by Tina Folsom
The phone rang, and Haven answered it. “Yeah?”
In the interrogation room below, Thomas gave Eddie a sign to switch on the machine. Next to Katie, Haven jumped up.
“I’ll be right there.”
She spun her head to him. “What’s wrong?”
“We have a lead. Somebody spotted a woman being dragged into a car not far from the University.” He was already at the door, when he looked over his shoulder. “Stay out of sight and out of trouble.” Then he sighed. “And Katie, I know this whole thing has to be particularly hard on you. But don’t let it drag you back to that dark place. It’s behind you. It’s over.”
She nodded automatically, shuddering at the memories, and watched the door fall shut behind him. Then she turned her eyes back to the window. Though Thomas spoke to Luther, there was no sound. Haven had probably switched off the speakers before leaving the observation room. Not wanting to alert anybody below that she was up here watching them, Katie didn’t dare try any of the buttons on the console to find the right one to listen in on the room below.
Instead, she turned to the computer screen and shifted into Haven’s empty chair. With a click of the mouse, she hit the play button on the screen and watched Isabelle’s abduction unfold.
She strained to get a better look at the kidnapper, but the grainy black-and-white picture and the camera angle didn’t help. Besides, the man kept his head down as if he knew that there was a camera. Isabelle struggled, and it was evident that she was using her vampire strength against the attacker, but the man seemed stronger than she. A vampire or a hybrid himself.
“Oh God, Isabelle,” she murmured to herself. “I’m so sorry.”
She reached for her student’s face on the monitor, wanting to comfort her, to tell her that she would do anything to find her, when she accidentally touched the mouse again, restarting the video from the beginning.
It was almost too much, having to look at it again. Helplessly, she stared at Isabelle, when she noticed her lips move, repeating the same thing over and over again. Kimberly. There it was, Katie’s stage name. Was she calling for help?
Katie used the mouse to go back in the video and played it again. This time she only looked at Isabelle’s lips. During her time on the stage, she’d learned to read lips—mostly because at the beginning of her career she’d had a hard time remembering her lines and had often needed the help of a prompter.
I’m not Kimberly.
Katie drew back in her chair. Isabelle hadn’t called for her to help her. She’d told her kidnapper that she wasn’t Kimberly. That she wasn’t the one he was after.
The vampire taking Isabelle had mistaken her for Katie.
“Oh God, no. It is my fault.”
“What are you doing in here?”
At the male voice, Katie whirled around and stared at the tall vampire entering the room.
“I’m Haven’s sister…”
“We’re on lockdown. Only Scanguards personnel are allowed.” Not too gently, he grabbed her by the arm.
She tried to pull free, but he was too strong. Furious, she glanced at the badge dangling from his breast pocket and read his name.
“My brother authorized me to be in here, Jake, and I’m sure he won’t be pleased that you’re throwing me out.”
Jake grinned with an air of superiority. “Nice try, lady, but Haven knows better. Let’s go!”
“Goddamn it!” she cursed under her breath. Just as she’d discovered something, some idiot was throwing her out.
Haven was out following the lead they’d gotten; Yvette was probably back at home with her son and daughter, and Wes was nowhere to be seen. Most likely he was still at the university, helping with the interrogation of the students and audience members.
Katie straightened her T-shirt after Jake had unceremoniously deposited her on the sidewalk outside of Mission HQ. For now, there was no way back into Scanguards’ shiny headquarters. But she knew how she could help nevertheless, because the realization that the kidnapper had been after her and not after Isabelle, had reminded her of something she’d tried to forget.
Katie dug for her keys and headed for her car. She would be home in less than ten minutes, traffic permitting, and back here shortly after that. And then Samson and the rest of Scanguards would have to listen to her and accept her help. Because she could find Isabelle.
She knew who’d taken her.
8
Bare-chested, Luther remained chained to the table and floor in the interrogation room. The electrodes had been removed and the polygraph carted out of the room. It had been several minutes since Thomas and Eddie had left him, both with unreadable expressions on their faces.
When the door opened anew, it was none other than Samson who entered. Gabriel followed him. The scar that reached from his ear to his chin gleamed under the harsh neon lights, making it look even more pronounced.
The gazes of his visitors immediately shot to Luther’s disfigured chest and reminded him of the ugliness of his upper body. A strange look crossed Gabriel’s face, and for an instant, Luther thought he noticed his old friend’s scar twitching in brotherly compassion. But it had to be a trick of the light.
Samson stopped in front of the table, looking down at him. The stress of the last hours showed on his face.
“You passed the lie detector test.”
Samson’s words were clipped, his jaw clenched, and it was evident that he hated to make such an admission.
Luther lifted his hands, rattling his chains. “Well, then I guess we won’t need these anymore.”
Samson snarled. “But I don’t trust you. For all I know you managed to beat the machine.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Luther replied dryly. He paused for effectiveness. “Oh yeah, it’s because you can’t let bygones be bygones!”
The back of Samson’s hand hit him across the cheek. He swallowed the insult and faced him stoically, then slowly and deliberately turned his face to the other side.
“Would you like the other cheek, too?” he mocked.
Before Samson could take him up on the offer, Gabriel jerked his friend back by the shoulders.
“Don’t! He’s just provoking you.” Gabriel tossed him an acid look. “Pushing all the buttons again, are we, Luther?”
Luther lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “As long as there are buttons to push.” And by the looks of it, Samson could be more easily provoked than ever before. Was that what having a family did to a man? Turned him into a powder keg?
Samson’s nostrils flared as he visibly tried to get himself under control. “What are you doing in San Francisco, Luther?”
“Like I told Zane already, maybe I was in the mood for a cable car ride. None of your fucking business. Last time I checked this was a free country.”
“We’ll see about that.” Luther watched Samson exchange a look with Gabriel, before his number two nodded.
Samson placed his hands on the table and leaned in. “Here’s what we’ll do now. Gabriel will use his gift on you. And you won’t resist. And if he sees that you had anything to do with the abduction of my daughter, I’m going to rip you to shreds.”
Luther clamped his jaw together. “That’s an invasion of privacy.”
“You have no right to privacy. You forfeited that right when you attempted to kill Delilah and Nina!”
“I paid for that mistake.” Dearly. He even regretted it, but there was no way in hell he’d ever admit that fact to the asshole hovering over him, acting all superior.
“Not nearly long enough,” Samson claimed. “If it had been up to me and Amaury, we would have locked you up and thrown away the key.”
“But it wasn’t up to you.”
“This time it will be. This time I won’t hand you over to the council, but deal with you myself.”
Luther pushed the air out through his nostrils. “Not even you can touch an innocent vampire.”
“We’ll see about how innocent you are.” Samson
motioned to Gabriel and stepped back.
Gabriel nodded and approached. “You know the drill. I can dig into your memories, but I’ll only see what you’ve seen and heard. I can’t read your thoughts or—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Luther interrupted him. “Why don’t you just get on with it and don’t pretend you care about my rights? Like I give a shit.”
He watched Gabriel close his eyes and stand in front of him, motionless. Luther felt nothing of the invasion into his memories. It was what made this gift so dangerous: Gabriel could use it without anybody knowing he was doing it.
At the thought of what Gabriel might see, Luther shuddered. He didn’t want him to see the cruelties he’d had to endure in prison, and he hoped that Gabriel wouldn’t go far enough back in time to see how he’d received his scars. He didn’t want anybody’s pity. He’d deserved the punishment.
Instead, Luther concentrated his thoughts on something else. Somebody else: the actress. Wesley, the witch who’d suddenly shown up, had called her Katie and kissed her. There was something about her. Her scent wasn’t entirely human, but just as he’d thought he recognized what it was, the stench of that male witch had polluted the air around them.
She looked familiar. Had he met her somewhere before he’d gone to prison? It was impossible. She wasn’t a vampire. Twenty years ago she would have been a child, not the beautiful woman she was now. It was impossible that he knew her. Maybe she simply reminded him of someone from his past.
“There’s nothing, Samson, he was telling the truth.”
Gabriel’s voice brought him back to reality. Luther lifted his lids to look at the two Scanguards bosses.
“Are you sure?” Samson ran a hand through his hair.
“He’s got nothing to do with Isabelle’s abduction. He met with nobody after he was released from prison last night.”
“What about earlier? He could have planned this long ago.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I went far enough back. There’s nothing.”
Luther caught Gabriel’s sideways glance and wanted to curse. Gabriel had seen more than he wanted him to see.
“You’ve gotta let him go.”
Luther lifted his hands, looking pointedly at the shackles.
Samson sucked in a breath. “You’re free. But that changes nothing. Leave this city! If you ever come back, I will find a reason to kill you. Do you understand that?”
“You’re making yourself perfectly clear.”
Luther recognized a serious threat when he saw one. Samson was volatile. As long as the whereabouts of his daughter were unknown, he would lash out at anybody he had a grudge against. And Luther wasn’t willing to stick around to play scapegoat.
“Unchain him!” Samson turned and marched out of the room, leaving his second-in-command to execute his order.
As Gabriel untied him, he said, “You’d better heed his warning and head out tonight.”
The chains rattled as they dropped to the floor.
Rubbing his wrists, Luther rose from the uncomfortable plastic chair. “I have no reason to stay.” He reached for his shirt and pulled it on, not bothering to button up. He grabbed his jacket.
“Don’t you?”
Luther stabbed his index finger into Gabriel’s chest. “You might have seen my past, but don’t presume to know anything about me. I’m not the man you once knew.”
Gabriel pointed to the door. “You’re free to go. The guard outside the door will escort you out.”
Without a word, Luther walked to the door and opened it. Outside, a vampire with a semi-automatic pistol strapped to his side, motioned him to the left. In silence, Luther walked ahead of him, the maze of corridors reminding him once again of prison. This wasn’t much different, though there was more activity and more noise at Scanguards HQ.
When they reached the lobby, a fancy entry hall with large glass panels on the side that faced the street, the guard stopped at the reception desk for a moment. Luther took the opportunity to let his eyes wander. It was odd that the entrance to Scanguards was made of glass. What did they do during the day when the rays of the sun flooded this area?
Maybe the glass was made of a special, UV-impenetrable material. After all, twenty years had passed since he’d been on the outside, and even inside the vampire prison he’d noticed technological changes over the years. Perhaps somebody had invented glass that didn’t let UV light through.
Involuntarily, he took a few steps toward the glass-paneled exit, wanting to look at the glass from up close. But before his eyes could zoom in on the shiny surface, they were drawn to a poster that had been affixed next to the double doors.
It was an announcement of the play that had taken place tonight. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it read. A photo of what appeared to be a dress rehearsal was on the top half of the flyer, while a list of the major players graced the bottom. In the middle though, it was written in large letters: Directed by former Hollywood star Kimberly Fairfax.
Words bounced around in his head.
Hollywood.
Actress.
Kimberly.
His eyes snapped to the picture. And then he saw it. Saw her. The woman with the green eyes like a cat. The actress on the posters in the cell. Though her hair color was different, her eyes were unmistakable.
Kimberly.
It wasn’t I’m not in Berlin or I’m not Amberly.
I’m not Kimberly was what Isabelle had tried to tell her kidnapper. Kimberly had been the target, not Isabelle.
“Let’s go, buddy,” his vampire escort said from behind him and gave him a shove toward the door.
Luther obeyed automatically and stepped outside, where another vampire stood guard. Behind him the door closed. The cool night air whirled around him, and he slipped on his jacket. He turned left and walked to the next corner. Hesitating, he stopped there.
No wonder he’d thought he knew Katie when he’d encountered her in the corridor at the university. She was Kimberly Fairfax, the actress whose posters had been plastered over the other V-CON’s cell. The posters Summerland had torn down.
Katie was the intended victim. She’d been the target, and most likely still was.
Goddamn it! This wasn’t his fight. He was leaving tonight. Samson had made it clear that their next encounter would be a bloody one. Next time he would strike first and ask questions later.
Luther pulled the lapels of his jacket up, firm in his resolve to leave, when a woman’s voice drifted to him from the entrance to Scanguards’ headquarters.
“But I have to speak to Samson. It’s important.”
Luther glanced over his shoulder. Katie. Or Kimberly. Whatever her name was.
“Sorry, Ma’am, but I have orders to deny access to any non-Scanguards associates tonight.” The vampire blocked the entrance with his bulky body.
“Please, I’m Haven’s sister. Let me see him.”
“No family members on the premises tonight. Besides, Haven isn’t in right now.”
Katie cursed. “Then Blake. I’ll talk to Blake.”
The vampire didn’t move.
“Damn it, why are you so stubborn? I have vital information about the abduction. I have to get it to Samson or Blake. I have to show them this.”
For the first time Luther noticed the letters in her hand, which she now waved at the guard.
“Do you have a cell phone, Ma’am?” the guard asked calmly.
“Yes, why?”
“I suggest you use it and call Blake. But I can’t let you in tonight. We’re on lockdown.”
Katie gritted her teeth. “Fine!” Then she walked a few yards in Luther’s direction and stopped at the curb, her face turned away from him.
Luther remained in the shadow of the adjacent building, undetected, and watched her as she pulled her cell from her pocket.
With his vampire hearing, he had no problem picking up every single word she spoke into the phone.
“Blake, damn it, why are you not picking up your phone
?” She sighed. “It’s Katie. I found something. You have to check the video footage of Isabelle’s abduction. Read her lips. She’s telling the kidnapper that she’s not Kimberly. Blake, the kidnapper wanted me, not Isabelle. He got the wrong person.” She lifted her hand, holding the letters as if wanting to show them to Blake through her cell phone. “I think I know who it is. I’ve been getting letters. Some obsessed fan. They are different from the usual fan mail I still get. I think he was threatening me. Threatening to come for me. Blake, please, you need to check this out. The letters were posted somewhere in the Sierras. He isn’t far away. He could have found out about the performance tonight. Please, call me as soon as you get this message. You need to see these letters.”
She disconnected the call.
Posted somewhere in the Sierras.
The words echoed in Luther’s head. The Sierras, where the vampire prison was located.
Shit!
9
Katie shivered. She’d thrown only a cardigan over her T-shirt before leaving her house and jumping back into her car, too excited about what she’d found to look for a thicker jacket in one of her many closets. Besides, she’d not expected to be denied entry into Scanguards, and to have to stand in the cold, arguing with a security guard.
Wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the cold, she ran back one block to where she’d parked her car in a quiet alley. Having spent half her life in Southern California, she had yet to get used to the cool winters in San Francisco, so unlike the balmy weather down south.
Her hand trembled slightly as she dug into her handbag, where she’d shoved the letters back, and pulled out her car key. She turned to the driver’s door of her Audi, when a movement in her peripheral vision made her snap her head to the side.
There was… nothing.
She tried to shake off the odd feeling, but a shiver raced down her spine and settled at her tailbone. The sound of somebody breathing made her swivel on her heel.
All her breath rushed out of her lungs when she saw the man who stood less than a foot from her.
