Alex ran his hand over her head again. “I could not touch you,” he said softly.
She merely shrugged. What did it matter? “Did it help?”
“More than you know,” Alex chuckled softly.
They sat quietly for a moment, at least she did. The other two carried on some conversation in a level of voice only they could hear. It could not have been pleasant, as she felt the muscles in Alex’s legs tense as if he was keeping himself from springing into action. Slowly, the words penetrated and she began to feel more herself. Noticing that, Louis went to retrieve an apple from the counter and handed it to her, saying simply that it would help.
She nodded her thanks and bit into it.
“Now that you are both recovered, what is your next step?”
“First, I must report to work today. As for Cassandra and Lisa, I believe they shall have to return to the Morgans.”
That’s what she wanted, wasn’t it. “I thought you weren’t sure of the Morgans’ motives?”
“There is more at risk here than I anticipated. I believe it would be best if you both returned, and you kept a close watch on the child.”
“Do you think someone will come after her again?”
“I am certain of it,” Alex said. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”
“Wouldn’t she be safer with Philip?”
“Perhaps,” he agreed, “but I see no reason to endanger Philip at this point.”
Did that mean there would be another time he would have to? She didn’t care for the sound of that.
“She will be safer at home than anywhere else,” Alex reassured her.
“I will be available,” Louis said.
Lisa slowly got to her feet and looked about for a trash can to dispose of the apple core. “I don’t understand how you fit in with this,” she addressed her comment to Louis, as he pointed to a waste basket.
Alex stood and both of them exchanged glances before focusing on her. “They stole my ring,” Alex finally said. “That, and the notes, lead me to believe they are concerned with things other than gaining ransom for the child.”
“You don’t think they want her for ransom?”
“No, I don’t. They want her for a purpose, but right now they are too busy to worry about it.” He didn’t sound particularly certain. “She will be safest at home.”
“She will be, and so will you,” Louis said.
She had thought she had been helping him, evidently not; he had just been too polite to say so. Were vampires polite, she wondered idly.
As they headed for the door, Louis motioned to Sandy, still sleeping on the couch. “You carry the child,” he told her.
She gave him a sharp look. So much for polite.
As if he could read her mind, he gave her a mocking smile. “Neither Alessandro nor I can touch the child if she’s covered in silver.”
“But you moved her earlier.”
“For a moment, and even that burned.” He held his hands up and she could see they were indeed reddened. “They are healing.” He again pointed to Cassandra with his chin.
Lisa scooped her up and turned her so she could rest her head on her shoulder. Sandy instinctively wrapped her legs around her. Lisa nearly staggered under the weight. She felt Alex’s steadying hand on her back for a moment, then a hiss as he removed it.
Chapter 18
Once they were in his car, Alex slid the police light from its compartment and attached it to the vehicle’s roof. It was near dawn, and in his current state he preferred to be home before full light. As it was, he wouldn’t make it into the station this night. He didn’t turn on the siren, but did flash his light, allowing them to easily move through what little traffic there was.
Lisa had tried to put the child from her, but Cassandra clung to her so tightly she was forced to hold her on her lap for the ride.
“What are we to do?” she finally asked.
“What you always do,” Alex said in some surprise. “Don’t change your schedule. Know that Louis, or I or Philip will be close by at all times.”
“No one else from the department?”
“Can you think of how I could explain any of tonight’s happenings?”
She gave a rueful laugh. “I guess not.” She was silent for a few moments then asked the question that she needed an answer for, but was reluctant to ask, “Do we wash the silver off?”
“For now.” He seemed to be thinking, then turned to her and quickly told her about the silver brick that had been placed in his pocket. “They left me in the covered stairwell of the church. It’s near the door you exited,” he explained. “The brick should still be there. Find it and take it to Philip. He will know what to do with it if we need it.”
“You mean if he has to mix more of this lotion?” She ran her hand along her arm.
“That, among other things. Let’s just say it’s safer in our possession than Janelle’s.”
Turning off the police light, Alex pulled into the Morgan’s driveway.
Lisa shook her head. “For some reason, I expected to see a police car here.”
Alex shifted in his seat and turned sideways to face her. “I didn’t call them.”
“Why ever not? There are so many people--” She stopped abruptly when he placed his finger over her lips.
He lowered his voice and glanced at the restlessly sleeping child. “I wanted to gauge the parents’ reaction.” He slid out of the car before she could ask another question, and came around to open the door for her.
Sandy blinked sleepily when Lisa got her to stand on the sidewalk. She had a feeling the Morgans, no matter what Alex thought, would be delighted their daughter was back, and would like to see her walking in instead of being carried.
Jason held his arms out welcoming them, he spared a moment from hugging his daughter to fling an arm about Lisa. Alex had to tamp down the jealousy that sprang instantly to life. He had no reason to feel that way, nor should he.
Barbara patted her daughter on the back and gave her a kiss on the cheek declaring she had given them all a scare, as if the kidnapping had been the child’s idea. She leveled a hard gaze on Lisa and stepped closer. Lisa instinctively took a step back toward Alex who put a steadying hand on her waist. A move, Barbara honed in on. “I wondered why the detective was so sure you were not involved.” Her gaze flicked to his. “Perhaps he is in on it too.”
She couldn’t mean that! In the time it took her to inhale, Alex’s grip on her waist tightened in warning. She swallowed convulsively, but didn’t say anything.
“I would tell you to leave immediately,” Barbara continued, “but it’s late, and I wouldn’t even turn a dog out in the middle of the night.”
~*~
Alex watched Lisa’s face blanch even further. He would gladly take her to his home, but he needed her here. He trusted her to watch for Cassandra, to be as close as the other two could not be.
“I think you misunderstand,” he found himself saying, cutting off anything her husband had intended to say. “If it were not for Lisa, Cassandra would not be here with you. She has been of immense assistance.” He put his hand lightly on Lisa’s back and propelled her to the stairs. “I strongly suggest a hot bath, a drink and bed.” He quickly removed his hand.
It angered him tremendously to have to leave her with these people who did not value her, at least the woman appeared to not have any set value. For her to think Lisa was the problem itself was ludicrous.
“You will be safe.” He leaned in close and whispered in Lisa’s ear, never taking his gaze off Barbara Morgan. She didn’t try to disguise her distaste. Too bad. Right now, he was only intent on reassuring Lisa. He only wished he could keep her with him, but that was an impossibility. In his present state, he would prove more of a liability than protection. As much as he hated to leave her, there was little option.
His house seemed empty without her there. It hadn’t taken long for her to fill a space he hadn’t even known was there. Shaking his head at his
own foolishness, he headed to the basement. A full night’s rest did wonders for him. He awoke at sundown, having slept longer than he had in many weeks. Briefly he wondered about Lisa and Cassandra, but assured himself Louis and Philip would have contacted him had there been any developments, good or bad. And the rest had been welcome. He felt rejuvenated.
Walking into the department that evening served as a reminder this was not the only case he was pursuing.
“About time you joined us,” his partner said.
He gave the man a brief nod as he headed to his side of the desk and sat down. “Found the little girl.”
His partner slowly put down the phone receiver that he was holding, to better look at him. “You didn’t call me.” His voice was definitely accusing.
“No. Sorry about that, but it all happened so fast.” If it had been a normal case, he would have called his partner, would have made everything seem as commonplace as possible, but what could else could he have done under the circumstances?
“Did you find the people who did it?”
“Not yet. The kid and the nanny need some rest.” There had been no way he could have sent anyone in that room to deal with Carlos. He and Louis were going to have a difficult enough time of their own.
The evening was quiet, giving Alex time to connect to the Internet to track any reason Carlos – or anyone, if he wasn’t working on his own – would suddenly show an interest in his ring. And how was that connected to the child?
Several online libraries had records of documents he thought might be of use. The difficulty was getting them in the time frame he needed. If anyone would understand if there was anything to be had from them, it would be Philip. He quickly hit the send button to give Philip the information he would need, pitiful amount that it was.
Shutting down his computer, he heard his partner calling out for his report on the kidnapping. He had written something plausible, and it now sat in a folder on the corner of his desk. Scooping it up, he tossed it to Nick.
“I have to run, but it’s all there.”
He was at Louis’s in a matter of moments, asking for his own report on Lisa and Cassandra. It disturbed him that he couldn’t decide which was more important to hear.
“No one else was around,” his friend assured him. “They must be busy with some other plot.”
“Definitely something.” He eased himself into one of the chairs. He refused to recall it was the same one he sat in the night before when he was forced to take Lisa’s blood.
He flexed his fingers before letting them rest on the arm of the chair. That the one was bare still rankled.
“It must be the stone, but what they can hope to gain, I have no idea,” Louis said. “How closely related to the child’s disappearance do you think this is?”
Alex pushed himself out of the chair and started to pace. “It must be even more vital than the girl; otherwise they would not have released her.”
“Or maybe they aren’t worried because they know where to find her.”
Alex stopped and stared at his friend. He scoffed at himself. “That actually had not occurred to me. Should I thank you for pointing it out?”
Louis shrugged. “For whatever reason, you don’t seem to be thinking clearly. Maybe the silver confused you more than you thought.”
No, he knew exactly what occupied too much of his thoughts. And this was the outcome. If he didn’t focus soon, it could be disastrous for all. He wasn’t young, and certainly was familiar with the hideous workings of human nature. He ran his hand across his forehead, trying to think clearly. “Perhaps I need to visit Janelle.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Louis shook his head in disbelief. “You just proved you’re not thinking straight. There are crazy things going on here, Alessandro. Janelle is much too powerful to just walk up to her and demand to know what she’s about. It’s evident she needs or wants you for some reason.”
Alex gave a depreciating smile. “No reason to be insulting about it, but truthfully, I suspect she does not need me.”
“What powers does the ring hold?”
“None that I know of.” That was the truth as he knew it. “No one has ever shown an interest in it before.”
“Exactly. So whatever it is must be a recent discovery, or is relevant only to something that can occur at this time.” He cocked his head to one side. “This really is
not like you to not draw these conclusions.”
Alex agreed. The man was dead to right, and he had no idea why it was so now. Had the silver truly addled his brain, or was he so occupied with Lisa he could think of little else? Everything Louis said was true, but he still had a niggling feeling Barbara was somehow involved. He just couldn’t imagine how so or if she would be capable of actually sacrificing her daughter to achieve whatever her goal? “I have to go,” he told Louis, and was already out the door.
The only person who would or could possibly have some idea of the information he needed was either someone older than himself, and familiar with his scion of society, and it was evident Louis was as puzzled as he. His other option was someone who made it a study; Philip.
The man was poring over the print out of the notes Alex had sent when he entered the room.
“Alone tonight?” Philip asked, not seeming surprised to see him.
Briefly, Alex nodded. He had been alone most days and nights for the past two and a half centuries, but it never bothered him until recently. Until Lisa, he admitted to himself. His voice was more curt than he intended. “Find anything new?”
Chapter 19
“Actually, something quite, quite old.” Philip stood at the table and motioned Alex to join him as he pointed out a passage from the original note which had been copied. “That line is most likely inscribed in your ring. Here’s a description.”
Alex’s hand instinctively fisted.
“Do you trust me to see it?”
“It’s gone,” he said flatly.
Philip looked up, shock evident in his expression. His eyes widened as he glanced back to the passage, and then to Alex’s bare hand.
“How... how can that be? What have you done with it?”
“I have done nothing!” He tamped down his fury. It wasn’t his fault, and certainly not Philip’s. Quickly he outlined the sequence of events.
Philip used the table for support then sat down heavily, looking up at Alex in bewilderment.
Dread ran through his veins, and his sense of survival kicked in. He forced himself to relax, to push away the increasing sense of alarm. Surely the news could not be so bad.
‘Lisa and the child? Where are they?”
“Safe enough for now,” Alex said. “They’re at the Morgan’s.”
Grasping Alex’s arm, Philip insisted he remove them from there at once. As if realizing he had actually grabbed the other man, something he had never done, he quickly released his arm.
“That doesn’t make any sense. They’re safe for now. I doubt Carlos or Janelle will try anything at the moment. In fact, Louis is watching them tonight. Among other things, I wanted to make sure you could watch over them during the day.”
“I can watch, but there is nothing I can do. It appears the trouble is from within.”
“Within? Within what? The vampire community?” Tell him something he didn’t already know.
“I fear it may be a bit closer to the child than that.”
“Barbara.” Her name escaped his lips before he was fully conscious of it. He almost missed Philip’s agreement, concerned that the only person between her and the child was Lisa. Philip was right; they would have to be removed. He turned on the ball of his foot, ready to leave immediately, but Philip stopped him. “Alex! You need to know what is going on here.”
“Is there anything to make a difference at this moment?”
When Philip didn’t answer, he made to leave again, in a speedier manner.
“We will need to talk when you return, Alex. The potential for unleashed evil is
tremendous.”
Alex raised his brow at the comment. He was a vampire after all, evil was something he was quite familiar with, what he saw even when he did not want to be acknowledge it, when he tried to hold himself distant. But this was personal, extremely so.
He had no trouble getting to the Morgan’s. He drove, since he might either need the vehicle to move them, or Lisa might if they couldn’t leave immediately. He had to admit, Philip’s words rather jarred him. He would love to know about the inscription in the ring, but would have to wait until he returned to Philip’s. For now, he merely recalled there had been an inscription. He had looked at it when he was given the ring, but once it was placed on his finger he had no need to remove it. Was it truly the same phrase Philip had now discovered? And how, by all that was holy, did Barbara fit into the puzzle?
Pulling into the Morgan’s driveway, he sensed no one about when he exited the car. Jason answered the door, seemingly surprised to see Alex, but invited him in. “Is there something wrong, detective?”
How to answer? “I came to make sure everything was all right here.” When it appeared the man had nothing else to say, Alex told him he had a few more questions he would like to review with the nanny.
Jason ran his hand over the back of his head. “If it will help catch whoever did this, by all means, ask away.”
Alex raised one eyebrow and gave a quick perusal of the room. It was apparent Lisa was not present.
“She just tucked Sandy in. She should be down in a moment, or you could go up.”
Alex nodded and headed for the stairs. He had picked up her scent long before he saw her coming out of Cassandra’s room. He unobtrusively sniffed the air again. He did not detect Barbara. He still couldn’t determine if that was good or not. He had a strong feeling it was the latter.
Lisa started when she saw him at the top of the stairs. “What are you doing here?” she nearly hissed the words at him.
So Cassandra wouldn’t awaken? “I needed to speak with you and Mr. Morgan suggested I come here.”
She still looked puzzled, but turned toward the other stairs at the end of the hall, and motioned with her hand for him to follow her.
Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance) Page 14
