by Jayme Morse
Anna hoped that she hadn’t lost his trust by breaking into his personal files, but . . . he had to forgive her. It would help him if he knew the truth, too. “His real name is Greg Lawrence. He’s the mayor of Briar Creek, and he’s been trying to kill one of my best friends for over a year now.”
“Anna, I think you’re reading that file wrong,” Darius said, laughing. “Geoff can’t be the mayor of Briar Creek. How could he have been a mayor if he spent months at our facility? That wouldn’t even make sense.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense,” Anna said, considering it. “It’s the truth, though. I know that face well enough to know it’s Greg Lawrence’s picture in that file.”
Darius took a step closer to her, and sat down at the leather chair behind his desk. “Perhaps you’re mistaken, Anna. It doesn’t seem possible. Unless Greg Lawrence has a twin brother named Geoff.”
Anna shook her head. “No, I’m pretty sure Mayor Lawrence doesn’t have a brother.” She wasn’t about to admit that the reason she knew that was because she’d had a background search done on the mayor once, trying to find a way to prove that Greg had killed Lexi’s mom. The search had turned up nothing that would help, but she had learned that the mayor was an only child.
“Listen, Anna. While I appreciate your theory, I don’t really have time for it right now,” Darius said, rising to his feet again. “In fact, there’s someone who I would like for you to meet.”
“Okay.” Anna glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been at least a few minutes since she’d come into the office. Hopefully there had been enough time for Brandy and her fiancé to leave Westbrooke without getting caught.
Darius turned to the door and said, “Come on in. I want you to meet Anna, Geoff.”
As Greg Lawrence entered the room, Anna felt a knot tighten in her stomach, and she began to twirl her ring around her finger nervously. She understood now why Austin had insisted that she become a vampire. Even though Anna had spent months preparing to defend herself from a vampire, the vampire she most wanted to kill was standing right across from her, and she felt helpless.
Greg met Anna’s eyes, and a trace of a smile crossed his lips. “Why, hello, Anna. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Hi,” Anna mumbled, not breaking their gaze. Looking away from his eyes would be a sign of weakness, and Anna didn’t want Greg to know just how vulnerable she really was. But she couldn’t help but notice that Greg looked a lot stronger and taller than he usually did, as he towered over her.
“You see, Anna, there’s been a mistake,” Darius explained. “Geoff has come back to explain everything to me. The reason he left our training facility so early is because he decided to join the Peace Corps. It just happened to be around the same time your mother was killed.” He paused, meeting Anna’s gaze. “I was wrong . . . Geoff isn’t your mother’s killer.”
Anna felt the heat rising to her cheeks, and even though she wanted to say something, to protest what Darius had said, she was at a loss for words. It sickened her to think that Greg had somehow been able to convince Darius into believing he was innocent. How could Darius be so naïve?
“Anyway, Geoff has requested to speak to you, Anna,” Darius went on. “I hope you’ll be able to become better acquainted with one another.”
“Wait!” Anna protested, as Darius headed for the door. “You can’t just leave me in here alone with him.” She motioned towards Greg, but she didn’t meet his eyes because she didn’t want him to see just how afraid she was to be left alone in the room with him.
Darius gave her a small smile. “It will be okay, Anna. Geoff’s a nice guy. I’m sorry to have misled you the way I did. I underestimated him, but Geoff has already forgiven me. I hope that you’ll be able to forgive me, too.”
Once the door clicked shut behind Darius, Greg turned to Anna. “Well, well, well. I have to say, I’m a little surprised to learn that you’re here at Westbrooke all by yourself. I didn’t think you were capable of doing something without your friends. I expected you to be here with that chump, Austin, at least. Guess things didn’t work out between the two of you?”
Anna pursed her lips. “I don’t really think that’s any of your business.”
“Oh, that’s alright,” Greg said, waving a hand in the air, dismissing her from answering him. “I’m already taking care of Austin, anyway.”
“What do you mean you’re taking care of him?” Anna asked, her heart pounding harder against her chest. Was Greg telling her that he’d done something to hurt Austin? “No,” she realized aloud. “You haven’t done anything to Austin. Lexi would have told me if you did something to him.”
“So you are still in contact with Lexi.” Greg grinned. “Anyway, the reason she hasn’t told you is because it hasn’t happened yet. My guys are in the process of fetching Austin right now. They’ll take him to the vacant building I have reserved just for him, which they’ll set on fire at my command. Of course, Austin’s life doesn’t have to end.” He glanced over at Anna. “There’s something you can do to stop this from happening. You can save him.”
“What do I have to do?” Anna questioned, knowing that she would be willing to do anything Greg wanted her to do, as long as it meant that Austin didn’t have to die. Regardless of what happened between Austin and Anna in the past, or what would happen between the two of them in the future, Anna still cared about him more than she had cared about anyone. She had to save him, no matter what the circumstances were, or she would regret it for life.
“It’s simple, really. All you need to do is bring Lexi Hunter to me,” Greg said with a sneer.
Chapter 16
The Nichols’ house was quiet when Lexi and Dan got back. Their search for Darlene, Erica, and Connor hadn’t turned up anything, and Lexi and Dan both knew that there was only one way to find out where they were.
Caroline answered her cell phone on the second ring. “Hello?” she asked, and Lexi noticed that she sounded distant . . . out of sorts, almost. Whatever it was, Caroline definitely didn’t sound like her naturally bubbly self.
“Caroline, is Gabe around?” Lexi asked into the phone.
There was a slight hesitation at the other end of the line before Caroline replied, “No, he actually stepped outside to catch a breath of fresh air.”
“Well, can you ask him to call me back?” Lexi asked. “It’s really important. My stepmom and my brother and sister, Connor and Erica, are missing. I need Gabe to try to have a vision, so we can try to find out where they are.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him,” Caroline replied. There were a few seconds of silence, before she blurted, “Lexi, did Gabe ever drink from you?”
Lexi hesitated. Did Caroline want to know because she was jealous of the relationship that Lexi and Gabe once had with one another? She wasn’t sure of the best way to answer her question, without getting anyone upset.
Finally, Lexi said, “Yes. What makes you ask?”
“Did it ever feel like he wasn’t going to stop?” Caroline asked. “Like he was going to kill you if things got too out of hand?”
“No, it was never that way between us,” Lexi replied. “Gabe always knew his limits. Why? Did Gabe do something to hurt you?”
From across the room, Dan froze and turned to Lexi, fully aware of the conversation that she was having with Caroline now.
“I . . . I don’t know,” Caroline said. “It just didn’t feel right. And when he kissed me . . . it wasn’t like the first time he kissed me.”
“What do you mean?” Lexi questioned.
“I mean, it just felt different. This is kind of crazy, but . . . I almost feel like he’s not the same Gabe I met in the beginning. Almost like he’s a completely different person, if that makes any sense,” Caroline explained. “I’m not so sure if I like it.”
“I understand,” Lexi replied, “but what I don’t understand is why. What changed between the first time you met and now?”
Even though Lexi hadn’t actua
lly expected Dan’s sister to answer her, Caroline said, “It happened around the same time as the fire at Huntington, actually. I thought things were fine between us at first, but . . . ever since we left the building that day, something changed in him.” Lowering her voice, she asked, “Do you know if it’s possible for a soul to make its home in another person’s body?”
“Like demon possession or something?” Lexi asked, mortified that Caroline was even considering the possibility that something like that could have happened to Gabe.
“Yes,” Caroline replied. “I know it sounds crazy. There are times when he still seems like Gabe, but there are other times where he just seems really cold and distant.” She paused before adding, “I’m sorry I doubted you guys about him killing people. I think it could be true now.”
“Caroline, don’t let Gabe drink from you again,” Lexi instructed her. “In fact, do you have any classes tomorrow?”
“I have one early in the morning, but that’s all,” Caroline replied. “Why?”
“I think you should come home,” Lexi told her. “We were planning to come out there to confront Gabe tomorrow afternoon, but . . . I don’t think you should be in the same city as him anymore. Dan and I would both feel a lot safer if you came back here. I’m sorry I told you it was a good idea to move in with him in the first place. I feel horrible about it.”
“You did what?!” Dan yelled at her, and Lexi realized that she had slipped up. She hadn’t wanted Dan to know that she had told Caroline that it was okay for her to move in with Gabe, but she had forgotten that she didn’t want him to know until just now.
“I can do that, Lexi,” Caroline said into the phone. “I’ll come home. And I’ll make sure that Gabe doesn’t even know I’m leaving. I’ll leave straight from class.”
“Can you still ask Gabe to try to have a vision?” Lexi asked, and Dan eyed her accusingly from across the room.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Perfect. We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, then,” Lexi said before ending the conversation and turning to Dan.
“Why would you tell Caroline that she should live with Gabe?” Dan questioned, ruffling his sandy blonde hair nervously. “I thought we agreed that you were going to tell her she shouldn’t be with Gabe.”
Lexi sighed and sat down on the bed. Smoothing out the white sweater she was wearing, she explained, “I didn’t want Caroline to get mad at me. And I also didn’t want to ruin her shot at happiness. I guess part of me wanted to believe that maybe Gabe isn’t as evil as we know he is. I found my happiness with you. I wanted the same thing for them.” She met Dan’s eyes. “As much as I love you, Gabe will always be my first love. And some part of me wanted to believe that, deep down, he’s a good person. It’s hard for me to admit that I was once in love with a monster.”
Dan nodded understandingly. He sat down beside her and grabbed her hand. “I know it’s hard to deal with, but you have to accept it, Lexi. Gabe isn’t the guy you thought he was, and he probably won’t ever be that guy.”
“I know,” Lexi said, blowing a strand of golden blonde hair out of her face. “It just sucks.”
“I agree,” Dan replied. Sighing, he turned to her. There was a look of worry in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve acted the way I have been about this whole Gabe situation. It’s just that I’m so worried I’m about to lose another sibling.”
Lexi glanced over at him, surprised to hear him mention his brother, Dave, who Mary-Kate told her had died from leukemia. It seemed so long ago, and even though they had been together for a while now, Dan never mentioned his brother and Lexi had never asked about him. “You never mention him,” she commented.
Dan shrugged. “I don’t like to talk about it.”
“I didn’t realize the two of you were close,” Lexi said.
“Yeah, we were pretty close,” Dan replied. “See, when our parents disowned me because I was a vampire, Dave said he wouldn’t let me go through it alone. So, he went out and got himself turned into a vampire so I wouldn’t be dealing with all this by myself. When our parents moved out of town, Dave stayed with me at our uncle’s house.”
“That must have been hard for you,” Lexi commented.
“It was. I wish I could have done something to save him, but it was already too late.”
“He had Wilkins Syndrome, didn’t he? Mary-Kate told me he had leukemia, but I know that wasn’t true now.”
“He did,” Dan told her, shaking his head frustratedly. “He used to drink from Mary-Kate, but then he got cocky when he started dating this new girl. He thought that Wilkins wasn’t real . . . that it wouldn’t affect him. I told him he was being an idiot. That there was proof that Wilkins existed. He wouldn’t listen to me, though. He wasn’t invincible.” He glanced over at Lexi. “That’s why it’s so important to me that we keep Caroline safe from Gabe. She’s the only sibling I have left, and I need to make sure she stays safe.”
“That’s how I feel about Erica and Connor. My mom’s already gone, and Mary-Kate isn’t here anymore, either. Not that she and I ever could have been sisters, with how angry she always was at me. Aside from my dad, Erica and Connor are the only ones I have left.” She turned to Dan and told him, almost apologetically, even though she wasn’t really sorry for it, “That’s why I asked Caroline if she could still ask Gabe to have a vision. I don’t know how we’re going to find my brother and sister otherwise.”
Dan nodded understandingly. “I get it, Lexi. I do.” He sighed. “I’ll just feel a whole lot better once my sister is back here, safe and sound.”
“Yeah, but what are we going to do about Gabe?” Lexi questioned quietly. Even though she had told Caroline that she needed to come back to Pennsylvania, Lexi hadn’t really considered what would happen after that. She knew that they couldn’t keep Caroline at home with them forever; she would need to go back to Juilliard eventually.
Dan ran a hand over his sandy blonde hair and glanced nervously in her direction. “I say we kill him.”
“Kill him?” Lexi’s voice squeaked as she said the words aloud. It hadn’t dawned on her that Dan might have been considering that they should actually kill Gabe.
As much as she hated Gabe for what he’d done to Justin and Rosie, just the idea of killing him made Lexi feel sick to her stomach. She’d always believed that two wrongs didn’t make a right, but it made it even harder when the vampire who they were thinking about killing was someone who she had once loved.
“Well, how else are we going to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone again? I know it’s not something you want to do, but . . . I think it’s something we really need to consider, Lexi,” Dan said gently. He cupped her chin in his hand, and looked into her eyes. “It’s the only way I’ll ever know for sure that you and Caroline will both always be safe.”
Lexi sighed. She wasn’t going to tell Dan that she agreed with him, because she didn’t. She wasn’t going to argue with him, either. “Fine. Why don’t you call Caroline and tell her that she should bring Gabe home with her tomorrow? That way, he’ll be here.” She paused. “Can we wait until he has a vision, though, at least?”
Dan nodded. “We can do whatever you want. And I agree. Maybe it will be best for Gabe to come home with Caroline, just so he doesn’t suspect anything. I’ll call her later, though. Right now, I have other things in mind,” he whispered, leaning in closer to her until his mouth was inches away from hers and his breath was hot on her cheek.
Lexi pressed her lips against his and, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulled him in closer to her. As Dan’s mouth moved down her neck, Lexi peeled off her shirt and thought about how much she wanted this, how much she needed this. It had been too long since he’d drank from her, and with all of the stress that was going on in her life, she wanted him to drink from her more than she’d ever wanted him to before.
As Dan sank his teeth into her neck, Lexi felt all of the tension melt away from her body.
Chapter 17
The next
afternoon, Anna gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles began to turn a ghostly shade of white. She and Greg Lawrence had left Westbrooke without saying a single word to Darius or anyone at the facility. Anna wanted to protest, to tell Darius that she didn’t want to leave with Greg, but she knew what the consequences of that were.
Anna didn’t have a choice; she had to leave with her mom’s killer.
If she didn’t agree to go with Greg, he was going to make sure that Austin didn’t have a chance. Austin would die if Anna didn’t go with him without a fight, and so she had gone willingly.
As they arrived in Briar Creek, Anna tried to think of a way to get out of this whole situation. She didn’t want to bring Lexi to Greg Lawrence if she didn’t have to, but what if that was the only way she would be able to save Austin?
Anna wanted to think that Lexi would think of some way out of it. If she were there at that moment, Lexi might be able to come up with some sort of plan—some way to save both Austin and herself. But how would Anna be able to ask Lexi to come save the day when Greg was sitting in the seat right next to her?
“Perfect. We’re almost home,” Greg said cheerfully, as Anna pulled onto the street of the Briar Creek High School. He turned to her and smiled. “Are you ready to call Lexi?”
“She’s busy right now,” Anna blurted out, even though that wasn’t the truth. Well, maybe it was the truth, but Anna couldn’t have known because the last time she’d talked to Lexi was when she’d sent her that text message the day before, letting her know that she would be home by this afternoon.
“Well, perhaps if you call her and let her know that you’re here, she’ll make time for you. At least, let’s hope she does. I would hate to think about what would happen to poor Austin Graham if Lexi doesn’t come through for you,” Greg said with a sneer.
Anna huffed. “What are you planning to do to her?”
“I’m going to teach her a lesson. That’s what I’m going to do,” Greg replied matter-of-factly. He pointed to a parking space on the side of the road. “Park over there.”