by Tina Folsom
“We saw the incident via your camera feed.” Amaury pointed to Luther’s jacket.
Samson motioned to the two strangers. “I want you to call the head of the council and tell him Samson Woodford wants to speak to him.”
Neither of the two vampires budged.
“Now!” Samson ground out.
One of them reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He punched in a code, then put the phone to his ear.
“Sir,” he said stiffly, “this is Rigsby. A Samson Woodford insists on talking to you.” He paused, then nodded and handed the phone to Samson. “Here.”
Samson took it. “Watch them,” he instructed his friends and turned away. “Sir…” He walked back to the entry door of Scanguards, making it impossible for Luther to follow the conversation.
It took only thirty seconds though it felt much longer, until Samson came back and handed the phone to Rigsby. “I’ve arranged for a delay in Luther’s arrest. I’m personally vouching for him. He’ll turn himself in when this is over. The head of the council will confirm our arrangement.”
Rigsby grunted and pressed the phone to his ear. “Sir?” Displeasure spread over his face as his listened to his superior. “But, sir…” There was a short pause. “Yes, sir,” he ground out. “I understand.” But it was clear he wasn’t pleased about the development. He turned to his colleague. “Tolliver, take off his cuffs.”
When Tolliver freed him of the cuffs, Luther rubbed his wrists. “Thanks, Samson!” Then he opened the car door. “Let’s move. We’ve lost enough time already.”
“We’ll follow you,” Rigsby said, narrowing his eyes.
“I’ll turn myself in just as soon as Katie is safe. You have my word.” Luther jumped into the passenger seat, while Wes slid into the driver’s seat and Blake hopped in the back, throwing the bag with the guns on the back seat.
Wes gunned the engine and raced down Sixteenth Street.
Luther stared straight ahead, urging the car to go faster even though the needle was already passing sixty.
I’m coming for you, Katie.
45
South Beach Harbor consisted of seven docks, or fingers, south of Pier 40, each of which had approximately eighty slips for small sailboats and motorboats. The marina was framed by a concrete wall on the bay side, acting as a breakwater, with one exit to the south and one to the north. Blake had given him a quick overview of the area on the drive there, and now Luther reached for the door handle, ready to leap from the car.
Blake disconnected his call. “Okay, two of our guys are already there. They saw movement on the sixth finger at the southern end of the marina. But they weren’t close enough to even see if the guy was a vampire.”
“I’m going there.” Luther jumped out of the car the moment Wesley brought it to a stop near the sidewalk. He didn’t even bother closing the door and raced over the grass surface that separated King Street from the walking path along the water. He sprinted past the children’s playground, his eyes already scanning the boats in the water.
To his right the clubhouse lay in darkness. Luther charged past it, heading for the row of slips where Scanguards’ men had seen somebody. He prayed he wasn’t too late. He focused all his senses on the sixth dock, checking each boat for any indication of recent movement, searching for any boat that generated more waves than its neighbor.
At the same time he inhaled deeply, trying to pick up Katie’s scent. Her blood still permeated his cells and led him closer to the dock.
There, he could smell her. She’d been here not long ago. Her scent was still fresh and strong. She had to be close.
“I’m here, Katie,” he murmured. “I won’t let you down.”
A sound came from one of the boats on the far end of the dock. Luther’s ears perked up and he focused his eyes on the direction of the sound. Somebody was turning a key in an ignition. An instant later, the low humming of an engine reverberated against the other boats.
Luther ran to the gate and pulled on it. It was locked. He kicked his foot against it, but the damn thing didn’t give way immediately.
“Shit!”
He hooked his fingers into the chain link fence and climbed it, jumping over at the top. He ran down the plank to the individual docks. Toward the end of the sixth finger, he saw a motorboat pull out from its slip. Luther estimated the length of the dock and realized that he couldn’t outrun the boat and would be stuck at the end of the dock without being able to reach it.
He had to cut Norris off at the exit of the marina, at the narrow opening between the breakwater and the pier that ran parallel to the seventh finger. Luther sprinted down the dock, feeling the planks shift slightly beneath his feet as they rocked with his movements. He swerved at the last finger and ran down the long dock. His lungs were burning, hungering for air, but his legs were eating up the distance, his focus on the end of the dock, where a large sailboat blocked his view of the breakwater.
Without stopping he catapulted himself onto the deck of the sailboat and traversed it with three long strides. Just in time as it turned out, because the motorboat was passing it at that very moment. The man at the helm turned his head, and his face froze as their eyes met for a split-second.
“Norris!” Luther leapt off the sailboat, pushing off it with all his might.
He crashed into Norris, tackling him to the floor. Luther’s gaze immediately shot to the open cabin door. There was no light, but Katie’s scent was stronger here. She was down there.
“West,” Norris ground out, already pulling back his fist for a punch.
Luther pulled his knee up and thrust it between the guy’s legs, but Norris was fast and rolled to the side in time to avoid the kick. Norris got back on his feet, and Luther braced himself against the bench to get leverage to kick his foot at Norris’s midsection.
The guard staggered backward and hit the steering wheel. The boat suddenly tilted the other way. Norris jerked forward, his fists aimed at Luther when Noris’s jacket got caught on something. Norris pulled frantically, as Luther charged him. Just as Luther was upon him, there was the sound of something breaking. Norris was free and slammed his fist into Luther’s face.
Simultaneously the boat took a leap forward, its speed increasing with every second.
“Shit!” Luther cursed and delivered a series of blows, alternately punching Norris in the gut, then landing uppercuts to his chin and whipping his head sideways. But the guy kept coming, grunting with every punch and every blow.
“Never liked you much, West!” Norris said between intakes of air.
“Likewise, asshole!”
Norris grinned coldly, then flashed his fangs. “How about a real fight now? See who’s got what it takes to win the prize.” He motioned to below deck where Katie was probably tied up.
Luther glanced past Norris. They’d cleared the breakwater and were heading toward the opposite side of McCovey Cove, where a large parking lot lay deserted. Knowing he didn’t have much time before the boat hit the shore, Luther feigned a move to the left, then reached into his inside pocket and pulled out the stake he’d stashed there while in the car.
“Yeah, a real fight,” Luther repeated as if agreeing with Norris. Then he jerked his shoulder back and launched himself onto Norris.
With one arm he blocked Norris’s claws, while he drew back the other. With a grunt, Luther drove the stake into Norris’s chest, watching with satisfaction how the vampire froze for a split-second as he realized his fate.
“Don’t have time for your sick games,” Luther said.
Norris dissolved into dust.
Luther didn’t lose a second but reached for the wheel. He turned it, but it didn’t move. It was locked in its position. He reached for the lever to throttle down the engine, but the lever was gone. Broken off.
“Shit!”
One glance at the approaching shore and he knew he only had seconds left.
He raced down into the cabin. “Katie!”
A mu
ffled sound came from a corner, but he’d already spotted her. She was bound to a rail and gagged. He willed his fingers to lengthen into claws and sliced through her ties. Luther grabbed her and pulled her with him, lifting her out of the cabin. Katie tore on the gag and pulled it down. Luther stepped onto the bench at the back of the boat and with Katie clutched to his chest he jumped into the water.
“Hold on tight, baby.”
He felt her shudder as they hit the water and dove beneath the surface. Better that than a fiery death. Luther kicked his legs, propelling him and Katie away from the boat, before breaking through the surface.
Katie gasped for air. “Oh Luther!”
The explosion ignited the night sky as the boat hit the big rocks lining McCovey Cove and was blown to bits. Flames shot high in the air and Luther shielded Katie from the fire as debris hit the water.
His heart raced and with Katie in his arms he swam away from the explosion toward the other shore.
“Luther, this way,” a male voice called out to him.
Luther turned his head and saw a boat come toward them. Blake was waving at them from the bow, Wesley next to him.
Finally, Luther felt relief course through him. He looked at Katie and brushed wet strands of hair from her face.
“I’ve got you, baby.” He stroked his hand over her face while he continued to tread water. “It’s over now. He’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“You came back for me.”
“I would always come back for you.”
“We’ll pull you out,” Blake interrupted as the boat pulled alongside them.
Moments later Luther and Katie were sitting on a bench in the Coast Guard boat, wrapped in a large blanket. Feeling Katie so close to him felt right. He pulled her against his body, not concerned about Wesley, Blake, and the man from the Coast Guard watching them.
The boat was already heading back to the dock, where two people were waiting for them. Luther recognized them immediately. Tolliver and Rigsby. They weren’t giving him much time. And he wasn’t going to waste it with meaningless things.
“Oh Katie, I thought I’d lost you.” He captured Katie’s lips and kissed her. She shivered, but he rubbed his hands over her back, warming her. He didn’t feel the cold himself, not like her human body did.
It wasn’t the right place for this, but he had no choice. He kissed her, wanting to memorize everything about her, her taste, the texture of her tongue, the softness of her lips. He couldn’t get enough of her, but when he felt the boat stop and dock at the pier, he knew his time was up.
Luther separated his mouth from Katie’s and looked into her emerald eyes.
“West!” Rigsby called out to him.
Luther looked over his shoulder. “In a minute.”
Then he looked back at Katie, whose gaze had shifted to the two men on the dock. “Who are they?”
“Trackers. They’re here to take me away.”
Katie gasped. “No! Why?”
“I broke into a prison, I assaulted two prison guards, I destroyed their equipment. And I brought an outsider into the prison. I have to pay for that.”
“No! That wasn’t your fault. It’s my fault. Let them punish me!” she wailed, trying to get up.
But he pulled her back. “No, Katie.” He stroked his fingers over her cheek. “Please listen to me. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. As long as you’re safe.”
“But, Luther—”
He put a finger over her lips, preventing her from speaking. “Please hear me out. I don’t have much time. And there’s something I need to tell you.”
She stilled.
“I love you, Katie. And if I were a free man, I would ask you to be mine, but I’m not.” He paused. “I can’t ask you to wait for me. It wouldn’t be fair. You have to live your life. But know this: you’ll always own my heart.”
He saw tears rim her eyes. “Luther…” she choked out, but her voice failed her as tears started streaming down her cheeks.
He kissed her and tasted the salt of her tears. It broke his heart.
“West.”
Luther let go of her lips and peeled himself out of Katie’s arms. “I’m coming.” He locked eyes with her for one long last moment, before turning his back and stepping off the boat.
He was glad that they handcuffed him, or he might have jumped back onto the boat and made a run for it with Katie. But he wasn’t fool enough to believe that they wouldn’t catch him.
Though he was fool enough to hope that Katie would wait for him despite his plea for her not to.
46
One week later
The tears had dried though they always returned once she was alone. She’d heard nothing from Luther since the two enforcement agents from the prison authority had taken him away in handcuffs. It had been hard enough to see him leave, but what made the whole situation heart-wrenching was Luther’s confession. He loved her.
Katie choked down a sob and pushed back the tears. No, she couldn’t break down again and cry herself to sleep. Not tonight. All of Scanguards and their families had assembled in her house to ring in the New Year and to celebrate Isabelle’s rescue. Tonight was a night for happiness, and she would draw on everything she’d learned as an actress to show the world that she was fine.
Pulling a deep breath into her lungs, she pasted a smile onto her face and walked back into the packed living room, carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Dance music was coming from the loudspeakers, courtesy of Damian and Benjamin, Amaury’s twins, who were acting as DJs. She had to give them credit; they weren’t blasting the music so loud that conversation was impossible.
Katie glanced around. The men were wearing tuxedos, the women had donned elegant evening dresses. Even the teenage hybrids were looking festive and had turned into mirror images of their respective parents.
When Damian and Benjamin spotted her, they waved to her, pointing at the tray in her hands. She smiled and walked to where the two were mixing the music.
“I’m famished,” Benjamin said.
Damian snatched a smoked salmon tartlet from the platter. “Ditto.” He shoved it into his mouth.
“Thanks, Katie,” Benjamin said, taking a tartlet and eating it with gusto.
“Your parties are the best. And there’s food!” Damian grinned.
Katie laughed. “You make it sound like your parents don’t feed you!” She glanced around and saw Amaury and Nina slow dancing in one corner of the living room. They looked like a young couple who couldn’t wait to be alone.
The twins followed her gaze.
“Those two sometimes forget we’re around,” Benjamin claimed.
“Yeah,” Damian added and winked, “we give them space, you know, and still they haven’t thanked us by giving us a little sister.”
Benjamin chuckled. “And trust me, they are trying.”
“Yeah, like all the time!” Damian said, rolling his eyes.
“Is that a way to talk about your parents?” Katie recognized Maya’s voice immediately and turned to her.
“You’re taking the words right out of my mouth,” Katie said and embraced Maya. “So glad you’re here.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” the stunningly beautiful vampiress said, tossing a strand of her long dark hair over her shoulder. Then she looked back at the twins. “I seriously hope you guys don’t rub off on my boys.”
Damian and Benjamin exchanged a conspiratorial look. “At least you guys gave Ryder and Ethan a little sister to tease,” Damian claimed. “And what have we got? Nothing.”
“You have each other,” Katie interjected. “I wouldn’t call that nothing.”
Maya shook her head, laughing. “Let’s leave them to themselves, shall we, Katie?”
“I agree.”
“Leave the tray,” Benjamin said and reached for it. “We’re still growing.”
Katie pressed the tray into his hands. “Please share it with the others.”
“Sure,” Benja
min promised, but his facial expression said otherwise.
Maya put a hand on Katie’s arm and they walked away.
“You doing okay?” Maya asked.
“You asked me that already last week when you examined me,” Katie said tersely. “I’m fine.”
“Well, I just wanted to follow up. It’s hard for me to forget that I’m a doctor. And looking after everybody at Scanguards is in my blood. You’re part of my big extended family.”
“I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” She sighed. “I’m really fine. I didn’t even get a cold after that nighttime swim in the Bay. Guess I’m more resilient than I thought.”
“Yes, you are.” Her gaze suddenly drifted away, and a lovely smile curved her lips upward.
Katie turned her head to the side and saw Maya’s mate Gabriel approach. Despite the large scar that marred the left side of his face, there was something attractive about the big vampire with the ponytail as he locked eyes with his wife.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” Gabriel said. “But I just put a song request in with Damian and was hoping to dance with my wife.”
“Don’t let me stop you,” Katie said.
He nodded. “Everything all right, Katie?”
Why did everybody keep asking her that? Didn’t they already know that she was hurting? That with Luther gone all her hopes had been destroyed. That she barely knew how to get through this day, let alone the coming year. And there was nothing she could do about it. Samson had told her that as a non-Vampire she wasn’t even allowed to visit Luther in prison. Besides, at this point it wasn’t even clear where they’d taken him or how long they were going to hold him. They didn’t even know if there would be a trial and a sentencing.
“I’m sorry for asking,” Gabriel suddenly said. “I know this is hard on you.” He put a hand on her forearm and squeezed it. “Don’t give up.”
Tears shot to her eyes and she pushed them back, trying to be brave. “Have you heard anything at all from him?”
Gabriel shook his head. “There’s no news.”
A new song started.
