He put the phone back up to his ear. “Uh, I have the waitress checking the lady’s room.”
“They better be there.”
He watched her walk inside, and then come back out shaking her head. “The room is empty.”
“No, it can’t be,” he said in a panic. He rushed past her, threw the door open wide, and charged inside.
She was right on his heels. “Sir, you can’t go in there,” she said urgently.
He spun around the room in a circle, and his frightened eyes scanned every crevice looking for any sign of the women. The room was empty, just like the waitress said. His heart sank, and a feeling of dread washed over him. He walked back out of the room and left the waitress standing at the open door. He leaned against the wall and brought the phone back up to his ear. His hands were visibly shaking, and he hung his head in defeat. “I’m sorry, sire, they’re gone.”
Charles heard the receiver of the phone crack in Drake’s grip. “Don’t move.” His voice held a deadly edge. “Mica and I will be there momentarily.”
Charles snapped the cell phone shut, and it dropped from his numbed fingers to the carpeted floor. His legs turned to rubber and would no longer support his weight. He slid down the wall to a sitting position on the floor, and stared vacantly into the crowded restaurant. He swallowed hard. “I’m a dead man,” he mumbled to himself. “What was I thinking, going to work for a vampire? I’ll tell ya what you were thinking, you dumb ass; you were thinking that this would be a cushy job and easy money. All ya had to do was drive their ladies to get something to eat, keep an eye on them, and make sure that they stayed safe. It should have been a piece of cake, just a simple, easy job. Any moron off the street should have been able to handle those orders, but you had to get bored and read a book instead of doing your job. Now those vamps are going to rip your throat out and drain you dry.” He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his face into his shaking hands in dejection.
The waitress knelt down and placed her hand on his shoulder in concern. “Are you going to be okay? You don’t look well at all.” She chewed on her bottom lip, unsure how to help him. “Do I need to call someone for you?”
He looked up at her and leaned his head back on the wall behind him. He shook his head and swallowed hard to find his voice. “In a little while, I won’t have anything left to worry about.” His voice held an ominous note. “Someone’s already coming for me.”
Chapter Seven
Drake slung the broken phone down on the table in anger. He couldn’t stand incompetence, and now Sherry’s life was in danger as a result. A deep rage consumed him, and he stormed toward the front door. “What other transportation do you have other than that limo?” he growled at Mica.
“Stop, you’re heading the wrong way. The Rolls Phantom is in the garage, and the garage is around back.” Mica headed for the garage with Drake hot on his heels. He took the keys from the peg by the back door, then hit the button for the garage door opener as he was climbing behind the wheel. Drake slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door. Mica could feel his friend’s anger and anxiety. He felt it himself. “We’ll find them.”
Drake’s jaw clenched and his eyes held a steely glare. “We’d better find them. If we don’t, your driver had better pray for a quick death.”
“You’ll have to stand in line.” Mica put the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life. He punched the gas pedal. The tires squealed and then caught, leaving a black streak of rubber on the polished floor. He pulled out of the driveway on two wheels.
***
The diner was just a few blocks away, and he squealed the tires again as he took the corner into the parking lot. Mica pulled in and parked next to his limo. They both jumped out and stormed toward the diner.
Charles looked up when he heard the front door open, and then he saw them storm through the door like two avenging gods. He had never felt as much fear in his life. He swallowed hard and struggled to his feet. He bowed his head. “Mica…Drake…I…I’m….”
Mica grabbed him by the collar, suspended him in mid-air, then shoved him hard up against the wall. “Save it!” he snarled, and most of the patrons stopped eating to gawk their way.
Charles lifted his eyes to meet Mica’s, and what he saw in those eyes petrified him. He saw a primal hunger with a thirst for vengeance, and no leniency. That steely gaze held a promise of a painful death. “Don’t move a muscle.” Mica put Charles back down on his feet, then brushed past him, heading straight for the women’s bathroom.
Drake took over where Mica left off and gripped the frightened driver’s arm in his steely grasp. He whispered viciously in his ear. “If your incompetence has resulted in harm coming to my woman, you better pray for a quick death, because I will enjoy making you suffer.”
Charles was sure that the king had just sentenced him to death, and the remaining color drained from his face. He kept his mouth shut, because he knew any apologies or excuses would fall on deaf ears. He closed his eyes and hung his head.
***
The waitress was hot on Mica’s heels. “Sir! You can’t go—” Her eyes grew wide and the words froze on her lips when he turned his icy glare on her. “Uh—I mean….” She backed away in a hurry. “Never mind.” She turned away and ran into the kitchen.
He snatched the door off its hinges in his haste. Desiree’s scent was stronger in this room than anywhere else. His eyes darted around the room looking for clues, and that’s when he caught another scent. It was vaguely familiar, but not quite the same. His eyes narrowed when he identified the scent. That’s impossible, there is no way that spell could be broken. “Hargrove…,” he growled.
He stormed out of the women’s bathroom and locked eyes with Drake. “We have to go back to the warehouse. I don’t know how he’s managed it, but Hargrove is behind this.”
“He can’t be, unless Desiree’s spell has been broken.”
“His scent is strong in that bathroom, and mixed with Desiree’s. There’s something a little off about the scent, and I can’t quite detect exactly what it is. Maybe her spell caused it to alter a little, but I’d recognize that stench anywhere. We’ve got to hurry. He wants Desiree dead, and since he’s a witch hunter I’m sure he’ll target Sherry too.”
Drake yanked on Charles’s arm. “We’ve got to get this one back to the warehouse and put under guard, and then we’ll plan our next move.”
Mica nodded and grabbed Charles’s other arm, and together they hauled him out of the restaurant. Mica opened the back door to the Phantom and shoved Charles into the backseat. Both Mica and Drake lifted their heads to the sounds of sirens heading their way. They didn’t have time to deal with the police at the moment. They exchanged a quick glance, then got in the car and sped out of the parking lot in the direction of the warehouse.
Mica parked the Phantom around back, and they hauled Charles into the building. Sean met them at the door, and he couldn’t hide his surprise at finding Mica at the door with Drake. His eyes darted between the two, then centered on the human dangling in their grip. Sean opened his mouth to speak, but when Drake raised an eyebrow at him, he shut his mouth again and waited.
“Has anyone called in with any demands?” Drake barked.
“Demands?” He shook his head. “No. No one has called. What’s going on?”
“Desiree and Sherry have been snatched.” He glared hard at Sean. “Tell me how it is that you let Hargrove escape from here?” he growled.
His eyes grew wide at the accusation. “Hargrove has escaped?” He frowned and shook his head. “That’s impossible. He’s in a cage in your chambers, sire. He wouldn’t have been able to leave without our notice.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then please explain to me how his scent is all over the place where Desiree was nabbed.”
He shook his head again. “I can’t, but can I assure you that he hasn’t left this building.”
Drake glanced over at Mica. “Let’s go see for ourselves if Ha
rgrove is or isn’t in my chambers.” He turned his head and glared back at Sean. “For your sake, he’d better be there.”
A hint of anxiety passed over Sean’s features, and then his confidence returned. “He’ll be there, sire.”
“He had better be!” he thundered, and then he yanked on Charles’s arm and headed for his chamber. When he got there he threw open the door with a force that bounced the heavy door off the wall. His eyes went immediately to the fireplace, and there, sitting on the mantle, was the cage containing Jason Hargrove. He was still a rat, and therefore not capable of kidnapping the women.
Mica let go of Charles’s arm, stormed to the fireplace, and snatched the cage off of the mantle, and the rat inside squealed in terror. He shoved the cage back on top of the mantle in agitation. “That was Hargrove’s scent. We’ve been dealing with him for days. I know that scent. Does he have any children?”
Sean scoffed. “Why would it matter if the human had any children?”
“I now know why Drake keeps you locked up in here,” Mica growled at Sean. “If he has a child then the DNA would be similar. It might explain the similarities in scent. It appears that our rat here may have an offspring—but not for long!” He stormed out of Drake’s chamber.
Drake shoved Charles toward Sean. “Lock him up.”
“What did the human do?”
“He was careless enough to lose our women,” he growled.
Sean cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow in question. “Women?”
The look on Drake’s face was grim at Sean’s question. He nodded. “Yes, it appears that I may have found myself a woman—that is if I can keep her alive long enough.”
“Mica sure is bold bringing other female vampires around his mate.” Sean grinned at the prospect of a fight between Mica and his mate. “His witch wasn’t jealous?”
Drake shook his head. “What are you babbling about?”
“Desiree, his witch—wasn’t she jealous of his female friends?” Sean wiggled his eyebrows.
“Sherry is Desiree’s friend, not Mica’s, and she has absolutely nothing to be jealous about.”
The disappointment was clear on Sean’s face. “Still, for some unknown reason, women find him irresistible. Human or vampire, I would think that she would be protective of her mate.”
“She is a witch like Desiree, and she shows no interest in Mica.” He smiled. “She showed an interest in me from the time I walked through Mica’s door. Yes, I look forward to getting to know that one much better.”
Sean’s mouth went slack with that news. He had seen what Desiree did to Hargrove, and he wasn’t happy with the prospect that another witch might be hanging around the nest. “She’s a witch? I had assumed that this woman was another vampire…you know, immortal, like us.”
“Oh, I’ve already given Desiree the order to make her immortal.”
“She must be a brave woman to allow another witch to cast an immortality spell on her.”
Drake raised an eyebrow. “I gave an order, not a choice.”
Sean barked with laughter. “I bet that order went well.”
He furrowed his brow. “No, not really—but it doesn’t matter. I am king, and what I say goes.”
Sean laughed harder. “A take charge attitude with strong willed women. Good luck with that one.”
Drake narrowed his eyes and growled. “I am king, and they wouldn’t dare disobey—”
Mica rushed back into the room and interrupted Drake’s tirade. “Desiree’s awake, and I know where they are.”
“They’re both alive?”
“She said that they were, but she’s tied up and that son of a bitch is threatening to kill them. We have to hurry.”
Drake nodded, then turned to Charles. “You may yet live, human,” he growled, and then he looked up at Sean. “Now, lock him up until we return.”
Sean bowed his head. “Yes, sire.”
Chapter Eight
Sherry moaned as she slowly gained consciousness and brought her trembling hand up to her temple. She had a splitting headache. Her fogged mind also noted that she was lying down in cramped quarters. The air was hot and stuffy, making it difficult to breathe. Muffled, angry voices could be heard from the other side of the wall that surrounded her. She strained her ears to listen.
Her ears picked up the taunting of an unidentified male voice. “You’re not so high and mighty now, are ya witch?”
“I know who you are—you—you son-of-a-bitch! You better let me and my friend go, or I’ll make you very sorry!” Sherry decided that it was definitely Desiree yelling at the unknown man.
***
Desiree struggled against her bonds. Mica, we’re in trouble.
Where are you?
Desiree glanced around the room. I don’t know for sure. It looks like a mausoleum.
Who did this? I thought I recognized Hargrove’s scent, but he’s still in the cage at Drake’s lair.
Desiree yanked on her bonds again, glaring at her captor. It’s that little worm’s son, Justin.
Are you two okay?
For now.
Stall him, we’re on our way.
Desiree yanked again, then screamed out her frustration. “If you value your life, you had better let us go, asshole.”
Justin walked up to her, taking her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look at him. “Tisk… tisk…you have such foul language coming out of that pretty mouth. Maybe I’ll decide to take my pleasure from you before I do away with you.”
Desiree tried to yank her chin out of his grip. “If you try it, I’ll take great pleasure in cutting out your heart and feeding it back to you,” she spat, and then she laughed tauntingly. “No, I’ll take that back. Go ahead and try it. Mica will eat your heart for lunch, saving me the trouble.”
Jason let go of her chin, placing his hands on his hips. He chuckled. “You are a liar. My daddy and I have been watching you for years. You don’t have a protector.” He reached out, grabbed a hand full of her hair, and yanked her face close to his, close enough for her to smell his foul breath. “You’re just a hundred and twenty-five year old witch that will soon be bound to the stake and burned for her crimes.”
Desiree laughed at his assumptions, and then she spit in his face. He let go of her hair and backhanded her across the face, then he reached up and wiped the spittle from his cheek.
Her senses reeled and she tasted blood, but it wasn’t in her nature to give up, especially since he was just as easy to goad as his father. She narrowed her eyes and grinned spitefully at him through of her swollen, blood stained lips. “Mica felt that, and he’s going to make you pay for that, Justin Hargrove. Maybe I’ll just do to you what I did to your daddy,” she goaded him.
“You’re lying; there is no Mica, and you ain’t done nothin’ to my daddy.”
***
“Justin Hargrove,” Sherry whispered to herself. “Did Desiree mention the name Hargrove to me this morning?” Her heart sank as the realization struck her. “Oh God, he’s a witch hunter.” The situation out there was getting way out of hand. She decided it was time to get out of her confinement. But what was she confined in? It was so dark and stuffy. She inched her hands out in front of her and felt around, and what she felt was silk or maybe satin. She froze when the realization struck her: her heart slammed frantically in her chest, and then her hands sought madly around. A scream of terror erupted from her throat. It was ear piercing inside of the coffin, but could only be heard as a muffled sound outside of it. She beat the lid hysterically with her fists and feet. Her fingers tore at the lining, shredding it with her sharp fingernails. Her terror was fueled further by her over active imagination.
“Sherry!” Desiree shouted. “Calm down! Mica and Drake are on their way.” Desiree fought her bindings.
Desiree’s words barely registered to Sherry. “I want out!”
Justin laughed gleefully at Sherry’s distress, and then he slammed his hand down on top of the coffin a coup
le of times to irritate her. “Desiree lies, there’s no one coming to your rescue. No one knows that you both are here. No one pays much attention to a hearse in a cemetery, or a man unloading coffins into a mausoleum. It was a perfect set up, and if anybody was looking for you, they would never think to look for dead bodies in a crypt. I’m a genius,” he ranted self-righteously. “Once I take care of your friend, then I’ll deal with you too, witch.”
“Someone please help us!” Sherry shouted from the top of her lungs.
“Give it up, witch,” Justin taunted gleefully.
***
The heavy vault doors burst open and bounced against the walls with such force they fell off their hinges. Justin gasped in shocked fear as two giant men rushed through the opening.
Desiree’s face split into a wide grin through her swollen, blood-crusted lips. “Mica!”
Mica’s eyes lit on her face in relief that she was still alive, and then he took in the condition of her battered face. He growled as his eyes trained in on Justin. He wanted vengeance for his abused mate.
Justin turned to run, but there was nowhere to go. The vampires blocked the only exit. Suddenly his perfect plan didn’t seem so smart. He held up his hands in front of him defensively. “Uh—gentlemen—I’m….” He swallowed hard. “I’m…s-s-sorry,” he stuttered, and then he backed into the wall. He couldn’t retreat any further. He hit his knees and cowered away from Mica. “I thought she was lying.” His voice was weak with fear. “Out of all the years that we’ve watched her and waited, she’s never had a boyfriend before.”
Mica reached down, grabbed Justin by the throat, and suspended him in mid-air. “You laid your hands on my mate, and for that you will suffer,” he growled.
Justin trembled from head to toe, and frantically clawed at the fingers wrapped around his neck. His bladder let go in his fear. Mica shook his head in disgust at the coward he held at bay in his hand. Justin choked and lost consciousness, and Mica dropped his lifeless body to the floor.
Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga) Page 4
