His eyes suddenly caught hers, silver glinting from beneath thick, dark lashes. A wry grin told her she'd been busted. Damn, the last thing she wanted to do was encourage him. She quickly looked away to study the first glint of sunrise outside the kitchen window and cleared her throat.
"There's a situation that requires Julius and myself to leave the City." She plunged right in, hoping to distract him. Her ploy worked; he was instantly on alert. She briefly outlined the predicament they were in, glossing over certain details, but Derek, as always, seemed aware that she was holding things back.
"So I wanted to ask if you would go and stay at my place and look after Roman and Slinky. Roman will find it hard to be around you, but at least he'll still have the run of the place and be fed and looked after. And it's closer to SMV HQ if you're going to start work soon," she hinted, hoping he had good news for her.
A rare, genuine smile twitched at his mouth as he set the coffee maker to percolating. "Yes, actually they've asked me to come in on a consultant basis to help with the training regime for Hunter trainees. I start tomorrow."
"That's fantastic news," Gabi enthused, truly happy for him, knowing it was exactly what he needed. Without thinking, she hopped off the counter and gave him a congratulatory hug. His arms went around her, and she felt him draw in a deep breath, as though pulling her scent deep into his lungs, and the muscles rippling under his warm, smooth skin tensed. Lord and Lady, when was she going to learn to think before doing stupid stuff? She quickly extricated herself from his arms and backed up to the counter again, holding him back with a warning gaze.
"I, uh…" She swallowed. "I thought it might be a good idea if Trish stayed with you at the house too. Kyle will be coming with us, and I don't like the idea of her staying alone. I'll make sure she has an escort to and from the estate if Julius needs her to be here; otherwise she can work from my place."
"Kyle is going with you?" Derek asked, anger instantly simmering in his voice.
Gabi bit back a frustrated groan. Derek's mood swings were not what she needed.
"Yes," she said, straining to keep her voice calm and unaffected. "He's an integral part of all this. Mariska has requested his death as well. I wouldn't let him come with us otherwise."
Derek's mouth twisted, obviously wanting to argue.
"Derek," she continued quickly before he could speak, "I need you here. Trish needs you here. This may very well be a suicide mission. I can't tell Trish that, but I need to know there'll be someone here for her if it all goes to Hell. You and I both owe her that."
That stopped him, and his face twisted in frustration. He turned back to the coffee maker and began to pour without a word.
"Can I count on you?" she asked him softly.
He sighed. "Yes, of course," he capitulated. "Of course."
While Derek packed up his stuff, Gabi sent off a text message to Kyle, telling him the arrangements for Trish. She had her own car, but Kyle would make sure she got to Gabi's house the following day. Showered, dressed and with his prosthetic secured, Derek loaded his gear into Gabi's car while she found Patrick and told him where Derek would be. She made sure they could contact each other in the event of an emergency and made Patrick vow to keep an eye on Trish and ensure she always had a security detail if she was traveling between the house and the estate. She could sense Julius was still awake and was horribly tempted to go to him, but she knew he had too much to do before they left, and so did she.
It was mid-morning when she nosed the car back into traffic on her way back home. She really didn't think it was necessary anymore, but her protective tail was still on duty, following closely. With her stomach growling ominously, she took a short detour to a drive-through takeaway and ordered a half-dozen bacon-and-egg-filled English muffins and more coffee. Her three barely touched sides, but at least her stomach quit complaining. Derek's kept his mouth full for a few minutes, so Gabi didn't have to answer any more probing questions.
She'd just taken the last sip from her paper coffee cup as she turned onto her winding rural road. It was a rocky, mountainous area, not suitable for farming, which was why she'd been able to afford a slice of land out here. One side of the road was a steep, craggy hill, and the other side fell away sharply into thick, bushy scrubland. The low-slung SUV handled the curves superbly, so she didn't bother sticking to the speed limit, giving the car its head and enjoying the rabid growl of the engine as she leaned on the accelerator. She threw an amused sideways glance at Derek as he surreptitiously grabbed onto his seat. He grinned back, but the grin was tinged with apprehension.
"Big Bad Wolf scared of a little speed?" she teased.
She smoothly navigated the next corner, checking in her rear-view mirror to see how far back her tail was. They were nowhere in sight. Then, over the roar of the engine, came a sharp crack. A sound that could only have been a gunshot. Gabi instinctively ducked as the windshield smashed, but she would've been too slow. If the windshield hadn't held, whatever struck it would've hit her in the head. Adrenaline flooded her veins, cold and electrifying. She heard Derek's startled shout as she fought to keep the SUV on the road. Another sharp report, another strike to the windshield, which spider-webbed with cracks, but stayed intact.
"Get down," she yelled as she hit the brakes, yanking on the steering wheel, trying to spin the car side-on to where the gunshots were coming from. Whatever was happening, there had to be more protection from the body of the car than the windows. A third and fourth shot rang out, and Gabi felt the loss of control in the car's steering immediately. The tyres, the bastards were taking out the tyres.
"Hang on," she shouted at Derek as the car veered out of control across the rough tar and careened at speed towards a rock face on the far side of the road. Gabi felt the impact jar every bone in her body, heard the ear-splitting screech of abused metal as they hit the rock. A glancing blow, halting the forward momentum and spinning them back towards the drop-off on the other side.
Derek was cursing. The airbags deployed, exploding to life and cutting off sight to the outside world for an instant. She fought to clear the airbags out of her way; the car was still moving. Something caught the undercarriage, and suddenly they were upside-down, tumbling. Gabi flung her hands out, trying to brace herself. Upright, upside-down, upright. A violent jolt and Gabi's head whipped sideways, cracking against the side of the car, and the world went black.
Voices. Shouting. Her name. Phone ringing. Pain. Had to move. Something was wrong. Anxiety, worry, not her own. Julius.
"All right, all right," she groaned, addressing not only the voices calling her name but the mental link to Julius. "I'm alive. I'm fine." She cracked an eyelid; the other one wouldn't open.
The worried face hovering near hers was Rory's, one of the Werewolves who'd been in the car behind them.
"The shooter," she rasped. "What about the shooter?"
The Werewolf let out a pent-up breath, obviously relieved she was conscious. She was upright, but the car was definitely on a backward lean.
"Gone. Left in a hurry once we got here," Rory answered. "We saw movement on a ridge up there. Ross went after him."
"Idiot," she wheezed, "he'll get himself shot." She reached over to release her seatbelt, thanking the Lord and Lady she'd had it on, but pain flared in her shoulder, and she froze, not breathing while the pain subsided. "Derek?" she made his name a question.
"He's out cold, but breathing," Rory reported. "Doesn't look as banged up as you do."
The phone started ringing again.
"Get that," Gabi told Rory. "It's Julius."
The man looked dismayed, but fumbled in her pocket until he fished the phone out.
"Yes, Sire?" he said, answering it.
Gabi took a moment to take stock of the situation. Miraculously she and Derek were both still in their seats, and the SUV seemed to be mostly in one piece. The windows were all smashed, but only one had actually lost its glass, a sharp spear of a tree branch protruding inside the car,
smears of red paint against the splintered edges. Rory must have used all his Werewolf strength to force her partially crumpled door open.
"She's conscious, Sire, mostly okay," Rory assured Julius. "There was some kind of ambush. A shooter on the hill. Ross has gone after him." A pause as he listened. "No, I think we're safe for now." Another pause. "Of course, Sire." He ended the call and let out an explosive breath. "He's on his way. If you're not too badly injured, I'm to get you to the house."
Just the thought of moving made her grimace, but staying in the car wasn't a happier prospect. She reached out with her other arm, at least that one didn't bring searing pain when she moved it, and thumped Derek on the shoulder.
"Derek," she called, "you alive?" She thumped him again, and he stirred.
"Hmmugh," he mumbled. And then moaned.
"Yeah, I know the feeling," Gabi commiserated. "You okay?"
"Depends on what you mean by okay," he grumbled, but he was already moving, releasing his seatbelt and fighting off the remnants of his airbags. "God, you look awful," he said, looking her over.
"Thanks," she countered, reaching up to wipe at the eye that wouldn't open. It was gummy with what she assumed was blood. She could feel the swelling already beginning to form across the side of her head. "Unclip me. We need to get out of here."
"What's the rush?" Derek asked, as reluctant to move as she was.
"Don't really want to answer questions if the cops turn up. We might not be in the City limits, but I'm sure someone would’ve heard the shots," she pointed out.
Derek sighed and began manoeuvring his body upright. He undid her seatbelt before grabbing the release catch for his door and throwing his shoulder against it. He groaned as it didn't move, but tried again. This time it opened a few inches.
"Watch out on that side," Rory warned. "It’s steep. I don't feel like going to fetch you from the bottom."
"Yeah, yeah," Derek said, moving stiffly to put his good leg against the door and kick it fully open.
Gabi drew a breath and mentally prepared herself for the pain of moving. Rory put an arm under her legs to swing them out from under the steering wheel. She hissed in a breath; her right knee was on fire. He gave her a short break once she was sitting with both legs out of the car.
"Done your knee in?" he asked sympathetically, a grimace on his own face, as though he knew the pain.
"I think so," she answered, feeling beads of sweat forming on her forehead. A wave of nausea rolled over her, and she swallowed tightly, hoping her breakfast wasn't going to make an unceremonious reappearance.
Derek fought his way through the rough bush, cursing, but at least he was on two legs. His prosthetic had obviously made it.
"Is it all right if I carry you, Hellcat?" Rory asked, uncertainty clear in his tone.
Her automatic response was almost out of her mouth when she looked up and saw exactly how far they were from the road. It would be a stiff climb with no injuries, despite the swath of bush-clearing the SUV had done on its tumble down here.
"I'll do it," Derek interjected.
"You can barely stay on your own feet," she pointed out. "I don't fancy being dropped. Rory can help me. Grab some of your gear if you can. We might not be able to come back here before nightfall." She was thinking specifically of his other prosthetic and his crutches, things not easily replaced or done without.
His mind was in the same place, as he nodded and gingerly made his way to the back of the car without further comment. The other Werewolf lifted her easily, overly careful of how and where he placed his hands. Gabi wanted to roll her eyes, but that would probably hurt too.
Ross met them at the road, his clothing dishevelled and leaves and twigs adorning his hair. He lent Derek a hand, grabbing some of the stuff and taking it to their vehicle. Gabi looked in astonishment at the position of her wrecked car. Reality smacked her in the face when she saw how far they'd rolled, and how much further they could've rolled if the car hadn't rolled into a small copse of stout trees. The mere fact that the car was in one piece was a miracle on its own, one she had some suspicions about.
"Fucker got away clean," Ross reported sourly. "There's a forestry road up there, and he took off in a four-wheel-drive. Too fast for me to even get a plate number.” He opened a rear door of the car as Rory carefully placed Gabi on her feet where she could lean on the car if she needed to. "We need to get moving. I can hear sirens," he reported.
"Give me my phone," Gabi said to Rory. "I need to make a call to do some damage control." She awkwardly folded herself into the back seat and took the phone. The others climbed into the car, and Ross drove them quickly from the scene.
Gabi put a call into SVM HQ, not wanting to worry Byron yet. She knew the Magi who took the call would smooth things out with the police department and emergency services. They'd been doing it for years and had people in all the right places. As they pulled up outside her gate, the sound of another engine roared up behind them.
"The boss," Ross reported, checking in the rear-view mirror.
Gabi used her pinkie ring and the short incantation to nullify the ward around the house so that Ross and Rory could enter safely. The way the two of them braced themselves as they drove through the gate made Gabi think that they'd probably been some of the poor guinea pigs who'd had to test the system. They both visibly relaxed once past the threshold.
Before they could stop the car in front of her house, Julius was pulling open her door. He was wearing a full-length, black duster with a hood, and dark, wraparound sunglasses. The material of the coat was something she'd never seen before. It had a faint sheen to it, as though it had some kind of coating on it. The hood was pulled up over his head, shielding his face; he wore black gloves and dark glasses.
"Get into the house, idiot," she hissed at him. "What are you doing out at this time of the day?" Even with all the protection she could feel his unease and discomfort.
"Deflection isn't going to work, Lea," he said, scooping her out of the car, assessing her quickly as he hurried them both towards the house. He threw some orders over his shoulder to the guards. Reinforcements were on the way, and they were going to sweep every inch of the surrounding area, looking for anyone or anything suspicious. He'd also arranged the collection of her car; he didn't want the police towing it.
In a flash they were inside the cool interior of her house. Gabi reached out and hit a button on the electronic wall panel near the front door, and the sun-deflecting blinds automatically slid into place over all the windows, instantly darkening the place. Lights turned on without any intervention from them. You had to love modern technology, she mused. He took her to the lounge and carefully set her on a sofa.
The front door opened again as Derek came in with what gear he'd managed to salvage from the car. Razor was on the sofa next to her in an instant, purring worriedly. He'd seen this scenario more than once. Before Julius could back away from her, a tiny, red furball appeared on his shoulder, chittering at him excitedly. He made a grab for her, but she was too quick, even for him, and almost like magic appeared on his other shoulder, still appearing to scold him. He threw back the hood of his unusual coat and pulled off his gloves and dark glasses.
"Jonathon is in the daysleep. We couldn't rouse him, but Ian can make a house call if necessary," he told her.
Ian, Byron's son, was a trauma doctor at the City's main hospital. Before Julius had opened the lines of communication between the Clan and the SMV, Ian had been the only option they had for dealing with injuries to herself or any of the Werewolves. Now they mostly made use of Jonathon, Vamp-doc extraordinaire, except in daytime emergencies.
"I'm fine," she grumbled. "Nothing more than a couple of cuts and lots of bruises. Let Ian look after people who need him."
Julius pierced her with a look, but didn't argue as he removed the coat and threw it over a chair. Rocky had moved to the top of his head and seemed to have no plans to remove herself anytime soon. For some reason she loved Julius; wh
ether it was genuine affection or simply because she knew that she bugged him, Gabi wasn't quite sure. The little critter's mind was sometimes a little hard to read. It was as active as she was. Another quick grab for her finally paid off, and Julius removed her from his head and placed her on the sofa next to Razor. She eyed him for a moment, but something in his return glare must have registered as pushing her luck too far, so she settled for winding her little body between Razor's front paws.
"Blood?" Julius asked her, as she leaned back into the sofa and closed her eyes against the throbbing in her skull.
"How about some painkillers first," she suggested.
Derek had appeared in the doorway to the sitting room, and she still found it difficult to take blood from him with any kind of an audience. In fact, unless it was during sex, it always made her horribly self-conscious.
She opened one eye. "Derek, would you mind? They're in the cupboard above the coffeemaker," she asked him. "You look like you could probably do with some too."
He retreated to the kitchen.
"Special coat?" she asked Julius, nodding at it.
"Yes, it has a protective layer embedded in it. Sunlight can't penetrate the fabric," he explained. It must be true; here he was after being out in full sunlight without a burn on him.
"Wow," she said. "Impressive. And speaking of special protection, I assume that my car wasn't a stock-standard issue either?"
His eyes widened slightly, and an almost-smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "What makes you say that?" he asked, all innocence.
A Cold Day in Hell (The Hellcat Series) Page 12
