by Tamsin Baker
No doubting his feelings on the subject of predatory vampires, nor his views on my feelings for Nic. “No one will challenge Nic, will they?”
“Until lately, I wouldn’t have thought so.” Ben shrugged. “Read Faith’s notes. Looks like she’s been watching the new nests for a while.”
“But why? Why on earth was she doing this?”
Ben scowled. “Let’s hope we get to ask her.”
“You think she’s been abducted by a newbie vamp? Killed by a leech? She might be in the city, or perhaps with one of the boys from school? Maybe trying to recover from a hangover or a drug-induced high?”
“Could be any of those. But I don’t believe in coincidences. Those images and the notes show that she wasn’t afraid of fieldwork.”
Ben turned back to Faith’s laptop, I read quietly for several minutes while he scoured the older model MacBook for information. She’d identified twelve nests in the area, more than double the usual for this time of year—if she was right. She’d identified not only the nest locations but also the likely leaders and number of people and vamps in each. I swallowed a hard lump in my throat. Were the people there voluntarily? Were they looked after as well as Nic claimed to look after his humans? I filed away a mental note to remember to request the promised tour of where the humans lived in the Gravier mansion.
Faith had a lot of information here, she must have been watching in the shadows a long time. Long enough to get noticed. Long enough for someone to notice her patterns of behavior and decide to remove her. I blew out two long sighs to quell the fluttering in my stomach. Panicking wouldn't help her and Cindy, but keeping a cool head and calling on all of my dhampir skills might.
I unpinned an asterisked card, carried it to the desk and sat on its corner.
Ben glanced up. “You found something?"
“Do you think each red dot is really a vamp nest? I mean, couldn’t they be handsome frat guys in rental houses for this semester?
“Five of them definitely are vamps. I know them and they haven’t caused trouble so far, but I’m keeping an eye on them. As for the others,” Ben shrugged, “maybe. She’s done a lot of research.”
I waved the asterisked card under his nose. “This is the only nest without a photograph of the possible leader. She’s identified him, or her, I guess, as having expansionary ambition. My goodness, look at the work she's put in, the mature language she's using. I had no idea."
“Your point is?"
“This nest is the one Adrian Boardman belonged to before he swore allegiance to Nic. What if he was actually there as a spy or Trojan horse?"
Ben scratched his chin. "Could be. That possibility hadn't occurred to me."
“The absence of a photograph worries me too.”
Ben stopped to stare at me. “Why?”
“If Faith is right and this leader is thinking about challenging Nic, he is not only ambitious but clever enough to avoid her camera.”
“Or she just hasn’t had the luck to spot him yet.”
I had to acknowledge the validity of his point, but I still had a niggling feeling about that nest.
“What are you doing?" I moved behind the chair to glance over his shoulder at the screen. “Did she leave it logged in?”
“No, but one of the tech guys sorted it out pretty quickly. I'm looking for anything to identify people and groups she spoke with and her last movements before disappearing.”
“Any luck?”
“She chatted regularly in a couple of forums on Facebook and the dark web. Nothing helpful so far, but the one password we couldn’t hack is her password to a vampire hunting forum.”
“There’s a vampire hunting forum? Is it any good?”
“Entertaining in a weird way, but it’s not full of the real thing, if that’s what you mean. Interestingly, she met with either Imogen or Tilly, or both, around once a month for the last seven months and kept notes each time. Unfortunately, I can't get into those notes and the tech guy has gone home to his new wife and baby.”
“Imogen didn’t mention anything to me.” But then again, why would she, I was still an unknown quantity as far as she was concerned. “Perhaps Faith disguised her questions as research for a school project?”
“Perhaps. She kept an online diary with records of her nighttime surveillance, but I can’t find anything that suggests where she went the day she disappeared.”
“But we have the red dots.” I took photographs of the map, and close-ups of each of the red-dotted locations so I could easily find them again. “Is your deputy aware?” I gestured to the map-covered wall.
Ben motioned me closer and lowered his voice. “He’s trustworthy, but doesn’t know about the vampires hiding in plain sight.”
“So, it’s just us two? We need to split up and check out each location, and get Nic involved. Between us we will cover more ground—”
“No way are we involving Gravier. For all you know, he's protecting the newbie vamps.”
“I know he's not protecting anyone who harms innocent women.”
“Really? You know him that well after one tumble in his silk sheets?”
I straightened my back and returned his stare. “How do you know we’ve only enjoyed one tumble in his silky sheets, or in his huge bath, up against the wall, across the marble counter in the kitchen, or anywhere else?” I added a slow purr to my words and felt a rush of satisfaction when Ben’s eyes tightened and the tops of his ears turned red. Truthfully, how well did I know Nic? A few days? A week? No matter, I couldn’t shake the feeling in my gut that Ben was wrong about him.
Shaking his head, Ben turned back to the laptop and closed the lid. On the map, he added bright blue circles to the three nests closest to town. “You’re right about splitting up—at least initially. If the girls are not already dead then it’s likely they’re prisoners of one of the nests they spied on. We’ve seven locations to investigate. I’m agreeing to us splitting up only if you promise to check them out from the car only. Watch for a while, take notes and then report to me.”
I nodded my agreement. With only two weeks training under my belt I was happy to get any task at all.
Ben tapped the three push pins now circled in blue. “You take these three. You took photos of the notes, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I’ll re-read them when we’ve finished here. What am I looking for?”
“You’ll know it when you see it.”
“You’ve got Adrian Boardman’s nest to check.” I hadn’t expected him to give that one to me, but I still shook my head at him.
“Yep.” He raised his eyebrows.
“Be careful.”
He gave me a wink. “That’s my line.”
I rolled my eyes at him, I couldn’t wait to get started. My stomach fluttered with the thrill of a chase. I was and always would be a vampire hunter. It was in my blood. In my soul. The fight with Adrian Boardman had kick-started my latent dhampir genes and I was ready to jump into the fray.
Chapter Thirteen
Ben drove me to the police station to get his own vehicle for me to drive while he took off in his patrol car. He didn’t want any of the vamp newbies looking up my license number if they noticed me parked close by.
“Take a gun.”
“I will.” I pointed at the suit I’d been wearing all day. “No time earlier, I want to go home to change into comfortable, warm clothes. I’ll grab my purse as well.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “How are you going to carry this gun?”
It was obviously a trick question. “In my purse?”
“How did that work for you last time?”
“I haven’t had time to check out the holsters in the basement. If I’m not at work I’m training, remember?”
He let out a slow sigh. “Let me grab you a shoulder holster, it will be more comfortable for wearing in the car.”
I sat in the driver’s seat to wait for him, but he didn’t take long to return with two different items, one in b
lack leather and the other in flexible elastic.
“Out you get. Jacket off.”
“Why?” I tossed my suit jacket on the passenger seat and faced him.
“Needs to be well fitted.” He turned me side on and started strapping the leather holster around me. He quickly decided it was too bulky for my small frame and tossed it on top of my jacket. In a few minutes, he had the holster tight under my breasts, crossed across my back and the hook and loops adjusted so it fit perfectly. He didn’t even cop a feel while he was doing it, not that I wanted my cousin to feel me up, but some of my relatives sure would have.
“Guess I’m wearing this blouse.”
“Nope. Now it’s set-up, you can get it on and off easy peasy.”
“Did you just say easy peasy?”
“Your ears must need a clean.”
I just rolled my eyes at him. He reiterated his instructions to stay in the car with the doors locked and to phone him with movement updates, and immediately, if I saw anything that aroused my curiosity. I gave him the promises he wanted to hear and dashed home to change, grab everything I needed, and of course pet my baby boy.
I bent to pet Snuggle’s silky head as I let myself into Tilly’s house. My house now. I still needed to remind myself occasionally.
With Snuggles at my feet, I charged through the house to the basement. “I don’t see how any respectable vampire hunter could go on a stakeout without a full suite of weapons.”
He chattered and chirped, possibly agreeing with me, or perhaps just happy to see me.
“Can’t stay, bubs. Maybe just long enough to make a thermos of coffee.”
In the basement, I grabbed a knife and slipped an insanely sharp stake inside the special loop in each boot. Ben’s timing had been just right. He had only shown me how to make the loops a day ago. I grabbed a twelve-round magazine for Tilly’s favorite Beretta pistol, and slid both into the holster that was as easy to remove and put back on as Ben promised. For the first time since all this insanity started, I felt like a real vampire hunter.
I gave Snuggles extra petting and kibble before walking to Ben’s car with my purse, a candy bar and a thermos. I plugged the three addresses into the Sat Nav and pressed Ben’s number as I cruised out of my drive. “Temporary agent Thompson reporting for duty.”
“Knock it off, Louisa. Where are you?”
“Spoilsport. Heading to address one at twenty-one hundred hours, sir.” I added a giggle after the “sir” but disconnected before Ben could respond.
I parked opposite the first address, an old gable entry house with its front windows boarded up. It was a bright, moonlit night, but I also grabbed the mag light from the glove box to explore further. The house needed a lick of paint, several carpentry repairs, and the garden wasn’t just overgrown, it was a jungle of maple and dogwood trees. Faith must have stood in the middle of the driveway to get a photo. My chest tightened. If she went this close to every possible nest then she must have been spotted, if not by a sleeping vamp, then by one of the donors.
Vampire newbies may have been squatting and hiding somewhere within, but if so, there was no sign of them. No sign of anyone going in or out.
I crept closer to peer into the glass alongside the front door. A dirty sleeping bag lay curled in a heap at the foot of the stairs. Empty bottles of Budweiser and cheap vodka on top of the bag were covered in a layer of dust. The place looked quite abandoned, probably by squatters, as newbie vamps didn’t drink alcohol. I edged around the building, clambered over a broken gate and squinted through grimy windows whenever I could. No sign of a basement or anything to suggest anyone had visited recently.
I walked around the property another two times with the gun covered by a warm thigh-length jacket. What Ben didn’t know, he couldn’t shout at me for, and I had to have a closer inspection to be sure Faith and Cindy weren’t imprisoned there.
“The first one is a bust, Sheriff.” I called Ben from the car about half an hour later. “No sign of life, or movement, at all.”
“The nests tend to move around a bit. It might have packed up and moved after Faith took an interest in it.” A car door slammed shut. “I’ve got to go. We’ve no idea when she started her surveillance work. Check the next one. And remember to stay in the car to monitor the address.”
“On my way.”
He ended the call. I ignored his last statement on purpose. Who knew what might be waiting for me at the next stop, and we had to find Faith.
It was only a five-minute drive to the next address, a light blue cape cod amongst a street full of grey, taupe and beige color schemes. Set back from the road and hidden by large trees, it looked strangely out of place and lonely. This house was much less dilapidated than the first. Neither front window was boarded up, but I couldn’t see a thing beyond the closed blinds and curtains.
There was, however, a light shining from a side window.
Under the glow of my flashlight I drank coffee straight from the thermos and re-read Faith’s notes. If she was right, then a man named Quin Underhill led the vamp group that called this place their home base. The light from inside suggested humans were in residence as vamps, newbies or not, did not need lights switched on to see in the dark. A sneak peek or full frontal approach? I debated with myself for a few seconds. In the end, it was an easy decision to make. Sneaking could get me killed. Knocking on the door might too, but it gave both me and the vamps more options.
Keeping my head high, I walked down the middle of the long gravel driveway toward the house. Anyone who looked out could see me approaching, and see my empty hands swinging at my sides in a natural gait. Damn, a clipboard might have helped. I added a smile to look like a charity collector, or maybe a local PTA member. At least, that was the plan.
The front door opened a crack before my finger reached the doorbell. A young woman peered through the narrow slit she opened.
Hi, I’m looking for Quinn Underhill.” I pasted what I hoped was a cheery smile on my face.
“Wait here.” She closed the door in my face before I could say another word.
Her footsteps retreated into the house and I paced the porch, trying to find the right words to say. The door suddenly swung open and a tall male, long blond hair fanned across his bare chest, stood in front of me. He wasn’t the man in Faith’s photo.
“Who is looking for Quinn and why?” He leaned into the door jamb with muscled arms folded across his chest. A tingle spread across the back of my head. More defined than previous prickles felt, maybe the built-in dhampir warning system Ben told me about was finally kicking in. Meanwhile, blondie still sized me up with a gaze that screamed modern day Viking, nothing but plunder and pillage on his mind. I took a small step back, self-preservation coming to the fore.
Running wouldn’t find the missing girls. I straightened my spine and stuck out my hand. “Louisa Thompson.”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. He took in a deep breath, his blue eyes flashed, and he sniffed my palm. “Hmmmm, someone smells good.”
In a nanosecond, he twisted my arm behind my back, yanked me into the house and kicked the door shut. I reached for one of my stakes with my free arm but he grabbed my wrist and threw me face-first into the wall.
He pushed behind me, his lips pressed into the sensitive area between my neck and shoulder. When he slowly licked across my skin, I bucked my hips back into his groin.
He rammed back and slammed my hips against the wall. So much for my increased strength and speed.
“Ouch. You’re hurting me.” I tried to kick back at his knees but his hold was too tight. His legs encased mine and I couldn’t get a swing happening.
“That’s the point. Little newbie vampire hunters deserve no more.” He grabbed the gun from the holster, pulled the stakes from my boots—so much for that idea—and tossed my purse holding the knife and my phone on the foyer table. “Boss will be back in five minutes. Your luck is in. It’s not long enough to have much fun with you.” Still grippin
g both my arms behind me, he shoved me up the stairs, his breath cold against my ear. “But once he’s finished questioning you, I’ll get first dibs.”
I struggled as he manhandled me up the steps. “I need to talk with Quinn Underhill. It’s important.”
The Viking had no trouble at all alternately dragging and shoving me the rest of the way. At the landing he patted me down, way more thoroughly than necessary, and pushed me through an open doorway into a small, dim room. I stumbled to the opposite wall and grabbed hold of a window sill to stay on my feet.
I spun at the click of an old tumbler snapping into place.
Locked in. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I scrunched my hands in my hair and spun to take in the room. Bars across the window blocked my escape, even if I’d felt like jumping from the second story.
Ben was going to kill me.
Lecture me first, then kill me.
My eyes adjusted to the dim light, nothing but the moon illuminating the room. Nowhere near enough light to try and pick the lock with my trusty hairpin. I blew out a sigh. Like I knew how to pick all locks anyway. Another skill I’d have to add to the long training-required list. I searched for anything to break out, but the room was completely empty, devoid even of furniture. With my back to the wall opposite the door, I slid to the floor and settled into a neat lotus position to wait for the boss.
Hard to track the time, but it was longer than five minutes. Perhaps Ben would come and investigate if I didn’t phone in a report soon? Ugh, that would only add to the lecture.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Then voices from the landing. Low whispers and murmurs in a language other than English. I couldn’t make out any of the words anyway. When the key turned in the lock, I quickly stood. The door swung open and revealed a tall silhouette.
“Out.” The Viking filled just that one word with authority and an expectation of obedience.
I was starting to recognize a vampire’s attempt to hypnotize me, and realized I could resist if I focused hard enough.
“Come on, little vampire hunter. Boss is here and getting impatient.”