“Right here,” a man said as he walked through the opening. “What have we got?”
“She’s severely injured,” Karma told them. “Her pulse is weak, but it sounds like her breathing is smooth, so her lungs are in good shape. The child Delanie just carried out is hers, so keep her alive.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” a second rescue worker said and looked at Karma for a second before moving to the woman.
Shaking her head, Karma stepped through the hole and joined Delanie beside the building again.
“Let’s see what else we can find,” she said before glancing back at the hole and shaking her head. “I’m not sure if that woman will survive, but we’ve done all we can to help her.”
“I hope she survives,” Delanie commented as they rounded the corner to the back of the building.
“Me too,” Karma said and nodded when she saw Dylan point to the wall where he and Jackson were standing. “We can’t worry about that now though. We have others to get out.”
“Yes,” Delanie agreed, but her mind drifted back to the child she’d carried.
“They’re here,” Dylan said, pulling her back to where they were.
“Then let’s get them out,” Karma commented and started ripping apart the wall in front of them.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Thirty-seven rescued,” Baxter said as they walked back to the SUV’s just as the sun was starting to rise.
“And twice that many dead,” Karma reminded him. “We have to find out who set that bomb and why.”
“We will,” Dylan assured her.
“On a positive note, the first woman you found is going to live,” Johnson told her.
“Good,” Karma commented, but couldn’t shake the images of the others from her mind. So many innocent lives, and they had no idea who set the bomb.
“Did anyone encounter any vampire who weren’t agents?” Baxter asked.
“Couple on the rescue team, but other than that, no,” Jensen answered.
“I smelled some, but never saw them,” Karma told him. “Maybe there were some in the hotel when the explosion happened, and they left before we got there.”
“If that’s the case, we need to find them,” Johnson said and looked at the others. “But for now, we need to get back to the house and get a few hours sleep. We have a few more warehouses to search, but none of us are up to that before we sleep some.”
“What about the other agents?” Delanie asked.
“I made arrangements for them at another hotel for today, and if we need to be here past that, I’m going to see about renting a couple more houses,” Baxter answered. “We need everyone safe.”
“Yes, we do,” Karma responded. “Let’s load up and head out.”
Once everyone was in the vehicles they were riding in, Karma sent a text to each driver and Dylan looked at her curiously.
“The vampire from the alley at the warehouse earlier is close,” she told them all in a quiet voice as Harrison pulled away from the hotel. “I’m not sure where he is, but I caught his scent just as we were loading into the van, so I told the others to keep their eyes open for anyone following them.”
“We’re the ones being followed,” Harrison said and grinned. “Which is exactly what you wanted.”
“I want to find out who he is,” Karma responded with a shrug.
“You’re not the only one,” Nevaeh told her.
“So, what are you wanting to do?” Harrison asked, grinning at her. “Because I know you have a plan.”
“I want some bacon,” she responded with a grin.
“Seriously?” Delanie asked. “You don’t even eat human food, and you want bacon when we’re being followed by someone who may or may not want us all dead?”
“She doesn’t really want bacon. She wants to make a stop to see what he does while we’re inside, and possibly use it as a way to figure out who he is,” Jackson explained. “But, she probably will have bacon, too.”
“Exactly,” Karma said and looked at her phone. “No one else is being followed, but to be safe none of them went to the house. Johnson did call though, and everything is quiet there.”
“That’s good, at least,” Harrison said as he pulled into the parking lot of Karma’s favorite place to have breakfast. “Let’s go get some bacon.”
“And pancakes,” Karma said, and they all laughed.
Once they were inside and seated, Karma watched the parking lot closely.
“Jackson, don’t make it obvious, but glance out the window behind Dylan and see if you recognize that man,” Karma said after they ordered and the waitress walked away.
Jackson looked at Dylan and feigned a laugh as his eyes quickly scanned the area just beyond the window. When they landed on the dark-haired man standing in the tree line across the street, he threw his head back and laughed before answering her.
“That’s one of Crompton’s men,” he said after he looked back at her. “The one I smelled in the alley.”
“Okay,” she said and stood. “Delanie, Nevaeh, want to come to the restroom with me?”
“Definitely,” Nevaeh replied and got to her feet.
“Are we going to let them handle this alone?” Jackson asked his brother as he watched Delanie follow Karma and Nevaeh from the table.
“Do you have a better plan?” Harrison asked him. “If so, I’ll let you be the one to stop Karma.”
“What if they get hurt?” Jackson asked, glancing back at Delanie just as she disappeared around the corner.
“You have to trust they won’t,” Dylan told him, hating the idea of the three of them handling this alone, but knowing it was the best plan. “Trust they will protect each other.”
“Easier said than done,” Jackson said with a fake smile on his face. “But I get it.”
“They’ll be okay,” Harrison assured him.
“They better be,” Jackson responded and sat back in his chair.
****
“What’s the plan?” Delanie asked as they entered the restroom.
“The door next to this one leads to the kitchen. We can go through there and out the back without the vampire watching the restaurant seeing us. We don’t have to all go, but I figured it was safer for us to all go to the restroom together because it’s what women do,” Karma told them.
“We’re going,” Delanie and Neveah said in unison and Karma grinned.
“Then here’s the plan. Once we’re out the back door, we will run to the trees behind the restaurant. Nevaeh, you and Delanie go right, and I’ll go left. When we’re out of his line of sight, we will cross to the side of the street he’s on, and come in from behind him.”
“Why are we splitting up?” Delanie asked.
“Because if he sees or smells us, he will run the opposite direction and we don’t want him getting away,” Nevaeh answered.
“Okay,” Delanie said and took a deep breath. “What if it’s Mitch?”
“Then we will let you have fun with him,” Karma told her, and she smiled.
“Let’s go then,” Delanie responded.
Karma and Nevaeh pulled their VEB badges from their pockets and headed out of the bathroom with Delanie between them.
When they walked into the kitchen, all heads turned to face them, and one of the cooks narrowed his eyes.
“Vampire Enforcement Bureau,” Nevaeh said before he could speak. “We’re just passing through.”
“Then be quick about it,” the cook said, and they nodded before dashing to the back door.
Once outside, Karma went to the edge of the building and peeked around. When her eyes landed on the vampire who was still standing in the same place he was when they went into the restroom, she smiled.
“Idiot,” she muttered when she made it back to Delanie and Nevaeh. “He’s still there. Ready?”
“Yes,” both answered, and Karma smiled again.
“Be safe,” she told them both then darted into the woods.
“He’ll never have
a chance to see or hear her,” Delanie muttered.
“That’s what she’s counting on,” Nevaeh responded. “Let’s go.”
Delanie nodded, and they ran into the tree line at full speed.
“Think he will see us if we cross here?” Nevaeh asked a moment later.
“No,” Delanie responded, poking her head out of the trees. “We’re around a small bend, and I can’t see the spot he was in from here.”
“Perfect,” she responded and darted across the street.
Delanie followed a second later, and grinned. “This vampire speed is amazing.”
“Wait till you get to use it during a fight,” Nevaeh said and chuckled.
“I’m ready,” she commented. “Now, let’s go flush out this little bird for Karma.”
Nevaeh grinned at her before she started running at a normal, human pace.
“Why are we running so slow?” Delanie asked in a hushed tone.
Nevaeh shook her head, and slowed to a walk when she caught the scent of the one in the tree line.
“He’s just ahead,” she mouthed silently, and Delanie nodded.
“Mitch,” Delanie breathed when she caught sight of the vampire watching them.
“Hello, Jacqueline,” he said, turning to face her. “It’s been a long time.”
“Too long,” Delanie replied and pulled a Kunai from her belt. “You killed my family.”
“Indeed,” he responded and grinned. “And now I’m going to make you mine like you were meant to be.”
“Over my dead body,” Nevaeh said and growled at him.
“That can be arranged, young one,” he commented and flashed his fangs at her. “Once you’re dead, I will have Jacqueline for myself.”
“Her name is Delanie,” Karma said from behind him. “And she belongs to my brother.”
When he turned to face her, she flung a silver dagger and it embedded in his chest.
“And you’re under arrest,” she added leaning over him and pulling the dagger out before flipping him over and securing his wrists with silver cuffs.
“Fuck,” he said and looked at the three women standing over him. “Crompton will save me.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Karma responded and pulled him to his feet. “But I can hope you’re the one he will come looking for because I do want to meet him again.”
“Fuck,” Mitch said again and looked at Delanie. “You were meant to be mine.”
“I am meant to be my own,” she told him and smiled sweetly. “I choose to be Jackson’s though.”
“Very good answer,” Jackson said from behind her.
“Where’s my bacon?” Karma asked when Dylan and Harrison appeared behind Jackson.
“We got it boxed up, and in the van,” Dylan assured her with a chuckle.
“Good,” she responded and grinned. “I’d hate to have to stake you three.”
When Mitch looked at her like she’d lost her mind, Dylan chuckled.
“She isn’t joking,” Harrison told him with a straight face. “She loves us, but nothing is better than bacon.”
“Damn right,” she agreed. “Now, let’s get this son of a bitch to the house. I need a shower, Dylan, and a few hours of sleep before dealing with him.”
“Don’t forget your bacon,” Dylan reminded her.
“That’ll be gone before we get to the house,” she told him and grinned. “Now let’s go.”
“She’s so fucking hot when she’d bossy,” Dylan commented as she led Mitch from the trees.
“She must be on fire twenty-four, seven,” Harrison muttered. and Karma flipped him off as she loaded Mitch into the van.
“Now give me my bacon,” Karma said once everyone was in the van.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Harrison responded. and everyone laughed.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Time to wake up, beautiful,” Jackson whispered against Delanie’s neck.
“What time is it?” She asked, rolling over to look at him.
“Just after noon,” he responded.
“Guess we need to get this done,” she said and yawned. “I should feed soon too.”
“I’ve got that covered,” he responded and pointed to the two bags of blood on the table. “I need to feed as well.”
“Bringing me breakfast in bed,” she commented, and he chuckled.
“Brunch,” he corrected her and kissed her before walking to the table where the blood was.
“Is it weird that the thought of drinking blood is both revolting and appealing?” She asked as she slid out of bed and walked to where he was standing.
“No,” he answered without looking away from her nearly naked body.
“Jackson,” she whispered, and he snapped his eyes to hers. “You’re going to pop that bag if you squeeze it any harder.”
“Oh, right,” he said and chuckled a little. “Here.”
“Thank you,” she responded and kissed his cheek before making a small tear in the bag and drinking the contents.
Once he’d downed his bag, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bathroom. “We have time for a shower before we join the others, right?”
“Definitely,” he responded.
“Good,” she replied with a grin.
“I love your way of thinking,” he remarked as she released his hand and flipped on the water in the shower.
“Oh?” She asked with a wicked grin. “What am I thinking about?”
“This,” he commented then pulled her into his arms and kissed her hungrily.
As he ravaged her mouth, they removed what little clothing they were wearing.
When there was nothing between them, he picked her up and stepped into the shower as she wrapped her legs around him and slid down until he was buried to the hilt inside her.
“Oh God, yes,” she said as he pushed her against the wall and started moving within her.
“Hold on,” he grunted and dug his fingers into her butt cheeks as he pounded into her.
“Yes,” she cried out as the first orgasm ripped through her.
When he drove deeper, she came again, and he slid one hand around and slipped the tip of his finger into her ass.
“Oh, God,” she cried out and her nails dug into his shoulders, as she clenched tight again.
When she came the third time, he slid his finger in a little deeper and she started shaking.
“Jackson,” she cried out as he pressed her into the wall and let go of his rigid control.
“Fuck,” he nearly growled out as he slammed into her.
“Yes, baby,” she said, locking her legs around him and moving her hips to match his rhythm.
When he spilled deep inside her, she came apart in his arms.
“Oh God,” she breathed out after he removed his finger from her ass.
“I don’t know why I did that,” he nearly panted and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I’m glad you did. That was amazing.”
“Maybe we should explore it further,” he chuckled before sliding out of her.
“Definitely,” she agreed as she uncurled her legs from around him and let her shaky feet rest on the floor of the shower. “But first, we have things to take care of.”
“Yes,” he sighed. “As much as I’d like to stay in here with you all day, the water will get cold, and we do have things to do.”
With minimal contact, they finished showering and, once dressed, headed down to the basement where Mitch was being held.
****
“That was educational,” Delanie said as they walked out of the house.
“If by educational you mean a complete waste of time, sure,” Johnson said.
“Maybe a waste of time to you, but I found out why he killed my family, so yeah, it was educational,” she snapped back. “And we found out where Crompton is, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.”
“We found out where he was the last time Fuller saw him,” Jensen corrected. “He may not be there now.”
“Questioning Fuller wasn’t a waste of time,” Karma interjected. She heard the hurt in Delanie’s voice, and wanted to put a stop to this before someone said something they couldn’t take back. “We may not have gotten much out of him, but it’s more than we’ve gotten out of some others we spent twice as long with, and even a possible location for Crompton is better than what we had before.”
“Yeah, okay,” Johnson said and walked off with Jensen right behind him.
“Thank you,” Delanie said, nearly silently, before she climbed into the van.
Once they were all in, Karma put the address of the house Crompton was in into the GPS and looked at the ones with her. “When we get there, everyone needs to stay alert. We don’t want what happened last time to happen again.”
“What happened last time?” Jackson asked, not knowing what they were talking about.
“Which time?” Harrison asked with a slight chuckle.
“The first house we went to in Florida is the house Crompton was keeping Caia in. We went in to search it, and it exploded,” Karma told him.
“Nearly killing Karma,” Dylan added and looked at her. “Then the second place, the house you directed us to, there was a horde of vampire inside, and Agent Martin was killed.”
“What?” Jackson asked, his eyes growing wide. “We left that house the night we attacked the hotel.”
“Which is why we were able to enter it,” Karma told him. “But there were about seventy vampire waiting for us inside. We walked into a trap.”
“Wait, why didn’t you smell them?” Delanie asked. “Since being turned, I’ve noticed I can smell the difference in humans and vampire. Why didn’t you know there were vampire inside?”
“I don’t know,” Karma answered, and looked at Dylan. “Did you or Jensen smell them?”
“I didn’t, but I wasn’t a full vampire yet, and I honestly wasn’t as alert as I should have been.”
“We need to find out why you didn’t smell them,” Harrison told her, and looked at his small family. “We cannot risk anyone’s life, and if Crompton has somehow figured out how to mask the smell of vampire, we’re going to be doing just that.”
“We will talk to the Senate before we head to the house Crompton is staying in,” Karma assured him. “We need to know what’s going on before we get there.”
Delanie's Fury (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 3) Page 18
