by Lisa Edmonds
I wondered if he’d been about to say that he should have left Bryan to die and chased Stevens down instead of staying behind to save his enforcer. No doubt other vampires would have done so. I wondered if he would face criticism from the Court for his decision.
Saving Bryan was the right choice, I told him through our telepathic link. Out loud, I said, “Charles, this not your fault. You can’t expect to foresee every eventuality.”
“There is a man dead because of me,” he ground out.
“There is a man dead because of Kent Stevens. There is a man alive because of you,” I corrected him as I picked up the wet towel. His hand was already healing, the cuts closing and bones knitting back together as I watched.
I took his hand and cleaned off the fresh blood. “I know you feel like you have to blame yourself and maybe I would too in your position, but we both know it’s not going to help. All that matters now is catching the bastard. Put your anger into that instead of remodeling my house.”
He stared at the hole in my wall as if he didn’t remember making it. “I apologize for my outburst. I will have this repaired immediately.”
“I know you’ll take care of it.”
Charles let me finish cleaning his hands. I wiped the towel down the front of his suit, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. There was so much blood.
“Bryan will be all right.” I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring him or myself.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “Bryan is far stronger than a normal human. He has healed and received transfusions. He will be on his feet later today and on duty by tonight.”
“What about you? You’re pale. You didn’t even stop to change or have a meal to regain your strength before you came over here.” I was surprised he hadn’t brought someone in the vehicle he could drink from on the way to my house. Strange that Arkady Woodall hadn’t supplied him with a meal, but perhaps that was outside the scope of her job description.
“I needed to warn you immediately that Stevens had attacked us and escaped.”
“You could have sent someone else to do that, or called,” I pointed out.
“Perhaps I needed to see for myself that you were safe.” Charles’s eyes searched my face. “Come with me until he is captured.”
My stomach knotted at the thought. “No way. I’m not letting you lock me away.”
“I must protect you, Alice.”
“I don’t need protection,” I countered. “I’ll be fine. Stevens has no idea who I am. He knows who you are. You need to stay somewhere that’s well-protected until he’s caught. You shouldn’t even be here.”
“He has proven himself to be highly resourceful. He has access to weapons and other equipment, including whatever he used to sabotage my gate. I have the ability to heal, but you do not. My home is secure; yours is not. Stevens took the time to shoot you before he escaped Robinson’s house. At least permit me to give you bodyguards.”
“I won’t take any of your people away from protecting you. Bryan won’t be back to one hundred percent for at least a couple of days. You need your guards and I’m not defenseless.”
“Stevens is a killer. Refusing protection would be foolhardy. I do not think you are foolish.”
I understood his desire to safeguard a Court asset from the threat Stevens represented, but I didn’t need a protector, least of all one sent by the Court to stick their nose into my life, and his insistence grated on my nerves. “I can’t do my job if I have a babysitter. More to the point, I’m not going to give up my freedom and my job on the off chance he’s out there gunning for me.”
“Based on his record and psych profile, I think it’s more than an off chance he’ll come looking for you,” Arkady interjected.
“Even so, I’m a private investigator. I can’t work if I have an entourage.”
“Adri Smith has a PI license. She could accompany you,” Charles said. “I would find that acceptable.”
I gritted my teeth. “Adri’s place is with her brother while he recovers. With Bryan injured, she’s even more essential for your safety.”
Charles looked stubborn. I’d have to come up with an answer to the problem before he decided to insist on doing things his way and I had to insist that he get the hell out of my house.
As much as I despised the situation, there might be an option I could live with that didn’t involve having a Vampire Court enforcer dogging my every step. Dealing with this type of scenario was Maclin Security’s bread and butter. Sean and I worked well together. He’d be an asset in the field, if his schedule allowed for him to take me as a client. Considering the antagonism between them, Charles might not like my idea, but it wasn’t his decision to make.
“I’ll ask Sean to provide security, if he has the manpower available,” I told them. “You want me to have protection until Stevens is in custody, fine, but it’s on my terms.”
I was right; Charles plainly didn’t like the idea of Sean as my bodyguard. His frown was thunderous.
“To be clear, I’m not asking your permission,” I said. “This is my decision. I’m safe behind my wards for tonight. I’ll call Sean in the morning and tell him the situation. If he’s unavailable, I’ll contact Adri and let her know what my backup plan is.”
“I do not like this arrangement,” Charles stated.
“Duly noted. But whatever else you may think of Sean, you can rest assured my safety will be his number-one priority.” I was not happy to be forced into this, but at least it was me making the decisions and not Charles. “Please keep me updated on the manhunt.”
“We will,” the vampire said.
“Be safe,” Arkady added.
I doubted Stevens would be able to connect “Julie Day” to me, but there was a chance. I hoped the vamps would deal with him before the former Marine could find me.
“Just catch the bastard,” I told them.
“We will. He has much to answer for.” Charles’s eyes flashed silver.
I thought of Fortune and Bryan. Magic sparked on my fingers and a cold breeze blew over us. “Yes, he does.”
It was almost four by the time Charles, Arkady, and Matthias finally left. I told Malcolm what had happened and asked him to strengthen the wards on the house and yard.
I let Rogue out into the backyard to go to the bathroom and watched him growl at the garden while it rustled ominously, then went back to bed and stared up at the ceiling, wide awake and thinking about Charles, Fortune, Bryan, and Kent Stevens. Though I tried to sleep, I was haunted by visions of Bryan, his body riddled with bullets, bleeding out on the side of the road while Stevens vanished into the night.
I thought about the fact that somewhere out there, right now, the former Marine was on the loose. Would he go after Charles? Continue with his mission to take out as many vampires as he could? Try to find me? Or would he run, knowing he was at the top of the vampires’ Most Wanted list? There was nothing about Stevens that made me think he would skip town. No, he would probably find a place to hole up and then go on the offensive. As much as I didn’t want to dwell on it, there was a good chance Charles and I were at the top of his hit list. As long as Charles stayed in a Vamp Court fortress, he would be virtually inaccessible. That left me.
The only people who knew Julie Day’s real identity were Charles, Bryan, and Adri, and Valas and Niara of the Vampire Court. I felt reasonably certain Stevens would not be able to find me, but nagging doubt made my stomach churn.
Around five, I gave up trying to sleep and got up. I showered, dried my hair, and got dressed in a T-shirt and an old pair of jeans. I dug out a broom and dustpan and cleaned up the drywall and pieces of wood on the floor in my foyer and started a load of laundry. Rogue followed me around the house for a while, then settled into his bed in the living room and dozed.
Malcolm had been hard at work since Charles and the others left; the house wards felt supercharged and prickled on my skin. I made sure all the curtains were closed and stayed away from the windows. The knot o
f worry in my stomach was giving way to anger. I was already starting to feel like a prisoner in my home. I resolved to go furniture shopping today, Kent Stevens be damned.
Sean had stocked my refrigerator for me, so I actually had food to eat. I was drinking orange juice and scrambling some eggs for an early breakfast when Malcolm came up from the basement.
“Hey,” he said somberly.
“Hey yourself. Nice job on the house wards.”
“Nobody’s getting in here. Anyone who tries is going to need a hospital or the morgue.” I felt a surge of anger and magic from my ghost.
I stirred my eggs and threw in some chopped ham. “You doing okay?”
He sighed. “Yeah. Sorry I’ve been hiding out.”
“Don’t worry about it. If you need space, I understand. I know this has got to be weird for you.”
“Do you know how many times I’ve fantasized about seeing that place destroyed?” he blurted out.
I thought about my own fantasies of watching my grandfather’s cabal compound burn to the ground. “I can guess.”
“I feel like I shouldn’t be glad about it, but I am.”
“Of course you are. They held you prisoner, tortured you to make you hurt other people, and killed you. You’re entirely justified in how you feel. The only thing that could have made it better was if Bell himself died in the attack.”
“How do you know he didn’t?”
“Nobody panicked afterward. The evacuation was controlled, the security force didn’t let anyone into the property, and the demolition went like clockwork. That says Bell is still alive and calling the shots. He’s in a bunker somewhere, planning a counterstrike and waiting to see what Murphy will do next.”
After a few moments, Malcolm said, “So, are you going back to work?”
“Yes. I’m not going to cower in the house. I doubt Stevens will be able to find me—there’s really no way for him to connect ‘Julie Day’ to me. I can’t be scared of him, Malcolm.” I dumped the eggs on a plate.
“You’re not scared of much.”
Heh. It was nice that he thought so.
Malcolm went back to the basement to work. I ground some fancy coffee beans and brewed what had to be the single best-smelling pot of coffee I’d ever made in my life.
While the coffeemaker gurgled happily, I went upstairs and got my laptop. I took my coffee mug and breakfast to the couch and prepared my invoice for the Vampire Court while Rogue snoozed by the back door, lying on his back and snoring.
When I added everything up, I blinked at the total and double-checked the math to make sure I had the decimal in the right place. When the numbers added up, I sent the invoice to the Court’s Accounts Payable clerk—yes, the vampires had accountants—and received a confirmation that it would be processed immediately.
By the time I put the clothes in the dryer, made my bed, and tidied the kitchen, it was after six and the sun was up. I took my phone to the living room.
I sat on the couch as I drank another cup of coffee and fumed. I didn’t like having to mix my personal and professional lives yet again, but I couldn’t see any better option. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and called Sean’s cell.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, babe.” His early-morning voice had a hint of growl and it made my pulse speed up.
“Hey,” I said, aiming for casual. “Sorry to call while you’re getting ready for work.”
“What’s wrong?” Sean’s tone changed immediately. Evidently my voice wasn’t as neutral as I’d hoped.
I sighed. No matter how I downplayed the danger, this was going to bring the overprotective alpha werewolf out in him.
“Alice, what’s going on?” His voice was sharp.
“I have a…situation,” I said slowly. “What’s your schedule looking like today?”
4
An hour later, Sean stood in my foyer looking decidedly grim, a heavy, oversized black duffel bag in each hand and a matching backpack on his shoulder.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I said for the umpteenth time as I closed the door and locked it. “This is purely a precautionary measure.” I adjusted the curtain in the front window.
“Stay away from the windows,” he said automatically. He noticed the hole in my wall. “What the hell happened there?”
“Charles was pretty upset. He’s going to fix it.”
“I should hope so.” He carried his bags into the living room, where he put them down carefully on the hardwood floor. “Where’s Rogue?”
“In the backyard. Don’t worry; I’ve got wards around the garden.” I went to the back door and opened it. The dog galloped inside and jumped up on Sean.
“No,” Sean said firmly and pointed to the floor. “Sit.”
Rogue sat, his tongue hanging out.
Sean chuckled and scratched the dog’s head. He looked around the living room and sighed. “We have to get you a coffee table and some chairs. The dog has more furniture than you do.”
Rogue went to his bed and plopped down with a heavy thump.
“I was actually planning on going furniture shopping today.”
“You’re not going out, not for that,” Sean stated. “We can shop online and have everything delivered.”
I frowned at him. “Sean Maclin, you are not going to tell me what I can and cannot do. You are not going to take over my life, and I am not buying furniture online without trying it out first.”
He crossed his arms, straining the shoulders of his polo shirt as it stretched over his muscles. “I had a feeling you weren’t giving me the straight story on this Kent Stevens, so I called Adri Smith on my way over here and she sent me his file. This is serious, Alice. Stevens is a highly trained Marine. He got the drop on two enforcers and nearly killed both of them, and he’s already shot you once.”
I scowled.
Sean’s gaze was intense. “You cannot hold back key information like that. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what I’m up against.”
I had to admit he was right, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. “Fine.”
He cupped my cheek. “I know you hate needing help. You hate when people worry about you and you hate feeling vulnerable. I don’t want to make this any harder on you than it already is, but you can’t keep things back from me. You call the shots on your cases, but when it comes to keeping you safe, you’re going to have to let me do my job—which I’m actually pretty good at, by the way.”
The corner of my mouth turned up in a wry half-smile. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“That would be great. Then I want to hear everything you know about this guy. Adri said to tell you the Vampire Court has amended the confidentiality agreement you signed so that you can read me in on the entire operation. They’re sending the paperwork over by courier for you to sign.”
“Okay.” I went into the kitchen and came back with two cups of coffee.
Sean was unzipping the duffel bags when I returned. My jaw fell open. “What is all that?”
“Sensors for the doors, windows, and yard. I know you have wards, but I’m going to take extra precautions. There’s also a couple of panic buttons and some other goodies.”
“What about the backpack?”
He unzipped it and pulled out a bulletproof vest. “It’s the latest technology. It’s as light as they can make them, and it will go under your clothes. They’re actually pretty comfortable.”
I rubbed my forehead.
“Alice.” He stood, his eyes serious. “Please wear it when we go out.”
At least I would be allowed to leave the house. Fantastic.
A courier arrived while Sean was bringing in the rest of his stuff. After I signed the updated confidentiality agreement, Sean and I settled on the couch with our coffee. He took out his laptop to take notes and look at the files Adri had sent.
I took a deep breath. “So, here’s the story. In the days following the bombing, it became obvious that SPEMA, the FBI, and the ATF had b
igger and more serious cases that needed their attention. There were riots and fires and people were getting hurt. The bombing was basically a property crime and no one was injured as far as the feds knew, so it got back-burnered in favor of more pressing cases, ones that were getting more public pressure because they involved injuries to humans.”
“And so the vamps decided to solve it themselves,” he guessed.
“Bingo. The only evidence besides what was left of the bomb itself was the van the bombers used, but it was stolen and burned, so other than some traffic cam footage of it leaving the crime scene, that didn’t give us much. One thing the ATF did determine was the bomb’s design didn’t match anything in the federal database. The silver flechettes used as shrapnel were unusual, but the bomb’s components were too generic to be of any help. Without physical evidence, we had to look elsewhere for leads, so we turned to the online forums.”
“Whose idea was that?”
“Kim Dade, the Vamp Court data analyst who helped us catch the West-Addison harnad.”
Kim and I had spent nearly two weeks combing through discussion threads looking for posts about the bombing. We ended up reading thousands of hate-filled, disturbing posts, many of which either advocated violence against vamps, mages, and supes, or boasted about actual crimes. The worst were those directed toward potential female victims. Those gave me nightmares.
It had been a rough time for Sean, as my anger mounted along with his frustration that I couldn’t tell him what I was working on for the Court. I did talk to Malcolm and Adri, but the case was like a wall between Sean and me. He weathered my moodiness with the patience of a man used to dealing with a pack full of volatile werewolves.
On the plus side, we’d both enjoyed blowing off steam in the bedroom—or wherever else we happened to be when the mood struck us—so it wasn’t all bad. Some mornings we’d both had to drag ourselves to work looking a little worse for wear, but it was hard to be mad about it.
