“Whoa!” Eve’s reaction to the arsenal was one of undisguised admiration. “Nice. If you had all this, why’d you have to steal my rifle?”
Quinn shot her a frustrated look over his shoulder as he selected a Colt 1911 and donned a leather shoulder holster to carry it. “I didn’t steal your rifle. I saved you from being hunted down by a bunch of furious vampires.”
“Please. Like I’ve never evaded your kind before.” She strolled over and began picking up and putting down the weapons, one at a time. “So where’re we going tonight?”
“We? You’re staying right here where you won’t get into trouble. I’m going to take care of some business.”
“The kind of business that ends up with dead vampires? I’m in.”
“The hell you are.”
“News flash, my lord. I don’t need your permission. I’ll go wherever the fuck I want.”
He grabbed her around the waist and slammed her up against his chest. “This isn’t a joke, Eve. I want you here, where I know you’re safe.”
She placed a hand on his chest and gave him a sweet smile. “I haven’t been safe since my brother was murdered five years ago,” she explained. She shoved away hard, surprising him into letting her go. “I won’t stay here. You’re going to the docks—”
“How do you know—”
“Well, goodness, Quinn, I have ears, don’t I?”
“You eavesdropped?”
“Of course, I did.” Her eyes lit up when she saw the crossbow. “That’s a beauty. I’ll just borrow this against that rifle you stole.”
Quinn grabbed her wrist, as if he’d stop her, then said, “You go with me, and you do what I say.”
She snorted. “If I take my own car, I can do what I want.”
“Eve,” he said, more exasperated than he’d ever been. Everything was a battle with her, even sex. Which admittedly was incredibly hot. But this. “Why are you being so difficult?”
She shrugged. “I’m not the problem, lover. You are. You’re so all fired up to control everything and everyone that you’re ignoring how useful I could be in a fight.”
“I’m not using you as fucking bait,” he snarled, thinking of her previous hunting techniques.
“You sure as hell aren’t. But I make a damn good sneak. I can go places you can’t.”
Quinn didn’t need anyone to sneak around for him. His power let him scan his enemies and take them out far more effectively. But it was obvious that Eve wasn’t going to remain behind. If she was with him, there was at least a chance he could keep her alive. Plus, at least then she wouldn’t fuck up his own plans.
“You’re going with me. Take or leave it. And, Eve?” He met her gaze directly, letting his power rise until he could see its silver-blue glow reflected in her dark eyes. “I’m not like those other vampires you seduced into falling on your knife. If I wanted you to stay here, you’d damn well be doing it.”
Her eyes were solemn when she looked back at him, her face set in defiance. But underneath all that determination, her heartbeat was jumping, and her scent was flavored with fear. Even so, her tone was full of snark when she said, “Message received, my lord. Now can we gear up and get out of here, before the bad guys all go home?”
He studied her a moment longer, then glanced at her spike-heeled boots, shook his head, and said, “Do you have more practical shoes?”
She gave him a smug look. “In my car.”
THEY TOOK THE TWO Range Rovers. Quinn rode in the second vehicle with Adorjan driving, Garrick in the passenger seat up front, and Eve sitting next to him. The three other vampires—all people he’d brought from the U.S., since he couldn’t be sure who Sorley’s spy was, were in the first vehicle.
“Do you have a plan?” Garrick asked, his manner slightly stiff. He hadn’t been happy with Eve’s inclusion. Quinn couldn’t blame him, but he wasn’t going to let his cousin tell him which woman he fucked, or even if he armed her to the teeth and brought her into battle. Eve was right. She wasn’t some fainting maiden. She’d been in enough fights that she could be useful, and she could also take care of herself, to a certain extent. What she couldn’t do for herself, he’d damn well do for her.
“My plan,” he answered Garrick, “is that we walk in, size up the situation, and then kill the bad guys.”
Next to him, Eve covered her mouth to conceal her snort of laughter. She wasn’t stupid. She knew Garrick didn’t like her, and he wouldn’t appreciate her laughter.
“Great,” Garrick said insincerely. “Do you mind if I call Neville and see if he has any useful info before we go charging in?” His question was almost as snarky as Eve’s had been, and Quinn wondered, not for the first time, if there was something about him that attracted snarky people. He grinned, thankful his cousin wasn’t paying enough attention to notice.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Call.”
Garrick finished his call to Neville as they rolled through the main port gate with no problem, despite their lack of credentials. “Persuading” gate guards and police officers, among others, was a basic talent that many vampires possessed, especially those charged with driving vampire lords around.
“What’s the word?” Quinn asked, eyeing the towering containers. They all looked the same to him, but Adorjan seemed to know where he was going. It would be incredibly easy to set up an ambush in here. Maybe not for him, but certainly for human targets, like Eve’s brother, or the members of Neville’s gang who’d been trapped that night.
“Neville has a dozen or so men on the dock, but some of them are down. He’s not sure how many.”
“He’s not there?”
“No.”
Quinn shook his head in disgust. Say what you would about vampires, but they damn well led from the front, not the cozy safety of their cottage. “Does he have any detailed intel on Sorley’s vamps?”
“Nothing new, except for the number. Five or six, he says.”
That sounded about right to Quinn. He’d have sent the same number, if he’d decided to kill a few humans and throw a wrench into the gang’s smuggling operations. They should have been more than enough, except that Sorley hadn’t counted on Quinn.
Adorjan abruptly swerved around a short stack of containers and skidded to a halt. The second SUV drew to a stop next to them, being careful to leave room for the vehicle doors to open. Quinn threw an arm across Eve’s legs, stopping her from opening her door. “Keep your earpiece on,” he said, referring to the Bluetooth bud he’d given her that matched the ones his team wore. “And remember what I told you. You do what I say, or I’ll take you down myself.”
She gave him a narrow look. “Yes sir, my lord, sir.”
He gave her a smacking kiss on the lips. “You’re finally learning.” He watched her climb out of the SUV and disappear between two stacks of containers, then he opened his own door and slid out.
By the time he joined his vampires on the dock, any trace of amusement was gone, leaving only deadly purpose. He glanced around, using all of his senses to evaluate the location. The port was a noisy place, even this late at night. The deep-throated whine of heavy cranes and the clang of metal containers never seemed to let up, and the air was cold as hell and wet with more than the usual ocean mist. Quinn thought about Eve’s bare legs and how icy the metal containers would be, and he wished he’d told her to do more than change her shoes. At which point, he reminded himself that she was a grown woman who was fully capable of choosing her own wardrobe, and that he had better things to think about.
“Five vampires and . . .” He cocked his head. Humans could be difficult to pick up, especially if they were injured. “Neville’s dozen are still alive, but some are hurt badly enough that they’re probably out of commission.” He glanced at his vampires. “Shall we, gentlemen?”
They started forward with deceptive
casualness, strolling around the intervening shipping containers as if they were touring the docks and just happened to come upon the confrontation between Sorley’s vamps and the human gang members.
“Keep walking, boyo, this is out of your league,” one of the vamps sneered, when Quinn’s first vampire rounded the last stack of two containers. He caught sight of Quinn, and the sneer disappeared, replaced by rage. “What the fuck? Does Sorley know you’re here?”
“I don’t report to Sorley,” Quinn said mildly. He eyed the three fallen humans, one of whom would die if he didn’t get help soon. Quinn hoped Neville had a good doctor on his payroll. “Adorjan, call Neville. Tell him to come get his people out of here.”
One of the standing humans stared at him suspiciously. “Who are you?”
Quinn didn’t answer, only waited while Adorjan made a brief call. He gave Quinn a discreet nod and slipped his phone into his pocket, just as the human’s mobile began to vibrate in silent mode, making a buzzing noise that was easily detectible to a vampire. Quinn nodded at the man to answer. The human did so, his suspicious stare never leaving Quinn, who personally thought the man should be a tad more grateful. Quinn had probably just saved his life.
He gave the human a full-toothed grin, fangs gleaming, and the man finally seemed to understand. This shit was about to get bloody. If the humans stayed, the only thing they could do was die.
He watched silently as Neville’s people gathered up their wounded and surrendered the field, then he turned to Sorley’s vampires, giving them a look with just as much fang, but a lot less grin. “It’s just us now.”
“Yeah,” their seeming leader scoffed. “There’s just one problem. We belong here. You don’t.”
Quinn regarded him quizzically. “No, actually, I’m the one who belongs. Sorley sent me out here the other night to deal with a problem. I dealt with it. That makes all of this mine.”
“That’s not how it works, asshole. I don’t know who the fuck you are, but—”
“Quinn,” he said. “Quinn Kavanagh, but there’s no need to be formal. And you are . . .”
“I’m the last face you’re ever going to see—”
“Oh, please, we’re resorting to movie clichés now? Are we vampires or bit actors?”
“What the fuck you talking to him for?” one of the other vamps snarled at their leader. “Come on, Barrie. Let’s smoke these fuckers and get on with it.”
Quinn’s gaze swung back to Barrie with a lazy grin. The impatient vamp might not understand, but Barrie did. Quinn was still camouflaging most of his power, but Barrie must have known about Quinn’s mission to meet with Neville for Sorley, as well as the outcome. It followed, then, that he knew he’d been sent here tonight to fuck up Quinn’s plans for a private alliance with Neville. He’d probably even expected a confrontation with some of Quinn’s people. But he clearly hadn’t expected Quinn himself to show up.
“You know who I am,” Quinn said quietly, trying to push Barrie’s decision along. “You know what will happen here.”
Unfortunately, Quinn knew what was going to happen, too. Barrie wouldn’t back down. He couldn’t back down without losing face, and it appeared he was one of those vamps who’d rather go down bloody, than walk away from the fight.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are,” Barrie growled now, so very predictably. “This is Sorley’s territory, and his word is law. Not yours.”
Quinn shook his head and tsked. “Not for much longer, Barrie.” He released his power with a rush, exhilaration sweeping over him with near-orgasmic pleasure. God damn that felt good. “I’ll take Barrie,” he told his people calmly.
EVE SLIPPED AWAY between the metal containers, grabbing the first ladder she came to and climbing upward. The metal was cold and wet, sometimes rusted, rough against the bare skin of her legs. It scraped her thigh as she took the final high step to the top, and she reminded herself to wear leggings next time she decided to join in on one of Quinn’s adventures in vampire land. She knew the only reason he’d brought her was to keep her from going off on her own. Lord knew he didn’t need her to help him fight. She had seen what he could do, one on one. Even more, she’d seen what he could do without so much as lifting a fist. He’d sent her up here as a lookout of sorts, watching for enemies trying to sneak up from behind. She doubted he needed that, either, but she kept an eye out anyway, wanting to believe she was helping.
The sound of voices drew her farther away from the vehicles. Walking as softly as she could, she snuck across the tall containers, jumping over a three-foot gap at one point, coming to a freezing halt when she landed for fear the vampire audience below had heard. But it seemed the interminable racket from the port covered up whatever noise she’d made. And besides, the vampires down there seemed much more interested in each other than anything she was doing.
She drew the little crossbow—her new favorite weapon—and crept closer to the edge, sacrificing the skin on her knees to lie flat and spy on the proceedings.
Quinn was down there. She heard him before she saw him, his deep growl sending shivers up her spine, reminding her body of sensual pleasures that had no place in this setting. She scooted the last few inches, bringing the players into view. There was Quinn, looking all badass and sexy, with his people spread out behind him. And facing him was—
Eve sucked in a harsh breath. She knew the vampire facing off with Quinn. She’d spent months looking for him, days following his every move. His name was fucking Barrie Meaney, and he’d been one of the vamps who had killed her brother. She stared. She’d waited so long for this moment, and now that it was here . . . a loud drumming filled her ears and her muscles seemed locked in place. She tried to breathe and realized the sound in her head was the racing of her heart, pounding against her ribs. She heard Quinn saying something in her ear and blinked in confusion before remembering the tiny earpiece he’d given her.
“ . . . take Barrie.”
What? Eve couldn’t make sense of the message, but she didn’t care. Heat flooded her muscles, ice filled her heart, and her thoughts were suddenly cool and calculated. She’d trained for this day. She’d spent five long years waiting for it. She raised the crossbow and fired.
QUINN HAD NO sooner given the order than the low whisper of a crossbow string sounded, and a thick bolt struck Barrie in the chest. The vamp staggered, but didn’t go down right away. He was too old and too strong. Quinn growled his anger over the comm. He knew exactly who’d fired that bolt, just as he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He sent a lance of power slicing into the vampire’s chest, melting the aluminum bolt and destroying Barrie’s heart, finishing what Eve had started. He’d demand an explanation for that later, but it would have to wait.
For the moment, Barrie’s abrupt dusting had shocked Sorley’s vamps into stillness, but that wouldn’t last. Quinn was of a mind to let his people fight it out. He had confidence in their abilities and knew they’d win, and the occasional battle served as a necessary relief valve when it came to vampires. Especially those strong enough to serve in a lord’s trusted inner circle. But he’d no sooner made that decision than he became aware of the humans working all around them on the docks, and of the many human minds suddenly turning their way.
“Too many eyes on us, lads,” he murmured over their Bluetooth comms. “Everyone back off a bit. You, too, Eve.” He heard a feminine splutter of outrage over the line, but sent a needle sharp shot of power at her position on top of a double stack of containers to his right. He sensed as much as heard her shrieked curse, but she’d deserved more than a tiny electrical jolt for shooting Barrie the way she had, for acting without notice and violating his orders. Quinn had reacted quickly enough to mitigate the fallout, but under other circumstances, with a more powerful vampire, for example, it could have spelled disaster.
He didn’t have time right now to lecture Eve, however. His vampir
es were pulling back as ordered, already heading for their vehicles. They knew what was coming, but Barrie’s followers didn’t seem to realize it. They were still watching the retreat with expressions of triumph when Quinn reached out with a sweep of destructive power and reduced all four of them to dust in an instant.
“Let’s go.” Only Garrick and Adorjan remained, waiting for him. The others were already in their vehicle and on their way to the port gate. He was about to start searching for Eve, when she raced up to the Range Rover and jumped into the backseat, slamming the door. Quinn slid in from his side and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a rough embrace as their vehicle caught up with the first, and the two of them zoomed through the jungle of containers and away from the port, slowing only long enough to zap the security cameras as they passed through the gate.
No one said a word until they’d left South Dublin and were on their way home. The rain had grown heavier, becoming a silvery curtain of concealment as they headed for the Ballsbridge house.
Quinn kissed the top of Eve’s head. He was still pissed as hell, and they were definitely going to have a talk before the night was over. But for now, he was glad she and the others were safe and sound. Because it wasn’t going to last. Quinn didn’t fool himself into thinking he could get away with killing one of Sorley’s enforcers without the vampire lord knowing who’d done it.
He hadn’t planned on killing Barrie. Hell, he hadn’t even known whom he’d be confronting on the dock that night. But once the conflict unfolded, there’d been no question of how it would end. It had been Eve’s crossbow that had started the killing, but he’d never intended for Barrie or any of his people to leave the port alive.
Quinn’s original plan might have involved more time, but it wasn’t going to work out that way. He’d probably been a fool ever to think otherwise. Sorley would already be gathering his forces, preparing for the challenge he knew was coming. It would be days yet, before they faced each other. But the final battle for Ireland had begun.
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