SEVENTEEN 4 страница

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Hurt and anger competed inside me. How could Bones just take it upon himself to decide what I could and couldn’t handle? This was supposed to be a relationship, not a dictatorship.

“Want to know one of the things I’ve loved most aboutyou? ” I asked, a feeling of betrayal welling up in me. “That you never lorded your age over me. Yeah, there’s nothing I’ve seen or done that isn’t old news to you, but you’d always treated me like an equal. Well, now you’re treating me like the pathetic little girl Max accused me of being. You want to have your nasty event without me? Fine. But whatever I would have seen later wouldn’t have come between us as much as what you just pulled did. ”

“Kitten…” Bones said, reaching out to me.

I brushed past him and went upstairs. Below, Juan cleared his throat. Rattler whispered something about giving me time to cool off. Don coughed and muttered that he had to make more calls. Bones didn’t say anything else, and he didn’t come after me.

SEVEN

MY HURT LASTED THE REST OF THE DAY. I stayed in my room, not wanting to talk to anyone, especially Bones. He’d left me alone, too, not even attempting to come upstairs.

But as the sky darkened, I decided I couldn’t just keep sulking. I showered again and went downstairs. Rodney had made dinner. God only knew where he’d gotten the steaks from; he must have sent someone to the store.

Don, seated at the table with my mother, gave me a wintry smile. “We were just discussing hiring Rodney to cook for the team. I think it would improve productivity by thirty percent. ”

I snorted, noticing Bones was outside on the porch. “Probably more. Speaking of the team, where’s the new base? ”

“Tennessee, that former bomb shelter the CIA used to occupy. With some basic renovations, we should be up and running again within a week or two. The un derground reinforcements make this facility the safest choice. ”

“I agree. When are you going there? ”

“Later tonight. ” Don nodded at my mother. “You’ll have a place to stay there as well. We’ve also relocated your friends Denise and Randy on the off chance that Max discovered their home as well as yours. ”

“God, I hadn’t even thought of that! ” I exclaimed, lashing myself for being an idiot. How could I have forgotten to consider the safety of my best friend and her husband?

Don sighed. “You had other things on your mind. Being tortured and almost killed will do that to a person. ”

Rodney set a plate in front of me, and one in front of my mother. I almost fainted when she began to eat instead of hurling it at him. Had one of the vampires gotten tired of her bitching and bitten her into a better mood?

She caught my flabbergasted look. “I watched what he put in it, ” she said defensively.

Rodney, instead of being insulted, just laughed. “You’re welcome, Justina. ”

I dragged my attention away from the unbelievable sight of my mother eating food a ghoul had prepared. “If you’re going to the new compound later, Don, I’m going with you. ”

Bones had been pacing on the porch while talking on his cell. At that, his booted stride stopped.

Don cast a pointed glance out the window before meeting my gaze. “Are you sure that’s wise? ”

“Unless you fire me, I am going there today to check on my team, ” I interrupted him. “That’s where I’m needed. ” Since I clearly wasn’t wanted with Bones later.

I ignored the muttered curse outside. Don spread out his hands. “Of course I’m not going to fire you. I’m sure the men will be glad to see you. ”

“Zero, Tick Tock, Rattler, you will be accompanying her, ” Bones said. He didn’t bother to come inside or raise his voice. With their hearing, it wasn’t necessary.

“How did you move Tate to the new location, anyway? ” I asked without comment on my assigned guard. Transporting a blood‑ crazed new vampire must have been tricky.

Don coughed. “The only way we could. In the capsule. ”

My jaw dropped. “He could have been killed. ”

Don’s expression clouded. “It was Tate’s idea. He knew how dangerous he was to the team any other way. He arrived safe and is now confined with Annette and Dave again. She’s said Tate’s already making strides in controlling his hunger. ”

It was less than a day since Tate had been turned.

“Wow. ”

Bones came back inside. I didn’t look up, but concentrated on my food. When I was done, I rinsed my plate, put it in the dishwasher, and started back toward my room.

“Just a moment, Kitten, ” Bones said. I paused, half up the stairs. He held out something that flashed in the light. “Did you want this back? ”

I glanced down at my left hand and felt a sting of shame. I’d forgotten about my ring. Good God, I had to get my head out of my ass. First not thinking of Denise and Randy’s safety, then not even remembering Max had stolen my engagement ring. That whole tortured‑ and‑ almost‑ killed thing wouldn’t cover every screwup I was making. No wonder Bones was treating me like a stupid little girl‑ I was acting like one.

“Thank you, ” I said, looking him in the eye. “I do want it back, of course. ”

No matter how upset I was over him leaving me behind tonight, my anger wasn’t going to be permanent. I’d fight Bones to see the error of his ways over treating me like a damsel in distress, but I wasn’t giving up on us. Not now, not ever.

Bones almost smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. ”

He came up the stairs. I stretched out my hand, but instead of handing me the ring, Bones slid it on my finger. The cool touch of his skin on mine, that familiar tingle of his power…all of it made me want to do nothing more than fling myself in his arms and forget about the world around us.

But there was so much more going on than just the two of us, and how we felt. Who would have ever guessed that my falling in love with a vampire was turning out to be the easiest part of our relationship? I remembered when I thought him being undead was the biggest obstacle to our having a life together. Now I knew the stakes were much higher.

“I’m leaving now, Kitten. Don will give me the location where you’ll be. I’ll pick you up afterward. ”

I let my hand slide from his. “What time? ”

“Before dawn, but not by much. ”

It wasn’t even eight. Bones had along party planned for Max. “Uh huh, ” was all I said.

He inhaled with a slow breath. Maybe he was gauging my emotions by my scent. “I love you, ” he said at last, and then left without waiting to see if I said it back.

He was already down the stairs by the time I murmured my reply.

“I love you, too. ”

I gave the interior of the new building a once‑ over. “Cozy. For a bomb shelter. ”

“It will be much more difficult for anyone to monitor, ” Don pointed out. “The exterior looks like a private airport, and the underground levels are extensive. We’ll add upgrades each day until it’s completed. ”

“Oh, I like it. ”

Rattler, Zero, and Tick Tock looked around with curiosity as well. Don hadn’t been wild about three strange vampires accompanying me, but he must have known better than to argue with Bones. Rodney, Cooper, and my mother had gone with Bones on his grisly field trip. Juan didn’t, so he was perusing the facility as well.

“Where’s the team? ” I asked.

“On the fourth sub‑ level. They’re busy moving the pieces of the obstacle course into the new training room. ”

I swallowed. It would be a huge undertaking to get everything up to speed, and it was all my fault. I was the one with the homicidal father who’d found out where our last facility was, after all.

“I’m going down there. You coming? ”

Don shook his head. “No. I’m going to check on some of the online transfers, make sure everything’s being routed correctly. ”

I left him to go to the elevators, following the signs. Juan and my three undead watchers trailed me.

I did a couple hours of lifting and moving with the guys to try and get things into somewhat of an order. This was where having those three undead bodyguards came in handy, since they could hoist cars on their shoulders if they wanted to. We made the most of them with the really heavy items, but they didn’t complain, although I was sure this wasn’t they had in mind when they were told to watch my back. I was just about to get the rappelling platform in place when Don walked in. He waved me over, an odd expression on his face.

“What’s wrong? ” I asked at once, checking my cell to make sure I hadn’t missed any calls.

“Nothing. Come to my office for a minute. There’s…something you should see. ”

“Why does everyone think being cryptic is cool? ” I wondered. Don didn’t answer. He just headed back up and left me to follow. My watchdogs quit what they were doing and followed as well. If only my team were so obedient.

I was still grumbling as we got to Don’s office. His door was closed, and I yanked it open‑ and then stopped in my tracks.

Tate stood on the other side of it. Indigo eyes ringed with green gazed at me with suppressed heartbreak. I glanced at my watch. It was just a few minutes after midnight, only a day since he’d been changed.

“He’s mastered his hunger enough to be let out for a short while, ” Annette said. She was standing a little off to the side behind him. “Remarkable, really. ”

Pink tears slid out of Tate’s eyes as he stared at me.

“I’ll never forgive myself, Cat. I’m the one who suggested using Belinda as bait on jobs, and it almost got you killed. I’m so fucking sorry. ”

I touched his face, wiping away those pink streaks. “It’s not your fault, Tate. No one saw this coming. ”

He grasped my hand. “I heard Max had gotten to you. I had to see for myself that you were all right. ”

Tate grabbed me, hugging me so hard, I knew I’d have bruises. He was probably unaware of it, not having had much time to get used to his new strength.

I pushed at him. “Tate…you’re squeezing me too hard. ”

He let me go so fast I almost staggered. “Oh Christ, I can’t do anything right! ”

It hadn’t escaped my notice that my three vampire guards were very close by. Their energies coiled in the air, as if the snow, coal, and Western‑ themed vampires were just about to strike.

“Ease down, guys, ” I told them.

“You shouldn’t be so close to a new vampire, ” Rattler said. “It’s not safe. ”

Tate’s eyes went green. “Who the fuck are they? ”

“Bones’s way of being overprotective. They’re my shadow until he gets here sometime later. ”

Annette cocked her head. “Is Crispin dealing with Max tonight? ”

“Yep. And he thinks I wouldn’t be able to stomach seeing him at his vampy worst. But he had Cooper and my mother go along. He must figure they’re tougher than I am. ”

“Or more accurately, he doesn’t care what they think of him, ” Annette replied.

“Figures you’d take his side, ” I scoffed.

The icily blond Zero moved closer to Tate. I saw it and let out an annoyed sigh.

“For crying out loud, he’s not going to bite me, so back down. ”

“Your temper and scent are exciting him, ” Zero responded in a flat tone. “He’s too newly turned to restrain his hunger from such triggers for long. ”

I cast a glance back at Tate. His eyes were blistering emerald, and if I could see his aura, it would probably be sparking. Oh. Maybe Whitey had a point.

Tate snarled, “I’d never hurt her. ”

Don, who hadn’t said anything the last several minutes, spoke. “Then go back to the chamber and prove it. ”

Tate rounded on him before he seemed to catch himself. He took in a long scent of air and blew it out through his nose.

“You’re right. Everyone in this room with a pulse is starting to smell really good. Okay. Back in the box, better safe than sorry. ”

He brushed by me as he went, taking in another long, lingering breath. “You smell like honey and cream, Cat. I’m going to make myself breathe the rest of the night, just to catch another whiff of you on my skin. ”

Oh shit. Why did he have to say things like that?

Tick Tock’s hand went to the knife at his belt. Zero moved in front of me, almost stepping on my toes to do it. Rattler just shook his head.

“You’ll be dying twice, boy, if you keep talkin’ that way. ”

Tate gave him a cold look. “That gets scarier every time I hear it. ” Then he was gone, heading toward the elevators and the lowest level where his holding cell was.

I cleared my throat. “Well. At least that wasn’t awkward. ”

Annette’s mouth quirked. “Before I join Tate, might I have a word with you? ”

I shrugged. “Sure. What’s up? ”

She glanced around. “In private. ”

“Fine, whatever. Come into my new office. ”

The three Fangsters didn’t try to follow us. Guess they didn’t feel Annette was a threat. Little did they know she and I were more likely to brawl than anyone else here.

I shut my door more for the illusion of privacy than thinking it would prevent undead eavesdropping. “Okay, what’s up? ”

Annette sat in one of the two chairs in the room. “Crispin’s right to keep you away from this, Cat. Even though you’re clearly sore with him about it. ”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’tyou start. ”

She stared at me. “I was fourteen when I was forced into an arranged marriage with the meanest, most revolting man I’d ever met…at the time. On the third night, Abbot called one of the chambermaids to join us in bed. I refused, and he beat me. After that, whenever he brought a woman into our bedchamber, I didn’t argue. A few years later, a married duchess named Lady Genevieve invited Abbot and me to her estate when her husband was away at court. She drugged Abbot, and when he slumbered, she told me she had a surprise for me. There was a rap at her door and then a young man walked in. You can guess who it was. ”

“Do I need to hear this? ” I interrupted. “Although on an objective level it’s fascinating, I don’t want to hear you reminisce about having sex with Bones. ”

She waved a hand. “There’s a point. Crispin and I were both trapped by our circumstances, you see. Divorce only existed for kings then, and a woman was nothing more than a flesh machine for reproduc tion. I did conceive, whose child I don’t know, since I’d been shagging both Crispin and Abbot, but at the time of delivery, Abbot refused to summon a midwife. The baby was breech, I almost bled to death, and my infant son strangled on his cord. ”

That took away my irritation. Even well over two hundred years later, there was no mistaking the pain in Annette’s voice. “I’m sorry, ” I said sincerely.

She nodded once. “The stillbirth rendered me sterile and I was ill for months. Crispin snuck to care for me as I convalesced. Then soon after, he was arrested for thievery. Lady Genevieve arranged for me to have a private session with the magistrate. I convinced him not to hang Crispin, but to transport him to the South Wales colonies instead. It was the only thing I could do to repay Crispin for his many kindnesses. ”

“Thank you. ”

I’d never said that to Annette before, but over this topic, it was more than due. Yeah, Annette and I had our problems, but without her‑ and Ian, come to think‑ Bones wouldn’t have lived beyond the eighteenth century.

“Nineteen miserable years passed. One night there was a knock on our bedchamber door. Abbot opened it, and then was thrown backward through the air. The hood fell back on the intruder and there was Crispin, looking not a day older than when I’d last seen him.

“Crispin told me he hadn’t forgotten me or the misery I’d endured. Then he broke every bone in Abbot’s body. After he’d killed him, Crispin showed me what he’d become, and he gave me a choice. With Abbot dead, I would inherit everything and could live out the rest of my life at court. But to me, that was only exchanging one cage for another, so I chose the other option Crispin offered. He turned me, and he has sheltered me ever since. ”

She paused to wipe away a tear. “And now to my point. You’re strong, Cat, but you’re not cruel. Nor is Crispin unless he is enraged or forced, and he is both in this instance. You’d be stricken by what you saw, but he would do no less than what was necessary. Crispin blames himself, and in part he’s correct. Vampires respect what they fear. Mercy is considered a weakness. So love him enough to give him this, even if it’s at the price of your pride. ”

She stood. Despite being confined in a room with Tate all day, she still looked as perfect as if she’d stepped from the salon.

“You confuse me, ” I said at last. “Why would you care about smoothing things over with me and Bones? It wasn’t too long ago you did your best to split us up. ”

She paused on her way to the door. “Because I love him. Even though I can’t have him anymore, I still want him to be happy. ”

She left, but it took me several minutes before I did. Things were much easier when I just hated Annette, not when I felt she had a point I needed to listen to.

EIGHT

BONES ARRIVED AT TEN AFTER MIDNIGHT. I went outside to watch the helicopter land, Cooper at the controls. Bones was the first one off. Then came my mother, Rodney, and Cooper. Cooper looked downright ghostly, but my mother seemed almost blase.

“Nowthat was informative, ” were her first words. “Catherine, you never told me that no matter how many times you sliced something off a vampire, it grew back. ”

Charming. “Guess I don’t have to ask if you had a nice time, ” I muttered. “I suppose it’ll make you easy to shop for this Christmas, though. ”

She frowned. “Must you always wisecrack? Never mind, I’m tired and I just want to get some sleep. ”

I swept out an arm. “The barracks are right this way. ”

She gave a disparaging glance around. “I remember barracks all too well from when you first started with Don. It’s like sleeping in a coffin and since I’m not a vampire, I’ll pass on that. ”

“Mom. ” My teeth ground together. “It’s only temporary. We’ll get you another place soon. I would say you could stay with Bones and me, but then there’s the whole vampire thing again. ”

“I can get a hotel, ” she insisted.

“Registered under the same name Max found you at? ” I shot back. “No. Don’s going to get you a new ID and another house, but until then‑ ”

“She can stay with me. ”

The offer didn’t come from Cooper. No, he’d been studying the ground in a rapt way during this exchange. Bones lifted his brows in surprise.

Rodney shrugged. “I have a house about two hours from here. I’m not there much, since I travel a lot, and it would be safe until your uncle found her something else, Cat. ”

I sighed. “Rodney, thanks for offering, but‑ ”

“You don’t have body parts there, do you? ” my mother interrupted. “I don’t want to open the refrigerator and find a head on the shelf. ”

Rodney laughed. “No, Justina, it doesn’t look like Jeffrey Dahmer’s hideaway. ”

She gave a measuring look toward the exterior of the building and then back at Rodney. “If my choices are staying in a barrack with a bloodsucking new vampire on the premises, or at the home of a ghoul, I’ll take the ghoul. Catherine, I’m sure one of your soldiers can give us a ride? ”

She swept away toward the barracks, Rodney following after her. Dead Man Walking, I thought, and it had nothing to do with him being a ghoul.

Bones watched them go and then turned to me. “That woman is frightening. ”

I snorted. “I’ve felt that way my entire life. ”

Bones stared at me, his expression guarded. No doubt he was wondering if I was going to start bitching at him again over how he’d kiddie‑ tabled me, but I wasn’t. I still disagreed with his reasons, but Annette’s admonition struck a chord in me. My relationship with Bones was worth a hell of a lot more than my wounded pride over what he’d done. I had to work through this issue with him, and avoidance or whining wasn’t the way to do it.

Still, I felt awkward, not knowing what to do with myself. I hadn’t given him a real greeting. My normal routine would have been to kiss him, but that didn’t feel appropriate, either. I settled on stuffing my hands into my pockets and shifting uneasily on my feet.

“So…”

I let the single word trail off. Bones gave me an ironic smile.

“Better than ‘rack off, ’ as it were. ”

“I understand why you did it, but we need to find a way to get past this sort of thing, ” I said in a rush. “Protecting the other person from what we assume he or she can’t handle, I mean. I didn’t think you could handle Don and my mother years ago, so I left, but I should have trusted you to make that decision for yourself. Just like you should have trusted me to decide about this. ”

Bones snorted in disbelief. “You’re comparing my leaving you for one night to you disappearing on me for over four years? ”

I felt a flush rise in my face. “Well, no…er, I mean, the principle’s the same, ” I stammered. “What I did was wrong and stupid and I can honestly say I regret it more than anything in my life. But tonight you didn’t give me a choice, Bones. ”

I paused, taking a deep breath and trying to let my eyes convey what I was having a hard time articulating.

“If you would haveasked me not to go, for the same reasons youordered me not to, I would have been okay with it. I would have still thought you were being paranoid, but it wouldn’t have made me feel like you were pulling a ‘me big bad vampire, you silly little girl’ routine. ”

Bones shot me a frustrated look. “Of course I don’t think you’re a silly little girl. ”

He began to pace. I watched him, saying nothing.

“I’m very weary of being the reason you need to be strong, ” he said, his eyes edging with green. “Because of me, you dangled yourself out as bait to a group of murdering white slavers years ago. You had to drive a car through a house to rescue your mum‑ while covered in your grandparents’ blood. You took a job with Don that’s nearly gotten you killed countless times. All because of me. ”

He stopped pacing to come over to me, grasping my shoulders.

“I am well sick of seeing you forced to prove your strength on my behalf, so I didn’t want you to do it yet again with Max. Can’t you understand that? ”

I covered his hands with mine. “Yes. But you didn’t make me do any of those things, Bones. Even if I’d never met you, I’d still be going after vampires, and I wouldstill have to handle the consequences of that. ”

He was silent for a long moment, staring into my eyes with that hard, penetrating gaze of his. Then at last, he gave a short nod.

“All right, luv. Next time I’ll give you the choice, not make the decision for you. ”

I gave his hands a squeeze. “I promise not to decide things for you again, either. ”

His mouth twisted. “Turns out I’ll be the first to make good on my word over this new accord. There have been some developments. Max gave us the name of the chap who sold him the missile he was going to use on your car. ”

“Do you know where he is now? ”

“Yes. ”

I felt cold anticipation at the thought of confronting that person.

“I’m going with you. ”

Bones’s expression said he hadn’t expected any other response.

“Tomorrow. ”

This was my third trip to Canada. I’d traveled there on missions for Don, but maybe one day I’d get to just visit Niagara Falls as a tourist and not kill anything.

I sat in a van with my companions. Dave was half a mile away, negotiating the sale of three hundred surface‑ to‑ air missiles, five hundred grenades, and three high‑ powered explosives. He was acting as the front man, since Bones was much more recognizable. With Dave’s extensive military background, he could talk shop with the best of the black market arms dealers. Even now they were quarreling over the grade of plastique for the potential car bombs.

No one spoke in the van. We could hear every word ourselves, so that meant any undead ears trained in our direction could as well. Cooper and Juan rechecked their machine guns, which were equipped with silver bullets. That modified ammunition wouldn’t kill any ghouls, but it would make a vampire’s day very unpleasant. Our numbers were low for a reason. Less chance of getting noticed that way.

Spade was there, picking at his fingernails as the time ticked by. He wasn’t carrying a gun. Master vampires like him and Bones didn’t need to, since they were weapons themselves. Deadly ones.

The modified bulletproof bodysuit I wore chafed underneath my clothes. It was the newest thing, a thin, flexible piece that covered all the major organs and looked like a medieval teddy. Of course, if my head got blown off, it wouldn’t do me any good, but the rest of me was protected. Cooper and Juan were also outfitted with the same material. Range of motion was greatly increased with this versus the old bulky vests.

“…not going to give you a fucking dime, this is not the product we agreed on, ” Dave was saying. “I’m supposed to go back to my client and tell them maybe the trigger mechanism will work or maybe it won’t, praise Allah and it will. You stupid amateurs. There is so much shit for sale now, I don’t need to pussy around with this Blue Light Special quality at Rembrandt prices, so fuck off and have a nice day. ”

He must have started to walk away, because there was a scurry of footsteps behind him.

“Wait a moment. Perhaps we could discuss‑ ” the agitated bargainer began before he was cut off by a laugh. Bones stiffened beside me, and Spade perked up. This must be our target.

“Harrison, I’ll take it from here, ” a cool voice interrupted.

We slid the van door open and crept out. Spade and Bones went first, their lack of heartbeats being an advantage. The rest of us would follow after the attack started. The element of surprise was priceless.

“Who are you? ” Dave asked, sounding annoyed. “Another lackey? ”

“I’m Domino, and yes, I am the boss, ” was the icy reply. “You must excuse this sample of material. It was a test. Occasionally we get undercover officers posing as buyers, but they can’t tell the difference between a bomb or a basket. You clearly know your merchandise, however. Even if I’ve never heard of you. ”

This last part was colder than the first, and with open suspicion. Dave grunted.

“How many undercover agents have you had poking around your business that lost their pulses? Last I checked, the police academy hasn’t called for undead admissions. ”

“Ah, but there is always a first time, isn’t there? Now then, I have other business to attend to. Logan, bring out the other crates. We need to finish this up‑ ”

Domino stopped speaking just before the explosion. He must have felt them coming before the two bombs that had been thrown into the warehouse detonated. The staccato burst of gunfire that erupted along with screams let me know there were more inside than we’d figured.

Juan, Cooper, and I sprinted toward the structure where flames were now leaping into the night. Keeping our heads down, we returned fire. In the blackness, I saw human and undead defenders trying to locate the cause of the bodies on the ground. Our ma chine guns crackling in the dark had two advantages. They kept the guards’ attention on us while Spade and Bones slaughtered, and we took out several targets more at the same time. Dave had two primary goals in the melee of violence around him‑ keep Domino from getting killed, or getting away.

Juan grinned wolfishly and chanted unknown taunts in Spanish as we breached the perimeter. Cooper was cooler, methodical even as he sighted down his marks with admirable accuracy. He had a slight curl to his lips. For him, that was the equivalent of cackling glee.

Once close enough, I threw the gun away in favor of my knives, which were my favorite weapon. Almost as fast as I’d fired the bullets, I threw off silver blades at the remaining two dozen fighters. The humans were easy to drop, clawing at chests as the knives sank home.

Someone jumped me from behind, knocking me down. I wrestled him, holding his snapping fangs at bay. The vampire had a look of disbelief, then his features began to shrivel as I jammed a dagger through his heart. Chucking him off, I whirled to face the next one.

It was a human about to fire point‑ blank in my direction. I spun in a midair cartwheel to avoid the bullets, savagely amused by the dumbfounded expression he wore as none of them hit me. I wrenched the gun out of the man’s hands and turned it on him. A few short bursts later and he was dead on the ground.

The next three vampires were all of lesser ages and powers. I dispatched them with my knives as Juan and Cooper unloaded round after round into the remaining forces that had lost their formation. Domino’s men were firing at anything, including one another, as our attack continued. Inside the warehouse I heard more sounds of death being dealt. Choked curses and fruitless scrambling to get away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dave, Domino trapped underneath him, a silver blade near the vampire’s heart.

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