by P. A. Lupton
I kissed him, a gentle, chaste meeting of the lips. “I’m glad you did, and I’m glad you found him in time.”
“He wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Hayley.” Morrison said with appreciation.
“Hayley?” I looked around and realized I’d forgotten there was a third person standing here. It was Hayley. Nathan had found her.
She was even more beautiful in person than in her picture, and she had an air of innocence about her that was refreshing. Her hair and eye color were similar to my own, though her hair was cut in a cute, wispy pixie cut. She wore a faded pair of blue jeans with rips in the knees and a white blouse. She extended her hand to me. “Hi, I’m Hayley. It’s nice to meet you.”
She was so nervous. I ignored her hand and pulled her into an embrace. “Hi Hayley, I’m your cousin Brianna.” She was apprehensive at first, but then I felt her return my hug.
I pulled back, examining the beautiful woman standing in front of me. “I am very happy to meet you, but I thought Nathan was going to take you somewhere safe?” I asked before turning to Morrison, “and what do you mean he wouldn’t have found you without Hayley?”
Nathan cleared his throat and answered. “I attempted to convince her to have me to bring her to a safe house. However, stubbornness seems to be a genetic trait in your family—among other things.” The statement was made with admiration. “Hayley has also been blessed with a gift. It was her ability that saved Todd’s life.”
I looked at Hayley who blushed from the attention. “Oh? What is your gift?” I asked with curiosity.
“Umm... I get visions of past and future events when I touch objects. When Nathan gave me your letter—thank you for that by the way—I had a vision of her,” she pointed to Lisa who was still lying unconscious on the ground, “attacking the two of you. We raced back, but made it there minutes after she took you. Agent Morrison was almost dead.”
“Then when you told me John was involved,” Nathan cut in, “I retrieved an item that belonged to him from his work locker. I gave it to Hayley and she had a vision of where you were being held.”
His expression suddenly became haunted. “She also saw what he did to you.” His jaw clenched tightly, the powerful muscles in his neck flexed. Violent anger surged inside him. Despite the inferno of emotions, his expression became cold and icy. Suddenly, I thought it was a good thing for John that he was already dead. Based on Nathan’s expression, he would have killed him—painfully.
“Nathan, I’m absolutely fine. In fact, I’m practically ecstatic right now. It was all worth it. My family is safe, and the monster that killed my mother and the rest of my family is dead.” I sneered down at Lisa who hadn’t even stirred. “What are we going to do with her?”
They ignored the question, and when my eyes returned to the others I noticed they were all staring at me. “What?” I asked.
Nathan tentatively walked toward me. “Brianna, please do not take this question to mean that I am ungrateful. I am amazed, but curious. How did you fight off Lisa and John by yourself?”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Once John died, the power I’d borrowed from him was gone. I was so happy to see everyone that I didn’t think to mention it before. “I channeled his power and used it to heal myself. Not to mention, kick his evil ass.” The corner of my mouth curled into an arrogant grin.
His returning smile was wide, and filled with emotion. “You channeled his power? That is spectacular. And here I thought I was coming to rescue you.” His voice was infused with so much pride my chest tightened and tears pricked the back of my lids.
“I may not need rescuing, but I definitely need you. I would’ve never thought to try to channel his power if it wasn’t for you.” I caressed his face tenderly. “I remembered our weekend training sessions at the house. It was like your voice was inside my head, telling me that it was possible if I believed in the outcome. You made me believe in myself.”
He leaned down and took my lips in a possessive kiss. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 23
“Home?” Where did he mean by home. He’d only asked me to move in with him to keep me safe. Did this mean he would bring me back to my apartment now? The thought of moving away from him left me feeling suddenly forlorn.
“Yes home...to our place.” His gaze fixed keenly to mine as he stressed the word ‘our’.
“Our place?”
He cupped my face in his hands with such tenderness I had tears pooling in my eyes. “Yes, our place. You had better not have some crazy notion about moving back to your apartment now that the danger has passed. Fair warning if you do, I will be moving with you.” His voice took on that forceful tone that brooked no argument. “Do not misunderstand, I like your apartment just fine, but there is a little more leg room in mine.”
My heart did somersaults in my chest, and I was overwrought with happiness. Thank god. He wanted to stay together too.
“You said it yourself. I am rather accustomed to getting my own way. You may as well acquiesce now and avoid a struggle.” His expression changed from serious to teasing in the blink of an eye, a gentle grin curving his mouth.
I gave a faintly amused chuckle. “Well, since you put it that way. I guess there’s no sense in fighting it if I’m just going to give in eventually.” I rolled my eyes and smiled as I pulled him down for a kiss. A satisfied grin tugged at the corner of his lips. He leaned down, brushing his lips across mine with a lazy drawn out kiss. His mouth, moving against mine, was full of latent sensuality and had my knees weakening within seconds.
I almost forgot about Morrison’s presence until he cleared his throat, not so subtly. “Um...I hate to interrupt when the two of you are clearly having a moment, but Reece you can’t go anywhere until we figure out how we’re going to clean up this mess.”
“Shit,” I sighed leaning my forehead wearily against Nathan’s chest. I really did not want to deal with this mess after everything that had happened tonight. The first rays of the morning sun were already dawning, and I was bone tired.
“Morrison, will you cuff Lisa and put her in the back of your car until we figure this out.” He began moving toward the still unconscious body when Nathan interrupted hesitantly.
“Brianna? You cannot arrest her. The council will not allow her to be taken into custody. She poses an unacceptable threat to all of us. We cannot risk the exposure.” The statement was calm as his dark, compelling gaze settled on mine.
“And what would you have us do—let her go?” I asked incredulously, anger suffusing the words.
A jaded expression overtook his features as he arched his brow, deliberately. The look practically screamed, “don’t be so naïve,” though the words were left unspoken.
I sucked in a horror-struck breath. “They’re going to kill her!” It wasn’t a question, more of an appalled statement. I knew it was true the moment I took in his expression and noticed his features were softened by regret.
“Brianna, she is an accomplice in the murder of four witches.” He began to list each of her transgressions on his fingers. “She participated in the torture and murder of an innocent woman less than a week ago. She attempted to kill you and would have succeeded in killing Agent Morrison tonight had I not interceded. She does not deserve leniency.”
The placating tone of his voice grated on my nerves, but I knew he was right. Regardless, I couldn’t turn her over to be killed. She was still my sister, no matter what she’d done.
“Nathan—I can’t.”
“What do you suggest? If you arrest her and she blathers on about vampires and witches, what then?” His words were spoken evenly, but I could feel his frustration rising.
“If we don’t arrest her the case is left open, and you remain a suspect.” Morrison interjected, pointedly.
“And if Morrison and I don’t come up with answers soon they’ll assign someone else to the case. That also risks exposure, and leaves too many unanswered questions.” I latched onto Morrison’s argument desperately t
rying to convince Nathan we needed to find another way. It was one thing taking a life in self-defense, but another thing entirely to hand someone over to their slaughter. That went against everything I stood for.
My mind churned frantically, struggling to come up with a solution that we could all live with. Something that would clear Nathan’s name, save Lisa’s life, and not risk exposing the existence of vampires and witches.
Finally, a thought struck me. “I might have a solution,” I said garnering the attention of both men. “We basically have two problems to overcome. First, we need to explain how the girls were killed without leaving a single distinguishing mark. Second, we need to give the FBI a murderer who isn’t going to rant about vampires.” I ticked off the list sequentially, a plan beginning to form in my mind. “Or if they do—no one will listen.”
“I recognize that look.” Morrison said. “You have an idea, don’t you?”
“Nathan, when you were explaining about the laws for vampires you had mentioned someone who had the ability to influence a person’s memory. Do you remember?”
“Yes. Antonius, he is an elder and he does have a talent for memories—though he cannot erase them.” He tilted his head curiously. “Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking. We need to give the FBI enough truth to keep Lisa behind bars forever, without exposing vampires and witches in the process. The circumstantial evidence is strong enough to tie her to every victim. We have video of her meeting Susan Marcone while she was treated in the hospital. The bartender I interviewed can link her to Leslie Harper on the night she died, and we know she communicated with the other victims on your behalf, so her phone records will prove she had contact with them. That coupled with her motive should—”
“What motive?” Morrison and Nathan interrupted at the same time.
I glanced sheepishly at them, just now realizing that in all of the commotion, I neglected to tell them the reason she came after my family in the first place.
“Me.” I answered.
Everything Lisa had told me earlier, the fact that she was my sister, my father’s abandonment, how she schemed to help John track down my family, I relayed all of that information to Morrison and Nathan. I watched as identical expressions of shock and sympathy dominated both men’s faces before Nathan broke the silence. “I’m so sorry Brianna.”
I struggled to swallow the lump that had risen in my throat. “Despite her hatred of me, Nathan, she’s my sister.” Tears burned against my eyes with the need to be released, but I held strong. “I can’t turn her over to be executed.
He closed his eyes and inhaled roughly. “Tell me your plan.”
“You said that Antonius could alter memories, re-order the events and confuse them. Sometimes even add new memories. Is that right?”
“Yes, but on a limited basis.” He answered carefully.
“If I could get him to the coroners that performed the autopsies on our victims, could he add a memory?”
“What kind of memory?”
“The memory of finding a small mark on the victims to explain how they were exsanguinated.”
“I would have to ask him, but I do believe something that minor would not be a problem.” The beginnings of hope began to bloom in his voice as he answered the question.
“You had said that he can see memories, that they are woven together like an afghan and each memory a thread?”
“That is how he described it to me.”
“Do you think he could unravel those threads? At least enough of them to make it appear as though she’s confused, like she’s had some sort of psychotic break?”
A slow smile tilted at the corner of his mouth. “That is a possibility.”
“Perfect. She’d be assigned a public defender who would argue insanity and she’ll most likely spend the rest of her life in a psychiatric ward.”
“DNA tests will confirm she’s my sister and all of the victims were my relatives, which will verify the story and nail down her motive. No one will know the victims were witches, and your name will be clear. Even if she does say anything about witches or vampires she’ll be so confused everyone will assume she’s crazy.”
“What about the written reports.” Morrison asked as if he’d just realized what we would have to do.
“You and I will have to change those, and the autopsy reports.”
Morrison groaned at my answer. Neither of us was thrilled by the prospect of altering official FBI and medical documents. “Morrison, I know how you feel, I don’t want to change the reports either—but we are doing the wrong thing for the right reason. We have no choice, it’s either this or they’ll kill her. The least she deserves is to spend her life behind bars for what she’s done.”
“You’re right, I know. I just don’t like it.” He whined.
“I think this will work Todd.” Nathan rubbed his hand soothingly along my back. “I will call Antonius and see if he is willing to help.” He kissed my forehead softly before he walked away while reaching for his phone.
I glanced briefly to the car where Hayley stood, patiently waiting for us to finish our discussion. “At least one good thing came out of this.” I said to Morrison as I inclined my head toward Hayley. “I have a family now.”
Nathan returned a few minutes later. “Antonius will do it. However, the council has demanded an audience with me first.”
Outwardly, he appeared calm, but he had raised his shields so I couldn’t read his emotions. The fact that he was trying to hide his emotions from me caused alarm bells to sound in my head.
“What do they want?” I asked suspiciously.
“They have commanded an appearance to face charges for changing Todd without formally requesting consent beforehand. I am to appear tomorrow and await their judgment.” His mouth curved in a gentle, reassuring smile. “Do not worry it is simply a formality.” He shrugged nonchalantly as if there was nothing to worry about.
“If they find you guilty,” I pressed, not swayed in the least by his casual act. “What is the punishment for siring a vampire without expressed permission?”
“Do not worry about it. I will most likely not be convicted under the circumstances.”
“Not likely?” I snorted. “They are the council. They can convict you if they choose to. So, what is the punishment?” He let out a lengthy sigh. “The punishment is death.”
“What?” “What?” Morrison and I gasped at the same time.
“Over my dead body.” I swore, swallowing the lump of fury that had seized me. “I’m coming with you.”
“No, you are not.” He countered, imperiously.
I flashed him a knowing grin. “We’ll see.” He didn’t know it yet, but he was about to witness the full extent of that Garner stubbornness he was talking about earlier.
Ignoring the look on Nathan’s face I continued as if the discussion was resolved. “In the meantime where are we going to put Lisa, we can’t have her arrested until her memories are altered.”
“That I can help with,” Nathan’s answering grin told me that there was something he wasn’t telling me. “I have just the place.”
***
The following day, Morrison insisted on accompanying Nathan and I to the hearing with the Elders. He was already unhappy about the fact that I was coming along, and after a lengthy, heated discussion, Nathan finally relented and allowed Morrison to join us as well. We piled into the car—surprisingly, the Elders were located only a short drive from Denver.
Ignoring the scenery that flew by during the drive I remained still, staring silently out the window, my irritation at what I had discovered last night building.
“Are you still angry?” Nathan asked with a quirk of amusement tilting his mouth.
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me about that hidden facility under Donovan Security.”
“I explained this to you last night. I was forbidden from telling anyone about the true nature of Donovan Security, including you.”
&nbs
p; I was shocked last night at the discovery. After his cryptic announcement that he knew of a place we could hold Lisa, he brought us to the last place I expected—Donovan Security. As it turns out, Donovan Security was merely a front. The complex facility actually housed the headquarters for the enforcers. It was a military grade bunker located ten stories underground, directly below Nathan’s building.
After locking Lisa into a cell that made a maximum security prison look light on defenses, he flatly refused to give us a tour. Nathan claimed he had to request clearance from the Elders first. The fact that he had kept the place a secret stung, even more so when I considered that I’d overlooked my loyalty to the bureau for him. I had shared secrets with him. In fact, I risked my career and placed my trust in Nathan, only to discover that he hadn’t returned that trust. The more I thought about his lack of faith in me, the more hurt I felt. I’d dwelled on it all morning, leaving an ache in my chest and a lump in my throat.
“Brianna.” He exhaled roughly as he reached for my hand. His emotions changed swiftly from amusement at my anger, to regret. Confused, I couldn’t keep up with his rapid mood sway.
“It is not that I do not trust you.” He assured me, wearily.
The fact that he was addressing my hurt feelings let me know that I was inadvertently projecting them. I quickly erected a shield, cutting off my emotions.
“You must understand that if I had told you about headquarters before I was given authorization from the Elders, they could have decided you were a liability. I am not talking about losing my job or even facing criminal charges, they could have elected to have you terminated. I would never risk your safety that way.”
It was difficult to maintain my anger when faced with the sincerity in his words. My empathic senses provided me with insight into his motives, which were purely protective. Knowing that, how could I not forgive him? I had to admit, if the situation were reversed I’d have done the same thing.