Blood Sense (Blood Destiny #3)

by Connie Suttle

  Tony got a sedative, although he fought with all three agents while it was given. The news crews were already on the scene and the police were having difficulty holding them back since the building presented a danger to everything nearby. That didn't prevent the news media from reporting at a location as close as they could get and using the burning building as a backdrop for their newscasts. The entire nation watched in alarm as it was televised, with a live video feed showing the bombed building as the one chosen for the Secretary of State's speech earlier in the evening. As yet, no information had been given regarding the status of the Secretary of State or any other attendees. Rumors abounded at first, many of which listed Madam Secretary as dead or seriously wounded. News crews were dispatched to all nearby hospitals, waiting for casualties to arrive. Everything was in total chaos until the Secretary of State called a press conference from her hotel, assuring the public that she was quite all right and crediting the FBI and other governmental agencies for providing an early warning and getting nearly everyone out intact. Tony had been rushed to the hotel as well; he was still conscious but in a much calmer state. Flanked by Bill, Dusty and Arthur Jefferson (who mostly propped him up during the press conference), Tony listened and didn't speak as cameras flashed and video was recorded all around him.

  "Find her body if you can," Tony ordered brusquely as they walked away following the brief news conference. Madam Secretary refused to answer questions but promised additional news conferences once information was brought to her and could be verified. The newscasts returned to making speculations, both wild and otherwise. Franklin watched the entire horrific episode unfold on television, his arms around Greg, who was terrified.

  "Surely she wasn't anywhere near that," Greg muttered in disbelief. Franklin wasn't so sure. He intended to call Lissa on her cell as soon as he could get Greg calmed.

  London was five hours ahead of New York and near dawn, but Charles watched the reports on his computer, gripped by fear. He'd informed Wlodek and the Head of the Council had subsequently shut himself inside his study. Merrill was at home, watching television in his own study. Wlodek had called first thing, alerting Merrill to the incident. Neither knew if Lissa was involved.

  * * *

  Midnight, Pacific Daylight Time: Tony had been forced inside his hotel room but was fretting anxiously while his agents returned to the scene, helping crews comb through debris. Six bodies had been found so far. Some were employees of the catering service; other dead were security guards provided by the venue along with one dead agent. Gene Pogue had been crushed by falling debris. Tony was given the information via cell phone. He sent emails and paced. The Vice President called. Tony handed over information and paced again.

  Two o'clock in the morning, PDT: Tony was given additional updates. Two more bodies found, one blacken beyond recognition in the fire. Dental records would be required for a positive ID. The bodies were taken to the county Coroner's office for examination and identification. A press release was issued and news crews were hounding all of them for more.

  Four o'clock in the morning, PDT: The search for more bodies continued. None had been found in more than two hours, however. The rubble was still being searched, even as parts of it continued to smolder. Tony answered more calls and emails, although his panic was rising as the sedative wore away. The Secretary of State had finally gone to bed, eliminating one of the calls he was getting every half-hour. His terror over Lissa's disappearance was nearly at its peak. So many things ran through his mind, including the fact that he'd kept her in the dark, depending on her abilities to protect the ones he'd been assigned to cover without vital information.

  Six o'clock in the morning, PDT: Dawn came just after six-thirty and Tony buried his head in his hands and moaned. Another call came—from the President, this time. Tony was forced to answer.

  The knock came after ten that morning. It was Tuesday, April thirteenth, Tony recalled and was supposed to be a day off for him. Madam Secretary should have been on a plane and flying back to Washington by then. Instead, those plans were scrapped and local police were crawling all over the hotel, along with the FBI.

  Tony wearily answered the door. Bill, Dusty and Arthur all stood outside it. They looked as if they'd been doing exactly what they'd done, sifting through the rubble of a bombed building. "We found her," Bill said. "The blast knocked her through the wall of a nearby building." Tony had the beginnings of hope on his face. "Sit down, boss," Bill said, pushing Tony inside the room and following him in. "She's dead. They've taken her to the Coroner's."

  "Was her body intact?" Tony had to force himself to be as calm as possible. He didn't want more sedatives; he had to act quickly and these three needed to come with him.

  "As far as we could tell, but she looked beaten up. Bruised, probably broken bones. She was pronounced at the scene and hauled off in a body bag, boss. I'm sorry." Bill was still trying to get Tony to sit down.

  "You three, come with me. Right now. Where's the nearest SUV? They didn't start cutting on her, did they?" Tony was grabbing a suit coat and rushing out the door. Bill stared after Tony for a moment and then ran down the hall to go with him. Tony seemed bent on going down to the Coroner's office for some reason. Bill had no idea what good that would do; perhaps Tony wanted to see Lissa one last time.

  "Come on," Dusty grabbed Arthur's arm and hauled him toward the elevator; they didn't need to be left behind. It was their job to make sure the Director was safe.

  * * *

  "That body is in the cooler," a harried assistant informed the Director of the Joint NSA/Homeland Security Office when he produced official identification.

  "Then you need to take us there immediately," Tony growled.

  "But I have to—uh," the assistant watched as Bill pulled back the side of his jacket, revealing the shoulder holster hidden there. The assistant gulped. "Right this way," he led them down a hall and inside a huge room with a tiled floor. Metal examination tables stood in the center of the room and off to the side were lockers where bodies could be stored.

  "This one, I think," the young man said, pulling a door open. Tony was already sliding the rack out; the body inside was covered with a sheet. He flipped the sheet back and stared at Lissa's face.

  "Get a body bag. Right now," Tony ordered. The assistant and the three agents stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "I know what I'm doing, I promise," Tony insisted. "I'll sign whatever needs to be signed but I have to take this one with me. Pronto."

  "Well, I don't know," the assistant mumbled.

  "You'll do it and you'll do it now. Do I need to get the FBI involved? I talked to the President this morning. Do you want me to get him on the phone?" Tony was trying to keep himself from having a full-blown meltdown. He had to get Lissa out of this place. If they put even part of her in sunlight, the results would be disastrous.

  "What's going on?" A police officer stepped into the room.

  "I'm Director of the Joint NSA/Homeland Security Department," Tony pulled out his identification for the officer. "We need to take possession of this body. If you think to stand in my way, I'll have the California Bureau of Investigation here in ten minutes and you can argue with them."

  "We work for him," Dusty nodded toward Tony and produced his own ID. Arthur and Bill followed suit. "We have to take this body, it's important to our investigation," Dusty went on. The officer, figuring he was outmanned and outgunned, shrugged his shoulders.

  "Find a body bag," Tony snarled at the assistant, who trotted to the other side of the room and came back with a bag. "Be careful," Tony instructed as he and the three agents loaded Lissa into the bag. Tony zipped it up himself, making sure the whole thing was lightproof.

  "Thank you for your help. If you have questions, call this number," Tony handed cards to the assistant and the officer. Dusty and Arthur hauled the body out between them (it wasn't heavy) while Tony led the way and Bill came behind, a hand on his pistol grip—just in case. They loaded the body bag into the
back of the SUV.

  "Boss, that may be the craziest thing I've ever seen you do," Arthur grumbled, taking the keys from Tony and climbing into the driver's seat. "What the hell do you plan to do with a dead body anyway?"

  "You'll see," Tony mumbled. "Just get her up to my room. Around seven tonight, you guys come see me. Get some rest between now and then, okay?"

  Arthur didn't answer. He merely put the car in gear and drove back to the hotel. "Special weapons," Dusty waved his badge at hotel security as they hauled the bag through the back door of the hotel. Tony walked ahead of them, ID in hand. The hotel security team recognized him and stood aside.

  "Boss, you'd better have a really good explanation for all this or I'll call the VP myself and tell him you're certifiable," Bill whispered to Tony before he left Tony's room. They'd dumped the bag onto the floor as Tony asked. Dusty and Arthur had already left; they were exhausted and looking for a bed. They'd worry over what the boss wanted with a body later.

  "Trust me, Bill," Tony patted Bill's shoulder. "Come back at seven."

  Bill nodded and wandered toward his own room. Tony closed and locked his door, then went to kneel down by Lissa's body bag. "Let's get you out of this thing," Tony crooned and pulled Lissa from the bag.

  * * *

  "She looks like she's sleeping," Dusty said, looking Lissa's body over. He and the others showed up as instructed, right at seven. Tony had cleaned Lissa up and dressed her in pajamas. Most of her bruises were gone and Dusty, who'd seen her body when it was found, didn't have an explanation.

  "Boss, this is ludicrous," Arthur said. "Being this close to a dead woman, well, that's not normal."

  "Give me a few minutes," Tony said. "Actually, give me until seven-fifteen."

  "What time is it now?" Arthur glanced at his watch.

  "Seven thirteen," Dusty said, consulting his cell.

  "Go ahead, sit down if you want," Tony smiled a little. "And I want you all to remember the oath you took and the promise you made to keep state secrets. If you leak this, I promise you'll regret it."

  "Boss, what are we leaking? That you have a dead girl in your bed?" Arthur grumped.

  "Seven fourteen and forty seconds," Bill consulted his watch. Outside, the sun was slipping below the horizon.

  "Fifty seconds." Bill counted. "Fifty-five. Seven-fifteen, on the nose." They all looked expectantly at Tony. They were still staring at him when Lissa drew her first breath of the evening.

  * * *

  I kept my eyes closed for a few moments, savoring the feel of a soft mattress beneath my body and cool sheets over it. The last thing I remembered was decapitating a vampire and I wondered how I'd gotten into a bed somewhere in between. I might have contemplated that puzzle a little longer—until an unfamiliar voice interrupted my thoughts, that is.

  "What the fuck?" The sound of that voice had me off the bed and against a wall in less time than it takes to blink, my claws and fangs out. My hiss had several people shouting amid a bit of commotion on the opposite side of the bed. The brass lamp on my side was now in pieces on the floor; I think I sliced it into thirds on my way off the bed.

  "Lissa, calm down, baby." Tony's voice. I blinked across the bed at him. He stood there, Bill, Dusty and Agent Jefferson right behind him, all with expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces. I might have considered punching Tony right then; the idiot had displayed me like a prize ewe.

  "Tony, I may kill you," I said, drawing my claws in and pulling my fangs back. The three agents stood there, eyes still wide and mouths open in surprise.

  "You know you won't," he grinned.

  "But I feel like it," I grumbled. "What are these yahoos doing here? Don't you know that letting them see this could get me killed?"

  "That's a vampire." Dusty was the first one to speak, his words containing near-hysteria.

  "Yeah. Nice to see you, too, Agent Howell," I said sarcastically.

  "Are there more?" Agent Jefferson asked.

  "More what?" I turned to look at him, now.

  "More vampires?"

  "I'm not at liberty to say," I snapped. "Tony, I'm in my pajamas, here. Would you like to explain that or do you want me to come over there and slam all of you into the wall a time or two?" Yeah, I was grumpy. And really hungry on top of that. No way was I going to drink my meal while three agents stood by and watched.

  "Lissa, you're not giving my agents a good impression, here," Tony was still grinning.

  "Really? You're not giving me a good impression, either. What do you suggest we do about that?"

  "Can she do that? Slam us into a wall?"

  "Maybe, but she won't. Not unless you turn into terrorists or something."

  "Speaking of terrorists," I said. "I need to eat and then I need to tell you what I found." I pulled a pillow off the bed and hugged it against my chest so I could stand up. No way did I want those guys to see my nipples showing through the thin top of my PJs.

  "What is she going to eat?" Arthur looked at Tony, an expression of alarm on his face.

  "Relax, she drinks bagged blood," Tony huffed, waving off Agent Jefferson's fear.

  "You mean you don't go around draining humans?" Dusty ventured the question to me instead of through Tony.

  "Are you crazy?" I scoffed. "I can't even finish a pint of blood. How am I going to drain a human?"

  "For real?" Dusty was getting into the whole idea, now. "Do you sleep in a coffin?"

  That made me snort. "Now that's just dumb," I countered. "I'm claustrophobic. A coffin would be the worst place for me to sleep."

  Tony's cell phone rang, interrupting my interrogation; he glanced at the caller ID before answering.

  "Agent White? I'm glad to hear your voice," Tony said. "Come on up. Bring Townsend with you." Tony closed his phone. "We're getting a little company," he announced.

  Uh-oh. The vamp agents had arrived. I had no idea what Tony planned but I wasn't sure I was looking forward to it. There wasn't any time to eat or get dressed; both agents arrived shortly and there I was, still in my PJs. I needed to make phone calls, too; I'm sure Merrill, Franklin and Gavin all wanted to hear from me. "Gentlemen, these are Agents Ken White and Chris Townsend," Tony introduced the two vampires to the others. "They've been with the FBI Special Paranormal Division for three years," Tony was smiling. "I've selected you three, here," he indicated Bill, Dusty and Arthur, "to work as special liaisons with their department."

  "Paranormal Division?" Bill wasn't sure he liked that idea, whatever it was.

  "Yes. You can refuse the promotion if you want, Agent Jennings. But hear us out before you make up your mind."

  "We're vampires, just like Lissa," Agent White nodded in my direction. Well, maybe not just like me. They were male and I'm sure they'd eaten already. "There are werewolves, too but they're on assignment right now. We're looking to recruit others; the Division is highly successful and we have more work than we can handle." He grinned at the three humans who were now staring at him.

  "We're not in danger?" Arthur asked.

  "No more than you normally are," Agent Townsend said. "The vamps and the wolves police their own; that's why you haven't seen anything of us before. We work hard to fit into human society."

  "But, uh, aren't there bad ones?" Dusty wanted to know.

  "Just as there are bad humans, yes. There are those among us who hunt those rogues down and eliminate them."

  "Have you ever met any of those guys—the rogue hunters?" Dusty was curious, I could tell.

  "I hear tell that Lissa might be engaged to one of them," Tony had an evil glint in his eye.

  "I heard that, too," Townsend turned to look at me.

  "What's he like?" Dusty asked.

  "Old and grumpy," I snipped.

  "How old and grumpy?" Arthur was asking questions, now.

  "Really old and really grumpy," I snapped. "Look, if you people don't need me for anything in the next fifteen minutes, I'd like to eat and get dressed." I stalked through the connectin
g door and slammed it behind me. I think it might have cracked. I didn't care.

  * * *

  "Merrill, I don't remember how I got out," I said. "I woke up at the hotel and I haven't had a chance to talk to Tony, yet. The vampire I killed before the building blew was another of Saxom's get. I know it. He had two humans with him—both young men—and they were setting charges when I found them inside the air ducts."

  "Lissa, do you have any injuries?"

  "Just a few bumps and bruises and I feel tired. Other than that, everything seems to be fine."

  "Drink some extra blood later when you can get it down. It'll help, sweetheart. We were imagining the worst, here."

  "If I'd been conscious, I might have been imagining that, too. Can you call Franklin and tell him? I'm short of time or I'd do it myself. Has he talked to you about Greg?"

  "No, why?"

  "Greg had some tests run and they're waiting for results. Frank wasn't doing very well when I talked to him early Saturday morning. I think both of them are really worried and are afraid to say anything until they know for sure."

  "Damn," Merrill muttered. "If it's not one thing, it's another. I'll try to find a way to convince him to tell me so he doesn't think you let it slip."

  "Thanks, Merrill."

  "You should call Gavin, now."

  "I know."

  "Lissa, he'll be waiting to hear from you."

  "I know that too. But you're not the one who gets to listen to him curse and rant. Goodbye, Merrill." I ended the call.

  I dialed Gavin's number next, even though Tony was knocking on the door. Gavin answered after the first ring. "Lissa?"

  "Hi, honey."

  "Lissa, I was terrified you were in that building that exploded."

  "Honey, I was in that building, when it exploded." The silence was long and very painful.