Tigress (Night Hawk Series)

by Taylor, J. E.

  I handed him the phone. “Text him and see if he’s okay.”

  He stared at my iPhone and then at me like he had no clue how to text.

  “Oh, for the love of God,” I said and pulled over into the breakdown lane. I grabbed the device out of his hand and showed him how it operated. I sent the text during the basic instruction and Michael offered me a half-assed smile of apology when I handed it to him and pulled back on the road.

  “It will buzz when he replies, so you just need to touch the screen and you’ll see it,” I said and while he nodded, I kept looking over every few seconds. The burning in my stomach increased with each minute that passed and my foot got heavier on the gas, increasing my speed well beyond the speed limit.

  Red and blue lights flared in the side mirror.

  “Crap,” I muttered and sent a sideways grimace in Michael’s direction.

  His expression morphed into a grin and he glanced away.

  The gravel bit underneath the tires and I slowed to a stop on the shoulder. I leaned over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out the rental forms before I rummaged in my small pocketbook for my license. A knock on the window pulled my attention away and I rolled down the glass, giving the officer and embarrassed smile as I handed over the documents.

  “Do you know how fast you were going?”

  “No, I’m sorry officer, I’m supposed to meet a friend at one of these exits and I haven’t heard from him. I guess I got a little...anxious.”

  The officer nodded and sent a cursory glance at Michael before bringing his gaze to the paperwork. He turned and trotted back to his cruiser and I sighed, trading a glance with Michael.

  “You were going fast,” he said and held up the phone. “And Damian is amused.”

  My lips tightened on my response to Damian’s text.

  I leave you alone for five minutes...

  I grabbed the cell from Michael and texted, “Where are you?”

  The passenger door opened and he tilted a brow at me, before making Michael slide to the middle. The door closed almost soundlessly under the slam of the police car behind us.

  “Ma’am, there seems to be a problem with your license,” he started and his brow scrunched when he glanced in the cab, his gaze landed square on Damian before jumping back to me.

  “What’s the matter?”

  He flicked the license on his fingernails and then held the plastic between his index and middle finger. “Well, for a dead girl you look pretty damn spry.”

  My face drained of all heat and I met his gaze, covering my mouth and trying desperately to think of something to say that would erase the trouble that was brewing. A nervous energy started in my toes and affected my eyelids, making them flutter with the stress.

  “Oh,” I whispered from under my hand and I dropped it to my lap. “I must have given you my sister’s ID.” I added and pressed my lips together, reaching for the license. “I keep it with me...” My voice trailed off in what I hoped was a sad note.

  His expression softened from the hard stern gaze and he handed me the license. I gave him a ghost of a smile and reached for my pocketbook, wondering just what in the hell I would give the officer in exchange. I didn’t have another driver’s license and I rummaged around the depths of my pocketbook and flipped through my wallet twice before I turned my panicked glare toward Damian.

  He obviously was enjoying this and I squinted an evil eye in his direction. “Please tell me you packed my other purse,” I said, letting the stress bleed through in my voice. I widened my eyes in a silent plea for help and then glanced back to the officer.

  “I packed everything,” he said and shifted, pulling his wallet from his pocket and slipping me his license instead. “Officer, it seems my wife’s license is packed in the back. You should be able to look her up by our address and last name. Her name is Anna. Anna Andreas,” he said, using the alias we agreed upon when we got married. He sent a disarming smile toward the officer.

  “She can’t continue driving this vehicle,” the officer said and snapped Damian’s license from my hand before disappearing to the squad car.

  Damian got out of the vehicle and crossed around the front to the driver’s side and I slid over, letting him take the helm again. A simmering anger built, aimed at Damian and his piss poor timing. If he had sent a text earlier, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.

  He glanced at me, sensing my irritation before swinging his gaze back to the open window. The officer returned a moment later, handing both the license and paperwork to Damian. “Because this rental agreement checks out with your license, I’ll give you a break this time around. But you shouldn’t let speed demon, there, drive this rig.”

  He pointed at me and heat filled my cheeks, I dropped my gaze to the floor and then slid it to Michael, who had kept unusually quiet this entire time.

  “Thank you, sir,” Damian said and took the paperwork, handing it to me without a glance. As soon as we were underway and the police car sped into the distance, I smacked Damian’s arm.

  “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “You need to be more patient,” he snapped back. “And not drive like you’re in the Indy 500.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Damian grinned like Michael wasn’t even in the vehicle. Michael cleared his throat and Damian’s smile faded.

  “How much longer will we be cooped up in this vehicle?”

  We both turned to Michael and his impatient tone, like he was a child asking Are we there yet? He just raised an eyebrow waiting for one of us to answer.

  “We’ll get there before sunrise,” Damian answered and focused on the road heading toward the unknown.

  Chapter Sixteen - Damian

  The concert of snores filling the cab made me smile. Naomi’s was sporadic but Michael’s was that steady bass that nearly shook the quiet cab. I had tried to sing for a while just to drown them out, but that was futile and they both needed rest.

  I wasn’t sure what we’d find in Litchfield and as we got closer to New York, I started second guessing this trip.

  Naomi stirred in the seat next to me, her sleepy eyes opening to the dark road ahead. When her gaze landed on me, she bit her lip, studying my expression, trying to read my mind like she used to, but now that she was cured, that psychic connection seemed to be disconnected.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked and I glanced at her before nodding toward the approaching signs, specifically the one for the George Washington Bridge.

  The last time we were there, I almost bit the dust and to this day, I still have nightmares.

  She didn’t speak but her hand found my thigh and squeezed. For her, that day was an exercise in revenge, but for me, it was a reminder that Lucifer almost won. The close proximity to his home base just reinforced the danger.

  The next time we faced him, I wouldn’t make it out alive and Naomi’s future was even bleaker, but I wasn’t about to voice Lucifer’s threats. I didn’t want to entertain the thoughts at all because, if it came right down to it, I would tear her throat out before I would allow her to become his indentured slave.

  “I don’t know what we’ll find when we get home. I imagine the explosion left one hell of a crater.”

  Michael’s snore ceased and he shifted. “It did,” he said before the rumbling sound of sleep kicked back in.

  I traded a glance with Naomi, raising my eyebrow. She shrugged and I decided to see what kind of information I could draw out of Michael in his sleep state.

  “Has it been cleaned up?” I asked, knowing the property reverted to Damian Andreas, the only surviving member of the owner’s family. I had claimed the property via email contact and did all the transfer of ownership through a lawyer in Denver, but I hadn’t thought to rebuild.

  “Yes.” Came his answer between the baritone snores.

  “Are you asleep?”

  Michael’s eyes opened and he sent a glare my way. “Not with you asking questions every five seconds.”

&n
bsp; “Well, you both slept most of the night and let me tell you, you both snore loudly enough to wake the dead.” I glanced at them. “You’re lucky I didn’t wake you sooner.”

  “How much longer?” Michael asked.

  “We’re only a couple of hours away,” I answered and glanced at the clock. “There’s a rest area up ahead. Do you want me to stop?”

  “Please,” Naomi said and shifted in the seat a few times. I sent a smirk in her direction. The benefit of this virus meant that the body’s elimination cycle was eons slower than normal. I think mine is now in the years range, not days or hours like the unaffected body, and I always forget that necessity until it comes along like a speeding freight train.

  The moment they disappeared into the building, I hopped out of the cab and went around to the back of the truck. I slid the top open and grabbed my computer. Sitting on the edge of the truck bed, I logged onto my email account. My teeth clenched on a growl at Lucifer’s latest taunt. This one burning me enough to head in any other direction than east.

  When I looked up, Michael stood a few feet away with his arms crossed.

  “He caught the police scan of Naomi’s license,” I said, feeling the need to explain myself.

  Michael just raised a challenging brow.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do?” I said, slamming the computer and shoving it into the backpack and disappearing into the darkness to set it down on the other side of the mattress.

  “Perhaps we should head somewhere else,” Michael’s voice drifted on the darkness and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

  “Even if I did turn us in a different direction, you know damn well I don’t have enough time. The minute the sun rose and I’m back here, she’ll just turn back in the direction we’re headed.” I stalked across to the door and hopped down on the pavement, pausing long enough to see her open-mouthed response. “Yeah, I’m talking about you,” I said, unable to hide the irritation. If I could have carried her a half a world away, I would have.

  “What about me?” she asked, her voice lined with a combination of hesitation and aggravation.

  “If I had my way, I’d haul your ass to Australia.” I couldn’t help it. Lucifer knew how to push my buttons.

  The way she dropped her hands to her hips and jutted her chin out was like pouring gas on a bonfire. The effect was explosive and I slammed the back, locking it before I ran my mouth off. I had a habit of screwing up when I was this angry and it was more prudent to remain silent, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make as much noise as I could without destroying the truck.

  Doors lent a certain satisfaction when slammed and I nearly inverted the driver’s door with the force. Naomi stood at the opening to the passenger door, her expression guarded.

  “Damian, I’m not running away,” she said in that quiet tone that left no leeway for negotiation and I looked from her to Michael.

  “You talk some sense into her.”

  He just laughed at me. I think he may know more about her than I gave him credit for, but that was no help to me right now.

  “What got your panties in a bunch,” Naomi asked as she climbed in the cab and settled next to me.

  “That little expedition with the cop clued him in. When they ran your license through the system, he got the notice so he knows we’re heading east.” I glared at her.

  She had the audacity to snap at me. “The east coast is a pretty large ground to cover.”

  As soon as Michael shut the door, I threw the truck in gear and drove to the pumps. The small distance didn’t satisfy the budding anger and fear thrumming through my veins. Neither did the time it took to fill up the truck. Lucifer was hell bent on taking everything from me, including my sanity and as the figures increased on the gas pump, I started dissecting motives. By the time I got into the cab, my fury had softened, replaced by questions and I sent a sideways glare at Michael.

  “Why exactly does he insist on driving me crazy?” I asked before I put the car in gear. “I mean he’s notorious for hunting down his enemies, but this is beyond that. This is more than personal and I just don’t understand.”

  When Naomi and Michael exchanged a glance, my jaw tightened in anger.

  “What are you hiding from me?”

  “Now that Naomi has been infused with your blood, she’s a trinity. Not a true one, but close enough. The details he put in that email lead me to believe he knows about Naomi’s background and if he catches her, he will produce an army of monsters.”

  “What the fuck is a trinity?”

  “I mentioned her Indian background, but I wasn’t specific. Naomi is not only a descendant of mine, but she also is a descendant of Raphael.”

  Shock skittered over my skin like someone just crossed over my grave. “Two archangels?”

  “And with your blood, three.” Michael said. “If you two were able to produce offspring, you would create the first pure trinity.” Michael stared at me. “That would be akin to the second coming of Christ.”

  I had to pull the truck onto the shoulder and put it in park because my brain just couldn’t wrap around what he was telling me.

  “So this is why she was stronger than I was,” I muttered, still trying to put the pieces together.

  “Gabriel’s son,” Michael whispered. “Raphael’s and my daughter. Three angel bloodlines combined.”

  The statement sent a shiver up my spine and I snapped my head in his direction, the full meaning of what would happen if Lucifer got a hold of her settled in my skin and I shivered.

  “If he gets a hold of her, we are talking an army of...” I couldn’t express the thought out loud. It was inconceivable. If the bible carried any truth to it, offspring created from that union would mean the end of the world, and not just my world.

  Silence filled the cab and I pulled back on the road, unable to entertain even the slightest possibility.

  “Revelations,” Michael whispered.

  “Yup,” was all I could muster. “And I’m standing in his way.” I let that settle. “I’m no longer sure Connecticut is the right place for us to go. It’s way too close.”

  “I told you, I’m not running away,” Naomi said and crossed her arms.

  Her sulk was enough to bring forth my shadow self and I snarled at her. Michael pulled her protectively to his side, only adding to my fury.

  “Is there anything else you’re keeping from me, Uncle Mike,” I asked with as much contempt in my tone as I could muster, and Naomi’s features transitioned to fear. “Or should I just drain you dry in order to capture all your secrets?”

  “If you want to tango, son, I’d be more than willing to kick your ass again,” Michael said his eyes narrowing into that silent dare that nearly tore my hands from the steering wheel.

  “Ah, but you didn’t battle my shadow form.” I started to pull the truck to the shoulder when Naomi grabbed my wrist.

  “No,” she commanded and between the burn of her touch and the tone of her voice, my shadow form melted away. I winced, pulling my blistered wrist from her grip.

  “Damn it, Naomi,” I cursed, but stayed on the course we were heading. She could be the most infuriating woman on earth.

  “Valerie and her Uncle live on the property,” Michael said after we crossed over the Tappan Zee Bridge.

  The declaration made me swerve and shoot him my open-mouthed gape.

  “You let Valerie move back there?” Naomi asked, stealing the words I was about to pose.

  “Yes,” Michael answered. “I took precautions.”

  “But still...”

  “She wanted to go back, and I was skeptical, but I let her uncle rebuild under the condition that he played by my rules. As far as any of the building crew knew, he was alone and this was family property that was handed down to him after his brother died. The garage was to be left alone and while on the property footprint, it was not to be included in the new building.

  The house is set farther back toward the wood line and while there is
an underground basement, there are no escape tunnels.” He sent a smile at the two of us. “It wasn’t until I was sure that my brother’s snitches had reported back that there was nothing of interest on the property that I allowed her to move in. And once she moved in, I went to work.

  The property is now surrounded by a fence secured by hollow concrete blocks filled with salt. There is a complete unbroken line keeping the house safe but it does not extend around the garage.”

  “So, you faked him out,” I said and received a curt nod in response. “And the garage?”

  “The garage is still intact, but no one has been able to get through the building’s defenses,” he said and offered a shrug. “And the grounds are...un-kept,” he added.

  “Damn it,” I muttered, still focused on the fact that Valerie was where we were headed and with us there, that meant we were putting her in danger.

  Chapter Seventeen

  We turned the bend in the road and I saw my old property for the first time since the night I blew it to bits. When Michael said the area around the garage was un-kept, he wasn’t kidding. Grass that hadn’t been mowed in what looked like five years stretched halfway up the sides of the building and the well manicured driveway I remembered now looked like a forgotten mine field with tufts of grass sprouting from the crumbling pavement.

  The chain-link fence separating the garage property from the rest reached almost ten feet high and disappeared into the woods and appeared a few acres beyond the house, looping around to edge of the property lining the sidewalk. It even crossed the driveway. I turned my gaze to Michael.

  “Remote entry,” he said and pulled a small keychain from his pocket, holding it up.

  “Platinum?”

  Michael grinned. “As far as I know, you’re the only vampire that can fly over that fence.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve seen a few jump that high,” I said and his smile faded. “Still, it’s an impressive set up,” I added. I didn’t tell him it was better than what I had in place, but then again, I had been here for years and I couldn’t very well put up a fence made of platinum like he did. “Angel-proof?” I asked and got a nod in response.