Roaring Dawn: Macey Book 3 (The Gardella Vampire Hunters 10)

by Colleen Gleason

  It was Macey who pulled away, to catch her breath—or so she told herself—but then it was ruined when she realized tears had filled her eyes. Dammit.

  She ignored whatever emotion was trying to destroy the moment, and slid her arms up around his neck, pulling his face to hers once again, fitting her mouth to his in her own desperate bid for escape.

  This time, Chas pulled away after only a short while, and when he did, he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her at a distance.

  “You’re trying too hard, lulu,” he said. His voice was matter of fact, but there was heat in his eyes, and she could tell he wasn’t at all adverse to her attentions. But he was holding her back—literally holding her back.

  “What do you mean by that?” She was outraged, and now there were tears welling in her eyes again, damn him. “It’s always been like that with us—rough, and wild, and—”

  He put a finger to her lips, glancing at the door to the pub.

  “What, you’re worried about him?” That infuriated her even more—now Max Denton was interfering in her private life. “I can solve that problem.” She grabbed Chas’s hand and pulled, ready to tow him off down the hall to the privacy of her own room.

  “Macey, stop,” he said, and pulled his fingers easily from her grip.

  Blind with tears, furious and confused and frustrated, she dashed a hand over her eyes and stalked away before she could embarrass herself further. She’d taken two steps before Chas caught her by the arm, pulling her back relatively gently—for him.

  “Leave me alone.” She tried to punch him—oh, that would feel great, to land a few solid ones right on his torso—but he was too strong, even for her, and he pulled her tight against him, his arms capturing her in an unyielding band.

  “There’s not too many other things I’d rather do than pull off your clothes and make it all the way with you, lulu,” he murmured into the top of her head. “Believe me. Especially after…today. But I’m feeling a bit wrung out myself, you know”—she felt the tremor rush through him—“and being a substitute or an excuse doesn’t sit well with me at the moment. You don’t want me so much as you want something to make you forget everything that’s going on—and I can’t argue with that. I’ve done it myself…too often. Far too often. Even…”

  “Even with me?” she whispered into his shirt, now damp with her tears.

  “Ah, Macey,” he said, tightening his arms around her. “My life is so bloody damn fucked up, you can’t even take offense to me saying it, because nothing I do means anything. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong back—home. I don’t belong anywhere.” He drew in a deep breath. “You don’t love me, I can’t love you, we’ve been using each other for weeks…and though it’s been damned good—”

  “Well, there is that.” She laugh-sobbed against him.

  He gave a pained chuckle of his own. “Right. Look, I don’t know what happened when you went out today—you came back looking worse than when you left, and that’s not saying much—but one thing I know is, going to bed with me won’t help you feel any better. Inside,” he added with another bark of laughter when she tensed up to argue. “Mentally.”

  This time, when she drew back, he allowed her to. “It’s been a terrible day,” she admitted, still enjoying the comfort of solid arms around her.

  “Even worse than when I dragged you out of Iscariot’s limousine? That was a pretty bad day.”

  “Almost as bad.” Her lips quivered, but inside she still felt as if she was a piece of clothing being run through the wringer.

  “Max showing up here was a surprise.”

  “That’s an understatement.” She sniffled, and to her surprise, Chas produced a handkerchief from somewhere on his rumpled person. “How does he have the nerve to show up after thirteen years and pretend like nothing happened?”

  “I wouldn’t say he pretended like nothing happened—” Chas stopped when she turned her most furious glower onto him. “Right. The bastard.”

  “And then I—” No, she didn’t want to talk about Grady. Didn’t want to admit even to Chas—whose deepest, darkest secrets she knew—how pathetic she’d been, lurking around Grady’s house, and even knocking on the door.

  “You went to that Irish bloke, didn’t you?” His mouth was flat with anger. “The one you castrated.”

  “Castrated? What the hell—I didn’t—”

  “Oh, you bloody well did. Not saying I completely blame you, but you did—you took every bit of manhood, of humanity, away from him when you made your decision about his future. For him. And what—now you’re regretting it?”

  “I thought you were on my side,” she cried, curling her fingers into a fist. Just one punch, just one! “You were the one who told me I couldn’t be with anyone.”

  “I didn’t tell you to castrate the man, Macey. Never. It’s a damned good thing he can’t remember you, because if he ever found out what you did—well, making those kinds of godlike decisions for a man is inexcusable. And cowardly. He’d hate you for it.”

  “It’s just what my father did to me,” she said.

  “He didn’t manipulate your memory, Macey. It’s a whole different situation.” Chas reached out with a gentle hand, wiping away a stream of tears—but he was fighting a losing battle, for they were coming too fast now. “What happened when you went to Grady’s, lulu? Did you see him?”

  She nodded, closing her eyes, folding her arms over her middle to close herself off. She was so damned furious and incensed and confused and sad.

  Just sad.

  And scared. Beneath it all, she was terrified.

  Chas waited silently—he was good at that too—and she finally blurted out, “That damned lady photographer was there. In her dressing robe. They probably sat around all day and talked about her pictures from—from Paris or wherever they were. Notre Dame, and the creepy catacombs with those skulls everywhere, and from the tops of skyscrapers. She probably told him all about her adventures, and now he’s going to go with her, and…”

  Good grief, she sounded like a lunatic. Like a weak, lovesick lunatic.

  Not like a Venator. Not like a woman who was born to fight evil, to throw men across the room, to come face to face with a nightmare with fangs…

  She was weak, and foolish, and why was she even here? Why hadn’t she just remained a normal woman, with a normal life?

  “You know, even Victoria Gardella cried,” Chas said. “And she made her own mistakes—a good many, if you’d ever heard Max Pesaro talk about it.”

  “Did you know them? Back then?” Macey spared a moment to be fascinated in spite of the torrent of emotions inside her.

  He shrugged. “In a manner of speaking. Pesaro was there when I went through the Trial to get my vis bulla. It’s all rather a blur due to the way Wayren manipulated me through time—it was as if we stopped in their London on our way here, skipping a decade here, a few more there… But, yes, I met Victoria, and Pesaro as well. You do have his eyes. And her temperament.” He smiled, and her heart fluttered.

  “You’re too damned attractive for your own good, Chas,” she said, stepping away, wiping the last stray tears from her eyes. “If you aren’t careful, I might drag you back to my bedroom anyway.”

  He shook his head, his gaze warm and sad. “Macey, love, there aren’t many other things I’d rather do, but it’s better that doesn’t happen. At least…not until you figure out a few things.” He glanced again toward the door that led to the pub—and Max Denton.

  “And until I… Well.” He shook his head again. “Right, then. Against my better judgment, I’m going to bid you good night. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be an ugly day.”

  TWELVE

  ~ The Dawning of the Vilest of Days ~

  Monday morning, Grady was in the Tribune tower working at his desk. He’d come in before nine o’clock, having left Savina to her own devices at his house. He knew she was going to be at the Chicago Library this morning, supervising the dismantling of her photogra
phy display.

  Neither of them commented on the fact that Max hadn’t returned last night.

  It was past ten thirty, and Grady was making notes about a list of potential contacts for a story when he heard someone shouting from the elevators.

  “There’s a hostage situation,” said Earl Perry, a typesetter who’d just rushed off the elevator. His face was pale and drawn and his words fell over themselves as the others gathered around to listen to the news. “Man’s got himself locked up with at least two dozen girls at Beedle’s.”

  Grady pushed up so fast his chair crashed to the floor. “Who is it? At Beedle’s?” He slammed on his hat as Perry stammered a reply.

  “I—no one knows who—it just came in on the telephone, and the colonel told us—yes, that fancy school—”

  But Grady hadn’t waited for the rest of the details. He’d already reached the elevator—whose dial indicated the car was on the third floor. He was on the twelfth.

  “Go get ’em, ace,” someone shouted at his back.

  Grimly, he eschewed the slow-moving elevator and bounded down the steps, trench coat flapping around his legs, the unnecessary Go get ’em, ace reverberating in his head.

  Yes, there was a hell of a story. But that wasn’t why he was winging himself around the sharp corners of each flight of stairs and leaping down the last three to the landings as he reached them.

  Beedle’s—formally known as Miss Beedle’s Perfect School for Young Ladies—was an elite boarding school, and the building itself was a forbidding mansion surrounded by an iron fence topped with spikes. Though he had never had cause to visit the school, he’d passed by it on numerous occasions. Each time, he’d been struck by its impenetrable, prisonlike appearance: the imposing fence contributed, of course, but there was also a large, treeless yard, and sheer brick walls five stories high, devoid of the popular decorative finishes of most buildings. Windows on the first two levels were covered with ornate but efficient wrought iron grilles similar to those found in New Orleans.

  The school was known as a place for the daughters of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Chicago—everyone from gangsters to senators to business moguls. It was clearly an institution meant to protect those delicate beings from all external threats—and, likely, to keep them from seeking them out as well.

  Grady tossed up a thanks that he’d not been raised by rich or powerful parents. Being sent to a place like Beedle’s would have been worse than prison—and, in his mind, far worse than his own tragic and impoverished beginnings. Nevertheless, apparently Chicago’s elite (and those who aspired to join them) felt differently, for the school had a waiting list three years long. And when a family learned of its daughter’s acceptance therein, it wasn’t unusual to see a notice in the Tribune announcing it—as if it were a wedding or engagement.

  Whoever the hostage taker was, he’d chosen well: everyone in the city would be on pins and needles until the terror was resolved. Whatever the man wanted—perhaps money, which it surely had to be—would most likely be delivered to him on a silver platter in order to rescue the wealthy and delicate hostages.

  Unless Grady could help find a way to abort the perpetrator’s plan. With his Houdini-like skills and other expertise he’d acquired back in his street days in Dublin, he was in a unique position to offer help. Since he’d assisted in cornering a counterfeit gang several months back, he’d gained some notoriety and validation with the cops. If Linwood happened to be on site, that would grease the wheels with the authorities even more.

  Grady drove as far as he was able, but when he was still two blocks from Beedle’s, he was forced to park. Streets had been blocked off in a perimeter around the school, and policemen and onlookers filled the throughways. The rain had ceased late the night before, but the ground was still wet and muddy, and the air was thick with moisture.

  He used his press pass as an excuse to push through the barriers, and found Linwood with three other cops known to Grady. They were standing at the gate of the school and had strained expressions on their faces. Other officers stood about in different clusters, and he recognized the chief of police, along with some of his lieutenants. Everyone looked grim and hopeless.

  “What’s the story?” Grady asked Linwood and his companions without taking the time for a formal greeting.

  “Guy’s inside, not sure which floor—probably the big dining hall. He’s got twenty girls under his control, ages twelve through sixteen. The rest of the students and staff escaped or were released,” his uncle explained. “When they came out, they gave us the message that if anyone stepped past the perimeter fence, the hostages would be killed immediately.”

  “Surely he didn’t do this all alone?” Grady asked incredulously. “Does he have a bomb?”

  “No bomb we’re aware of. He’s not alone—got a small army with him. We’ve counted roughly a dozen others, saw glimpses of them through the windows. Reports from the ones he set free corroborate this estimate,” said Officer Donahue.

  Grady swore under his breath, looking at the fortress-like school. “Has he been in contact with anyone? Do we know what he wants?”

  Linwood shook his head. “Nothing yet. The report came in only about thirty minutes ago—you got here fast, Grady. I was just about to have someone call you.”

  Just then, there was an exclamation from one of the cops at the gate. “The door’s opening!”

  So it was—the massive oak door yawned open. A young girl of no more than thirteen, wearing her school uniform, stumbled out onto the porch as if she’d been pushed.

  She staggered, trying to run, stumbled again, and then fell down the steps. She lay there, sprawled facedown on the damp green grass.

  “Someone help her!” cried a woman—unnecessarily, for Donahue and Linwood had already opened the gate, and their companion, Officer Barnett, pushed through at a run. Linwood and Donahue followed in his wake with their weapons drawn.

  At this time, the bystanders gathered around the school were completely hushed, though the crowd tried to surge forward to see better. The encroaching group was held off by the beat cops who’d been erecting barriers along the street.

  By now, Barnett had scooped up the girl. With a wary glance at the windows of the school, he dashed back to the gate, accompanied by Linwood and Donahue. This event took no more than thirty or forty seconds, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when all four of them passed back through the gate safely.

  Grady was among those who gathered around when Barnett laid the girl on a pallet next to an ambulance with its rear doors open. Thus, he was one of the first to see the blood pumping from a distinctive type of wound on her throat. The mark had been obscured by her long, dark hair and the navy school uniform.

  He breathed in sharply and looked up to exchange horrified glances with Linwood.

  “Good God,” breathed Donahue as a doctor began to examine the girl, and the chief of police pushed his way closer. “Is she—is she…?”

  “She’s alive,” said the physician, whom Grady knew as Dr. Fintucket. A slight, quiet man who went about his work efficiently and practically, he was the doctor who’d been summoned after Linwood was attacked by vampires a month ago, and it was he who had most likely saved the man’s life. He was also likely to be discreet about the cause of the wound, just as he had been with Linwood. “And—”

  The doctor stopped speaking, for the girl had begun to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, but instead of looking up at the people gathered around her, they remained blank and appeared unfocused.

  “It’s all right,” said Dr. Fintucket soothingly as he continued to examine and treat her wound. “You’re safe now, young lady. You have a nasty cut here.”

  Her lips began to move, and she began to speak, her gaze still unseeing. The words came out in an eerie monotone voice, as if they’d been rehearsed, or otherwise imprinted upon her mind.

  “The others will be released unharmed if his demands are met. He will speak only to the press, and wi
ll outline his demands then. One man will be allowed to walk through the gate and approach the school. He must prove he is a reporter for the Tribune, at which time he will gain entrance to the building.The reporter must come without weapons, and may wear or carry nothing made of metal. He will be searched. If he is found with any metal or weapons on his person, he will be given back to you in a condition much worse than mine. You have until noon today to send the reporter to speak with him. If the deadline passes, he will begin to release the other hostages…and they will fare much worse than I. One by one…by…one.”

  The girl’s eyes sank closed as she spoke the final words on a weak breath.

  Silence fell over the circle of people around the young messenger, while in a horrible contrast, birds chirped happily in the trees above, and a fresh, floral-scented breeze ruffled the leaves. When Grady looked up, he found Linwood’s eyes on him. He gave a brief nod, but his uncle would already know his intent. There was no decision to be made.

  “Is she…?” Donahue asked again.

  The doctor nodded. “She’s still alive. Her pulse is weak, and she’s lost blood—but not too much. I believe she should recover, God willing—let’s get her to the hospital. We’ve seen wounds like this before.” He glanced at Linwood meaningfully, then turned to give instructions to the ambulance drivers.

  “Salted holy water will help,” Grady muttered to the doctor, who looked at him with respect. “For those types of wounds. Lots of it.” Then he turned to the others. “I’m going,” he said before Donahue and Barnett could speak, then addressed the police chief. “I’m the best man for the task.”

  Though Chief Ryan and Linwood didn’t see eye to eye when it came to allowing gangsters to have their way in the city as long as their palms were well greased—which was true for a good majority of the policemen in Chicago—in this case the two—and, surely, the rest of the force as well—were aligned in their position.