay. Meanwhile, I’m going after my men.” I didn’t even give her a chance to say anything else before I was grabbing my keys and heading out the door. I dialed the number I was looking for and waited for her to pick up.
“Well, well, someone must be either feeling better or far crazier than she has been if she’s calling me,” Sawyer said in a haughty tone when she answered.
“Rogue has them,” I replied immediately. “Meet me outside of Delirium in thirty minutes. Dress in something revealing. Oh, and Sawyer? Make sure you have weapons.”
