“Oh my God.” Her wide eyes latched onto Doug. “The Maker—it’s Vincent, and he’s going to kill my family.”
Chapter 16
As they approached The Coven, Doug’s concern for Olivia grew with each passing moment. She kept trying to communicate with the girls since they left the apartment but was met with a deafening silence. Apprehension and worry rolled off her in thick waves, and when he suggested they get Pete, she balked at the idea. There was no time.
Doug could feel the pull of the sun as it began to rise. He hoped like hell that it wouldn’t weaken him, but he figured it would affect this asshole Vincent the same way. The only positive thing he could find in their current situation was that they still had a full set of ammo and a boatload of sterling silver.
When they reached the club, they went to the back entrance in the alley. Doug grabbed Olivia’s arm and turned her to face him. In the dim light he could still see her green eyes clearly, and they were hard, cold, and full of vengeance, but he also sensed fear. She was terrified that the girls and Damien were already dead.
“Wait a second.” He took her face in both hands and paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. She resisted. “Hey. I know we have to get in there, but listen to me for a second.”
Doug’s gut clenched as he stared into the pools of green. She always tried to act so tough, and when he saw her lose it back at the hotel, she revealed her vulnerability.
“I know you’re frightened and worried about the girls, but we can’t go running in there half-cocked. We need a game plan.” He dropped his hands and folded them over his chest, wanting to give her the freedom to take the lead, even though it went against his nature. “You lead, and I’ll follow, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“It’s quite simple really.” Her jaw set defiantly. “We get in there and see what’s going on inside the club. Then we blow Vincent’s arrogant fucking head off.”
“What about the girls?” Her stern expression faltered at his mention of the girls. “I know you don’t want to accept it, but it’s possible that they could be dead already.”
“No.” Olivia shook her head furiously. “They might be incapacitated, but they’re not dead. I’d know it, Doug. They’re a part of me, and I believe that I’d feel it if they were destroyed.” Her mouth set in a grim line, and her voice dropped. “I will not lose them.”
Before he could say another word, she spun on her heel, and instead of going to the door, she shoved the dumpster aside as if it weighed nothing, revealing yet another entrance to the network of tunnels. “You didn’t think I would walk right into the club, did you?”
Doug smiled and shook his head as they dropped silently into the tunnels beneath the club. They flew down the corridor and then up a flight of stairs, stopping outside her office, but Doug grabbed her arm before she opened the door.
I can feel movement in the building, and if I can sense them, Liv… His mind touched hers. Then they can obviously sense us, so I’d say any element of surprise is out of the question. He released the safety on both of his guns. “Ready?”
Olivia nodded once and drew both of her weapons. She hit the red panel to the left of the door with her shoulder while Doug stood ready with both barrels pointed at the door. She squatted below Doug’s guns and trained her weapons on the small office as well, but it was empty.
They slipped inside as the door shut soundlessly. Pounding music from the club filled the space, and he could feel the deep bass beat through his entire body. The club may have been closed, but it sounded like good old Vincent was having a private party.
Doug went to the door and listened intently, taking full advantage of his enhanced hearing. Even above the music he could make out the sound of a man talking. He didn’t recognize the voice, and he heard a woman weeping softly.
Anger fired through him as he fought his instinct to open the door and start shooting. He had no idea what condition the girls were in, and he didn’t want to jeopardize them further.
Olivia was at her computer and typing away on the keyboard, trying to pull up her security cameras. Motherfucker. Her voice shot into his mind with all the force she’d intended. He disabled my security cameras.
No more dicking around. Doug tilted his head to the door. I’ll go in first, and you follow. Vincent obviously wants you, and he is using your coven to get you. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced he hasn’t killed the girls. In my experience, guys like this want an audience, and if he were going to kill them then he’d want you to see it.
Olivia’s eyes widened briefly before her expression settled back into a mask of calm. Open the door. She rose from her chair and raised her weapons. Now.
Doug threw a prayer to the universe. He turned the knob slowly, then swung it open and pressed his body against the wall before peering around the corner. The hall leading to the main floor of the club was empty.
The music tumbled around them, and the lights flashed as though it was Friday night and the club had a packed house—but they knew better. Guns extended, Doug stepped through the door and moved slowly down the short hallway with Olivia at his side. When they reached the opening to the main floor, she stopped dead in her tracks, and he felt her begin to shake.
Trixie was lashed to the top of the bar with several ropes of sterling and looked passed out, if not worse. She wasn’t moving, and through the flashing, colorful lights, Doug could see smoke rising from her flesh as it burned beneath the silver.
At the center of the dance floor, her bouncer Damien was tied to a chair and gagged. His head lolled back, and blood soaked the white T-shirt he wore. Even with the music, Doug could hear the faint, dwindling sound of his heartbeat.
There was one other faint heartbeat coming from the German shepherd. Van Helsing lay bleeding on the floor by Damien’s feet, and his tail lifted briefly, acknowledging Olivia’s presence.
They inched farther into the club side by side, and as they reached open space, they shifted so that they were again back-to-back and ready to battle. Doug, facing the DJ platform, swore loudly when he saw Sadie. She had thick chains of silver wrapped several times around her body and tied to the platform.
“Rogue One is in here somewhere, Olivia.” His fangs erupted, and his body hummed with tension. “I can smell him.”
He could feel her strong, lithe body against his, tense and ready to spring into action. He admired her restraint. It had to tear her up to see the people she loved in agony, but to her credit, she kept it together.
“I smell someone else too,” she seethed. She stopped abruptly, and the muscles in her body tensed further. She turned her head to the left and shouted, “Where the fuck are you, Vincent? You’re a sick old fuck. You started this whole mess to manipulate me into coming back to England, didn’t you?”
Only the music responded as it continued to blare around them.
“Answer me, damn it!”
“You should know me better than that, Olivia.”
The male voice, edged with sadness, drifted over from the far side of the club. They swung around toward the voice and aimed their guns in the direction of the VIP booths on the other side of the dance floor. The rapidly changing colorful lights were messing with Doug’s vision, and for the first time since he was turned, his night vision was failing him.
He and Olivia moved toward the center of the dance floor.
“Vincent?” Olivia said sharply as she looked around the club. “You fucking coward. Show yourself.”
Seconds later, to the left of the VIP booths, a tall, regal man stepped out from behind a small wall divider. Doug fleetingly remembered that the hallway behind it led to the restrooms.
Vincent had his hands behind his back and moved toward them cautiously.
“Hello, Olivia.” His voice was etched with sorrow. “This is not what you think, my child.” His eyes widened when they landed on Doug. “My, my, my. I never forget a face, especially yours. The only human I couldn’t glam
our.” His brow knit in confusion. “And here you are, and now you’re one of us? Fascinating.”
“Vincent?” Olivia’s voice was shakier as soon as she set eyes on her maker. “Why are you doing this?”
Doug tightened his grip on both guns as a glint of silver caught his eye. Partially hidden behind Vincent’s disheveled shirt and tie was a rope of sterling silver. It was wrapped around his neck, and Doug glanced down to see that the chain dragged behind him.
“Olivia,” Doug said evenly. “It’s not him. Vincent’s not The Maker. Look at his neck.”
As he uttered the words, Vincent’s face twisted in pain as he was yanked backward and fell to his knees. A man Doug had never seen before stood behind him, holding the rope of silver in one gloved hand and a gun in the other. Next to him was the little blond waitress, Suzie. She wept quietly as he pointed the gun at her head. Doug immediately sensed that she had been turned.
“Hello, Olivia,” the man growled. “Long time, no see.”
“Oh my God,” she said in a rush. “Brutus.”
* * *
Olivia had never been more shocked in her three hundred years. Brutus, Augustus’s son and the vicious piece of shit she made sure was sent to hibernation, was standing before her, larger than life. Olivia kept her guns trained on him, and the only reason she didn’t fire was because of Suzie.
“Nice to see you haven’t forgotten me.”
“I should’ve put you down when I had the chance, you sick piece of shit.”
“Do you really think that my father, a czar for the Presidium, would allow that? I don’t think so.” He tugged on the chain, causing Vincent to howl in pain and hiss at his captor. “Stop your whining.” He sighed. “Actually, I’ll stop it for you. You’ve served your purpose, old man.”
A split second later, Brutus yanked viciously on the chain tied around Vincent’s neck, and Olivia watched in horror as his head popped off like a macabre party favor. As he exploded into a cloud of ash, white-hot pain shot through Olivia and bloomed in her chest as Vincent died. She arched back and screamed in excruciating agony as Doug swept in and caught her with one arm, cradling her against his broad chest.
“Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it? I remember when our maker bit the dust. It hurt like hell. My father and I cried like a couple of younglings.” Brutus laughed and pulled Suzie in front of him, still holding the gun to her head. “But you know what hurts worse? Starving in a hibernation chamber for fifty years and going mad with hunger.” His hate-filled eyes glared at them. “The blood thirst? Damn, girl. That shit will make you crazy.”
Olivia scrambled weakly to her feet with Doug’s help and pointed her gun at him again, even though her head felt like it was going to split open like an egg.
“You did this?” Her voice wavered, and her vision blurred as Doug’s voice touched her mind. Let me take him out with a clean shot to the head.
Olivia glanced at Suzie’s tearstained face. No. It’s too dangerous for Suzie.
She cleared her head and sharpened her focus, looking for other vampires in the club, but her senses were wonky from the impact of Vincent’s death. As her dizziness faded and her senses cleared, the distinct foul stench of Rogue One filled her head. Brutus was the rogue? How could that be? Olivia shook her head as if she could shake off the confusion.
“Do you know what I had time to do when I was in hibernation?” His voice dropped low as he walked slowly toward the center of the dance floor, taking Suzie with him as he stopped behind Damien’s dying body. “I had time to think about how I’d kill you for putting me there.”
Olivia and Doug countered Brutus’s movements, keeping a safe distance but keeping him in their sights.
“Your father isn’t going to be happy with you, Brutus,” Olivia said as calmly as possible. “I’ll bet he’ll give me a flipping medal for dusting your sorry ass.”
“Are you kidding?” Brutus laughed, and his long brown hair fell across his forehead. “He’s been bored as hell, and I finally livened things up.” He smacked Suzie on the ass, and she winced. “She interrupted me, lover. What was I saying? Oh, yes. Making you suffer, Olivia. Oh, I came up with many wonderful ways, but I ultimately decided that killing you would be too easy. So, why not bide my time and hit you where it really hurts? Wipe out this little family you’ve made for yourself.” He kicked Damien’s chair with his foot. “Even this human. Kill them one by one in front of you.”
“Stop it,” Olivia screamed. “Don’t touch him!”
“Well, he’s almost dead anyway.” He lifted one shoulder. “I was going to kill this one too after I followed her home the other night,” he said, squeezing Suzie closer to him. “But I decided to turn her instead and have some fun with her. I always liked blonds, and this one is a virgin. Bonus.”
Suzie whimpered and tried to pull away as he kissed her head, but he was too strong.
“When I saw your little bartender leaving the club with that human buffoon, I realized that I found the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling. I would’ve had a slaughter fest, and we did get off to a nice start, but you had to make a big fat mess with my rogues in the tunnels.”
“No.” Olivia shook her foggy head. “An unregistered vampire killed Ronald Davis. It was Rogue One, not you.”
“Please.” He sighed. “The Presidium’s computers aren’t hacker-proof. I glamoured a Google geek, and he changed my ID in the system so when they ran the blood sample it came up as an unregistered rogue. Then I ate him. Dinner and a show. Really, Olivia,” he said wearily. “It is the twenty-first century. Get with the program.”
“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure,” Doug interrupted.
“No.” Brutus winked. “But I met your partner, and he tasted great. Did you know that the sweetest bit of blood is that last pump of the heart as the life fades from the body?”
Before Olivia could stop him, Doug screamed and squeezed off two rounds, but Brutus, who was two thousand years old, shot up to the arched ceiling in a blink. Frantic, they pointed their guns in the air, but Brutus was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Suzie.
A gust of wind whooshed behind them, and Olivia felt something slash her across the throat. She tried to get out of the way, but she wasn’t fast enough. She covered her neck with one hand and could feel the blood seeping through her fingers as she stumbled, struggling to regain her footing and still hold her weapon out in front of her. Doug linked his arm around her waist and held her against him while keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Doug glanced to the front door and started backing up toward the entrance with Olivia tucked in his arm. We have to get him by the entrance to the club. His grip tightened on her.
What are you going to do? Her weakened voice whispered into his mind, and she fought the panic that welled up inside. She felt like she was dying and deep down she knew that she was. Telepathy was all she could manage.
Trust me and hope that Suzie gets away from the door.
“Now you’re hiding?” Doug taunted him and shouted into the pulsing lights. All of his experience as a cop taught him that guys like Brutus were impotent losers, and if you egged them on a bit, they’d come running. “All this time, you wait for revenge, and now you’re hiding like a little bitch in the shadows. What a pussy.”
Snarling, Brutus appeared ten feet in front of them. When his boot-clad feet thundered onto the floor, with Suzie still in his grip and bleeding from the neck, he grinned, his fangs dripping with blood as he stalked toward them.
“Hiding behind a girl?” Doug glanced at Suzie and then to Brutus. “What a pantywaist. Some two-thousand-year-old vampire you are. I was hoping for a fight, but it looks like you’re too much of a chickenshit to take me on.”
“Please,” he sneered. “I could dust you in under a minute.”
“Oh yeah, Brucilla? Looks to me like you only take on little girls. Hey Liv, wasn’t that one you told me about only twelve? Nice. You’re a coward and a pervert.”
Doug let Olivia go, and as she slipped from his grasp to the floor, she prayed his gamble would pay off. Brutus was far older and stronger, and by all accounts, Doug shouldn’t stand a chance, but then again, nothing about Doug was standard issue.
“Where’s your dress?” Doug mocked him as he backed up to the large wooden doors. “Your daddy’s dress is real nice. Maybe you could borrow his.”
Brutus screamed in rage and tossed Suzie, who went flying across the room. Her petite frame slammed into the bar, and she landed in a motionless heap. Olivia watched through fading vision as Brutus flew at Doug with remarkable speed and force. He grabbed him by the throat, but just before Brutus leaped, Doug propelled himself backward with all of his strength, and the two men burst through the wooden doors like a couple of torpedoes.
Olivia instinctively rolled away from the rays of sunlight as an ear-shattering explosion rocked the air. As they landed on the sidewalk in the dawn of early morning, a high-pitched shriek of agony and defeat pierced the air as Brutus burned and exploded in a noxious cloud of black smoke and ash.
At least, Olivia prayed it was Brutus… and only Brutus.
The pulsing lights of the club mixed with smoke and the golden rays of sunshine, which fleetingly reminded Olivia of a dreamscape she once shared with Doug.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she waited and prayed for Doug to emerge from the light, and like an answered prayer, the hulking shadow of Doug Paxton stepped into the club amid the smoky glow.
He picked her up and cradled her to his chest as he strode with her into the warm beams of sun that streamed into the club.
“You looked like you could use a little sun,” he whispered as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
For the first time in three centuries, the prolonged exposure to the rays of the sun didn’t burn. She smiled as it bathed them, and tears fell as she reveled in the miracle of their love. In the miracle of him.
“Secure the building.”
A familiar, deep baritone that Olivia hadn’t heard in over a century filled the room as the music shut off and the lights ceased flashing. Doug’s muscles bunched as he prepared to fly into the daylight. Doug, wait.
Tall, Dark, and Vampire ditc-1 Page 23
