With some fresh hot chocolate in hand that Charles made for her from packets and microwaved water, she finally seemed to relax a little. He wished he could do the same. But there was so much still up in the air. And he still hadn’t helped his brother figure out if Brent was the man responsible for threatening his family.
“I wonder—” She shook her head.
“What is it?” He sat by her on the bed, where she’d propped herself up on some pillows.
“I just hope that she’ll be able to get past this.”
“She will. Some of us are slower than others at figuring ourselves out, figuring out where we belong in the world.” He gave her a reassuring grin. “But we figure it out eventually.”
She studied him, her interest clearly piqued. “I take it you know from experience?”
“I do.” He leaned back, draping his back over her legs, and settled on his elbows. “There was…a kind of war among vampire factions. It went on for centuries, and it didn’t end until around the turn of the last century.”
“Around the time you were…born? Made?”
“Whatever you’d like to call it. Yes.” How much to tell her? Hell, she already knew way more than was allowed a human not on the path to becoming one of them. But still, it would be better to keep it vague. “My father—my vampire father—he is a warrior. A very old, very adept general. The vampires he created were chosen for a very specific purpose. To fight on his side of the war.”
“So he picked tough guys, huh?”
He laughed. “Tough, yes. But that wasn’t the only quality he looked for. Not that he’s ever sat me down and explained it to me, but it’s pretty obvious he selected people he thought would choose his side, morally. Ones who would choose to keep our presence hidden, and who had a predilection for protecting people.”
She sipped her cocoa, face scrunched adorably as she thought about his story. “Ones who wouldn’t want to hurt humans?”
Hell, she was smart. “Exactly. Let’s just say the faction he fought didn’t see humans as much more than food.”
“I’d have thought finding your way in life would be pretty simple, then.” She frowned. “Only the war ended.”
“Yes. There was no one left to fight. My brothers—my vampire brothers—Noah and Alex, they’ve had a hard time of it, too, I think. Alex especially. They’ve had to find a new path. But I had to figure out my place without the benefit of purposeful time spent in my new skin.”
“Your father…” She took a deep breath and her gaze shifted to her cup. “He wasn’t around to help you?”
Her father was the reason she shied away from men, didn’t trust them, just as he’d thought. “Kane disappeared not long after. He shows up just often enough to drive my brothers batty. But he and I never had the chance to bond over killing things.”
She choked out a laugh. “You seem to have found your way.”
“I did. But it took me a while. A couple decades of nothing but decadence and stupidity. Then I figured out something important.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m a people person. And my brothers are decidedly not. Someone has to keep this family flush.” He winked.
Her smile was small, but genuine. “I suspect you do a lot more than that for your family.”
Something pinched in his chest at her words and he sat up. And he had to force himself to say the words past a sudden tightness in his body. “Not much else.”
A text pinged, saving him from her reply, and Charles retrieved his phone from his coat pocket. Noah.
Got another threat.
When? Charles replied.
Thirty minutes ago. Phone call. And he’s upped his game.
Hell. Brent had been very occupied with his waitress thirty minutes ago. Charles had watched him carefully, and despite the couple of drinks he’d imbibed, Brent hadn’t even gotten up to go to the restroom during the last hour they were at the bar. If it was Brent making the threats, he wasn’t doing it alone.
He sent a text to Noah to that effect. Then asked him for the threat’s wording.
Noah replied quickly. I’m done warning you. You’ve made your bed, hospital corners and all. Now you’ll have to lie in it.
Fuck. That didn’t sound ominous or anything—only like the psycho was ready to kill her. And hospital corners? Freak was off his rocker.
“What is it?” Rachel asked, her brows scrunched with worry.
He kept his sarcasm to himself and stuck to the facts. “Another threat against Alice.”
“Oh.” Guilt was as plain as day to read on her face.
“You read the others?”
“Yes…”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Good. I left the email open for you.”
“Bully.” She tossed the pillow she’d held in her lap at him. “When did he make the threat?”
“While Brent was otherwise occupied.”
She didn’t look surprised.
“You didn’t think it was him.”
“No. Not after I read that summary. Brent isn’t a terrible planner, but whoever is pulling this off—he’s good. Way more careful than Brent would be. And way more focused. Brent couldn’t even keep his affair with my sister secret from Alice longer than a couple of weeks.”
“I agree. It’s a stretch.” A thought flashed. “You don’t think Cole—”
“No.” She chewed on her lip for a moment, thinking. “It’s not that he isn’t smart enough, because I’m sure he could pull something like that off if he really put his mind to it. I just don’t see him going that far for Brent. Lately, it seems like he’s been pulling away from him. In fact…” She shook her head. “I’m not even sure why Cole came here. It seems like he’s spent half the trip in his room, working.”
“I think I know why he came. And why he spent most of the trip away from the rest of us.”
She frowned, confusion showing in every line of her face. Then a flash of understanding crossed her features. “Kristen,” she breathed.
“Pretty sure. If I’m any judge of how he was looking at her, when she wasn’t looking at him.”
“I can’t believe I never saw it.”
“The man isn’t an idiot. He never gave Brent an excuse to ditch him. But there is something there.” He tapped his chest. “People person, remember?”
“It fits.” Her frown deepened. “Subtle,” she murmured.
“Yeah, subtle. Like he—”
“No. Not Cole.” She waved a hand at him to silence his explanation. “Can I see the latest threat?”
He shrugged and handed her the phone.
“Oh!” Face alight with something way too close to glee for their current situation, she jumped up from the bed and flipped open her laptop. “Can you log back in and pull up that email for me? I need to check something.”
“Sure.” Quickly, and doing his best not to let hope grow too strong, he pulled the email up for her and handed the laptop back.
She scanned the threats, her body practically glowing with excitement by the time she’d scrolled down to Noah’s additional notes.
“What is it?” His patience had finally hit its end.
“These are obviously from someone who doesn’t want to be identified. He uses a voice changer and burner phones and leaves email trails that end in Timbuktu.”
“Right. He’s scared we’ll catch him before he can hurt Alice. Rightly so. He’s probably getting off on the whole thing—freaking her out before making his move. Scaring her.” Noah wasn’t a normally violent man, but Charles could imagine him doing some pretty gruesome things to anyone seeking to harm the woman he loved.
And Charles would be happy to help in this case.
“I don’t think so.” Her eyes met his and there was a surety in them that he hadn’t seen from her the last couple of days. Confidence. “These aren’t threats. They’re warnings.”
“What?” he said, but the pieces were already clicking together in his head.
“You’re n
ot hunting someone who hates Alice. You’re looking for someone who loves her.”
“Holy shit.” Charles took the laptop from her and glanced through the emails quickly, and then grabbed his phone to recheck the latest one. “Holy. Shit,” he said again.
He hit a button on his phone, pressed it to his ear, and then kissed her soundly, a hard and fast press of his lips that made her wish he’d lingered. A voice sounded from the phone, and Charles stepped back.
“Noah. We’ve been looking at this all wrong.”
She couldn’t hear Noah’s side of the conversation, but Charles looked immediately irritated at the other vampire’s response.
“Reread the messages. They’re not threats. No, I’m not saying that. Just check them. Quit arguing with me and pull up the list.” Charles paced the room, his energy level suddenly off the charts.
Unsure of how to help, she sat in one of the chairs at the small table and sipped the last of her once hot, now lukewarm, chocolate. Alice’s boyfriend might need convincing, but Rachel was certain that she’d come to the right conclusion. That’s what had been bothering her since she’d seen the so-called threats. They only read that way if that’s what you were expecting. And given the audience—vampires who had no doubt dealt with many threats through the years—it was no wonder they’d been perceived that way.
Then again, the person making the phone calls and sending the emails hadn’t done himself any favors by choosing to go about it this way. But whoever he was, he probably thought he was saving Alice, or trying to.
“Do you see what I’m talking about? Someone is warning her away from you.”
The other voice was still muffled, but the excitement was clear.
A sudden doubt hit her—what if she wasn’t right? What if she was giving them false hope? Worse, giving the person making the threats a break so they could hurt Alice the second the brothers lowered their defenses?
No. She swallowed the panic in her throat and wiped her hand on her pants. She knew she wasn’t wrong; her confidence was only shaky because of the insanity of the last few days. And even on the off chance she was wrong, she didn’t see this Noah guy lowering his defenses anytime soon. Not if he cared for Alice the way it sounded like he did. And not if he’d spent a good portion of his vampire life in some kind of war.
“I know this changes everything. We need to look at her history again. Figure out who would warn her, not threaten her. Yes. Yes, I know. I’ll be out on the next flight. You arrange it while I pack.”
Her stomach dropped with disappointment and she set the dregs of her hot chocolate on the table. What had she expected? That he’d stick around and let his brother sort it out? He wasn’t that sort of man. He’d see it through.
And then…what? Maybe his leaving was for the best. She needed some time alone to think, to sort out lusty hormones from real feelings. To give the rational side of her brain a chance to actually kick in.
The phone landed softly on the table and she found herself being hauled out off her chair and into Charles’s firm embrace. Instinctively, she settled into his welcoming warmth, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her face to his solid chest. She inhaled his scent; a tiny voice in the back of her mind made her wonder if this would be the last chance she’d have to memorize it.
“I can’t thank you enough. How did we miss it?” he said.
“You just needed fresh eyes. A different perspective.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, making her hair flutter and tickle her neck. “Thank you.”
His thank-you sounded like a good-bye. Words were beyond her, so she nodded instead.
With a speed that seemed highly vampiric, he gathered the few things he had in her room in a flash. The key to his own room in his hand, he turned back to her. “I’ll call you.” A pause, as if he didn’t know exactly what to say. As if he didn’t want to make promises he knew he couldn’t keep. “Let you know how this works out.”
Every bit of her will went into keeping her voice even, her expression clear. “Sounds good.”
“Rachel.” He took a step toward her, some emotion on his face and in his voice that she couldn’t identify.
“Don’t. I’m fine,” she lied. “Just go. Take care of this. I’m fine.” Holy hell. Say you’re fine one more time. That’ll convince him.
“I will call you,” he promised. And then with a grin that she was certain was supposed to be encouraging, he was gone.
She sat down, her emotions so confused from the whole night that she couldn’t seem to process any of them. She felt numb. A little nauseous. Maybe she should have skipped the hot chocolate.
The silence was oppressive.
There was no way she could sleep now. Not while she wasn’t sure if she was on the verge of a panic attack or a full-on sob fest the likes of which she hadn’t indulged in since her father took off when she wasn’t quite a teenager.
She hadn’t expected Charles to stay, of course she hadn’t. But she also hadn’t been brave enough to broach the subject of them again. Her suggestion that they go back to California together and ignore all of their problems had been met with a too-speedy negative. Even though she knew why now, it still stung that he hadn’t even hesitated.
Who knew if there even was a them? She was such a damn wimp. What was the worst he could have said? That it was just sex? That their time together hadn’t meant anything to him?
She knew that wasn’t true. So why couldn’t she ask?
Worst of all, with him gone she had no one to distract her from the guilt that had pressed against her chest since she saw how her sister reacted to finding out—hopefully for the last time—that Brent wasn’t anyone’s prince.
A soft knock came from the door.
Her heartbeat skyrocketed. Had he come back for her? Maybe she hadn’t lost her chance after all.
With hope pushing energy she hadn’t known she could summon, after everything that had happened, she threw herself at the door and flung it open.
Kristen.
“You led us right to him,” she said woodenly, the second the door was open. Eyes red and swollen, it was obvious she’d been crying. “Couldn’t you have pretended a little better?”
“Wh-what?” she stammered.
“I knew that you’d never be able to let this go,” Kristen said, shuffling past her into her room. “I knew it. But I kept hoping that you might grow up. Accept it.”
“You’re not seriously blaming this on me, are you?”
The numbness on Kristen’s face cracked, and anger seeped through. “Why shouldn’t I? You set this up, didn’t you? Somehow, you and your new little douchebag boyfriend set this whole thing up for my benefit.”
Wisdom demanded she deny what Kristen was accusing her—them—of. Her life would be infinitely easier if she pretended that her sister was overreacting, reading into things. But she couldn’t.
She didn’t want to lie to her sister anymore.
“You’re right. I set it up. Charles helped, but this isn’t on him. This was my idea, and I…kind of blackmailed him into helping me.”
Kristen just stared at her, but anger built behind her sister’s eyes. Rightful anger, sure. But not all of it belonged to Rachel.
“But I didn’t make him kiss that waitress. And given another half hour, I wouldn’t have made him fuck her.”
Kristen’s head yanked back as if she’d been slapped.
“I know that’s harsh, but you need to come to grips with reality. He’s not your guy, Kristen,” she murmured gently. “And I’m sorry—I’m so sorry—for hurting you. But I can’t regret what I’ve done. If it hadn’t happened now, it would have happened someday. And it would have been worse if you’d been married…I mean, what if you had kids to think of and he did this?”
A sob escaped her sister, and she drew into herself, hands covering her face. Rachel wanted to comfort her so badly, but she waited, unsure if that’s what Kristen wanted. If she would even tolerate h
er touch right now.
“You don’t know,” she managed after a deep breath, face still hidden behind her hands. “He’s not Dad. You can’t know that it would have turned out the same way.”
“Willing him to be faithful was never going to work. I’m so sorry, but you deserve better.”
Kristen finally lowered her hands, her expression contorted with pain. With a deep breath, some of the pain faded and an icy calm seemed to settle over her. “You’re right. I deserve way better.”
Relief washed over her. “You do.”
Without meeting her gaze, Kristen swept past her to the door. Rachel reached for her sister, but she felt like she was moving through Jell-O—slow motion—and her fingertip only grazed Kristen’s sweater.
She paused at the door, but she didn’t turn around. “Maybe I do deserve better than Brent. But I also deserve better than you. Better than a sister who would lie to me. Set up my fiancé for failure. Better than someone who would betray my trust like that.” Her voice broke.
Pain spiked from Rachel’s lungs, and she couldn’t seem to get enough breath to form words.
With her words hanging in the air, Kristen left, slamming the door in her wake.
Chapter Eleven
Less than two minutes after Kristen left, a brisk knock sounded. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she threw the door open.
“I’m so sorr—” The word caught in her throat. Not Kristen.
Charles gave her a worried look. “I’m sorry to barge back, but I can’t get a flight out until morning.”
He couldn’t get a flight out until morning, so he’d what? Stopped by because he had nothing better to do? How romantic. He took a step toward her and she stepped back.
The urge to step closer to him, to take comfort in his arms, was overwhelming. This had to end. Now.
Part of her wanted to give it a shot, throw caution to the wind. But her doubts had grown with him not around to cloud her judgment. What were the chances of things working for them, long-term? Shitty, probably. And having her sister ripped from her life had reminded her just how much losing someone could hurt.
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