by Tessa Dawn
Tiffany held the phone away from her ear and listened in suspended animation, horrified to think that she might actually hear this volatile man kill a woman on the other line. “Tawni.”
The woman didn’t answer.
“Tawni!”
Still no reply.
“What park do you go to?” Tiffany rushed the words. “Can you get there tonight? It’s Tuesday—maybe I can meet you there and take you someplace safe.”
“Tall Pines Village Park,” Tawni whispered, and then she obviously cradled the phone in her hand, made a tunnel for her mouth and the mic, and lowered her voice to a barely audible sound. “Yes, yes I can! If he doesn’t kill me before then, he might drop me off—oh, but he’ll know that something’s up the moment he sees you. He’ll know that I called someone for help and—” She stopped abruptly. “Unless, unless we can make it look like a coincidence. Do you know any kids? Maybe someone around one or two years old? There’s a toddler playground on the south end of the park, so it wouldn’t look suspicious if there was another mom already there. If you just happened to be hanging out with a child, maybe pushing her on a swing or something, Saul might overlook it. He might just drop me off, watch for a couple of minutes, and then leave. But if he suspects something, even for a minute—and he’s really paranoid—then he’ll never let me out of the car.”
“Where the hell are you, bitch!” Something heavy and glass exploded in the background, like someone had tossed a lamp against a wall, and Tiffany almost screamed.
Oh my lord!
This was all happening way too fast.
She didn’t have time to think, and it wasn’t as if Ramsey Olaru was going to let her waltz out of the house, head to a toddler park in Tall Pines Village, and meet with some pajama-wearing, abused woman whom she had just met in her office the day before.
Yeah, that was really going to fly.
But if she called the police, and the woman was killed…
Well, she didn’t want to watch that headline on the news, knowing that she had turned her back on a stranger’s cry for help.
And as for a shelter, she might be able to find one and take Tawni there, but again, Ramsey would have to be intimately involved.
And then it finally hit her: Well, duh! Ramsey Olaru was a vampire. And a kick-ass Master Warrior at that.
He could crush this evil man with the flick of his wrist, not that she wanted to get in the business of arranging executions, but this guy sounded like he needed a real rude awakening, if not a straight-up beat down.
But…
She had only heard one side of the story.
What if the woman was exaggerating?
Or crazy?
What if she was psychotic and making half of it up?
Still, that broken glass didn’t sound fictional to her, and Ramsey would be able to pull any truth he needed out of Tawni’s mind, or the boyfriend’s, in seconds.
If need be, he could wipe their memories or implant a compulsion in Saul’s thick skull, replace his rage with undying servitude, tell him to never harm Tawni again. Bottom line: Ramsey could do the same thing to this jackass that he had done to Tiffany, the night Napolean had claimed Brooke: send him on his merry way with all his memories wiped clean, never to bother Tawni again.
It was a hell of a lot more simple than involving human agencies.
She bit her bottom lip and nodded.
While it felt like she’d been deliberating for minutes, the entire process had actually only taken seconds—Tiffany had synthesized dozens of thoughts in a flash. “Tawni, are you still there?” She spoke forcefully into the receiver.
“I’m here,” the frightened woman whimpered.
Lords, she sounded so, so terrified.
“Meet me at the park at eight o’clock tonight,” Tiffany said.
Tawni inhaled sharply, as if she didn’t dare to hope. “Are you sure? Can you get there? Do you know a kid you can bring with you?” Her voice rose in angst. “Because I swear, if he figures it out, he might just shoot me in the car.”
Tiffany cringed.
Well now, this was an unexpected twist. Saul had a gun?
Yeah, she could probably bring Phoenix, as long as Ramsey and Brooke knew what was up, as long as the prince had solid protection, but she couldn’t exactly stand there with an entourage, just waiting to take the batterer down.
Talk about tipping Saul off…
It didn’t matter.
She didn’t have time to work it out in her head.
There was a terrible commotion; the door to the closet—or whatever it was—flung open, and Tawni began to scream.
Tiffany’s heart pounded in her chest. “Tawni! Tawni?”
“Who the hell are you talking to?” Saul’s voice. The guy sounded murderous. Tawni had not been exaggerating.
“Eight o’clock, Tawni,” Tiffany practically panted the words. “I’ll be there with a child. Do you hear me? I’ll be there. I promise. Hang in there. Don’t—”
The phone went dead, and Tiffany held her breath, slowly lowering the device from her ear. Maybe Saul had already injured Tawni; maybe the phone had been disconnected in a scuffle; or maybe Tawni had wisely hung up before Saul could hear their plans. There was no way to know for sure.
Still reeling from the sudden rush of adrenaline, Tiffany tossed her cell across the coverlet, sat down on the edge of the bed, and just stared at the disconnected receiver for what felt like eons. Finally, she braced her head in her hands and exhaled, letting out a long expiration of anxiety: How in the world was she was going to convince Ramsey Olaru to go along with her promise, let alone convince Brooke to loan her precious son, like some stage prop for a potentially violent play?
There was no way, absolutely no way she was going to put that child in danger, even if she had to pack an entire arsenal herself to ensure his safety. But she had given Tawni her word, and her word was her bond.
To Tiffany’s way of thinking, the best way to handle it would be to arrive at the park early, place Phoenix in a swing, and try to look as natural and unthreatening as she could. Meanwhile, Ramsey could be waiting right there, on the side of the road, in his Escalade, for Tawni and Saul to pull up; and the moment Saul got out of the car, or let Tawni get out on her own, Ramsey could take control of the human’s mind. Hell, jump in the backseat if he had to.
There would be no need to wait.
And there would be no real danger—they were only dealing with humans after all.
For a fleeting moment, an image from last night’s dream popped into Tiffany’s mind, and she shivered: a large alpha wolf, standing on the edge of a high rock outcropping, with its tail tucked into a poorly disguised casing of wool.
The wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Again.
Her mind was so clouded that Tiffany couldn’t reason, but clearly, there was something else there: Yes, Ramsey was a predator, lupine in his every gesture and movement. And yes, he was as lethal as the most alpha member of any pack, but maybe there was something else—maybe he was more volatile, more dangerous, than she knew. Maybe he wouldn’t erase the man’s memories and send him on his way; maybe he would just slaughter the lowlife in front of her. Maybe he would bite her—Tiffany—just for suggesting the scenario.
She swallowed hard, trying to ease her fears.
She had given Tawni her word.
Her word.
And she wasn’t about to let the woman die at the hands of a madman, crazy or not, stranger or friend.
Besides, Brooke would feel the same way once Tiffany called her, once she explained—
The door to Tiffany’s bedroom flew open, and she shrieked, scrambling back on the bed. Ramsey Olaru stood in the doorway, all six feet, five inches of him, wearing nothing more than his skivvies, and by the arctic look on his ruthless face, he hadn’t stopped by to chat.
“I could smell your fear all the way across the hall from my bedroom,” he snarled, “and your heartbeat woke me up. What the hell
is going on?”
twelve
Brooke Adams-Mondragon stood on the front veranda of the royal manse, watching as Ramsey and Tiffany made their way up the lengthy drive. While she certainly had a few misgivings about the potentially messy situation, as a whole, it was truly no big deal.
Correction: It was certainly a big deal for the poor battered woman, but it was never a big deal for a vampire to corral, contain, and control a group of humans. A vampire’s powers were just too immense. She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled as the dark Escalade came to a complete stop, and then she made her way to the back door, strapped Phoenix’s carrier into the middle seat, and efficiently plopped the child in the SUV, all before Ramsey had a chance to jump out and help her.
“I would’ve done that for you,” Ramsey said in a polite but no-nonsense tone.
“I know,” she replied. She waved enthusiastically at Tiffany and then shrugged apologetically at Ramsey. “I’m an old hand at this,” she explained. “I don’t even wait for Napolean—it drives him to distraction.”
The sentinel nodded, lowering his chin and averting his eyes in a gesture of respect, even as Tiffany sat upright and waved her hand wildly, clearly thrilled to see her best friend. “Hey, Brookie!” the pretty blonde called.
Brooke’s heart lit at the sound. “Hey, Tiff.” It was so nice to be on good terms with her bestie again. Just the same, Brooke immediately saw through all that outward good cheer: Tiffany Matthews was clearly wound as tight as a drum, and this new situation couldn’t be helping. Brooke double-checked all of the carrier belts to make sure the connections were secure, and then she swiftly buckled her toddler into the fortified seat. “All set.”
“Hey there, Phoenix,” Tiffany cooed in a soft, high-pitched voice as the child settled into the seat.
“Be still,” Brooke admonished, when he immediately began to bob up and down like a hyperactive buoy in response to Tiffany’s greeting.
“What is he wearing?” Tiffany asked, scrunching up her nose in mirth.
Brooke chuckled. She had bundled Phoenix in a warm winter jacket, a cozy wool hat, and a pair of padded mittens, all of which were totally unnecessary for a fourteen-month-old vampire who could already regulate his own body temperature, especially when it had been sixty degrees at noon, even if it was December. She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Oh, heck; at least he won’t get cold.” What else could she say—she just couldn’t help it? Those latent human impulses still kicked in from time to time? Probably not the best thing to say to Tiffany right now, considering that conversion was undoubtedly a touchy issue.
“Well, you’re definitely right about that,” Tiffany teased.
Brooke gave Phoenix a wet and noisy kiss on the forehead, told him to be good, and then nodded once more at Ramsey, who was waiting rather restlessly in the driver’s seat. He probably wanted to get the whole sordid affair over with. Taking her cue from his demeanor, she decided to cut straight to the chase: “So, you’re sure this is a good idea?” She posed the question at both of them.
“No,” Ramsey replied.
“Yes,” Tiffany said, at the exact same time.
Great.
So, they were clearly in agreement.
Brooke chuckled inwardly, and then she waited patiently for one or the other to elaborate.
Ramsey shifted anxiously in his seat, and Tiffany shrugged.
“Okay, well, it’s a bizarre idea at best,” Tiffany began, “meeting in a park, after dark, but if the goal is to help the lady get away from her situation”—she cleared her throat and eyed Ramsey cautiously—“and to do it with the least amount of human interference or intervention possible, then I think the sentinel is our best bet.”
Ramsey snorted, and Brooke almost cringed.
The sentinel?
So it was like that?
Still?
Brooke flashed her most gracious, queenly smile at Ramsey, hoping to lessen the tension, and then she nodded. “I’m sure Tiffany is right.”
Ramsey arched his back, ostensibly to stretch. “Ever the diplomat, I’m sure Tiffany would rather approach the situation with subtlety and tact; however, I plan to simply attack it hard and fast.” He narrowed his gaze at Brooke. “Rest assured, milady, it’ll be handled swiftly and with finality.”
Brooke winced and turned to regard Tiffany, hoping to read her expression. So… Tiffany wanted to feel it out, let the situation unfold naturally, and only intervene when necessary—erase the jerk’s memories and send him on his way, only do it with kid gloves for the sake of the woman’s emotional state. Whereas, Ramsey wanted to pull up in the Escalade, wave his hand over the whole damn park, freeze everyone within a three-block radius exactly where they stood, and then handle the business with a swift and brutal mind scrub. Perhaps they would meet somewhere in the middle.
As if reading her thoughts, Tiffany offered, “He’s going to walk right up to the boyfriend, scrub his memories of the woman, of Tawni, and then tell him to relocate to Alaska, no questions asked.”
Brooke frowned. “Alaska?”
Tiffany shook her head as if to say don’t ask; then she took a deep, measured breath and smiled. “The whole encounter shouldn’t take more than five minutes, once I’ve made contact with Tawni in the park, and Ramsey’s either lured the abusive bastard out of his truck, climbed in the backseat, or followed him around the corner. Either way, I’ll tell Tawni that she and I are going to wait at the playground until her boyfriend leaves—let’s give him plenty of time to pull away—and then my own friend, who’s waiting nearby, will help her escape. Depending on how it unfolds, Ramsey will just have to erase her memories, too.” She turned to face Prince Phoenix and reached over the console to give him a pat on the lap. “Our little one should only be out of the truck for a couple of minutes.”
Brooke nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want backup?”
Ramsey frowned. “Santos and Saxson are working tonight, and Julien needs to hunt—the male hasn’t fed in a month.”
“Right,” Brooke said, “but what about Saber Alexiares?” What she couldn’t share, not even with Tiffany, was the fact that Napolean had a sixth sense about the fearsome male who used to be a Dark One. He was watching Saber closely, seriously considering him as a potential fourth sentinel, hoping Saber would come to the conclusion on his own. Of course, nothing would happen unless and until the stubborn vampire finally made a full commitment to the house of Jadon, unless and until he finally placed that crest ring on his finger and took the public oath. Still, he was probably available. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Brooke said. “He’d be happy to accompany you, if you asked.”
Ramsey grew unnaturally quiet, as only a vampire could do. He was undoubtedly thinking the same thing. “Thought about it,” he bit out, “but… that ring.” He shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong: I trust the male as much as one predator trusts another, and he’s even starting to grow on me as an individual, but—” He sighed, letting his hunched shoulders relax. “Until I see the insignia from the house of Jadon sitting on his fourth, right-hand finger; until I watch him bleed for the people and hear him vow to die for the same; I’m not going to extend that kind of invitation to him.” He cocked his head to the side in reflection. “He needs time? That’s cool. But so do we.”
Brooke leveled a private gaze at Tiffany, and the two exchanged an alrighty-then, perhaps-we-should-just-leave-this-subject-alone glance, before returning to a companionable silence.
After a few awkward moments had passed, Brooke adjusted Phoenix’s straps one last time and kissed him once more on the cheek. “Well, he is just a human, this abusive boyfriend. Even little Phoenix here could probably get the best of a mortal.”
Tiffany glared at her then, thumbing her own chest in an exaggerated gesture. “Um, speaking as the resident human in the car, let’s not be rude.”
Brooke chuckled, and Ramsey quirked his lips in a subtle but affable smile. “Right,” Brooke said. “How
soon we forget.” This invoked an even harsher glare from Tiffany, which made Brooke decide to back off, drop it altogether. She kissed Phoenix a third time, drawing a somewhat impatient glance from Ramsey, and the child squirmed. “Be good, my brave little Justice, and look out for Auntie Tiff.”
Phoenix bounced up and down excitedly in the seat and shook his Bobee back and forth—thank all the gods of providence, the stuffed toy was back in its master’s arms. “Auntie Tiff!” he squealed, causing the brooding blonde to laugh.
“And on that note,” Brooke said, stepping back from the open door, “I will let you guys get to it, and I’ll see you back here within the hour.”
Tiffany glanced at Ramsey, and they exchanged an unspoken understanding. Yep, they were closer than they pretended to be, more deeply bonded than they realized. “The way Ramsey drives, we’ll be back in a half an hour,” Tiffany said, and then she laughed.
And so did he.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be quick about it,” he added.
Brooke nodded. “Very well.” She smiled at her best friend. “You’re a good person, Tiffany. This woman was lucky to have met you.”
Tiffany simpered. “Yeah, I guess. I really shouldn’t be getting involved, but damn; how do you do nothing when you can do something, ya know?”
“You learn… in time,” Ramsey said evenly.
Brooke winked at Tiffany. “Napolean is pretty strict about the laws, the ones that govern our interference with human concerns, but I think in this instance, he would understand. This woman approached you—at the executive Prime offices, no less—and now, she’s calling you at home? As far as I’m concerned, that approaches house of Jadon business. Better to send them both on their merry way than to let the situation continue… or escalate.” She shut the door with a crisp thud and stepped away from the Cadillac, waving once more at both Tiffany and Phoenix, while biding her time.
