“With Edmond and Cyrus out of the way, you and the Count were the only suspects left on our list.”
“Well, that’s a very small list. Might I suggest you think outside the box a little more.”
Haley shrugged. “I have no fucking idea who this guy is. If I’ve even met him. Or if its … all just to mess with my mind.”
“Well. Of course he’s trying to do that.”
“It’s working.”
Haley walked to the driver’s side of the car and opened the door. She climbed into the seat.
Brock stood over her. “What are you doing?”
“You want to run away? You want to go somewhere else and wait for it to play out – then do it.”
“I didn’t say that. I just thought it would be best for us.”
“There is no us.”
Brock’s body went back. “What?”
“There’s so much happening. It’s all blurring into one. I know we had a moment. But now all I can think about is those monsters raping me.”
“I heard you say that before. Did they really –”
“Yes!”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It was worse than anything I’ve been through before. If I hadn’t been so lost in what happened to Mom and Daniel, it might have been worse.”
“Haley.”
“What?”
Brock got on one knee. “Look at me.”
She looked at him.
“I want you to answer me honestly. Take a moment to think if you want. But … I have to ask. Are you alright to keep going?”
She turned away from him.
“Haley?”
Still not looking.
“Haley, you’re going to hurt yourself if you can’t keep it together.”
“I don’t care.”
“That’s why it will happen.”
“But why do you care, Brock?” Haley challenged. “What is it with your infatuation with me?”
“I’m not infatuated,” Brock said. “I just have feelings. Just because I’m a vampire doesn’t mean I can’t feel as though any normal person would feel when –”
“When what?”
“I don’t want to say it.”
“Say it.”
Brock stood up.
He put his back to her.
Haley closed the door and started the car.
He glanced back slightly. She wound down the window.
“I’ve fallen for you,” he confessed. “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you.”
“Then come with me,” Haley said.
“To the airport?”
“To the VDA.”
CHAPTER SIX
The lights were out inside the conference room where various members of the late Kendra Armistice’s team had met with the organization’s director, Dermott Cresh. Doors were locked. Blinds were closed. Discussions had been finalized.
Haley disappeared somewhere between 12.30 and 1am. The building was searched. The outside perimeter. She was failed to be located.
Jason and Riley were next to leave. They said they wanted no part in the mission and were going home. That left Nadine, Maurice, Luna and Director Cresh alone in the room. Cresh instructed Nadine to take Maurice with her back to the VDA and for them to do the Count’s bidding as best they could. If there were any problems, Cresh said he would speak with the Count personally.
Luna Evens, who had not been directly involved with the undercover mission up until this point, he asked to remain behind. He said he had something special for her.
“You can count on us, Cresh,” Maurice said shaking his hand at the door. “We won’t let you down.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” Cresh replied.
He switched his attention to Nadine.
“If you hear from Jason or Riley or Haley, can you please send them our way?” she said.
“You don’t think you and Maurice have it covered?”
“There’s more to this investigation than just vampires preying on innocent girls,” Nadine declared. “For all we know, the killer could have marked anyone of them next.”
“I’ll be sure to pass them on,” Cresh nodded.
They shook hands.
Then he closed the door.
“Thanks for not forcing me to go with them,” Luna said behind him. “I want to do my part for the team and everything, but I’m not cut out for field work.”
Cresh turned, rubbing his hands together slowly. “Can I get you something? I guess … you probably just want to get out of here…”
“What is it you have to say to me?”
“Alright,” Cresh walked over to her. He pulled up a chair and sat down. “What are your thoughts on my extravagant protégé?”
“Protégé? Who would that be?”
“Ms. Blue.”
“Nadine?”
“Yes, Nadine.”
Luna shrugged. “I don’t know. She seems pretty dedicated.”
“She certainly is. I suppose if she doesn’t think she has it already, once this case is solved she’ll want to take over this team. Now that Kendra is gone…”
“Okay.”
“But I’m not sure it’s really a good fit for her long term.”
“You’re not?”
“She’s more of a secret weapon, than a supervisor.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll let her do her thing for now – it’ll certainly move things along a lot quicker. But I was thinking perhaps you would be a better candidate for Kendra’s job.”
“Me?” Luna said disbelieving. “What about Riley? Or – what about Maurice?”
“Riley doesn’t have the work ethic the position would require. At least not presently.”
“What about Maurice then? He seems like he would be perfect.”
“Well, that is true. But for one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t trust him.”
Luna opened and closed her eyes. “Trust him? For what?”
“It’s not him specially. I don’t trust any of them. Not even Haley. Someone … someone who could be quite close to us, is in fact working against us.”
“And how have I been ruled out of your line of suspicion?”
“You haven’t been. Not entirely.”
“Okay.”
“I just … I have an instinct when it comes to these things. You come across as rather transparent to me. Others, not so much.”
“Transparent? Are you saying I’m shallow?”
“I’m just saying I think I can trust you. For the time being.”
“Well, thanks,” Luna said uneasily. “But if you’re looking for my help figuring out if any of them is a traitor, you’ve got the wrong woman.”
“Why is that?”
“Look, I understand this business from an administrative side. I know who is supposed to be where, I know about types of strategies, what to prioritize – how to handle an agent –”
“I’m not saying you have to go out and confront anyone,” Cresh said. “You have enough resources at your disposal in this building to figure certain things out.”
“Like what?”
“I want you to look into all of them. Everyone on this team. Who is in their lives, past and present. What their backgrounds are. What they don’t want us to know. Just … be thorough. Something might stand out.”
“And you want me to do this now?”
“You don’t have to,” Cresh said. “But it would mean a lot to me. It would show me that you’re ready to step into Kendra’s shoes.”
Luna sighed. “I guess … I guess I could do some work on them… But I can’t guarantee you anything.”
“That’s fine.”
“So who am I looking at exactly? Jason? Riley? Maurice?”
“Everyone that was here tonight. Look for any reason they might want to bring down our agency.”
“Alright.”
“I’ll … I’ll walk you out then…”
&nbs
p; Cresh stood up and then made an effort to help Luna out of her chair.
There was an awkward moment, before his hands fell away from her.
“You’re still married, aren’t you?” Luna questioned him.
Cresh seemed uncomfortable. “Last time I checked.”
“Well, I’d keep an eye on that if I was you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Luna said adjusting his jacket, “you mightn’t be so happy if your wife asked someone to poke around in your affairs. Find out what dirt there is on you.”
“They wouldn’t find anything,” Cresh said.
“Because there’s nothing to find?”
Cresh’s head titled forward. “There’s always something.”
“I wonder if I looked,” Luna said moving to his ear. “Would I find it…?”
Cresh looked straight ahead. He almost didn’t hear himself say it.
“I think perhaps you would…”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jason and Riley were inside the front of the van they’d been driving around all night. In the path of their headlights, Nadine’s car sped round and out through the parking garage, taking no notice of them. Jason followed the car’s outline as it drifted further and further away down the road, until it was completely out of sight. He leaned forward in the driver’s seat, looking up at the building. Still a few lights on in the windows.
“I could go for a coffee right about now,” Riley said. “Coffee and a donut.”
“You want to stop off somewhere on the way home?”
Riley leaned back in her chair. “No.”
Jason inhaled. He checked his phone.
No new messages.
“How long do you want to give this?” he asked.
“We should at least drive round the block again,” Riley said. “Go the other way this time.”
“Alright.”
Jason pushed the stick forward and let the van drift slowly out of the headquarters’s parking area. They drove slowly along the road for a while. Then made a right.
“I don’t think she’s coming back,” Jason said.
“You think she’s with Cyrus?”
“Possibly,” Jason said. “It was his phone she took the call on.”
“I wonder if Haley is of sound mind. If she can handle herself.”
“Well, of course she isn’t of sound mind. The question is – what can we do about it if she’s not here?”
“This whole night is fucked,” Riley said. “I just want it erased from my memory.”
“You’re not the only one.”
After a couple of minutes, they were back to where they started. Jason put the van into park.
“How about Luna staying behind with Cresh?” Jason muttered. “What do you think’s happening there?”
“I don’t know. She’s giving him a blow job?”
“Seriously.”
“Seriously … Seriously who fucking cares. I think if the world hasn’t blown up by this time tomorrow, I’ll be asking for a transfer.”
“Where to?”
“I haven’t thought about that. Just … This place is so fucked now.”
“Yeah. I know.”
The minutes ticked by. Jason closed his eyes.
Nothing.
Not a thing.
Was going to erase this…
His phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and read the text on the screen.
“Oh no,” he whispered. “No, no, no.”
He pushed the stick forward, and put his foot to the accelerate.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked.
“Just – just got a fucking text –”
“Yeah?”
“It’s Roxanne’s address. Nothing else.”
“So?”
Jason looked at her, annoyed. “It’s from the killer. He’s going after her!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Within thirty minutes they were at Roxanne’s house banging on her front door first, then jumping round to the back. The house was completely dark and there was no sign of her or her car that they could see. For a brief moment, Jason thought perhaps Roxanne had stayed somewhere else tonight.
“Shit – Jason, shit … over here…”
Jason ran from the back door to the side of the house where Riley was.
An open window with flapping curtains was just above her head.
Smashed glassed was at her feet.
“Roxanne!” Jason cried out in panic.
He hoisted himself up and through the window, forcing his way through the laundry area into the living area. He switched on the light.
No sign of her yet.
“Roxanne?” Jason called out.
Riley stood beside him. “Where’s her bedroom?”
“Down there.”
They walked down the passageway together and stopped in front of the open doorway.
“Oh no,” Jason gasped.
The room was trashed.
Bed sheets flung everywhere. The chair and table turned over. Picture frames broken and stepped on, on the floor.
“Where the hell is she?” Riley demanded.
Jason looked back at her, his eyes wide with anger.
Then his phone began ringing.
“Who is it?”
“Quiet!” Jason shouted.
He put the phone to his ear.
At first there was silence.
And then the monster spoke.
CHAPTER NINE
After the conversation, Jason was a wreck. He had fallen to the side of the bed, tears streaming down his face. Riley stood over him, trying to look strong.
“So he has her then?”
Jason nodded.
“This is a man we’re dealing with, isn’t it?” she questioned. “You can tell by his voice?”
Jason shook his head. “No. He’s got … He’s got some program on his phone. It changes the sound of his voice. It’s … it’s like talking to a machine.”
Riley knelt beside him. “What else did he say? He wants you to hurt someone?”
“Yeah.”
“Who?”
“He wants me…” Jason paused, unable to get the words out. “He wants me to fuck Haley.”
“Haley?”
Something in her tone caught him in the wrong way. “Yes – Haley! You think I’m making this up?”
“No, no, no –”
“I’m not going to fucking do it! This is – it’s batshit insane. It’s like … he’s so focused on her.”
“How are we going to get Roxanne back?”
“I don’t know,” Jason said trying to stand up. “I don’t – aw, fuck…”
“What?”
“We can’t even ask the others for help. They’ll just – they’ll just try to incorporate us into their investigation.”
“No shit.”
“I can’t believe this … it’s … I should have run faster. I mean, we had him. He was right there coming out of Haley’s house. All I had to do was run faster. Catch up to him. See his face at least…”
“We didn’t know who that was then,” Riley said. “Don’t beat yourself up.”
“Yeah. Right…”
“So what now? Do we…?”
“Yeah. I guess we have to try and find Haley. Wherever the fuck she could be. But … you don’t have to stick around for it. You should probably…”
Riley looked at him awkwardly.
In a rare moment she was reminded of the feelings she once had for him.
“It’s okay. I’ll stick with it. See it through.”
“You will?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“Thanks, Riley.”
After walking around the house for a minute to make sure there weren’t any clues to find, the pair exited through the front door and walked across the empty driveway towards the van.
Once they reached it, Riley noticed through the glass that Jason had hesitated before getting in.
; He walked back round the front to meet her.
“I thought we were going for that coffee,” she said.
Jason pointed behind her.
She turned but there was nothing there.
“Look,” Jason said walking in front of her. “That house.”
She followed his gaze. “What about it?”
“Is that – is that a security camera –?”
Riley leaned in to get a better look.
It seemed to be that it was.
Jason stopped in the road and looked from the camera to Roxanne’s house.
“Holy shit,” Riley whispered.
Jason nodded defiantly. “Let’s see if they’re home.”
CHAPTER TEN
Jason pulled back the screen as the motion light switched on overhead, and proceeded to pound his fist into the centre of the door. Riley stood beside him nervously. They waited.
Jason then decided to pound the door a second time. “Police, open up!”
The door unlocked and a pair of eyes appeared behind the chain.
“Police?” an old man’s voice inquired of them.
“That’s right,” Jason said. “Open the door, please.”
“Let’s see some identification.”
Jason reached into his pocket and flashed the man his credentials.
“What does that say?” the man asked peering down at them. “Paranormal…”
“For the last time, sir –”
“Alright, alright.”
The chain came down and the door parted for them.
Jason immediately strode into the hallway.
“What’s this about?” the old man demanded.
“There was a break in across the road from you,” Jason explained. “We need to have a look at your surveillance.”
“Oh. Well, through there…”
Riley followed them through an archway into a lounge room. The man switched the light on revealing a desk and PC in the corner.
Jason stood beside the computer. “It’s connected to this?”
“Yes,” the old man said approaching slowly. “I’ll boot it up for you.”
The man sat down in the chair.
They waited for the computer to load.
Once it had, the man opened up the program, revealing a live feed from the camera. Jason bent in round over his shoulder. “Yes. That one. It’s perfect. Can you go back a few hours? Or –”
Vampire Dating Agency III Page 2
