Colin spoke up, his words slow and calm. “It’s not Pierre.”
She whirled on him, fire in her voice and in her heart. “Of course it’s Pierre. He’s the only son of a bitch who would do something this cruel. Nobody else hates me this much. I’m going to kill him.”
He shook his head. “It’s not Pierre, I confirmed the kill.”
Riah looked at Colin sharply. “Are you positive? I tend to agree with Tory. Pierre would be the one hateful enough to do something like this.”
“Yeah. One hundred percent. Pierre was dusted a long time ago. I saw Monsignor’s records and actually talked to Clark. He doesn’t have any reason to lie and I don’t think he did. Pierre is dead and has been since 1958.”
Tory stilled and stared at Colin. She didn’t believe it. How could she? It had to be Pierre. No other explanation made any sense. “This is the same Monsignor that has lied to you since you were a kid, right?”
Colin nodded grimly, his face stony. “One and the same.”
“Well, he’s lying to you again.” It was obvious—the guy was going to tell Colin whatever he wanted to hear.
“No, he’s not lying to me about anything now. What would be the point? I have him in a corner and he knows it.”
“How can you be so sure?” Why was he trusting the words of a man who’d been lying to him for decades? She knew what Pierre was capable of and what he would do to scare her.
Colin laid a hand on her arm. “I just am. You’ll have to trust me, Tory. Pierre is dead and gone. He’s not the one doing all this.”
She didn’t want to trust anybody. Didn’t have to. She didn’t care what Colin said or what his precious Monsignor told him. Pierre was still here. He was doing all this to punish her, and that meant it was up to her to find him. When she did, she’d make certain he didn’t walk away again. The monster had caused too much heartbreak in her life and she was done with it. No more hiding. No more pretending. It was time to come out in the sunlight, figuratively anyway.
“It’s him,” she insisted.
“No.” Riah put an arm around her shoulders. “If Colin is certain, you need to believe him. It’s not Pierre, Tory. It’s not. What we have to do quickly is figure out now who else hates you enough to do something like this.”
If not Pierre, then who? She’d been cut off from everyone for so long she couldn’t think of anyone. Her self-imposed isolation made room for a very few, like Sunny, and that left the pool of prospective suspects very small.
“No one,” she finally said. Everyone who might have held a grudge against her was long gone. Her world had grown smaller and smaller as the years passed.
“There’s got to be someone. What other vampire do you know who’s tall with dark hair? That’s the guy I saw in the vision.” Adriana looked at her expectantly. “I know I’m new at this vision thing, but I know what I saw. Definitely a vamp and definitely tall and dark. Wish I could have gotten a better look at his face.”
She didn’t know who it could be. She hadn’t even seen another vampire for decades. Top that off with the fact that she wasn’t interested in men, and her pool of potential candidates shrank. Pierre still kept popping up as the guy, partly because she’d been such a challenge to him. He’d turned her thinking she’d be his plaything, only to find out she didn’t care to play with boys. He’d spent years trying to change her, and his failure was part of what made him so angry.
Tory finally shook her head. “I don’t know of anyone besides Pierre. He hated me so much he tried to turn Roland just to get at me. I think he thought I was attracted to Roland, and that made him furious. He wanted me and never got over the fact that he couldn’t have me. He was going to make damned sure no one had me either.”
“Tried to turn Roland?” Riah gave her a studied look.
She guessed she’d forgotten to tell them about that. “Yes,” she said softly. “He knew that’s what would hurt me even more than killing him. Pierre was a very vindictive bastard. Not a good trait in a vampire, if you know what I mean.”
Riah was watching her intently. “What happened to Roland?”
Naomi put her arms around Tory and she was grateful. It was bad enough confessing what she’d done to Naomi when they were alone. At least with her, she’d felt a little secure. Here in the church and with expectant faces staring at her, she didn’t feel so great. “I sealed him inside a crypt in New Orleans,” she finally admitted.
“That wouldn’t hold him indefinitely. Maybe it’s Roland?”
She shook her head. “No.” That scenario didn’t play out for her.
“Katrina could have smashed the crypt and he’d be free. He could have survived. Others have made it hundreds of years in situations like that. Takes them some time to recover once they’re freed, but once they start taking in blood, they survive.” Riah sounded authoritative.
“No. Even if Katrina destroyed his crypt, which she didn’t because I checked, he could never leave.”
“Why not?”
“Because I put a stake through his heart and sealed the crypt with protective spells. Even if the spells failed, no vampire ever survives a stake through the heart.”
*
Colin didn’t waste any time. With Naomi’s help, they bundled up Viola’s lifeless body and got her into the trunk of the car. Under other circumstances he’d be the first one to dial 911, and it wasn’t that he didn’t trust law enforcement now. No, this had everything to do with the rumblings he heard outside the windows and doors of the church. They were stirred up out there, and it was only a matter of time before someone pulled the trigger, so to speak, and they began to storm the doors.
Back in the lower level, he found the women in a small chapel talking in low tones. Ivy looked up when he walked in and came to him. She put her arms around him and hugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this lost,” she said. “What are we going to do?”
He held her and laid his cheek against the top of her head. “It’s crazy, that’s for sure. Nothing really makes any sense and the only recurring theme is Tory. If she’s telling the truth, and I think she is, it’s anybody’s guess who’s got a hard-on for her. There are some crazy bastards out there.”
“She’s telling the truth.” Ivy sounded confident.
He didn’t disagree. He really did think Tory was being honest. She had as much to lose as the rest of them, if not more. He saw the way she looked at Naomi and he understood. He had the same expression on his face every time he saw Ivy. It was called love. He suspected she didn’t even know yet, but he sure did.
He ran his hand down Ivy’s hair as he asked, “Who did she piss off? What did she piss off?”
Ivy stepped out of his embrace and looked up at him. “You’ve been dealing with vampires since you were a teenager. Think about what you’ve seen. What kind of monster would do this? You had to have come across someone this violent and evil. What are they like? What would they do next?”
He’d been asking himself those same questions since Naomi called him. He’d seen some real pieces of work in his time as a hunter—about every variety of evil possible. Hell, he’d seen more than a few since becoming part of the Spiritus Group. In the past, he could always discern the pattern and figure out where to go next. Not this time. This puzzle had too many pieces missing and it was driving him nuts. He kept thinking he just needed to concentrate harder.
Or maybe he was distracted. First, he’d finally gathered up the courage to visit the graves of his family. Then he’d found out the heart-wrenching truth about Monsignor. And if all that wasn’t enough, he had to go to Monsignor and ask for his help. Yeah, there might be one or two reasons why he was off his game right now.
Thank God for Ivy. Every dark cloud had its silver lining, and in his case it was Ivy. She made all of it worthwhile. Funny to think that the core of his happiness was wrapped up in a tidy little vampire package. The universe had a bizarre way of working things out. Not that he was complaining. He’d take Ivy as a vampire an
y day of the week. It sure beat the hell out of not having her at all. That was an unacceptable option.
As if reading his mind, Ivy framed his face with her hands. “We’ll figure this out, handsome, and soon.”
He kissed her and then gazed over to where Riah and Tory talked quietly. Naomi and Adriana had returned to the nave to clean up any last traces of Viola’s blood. It wouldn’t be long before the worship would begin, and they didn’t dare leave a trace of the violence that had marred the church. Even if not a single worshipper showed up, they wouldn’t give this asshole the satisfaction.
He took one of her hands and kissed the palm. “Yeah, we will.”
The sound of running footsteps made him spin toward the door. Adriana burst through, her breathing rapid. “You guys have got to get upstairs now. Sunny just showed up, and it’s a miracle she made it through that crowd outside in one piece. Let’s just say it’s getting ugly out there and we’re running out of time.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Tory almost knocked Colin off his feet as she tore by him to follow Adriana up the stairs. Better be right about this or fury might finally get the upper hand. Every pot had its boiling point, and after being kept in check all these years, this just might be hers. It was one thing for violence to be visited upon the preternaturals. Not good, but all of them expected it now and again. To hurt an innocent human in whatever sick and twisted game this monster was playing? Well, that was unacceptable on all levels. The loss of Viola had her on the edge. If he dared to hurt Sunny in any way, she was going lose it. At the top of the stairs, Tory paused. Adriana kept going and disappeared around a corner. Colin was thundering up behind her and she held out a hand to halt him.
“Listen,” she whispered. She didn’t have to tell him twice. Just as she’d done, he stilled and his head tilted ever so slightly.
The sound came again. Footsteps. Their gazes met and understanding flowed strong between. They were both hunters in their own ways and understood what they heard. Not one but several people had somehow made their way into the cathedral and were attempting to be stealthy. Not a very good attempt but it spelled trouble even if it was amateurish.
“How many,” he asked, his focus now one hundred percent on the uninvited visitors.
Listening intently for several seconds, she counted silently. “I think three, possibly four.”
He nodded. “That’s what I’m getting too.”
“We need to stop them.”
Colin inclined his head in the direction of the intruders. “Let’s make it happen.”
“No one dies,” she said before she took a single step.
“Only if it’s me or them.”
“Fair enough.”
The confrontation with what turned out to be four men was quick. They were big, they were angry, and they were ready for a fight. What they weren’t ready for was a fight with a vampire and a vampire hunter. All four were disarmed and out cold in less than two minutes. It took Tory and Colin longer to find something to tie and gag them with than it did to stop them.
Two minutes after that, they’d secured the door the men had managed to pry open and were racing back toward the nave. The men alive, secured, and out of harm’s way, her thoughts shifted once more to Sunny. Her stomach was in a knot worrying about what might have happened to her friend and all because of her. Far too many people suffered because of their friendship with her. It wasn’t right on so many levels.
Tory slid around the corner and, despite her best intentions to remain strong, she cried out at the sight of Sunny, pale and trembling, but very much alive, standing in the church. Covering the ground that separated them, she wrapped her up in a tight embrace. The feel of her sturdy body was a blessing she would never, ever take for granted. Sunny was alive, she was okay, and that was incredibly reassuring and real.
“He took Viola,” Sunny said against Tory’s shoulder. “He took her, dragged her out like she was nothing.”
“I know.”
Sunny stepped out of Tory’s arms to look at her. Tory’s breath caught in her throat and she held back another cry. Sunny’s wrists were rubbed raw and red, and her face was a mass of black-and-blue bruises. Anger, deep and primal, started to rise and her fangs began to drop. This sonofabitch was going to pay. Nobody hurt her friends like this and lived to tell about it.
“How do you know?” Sunny’s voice shook.
The thought of what she had to reveal to Sunny made her want to retch. She’d give anything to spare her from the terrible truth. “He brought her here for us to find.”
“Is she all right? I need to see her.” Hope echoed in her rapid-fire words.
Tory didn’t know how to tell her. How could she explain in any way that made sense that the woman she’d brought to this city to help her was now dead, just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Oh hell, that was sugarcoating things for her own benefit, not Sunny’s. Viola was dead for one reason only: because of Tory. She told Sunny as much.
She waited for the revulsion to reflect in Sunny’s eyes, the hate that she was wholly entitled to. It didn’t come. Instead, her eyes filled with tears once more and she enveloped Tory in a hug.
“The bastard. We can’t let him get away with this,” she said. “Viola deserved better.”
“You don’t hate me?” Tory was astounded. After everything, how Sunny could even stand to look at her was beyond her comprehension. “I would hate me.”
Sunny laid a hand against Tory’s cheek, her eyes dark with sadness. “You’ve always been too hard on yourself. Viola wouldn’t hate you for this and neither do I. I hate what he’s done, but hate you? Never. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Don’t you see? He’s trying to turn us against each other. We can’t let that happen or he wins.”
Besides her obvious effort to make her feel better, Sunny made a good point. Tory gave her another hug. There was a very good reason this woman was part of her inner circle.
She stepped back and told Sunny, “You know she was able to get a message to Adriana.”
“Viola?” Sunny looked surprised.
Adriana was now standing beside Tory. “She was some kind of mad psychic, Sunny, and that’s the God’s truth. She got the message to me that this creep had both of you. We just hadn’t figured how or where when…”
Sunny touched Adriana’s arm and they shared a knowing look. If she’d adored Sunny before, Tory was overwhelmed with love for her now. Grace under fire was the phrase that went through her mind. She’d seen much in her long years, but few people truly embraced grace, and it had been a very long time since she’d encountered one. Until now. As she looked around, she felt honored to be surrounded by a group where all of them embodied it. She wished she’d been blessed with it too.
“All right,” Riah said as she came around to where the three women stood close together. “No more messing around. It’s time to kick ass and take names. I’ve personally had just about enough of this asshole. We’ve been playing catch-up since we got here. I say we get ahead of this guy and take him down once and for all.”
“Count me in, sister,” Adriana said as she draped an arm around Riah’s neck. “You heard what my woman said, let’s find this creep.” She pressed a kiss to Riah’s head.
Tory’s mind was racing, trying to get hold of a name—any name—that might figure into this mess. Before she could come up with anything that might possibly help, the doors of the church crashed open and Nathan raced in.
His cheeks were flushed and his eyes dark. “All of you have to get the fuck out of here…NOW!”
*
“No!”
Vlad rounded the corner of the quiet street he’d been calling home since meeting his fuck-buddy and snack du jour, Norman, only to be greeted by flashing lights, crime-scene tape, and a large gawking crowd. The front door to the house was open and uniformed personnel went in and out, all of them grim-faced and silent.
He stared and considered what to do next. No matter
how he came at it, he was screwed. As he watched, though, he was curious why his little sprite from the basement never emerged. Only one body came out of the house, and by the size of the black plastic bag on the gurney, it was the unfortunate Norman, who had finally expired right before Vlad left earlier with Viola. So where was Red?
Trying to blend into the crowd as best he could, Vlad moved closer to the bustling action. Law enforcement and emergency services didn’t seem to be taking any chances. He couldn’t overhear a shred of conversation. Still, somebody had to know something. If he waited long enough, he’d find out what had gone down here.
“Hey,” he asked a teenaged girl with pink hair. “What happened? Somebody die?”
She didn’t take her eyes off the house. “Yeah, some guy bit it.”
“One guy?”
“That’s what I heard. Someone else said some lady was all tied up in the basement, but nobody seems to know where she went.”
So Red was still in the house when the cops showed up. Where did she go? He glanced around at the waiting patrol cars. The backseats were all empty.
He turned his attention back to the pink-haired girl. “She dead?”
“Nope, not from what I heard. She just seems to have run off somewhere.”
Well, that was inconvenient. He was really looking forward to his one-on-one time with her before he delivered her to Victoria. Now those plans were up in smoke. Maybe. She could run, but she couldn’t hide. He’d find her again.
His thoughts turned back to the house and the awesome closet full of clothes he wouldn’t be able to wear. “You hear how they found the dead guy?”
“Oh, that was pretty sick. From what I caught from the cops, his sister got all freaked out ’cause she couldn’t get him on his cell so she came over to check. Found him all stinky and dead. Pretty gross.”
“Hear how he died?”
“That’s the really crappy part. A vampire drained him. I didn’t even know there were any vampires left. Pretty sick, huh?”
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