He smiled, showing off his own impressive set of fangs. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do. You know, important lackey stuff.”
Back inside, he counted down the minutes until either the bell started up again or his phone rang. It didn’t take long. As tempting as it was to ignore the phone, he knew better than to ignore Rafferty O’Day.
He kicked back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. “Hi, Rafferty. What’s up?”
“Shea, why am I having to make this call?”
“Because I’m not supposed to allow questionable characters onto the premises. That’s my job description.”
Silence. Conlan smiled and started a mental countdown until the explosion. He only got as far as eight, a new record.
“The only son and heir of the Delaney clan is not a questionable character.”
“Sorry, boss, but he didn’t identify himself. Had I known, I would’ve let him in. Honest.”
“Go do it now. Offer him something to drink while he waits in your office until I can get there to pick him up.”
“Will do, boss. Immediately, boss. Is there anything else, boss?”
“Conlan—” Rafferty paused, drawing a slow breath as if praying for patience.
“Yes, boss?”
“Be grateful Joss likes you so much.”
“Oh, believe me. I am.” Sometimes he even felt guilty about it. “See you in a few minutes, sir.”
Then he hung up and headed outside to open the gate. Rather than wait for the vampire, Conlan walked back inside without a backward look, saying without words that the fool was beneath notice and no threat. Coming from a chancellor, the Delaney heir would recognize the implied insult. Conlan stopped short of closing the door, although the temptation to make the vampire wait outside on the porch was strong.
He was already back at his computer working when his guest sauntered in, all arrogance and anger. Bring it on, punk, and you’ll find out why chancellors are employed to keep both vampires and humans in line.
Opening the fridge, he pulled out a blood pack and tossed it on the desk. “Here. Enjoy.”
“I suppose warming it first would be too much to ask.”
Conlan kept his eyes firmly on the computer screen. “The kitchen’s through that door. Knock yourself out.”
The blood pack came flying back across the desk as the young vampire sneered. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
Conlan tossed the pack back in the fridge. “According to Rafferty, you’re one of the Delaney clan.”
“I’m the heir.”
Clearly he expected Conlan to be impressed. He wasn’t. “Congratulations or else condolences, depending on how you feel about that.”
“Does O’Day have any idea how insufferably rude you are to his guests?”
“You’ll have to ask him yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me, as I said, I have work to do.” He saved the report he’d just downloaded from his operative and then fired back a list of follow-up questions.
The young vampire leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the corner of Conlan’s desk. “You might want to update your résumé while you’re at it. When Rafferty finds out how you’ve treated me, I’m sure you’ll be needing it.”
Actually, that might be true, but Conlan wasn’t going to worry about it. Right now he was going to do some quick digging to see why someone of Delaney’s status would come knocking on Rafferty’s gate unannounced. Ever since Rafferty had married Joss Sloan, his relationship with the upper echelons of the vampire community had been chilly at best. They couldn’t shun him completely; his money wielded too much power for that to happen.
But for the heir of one of the snootiest families to show up like this warranted checking into. He’d keep his inquiries low-key rather than risk setting off a major feud between the two clans. Rafferty really would fire his ass for that, but watching out for possible threats to the estate was Conlan’s job, after all.
It was always possible Delaney had a good reason for being there. But Conlan’s instincts, finely honed after years of sifting through the bullshit to find the truth, were screaming that something was off about this visit. Punks like Delaney usually traveled first-class and with an entourage. Conlan was still trying to make sense out of the scant details in Seamus Fitzhugh’s portfolio, but that would have to wait. Right now, he had other fish to fry.
“Well, today’s the day.”
Seamus didn’t bother to check his appearance in the mirror. He might need every scrap of energy he could muster to get through the next eight hours. Even so, he straightened the collar of his lab coat and patted his pockets to make sure they were stocked with the usual stuff—pencil, pen, notepad and some silly stickers for any younglings who came in.
The sound of the front door opening echoed through the building. Time to go. Megan had insisted on coming in early for the official opening of the infirmary. She said it was to give Phoebe time to settle into her new surroundings, but he suspected Megan had picked up on how nervous he was about all of this. Even though he’d used his medical training merely as the means to get through the gate, he found himself wanting to do the job right.
In fact, sometimes he actually forgot about his real reason for being there. Then something would make him think of his sister Petra and all the grief and anger came rushing back to remind him that he had a higher purpose than merely dispensing medication and doing physicals. If his clan was destined to disappear, he insisted on taking his enemies with him.
But it wasn’t time for that. Not yet, but soon. Definitely soon. The more time he spent in this charade, the easier it would be for him to forget the debt that was owed, the price that must be paid. And spending hours in the company of Megan Perez and her sweet daughter weren’t helping any.
Not for the first time, he wondered what kind of coldhearted bastard not only cast Megan aside, but tried to kill her. A man lucky enough to have Megan in his life should’ve cherished her. And to be doubly blessed to create a child together? That was such a rarity among his kind.
“Seamus? Are you in there?”
“Coming.”
Megan waited for him in the short hallway that led to both of their offices as well as to his private quarters. They’d been careful in their dealings with each other since that kiss two nights ago in his office. Even so, the memory, the potential of it, seemed to hover over them whenever they were in the same room. Maybe if they’d actually carried the encounter through to its logical end, they would’ve been able to write it off to nerves or proximity or even just plain need.
Instead, they maneuvered around each other, careful not to touch, careful not to linger, careful not to get too close. However, all that their careful dancing accomplished was to emphasize the temptation and his secret hope it might happen again. But now definitely wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
“Hi, you ready for this?”
Megan smiled. “As ready as I can be. I’ll do my best to funnel the patients through to you in the right order.”
“First come, first served…”
“Unless there’s blood involved.” She finished for him, smiling.
He’d explained the basic principles of triage to her, but that pretty much summed it up. “That is, if we get any customers at all.”
He followed Megan into her office where she settled Phoebe into her crib. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Have you looked outside lately?”
“No. Should I?”
“Follow me.”
She led the way back to the front entrance and slid open the peephole in the door. He leaned in over her shoulder to look outside, doing his best ignore to the twin distractions of the rapid trip of Megan’s pulse and the scent of her skin. He closed his eyes briefly to force himself to focus and took a look outside. Then he blinked twice and looked again.
He stepped back to put more distance between him and temptation. “The line goes all the way to the road.”
“I know. It�
��s even longer now than when I came in.”
A familiar surge of adrenaline simmered in his veins. “Guess we’d better get ready.”
“I’d better give Joss a call. She said if it looked like we’d be busy, she’d come by and take care of Phoebe for me until she goes down for the night.”
The last thing he wanted was one of the O’Days underfoot right now. Things were bound to get hectic with that many patients on his first night. On the other hand, it was doubtful he could play a triple role of receptionist, nurse and medic by himself. If Joss could free Megan up to work with the patients, things were bound to go more smoothly.
“That’s a good idea.” He closed the peephole after taking one more look. “I guess they really did need a medic on the estate.”
She smiled on her way to the reception desk. “Looks like. Joss and Rafferty will be more glad than ever that you’re here.”
Not if they suspected his real reasons for being there, but now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. He waited until Megan called Joss before unlocking the door to invite the first patient of the night through the door.
Megan’s back ached and her feet hurt, but it was a good tired, the kind that came from a job well done. Other than a couple of small glitches, the past nine hours had flown by. Starting from the initial onslaught, they’d never had more than a ten-minute break between patients all night long. They’d planned on closing at midnight, but around ten o’clock a pair of chancellors had carried in a human with a nasty gash on his leg.
As Seamus had said, blood took priority. Taking him ahead of everyone else who’d been waiting barely caused a stir. In fact, several offered to come back the next night, but Seamus had insisted on seeing each and every patient. If they were willing to wait, he was willing to see them.
She could only imagine how tired he must be. She saw the last patient out and then locked the door and turned off the outside lights. She really wanted to take Phoebe home, but not before she knew Seamus was all right. As far as she knew, he hadn’t had a chance to feed or eat all night. Rather than ask, she pulled three packs out of the refrigerator and put the blood in to heat.
He wasn’t in his office, so she went on a hunt. He was in the lab looking at a slide with a microscope.
“Seamus, can’t that wait?”
He made some notes and then set the slide aside. “That’s the last one.”
“Good. You’ve done more than enough for one night. Surely anything else can wait until tomorrow. Come on, I’ve got blood warming for you.”
He gave her a dark look but followed anyway. “Your job description doesn’t include waiting on me.”
“And I don’t plan on making a habit of it.” She blocked his office door. “No, you don’t need to spend the rest of the night at your desk. Go sit in your living room and I’ll bring it to you.”
“Megan…”
“Seamus…” she echoed, with a smile. “Look, just go sit. The faster you do what I tell you, the faster I can go home.”
He clearly wanted to argue the point, but she walked away before he could. When she returned with the packets, she found him sprawled on the sofa, his head tipped back and his eyes closed. It was the first time she’d crossed the threshold into his private quarters and wasn’t sure if she should. Both of them had worked hard the past couple of days to establish a strictly professional relationship.
Feeding him in his home was definitely on the other side of the line they’d drawn. But it would have taken a much harder heart than hers to see how tired he was and not want to help.
“Seamus,” she called softly.
When he didn’t answer, she tried again, this time reluctantly reaching out to shake his shoulder.
His eyes popped open as soon as she touched him. “I’m awake. I’m awake.”
“Sure you are. Here, take this.” She handed him one of the packets and put the other two within easy reach before backing away.
When he didn’t immediately feed, she resorted to nagging. “Seamus, that’s going to get cold.”
He inverted the packet a couple of times to mix it. “I was waiting for you to leave.”
“I’ve seen a vampire feed before. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Maybe it bothers me.”
Before she could ask why, Phoebe made her own demands known. “Okay, I hear my name being called. I’ll leave you to it.”
Joss had taken care of Phoebe as Megan worked the reception desk, staying far longer than they’d originally planned. She’d sworn she didn’t mind because Rafferty was out giving an unexpected visitor the grand tour. Once Phoebe settled into sleep, she’d gone home.
“Hey, there, little one. I’ll bet you’re hungry.” Normally, Megan would’ve preferred to take her home first so she could put Phoebe back to bed after she’d been fed. But right now, it would take too long to pack everything up and haul it out to the transport.
After changing Phoebe’s diaper, she took her out to the waiting room and sat down in one of the chairs. These quiet moments spent nursing her daughter were always the best ones of the day. She found the time soothing, the physical connection between them almost spiritual. She brushed Phoebe’s wispy hair and smiled.
“Hey there, little one. I love you.”
Tears stung her eyes. Maybe because she was tired, but the reason didn’t matter. Sometimes it hit her hard how much she’d gone through just to get where she was, safe and with her daughter in her arms. No matter what she’d given up, she didn’t regret her decision to keep Phoebe.
This might not be the life she’d envisioned for herself, but she had few regrets. A slight noise caught her attention. Seamus was standing in the shadows across the room, watching the two of them with such stark hunger in his expression. Yeah, she had regrets, but meeting Seamus Fitzhugh wasn’t one of them.
If only he was a chancellor, but he wasn’t. All the more reason to keep some distance between them.
“Don’t let us keep you, Seamus. I can let myself out.”
“Not going to happen. I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
“But—”
He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. “Megan, we’re both too tired to argue. If it weren’t so late, there’d be enough people still out and about to make it safe for you to be on your own. So either I take you home or I’ll follow you. Either way, you’re not going to be alone.”
She suspected that he’d find another excuse tomorrow night, but she really didn’t want to fight about it. Phoebe had already fallen back asleep; they could go now. Tomorrow would be soon enough to get this matter settled once and for all.
“I’ll get my things.”
Conlan had picked up the phone half a dozen times in the past two hours. Rafferty hadn’t spoken to him since Delaney’s arrival two nights ago. If there’d been any problems with the vampire heir’s surprise visit, surely Conlan would’ve heard.
Even so, he couldn’t quit thinking about the young vampire’s unexpected appearance. Maybe it was just the inborn arrogance of a vampire scion that had gotten under Conlan’s skin, but he didn’t think so. It was more the kid didn’t fit the profile of the usual applicants for residency on the O’Day estate, which made him a bit of a mystery.
Conlan hated mysteries.
“Screw it.”
He gave in and punched in Rafferty’s number. No answer. He slammed the receiver back down and considered his options. His assistant had arrived, so Conlan could go poke around the estate himself and see what he could find out.
As he waited, he thumbed through the stack of files on his desk. The third one down belonged to Seamus Fitzhugh. So far, all the information matched what the young vampire had given them. Oddly enough, that’s what bothered Conlan. It was too perfect. Next, he’d send one of his operatives to quietly interview anyone who might have really known Seamus. But as far as Conlan could tell, Seamus had left behind no friends, no family, no nothing. Hell, he hadn’t even had a parking ticket.
; Oddly enough, despite his misgivings, Conlan realized he very much wanted to approve the file. He’d liked the young vampire, but that wasn’t why. Watching Seamus fight for Megan Perez’s life had been like watching a highly trained warrior go into battle, armed with little more than his courage and determination that no one would die on his watch. That kind of heroism deserved to be rewarded.
Unlike the egotistical jerk who’d shown up the other night, Seamus deserved a chance here on the O’Day estate. Maybe he’d drop in on young Fitzhugh at the infirmary. Before he made a final decision on Seamus’s future, he wanted to look the young medic in the eye one more time.
History had proven Conlan’s judgment wasn’t infallible, but right now, it was all he had to go on.
Chapter 6
Seamus set a stack of patient files on Megan’s desk. The brightly colored folders represented the impressive amount of work they’d accomplished on their first night in business. Tonight could be just as busy. In the past, Rafferty had made arrangements for emergency care for the residents of the estate, but that was all.
Much of what Seamus had done last night was routine care—immunizations, medication renewals, minor infections. The one injury had been bad enough, but nothing that couldn’t have been evacuated to a trauma center if necessary. He’d stitched the leg wound closed easily enough. The guy would have an interesting scar, but no lasting damage.
Seamus found himself looking forward to what the night’s patient load might bring. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It had been a long time since he’d actually had anything at all to look forward to. In medical school, the heavy workload pretty much insured that all he and his fellow students had time to think about was getting through each shift, grabbing a few hours of sleep and then starting all over again.
How long had it been since he actually had some control over how he spent his days—or nights? Too long. And he was only fooling himself that he did now. He had one goal, one last duty to carry out, and to consider anything else was a waste of energy. He needed to hold the people he met at arm’s length, but that was so much harder to do than he’d expected.
Vampire Vendetta Page 7
