I ran up to Tripp and Olivia as I choked. “Break it down.”
“If we do, we’re walking into a blazing inferno. Not good for us vampires.”
“Nor for humans,” I said. “We have to get everyone out of here.”
Boom. Boom. Boom. The building shook from its foundation. I waved my hands, trying to cut through the smoke so I could see what was causing the persistent banging. I could barely see Ben and Sam punching their fists through the back wall. I grabbed Olivia and Tripp.
The three of us joined them, and we all punched holes in the Sheetrock. In less than a minute, daylight sprayed in through the large hole that led to the back porch of the funeral home.
“Come on,” I said to the people who were waiting to race out.
Once we were all outside in the crisp, cool air, people gasped for breath, including me.
I scanned the crowd but didn’t see Mr. Jackson. “Where’s your dad?” I asked Ben.
He flew back into the burning building. I started after him, when Tripp grabbed me by the waist.
“Not so fast,” Tripp said. “Webb would have my head if I let something happen to you.”
I laughed, more out of nerves than anything.
Ben emerged with his father’s limp body in his arms. He stalked across the parking lot to a lawn on the other side of the street.
Sam and Darcy guided the priest and the other guests away from the funeral home, not far from where Ben was kneeling over his dad.
Olivia was on her phone. I shrugged out of Tripp’s hold and was about to dart across the street to Ben, when I spotted a familiar figure leaning against a stop sign a block down from the funeral home. I ran toward Nicki, fury eating at my gut. As I snatched the dagger from the inside of my jacket, my fangs lowered, sharp and deadly. I was about to end the woman once and for all.
She raked her gray gaze over me. “Why won’t you die?” she asked seriously. “Cutting the brakes on the limo didn’t work. Then my plan for Ben to kidnap you so he could have you all to himself and I could have Webb didn’t work, either. And now you walk out of a fire. What’s it going to take for you to die?”
My head spun at finding out that she was the culprit who cut the brakes. I wasn’t surprised she was trying to kill me, but I was shocked that she would want Webb dead, especially if she loved him. “You love Webb. Why would you want him dead? Unless Kate asked you to kill him.”
She snarled, showing her fangs. “He’s better off dead. That way, no one can have him.”
“You’re sick.”
She pushed off the pole. “I’m not sick. I want revenge for everything you’ve done to ruin my life. You killed my best friend, and you took the one man I ever loved away from me.”
I squeezed the handle of the dagger so tightly that I could have sworn the weapon would become part of my hand. “Webb was never your boyfriend. And as far as Kate, I’m sorry. But if someone was trying to kill you, then you would protect yourself.”
She lowered her gaze, her black hair falling forward. “Are you going to use that dagger on me?”
Boy, I wanted to, but we were standing on a city street with humans around, although the area was quiet save for the guests who were choking and crying. Regardless, I couldn’t tell if anyone was lurking in the windows of the homes and buildings along the street. Besides, I didn’t want to bring any more attention to the growing list of shit we had to deal with.
Sirens whined in the distance.
“Nah. One, you’re not worth it. And two, I would rather throw you in prison, where you’ll suffer for the rest of your life.”
She threw her back and laughed.
With vampire speed, I grabbed her arm. Then before I could move, a burning pain ricocheted through my body, making me gasp for air. My vision blurred as I tried to stay upright. Nicki cackled like the Wicked Witch of the West, a sound that grated on me but kept me from passing out. The more she roared with laughter, the easier it was for me to keep my eyes open. I flailed a little, trying to latch on to the stop sign pole. Then she shoved me, still laughing. I stumbled, tripping over my own feet. I managed to stay halfway upright as I found an anchor in the building with a large glass window.
I planted my hands on the window as I locked eyes with a very frightened lady, whose eyes were wider than… I couldn’t think.
“How does it feel to get a dagger through your heart?” Nicki asked in a condescending voice.
Someone screamed my name, but his voice was muffled as though he was far, far away. I turned around, sliding down the window until my butt was firmly planted on the cold ground. I shivered as I tried to grip the pommel of the dagger that was protruding out of my chest.
Ah, crap. Not again. The last time I had a dagger in me, my instinct was to remove the blade as fast as I could. But for some reason, my arms were weak. The bright-blue sky was fading to a gray color.
Then Tripp’s voice boomed in my ears. “Olivia, get Nicki out of here. Sam, get the car.”
I shook my head, blinking several times, trying not to pass out. I fell to one side. Then the world went black.
7
Webb
Hollings unbuttoned his suit jacket before he sat down on the couch in the commander’s private office that was tucked away in the main building far from the control room. The less ears around us, the better.
He crossed one leg over the other. “What have you decided?”
I grabbed the folder that Tripp had given me off the desk. It contained the details of Cory Andrews. I wasn’t about to spill a ton of information to Hollings, but he did need to know about Cory and the CIA agent who’d been poking around.
I extended the folder to Hollings as I sat in a chair opposite him. “The human we brought in with Matthew Costner didn’t make it.”
He scanned the contents of the folder. “Who knows about this?” His tone was even.
“My team, Dr. Vieira, and Dr. Case. And we do have a CIA agent poking around, asking questions about the fire on the Indian reservation.”
He cocked his dark head. “CIA? I knew the local police were questioning the bodies they found, but not the CIA.”
“So, you know nothing about the CIA?”
A deep crease lined the area between his brows. “Absolutely not.”
I rested my elbows on my knees. “Greg, let’s be frank with one another. The CIA throws a whole new wrinkle into our operation. If they got their hands on Patrick’s research, think about what would happen to our community of vampires. Do you really want humans to find out that we’re building vampires?”
He loosened his tie. “I need a drink.”
I flicked my head to the credenza on the other side of the office. I could use some more of the whiskey Tripp and I had sampled the other day. My nerves were still ragged. Even with Jo snuggled up to me the past two nights, I hadn’t been able to sleep. My mind was working overtime, trying to formulate my next step. We had too many working parts that were scattered all over the place. We didn’t know where Edmund was located. We didn’t know anything about the CIA or the agents involved. We didn’t even know how to clear the commander of the murder charge. Everything was threatening to crash down around us, and if we weren’t focused in our fight to protect the vampire community, humans, and our loved ones, then our existence would be compromised. I couldn’t let that happen—no matter the law.
Hollings poured two glasses of whiskey. I walked over to the large window that had a view of the prison building across the courtyard. Hollings joined me, handing me a glass. We both sipped the amber liquid as we watched the prison guard pace back and forth in front of the entrance to the prison.
“Do you have a plan set on how to take out Edmund?” he asked.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Now you want me to kill him?”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t want the CIA to get their hands on any research that Edmund has. That would be a disaster. So if it means burying the fucker once and for all, then I don’t give a damn about what th
e other elders say.”
At least he was thinking clearly. “Look, Greg, before I dive into anything, I have to find the mole within our organization. I’m not moving forward until I do. We’ve lost too many men. Hell, losing one soldier is too many.” I took a swig of whiskey, the smooth liquid barely burning on the way down. “With your permission, I would like to have Steven read the minds of you and the other elders. That way, we can rule out anyone in the council being the mole.”
The elders had a cardinal rule—Steven wasn’t allowed to read their minds. Actually, he couldn’t be anywhere close enough to even brush up against them.
I waited while Hollings nursed his whiskey, staring out the window. If he flat-out said no, then our meeting was over.
“Have you ruled out everyone on your team?” he asked.
“Not yet, but that’s my plan. Jo will start with the SEAL team then work her way through everyone in the control room and anyone else involved in our operation.” She didn’t know that yet, though.
The door to the office burst open, and Kraft barreled in. “Lieutenant, we have a problem.” He darted over to the computer on the desk and typed furiously. “Look.” He got out of the way so Hollings and I could see the screen.
A local news station showing cop cars and an ambulance filled the screen. In the background, Ben was on his knees at his father’s side. My heart rate shot up the charts. The headline read, “Local stabbing in broad daylight.”
My phone rang. “What happened?” I asked Tripp in a shaky tone. “Where’s Jo?”
“We’re coming through the gate now. Get downstairs.” The phone went dead.
I flew out of the office until I was outside. The SUV was screeching to a halt. Olivia jumped out of the passenger side and opened the back door. I gasped as I wobbled on my feet.
Jo’s limp body lay across Sam’s lap. Her shirt was blood soaked.
No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
Kraft and Hollings drew up alongside me.
“What in the world?” Hollings asked.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even move.
Sam passed Jo to Olivia, and my heart stopped.
“She got stabbed in the chest,” Olivia said as she started for the entrance. “We pulled the dagger out, but she’s got an extremely weak pulse.”
I held out my trembling hands. “Give her to me,” I ordered.
“Lieutenant, I’ll take her up to the infirmary.” Olivia tipped her head to the SUV. “You need to deal with her.”
When my gaze landed on Nicki, I went into soldier mode. Kill. Kill. Kill. I stomped over to her, but Tripp blocked me.
“I’ll take her to a jail cell,” he said. “Go be with Jo. We can interrogate Nicki later.”
I growled deeply and bared my fangs at the woman who had made my life a living hell.
Nicki smirked as though she was itching to fight with me. Oh, she would, but I would be the one tearing her apart.
“Webb.” Sam’s deep voice resonated. “Listen to Tripp. I’ll go with him. Take care of my sister. We’ll be up shortly.”
I was surprised Sam was so calm. He’d always protected Jo, and he always went out of his mind when someone dared to hurt her. Or maybe I was too crazed to see that he was just as furious as I was. It didn’t matter. I would deal with Nicki later. That much was certain. For now, Sam was right. I had to be by Jo’s side. I couldn’t lose her.
In vampire speed, I was shoving open the doors to the infirmary. “Where is she?”
Dr. Case pointed to the first room on the side wall.
I ran in and sucked in a sharp breath. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”
Dr. Vieira was checking her vitals. “Calm down.” His voice was soft.
Thank God he wasn’t flipping out like I was. My insides felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer and rammed it into my gut a thousand times. It didn’t help to see blood soaking Jo’s shirt, either.
“Talk to me, Olivia. What went down?” My voice didn’t even sound like me. The last time my voice had been so shaky was when I learned my parents had been murdered.
Olivia wiped her sweaty forehead with her hand. “Everything happened so fast. The viewing room at the funeral home filled up with smoke. When Tripp and I tried to open the doors, they were locked. People panicked. Then Ben started punching through a wall. With our help, we managed to break an opening to get everyone out. I was ushering the civilians to safety when Jo took off. The next thing I know, she’s on the ground with a dagger in her chest.”
I stepped up to Jo’s bedside. She looked peaceful with her long lashes fanned out over her silky cheeks. I clutched her cold, clammy hand then raised it to my lips. “Please, please, come back to me.” She couldn’t die. We still had to get married. I still had so much to show her.
Dr. Vieira pulled out a key from his lab coat. “Olivia, go into the fridge in my office.” He tossed her the key. “I need two bags of blood that have Jo’s name on them.”
Olivia disappeared.
I traced circles on the back of Jo’s hand. “Is she going to make it?”
Dr. Vieira’s face paled. “Not sure. But she’s lost a lot of blood, and her pulse is nil.”
The heart monitor he’d hooked up to Jo barely registered a heartbeat.
“How is Jo still alive if she had a cobalt dagger in her heart? This is the second time now.”
Dr. Vieira pressed his stethoscope to her chest. After a few seconds, he shook his head. “We don’t know that the dagger punctured her heart the first time or this time. I suspect though that the first time, the dagger missed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here. The fact that she’s got a weak pulse indicates to me that the blade punctured the sac surrounding her heart. Much like what happened to you when Kate drove the sword into your heart.” He opened Jo’s blouse and proceeded to check the cut around her left breast. “The problem is the wound isn’t closing. It should at least close a little until she drinks fresh blood, then the wound will seal.”
He wasn’t making me feel hopeful.
“I need to see what her heart is doing. I’m going to insert a scope into her and take a look around.”
As I rubbed Jo’s hand, blood pooled in the hollow of her stomach. “You have to save her.” My eyes burned with tears.
He glanced at me with sad, dark eyes. “I’m sorry, Webb. There are some injuries a vampire can’t recover from, and she’s losing too much blood.”
Growling, I pivoted on my foot and punched the wall, my fist going deep inside the Sheetrock.
Olivia ran in. “Doc, your refrigerator is empty. Not one ounce of blood in there. Are you sure you had Jo’s blood?”
Dr. Vieira bolted out of the room.
Olivia and I exchanged a horrified look. I knew he kept blood in his fridge for all of the SEALs in case of emergencies. I also knew he kept reserves of Steven’s, Jo’s, and Sam’s blood. He’d been studying the twins’ DNA since they became vampires.
I hurried out with Olivia on my heels. I found Dr. Vieira frozen with one hand gripping the fridge door as he stared at empty shelves.
“Doc,” Olivia said. “Who else has a key to your fridge?”
He slammed the door shut and scurried to his desk, where he slid out the top drawer then stuck his hand inside. “The spare is gone. I kept one taped to the underside of the desk.”
“Take my blood,” I said. We would figure out who stole his key and the blood later. Jo’s life was hanging in the balance right now.
Dr. Vieira stomped by me. “She can’t have yours. We’re dealing with the heart, so she needs her own blood. That’s why I keep reserves on all of you. That’s how you healed from your heart wound. Get Sam up here.” His voice was coated with fury.
Olivia whipped out her phone before I could.
I trailed behind Doc as he scanned the lab then checked each of the hospital rooms.
“Who are you looking for?” As soon as I asked, my brain kicked into overdriv
e. “Dr. Case?”
“Find him now!” he shouted.
I dove into action, calling Kraft. “Lock the base down and find Dr. Case.” He’d been there a couple of minutes ago. I growled so loud that the glasses on the lab bench shook. I had two people to kill today, and they would die slow deaths if Jo didn’t live.
Sam flew through the doors. “What’s going on?”
“Get in that room on the end,” Dr. Vieira ordered.
Sam did as he was told.
Since I couldn’t do much for Jo at the moment, it was time to go hunting. Dr. Case was about to get his head bashed in before I interrogated him. And if I was right and he was the mole, then he wasn’t going to live to regret a fucking thing.
“Olivia, check Case’s quarters. I’ll head down to the control room.”
She and I ran out. Within a minute, I was down in the control room, standing over Sawyer, a vampire who had a kaleidoscope of eye colors. Jo always loved talking with Sawyer so she could watch his eyes change colors.
“Bring up the perimeter of the base near the woods,” I ordered.
While Sawyer’s fingers flew over the keys, I picked up the desk phone and called the front gate. When the line connected, I said, “This is Lieutenant London. Don’t let Dr. Case leave the base.” I hung up and snagged a radio off of Sawyer’s desk. “Kraft, check in.”
“Olivia called me. Kodiak and I are sweeping the base,” Kraft said.
“Good. Sawyer will call if he spots anything on the cameras.”
“Ten-four,” Kraft said before the radio went silent.
The phone on Sawyer’s desk rang. He lifted the receiver. “Yes. One minute.” He handed me the phone. “It’s Elder Hollings.”
I’d forgotten about him. “What is it?”
“How’s Jo?”
I held back all my emotions, especially anger, or else I would kill someone. “Not good. Look, we’ll need to pick up our conversation another day.”
“I’m not leaving until I know how she’s doing. What can I do to help?”
I clutched the back of my neck. “Get her father out of jail and on this base ASAP. She might need his blood.”
On the Edge of Infinity (A Vampire SEAL Novel Book 5) Page 6