by Kim Faulks
“We need to hurry, Nova.”
“Sure, okay.” I climbed to my feet and went back to the wardrobe, tearing clothes from the hangers to stuff inside. Panic swelled inside me. All of a sudden, it all seemed important. I wanted more than I could carry. I wanted everything.
“Nova.”
My name turned into a warning. I stopped shoving clothes into my bag and glanced around the wardrobe.
“We need to go now.” Kol growled as footsteps echoed from outside the open door.
I wrenched my head to the ceramic figurines. My heart thundered, drowning out the echo of boots as I lunged. Tutus and raised arms filled my grasp. Something clinked and shattered as I shoved. I couldn’t stop, couldn’t see what was left of my fractured world. My shoes slapped the floor.
Kol’s low growl filled the room as a knock at the door echoed.
“Boston Police. We know you’re in there. Open the door.”
Kol
I wrenched open the door.
The plainclothes detective flashed a badge at me. He gave me the once over, then shifted to peer around me and into the apartment. “Nova Flynn?”
The shiny silver badge in his outstretched hand never wavered, but his wary face and the scent of garlic said this cop had dealt with vampires before.
He looked past me, then turned to my woman. “You’re Nova Flynn right?”
I stepped to the side, letting the human through against my instincts.
“That’s right, “ Nova replied.
“You’re a hard person to get hold of Ms. Flynn.”
Her arm brushed mine, the gesture comforting. “I assume this is about my ex-boyfriend, Detective?”
The cop moved like a fighter, sizing me up out of the corner of his eye as he handed her a card. “Manning.”
The hard-nosed officer turned. “And you are?” he snapped.
Something about him brought the monster within me to life. I bared my fangs. “Connected,” I said in an icy voice.
His top lip peeled back, exposing yellowed teeth. “Aren’t we all?” He glanced around the room settling on the ballooned bag at Nova’s feet. “Going somewhere in a hurry it seems. I’d like you to accompany me down to the station for a few questions. You’re not under arrest, Nova. We’re already looking into someone else for the murder. But—”
The phone in my pocket buzzed. A chill went up my spine. Something was off here.
I snagged the phone from my inside pocket. Burner 10 illuminated the screen. Nova was oblivious, her brows drawn together as she nodded to the detective.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I muttered.
Her head turned. The corners of her mouth curved. Her smile so quick for me; everything about this woman was an avalanche, her desire, her affection. The dead muscle in my chest—my heart—squeezed and released.
I thumbed the screen, striding toward the door as Rurik’s base voice filled my ear. “The Holland brothers contacted me this morning demanding fair compensation.”
I lifted my gaze to the doorway. Panic thrashed inside my chest. “This morning? You should’ve called. Me… they want me, don’t they?”
“That’s not going to happen, Kol. I won’t allow it.”
I trembled. I fucking trembled like a goddamn newborn. My voice wavered. “How much?”
“Two million.”
The hallway lost its hue, stealing yellow and turning it grey. “Two million.”
“It’s only money,” he returned. “We make more than we can ever spend, so let’s call it an investment in your future.”
“My future.” Two weeks ago it wouldn’t have mattered. “Thank you, my friend.”
“You can thank me by living and loving. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
A soft beep ended the call. Two million dollars. More than any club could make in a year, even Bitten. It would take me forever to repay Rurik. But I would. What I had with Nova was worth that and more.
The phone beeped. I stared at the unknown number and message.
Lynk’s car’s in the parking lot. Look who finally turned up to work. Rosalie.
Yellow seeped in. The colors of my world slowly returned. Lynk was fine, probably sleeping off a blood binge in one of the club’s darkened rooms. My fingers flew across the keypad, sending a message to Rurik.
Lynk’s car’s in the parking lot. He’s probably sleeping it off.
I waited for the fist around my heart to ease—waited for the moment I could put this mess behind me and move on with Nova. Her gentle voice echoed from the doorway. I took a step, moving toward the doorway as something occurred to me.
Lynk’s car wasn’t there this morning.
The detective came into view. He pierced me with an icy stare before turning to his book.
“He has no one else, Ms. Flynn. There wasn’t much left, a few items of clothing, a watch you can view. Surely you have a spare minute for that. I’ll drive you home myself when we’re done. It won’t take much of your time and will make my job a helluva lot easier.”
Nova shifted from one foot to the other, then turned her head to look at me in the doorway. “Everything okay?”
I wanted to nod, but a dark seed of doubt bloomed. First Lynk had been missing, and now presumably found, and then the Blood Courtesan building went up in smoke. I didn’t believe in coincidences—I believed in retribution. This was the work of the Holland brothers. I was sure of it.
Nova turned toward me as I strode across the room, her eyes full off fear and worry. I pulled her into my arms, keeping the detective in my sight. In this moment I was weak and vulnerable and I didn’t care.
“Go with the detective,” I murmured against her ear. “Do what needs to be done. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Her hands clenched, drawing my jacket tight across my back. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to whisper everything was fine. Instead I stood there and drank down her fear and her anguish. That I could use.
“I’ll have her home before you can blink, Mr. Davis. You won’t need to worry. Ms. Flynn, if you’ll allow me.”
She brushed her lips across my cheek. Her skin was so warm, so alive. I craved her warmth like I craved blood. Footsteps echoed down the hallway, stealing her away. She took a step, knelt, and grabbed her bag, and in between one beat of my heart and the next, she was gone.
I strode to the window and looked down. A dark blue Crown Vic sat next to the curb. Lights flashed as the detective yanked open the rear door and waited. Nova climbed into the back seat before lifting her head to stare at me through the window.
The human knew too much about me—she revealed my secrets, the darkest of lies. The terrifying part I didn’t know if she was becoming more of a monster like me—or I was becoming more human like her.
Nova gave me a last smile and then the detective shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Panic welled in my chest, squeezing the stony muscle inside as the car pulled out into the traffic and disappeared. I made for the door, taking one last look at the apartment before yanking the door closed behind me. She’d never come back, not to this time in her life—or the pain. I’d never let her.
I descended the stairs and climbed back into the Camaro where I gunned the motor, resisting the urge to head downtown to where the Blood Courtesan building burned. I didn’t believe in coincidences. I believed in retribution. I swung the wheel and pulled out into the slow-moving traffic, taking one last look at the direction the Crown Vic disappeared and then I turned right.
The streets flew by in a blur as I pushed the car harder down the empty street outside the bar, then swung into Bitten’s parking lot. Lynk’s Jeep looked abandoned, four places over from where the vampire had parked for the last five years.
Something was not right. I switched off the ignition and climbed out. The four by four looked the same. I strode over to the side and peered through the window. There was no sign of blood, no sign of a struggle. I touched the hood. The engine was c
old.
If he was inside, he’d be in one of the underground rooms asleep—but if he wasn’t….
Bloody thoughts crowded my mind. Gravel crunched under my boots as I made for the rear door. Inside, the club was quiet, still too early for the small number of day walkers in the city. The door slammed shut with a bang. I locked it and strode along the hall, turning right for the main bar.
Rosalie lifted her head, caught my eye, and nodded. The bar glistened with clean glasses and freshly stocked bottles. I skimmed upturned bar stools and scrubbed tables. Nothing was out of place, and yet an icy touch trailed along my spine.
I cut through the dance floor and headed for my office. If Lynk was here he’d leave a message. It was standard protocol when sleeping in one of the bedrooms below the club so the cleaning staff knew to stay away—no one wanted to be a vampire’s midday snack.
I unlocked my door and went inside. The office was quiet, no flashing lights to warn of a message—nothing.
But the warning bells were there—screaming louder with every second that passed. I crossed the entry and tossed my keys onto the desk. Stacks of paper littered the surface. The place was a mess. Nova would have her hands full, rearranging, filing. The woman didn’t know what she was in for.
I yanked out the chair and sat. My mind was racing, coming up with possible solutions for the fire downtown, one that didn’t involve the Holland brothers.
Footsteps sounded, growing louder as Rosalie crossed the dance floor and headed for my office. My stomach tightened as she knocked quietly on the open door.
“Ah, Kol? There’s a guy at the front with a package for you. The case has our logo, not sure if you’re expecting anything?”
“Let him in,” I said curtly.
She turned, her human’s steps agonizingly slow as I mapped the distance from my office to the bar. The buzzer sounded. At the front of the building the door opened. I tracked heavy steps, gauging male, medium build, before he came into view.
The case was one of ours. The elegant letter R stood out in the gold embossed filigree. I knew Rurik’s calling card anywhere.
“I’ll just need you to sign here, Mr. Davis. The sender was very specific about the delivery process.”
I stared at the kid, slick brown hair, pimply skin. He never looked me in the eye, instead he focused on the littered desk—but it was the way he said my name… the way he… knew.
I’ll have her home before you can blink, Mr. Davis. You won’t need to worry.
I never told him my name.
The thought turned my stomach to stone….
The detective.
I never told him my damn name.
The scent of blood filled the room, but I could tell the kid was oblivious to the salty smell. I took the electronic device from him and scrawled my signature with an inkless pen. The walls seemed to close in as the heavy black case hit my desk.
“I’ll be off,” the kid murmured as he stumbled for the door.
I stared at the package as if it were a ticking bomb. My fingers shook as I reached for the handle. I swallowed hard.
First Lynk.
Then the fire.
And now a detective who knew my name.
I didn’t want to open it… didn’t want to see what’s inside. My fangs lengthened instinctively.
I grazed my fingers across the metal clasp and pressed the buttons. The lock snapped open. The smell of old pennies stained the air.
I’ll kill them… I’ll kill them all.
Plastic bit into the end of my fingers as I lifted the top of the case. The smell of old blood was sickening, squeezing my stomach, driving the taste of Nova into my throat. A bloated place greeted me, white bulging eyes stared. Stacks of green made the bed for Lynk’s severed head. A crisp white piece of paper stained with a bloodied mess caught my eye.
I focused on the neat edges of the pages, spearing my fingers in between stuck strands of long black hair. The monster in me raised his head and pierced me with a chilling stare. The paper stuck to my fingers as I grasped the edges and pulled.
The black scrawl drew my eye.
I’m returning your two million dollars, Mr. Davis. We don’t need your money… we now have something far more exciting. Oh, and don’t expect her home for a while.
Isaiah Holland
The world tilted. The muscle in my chest went stone still. I stared at the scrawl. No. I saw her perfect smile, full lips curving and that sparkle in her eyes that did something to my insides. The chair squealed, then toppled as I leapt to my feet.
I grabbed my keys. Teeth bit into my palm. The club was a blur as I stumbled toward the front door.
Don’t expect her home for a while….
Don’t expect her home….
“Everything okay, Mr. Davis?”
I glanced at her. Rose… Ruby… her name escaped me.
She dropped her gaze to my side. “There’s blood on your hands, Mr. Davis. Is there something you need me to clean up?”
I rushed out of there, uncaring as I knocked into an upturned table. Chairs clattered to the floor behind me in a chorus of destruction. My boots thundered along the hallway, but they couldn’t drown out the silence in my chest. I charged the door, hitting it with a thud. Metal bowed, bending before springing free.
Don’t expect her home for a while….
I searched the carpark. Sparks danced in my eyes from the sun.
My car… get to my car.
My knees buckled, driving me to the ground.
Don’t expect her home.
Gravel bit my knees. I couldn’t feel the pain. I couldn’t feel anything.
The dark storm wasn’t brewing any longer.
It was here.
Nova
Strange buildings whipped past as the detective gunned the engine. I sat behind the plexiglass divider like a criminal and stared out of the window. “Do you know how long this is going to take?”
Silence.
Nerves fraying, I pushed my spine into the seat and grasped the handle of my bag as we flew past the red brick building of the Dorchester police station. I shot forward, grasping the door. Navy blue uniforms crammed the Gibson Street corner, and then slipped away. “Hey, I think you’ve gone too far.”
I wrenched my gaze to the front of the car. “Detective. Hey, detective!”
He never moved, not even to flinch. Panic punched up my spine. I balled my fist and struck the divide. “Hey! Hey! Where are you taking me?”
The plastic thundered, filling my ears with a roaring sound. Cars whipped past. The motor howled. I lunged, sliding my fingers under the door handle and yanked. The arm slipped as I pulled and slapped back into place.
My slick fingers skimmed the chrome. I clenched my fist and banged on it. Agony tore along my neck as the view outside blurred. I grasped my shoulder and ignored the pain. “What the hell is going on? Where are you taking me? I said I’d do it, I said I’d identify him. You don’t have to do this. Detective Manning, answer me!”
The car swerved, taking the sweeping entrance onto the freeway. Downtown slipped past. There were no police stations out here.
My stomach dropped. “You’re not taking me to a station, are you?”
He cut a glance over his shoulder and finally spoke. “It’s nothing personal. They paid me good money, more than I’d make in a year.”
My world narrowed, blurring out cars and trucks. “They? Who’s they? Then I knew. An icy finger trailed along my spine. “Holland… that’s who isn’t it? Jesus… oh Jesus. They’re here. That’s where you’re taking me.”
I twisted in the seat, wrenching back my hand and shot my fist forward. My knuckles crunched as they hit the plastic. Panic filled me like a dark, forgotten well. I had to get out of here. I had to fight.
“Let me out. Pull the car over and let me out!”
I leaned backwards along the seat, and yanked my knee toward my chest. My thighs screamed, muscles burned as I drove my heel into the steel door.
“It’s no use, Nova,” the detective said calmly. “You can’t get out. They make these cars for a lot worse than you.”
A shudder raced through me as he wrenched the wheel, taking the off-ramp. Kol… Kol.
I dragged my knee higher, and kicked harder. The thud echoed through the small compartment, but the door held. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision. Fresh pain flared in my palm. A drop of blood slipped free, sliding over the flesh of my hand to fall to the leather seat.
I dragged in a breath. “He’ll find out, you know. Kol will find out and he’ll come for you. And when he does, you won’t be able to run far enough.”
He flinched and my heart sped up.
I smacked the divider. My breath fogged the view. “Whatever they’re paying you, he’ll double it. Just call him and give him the amount.”
Silence was a poisoned arrow, piercing my chest.
“Call him,” I begged. “Just call him and say the damn amount.”
Streets flew by. How would Kol ever find me?
“They’ll kill me, you know. They’ll kill me because of what Jared did to me.”
He wrenched his head toward me. “What?”
Slick tears slid down my cheek. I made no move to wipe them away. “Don’t you know, detective? Jared tricked me into signing the contract. He sold me like a fucking whore. Where is the justice in that, Detective?” I slammed my fist against the divider. “Where is the justice in that?”
“You don’t know that. Maybe they just want to talk. Maybe they just want to understand.”
“Like hell.” I dropped my head into my hands. Tears mingled with blood. “If you believe that, then you’re a bigger fool than I was. They’re vampires. They’ll kill me all right. But first, they’ll use me as bait.”
He stared determinedly at the road.
Desperation flared and then died. “Kol killed Devlin to save me. He’ll do it again, Detective. Don’t think he won’t.”
“It’s too late. I’m sorry, but I can’t. They’ll hurt my family if I let you go. They’ll hurt my kids.”