Abel reached into her jacket, feeling around, brushing over her breasts callously. Abel’s glacial eyes never left hers as his hands felt their way around. She couldn’t imagine letting a man like this touch her, yet it was happening, and she was powerless to stop it.
He pulled out her phone and tossed it at Ivan. “We want the coca and the money your friends took in Vegas. You don’t bring the coca, we all take turns having fun with her, and then I send her back to you in pieces.” He pointed at the phone in Ivan’s hand. “I call tomorrow. Follow my instructions and she lives.”
Katya wanted to kill them all, now, but she had to wait, pretend to be a good little girl until the fucking cavalry arrived. Ivan was gonna pay for this one.
* * * *
Chapter 17
Sitting on the living room couch with Michelle, Aaron studied the autopsy, going over each page repeatedly. There had to be something that would give them a clue to Jamison. Why did he come to London? Why would he stay? Why was he going to the hospital so many times? Why did he kill the woman? Why did he need a gun?
A set of fast moving steps ascended the stairs to the apartment, and Aaron and Michelle stood, braced for whoever was coming. Aaron’s hands automatically went to his swords, ready to draw. Ivan pushed through the busted front door and pegged Aaron with a malicious look of hatred.
“You have been keeping secrets from me!”
“I told you everything I know about Jamison.” Aaron maintained his grip on his swords, unsure what to expect.
Michelle growled a warning as Ivan advanced with a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. His gun rose up level with Aaron’s chest and Michelle dropped low and hissed, claws splayed out wide at the ready. Aaron recognized her attack stance.
“Michelle, no.” Aaron held a hand out to her and stepped forward, between her and Ivan, right into the gun pointed at his chest. If she lunged at Ivan it was all over. The Russian would surely end up dead, and Aaron would surely get shot.
“They took Katya. Some kind of Mexican mafia. They took her because of the men you killed in Vegas, and the cocaine. Where is the cocaine?” Ivan didn’t mince words, and his fury radiated off him in waves. Ivan’s finger twitched on the trigger, ready to unload. Aaron’s life hung on his next words.
“Shit, Ivan, they did the same thing in Vegas. They’re Colombians. They kidnapped my wife. We don’t have any cocaine. We burned everything, the bodies, the drugs, everything. They must be Colombians. I just don’t understand how they found us here, in London.”
Ivan squinted at him, uncertainty blending into the aggressive colors of his aura. “Where is your wife?”
“They killed her, and they will kill Katya if we don’t work together to get her back.”
Aaron wished that somehow he could go back in time and do it all over again, do it differently. If he could change just one or two decisions, Anastasia would still be alive, and Katya would not be in harm’s way. His stupid mistakes had endangered Katya’s life.
Ivan’s look communicated the severity of the moment. If Katya died, so would Aaron. This mess had made a bitter enemy from a friend.
Michelle flexed her claws, ready for war. “Jamison brought them here. He followed us from Las Vegas. He’s using the Colombians to stop us. They must all die.”
Ivan slowly dropped the gun away from Aaron’s chest. “I knew this had to be Jamison.” The look on his face morphed from menacing to something else. “That’s why I sent Katya without resistance.” Regret. Ivan regretted his orders to Katya.
“What?” Aaron could hardly believe it.
Ivan tapped his skull. “We are connected. I will track her. Where ever they go, we follow. Make ready, we are leaving.”
Ivan looked calmer now, more assured of his plan.
Something struck Aaron a little funny. “You could have stopped them, but you didn’t?”
The twisted colors of guilt stabbed through Ivan’s aura. “Maybe not. They had a gun to her head.” Ivan’s aura said otherwise.
“You let it play out so that Katya could lead us to Jamison? I could have gotten the information from one of the Colombians. If they knew where Jamison was, I would’ve known. There was no need to put Katya in this situation. All you had to do was bring me one of them, alive.”
Ivan glared at him, a barely contained aggression swirling through his aura. “I want them all together. Better to kill them all at the same time. Jamison and the Colombians. Don’t worry about Katya, she can handle this. She has survived worse.” He looked pointedly at Michelle. “This one almost killed her. But Katya is stronger than she looks.”
Ivan was a cold, calculating bastard.
Aaron shook his head. How could Ivan send her out with those psychos, with an order not to resist? He knew what those men would do, given a chance. “And what if we don’t get there before …”
“Stop worrying about her. Worry about Jamison. Vampires are not easy to kill.” Again he looked right at Michelle, who had evaded death more times than a cat with nine lives.
Michelle stood ready. Aaron dug through her unshielded mind. She wasn’t overly concerned about Katya, but she was primed for the hunt. She had her sights on Jamison, and any fool Colombians who might step into her path. She would teach them all a lesson. That dark, wicked edge he’d seen from her days in WWII was back. Michelle the Nazi skinner, Michelle who delighted in her enemy’s entrails, Michelle the mass murderer.
Ivan headed to the bedroom, rummaged through a heavy steel chest, pulled out an Uzi, several clips, a handgun, and a fistful of throwing knives. He was gearing up like fucking Rambo.
Michelle began to pace the room in anticipation. It had been a long time since she had freed this wicked side of her personality, and Aaron sensed she would enjoy this all too much. Tonight, death would come in a miniskirt and high heels. Though stylish, it wasn’t exactly the right outfit for the job.
“You should change. Put on some of Katya’s clothes and shoes.”
Michelle looked down at herself. Aaron tried not to laugh at her. She looked up at him in a squint, and didn’t even acknowledge that he was right. She went straight for Katya’s dresser and rummaged through her clothes.
“I need to let Urvashi know what’s happening.”
Michelle stopped digging through drawers and threw him a sharp look, but held her tongue and accepted it with a nod.
Closing his eyes, he reached out to his new master. He sensed a bone-chilling cold, a warehouse environment with little heat. Around her, numerous men were doing the same thing as Ivan, gearing up for some sort of assault. What the fuck was she up to?
{{Vash, its happening tonight. Jamison brought in Colombians. They are related to the men I killed in Vegas. He’s using their vendetta to his advantage. They kidnapped Katya. We are going after her now.}} He sensed a spike of distress and irritation from Urvashi.
{{I am beginning to think you are more trouble than you’re worth.}}
{{We will get Katya back. This should give us a path to Jamison. I will do everything I can to finish it tonight, I promise.}}
{{This is a bad time.}} She was irritated, but with an edge of some anxiety too. Something was very wrong in Moscow.
{{It’s happening tonight. I am not leaving Katya with those men until tomorrow.}}
She snapped at him impatiently. {{I don’t have time to explain, I’m here with the pack. It’s a combat operation. The pack is … complicated, and they are all connected. It is unwise to run two operations at this distance.}}
{{There’s no choice, Urvashi. Ivan’s not gonna sit this out, and Katya’s life is already at risk.}}
{{Don’t let their appearance fool you. They are lethal hunters. Katya is not a damsel in distress. She’s a Trojan horse.}}
{{I don’t give a shit if she wears a fucking saddle. We’re going after Katya, tonight. You asked me to keep you informed, and I did. Why don’t you return the courtesy and tell me what the hell is happening in Moscow?}}
{{You
really must get a grip on your temper.}} She paused, and Aaron waited. {{We are taking Dmitri down. I won’t go into the reasons, but it’s necessary, and must be done immediately.}}
{{Open season on vampires, eh?}}
She didn’t take his bait. She was silent for a moment. {{I wish you were here. We could use your help.}} She paused again, and he sensed something he’d never felt from her before – insecurity. {{I need you, Aaron.}}
That was a first.
Urvashi didn’t need anyone, for anything. He wondered what exactly she meant. {{I will come to you as soon as it’s done. Is this what you were talking about, us being separated? Is it a problem for you?}}
{{We will talk about it later.}}
{{That’s what you said last time.}}
{{Yes, it’s a problem. Apart, we are a liability to each other. You must take care.}}
Urvashi the enigma. Her words led to more questions than answers. Confucius say, man who bites fallen angel should not complain of the taste.
{{Yes Mother, I’ll be careful when hunting vampires and drug dealers, I promise.}}
{{Indeed.}} With that she shut down their connection. Conversation over.
Opening his eyes to focus on the task at hand, Ivan handed him a black, semi-automatic pistol. “You know how to use this?”
He nodded. “Let me have one of the Uzi’s.”
Ivan looked at him seriously. “I don’t want to get shot.”
Aaron couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. Preparing for war, and he didn’t even know how to use a damn gun.
Ivan squinted at him. “Is better to use the swords. Stick with what you know. Fight on instinct.”
Aaron shoved the pistol in his jacket pocket. “Sure, whatever. But I’m keeping this just in case.”
“You might want to put on the safety.”
Aaron pulled the loaded gun out his pocket ever-so-carefully. Ivan showed him the button, clicked it on and off a couple times to demonstrate. “Got it, I’m good.”
He knew Ivan was right. He’d probably do better with the swords, or even go for Michelle’s hands-on approach – claws and fangs.
* * * *
“Get off, you sodding wanker!” Wrists cuffed in front of her, Katya struggled to remove the man’s hand from the crack of her ass.
“I like a woman with spirit! I bet you fuck like a bitch in heat.”
“Pull it out of your pants and I’ll twist it off! Keep that cock out of my reach!”
He chuckled and shoved her face-down on the bed. “That’s good to know. We’re gonna tie you up tight before we tap that ass.”
She screamed into the bedding and pushed hard to send him flying off her back. He stepped away just in time to evade her kick. “Stay away from me!” She growled low. This man was pushing her over the edge of control.
Her hands clenched and she gritted her teeth to fight off the insane need. Her wolf wanted out. Now. Her wolf wanted this man’s balls for a snack. The beast wanted to chew up through his groin, through all that tender, juicy meat, to the good stuff in the belly. The guts have such rich flavor for wolves.
Her tormentor stared at her as she twitched and shook, straining to fight off the wolf. Aaron had almost done it to her a couple hours earlier, and the beast remained too close to the skin.
“I think this puta is high or something. She’s fucking weird essay.” He walked out the door with a frowning glance over his shoulder.
Katya had barely regained control when she smelled him standing in the doorway watching her. He had that coppery tang, like day old blood, accompanied by the vampire’s pheromonal scent. She smelled Jamison’s chemical lure, and knew it to be the same lure that had seduced her niece, Kristina, into a state of voluntary slavery to Dmitri.
She hated vampires, all of them. Aaron and Michelle were but a temporary exception to the rule.
She caught Jamison’s eyes and stared. A vivid picture of flashing fangs shredding through soft, juicy flesh filled her mind and her wolf promised he would die soon.
He watched her. His nostrils flared as he caught her scent. She saw it in his eyes when he realized she was more than she appeared. He turned on his heels to talk to someone down the hallway. She strained to hear the whispered words that betrayed Jamison’s anxiety.
“This girl is all wrong. There’s something … different about her. She needs to be cuffed, bound and gagged. Keep the men away from her.”
The other man sounded British and had a tint of laughter in his voice. “No. She is mine now. I will do what I want with her. It’s none of your concern. You shouldn’t even be here. This is our business.”
“I’ll stay out of your way. I just need to be sure you finish this. I can’t have these people hunting me wherever I go.”
Then it clicked and all the pieces fell into place. Albanians. The Albanians were in the mix with the Latinos. A royal fucking mess.
“Don’t worry, mate. We got the situation in hand. You just keep out of it. Go have some fun with the girl if you like. A freebie. Get her while she’s still fresh.” The Albanian walked off chuckling.
Katya prayed Jamison would be foolish enough to enter the room with her. It had been far too long since her wolf tasted the flesh of a vampire.
* * * *
Chapter 18
Aaron pulled up the collar of his coat against the freezing wind and sleet. Ivan stood to one side and Michelle to the other, watching The Rocking Horse strip club for any sign of activity. Four a.m. and the club was closed. People with any sense were at home in bed with a fire blazing in the hearth.
But not them.
They had to trudge through the punishing cold and sleet while Ivan followed his internal compass to track Katya. When they arrived at The Rocking Horse, everything started to make sense. Jamison had created a clusterfuck. Colombians, Albanians, and who knows what the hell else would be found inside.
This was gonna get ugly.
Aaron looked to Michelle and Ivan who were both primed to go. Aaron felt the encroaching sunrise, coming soon. While he could still function with the sun burning bright in the sky, he dreaded the idea of fighting in the daytime. And what of Michelle? If they were still inside this shithole at dawn, she’d be nothing but dead weight.
“Urvashi was right. We should come back tomorrow night. The dawn is coming.” Aaron couldn’t shake this heavy sense of foreboding.
Both Michelle and Ivan’s auras flared with righteous fury. Ivan growled, “We go now!”
Michelle grabbed Aaron’s arm. “It will be done in minutes.” Her sharp claws flexed and dug in through his coat.
“That’s what we want to happen, but this is much more complicated than we thought.”
Ivan pulled his Uzi out of his jacket and pulled a pistol from his pocket, a gun in each hand. “Is simple. Kill. Them. All.”
Uh huh, sure. Nothing was ever that simple. “So, how do we go in without getting shot full of holes?”
Ivan looked at him like he was nuts. “The backdoor, of course.”
They circled around the block to the door in the alley, the same place it all began with Reza and Janette. Aaron dreaded this moment – all the people in the building they would have to kill.
Ivan stared at him hard, seeing the hesitation. “We cannot afford witnesses. I don’t care who we find in here, they all die. You don’t want an Interpol manhunt across Europe, trust me. No witnesses.”
Aaron prayed they would find no one but those they came to kill.
Ivan gestured to the door. “You do the honors.”
For the second time in a week, Aaron snapped the locking mechanism as he yanked open the back door. Stepping into the darkness of the club, he drew his swords and tried to find the will to kill these men. In the past, his violence had been mostly self-defense, or in defense of Michelle and Anastasia. In those intense moments, he never had time to consider his actions.
But this was different, premeditated assassination.
Michelle slinked past, a w
icked, intent look on her face – all hunter. That’s where he needed to go, to that dark place in his psyche, the predator within. For a time, the predator had been like another personality, fighting for dominance of his mind. Urvashi changed everything. After drinking her blood he had emerged a new man.
His hunting instincts and senses took over. He heard a whisper of noise, several people in the other room, men. Their cologne masking their sweaty, blood-filled bodies – they smelled like food. Another scent blended in, a hint of Katya’s shampoo, her earthy wet-dog scent. Though Ivan claimed she was here, Aaron felt reassured at the evidence she had passed through this room recently. Standing in the shadows of the curtained rear, they surveyed six Colombians drinking near the bar about twenty feet away. They were unprepared.
Michelle didn’t even pause. She shot out straight for the bar, a blonde streak of death in blue jeans. She slashed up and across, cutting a bloody T shape into the man’s torso. His only sound was a fleshy gurgle from a torn, gaping throat. Ivan sighted in and blasted two men with well-placed bursts from his Uzi. Calm and calculated.
Two Colombians reached for their guns. Aaron’s inhibitions fell away as his blades crossed through the bone and gristle of a man’s spine, sending his head flying across the room.
“Madre del Dios!” The last man opened fire with an assault rifle and sprayed bullets across the room. Aaron and Ivan dived low, but Michelle kept going at him.
She jerked as one of the bullets nailed her. Growling low in pain, she tore the gun from his hands and buried her teeth in his neck. The crunch of bones and tendons crushing in her jaw cut off the man’s scream.
Aaron and Ivan stood and looked about. No one left standing to kill. They watched Michelle drain the man. The sucking, slurpy sounds normally would have made Aaron hungry, but tonight it only turned his stomach. Finished, she discarded his lifeless body, wiped the blood off her face with the back of her hand, then examined her injured shoulder gingerly.
Aaron stepped up close to her. “Are you okay?” Her eyes flitted about, looking for more prey. “Michelle?”
The Nightlife: London (Urban Fantasy Romance) (The Nightlife Series) Page 10