by Tina Folsom
“Side effects?” Blake asked.
“You could say that. The long-term effect on a human is devastating. The longer the exposure, the more of the human’s mind dies. Like with an Alzheimer’s patient. It’s gradual at first, but it’s inevitable.” Ronny looked straight at Blake, his gaze open. “That’s not what I’d signed up for. I didn’t want to do this anymore. I wanted out. But—”
“Norwood wouldn’t let you,” Blake guessed.
A slow nod. “I was the only one who could manufacture the stuff. The others are nitwits. But Norwood, he knew how to keep the pressure on me. He knew about Hannah.”
Lilo’s heart contracted painfully.
“He confronted me, said he would hurt Hannah, if I didn’t do what he wanted.”
The video, Lilo recalled. The two had argued.
Ronny continued, “I tried to convince Hannah that we needed to leave, but she was stubborn and wanted to know why.”
“She didn’t know what you were doing?”
He dropped his head and shook it. “No. I had no choice, but to tell her then. I’ve never seen a person so disappointed. She threw me out. Oh God, she was so angry. I think she hates me now for what I’ve done. For what I’ve allowed to happen.” He sniffled. “I left, hoping she would cool down, but when I got back a few hours later, she wasn’t there anymore. Her dog was wandering around outside the building.”
“You brought him to an animal shelter.”
Ronny nodded. “She loves that dog, and I couldn’t take care of him, because I needed to find Hannah. I didn’t have to search for long. Steven called me. He put her on the phone so I would believe that he had captured her.”
“So you know where they’re holed up then,” Blake said.
Ronny lifted his lids, his eyes brimming with tears. Red tears. “Steven and the others had already moved their hideout somewhere else right after our argument. They figured they couldn’t trust me anymore. I checked out their old place. They were gone. I don’t know where they went or where they’re keeping Hannah.”
Lilo felt tears well up in her eyes. If Ronny didn’t know where Hannah was, how would they find her now?
“But they won’t kill her,” Ronny added. “Not as long as I keep delivering the drugs.”
35
Blake rubbed his neck and paced in front of Ronny. Was he telling the truth? His demeanor was sincere enough. Even his tears looked real. But he had to be sure.
He turned to Samson. “I want Gabriel to delve into Ronny’s memories to find out whether he’s telling us the truth.”
Samson nodded up to the mirrored window. “Thomas, get Gabriel down here.”
“Okay,” Thomas replied via the loudspeaker.
“I’m telling the truth,” Ronny yelled.
“Yeah? Well, I hope you don’t mind if I check that out, do you? Because if you’re such a choirboy, then why the fuck did you shoot me? That doesn’t fit with your pretty little story.” And Blake was still feeling a little pissed off about almost having died from a silver bullet.
“I didn’t want to do it, but I had to,” Ronny snapped.
“Let me guess: Norwood made you do it.”
“He said that somebody was onto us, and that if I didn’t take you and that woman who was with you out, they’d hurt Hannah.”
Blake growled low and dark. “You were planning to kill Lilo, too, not just me?” He practically jumped at the guy, flashing his fangs at him, his hands already curling around the scumbag’s neck, lifting him out of his chair. “I should rip your throat out just for that thought alone. If you or your cronies ever lay a hand on her, you’ll wish you were dead, because what I’ll do to you will be so painful that you’ll beg me to stake you. Do you get that? She’s mine! Nobody touches my woman!”
“Blake, drop him!” Samson ordered. “Gabriel is here.”
Blake whirled his head to the door Gabriel was just closing behind him. He hadn’t even heard Scanguards’ second-in-command enter, so furious had he been at the knowledge that one of Ronny’s bullets had been meant for Lilo. At least she wouldn’t have to find out. This was one thing he’d have to keep from her in order not to upset her again.
He let go of Ronny’s throat and dropped him unceremoniously back into the chair. Ronny immediately rubbed his throat and coughed.
Blake stepped aside. “Do your thing, Gabriel, before I lose my composure.”
Gabriel drew one side of his mouth up. “Gee, and there I thought you already had.” He remained standing at Samson’s side. “Samson is filling me in quickly.”
Blake waited impatiently while Samson relayed all pertinent information to Gabriel. Then he said, “I suggest you go as far as two weeks back to verify what he’s been up to.”
With a swagger in his step, Gabriel approached and stopped in front of the prisoner, addressing him directly, “It’s not gonna hurt.”
“Unfortunately,” Blake grunted under his breath.
But his superiors had heard it. Both Samson and Gabriel shot him dirty looks, but he wasn’t going to back down.
“As long as he doesn’t touch me again…” Ronny mumbled.
“Relax now,” Gabriel demanded. “I’ll be delving into your memories to verify that what you’ve told us is true.”
Gabriel remained entirely still and closed his eyes. Blake had seen him exercise his gift before. He didn’t do it often, believing that it was an invasion of privacy, but on occasion, when a person’s life hung in the balance, he used his special skill.
There was no outward sign that he was doing anything at all, which made this gift so dangerous. And there was no defense for it. It worked on any human or preternatural creature. Nobody was safe.
Several minutes passed, then Gabriel suddenly turned around, facing his colleagues. “He’s telling the truth. He tried to get out of Norwood’s gang—there are five others with him—and he also tried to warn Hannah. He didn’t take her. He searched everywhere for her, until Norwood called him and let him talk to her. And he also checked Norwood’s old place. It’s deserted.” Gabriel shook his head. “He doesn’t know where they’re hiding now.”
“And what about him shooting at me and Lilo?” Blake asked.
“He’s told us the truth, Blake. Shooting you wasn’t his idea. He was desperate to keep Hannah alive.” Gabriel sighed. “I have a feeling he’ll do anything for her.”
For the first time, Blake looked past the crimes Ronny had committed and just saw a man. A man who loved a woman so much, he’d kill for her. And damn it to hell, he understood Ronny now.
“Damn it, Ronny, why didn’t you come to us right away? You knew Hannah was working for Scanguards; you knew what kind of work we do. We could have helped you!” Blake growled.
“I was afraid that they were watching me. I couldn’t risk it. I love Hannah.”
Blake could understand that, too. His heartbeat slowed by a fraction. “What now? When are you supposed to deliver the drugs?”
“They’ll call me on my burner to give me the time and the place.”
Blake nodded and turned to the mirrored window of the observation booth. “Thomas, can you clone Ronny’s phone and monitor it?”
“Sure thing.”
He looked over his shoulder back at Ronny. “Do you know when?”
Ronny’s eyes darted to the clock on the wall. “In about two hours.”
“Okay.” He looked at his colleagues. “Let’s get IT on this. We’ll prepare for any eventuality.” They had plenty of protocols in place for this. “And when they call Ronny, our friend here will request that they bring Hannah to the meeting place.”
“It’s gonna make them suspicious,” Ronny cautioned.
“She needs to be there, so we can get to her. You want her back, don’t you?”
Ronny nodded.
“Then you’ll do as I say.” Blake took a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “Let’s get ready.”
John put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. “We’ve go
t it covered. Why don’t you take a breather?”
“Good idea,” Samson said, before Blake could protest. “That’s an order.”
“Oh, uh, Blake,” Thomas said through the speakers.
Blake lifted his gaze to the window, though he couldn’t see Thomas behind it.
“Lilo is here.”
“Where?”
“Up here in the observation booth.”
Oh shit! How long had she been up there? Had she heard what Ronny had said, that one of the bullets he’d fired that night had had her name on it? He could only imagine how she must feel.
“I’ll be there in a second.”
~ ~ ~
Lilo followed Blake silently as he led her to his office and shut the door behind them. Too many thoughts were swarming in her mind, producing too many conflicting emotions. Residual annoyance about Blake having left her behind was still coursing through her veins, but now something else was keeping it company. But first things first.
“How are we gonna save Hannah?” she asked. “I heard everything Ronny said. But I didn’t hear what Scanguards’ plan is now that we know Ronny doesn’t have her. What are we gonna do?”
Blake reached for her, but she pressed her hand against his chest, pushing him back. A guarded expression spread on his face. “Let us do our job. Trust me on this. Everybody is working on this already. By the time Norwood calls Ronny, we will have prepared for anything he can throw at us. We’ve done this many times before. We’re good at this.”
She breathed to calm herself. Yes, she’d seen Scanguards in action. But she wished she could do something. “I know you and your colleagues are good at what you’re doing. But I need to do something, too. I need to help, too.”
He shook his head and smiled. “There’s nothing for you to do. I know you hate waiting, but maybe I can occupy you until we get the call?” He smiled and leaned in.
She pushed him back. “Not so fast!”
He pulled back, his forehead furrowing. “I get the sneaky feeling that I’ve said or done something you don’t approve of.”
She huffed. “Where do I even start?” She planted her hands on her hips. “First of all, you can’t just use sex to make me compliant so you can leave without me! I wanted to come with you.”
“I told you it was too dangerous.”
“Bullshit! Quinn told me there were eight of you and one of him. It wouldn’t have hurt if you had taken me. But no, because I’m a woman, you think you can steamroll me.”
“Well, apparently I’m paying for it now…” he remarked dryly.
“You think that’s all? I haven’t even started yet!”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What else have I done?”
“You’re dominant and full of yourself!”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s harsh. I didn’t think you had any objections to my dominance earlier. If I recall correctly, you enjoyed it tremendously when I—”
“I’m not talking about the sex!” She scoffed. “I’m talking about you! How you behaved in that interrogation room.”
“How I interrogate prisoners is up to me.” He narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed now.
Well, so was she! “You told Ronny to keep his hands off your woman. Damn it, Blake, you have no right to talk about me like that! You told him I was yours. As if I were your property!”
Blake’s mouth suddenly twisted into a smile and he dropped his arms. “So that’s your problem? That I told Ronny that I would kill him if he hurt you? That’s what you take offense to?” He laughed.
How dare he laugh? “This is serious! I won’t be treated like one of your possessions! Just because you’re a vampire and stronger than I, you think you can order me around! I won’t have it.”
“Ah, how I love feisty women.” He reached past her and flipped the lock shut.
She shot him a stunned look. “What are you doing?”
“I’m ensuring that we have privacy while we discuss our relationship.”
She swallowed, her throat parched. “Relationship?”
He moved closer, forcing her to step back until she hit the wall. “Yeah, our relationship. So you think I’m stronger than you because I’m a vampire? I guess you must have forgotten that I was at your mercy not twenty-four hours ago. I put my life in your hands, trusting you to keep me safe. Don’t you remember that side of me? And what about when we made love? Don’t you remember the power you had over me then?”
“Power? Me?”
“Yes, you, my brave Lilo. You have power over me.” He took her hand and pressed it to the spot where his heart was beating rapidly. “I wasn’t planning this. But from the moment I first kissed you, I knew I couldn’t stay away from you. You have more power than you think, because you hold my heart in your hand.”
She shook her head. When Blake had held Ronny by the throat, she’d seen something she didn’t like. “You’re possessive.”
“I know.”
“It scares me.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be told what to do. I don’t want to be suppressed or dominated. I don’t want to be controlled.”
“Oh, Lilo, baby. You think just because I’m possessive I would do all that?” He shook his head, smiling softly. “A vampire is possessive by nature. But it’s solely to protect and take care of those he loves.” He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and tipped her chin up with his index finger. “The only place I might occasionally show my dominance or control will be in bed—and only to give you more pleasure.”
He dipped his mouth to the crook of her neck and pressed a warm kiss to her skin.
“Do you want me to demonstrate?” he murmured and pulled her into his arms.
“Blake…”
How could she be mad at him when he sounded so reasonable? After all, he was right: she had seen more than one side of him. Not just the dominant one, but also the vulnerable one. And the soft one. And it was that knowledge that made her shiver now. Because she had to admit to herself that she liked all sides of him, not just the soft one. She liked his rough edge and his dominance. Even if it spelled trouble.
“Lilo, I’m in love with you.” He lifted his face to meet her gaze. “I don’t know how it happened, but it happened. All I want to do is keep you safe and make you happy. Is that so wrong?”
In love? Her heart stopped. This big bad vampire who managed to rile her up like nobody ever had before, was in love with her?
“Blake,” she murmured, and pressed her lips onto his.
He responded to her kiss, drawing her closer and robbing her of her breath, until he released her lips a few moments later. Panting, he said, “Now about that demonstration…”
He lifted her up and carried her to the other side of the office, where he pressed a switch on the wall. At first she only heard a loud grating sound, then she saw something from the corner of her eye. She snapped her gaze to it. The paneled white wall was lowering.
“You have a Murphy bed in your office?” She gaped at him in disbelief.
“A necessity in my job. Looking after thirteen hybrids isn’t exactly a nine-to-five job. Sometimes I have to get shuteye whenever I can. So Samson approved having it installed.” He grinned mischievously. “But I’ve never used it for sex before. We could baptize it together. How about it?”
“You can’t be serious! This is your office.”
“I know it’s my office. Samson told me to take a breather. I’m just following orders.”
She pointed to the bed, which had now lowered completely. Clean-looking crisp sheets were stretched over the mattress. “I don’t think Samson meant this when he told you to rest.”
Despite her words, he lowered her onto the mattress and began to undress in front of her. “Trust me, baby, this will give me more energy than many hours of rest.”
“We can’t have sex now! We have to prepare to rescue Hannah. We need to be ready when Ronny gets the call—”
“—which won’t be
for at least another hour and a half, maybe two. My team is already taking care of everything. There’s nothing else we can do but wait.” He winked at her. “Let’s kill some time.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
He shrugged. “Another one of my many flaws. I’m sure you’ll get used to it. Now strip, baby!”
36
Blake was already naked in front of Lilo, as she started peeling her clothes off.
So she thought him possessive? She’d seen nothing yet. She would be just as possessive of him once she was his. And he couldn’t wait for that. Couldn’t wait for her to claim him. But all in good time. First he had to woo her, and show her what it was like to be loved by a vampire.
He watched her undress, feasting his eyes on her as she peeled away layer after layer, until all of her creamy skin was exposed and she lay back on the sheets. She angled one leg and coyly looked up at him from under her long lashes, her hair draped over her shoulders, reaching her rosy nipples. She looked like a pinup girl, and he was determined that only he would see her like this in the future. He just had to play his cards right.
He pinned her with his eyes, then slowly lowered his gaze to his cock, making her follow his look. He was fully erect now, his hard length pumped so full with blood, it was curving toward his navel. His balls had drawn up tight, too.
“Look at what you’re doing to me,” he urged her and wrapped his hand around his hard-on, giving it a quick tug. Pre-cum was already seeping from the tip.
Lilo shifted, propping herself up on her elbows, her breasts jiggling from the sudden motion. “Is that the demonstration of your dominance you were talking about?”
One side of his mouth curled up involuntarily. “Are you trying to mock me?”
“What if I were?”
He crooked his finger. “Sit up. I think you need a little lesson in how to treat your man.”
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, but sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. Blake bridged the distance between them with one step, bringing his groin level with her head.
“Now be a good girl and suck me until I tell you to stop.” He nudged his cock at her lips.