“And his cover is blown.” Duncan nodded toward the two women who were standing close together.
“Yeah, VC is no more.” Jared shook his head sadly.
Sloan opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut looking at Jared. “VC?”
“That was his undercover name.” Jared grinned when Sid flipped him off. “Bet you can’t guess what his last name was.”
Slade, who had been quiet until now, laughed, “You have got to be kidding me.” Glancing down at the dead vampire, Slade’s grin widened. “And he didn’t put two and two together?”
“Never asked for my last name,” Sid stated with a nonchalant shrug. “Now, can we stop gabbing like a bunch of old women so Doc can get this damn bullet out of me?” Sid whipped off his ruined jacket, followed by his shirt, and found a downed tree to sit on.
Everyone was quiet as Slade began working on getting the bullet out of Sid’s shoulder before it healed over.
“Too bad dead men can’t talk,” Sloan mumbled. “This is the closest we’ve been to retrieving information.”
One by one, each Warrior looked toward Lana, who was watching in stunned surprise as Slade removed the bullet from Sid.
“This dead man just might,” Jared grinned. “Seems we got us a bona fide talker of dead things in our midst.” Jared wagged his eyebrows at her.
“Listen, I really…” Lana stopped when Sid’s eyes shot from the ground to her.
“Don’t tell me you believe she can really talk to the dead, Jared?” Sid snorted as his eyes ran up and down her body. By the way, she refused to be used by Vincent, even with a gun pointed to her friend’s head, Sid knew she needed a little pushing, and well, he was brilliant at that. He pushed everybody.
“But—” Again, she was interrupted.
“What? You don’t think she can?” Jared frowned at Sid then looked down at the very dead Vincent. “He sure thought she could, and her friend said she could.”
“I don’t believe in people like her,” Sid shot back, trying his best to be serious, but the outraged look on her face had him smelling victory, and damn, wasn’t that sweet, almost as sweet as her female scent that wouldn’t leave him. “Smoke and mirrors, my friend. Just smoke and mirrors.”
“And I didn’t believe in vampires, but oh, look…” she threw her hand up like Vanna White showing the next puzzle on the lit board, “here you are.”
“No, she really can.” Amy took a step toward Lana. “I saw her do it once.”
“Shut up, Amy,” Lana hissed at her loud-mouthed friend as she glared at Sid.
Amusement curved Sid’s lips even as Slade plucked the bullet from his shoulder. He didn’t even flinch. “It’s just a way to make money off grieving individuals. Isn’t that right, lovely Lana?” Oh yeah, that should do it, Sid thought to himself trying not to laugh at the different expressions of rage playing across her beautiful face.
“Screw you, fang boy.” Lana pointed at him. “You know nothing about me.”
“Fang boy?” Sid faked a frown, grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. “I don’t believe for a minute a human can talk, read or whatever with a dead person. It’s bullshit, so much so that I’m calling bullshit. No, actually, I call total bullshit.” His eyes dared her to continue.
“Let me tell you something, you oversized blood-sucking Thor-looking wannabe.” Once Lana’s temper took over, there was no going back.
Sid was actually impressed at her comeback. She was a beautiful woman who had mastered the art of controlling her facial expressions, but when she was angry, she was absolutely stunning. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her long raven hair had come loose from the braid she had tried to contain it in. A strand teased the corner of her mouth, and his hand itched to caress it away.
“Thor?” Duncan, who was standing next to Amy, finally spoke up. “What is a Thor?”
“It’s a guy in her favorite movie,” Amy whispered out of the side of her mouth. “I actually think he looks more like Brad Pitt, but…” Amy clamped her mouth shut when Lana’s head snapped around toward her, making Amy take a huge step back.
Having a sudden urge to touch her, he walked up, grasping her chin in a strong enough grip that she couldn’t pull away, but gentle enough not to hurt her. With his thumb, he brushed a strand of hair away that was caught in the corner of her mouth driving him absolutely fucking crazy. “Honey, if you want to insult me, come up with something new,” Sid’s voice took on a husky vibration. “Although, the Thor thing is a new one, the rest is just unoriginal.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Lana glared at him, finally able to pull away from his touch. “I’ve been through total hell that you could have stopped, because, well, that’s your damn job. As a matter of fact, I’m going to report you.”
“You’re going to report me?” Sid laughed, looking at Jared. “She’s going to report me. Get in line, babe,” She definitely had fire, and he wondered briefly how high that fire flamed behind closed doors.
“Do not call me babe,” Lana growled standing her ground. She was too pissed to be scared at the moment. “You’re a poor excuse for a Warrior.”
“Oh, shit.” Those words were harmonized by every Warrior present.
“Honey, I’m the only reason you’re able to stand here and insult me right now. If it wasn’t for me, you and your friend would be on display to the highest bidder, and once bought, raped repeatedly until you became pregnant with a half-breed.” Sid’s whole attitude changed as he leaned back down toward her, making eye contact. If there was one thing he took seriously, it was his job, not even a gorgeous little lady with a body made for him, and him alone would insult his abilities. Not only that, but the thought of what could have happened if he hadn’t been there, had his blood boiling.
Lana stood toe-to-toe with him. His breath was hot on her face, his dark golden eyes seared into hers as he towered over her.
“And if you fail to become a breeder, you are whored out or bled out to anyone with a fat wallet.” Sid searched her face before leaning even closer to her, so close their faces almost touched. “You’re welcome.”
******
Lana watched him walk away before her eyes landed on Vincent. He was right. He did save her life in the end. She and Amy could have ended up in a far worse position, but she wouldn’t admit that to the arrogant ass, no matter how much he looked like Thor.
“You going to do it?” Amy whispered, stepping closer. “Or are we going to get the hell out of here?”
“Yeah, I’m definitely doing this,” Lana nodded, pulling off her jacket. The Warriors were involved in their own thing and not paying much attention to them. Once again, her eyes went to Vincent, who was lying still on the cold mucky ground.
“Just be careful.” Amy bit her lip anxiously.
“Don’t let them pull me away until I’m finished,” she instructed Amy as she hurried to Vincent, tossing her never-to-wear-again jacket over his half decapitated head.
“I won’t.” Amy stood behind her, taking a quick glance around.
“Oh and Amy,” Lana turned giving her a hard glare, “never ask me to go on a double date with you again,” Lana said loudly, glancing at the Warriors.
“Never.” Amy looked at her oddly, and then glanced over to see one of the Warriors watching them. “I just have a man problem. I think my ‘asshole’ radar is broken.”
“You’ve never had a radar,” Lana hissed. “You have the worst taste in men.”
“True.” Amy frowned, crossed her arms and then whispered, “Hurry the hell up.”
Rolling her eyes, Lana knelt down. Cold wetness seeped through her jeans. Breathing in deeply, she reached out to grab Vincent’s wrist but stopped. Saying a quick prayer, she grasped the cross hanging from her neck in a tight grip before grasping his wrist with her other hand which was shaking uncontrollably. Within seconds of making contact, she knew she had made a horrible mistake.
Flashes of cruelty hit Lana like a brick wall. She wanted to let
go, get away from it all, but knew she couldn’t. She had to see it through to the end, or she could be lost in the mind of this madman. She was reliving the last day of this man’s life in flashes, and it made her horribly sick. All of her senses worked except for hearing. Smells, sights and emotions were all intact. She could feel his emotions, which could only be described as cruel excitement.
At the end of the dingy hallway was a large room; the smell of urine and fear overwhelmed her senses. Small cages lined the wall and inside were women in different states of emotion. Some were reaching through the bars in anger and fear, others were curled on the floor, their faces hidden as their bodies shook in pure terror. Men and women both went from cage to cage, being careful of the grasping hands reaching out begging to be saved.
Even though Lana couldn’t hear a sound, she felt vibrations and could tell by the actions of the screaming women that they did so in outrage or pure terror. She felt each emotion as if it were her own. She also felt the sickening satisfaction the monster she was touching had felt at that time. She wanted to break from this nightmare, but knew she couldn’t. When she saw a large man at the back of the room wearing a red hooded cape, which covered him from head to toe, she knew by Vincent’s emotions, this was the man responsible.
Lana tried to tune out the horror around her to focus on the caped man whose head snapped up suddenly. His face didn’t show because of the dark hood pulled low; she urged Vincent to move closer, which she knew was useless. This event had already taken place; she was just watching the replay. Dammit, she needed to see who was under the cape. The conversation didn’t last long, and before Lana was ready, Vincent was turning to walk away.
Before Vincent walked out the door, he turned. The man in the cape was brutally pulling a woman from one of the cages, tossing her on a bed of filth. Standing over the woman, he pulled the hood down in a hard jerk. The complete helplessness on the woman’s face was one Lana would never forget. The man began to turn to show his face, but then suddenly, everything froze and she could no longer breathe.
Another man stepped into view, walking forward. An immaculate black suit hung on his tall, thin body. His eyes were the same golden hue of the Warriors, but there was an evil wicked light behind them. They sunk into his thin long face. His head tilted as he looked down at Vincent, but something told her he wasn’t looking at Vincent, but seeing her. Lana began to panic. Something wasn’t right, and as that thought crossed her mind, his eyes turned blood red as his mouth opened, showing sharp fangs.
“I see that you will not be joining us this evening, Ms. Fitzpatrick.” His voice was deep. “It’s a shame, because I was so looking forward to it.”
Lana couldn’t believe it. She could hear him. He knew she was there. Never had this happened before. She pushed her fear away to study his face so she could describe every detail.
Shaking his head, the odd man made a tsking sound. “I can’t let that happen.” He stepped closer. “Such a waste of your talent that you have, and such a shame I will not be able to explore them further, but I cannot let you tell anyone what you’ve seen here, especially the Warriors.”
Lana tried to release herself from Vincent, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen like everyone else, except she could hear, see and feel. This was impossible. Thank God, he could only read her present thoughts.
“It’s very possible, silly girl. Are you hiding something other than your gift?” His long bony fingers rose in front of Vincent’s face into her line of vision. “Together, we could have been unstoppable. Unfortunately, because of Vincent’s failure, there is nothing to do, but say goodbye.”
His hand reached for Vincent as a tightness gripped her throat, squeezing all airflow off. With every bit of strength she had, she fought again to release from Vincent, but it was no use. She was trapped with no way out; she was going to die inside Vincent’s mind. Blackness seeped into her blurring vision. Her last thought, before darkness totally claimed her, was, one way or another, this bastard was going to pay. Chilling laughter was the last thing she heard before she was lost.
Chapter 4
Sid stood talking to Sloan giving him all the information he had found out during his short undercover stint, thanks to the sexy little number who packed a hell of a punch. A grin split his lips as he rubbed his jaw. She had shocked the hell out of him, and he liked it. Women didn’t hit him. Women loved him.
Turning his attention toward her, his eyes roamed her body. He was usually into tall, leggy blondes, but there was something about this short, raven-haired woman that got his blood pumping. He would love to have that hair wrapped around him. Her eyes were so round and blue, he had found himself staring at her a little too much when they first met, making him forget what the hell he was doing for a minute.
“I’ll be damned. It actually worked.” Sid snapped out of his fantasy of what she’d be like in bed, when she headed toward Vincent. Taking off her jacket and tossing it across Vincent’s head, she knelt beside the dead vampire, and grabbed onto the dead man’s wrist, her body going stiff as her head lifted toward the sky. He took off at a run. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t touch her!” Amy shouted, standing protectively over Lana.
The rest of the Warriors hurried over, standing in a complete circle around the two women.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Sid took a step forward when Lana’s body jerked as if she’d been shocked; no sound escaped her parted lips. Her eyes were wide without blinking. Even though he pushed her into this, he didn’t know exactly what would happen; he felt like he’d made a big mistake.
“If you break her away now, she could be lost inside that man’s memories.” Amy grabbed Sid, trying to hold him back. “Please, don’t do that to her.”
Sid glanced around at his fellow Warriors as they watched in fascination, and that was saying a lot for this group. The small woman knelt in the muck holding a dead man’s wrist in a trance that couldn’t be faked. If there had been any real reason to doubt her before, no one was doubting her now.
“Can she be harmed?” Sid felt his protective instincts kick in, but was at a loss; he had no idea how he could protect her. Dammit, he could kick himself in the ass for possibly putting this woman in danger. What the hell had he been thinking?
“Not that I know of, but I do know if she is brought out before it’s over, she can be lost.” Amy looked down at her friend. “It’s the one thing she is frightened of.”
“Then why does she do it?” This came from Jared, who looked up from Lana.
“She doesn’t do it much because…” Amy frowned when Lana jerked again. Her back was tilted back in an odd way, as if she was trying to get away from something. “I’ve never seen her do that before, though.”
Sid watched, fighting every instinct he had; something didn’t feel right, and his instincts had saved his own ass many times. Her body became deathly still, her eyes still unblinking. Frowning, he bent closer.
“Son of a bitch,” he hissed as bruises formed on her throat.
“Don’t break her contact!” Amy cried out, trying to block Sid.
“Fuck that!” Sid grabbed Lana around the waist, pulling her away, but breaking contact didn’t work. “Lana! Dammit, Lana!” He shook her, his eyes not leaving the bruises that were darkening around her delicate neck.
Slade ran over, nudging Sid out of the way. “Move!” Slade opened his bag, grabbing something.
“What the hell is going on?” Sid watched as Slade grabbed her shirtsleeve, pushing it up and jabbing something in her arm. “What are you doing?”
“Lana!” Slade’s voice was firm and loud as he jammed the needle back into her arm. “I need to shock her out of whatever in the hell has a hold of her.”
“Jesus, Slade.” Jared stood watching, feeling as helpless as Sid looked.
Every Warrior stood ready for battle, but against what, they didn’t know, and that didn’t set well with any of them. Cursing filled the air as their protective instincts kicked
in a hundred percent, with no relief.
“If you stab her with that one more time, I will kill you,” Sid growled when Slade started to jam the needle back into her arm.
“If I don’t shock her out of this state, she’s dead.” Slade started to jam the needle in Lana’s arm again when she gasped for breath, her hands flying to her neck, prying invisible fingers from her throat. Her own nails dug deep bloody grooves into her soft skin.
“Lana, stop!” Sid grabbed her hands, but she fought him.
“Sit her up,” Slade ordered, grabbing one arm while Sid grabbed the other, keeping her hands away from her neck.
Lana kicked away from them, still fighting for breath as she coughed and gagged. Sid took control, grabbing her and holding her close. “Lana, stop!” he ordered, holding her arms tightly against her in a bear hug, pulling her between his legs. “You’re safe.”
Her haunted eyes shot to his, calming slightly as she saw who had her. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. Her eyes watered and she blinked, trying to clear them. She tried to speak again, but a ragged slip of breath was the only thing that escaped.
“Just give it a minute,” Sid whispered, watching her closely. As she calmed, he loosened his hold on her. “Do you feel like you’re breathing okay?”
Nodding, Lana pried her arm out from his, rubbing her throat; her hand moved lower and stopped. “My cross.” Her voice was raw and harsh, but the panic was clear. Pushing away from Sid, she frantically ran her hands through the cold soft mud and leaves. She coughed and gagged again as her breathing sped up in the haste of her search.
Sid watched as Amy also looked around where Lana had been. Sid watched her for a second longer before looking toward his fellow Warriors. They all looked as confused and helpless as he felt. Not able to watch her shuffle around in the mud any longer, Sid grasped her arms, helping her to her feet.
“What happened, Lana?” He didn’t like the vacant fear in her eyes. What the hell happened to the strong woman who punched the hell out of his face?
Sid (The Protectors Series) Book #4 Page 3
