Brodie sat with Ed, Ethan and Heather’s Second, on Aidan’s right. Then Bastien, Melanie, and their Second, Tanner, took the remaining chairs.
“Thank you all for coming,” Seth said as soon as everyone was seated and conversations trailed away. “Chris has a matter he would like to discuss with us before you begin your hunt.”
Everyone looked to Chris.
Leaning forward, Chris braced his elbows on the table. “Some of you may not know that the network provides our employees with free day care. We maintain over two dozen day care facilities in the area, all of which are distanced from network headquarters to ensure no children will be harmed if the network is attacked.”
Dread seeped into Aidan as he listened. This was definitely going to be about Veronica. And Chris’s grim expression squashed any hope Aidan had clung to that she had been found safe and well.
“A few days ago,” Chris continued, “I received a call from one of the day care managers who was concerned because a network employee had failed to pick up her son on schedule. When I did a quick check, I discovered the gifted one had called in sick and hadn’t made it to work but wasn’t at her home. Nor did she see any of our doctors. Further investigation confirmed she was missing.”
Rising, he bent and removed a stack of manila file folders from his briefcase, then circled the table, handing a folder to each immortal and Second he passed. “I spoke with Seth and Aidan about it. Both believed her absence might be related to her ties to the network.”
Ethan cursed. “Don’t tell me another mercenary group found out about us.”
Chris shook his head. Distributing the last file, he retook his seat. “Not as far as we know. Personally, I think the fact that she’s a gifted one was the lure. So I had my team check on every gifted one in North Carolina to see if hers was an isolated case.”
“Was it?” Heather asked beside Aidan.
“No. Five other female gifted ones have gone missing during the past month.”
Aidan stared at Chris as curses filled the air. Five more female gifted ones were missing?
“How did you not know they were missing before?” he asked.
Meeting his gaze, Chris folded his arms across his chest. “There were plausible explanations for every absence. Illness. A death in the family. Vacation time.”
Chris’s countenance confirmed that he thought Aidan was responsible. He actually believed Aidan had abducted those women. Seth didn’t, too, did he?
Aidan glanced at Seth but could glean nothing from his expression.
Unsettled, he opened the folder in front of him. Veronica’s smiling face stared back at him from a photo that had probably been taken for her ID badge. He flipped the page. Dawn graced the next page. Dawn, whom Veronica had said gushed over him for days after he changed her flat tire.
He turned the page. Kimberly, who had also sung his praises to Veronica after he had changed a flat tire for her.
He turned another page. Sofia, whom he’d bumped into at the grocery store.
A chill slithered through him.
Roland frowned, fingering the edges of his file folder. “You said you talked with Seth and Aidan. Why Aidan?”
Aidan returned his attention to Chris and felt his hackles rise.
“Because,” Chris said, directing an accusing glare at Aidan, “he’s the only thing all six women have in common.”
Shock tripped through him. What?
“Oh no,” Heather whispered as she touched his arm. “You knew some of them?”
Chris removed a laptop from his briefcase and opened it on the table.
Several men and women shifted their chairs so they could better see the screen.
The security footage from the day care center began to play.
Aidan paid little attention as his heart thudded in his chest.
“Veronica Becker?” Roland said suddenly, sitting straighter. “One of the missing gifted ones is Veronica Becker?”
“Yes,” Chris confirmed.
Veronica. Dawn. Kimberly. Sofia. Aidan turned the page. Nia. He turned another. Tiana.
All of the six missing women were gifted ones he had arranged chance encounters with prior to meeting Dana.
“You knew Veronica?” Roland asked him.
His heart thudding in his chest, Aidan didn’t answer.
He had met dozens of female gifted ones in the past couple of years. But none of the women he had chatted with a year and a half ago, or a year ago, or even six months ago were missing. Only six of the last seven gifted ones were.
Chris turned his laptop around and typed on the keyboard. “We have video footage of Aidan meeting with three of the women shortly before they disappeared. As far as we can tell, he was the last one to see them all.”
The last six gifted ones he had seen before meeting Dana had been taken.
Would Dana be the seventh?
Fear pounding through him, Aidan wanted to teleport to her shop and see with his own two eyes if she was okay, but she didn’t know he could teleport and would expect him to arrive in a car.
Swearing, he leapt up—knocking his chair over in his haste—and raced out of the house.
Exclamations of surprise followed in his wake as he dove into his car, started the engine and tore away.
Please, let her be okay, he thought as he took the corner at the end of David’s long drive way too quickly and nearly skidded off the road. He’d teleport himself and the car closer to her to shorten the drive but couldn’t risk her neighbors seeing him appear out of nothingness.
Taking out his phone, he dialed her number. Answer. Answer. Answer. Come on, sweetheart, answer.
The call went to voice mail.
Aidan pressed the accelerator to the floor and dialed again.
Voice mail.
Speeding around an SUV that itself was exceeding the speed limit by ten miles per hour, Aidan swung back into his lane just in time to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming truck. Several turns and near misses later, he pulled into the small parking lot in front of her shop and skidded to a stop.
Relief flooded him as he saw her through the window.
She was safe, singing under her breath as she restocked some shelves. The tips of her ears were pink. And some of the hair tucked behind them bore damp ends. She must have either been in the shower or blow-drying her hair when he’d called.
He stepped out of the car.
Dana glanced over and saw him through the window. Her lovely face lighting up, she waved.
Aidan waved back, wanting only to drag her into his arms and hold her close. But he hadn’t taken the time to remove the multitude of weapons tucked inside his coat before he’d raced over.
As soon as she turned to put a book back on a shelf, he reached into his coat to disarm himself.
Car tires screeched behind him before he could. The scent of burning rubber filled the air.
Aidan turned as a car took the closest corner too quickly.
A sleek black Fisker Karma drifted sideways, then shot forward. Passing a stop sign without slowing, it hit a bump and flew into the parking lot.
Surprised, Aidan prepared to launch himself at the vehicle to shove it aside so it wouldn’t crash headlong into Dana’s store. But the tires locked suddenly as the driver hit the brakes.
Gravel struck Aidan like buckshot. Dust rose in a cloud that burned his eyes.
Before it could settle, the driver threw open the car door and leapt out.
Ah, hell. Roland Warbrook. This couldn’t be good.
Aidan glanced at the shop and found Dana staring out at them with wide eyes, her face full of alarm. Stay inside, he counseled her telepathically, speaking directly into her mind.
If anything, her eyes grew wider.
It’s okay, he told her. I’m okay. Just stay inside.
He’d tell her to look away, too, but thought that would just alarm her more.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find you?” Roland roared.
&n
bsp; Eyebrows flying up, Aidan watched the nearly-millennium-old immortal stalk toward him. “What?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t make you pay?”
Aidan backed away from the shop, luring Roland after him so Roland’s back would be to Dana.
The British immortal’s eyes glowed bright amber with fury. The tendons in his neck stood out as Roland shouted at him and drew two short swords.
“Pay for what?” Aidan asked. He didn’t know this particular immortal well. So he didn’t know how he could have possibly wronged him.
“For Veronica!” Roland roared.
Shock halted Aidan’s feet. “What?” It was the last thing he managed to say before Roland struck.
Aidan ducked the first swing of Roland’s blade and drew his own swords.
Roland had been born in medieval England and had been an exceptional swordfighter long before a vampire had transformed him. So Aidan knew Roland would be a formidable opponent and wondered how the hell he was going to hold him off long enough to find out why he was so furious.
“Veronica,” Roland roared, keeping Aidan on the defensive with swift, steady, powerful swings of his swords.
“Veronica Becker?”
“Yes!”
Aidan glanced at Dana’s shop and saw her dive for the phone on the counter. A peek into her thoughts found her intent on calling 911. Don’t, he told her.
She stopped short and looked at him through the glass.
I’m okay, he told her. Don’t call the police.
The distraction cost him.
Aidan hissed in a breath as one of Roland’s swords sliced through his coat and cut a deep furrow across his chest.
“Aidan!” Though Dana was inside with the door and windows shut, both immortals heard her clearly.
Roland spun around and glared.
Aidan swore. No way would she miss the other immortal’s glowing eyes now.
It was a struggle to keep his own from glowing as Aidan began to simmer with anger.
Damn Roland for forcing his hand like this. Now he would have to either come up with some bullshit lie to explain Roland’s eyes or tell Dana everything.
Aidan leapt forward, intending to lock Roland in a half nelson until the bastard would explain why he was trying to gut him.
Roland swiveled and struck before he could, his blade carving a gash in Aidan’s arm.
Fury crashed through him. Aidan abandoned the plan to simply hold Roland off long enough to get an explanation and instead took the offensive, pounding the other immortal’s swords with strike after strike after strike, driving him backward. “What the hell is this about?” he demanded, all patience gone. “What is Veronica to you?” He was surprised the reclusive immortal even knew her.
The heels of Roland’s boots pushed up dirt and gravel as he dug in and met Aidan blow for blow. “She’s my descendant!”
Hell. No wonder he was so pissed. “Roland—”
“You killed her, you bloody bastard!” he bellowed. “You killed her!”
And suddenly Dana’s vision made sense. “If Chris told you that, he lied,” Aidan growled, mentally cursing the human.
“Bullshit!”
“I’m telling you he lied!” Damn it, he’d lost sight of Dana.
Roland scored another hit.
Growling in frustration, Aidan scored four more.
A Tesla Roadster suddenly tore around the corner with a screech of tires, then flew into the parking lot and skidded to a halt inches from the Fisker Karma.
Sarah jumped out of the car.
At the same moment, the door to the shop flew open and Dana barreled out, carrying something in one hand.
“Roland, stop!” Sarah called.
“Stay back!” he commanded.
While Sarah tried to coax her irate husband back to sanity, Aidan glanced at Dana.
Striding forward with a look of grim determination, Dana raised a weapon of some sort and aimed it at Roland.
Was that a gun? “Dana, no!” he called. Gunshot wounds would just piss Roland off more.
Too late.
She squeezed the trigger.
Two small objects shot forth and embedded themselves in Roland’s back.
The crackle of electricity filled the air.
Roland stiffened and jerked as Dana held the trigger down and Tasered the hell out of him. But he didn’t go down. Gritting his teeth, he dropped one sword, reached behind him and yanked the small metal probes out of his back. More curses spewed forth as he flung them to the ground.
Sarah gaped. “Roland?” she called with concern and took a hesitant step toward him. “Honey? Are you okay?”
Roland swung to face Dana. “That hurt, damn it!”
Dana’s face lost all color.
Aidan shot forward in a blur and placed himself between them. “You stay the hell away from her, Roland.” He’d slay the other immortal if necessary and damn the consequences to keep her safe. Aidan wasn’t about to let Roland harm Dana, intentionally or not, because Chris Reordon had run his fucking mouth without thinking first.
“I’m not here to hurt her,” Roland thundered. “I’m here to kill you.”
And the battle began anew.
Behind Roland, Sarah yanked a phone out of her pocket and raised it to her ear. “Seth!” she cried.
Seth appeared beside her.
Dana gasped.
Aidan and Roland both swore.
Seth’s eyes flashed a brilliant gold as fury darkened his features. Thunder split the night. Scowling, the powerful Immortal Guardians’ leader waved a hand.
Aidan’s and Roland’s swords flew out of their hands and landed in the gravel somewhere on the other side of the cars.
Breathing hard, Aidan shook his head. “I wish to hell I’d thought of that.” He’d been so concerned about Dana and her reaction to Roland’s attack that using his telekinetic abilities hadn’t even occurred to him.
Sarah rushed forward to grip Roland’s shirt. “Honey, are you okay?”
“Yes,” he grumbled, then glared at Seth. “I demand the right to seek retribution.”
“You,” Seth retorted, pointing at Roland, “need to rein in your fucking temper. You left before Chris could finish his report.” He turned his glare on Aidan. “As did you. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“What’s happening?” Dana whispered.
Seth frowned, noticing her for the first time. A long sigh escaped him. “I’ll take care of this,” he grumbled and started toward her, no doubt intending to bury her memories of the past several minutes.
Aidan caught his arm as Seth drew even with him. “Wait.”
Seth halted.
“It’s okay,” Aidan told him, voice low. “I’ll handle it.”
The elder immortal tilted his head to one side. His glowing eyes narrowed. But Seth couldn’t read Aidan’s mind without tearing down his strong mental barriers. So of course the elder turned those narrowed eyes on Dana and read her mind instead.
Damn it.
A look of surprise washed over Seth’s face. He glanced at Aidan. “You didn’t circle her name.”
“What?” It took Aidan a moment to figure out what Seth was talking about. “You mean on Chris’s list?”
“Yes. You didn’t circle her name.”
“I know.” Aidan gave a weak shrug, then winced as pain shot through his arm and chest. “I didn’t want Chris to muck things up.”
Seth looked over Aidan’s shoulder at Dana, then motioned to Roland, whom Sarah now examined for wounds. “I think Roland may have done that for him.”
Aidan could only nod, afraid to glimpse Dana’s expression.
She had gone very quiet behind him.
Why did you flee the meeting? Seth asked telepathically. Chris took it as an admission of guilt, as did Roland.
I thought Veronica was the only one, Aidan responded, sending him the thought so Seth wouldn’t need access to Aidan’s mind to hear it. I thought Veronica had been target
ed for her connections to the network. But five of the other gifted ones I’ve encountered in recent months have been taken. The last five I saw before I met Dana and stopped looking. He shook his head. Once I heard that, I didn’t really think at all. I just hauled arse over here to make sure she was safe.
And you drove instead of teleporting because she doesn’t know what you are, which allowed Roland to follow you. Releasing a weary sigh, Seth rubbed his eyes, then drew his hand down his face. All right. I’ll see to Roland and Sarah. You see to Dana. Tell her what you will, then take her to David’s place.
Seth—
He held up a hand. Do as I ask. I’ll meet you there and we will discuss this more then. “Roland,” he commanded aloud, “get in your car and go back to David’s.”
Roland bit back whatever caustic rebuttal he wished to make and limped over to his car, Sarah at his side.
A common complaint Aidan had heard many an immortal mumble was that Seth, at times, had a way of making even those who were thousands of years old feel like teenagers being upbraided by a parent.
Sarah cast Seth a cautious look. “Can I ride with him, Seth?”
“Yes. I’ll take Ami’s car.”
The immortal couple got in the Fisker Karma without another word and drove away.
Seth closed his eyes, his face a study in concentration.
Aidan remained silent until Seth opened his eyes once more. “What did you do?”
Seth nodded to the second story windows. “Made sure no neighbors saw or heard anything.”
Aidan groaned. He had forgotten that Dana wasn’t the only proprietor who lived above her shop.
“Don’t worry,” Seth said. “The woman next door is out of town and the couple down the street heard nothing. But you still fucked up.”
“I know.” And according to Dana’s visions, he would do so again in a big enough way to make Seth want to kill him the next time.
After giving Aidan one last warning look, Seth folded himself into the Tesla Roadster Sarah had borrowed and drove away.
The immortal leader was so powerful he could have simply touched the car and teleported both himself and the vehicle wherever he wanted to go but drove instead, Aidan knew, in an attempt to minimize the damage with Dana.
Speaking of whom…
With great reluctance, Aidan turned around.
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