by Dale Mayer
Chapter 9
Tessa watched Bart disappear around yet another corner. For a chubby guy, he could sure move. If he was upset about the concept of drugging the whole hospital, did that mean he was on their side? At least maybe he wasn’t on the bad guys’ side. He had to have some conscience in there.
She opened her vision to study the figure in front of her. His energy was fast, energized, and definitely not black.
In fact, she couldn’t see anything like that on him. So he’d not been taking or been given any of the blood farm drugs as far as she could see. Feeling better, she quickly shared her findings with Cody.
“Do you trust him?” Cody asked.
“To try and disappear as soon as he can? To find a way to stay out of trouble? To avoid getting into trouble? Yes to all three.” She picked up the speed as he raced ahead. How is he going so fast? That’s not like anything she’d seen before…except Hortran. Nah, Bart is as far from being a Ghost as I am.
Why? It’s not like we’ve seen more than one Ghost to be able to make assumptions about them all.
I think he’d have said something or been something special if he were a Ghost.
He is special. Just not the way you might think. The snigger in Cody’s voice made her laugh.
It felt good to be back on track with him. In spite of Bart’s presence, or maybe because of it, she felt better. More normal.
Anything that helped her feel more grounded in this energy vortex she was living in was a good thing.
Bart slowed to a halt then took one half step forward, his head tilted to the side as if listening for something.
She tuned in her hearing, feeling more energy pulses there than she’d ever felt before. She toned it down and then tweaked the colors playing around beside her. Instantly, her hearing sharpened and the voices sounded clear as a bell in her ears.
Only she didn’t understand a word they were saying.
She turned to Cody, who’d snuck up beside her. “I can hear them, but I don’t understand the language.”
He looked at her oddly. “Doesn’t Deanna know it?”
Tessa shook her head. She’d have to wonder that later. “No. I’m not getting any indication that she did.”
Cody nodded then nudged her shoulder. “Looks like Bart might.”
Bart spun back to look at her; he mouthed something but she didn’t understand. She sidled closer, not wanting to alert the others to their presence. When she was beside him, she asked him to repeat what he’d said.
“They are looking for me. They can’t get the second canister connected.”
“They have two?” Shit.
“Go join them as if someone sent you to help them out,” she whispered. “And we’ll come around and take them from behind.”
He glared at her. “No way. I brought you here. That’s all I’m going to do.” He gave a silent snort. “You’re the one with the death wish, not me.”
“But if you stay here in the hospital, that death wish is going to be yours, remember? That gas will fill the whole building and no one will be safe.”
“Precisely why I’m not sticking around.”
“Going to run away again, Bart?” Cody asked. “How is it you can run so fast?” He watched Bart’s face turn belligerent, his puffy jowls filling up in a huff.
“Good question,” Tessa interjected smoothly. “I’ve only ever seen a Ghost move like that.”
At the word ghost, Bart spun around to look behind her. “Ghost? Did you say you saw a Ghost?”
Only there was no fear in his voice. More surprise. Puzzlement maybe, as if he didn’t think there was such a thing. At least not any longer.
“Yes, a Ghost.” Cody went to brush past Bart and look around the corner when Tessa added, “Hortran.”
Bart grabbed Cody’s arm. “As in Deanna and Hortran?” Now his voice vibrated with some unnamed emotion, but it sounded suspiciously like fear…mixed with a big dose of rage.
Tessa nodded. “Did you know Deanna?”
“Everyone knows Deanna,” Bart said harshly. “She’s a mean old bitch and can’t be trusted.”
Tessa winced. “She was a mean old bitch. She’s dead now.”
He gazed at her in shock. Then his head shook like a wet dog. “No. You are mistaken. She can’t be dead.”
“Why?” Awareness kicked in. What did Bart know that Tessa didn’t? She narrowed her gaze, waiting for him to answer.
“If she’d dead, there’s been a major shift in power. She’d not have died easily either.”
“She died here,” Cody said, his voice harsh. “At the hospital.”
Bart continued to shake his head in that lumbering bear way of his. “It can’t be. It can’t be.”
He looked so stricken that Tessa wanted to reach out and pat him on the shoulder, offer comfort even though it wasn’t going to be wanted.
“Why not? Was she special to you?”
Instead of answering, Bart turned back to where the men stood talking, his shoulders slumped as if he didn’t quite understand how his world had changed.
She could sympathize, but she still wanted to know how he knew Deanna and what their connection had been. He wasn’t anywhere near as old as Deanna had been and there hadn’t been any type of similarity in their features, so she wasn’t sure just what kind of question to ask, but she knew she needed to know what was going on. It might be personal, but the time for privacy issues to rear their ugly head was long past.
As she listened to the men’s voices getting louder and louder, she grabbed Bart’s shoulder, forcing him to pay attention to her. “Bart. Tell me. What was Deanna to you?”
He shrugged off her hand. “Not going to tell you.”
She frowned. She could make him, maybe. But was it worth the effort? Maybe not considering that the bad guys were almost upon them.
Tessa? What are you doing?
Yeah, I know, but I really want to know why he’s so stricken at Deanna’s death.
It’s his business.
So? Since when does that matter now? she said crossly. This concerns Deanna, and I need to know.
There was a funny silence in her mind. Trying to pay attention to the men coming around the corner, she turned to glare at Cody. What?
If it’s about Deanna, Cody asked gently, why don’t you check your – her – memory banks to see what the relationship was and how their last meeting took place?
Just then the men caught sight of Bart. “There you are. We need you to fix the hatch on pipe seven. The new canister won’t seal properly.”
Tessa wanted to laugh at that. It might be a design flaw or the higher ups’ way of getting rid of those men who were doing the gassing. This way, dead men could tell no lies.
If the gas was just going to knock the people in the hospital unconscious, then she didn’t know what these men’s role would end up being. And maybe she didn’t want to know.
She sighed and stepped out from behind Bart.
It was a testament to his size that it took them a moment to register her presence.
“Hey, who are you?”
She smiled. “I’m Tessa. Bart’s buddy.”
Bart stiffened beside her. He shot her a resentful look but stepped forward to help the men. “Show me,” he said. “I’ll have to check the coupling on it. Maybe it just needs tightening.”
“I hope so,” the first man said, worry etched on his face. “We came a little early to make sure this worked, but now that cushion is narrowing and we’re going to be in trouble if we don’t have this up and running soon.”
“I’ll get it going.” He walked ahead slowly in that shambling way of his when Tessa caught sight of his hand and fingers pointing to the man on the left. What the hell did that mean? Go in that direction or take out the guy that was in that direction? Or was that guy important?
Then Bart stabbed the finger impatiently at the man closest to Tessa. Fine. Whatever.
She reached out and grabbed the stranger in the sweet
spot on the neck, slapping her other hand over his mouth so no one could hear his cry. As it was, the other two men were deep in conversation with Bart over the pathway this heating vent travelled.
Bart wasn’t giving them too much information. According to him, he didn’t know anything about the vent system in place as he hadn’t spent much time here. He hated hospitals. The others laughed.
One said, “Me too. Especially after tonight. I’ll probably never come back to the place.”
Tessa barely heard his words, but as they filtered through her consciousness she heard an oomph as if the man had taken a light punch to the gut. She frowned but couldn’t see as she was attempting to maneuver the unconscious vamp off to the side when she suddenly tossed the man casually into a corner. Surprised by the easy strength of her actions, she studied the crumpled position and wondered. She’d meant to only drag him like she’d normally have done, but apparently she’d used more force than she’d understood. The man was dead.
Weird.
She turned her attention back to Cody, who held out his hand for her. Come on, he urged. We don’t want them getting too far ahead.
They caught up to the others as one man collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. Leaving Cody back a few steps, she raced forward to see what was wrong. The man gave one, two hard jolts then went still.
She dropped to her knees onto the floor. “What happened to him?” she cried.
“Me,” Bart said, and the second man dropped to the ground. “Leave them alone and pass me the canister. I’ll get it out of here.”
She looked up to find Bart pointing out a dark gray metal tin that was the size of a good-sized backpack. Cody snagged it up, his own arms dropping with the weight. “Are you sure this is it?”
Bart sent him a disgusted look and grabbed it easily in one meaty paw. “Of course. We were trying to attach it earlier.”
“What are you going to do if anyone comes looking for these two men?” Tessa asked.
“No problem. I’ll make sure they disappear, then I’ll disappear after them.” His smile was something to see. Cold and feral, it sent chills down her spine. This was no longer the unkempt Bart. In his place was this tubby ninja. She wanted to laugh but figured it would not be a good idea.
“And the second canister?” she asked quietly. “What about that one?”
“The system needs both shafts closed off for the system to be operational. So they can’t use the other canister anyway. Now,” he wagged a finger at her. “Go. Kill yourself off if you feel the need, but don’t involve me in your plans.”
“I won’t,” Tessa said cheerfully. “At least I know where to find you.”
“No. You knew where to find me. After this, you won’t find me again.”
There was no give in that glare of his, but she didn’t think he was as big a hard ass as he wanted her to believe. She’d met hard asses. Generally they didn’t look or act like Bart. “Before you go, why won’t you tell me what Deanna meant to you?”
He laughed, but there was nothing humorous about it. “Why do you care? The bitch is gone and who and what she was, the things she’s done, well… they’ll die with her.”
“Not necessarily,” Tessa said. “Did you have a grievance with her?”
He glared at her. “With what she’d done. The poison she set into action…that was no grievance. That was Deanna being Deanna all over again. She saw. She liked. She took. No matter what it was or who had it.”
Tessa hated hearing such things but knew there was likely a lot more to come. Deanna hadn’t lived an innocent life, and as much as Tessa wanted her to be the big purist she’d thought her to be, Deanna had done many things over her long life that hurt a lot of people. And those she didn’t hurt, she pissed off. But should she tell Bart about the parts of Deanna she carried? How much did he hate her? Would he see Tessa as a surrogate target?
His venom rolled over her.
“I’ve spent years hating that witch. I’d have done anything to see her turn to ash, preferably by my hand,” he snapped. “That I didn’t get a chance to kill her is sad, but that is life. As long as someone did the job, then I’m good. If there is proof of her demise – so there can be no doubt – then I’m even better.” He grinned for the first time, his cartoon-like features twisting with glee. But then Tessa heard his words, and his funny face ceased to matter.
Uh oh. “You wanted what? Revenge?”
“Exactly.”
“And again, I have to ask you – why? What did she ever do to you?”
“I hated her.”
“I got that.” Tessa understood, but there had to be a powerful reason for that much hate, to wait so long for revenge. He had to have a major reason.
But getting it out of him wasn’t going to be easy.
“She must have hurt you badly.”
The fire in his eyes would have told another person to back off. Tessa didn’t listen. She had to know the connection to Deanna. With the men lying prone at their feet and time wasting, knowing Cody didn’t understand why she pushed again, guessing, “She hurt someone close to you.”
Bart narrowed his gaze at her, his jaw locking then pulsing. He wanted to speak. He wanted to let it all out.
“No, she didn’t,” he snapped. “It’s none of your business.”
“And yet it is. I have to do something for her,” Tessa explained. “I can’t do my job if I don’t know what I’m up against.”
“She got to you, did she?” Bart snarled. “Well then, you’re going to get your death wish after all. That bitch killed my daughter. All I had in this world. She killed her, and my girl was only trying to help.”
That didn’t sound right. Tessa said, “I’m so sorry for you and your girl. What happened?”
“Some bullshit story about needing an apprentice to pass all her knowledge onto after her death.”
Tessa gasped, but Bart wasn’t listening. “One day after an elaborate ceremony, they did this mind thing and Deanna was supposed to pass over big chunks of her knowledge, her wisdom, but it didn’t work out that way. Instead of my daughter waking with all the new information, Deanna killed her.”
He glared at Tessa. “One minute my baby was there with me and laughing like she always did, and the next thing I know she was screaming for help as her brain overloaded – and she died in my arms.”
*
Serus tried to focus as he followed his son and Goran through the bowels of the hospital in search of the mechanical room. He’d held them back long enough trying to raise the alarms about Rhia both mentally and via Sian. Everyone already knew she’d taken off, but no one had found his beloved. She’d hidden and if she’d taken the drugs again as Sian suspected, she’d know the best places to hide. Had she turned? Had she become so addicted to the drugs she had to go back for more?
He hoped not. He had visions of spiriting her away to an old hideaway where he could keep her locked up and safe until the addiction, the horrible craving, passed.
Not fun. For either of them. But he’d do it if necessary.
Then again, he also wanted to race after her and give her a heavy shaking. Or a damn good kick in the backside. How dare she take off alone? She could trust him to help, whatever it was she was trying to do. And he’d understand. He might not like it. He might have tried to stop her, hell, he would definitely have tried to stop her – at least he would have spent the whole time trying to talk her out of it – but that wouldn’t mean he wouldn’t have also looked for a different solution to help her.
He pulled back slightly as Goran slipped into his mind, berating him. Damn it, Serus, get back into the game. There are bad guys here.
Hell, there are always bad guys lately, he grumbled.
What? Goran was racing ahead. We’re almost at the heating system and someone beat us to it. He paused then laughed. How the hell did she do that?
She?
Serus caught up to the others and peered around Goran’s shoulder to see Tessa and Cody ahead of
them. “Tessa? How did you get here so fast?”
His daughter’s face lit up at the sight of him, making him smile inside. Damn, she’d turned out well. He wished Rhia could see her. Hell, he wished Rhia was here.
“I am not sure, actually. We took the elevator back down to find the security camera feed to see what happened upstairs when we found Bart here.” She tugged a fat vampire out from the center of the group and damn it if he didn’t recognize him from the blood farm.
“Bart – hey, we were afraid you died when the mountain came down.”
Bart shrugged. “I escaped out one of the shafts. She’s a walking disaster.” He glared at Tessa.
Tessa gave a sheepish shrug. “Hey, I’m getting better.”
Goran snorted. “So not true.”
“See, even he agrees with me,” Bart snickered. “I barely escaped with my skin.”
“You’re lucky you got out,” Goran reminded him. “Thousands didn’t.”
“Yeah, lot of good it did me when you consider that I’m sitting here with her again.”
This time Tessa glared at him. “You’re the one that helped them hook up the canisters full of drugs. Sounds like you don’t deserve to escape again.”
“Ha. I just took those guys down too.” He hitched his belly up and hooked his thumbs under the straps to his overalls.
Serus wanted to laugh, but a smirk slid out instead.
Goran stepped forward. “And did those drugs get into the vents? Is that why you are down here again? Is everyone upstairs dead? Drugged?”
“No.” Cody spoke up. “We never found anyone, but once Tessa realized the guards you left watching the elevator were gone, she was afraid there was a trap up ahead. She wanted to come down and search the video feed first. Instead, we found Bart here trying to sneak away after helping them set up the new drug delivery system.”
Goran’s phone rang. He stepped off to one side and answered it.
“Hey, I didn’t know what was inside those damn things. I wouldn’t have helped if I’d known. There are a lot of vamps in this hospital.”
“Versus a lot of humans, I suppose.” Tessa shook her head, all the while managing to glare at Bart. Serus had to wonder at their relationship. It appeared they knew each other quite well.