“Good morning.” A waitress sidled up to the table. She looked like a kindly, older woman, pen poised over a pad. She glanced down at Eve’s stomach and then back up to her and smiled. “What can I get you, hon?”
She ordered a hamburger and water. It wasn’t the usual breakfast order, but being pregnant had its upside. Her unusual food choice would be seen as another craving. But bread and meat would fill her until dinner and wouldn’t make a dent in the money she had left. Surviving was more than safety, it was food and shelter. Money was another battle she had to win. Adley placed his order and handed the waitress the menus, watching her return to the counter before speaking.
“So Eve, I have this problem.” He slid his finger around the top of his water glass, keeping his focus on the table. “The problem is, your story doesn't seem right. I mean, I can see you’re most definitely pregnant. But the loser husband doesn't wash with me.”
Eve kept her head down, trying and failing to think of a lie that might get her out of this mess. She could just not answer and leave and be on the next bus out of here. She looked out of the window, searching for a bus stop, a timetable… anything. With what money was left in her pocket she wouldn’t get very far. Her hand gripped the table, her body making the decision to stay on her behalf. It wasn’t just the money. Something else stopped her from running. Something more than the files she’d found this morning. She’d felt it the moment Adley stopped for her on the side of the road.
Her instincts told her to trust him. Trust… it was such a hard thing to do, especially when doing so meant confiding in someone other than herself. But survival was another matter. Her chances of survival might be slim with this stranger, but she knew she had no chance on her own. Eve gazed at the scars across his face and into his haunted eyes. She put into motion something she knew was unforgivable. She drew him into her fight to survive.
“I lied to you last night.” Eve started and once she did the truth poured out of her like an open wound. “I did come from Hurrow. I was afraid to tell you.”
His eyes widened. She had his full attention now. “Tell me what, Eve?”
Please, God help me. “I was attacked in my home last night and now… now he’s after me.”
“Who was it? Your boyfriend? Friend?”
She shook her head as the memory of last night swirled like a noxious cloud. The way he mauled her breasts and between her thighs. Eve shuddered and clenched her legs tight. “I don’t know who he was. It just all happened so fast.”
Adley stared at her until the silence became almost painful. She could feel her face burn and she looked away breaking the connection. Had she been wrong to trust him? Yeah, what was I thinking? I’m better off alone.
“It's okay. I can find my own way from here. I appreciate all you’ve done.” Her body ached with exhaustion and the blisters on the back of her feet made her bite her lip with each step, but Eve heaved her body along the cushion in surging movements until she stood and grabbed her bag. The waitress looked from plating their food as she neared. She wiped her hands on a towel as she stepped toward the counter. “Everything okay?”
“Can I grab my order to go instead, please?”
The waitress's smile was soft and sympathetic. “Sure, hon. No problem.” She glared at Adley and then moved back to quickly wrap her burger and place it into a bag. “You take care of yourself now.”
Her motherly concern washed over Eve. She nodded, wishing this woman was her mother, and not someone else's. “I will. Thank you.”
“Wait.” Adley leapt over the table to grab her by the arm. “Please Eve, come back to the table. I’m sorry I….”
She shook her head. The decision was already made. She was on her own.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…. Fuck, I’m no good at this.”
His tone was tinged with defeat, stalling her. Hope flickered inside her chest. She would do anything. Endure any hurt and humiliation, as long as she was safe.
“Stop… Eve, please. Can you tell me what he looked like?”
Eve closed her eyes tight, she didn’t want to remember.
“Do you know his name? Was it Edric Hasting?”
Eve could feel the life drain from her. She reached out, clawing at the counter as her knees gave way. Adley sounded so far away… so far away.
“Whoa, Eve… Eve…?” Adley was a haze but she felt strong arms around her, cradling her against his body. She tried to speak, to say something, but his face darkened. Eve could hear the waitress cry out, her words warped and garbled… ambulance?
Eve grabbed his shirt as she fell to the floor. “No! No ambulance. I… I can’t go back there.”
“Wait. I think she’s coming around….”
Eve concentrated on breathing, pushing back the darkness with each breath. Adley brushed her hair from her face with one hand while the other held her tight. “You scared me for a moment.”
Her world sharpened and she slowly sat up. “Sorry. But no ambulance, okay? I mean, I’m fine now.”
“Are you sure? ‘Cause you look really pale.”
Eve dropped her head into her hands. She tried to inhale, but the air felt heavy. “I don’t know. I really don’t know anymore.”
Adley slid out from underneath her and, though she was heavy and awkward, he helped her to stand. Her mind was still racing, still trying to figure out how Adley knew her attacker’s name.
I’ll be back for you, bitch. Her attacker’s words haunted her.
“Eve… Eve! Jesus… you look like you’re about to be sick. Come on, you need to sit down.”
She didn’t dare move. She instantly reached for her stomach as the words tumbled from her mouth. “Wait. How did you know it was him… tell me… tell me!”
A deep line formed between his brows as a storm moved in. His kind brown eyes darkened. “It was him, wasn’t it? Edric Hasting.”
She forced the whisper, terrified the mere mention of his name would conjure him into her life once more. “Yes, but he wasn’t alone. There was a woman, a beautiful woman with long dark hair. At first I thought she was there to help me. But she was cruel and vicious.”
Adley’s grip on her arm tightened until she cried out. He dropped her arm as though she’d somehow burned him and stepped back.
“There was a woman?” He reached for his chest, rubbing a spot near his heart. “She’s alive?”
“She was alive, but not anymore. Now she’s dead.”
His gaze was jerked toward her. “What? How do you know?”
This was the real test. She was not only about to confess murder to a former detective, but she was about to tell him there was no proof. She had no other option. It was either take her chances on her own… or tell Adley what he wanted to know. She prayed to God she could trust him. Eve inhaled and looked into Adley’s eyes. “Because I killed her.”
Chapter 16
Grimm
GRIMM, KALI, AND Jinx stepped off the jet at Vancouver International Airport and straight into a seventy-kilometer-an-hour Arctic wind. The Cessna Bravo piloted by Fraser made the sixteen-hour flight as comfortable as possible, stopping only to refuel before taking off again. The leather seating and fully decked-out cabin were luxurious, but the opulence was wasted on Grimm. Heading into a bomb-filled Boeing 747 kinda had that effect on a lycan.
Grimm grabbed his backpack, tightened his leather jacket, and lowered his head, making his way toward the glass double doors of the Vancouver Airport terminal. They had only hours before they were on another plane, this time for the flight back home. Flight AC033 was already illuminated on the terminal screens. Grimm glared at the humans as they hurried passed.
Ants, the lot of them, invading where they weren't wanted and destroying everything else. They scurried around him, dragging suitcases, trolleys, and children. There were so many. Their line thrived. Their proliferation only emphasized how his kind hadn't. His nostrils flared as the scent of a woman called to him, and he swallowed. Twenty-four hours and he wa
s free, twenty-four fucking hours of torture. The full moon’s call had followed him all this way, its power was undeniable. Grimm fought the need to dry-hump anything female in his vicinity.
“Grimm.” Jinx tugged on his arm. “You okay, man? Kali said we should try and scope out the perps before they board. Maybe we can all save ourselves a job, huh?”
Grimm nodded and turned to Kali, feeling his desire take one fucking huge nose-dive. She stared at him with guarded eyes, eyes that saw every twitch his body made and no doubt analyzed it. He’d thought about fucking her more than once. But he’d prefer to keep his parts intact and he had a feeling she would take great delight in skinning this wolf alive.
Kali returned his nod; her black hair swaying when she moved. Any mortal would pass her by without as much as a glance. Maybe they’d even smile and move out of her way. So pretty and delicate. How could someone so small be a threat?
She moved like a midnight river, soft, smooth, without so much as a jerk or twitch in her step. Her black hair and wide-bottom black pants floated behind her. Grimm caught the sweet smell of jasmine and the scent of her skin. Her leather bomber jacket would not only keep her warm, but would hide a weapon no metal detector would ever find.
The sword lay along her back, strapped over her black t-shirt. The hilt nestled neatly between her shoulders, the tip of the blade ending at her lower back. He’d watched her draw the blade and fight more times than he could count, and she still mesmerized him.
The first time he’d seen the scimitar lying in the weapons room he couldn't help but touch it. He’d been with the Family for about a year when he found himself alone amongst the rows of weapons in the armory. He grabbed the automatics, the knives, and the blades. Nothing excited him until he saw the sword on a bench by itself. He ran his fingers along the blade, touching the white porous surface until it sliced him, cutting deep into his flesh. His blood trickled from the wound, falling and disappearing into the handle. He cursed and turned to grab his discarded shirt, intending to wipe away the evidence on the blade. But when he turned back there was none.
He lifted the blade and ran his finger along the carved skulls and the jagged edges of their open mouths.
That’s when he saw it.
The mouths moved.
The fucking things moved.
The blood from his wound had slowed to a trickle. And so help him, he didn't fully understand why he’d done it. But he squeezed the cut, forcing his blood to run freely once more and dripped it over the blade. The viscous fluid ran up the handle, defying gravity, crawling over the screaming skulls to slip inside their mouths. Grimm screamed like the fucking girl he was and dropped the blade. The sound of his terror bounced off the walls and he ate his fist so the others wouldn't come running.
He’d never touched the blade again. Just to know something like that existed gave him nightmares. In his dreams, he could hear the thing call for him. The weapon knew him now. It knew the salty taste of his blood. And it wanted more.
Kali moved along the row of baggage attendants before stopping at a human male. Grimm could see the human react. His eyes widened at the sight of her and he adjusted his posture, sticking out his chest and flexing his arms. Grimm couldn't hear what she said, but he could guess. Her downcast eyes glanced toward Grimm and then back to the human, telegraphing fear—a good act, since fear was something he doubted she’d ever known.
The man met his gaze and glared. He brushed her hand and whispered something before turning toward a computer. The attendant’s fingers flew across the keyboard. He bent down, grabbed a piece of paper, and then slid it across the desk to her.
She whispered something to the human before she turned and made her way back to Grimm. The man waved his hand in the air, catching Grimm’s attention. His gesture was quick and to the point. He slid his finger across his own throat and nodded to Grimm, mouthing the words, you touch her again and you’re dead.
Great, another fucking fan. Grimm waited for Kali to stop before him and jerked his head to the human. “What the fuck did you tell him?”
Her gaze hardened. “Whatever it took to get this list.” Kali handed him the piece of paper. “This is the current passenger list. Those marked with red have yet to check in.”
He scanned the page, searching for something which would help them find the vamps. Some of the bloodsuckers took their founding father’s name. Not many people had the last name of Xhair or Gdahen anymore. A name like that stuck out like dog’s balls. Grimm didn’t think finding the bombers would be that easy. It wasn’t. He scanned the list twice and all he saw was a lot of fucking red.
“You stay here and watch for those checking in. Jinx and I will do a little recon and see if we can find anything.”
When he looked up, she was already gone, moving through the crowd. Stupid humans, couldn’t they see death moved among them? Grimm let out a growl. Kali had as much tact as hardened concrete. She didn’t ask his opinion. She didn’t find out if he had anything important to share with the group. She gave orders and expected him to follow them like a good dog. He had feelings, too… dammit, he had feelings, too! An ache formed in his chest. He rubbed it and whimpered… Jesus, his nipples were sore.
Grimm checked his watch, fifty minutes until they were called to board. Fifty minutes until he and five hundred and twenty-three other passengers kissed their asses’ goodbye. He moved past the row of attendants, heading toward the back of the terminal.
“Hey, you!”
Grimm glanced at the male attendant who pointed, crooked his finger and motioned him over. Shiiiit. He strode to the counter, feeling a flash of satisfaction when the human had to look up at him.
“I’m letting you know I gave her my number.” The human sounded as though Grimm should know what that meant. “If you hit her again, she’s going to call me. I’ll come and get her first, and then I'm coming for you.”
The human looked so serious, it was almost a shame to ruin his expression. But if Grimm had learned one thing in the pack, it was never to back down. Grimm leaned forward, the growl vibrating inside his chest like rolling thunder. His gaze narrowed on the man. “Then I'll be sure to leave the fucking light on.”
The human’s eyes widened and his face turned the color of pastry dough. That suited Grimm just fine. It was better the human was scared of him. Then maybe the fool might stay away from the real danger. Grimm spun, sensing Kali behind him. He caught sight of her, hidden among a group of humans. They moved away from her. She was like a drop of oil in water. Kali stared at him with a smirk on her face before she turned and disappeared, blending with the humans around her. Yeah, it was better the human was scared of the threat he saw, rather than the one ready to sneak up behind and carve him up with a savage blade.
The scent of humans became overwhelming. Their anguish at leaving their loved ones tasted bitter, invading his senses in one moment, and then turning to the sickly-sweet scent of love and joy in the next. His gut rolled and nausea took hold. He pushed his way through the crowd, seeking solace and respite until he found himself staring at the massive Boeing 747s.
The squadron of waiting planes sat, noses toward the terminal. The pilots moved around inside the cockpit and the handlers scurried around on the ground, already loading their bellies with bags and suitcases. Grimm headed toward the entrance marked Authorized Personnel Only. This would lead him down to the tarmac. His hand was on the door, sliding it open, when he froze… vampire. The scent was subtle, but it was there. The stench of blood mixed with fermented, rotten grapes. Once detected, the smell was unforgettable. Grimm stepped out the door and leaned over the rail, searching the stairs for the source as he inhaled. There was no one there.
The door banged closed behind him. He spun, pulling it open. There it was again, that faint scent. All he could see was humans. All he could smell was humans, and amongst the sickly stench of them, the scent of the vampire was lost.
He scanned the crowd, searching and moved back into the human curre
nt. The call came through the speakers, Flight AC033 to Sydney, Australia, is now boarding at gate number two. Grimm searched the airport signs with annoyance. How the fuck am I supposed to find Gate two? Grimm and the sea of surrounding humans pushed past crowded baggage carousels. He could feel his panic rising. He needed to get out of here… he needed to fight something!
Gate Two materialized in front of him, beside rows of hard plastic chairs. He stepped to the side, glad to be out of the sea of rushing humans so he could fucking breathe. Get this job done and I get back home. Maybe I can take a vacation to the Swiss Alps? Yeah right. No vacation time with this job. The two attendants looked up as he strode forward. As usual, their reaction to him played out like a scene in a movie. They smiled, smoothed down their shirt to emphasize their chests, and reached for the lip gloss and perfume. God they were so predictable… even if one was a guy.
Grimm shoved his blonde hair from his face and scratched at his stubble, searching the foyer for Kali or Jinx. They hadn't yet made it this far. Grimm exhaled slowly. Thank the Master they hadn't caught the sexual display of the attendants.
Humans crowded the rows of plastic chairs. Those who didn’t have family to see them off huddled over phones or iPads. Others waited with their family, holding them. Family… don't... don't think about it. A little girl ran out of the line of chairs squealing. She didn’t look where she was running, only laughed and stared at the man chasing her. She smacked into Grimm, bouncing off his legs and plopping down onto the ground on her bottom. Grimm didn’t know what to do. Something inside him took over and he reached for her. The child’s eyes were already beginning to water as he picked her up. She stared up at him, her bottom lip trembling.
She felt so tiny in his arms, yet so full of life and warm against his chest. He stared down at her little fists, now clenched around the collar of his shirt, holding fast to this life and to her future.
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