by Vivi Anna
Forty-five minutes later, Olena was standing in Luc Dubois’s house, ripping it apart looking for the disc. Gabriel stood by, leaning on the counter. He’d understood why Olena needed to be the one to look for it, the one to find it.
Ivy was also there, watching as Olena rummaged through the freezer in the kitchen. The girl told her that was where Luc had hidden it. ICE in the ice box.
Except it wasn’t there.
“It’s not in here.”
Frowning, Ivy rushed to her side. “It has to be.”
Olena turned, showing the girl her hands full of crushed ice. She’d taken everything out and searched through all the bags of ice. There had been three.
“When did he put it in here?”
She shook her head. “I don’t remember. I gave it to him a couple of days before he was killed.”
Olena looked at Gabriel. “Valentino doesn’t have it, or he wouldn’t be going through all of this. He’d just take it and run.”
“Luc must’ve moved it. It has to be in this house somewhere,” he said. “We’ve searched the club offices. It wasn’t there.”
Olena glanced at her watch. It was just after ten o’clock. They had barely five hours. “We need more help to search the house. It can’t be done with just the two of us.”
“Three of us,” Ivy piped in. “I’ll help.”
Olena nodded to her.
Gabriel flipped open his cell phone. “I’ll call in Sophie and Kellen.”
Twenty minutes later, the five of them were each tearing apart a room in Luc’s house. Olena had taken the master bedroom. She was systematically searching every inch of the room, starting in the far corner by the window. She’d opened up pillows, taken apart air vents, torn out the lining in every single drawer in the room. So far, she’d found nothing.
Time was running out. She could feel it ticking away in her head, and in her heart. They had to find the disc. She had to find it, though she was still at odds with what she was going to do with it. Without it, though, there wouldn’t ever be a chance of getting Cale back alive. And a chance was all she wanted.
At the king-size bed, which had already been stripped when they’d found Luc’s head on a pillow at the foot, Olena lifted the mattress and pushed it over. She searched underneath it, sliced open the bottom and felt along the seams. Nothing.
On edge, she took a step back and surveyed the destruction she’d caused. It looked like a tornado had whipped through the room, tearing at everything not nailed down. Sighing, she ran a hand over her face and through her hair. Fatigue was starting to settle in. She tried as hard as she could to rub it away.
When she looked up again, her eyes settled on the big painting on the wall overhanging the bed.
It was an abstract, all dark sweeps of paint. It looked like a storm with black and grays and whites all swirling together into one massive ball of turmoil. Something about it interested her. As she drew closer to it, she could see the artist’s name scrawled in the corner of the canvas in black letters. Ivy Seaborn.
Olena grabbed the painting and took it off the wall. She set it face down on the box spring. Taking out her penknife, she cut along the sides, opening up the back, which had been covered in a beige, linenlike covering. She lifted it up. And there, pressed against the back of the painting, was the computer disc.
She peeled it off and held it up between her fingers. It wasn’t very big, a smaller disc than a regular CD or DVD. She could slide it into her back pocket and no one would know. She could do that and when Valentino called she could tell him she had the disc and would trade it for Cale. She could save his life with this one little thing.
She sensed movement at the doorway and palmed the disc in her left hand. It was Gabriel.
“Did you find it?” he asked as he walked into the room.
She opened her mouth to say no when her cell phone shrilled again. She checked her watch. It was too early to be Valentino. She checked the number. It wasn’t the same as last time, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. She flipped it open.
“This is Olena.”
“Do you have the disc?”
She glanced at Gabriel, motioning with her hand to get her something she could write with. “Yeah.”
He handed her his notepad and a pen. The look in his eyes told her that he knew something was up.
That she wasn’t telling him everything. Taking the things he offered, she turned, giving him her back.
“Good,” Valentino said. “I’m going to give you the address for the drop-off.” He rattled off an obscure address she wasn’t familiar with. She took it down. “Now I’m going to give you another address.
If I tell you, can you memorize it without writing it down?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. I knew I could count on you, Olena. I knew that Cale meant more to you than bureaucratic bullshit. You’re a survivor, and you’ll do what you have to. I like that about you.”
She listened as he gave her another address and a time to meet. This location she knew. It was near the wharf. She kept still so as not to give anything away, then snapped her phone shut.
She turned around to look at Gabriel.
“Did he give you the address?”
“Yes.” Then she handed the notebook and the disc over to Gabriel.
He kept her gaze as he accepted what she gave him. He nodded to her, and she knew he’d understood completely what she was giving him.
“Don’t give up, Olena. This isn’t over. We still have time to find him. Trust me.”
With a slight nod, she left the room. She needed a private place to let go. She felt like she’d handed over her heart. She felt hollow inside. And she had no hope that the feeling would ever go away. Not in ten years, not in one hundred.
Chapter 27
Cale didn’t know how long he’d been lying on his side on the floor in the small dark room. It could’ve been two hours or two days. Time was of little importance to him right now. He could barely think past the throbbing pain in his body and the sickness in his heart.
After being duped by Valentino’s illusion, Cale had gone ballistic. He’d yanked on his ropes and managed to get one of his hands free. Bloody and raw, but free. He’d gotten halfway out of the chair before the two lycans pounced on him and beat him down again. He didn’t care. He had one thing in his mind, and that was to rip Valentino apart for his twisted manipulations.
His soul had ripped in two as he watched Olena, or the woman he thought to be Olena, being tortured.
And there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t strong or quick enough to break his bonds and help her. In this world he was too weak. It hurt him so badly to not be able to do anything but watch like a helpless child.
If only he’d been stronger, faster, more aware of the Otherworld, then he wouldn’t be in this mess.
Olena wouldn’t be out there wondering and worrying about him. He imagined she was likely going nuts trying to find him. Or at least in a small, selfish way, he hoped she was.
His back was to the door but he heard it open.
Without looking he knew who had entered. The witch was a showman, and he wanted another audience to what he thought was his glorious plan.
Cale ignored him and didn’t move. Although he wasn’t sure he could move even if he wanted to, not after a couple of broken ribs, a broken nose, ruptured blood vessels in his eyes, and a plethora of cuts and bruises. He was a bloody wreck. But given the right opportunity, he’d muster enough energy and strength to take down his captors and get the hell out of Dodge.
Valentino moved into the room. Cale could sense him standing over him, probably leering like the vulture he was. “What do you want?”
“To inform you that you’ll soon be reunited with your vampiress lover.”
“Really? I somehow doubt that.”
He chuckled. “Don’t pout, Agent Braxton, it’s very unbecoming.”
“Screw you.”
“No, thank you. You�
�re really not my type. I like my men stronger, less human.”
Cale didn’t respond. There was no point in bantering with the witch. He was one of those people off whom insults just bounced. A sociopath, through and through.
“Oh, don’t be so glum. Once I have the virus, I’ll let you go. I’ll have no further use for you.”
Cale smirked. “You won’t let me go. You know I’ll be after you. You know that Interpol will put everything they’ve got into tracking you down. They aren’t going to let a potential threat to international safety like the ICE virus just up and walk away.”
That made Valentino laugh, and he clapped his hands together. “Oh, yeah. You got me. I am lying to you. You’re right. I am going to kill you.”
Cale rolled over and glared up at Valentino. “Then why don’t you get it over with?”
“Because I’m having way too much fun watching you suffer. You’re probably wondering and hoping that the cavalry will come to rescue you. That sweet, darling, sexy Olena comes rushing in, fists flying, to sweep you up in her arms and carry you off into the sunset.” He moved his gaze from Cale and glanced around the room. “Even if by chance they did find this place, I’ve set so many traps that no one will get out alive.”
Looking away was Valentino’s second mistake. Taunting Cale about Olena had been his first.
Faster than he thought he could move with his injuries, Cale swept his legs forward and knocked Valentino’s legs out from under him. Cale was up and on top of Valentino in seconds. He had his knee pressed against the witch’s throat, leaning on it hard, using all his weight to crush his windpipe.
“You should’ve killed me, asshole, instead of just talking about it.”
Valentino struggled underneath him, pummeling his leg and side with his hands. But Cale held on, pushing even more with his leg. But his victory didn’t last long.
The two lycans burst into the room. Before Cale could react, one of them kicked him in the head, sending him reeling across the room to land in a heap against the far wall. Blood coated his throat. He could feel it pouring down from his nose and his mouth. The sensation lasted only a second more before he promptly and mercifully passed out.
Chapter 28
Olena felt raw and worn-out when she got back to the lab. Gabriel hadn’t said a word to her on the car ride back. He must’ve sensed her need for silence, for privacy. She appreciated the fact that he hadn’t given her an ethics speech on what could have happened, what she had been planning.
She really didn’t need him to remind her that she was possibly giving up the love of her life for what was right. However right it was, she didn’t want to hear it. Her wounded soul couldn’t bear it.
As she walked down the hallway, she stopped at one of the vending machines and bought a bottle of blood. She needed the energy and the nutrients if she was going to stay on her feet.
Just as she twisted the cap, François popped his head out of his lab. “Mon coeur, I have something for you.”
Taking her drink with her, she went to see what he had. Olena watched as François carefully plucked the cuff link she’d found at Phantasia—the only evidence they had of Cale’s disappearance—out of a liquid solution and set it on a drying sheet on the counter.
“I did a bunch of tests.”
“Anything odd in the spell?”
The witch had finished analyzing the residual substances left on the cufflink. All magic left some sort of imprint, either chemical, physical or spiritual.
François could sense all three. He was one of the best magical analyzers in the world.
“There are several spells on this. Lemon juice, sea salt for a dream spell, residue of a black thread, probably used for a binding, lavender and cypress, used most often in a sleep potion. I also sense Merlin Oil, which is made with hazelnut oil and fir oil on this, most often used for a type of transportation spell. All these elements are available at any magical shop.”
“So nothing to determine where Valentino may have conjured these spells?”
He tapped his lips with his finger. “Well, there was one thing I found a little bit odd. I found glasswort, which is a plant that grows along the water’s edge, used in making glass, but it also makes a really good binding spell.”
“Why is it odd?”
“Because it’s not something witches use often. There are better and more easily obtainable plants at anyone’s disposal. I’ve never heard of any shop carrying glasswort in its inventory.”
“So, this would be what, like a signature ingredient? Possibly only used by one certain witch?”
He nodded. “Yeah, could be. Also, could be that the plant is nearby so it’s easy to use. Could be that the element is part of the spell.”
“In what way?”
“Like a location. Especially when a transportation spell is added to it.”
“Which means wherever the plant came from could be where Cale was transported to?”
François nodded. “Yes, that very well could be the case.”
Elated at having found something she could use, Olena leaned over and kissed François on the cheek. “Thank you, darling.”
He smiled at her. “Anything for you, mon coeur.”
She turned to leave, wanting to find Gabriel to tell him what François discovered.
“I hope it helps you find him, Olena.”
She stopped to smile at François. “Me, too.”
He shrugged. “If you like him this much, then he must be an okay guy.”
She nodded, and then left to rush down the hall to Gabriel’s office. She didn’t knock but burst in. He was at his desk on the phone.
“I have something.” He put up his finger to tell her to give him a minute, then finished his call. Once he hung up, she was talking again. “François found an unusual plant substance in one of the spells on the cuff link.”
“Okay.”
“It grows only on the edge of waterways.”
His eyebrows went up. “Like a river.”
“Exactly. François said that Valentino may have used it because it was readily available and because it might’ve triggered Cale to be transported to where it is.”
“You’re thinking the warehouse district, down by the wharf?”
She nodded. “It would be a logical place. Most of the buildings are empty, there’s no traffic down there anymore, and it’s fairly close to the downtown where the club is situated.”
“All right. That gives us something to go on. We could get a few units down there to check.”
She glanced at her watch. “We have three hours until the scheduled drop-off.”
“That’ll give us time, but we’ll have to do recon on the wharf quickly and quietly. If Valentino suspects we’ve found him…”
He left the rest unsaid. He didn’t have to voice it.
Olena knew what it meant. If Valentino suspected, he’d kill Cale instantly. They were taking a big risk, but Olena felt it was worth it. It was their one and only shot to get Cale out alive.
“I’ll call it in. We’ll get three groups organized to do a grid search on the wharf. We’ll coordinate it from outside the area.” He picked up the phone.
“We should also get the drop-off team together. We don’t want to tip Valentino off. You should consider keeping up the ruse as well. If he thinks that you’re really going to go through with the switch, there’s more of a chance he’ll keep Cale alive. Until he has what he wants. But by then, we’ll have him.”
“I want to be there for the takedown. I have to be there when we find Cale.”
Gabriel nodded. “I understand, Olena, but maybe that wouldn’t be for the best. Besides, you need to be at your drop-off.”
She rubbed a hand over her face again. As the hours ticked off, she was finding it harder and harder to think straight. She wasn’t sure if they could find Cale. Sighing, she sat back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling, searching for a way to be in two places at once.
She bolted forwa
rd. “An illusion spell. François could do one easily.”
Gabriel set down the phone and rubbed his cheek. She could tell he was thinking hard.
“Valentino won’t be the one that comes to the drop-off, I’m sure of that. He won’t risk being out in the open. He’ll send someone to the pick-up. No one will know.”
“Who do we send?”
“How about Sophie? I trust her more than anyone else.”
“Okay, talk to Sophie and see if she’s willing to do it. Hopefully we won’t even need to go through with it.”
She hoped so as well. More than she’d ever hoped before. She stood and marched out of the room to track Sophie down and set the plan in motion. It wouldn’t be long before it was all over. One way or another.
Chapter 29
An hour later the team was set up just a few blocks west of the warehouse district down by the river. They set up shop above an old pawnshop. Gabriel had sent out three two-man teams to search the area for any possible sign of Cale’s location. It was down to the wire. Only two hours to go and counting.
Unable to sit still, Olena paced the small room set up as the command center. She needed to do something, anything, to keep busy or she felt she’d explode.
“Olena, go for a walk or something,” Gabriel suggested from his seat at the window. A handheld radio was set on the table by his coffee cup, ready for the teams to call in.
She whirled on him, about to give him a piece of her mind, when Sophie jumped to the rescue. She set her hand on Olena’s shoulder.
“I’ll go with you. We’ll get some fresh air.”
Together they walked out into the cool early morning. Even down here, at one in the morning, there was something going on. Nouveau Monde never slept. It was what happened when at least one third of the population was just starting their day.
Olena rubbed her arms, but she wasn’t cold.
She was afraid. Afraid that they wouldn’t find Cale in time. Afraid she’d missed out on finding happiness.
