“Oh, Xian, that’s very sweet of you,” she said, taking the package from him. “She adores your brownies. Thank you.”
Brownies? Jackson’s mouth was watering already.
For a moment he forgot why they needed to talk to Xian as he scanned the granite counters, first the large island with some frou-frou wicker basket arrangement, then around the perimeter, looking for a pan, a platter or the friggin’ plate that held them. He was about to ask Xian if he’d made any extra when he spotted a lidded plastic container. Bingo! He beelined to the far side of the kitchen.
Lily started asking Xian a bunch of questions, but Jackson was only half-paying attention. He removed the lid and— Holy cow, they were frosted.
“I put nuts in the batch I made for everyone else,” Xian called over his shoulder as he touched the wall-mounted Comm screen.
“Is there anything you can’t do, Xian?” Grabbing the container, he shuffled back to the other side of the kitchen, trying to decide which one to eat first. The biggest brownie or the one with the most frosting? The biggest, he decided, and fished it out, smearing chocolate all over his fingers.
“Yes, get you to approve the latest expense sheets. I’ve got Guardian and trainee credit card bills due soon. Dom never makes me wait this long.”
“Oh shit, sorry. Remind me later, okay?” Jackson stuffed the thing in his mouth and crunched down. Not surprising, it was fan-fucking-tastic. Moist, chewy and very chocolaty. “Xian, you know it’d really suck if you Van Helsinged and teamed up against us. I’d miss all the food.”
“Jackson!” Lily’s eyes narrowed.
“What? I’m joking. Kind of.” He sat on the counter and crossed his legs. “Sorry, Xi, if I pissed you off.”
“No worries. But if you don’t get your feet off my clean granite, those will be the last brownies you ever eat.” The man’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he punched a few more buttons on the screen.
Jackson obeyed and crooked his pinkie, which was covered with frosting. “See, Lil? Xi and I are tight.”
Not that Jackson actually thought Xian would sever his loyalties to their kind, deciding instead to hunt and persecute vampires as a handful of humans had done over the years, but he liked to tease the guy anyway. When Darkbloods had slipped into the family bakery late one night, targeting them because a few of them were sweetbloods, Xian and his sister would’ve been dead if it hadn’t been for Guardians. They hadn’t arrived in time to save his mother, but because he and his younger sister were not sweetbloods, the Darkbloods hadn’t gotten around to killing them before the Guardian showed up
Grateful and insisting he owed the team his life, Xian eventually became the administrative manager for the Seattle field office, where he did a little of everything, including occasionally volunteering as a blood donor. And making some kick-ass desserts. Although Jackson could do without all the fish and healthy shit the guy loved to fix.
“No, it appears Kip is not in the field office,” Xian said. “His badge has not been scanned since—” Xian touched the screen again “—since eleven forty-three last night.”
Lily’s face paled. “That’s the time we left for our shift. I assumed he was entertaining one of the women. Are you sure?”
“I am certain of it.”
Jackson licked his fingers one by one. “I don’t understand. Weren’t you working the shift together, Lil? I thought he was shadowing you.” He grabbed another brownie and held it out to her.
Glancing at his hand, she cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. He shrugged and shoved the piece of heaven into his mouth.
“He was with me on second shift, but I had him drive my car back to the office while I walked home. I…I wanted to clear my head after a somewhat difficult capture.”
He considered taking yet another brownie, but decided two were enough. Any more sugar and he’d never get to sleep. Then again, as soon as the others saw the brownies, the container would be picked as clean as a chicken leg in a tank of hungry piranhas, so maybe he should take a third.
“That’s your very own container,” Xian said, obviously following his train of thought. “Didn’t you see your name on the lid?”
Jackson flipped it over and saw his name printed neatly on a piece of masking tape in Xian’s perfect script. “Xi, dude, if you were a woman, I’d kiss you.” To Lily, he said, “Is your car here? Did he even come back?”
“I’ll go see,” she said as she sprang toward the door.
“No, wait. I can check the parking garage cameras from here.” Xian swiped his finger over the screen several more times, then made a clucking sound with his tongue. “I am afraid your red Porsche is not parked in the garage.”
“Maybe he stopped by the Pink Salon and is spending dayside with a human woman somewhere.” Jackson popped the lid on and held it on his lap.
“With my car? Without calling or asking? No, Kip’s not the kind of guy who would do that.”
From the pocket of her sweatshirt, she pulled out her cell, punched in a number and held the phone up to her ear. She waited a few moments, a worried look creasing her brow, before she snapped it shut. “He’s still not picking up.”
“Come on,” Jackson said as he jumped from the counter and jogged to the kitchen door, the container of brownies tucked under one arm. “Let’s have Cordell pull up your car’s GPS system to see where it’s located.”
Lily followed closely on his heels. “Tell me exactly what Alfonso told you about Darkbloods looking for Trackers.”
ALFONSO SET A HAND-PAINTED tile flush against the edge of the wet saw, lined up his black Sharpie mark, and grabbed the handle of the blade. Just as he was about to flip on the power switch to make the cut, his phone rang.
Not Santiago again? Few others had his number. He checked the screen and his gut tightened. Damn. The Seattle field office.
He pressed the green answer button. “Yes?”
“Alfonso, it’s Jackson. Lily’s partner is missing.”
Alfonso’s heart flipped in his chest and he stripped off his protective eyewear. “Lily. Where is she?”
“She’s fine,” Jackson said.
Alfonso leaned on the wrought-iron railing and sank to the bottom stair as his heart kick-started under his ribs again with the force of a jackhammer.
“Your intel was accurate,” Jackson continued. “We’re thinking Darkbloods kidnapped Kip because he’s a Tracker. It happened to a Tracker Agent in San Diego as well.”
“Isn’t Kip the new guy? He hasn’t gone through all the training yet, has he? I thought you said Lily just started working with him.”
“Yeah, she only had him out on patrol a few times.”
Alfonso grabbed the handrail and leaped to his feet. “Then it’s her they wanted, not him.”
“Could be a possibility.”
“Where was she when he disappeared? Wasn’t she with him? Tell me everything.”
“She decided to walk home last night at the end of their shift and Kip was to drive her car back himself. Evidently, she’s done it before.”
“Walked home alone?”
“Yeah.”
Alfonso groaned, rubbing his temples.
She hadn’t walked home the night he had watched her. What was she thinking? He was a fool to assume she’d carry out her duties the same way every night.
Jackson continued, “But this time, he never made it back to the field office. The car was found only a few blocks from where they’d originally parked it.”
My God, it could just as easily have been her. “Didn’t you tell her what I told you? That she shouldn’t be out on patrol alone with Darkbloods actively looking for Trackers? What was she thinking?”
“Of course I told her, but you think that made a difference? She’s not gonna change shit just because someone doesn’t think she can handle herself. Besides, we don’t have a lot of Agents here. Not really enough personnel to double up on patrols.”
“Oh, for godsake. They were probably after her in
the first place and took the trainee by accident.” The thought of Lily walking unprotected through the streets of Seattle made him want to throttle some sense back into her.
“Thing is,” Jackson said, “she’s taking Kip’s disappearance really hard. Thinks it’s her fault. That if she’d been with him, DBs would never have been able to kidnap him. She’s going out at nightfall to track him.”
“And who’s going with her?”
Jackson hesitated. “No one. We can cover more ground if we split up.”
Not if I can help it.
Alfonso sprinted upstairs. “Was this decision discussed with Santiago? Does he know you’ve got a missing Tracker? I’ve already told him that they’re being targeted by the Alliance. Does he know you plan to allow one of the Agency’s finest Trackers to go out alone?”
There was an icy pause before Jackson replied. No man wanted to be questioned about whether or not he’d checked with his superior for permission. “He’s in complete agreement with me. Lily isn’t just a nose. She’s an awesome fighter. Hell, she’s kicked my ass a few times.”
Yes, but these guys had no fucking idea what she might be up against. “Fine. Then I’m going with her.” He retrieved his army-green duffel bag and began jamming a few things inside.
Jackson laughed. “Dude, you better plan on telling her yourself because I sure as hell don’t want to. She’ll rip me a new one thinking we don’t believe she’s strong enough to do the job without help.”
Alfonso paused. If she heard he was coming, she’d leave before sundown and deal with the resulting energy drain, rather than deal with him. “Don’t tell her I’m coming. It’s imperative you stall her as long as possible. That woman is not to go out alone, understand? When she goes, she goes with me.”
“Wait. You’re not coming now, are you? It’s still daylight.”
“I’m leaving in five minutes.”
Jackson swore and muttered a few things under his breath. “You’ll be a friggin’ mess when you arrive.”
Yeah, maybe, but he was willing to take that chance. “My rig is outfitted as a pseudo Daytran vehicle. It came in handy a few times while working undercover. I’ll manage.” With his heavy weapons bag in one hand, he took the stairs two at a time.
“I need to clear this with Santiago, since you’re not technically an Agent.”
“You do that,” Alfonso said and slammed the phone shut.
CHAPTER FOUR
LILY PUSHED OPEN THE STEEL door at the far end of the parking garage with a bang, her heart thumping madly in her chest. She was angry, she told herself. Angry and pissed off, and not at all excited.
There he was. Just where she figured he’d be.
Alfonso leaned against the hood of her red Porsche, his long legs stretched out in front of him, one large boot crossed over the other, looking like he owned the whole damn place. The warm smell of leather and pine filled her nostrils as she marched toward him, her heels pounding on the pavement with every crushing beat of her heart.
An hour ago, while she’d assembled her weapons bag, the little hairs on the back of her neck had begun to tingle and thoughts of Alfonso kept filling her mind, despite her attempts to shut them down. And now, of course, she knew why. Her sensory abilities had detected him, knew he was nearby, whether her conscious self was completely aware of it or not. At least her scent memory wasn’t totally fried.
Shoving the duffel bag behind her, she stopped in front of him, feet squared, hands on her hips. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Calm as always, he shifted his weight to the other foot and examined his fingernails for a moment before he lazily lifted his gaze to meet hers. The clear blue of his eyes used to remind her of the color of truth, but all she saw now was icy deception. What a fool she’d been to trust her heart with someone like him.
A hint of a smile sat on his lips, his dimple appearing on one cheek. “What’s it look like I’m doing?”
“Listen, Alfonso. Don’t play games with me. My intelligence quota has increased exponentially since you last saw me and I’m not nearly as gullible. Why are you here? And I want the truth.”
His brow furrowed and he studied her face as if she were a science experiment that needed to be weighed, measured and cataloged. Then his gaze traveled slowly down her body, tickling every traitorous nerve ending. “You miss the latest Agency directive? Until further notice, all Trackers shall be accompanied by another Guardian while out in the field.”
“I’d have heard if the rules had changed.” Jackson hadn’t said anything about it a few minutes ago.
“It was just faxed to all the field offices in the region.”
How the hell would he know? He was obviously trying to trip her up, make her think it was official so she’d agree. “And last I knew, you’re not a Guardian. How’d you even get in here? The place is cloaked. Did Mackenzie tell you what was going on? She did, didn’t she? Or wait, Jackson!”
During the lame-ass emergency briefing that had cut into the precious time she should’ve been out searching for Kip, he hadn’t made eye contact with her. Not once. It totally was him. Next time she saw the guy, she was going to fry his ass.
“Nope.” He looked down, flicking something off his thigh. As he picked at the frayed edges of a small hole in his jeans, his thick lashes rested against his cheeks.
His nonchalance fanned her anger and every muscle in her body went rigid. How could he be so calm and act so totally uninterested? They hadn’t seen each other in over a year. The least he could do was shake her hand or give her a hug. Tell her she looked good or something. Like normal people would do. Normal people who’d once shared something special. God, she was so stupid for thinking he’d ever cared about her.
A tiny voice inside told her she wasn’t exactly welcoming to him either, but she shut that down instantly. She needed to keep her exterior shell as hard and rigid as possible in order to protect her too fragile heart. Love was a candy-coated fairy tale whose sugar high didn’t last long in the real world.
“Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not coming with me.” She poked a finger toward him and the loaded duffel bag almost slipped off her shoulder. She elbowed it behind her back again. “In fact, you’ve got a lot of nerve showing up like this. What do you mean accompanied by another Guardian, anyway? You’re not Agency.”
“Santiago okayed me coming on board temporarily to help you track down the missing trainee.”
It felt as if someone had slapped her. The Region Commander didn’t think she had the chops to handle this assignment on her own? Santiago must think she’d slacked off because Kip had disappeared under her watch. Despite the chill in the air, her internal temperature cranked up like a furnace and the stiff collar of her jacket suddenly became too tight.
She clenched her jaw and pressed her lips into a hard line. “Well, news flash for you. I don’t report directly to Santiago. I don’t need your help or anyone else’s, so get away from my car. It’s new and I don’t need any scratches or fingerprints.”
“He got the okay from Roxanne Reynolds. Does that make a difference?”
She had started to step over his legs, but that stopped her in her tracks. Roxanne was in charge of all Tracker Agents and her word was law. If you valued your job, you didn’t cross her. Unlike Santiago, her bite was much worse than her bark.
“Yeah, I thought it would.” He stood up, straightening to his full six-foot-four frame, taking full advantage of the fact that he was almost a full twelve inches taller than her. She had to crank her head back to keep eye contact with him and it made her feel even smaller. Damn. She should’ve worn heels.
A piece of his tousled blond hair fell to the middle of his cheek, and when he absently pushed it off his face, it slid back down anyway. The soft color of his eyes and the tiny wrinkles around the corners belied the hard planes of his square jaw and the rough texture of his unshaven face. Those large hands, with fingertips callused from playing the guitar, were incredibly dex
terous, and that powerful body could be surprisingly tender. He was a mass of contradictions, wrapped up in a package too attractive for her own good.
She shouldered past him, the corner of her duffel smacking against his hip. Too bad it missed his balls. Yanking the car door open, she threw the bag inside, angry with herself for still being so physically attracted to him. He angled himself around to the side of the car, and leaned against the front quarter panel as if he was the one calling the shots.
“You wasted a lot of time driving down here,” she said. “Despite what everyone must think, I am perfectly capable of tracking Kip on my own. Now, step aside.” But he didn’t budge. Fine. He’d move his ass as soon as she hit the accelerator.
“I realize that,” he said. “You’re one of the best Trackers in the Agency. That’s not why I’m here.”
She crossed her arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Then why are you here?”
“Despite what you must think, Lily, I worry about you. With this new Darkblood strategy, if they even so much as catch wind of you while you’re looking for your little trainee, they’ll ditch him in a heartbeat. He’s not who they wanted in the first place. I plan to be your temporary assistant. No, your bodyguard.”
“You? My assistant?” She lifted her chin and laughed. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve heard in a long time. Wait. I think I understand. You’re feeling nostalgic and want to screw again, eh? You want to do it for old time’s sake because—” she lowered her voice to a caricature of him “—I can’t find anyone who shags like you do, baby.”
“Gimme a little credit here.”
Something flashed in those glacier eyes. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought he looked hurt. But that wasn’t possible. He was the one who had hurt her.
“Yeah, nothing says you care like a year’s worth of…of…nothing. I was much too naive, thinking you’d be back after things settled down. But I guess it was just an assignment to you. A long-term assignment, and once it was over, we were over.”
Embraced by Blood Page 6
