Night Hawk Trilogy (Night Hawk Series)

by J. E. Taylor

  With Naomi, it was fire and ice and I couldn’t seem to regulate the emotional impact she had on me. I sighed, pulling my palms away from my face and sure enough, she sat with her arms around her legs and her chin resting on her knee like the sweet child she was at heart, but instead of a pout, she just studied me with interest.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Sometimes you can be just as juvenile as a teenager.”

  “Oh, and you can’t be?” My comeback brought forth a sour expression and she dropped her hands, reaching for the computer. I didn’t stop her and as she scrolled down the message, taking in everything that I had scanned, her face paled and her gaze rose from the screen.

  “He’s a real prick, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.” No argument from me there.

  When her gaze dropped back to the screen and her fingers started plucking on the keyboard, I sat up.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Responding in kind,” she said and offered me a sly smile. “Since he knows I’m alive, I have a few choice words for him.”

  “Don’t,” I snapped, grabbing for the computer and she pulled it away from me. Messing with Lucifer wasn’t a prudent thing to do.

  “Why the hell not?” she asked.

  Her glare said it all and I rolled my eyes, snatching the laptop from her before she had the chance to hit send. I went to close the browser and paused, raising an eyebrow at the equally disturbing descriptions she typed. I moved my gaze from the screen to her and pressed my lips together, shutting off the smirk.

  The temptation to send her scathing prose was just too much and I hovered the mouse over the command, at the last second I move away from the button and closed the window, opting for at least one more night of safety before sending Lucifer on an all out manhunt. I shut down the computer and dropped it back in my bag.

  “What are we going to do for the rest of the day?” she asked glancing around at the small space.

  I sensed her unease, her inability to sit still and smiled. There were a thousand and one things I could think of to pass the time, none of which included a stitch of clothing.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  I raised my hands in the air and laughed. “You’re the one who asked the stupid question.”

  “When the sun sets, I want to go after Mark,” she said and all humor in me evaporated.

  “That’s not a good idea,” I said.

  “They won’t expect it and I’ll be able to dole out a bit of revenge.” She sent that sexy smile that sent my blood into overdrive, but underneath there was a dangerous and deadly streak. “Besides, he’s the only human I want to drain dry. He sold me out thinking he’d find fame, well, I’ll give him the headlines he’s searching for. He just won’t be alive to see it.”

  “You are a very evil little girl,” I purred and got to my hands and knees, crossing the distance between us.

  “Not,” she said with a laugh and shuffled away, hopping to her feet and retreating far enough to avoid my reach.

  Catching her scent, I moved, slamming her into the nearest wall, pinning her to the flimsy metal. “You like to play games, don’t you,” I whispered and met her gaze.

  She sent a shrug my way and I raised her arms over her head, enjoying the feel of her against my chest, even with the t-shirt.

  “Are you always this way?”

  “What way?”

  “As horny as a tomcat with a room full of females in heat.”

  I chuckled, not because of the analogy, but because it had been my M.O. for as long as I could remember. And even though the situation with her was worlds away from the whores I bedded, the basic fact that sex and revenge ruled my world wasn’t a mystery.

  “Yes,” I admitted. “Although you have ignited an entirely new desire.”

  “And what might that be?” she teased trying to weasel out of my grip.

  “The will to live,” I whispered and crushed her lips under mine.

  Chapter Thirty-three – Naomi

  Breath stealing had become the norm with his kisses, but this time, it was the words uttered before his mouth found mine. When he pulled away, I met his gaze, all teasing and fun slipped away.

  “What do you mean?” I searched his smoldering features.

  Damian paused, running his hands down my arms before pulling me into a tight grasp, all of which clouded my focus and doubled my heart rate, but I needed to know. When he leaned in to kiss me again, I moved back.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “I didn’t care whether I lived or died until I sank my teeth into your throat.”

  He kept my gaze, striking me speechless.

  “You changed that,” he added, shifting under my silent stare.

  “Why?”

  All I got in answer was a shrug and my eyebrows rose. His gaze dropped and for a moment, I saw underneath his façade, into the pain in his soul.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m wondering if at some level I knew you were one of Michael’s bloodline,” he whispered and shifted again, pulling away. “Like I knew it was a suicide mission.” His hands dropped and he went to turn away.

  “Damian,” I said and he turned, meeting my gaze.

  “I never bet on you biting me,” he whispered. “And I sure as shit never thought I’d fall in love with you.” He reached out and ran the back of his knuckles over my cheek. “And now that I have, I don’t want this to end.”

  “Who says it has to?”

  His gaze softened and he tilted his head, looking at me as if I was a four-year-old child that had just asked for the impossible. “We both know how this ends,” he said.

  The hell I did and I sent him a silent challenge that made him chuckle.

  “God, you’re so fucking naïve,” he whispered.

  “Don’t be so condescending,” I snapped, my mood souring at his tone.

  “I’m not trying to be,” he said and pulled me back to the mattress, waving for me to take a seat before he continued. “Before all this, I was an annoyance to…” He pointed at his computer. “But I’ve now upgraded to a bonafide member of his hit list. No one survives that, even with Michael on their side and I don’t even have him in my court now.” Damian rubbed his face and sat next to me. “Honestly, if he catches up to us…I wouldn’t want to survive after the things he’ll make me witness.”

  He took my hand and brought it to his lips.

  “So, right now I’m a bit averse to walking into a position where he could trap us.”

  “Look, I am a big girl, and I know how dangerous it is out there, but Luc…” I clamped my mouth closed on the name and started again. “But he knows you wouldn’t walk me into that situation. That’s why we should strike tonight. Because it will not be expected.”

  I could see my logic chipping away at his reluctance and he sighed, when he met my gaze I knew I had won my argument and I tried not to gloat.

  “Hell hath no fury?” he said and dimples made a brief appearance.

  I pushed him and he smiled, yanking me to him as he stretched out on the mattress.

  “If I’m walking you into the lion’s den tonight, I better take advantage of every second I have with you today.”

  “Oh, really?”

  He didn’t answer with words, instead he grinned and pulled me to his lips.

  Chapter Thirty-four – Damian

  Hours later, I lay with her sprawled across my chest, her light snores bringing a smile to my lips, but it was fleeting as I let my mind drift to the approaching sunset. My gaze drifted to the fading light leaking through the doors, painting shadows on the ceiling and I wondered what the sun would feel like.

  If Lucifer found us, that’s exactly what the morning would bring and I had seen enough vampires reduced to dust to know it wasn’t a pleasant end.

  Her head rose and she met my gaze.

  “Stop worrying,” she whispered and stretched.

  “Easy for you to say, you’ve n
ever seen Lucifer in action,” I said and she stiffened, her eyes widening. It took me a moment to understand her reaction and then what I had said slapped into my brain.

  “Oh, fuck,” I muttered and slid her off me. “Get dressed,” I ordered and crossed to the front of the container, grabbing my damp clothing and sliding them on. A glance at my watch told me we didn’t have much time before sunset, but it was enough to trap us in this metal tomb.

  I heard the click of a gun and turned toward Naomi as she came around the boxes with her jeans, weapons belt and the skintight black camisole that made me want to forget about the coming danger. When she tossed me the gun in her hand, I stared at it and snapped my gaze back to her.

  “You do know how to shoot a gun, right?”

  “Where did you get these?”

  “From those assholes that broke into Valerie’s house,” she said, flipping the safety on her gun and slipping it into her waistband. “You do know how to shoot, right?”

  I nodded, it was one of the things I had learned over the years, but from her display at the house, I was sorely lacking in skill in comparison. I made sure the safety was on and slid the gun into my coat pocket before dragging her back through the maze. She kept glancing at her watch and the door while I packed up my computer, zipping the backpack before cracking open the cooler. A half dozen blood bags sat in the bottom and I pulled three out, tossing them to Naomi.

  “Power up,” I said and did the same.

  Naomi handed me her empties and slid on the black bomber jacket she had shoved in the duffel bag and stood looking every bit as formidable as she had that first night. She folded the mural and handed it to me.

  “Do you have room for this?”

  It fit neatly on top of the computer and I zipped the bag closed. My heart clanged in my chest with each passing minute and I stepped toward her, sliding my backpack over her arms and clipping it across her stomach before giving her a kiss.

  I handed her the gun. “You’ll have to do the shooting. I’ll do the flying.” With a big inhale, I glanced at the watch again. “I’m not sure if we should open the door or barrel through it.”

  “Will going through the door hurt?”

  “No, but it will leave no doubt about where we had been.”

  She pulled the clip out of the gun and stared at the neatly lined bullets before snapping it back in. “If you fly farther north, will you be able to loop around to the city without being seen?”

  “We’ll find out.”

  “How accurate is his intuition on where we are?”

  I shrugged and took a deep breath attempting to settle the nerves skittering over my skin like a hoard of spiders. “I don’t know.”

  “Then let’s chance going out the door. That way if no one is there, we can at least lock the place up,” she said.

  I debated, weighing our chances. Another glance at my watch told me I only had seconds to make a decision before the sun dipped below the horizon. “Okay,” I whispered and she offered me a smile of support. “I won’t be able to fly far, not at twilight, but I think I can get us to a shopping center and then we’ll have to procure a car.”

  “Procure?”

  “It sounds nicer than steal,” I said and her dimples appeared.

  “I thought you weren’t a thief?”

  “This isn’t the time to razz me, love.” I turned and plucked the lock out of the track. “You ready for this?” I asked and she stepped close, flipping the safety off and positioning herself in ready stance, with the gun aimed toward the door.

  “Go,” she said.

  I leaned down and gripped the door, sending one more glance in her direction before I pulled it up and slid outside with her leading the way. It took me a second to flip the lock and I didn’t wait for her to give the all clear. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her and launched us over the building into the woods to the north.

  No bullets flew in our direction and I landed at the edge of the woods near a strip mall. My heart still clanged in my chest, but the overwhelming fear abated a fraction. It had been years since I hotwired a car and I scanned the slim pickings and then glanced back at Naomi.

  “None of these will work,” she muttered.

  “Why not?”

  “These shoppers aren’t planning on being here for a long time. We need more than fifteen minutes to get out of town,” she said and my curiosity bloomed.

  “When we get out of here, you’ll have to fill me in on how you know that,” I said and unclipped the backpack, slipping it off her back and slinging it over my shoulder before taking her hand. “If not here, then where?”

  “A mall garage would be best, but it doesn’t look like that’ll be easy to find here, so let’s look for something covered in frost or with a thin layer of snow. That’s a vehicle that hasn’t been used and the likelihood of it being reported right away is lower.”

  “Okay,” I said and let her lead the way. She handed me the gun and I stashed it in the backpack before we stepped out from the woods. We crossed through the parking area and circled behind the building. A car with a frost-bloom pattern on the windshield sat behind the building. “Like that?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” I asked, trying to squelch the budding irritation.

  “Because I’m willing to bet the owner works here and is just about ready to leave.”

  As if on cue, the door on the back of the store swung open and a man with grey-speckled hair and a weathered face stepped into the alleyway, taking a moment to light a cigarette. With it hanging from his lips, he pointed his remote at the car and it beeped.

  We were in the shadows, less than ten paces away and I traded a glance with Naomi, seeing the spark in her eyes. Perhaps our luck had changed and when the car door opened, I nodded my head in his direction. Naomi understood and she stepped out of the shadows, clearing her throat.

  The man spun, and his eyes widened, but the cigarette didn’t move from his lips. When his gaze focused on her, it softened.

  “What’s a sweet thing like you doing hanging out here?” he asked.

  Naomi shrugged. “I think I’m lost,” she whispered and the confused pout she wore even suckered me in. When she slowly stepped toward the man, I almost laughed at his incredulous expression. “The last thing I remember was taking a drink at a party and then I woke up in a deserted car. I don’t have any idea where I am. Can you help me?” She stopped a few feet from him.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked and concern laced his voice.

  Naomi shook her head. “I don’t think so. Can you tell me where I am?”

  “You’re in Albany, darling.”

  Naomi let out a sharp laugh and looked around, raking her fingers through her hair. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “I’m from Pittsburgh.”

  Her ad-lib was priceless and I covered the grin.

  “How in god’s name am I going to get home,” she said, her voice rising with panic.

  “I can take you to the bus stop if you’d like,” he offered and pulled the cigarette from his lips.

  Naomi blinked at him and then rummaged through her pockets. I swore her chin quivered. “I don’t have, I don’t have any money,” she whispered, her voice lilting the way a girl about to cry does. She crossed her arms and shivered.

  “Look, let me get you out of the cold and if you’d like, you can use my cell phone to call someone.” He waved to the car and she hesitated before offering a nod and rounding to the passenger side. When she closed the passenger door and took the cell phone from his hand, I moved, opening the back door and sliding in before either of them could react.

  Her eyes widened when I placed the barrel of the gun to the back of his head.

  “Drive,” I snarled and had to hand it to the old man, he kept his cool and slid the keys into the ignition.

  Naomi clung to the phone and moved herself against the passenger door, her expression one of absolute fright and I nearly lost the glare in my expression.

  “Is he
with you,” the man snarled at Naomi and her gaze moved from the gun to his face.

  She shook her head and whispered, “No.”

  Even I believed the lie.

  He stared at her a moment and then met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Son, I suggest you put that gun away before someone gets hurt.”

  “I suggest you drive before someone gets hurt,” I snapped back.

  His lips thinned and he put the car in gear, pulling out on the road.

  “Where exactly am I driving?”

  “South, towards New York City,” I said and glanced at Naomi. “What are you looking at?”

  Her gaze dropped to the phone in her hand and she turned toward the windshield.

  “You don’t have to be rude,” she muttered and I almost burst out laughing.

  “Why don’t you show me what you have in your hands before I blow your friend’s brains through the windshield?”

  Naomi stiffened in the seat and she slowly raised the phone. I reached forward and plucked it out of her grip. She gave the driver another one of those forlorn looks.

  “What’s your name,” I asked and she glanced at me.

  “Anna,” she whispered, using the same name she had with Valerie.

  “Well, Anna, you might want to stow the attitude, otherwise this is going to be a very long three hour ride.”

  “What are you going to do with us once we get there?” the man asked as he pulled onto the freeway.

  “Nothing. You’re just on a six hour joy ride as long as you both cooperate.”

  “Bullshit,” he muttered and glared at me.

  “What are you doing with such a hot thing anyway?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “I was taking her to the police station,” he said, sending me a challenging stare.

  “I thought…” she began and stopped. Instead of continuing, she crossed her arms and slumped in the seat. “New York City, Albany, it doesn’t matter,” she muttered. “It’s still a long ass way from home.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked and tapped his head with the barrel.

  “None of your fucking business,” he snapped and I smiled in response.

  “Okay, in that case I’ll just call you Lebaron, after your shitty car.”