The Bloodline Series Box Set

by Gabriella Messina

  His hands moved over her back and hips, pressing, smoothing, giving her goosebumps, and the way he smelled! God, it was intoxicating how the blend of mint and maleness and soap all came together, filling her head with a lusty fog. Sam felt that the towel had shifted out of place, and the heat of his body was pressing against her. She broke the kiss for a moment and glanced down as she smiled at him. “Somebody’s excited.”

  “Wench,” Vincent replied, and quickly flipped them both back onto the bed. Sam giggled, and squirmed as his stubble-covered chin brushed over her neck and chest.

  “I’m sorry, I should have shaved,” he murmured, his lips never leaving her skin.

  “Uh-uh, I like it.” Sam giggled again as he dipped lower to her breasts.

  “Do you, now?” Vincent paused, and raised his head to meet her gaze. “What else do you like, darlin’? Can you tell me?”

  Vincent watched her face carefully, saw the eyes dip, and the little smile... yes, there it was! They’d played this game before... he would try to get her to tell him what she liked, and she’d always get shy on him. It was a fun game, because neither of them ever lost. The months they’d been together, day in and day out in the cabin up north, had been... bliss, physically and otherwise. And, based on the look on Sam’s face as she looked up at him, it wasn’t going to end anytime soon. Vincent grinned... he’d teased her all evening... now, it was time for the payoff. He inched his way down her body, his lips brushing along her breasts, her stomach, her inner thigh... He looked up at her, the grin on his face growing mischievous, and he winked.

  “How about we start...here...”

  Sam started to giggle as she watched his head dip lower and out of sight... and then the giggles turned into sighs and moans as the waves of pleasure began to crash over her, one after another...

  Sam listened to Vincent’s steady breaths, his chest rising and falling beneath her cheek. That same cheek was damp with sweat, her own and his, all mixed up from the exertions of their latest round of lovemaking. Her body was damp as well, and the chill of the air as it kissed her skin raised goosebumps again. Sam shivered, and snuggled in closer to him, and his wonderful warmth.

  Vincent reached down, and pulled up the blanket, tucking it around her even as he let his own leg remain out. He hugged her close, kissing her forehead, and nuzzling her again.

  “Vincent?”

  “Yes, love?”

  Sam bit her lip, and hesitated a moment before she asked, “How many times have you changed?” It was quiet for what felt like ages, and Sam began to wonder if he’d fallen asleep on her.

  “Why?” His voice was deep, and full, and tinged with a tension that startled Sam. He wasn’t angry, but he was close to it, and she wondered why such a seemingly simple question would conjure such negative emotion.

  “I’m just...curious.” Sam turned her head, trying to see more of his face, but his grip on her tightened, as if to restrain her. “You’ve never talked about it, always avoid it when I bring it up.”

  “So, why keep asking? Why not just let it go?” Yep, he was angry.

  “You know, since I found out Ben was missing, I’ve had these...feelings. Like the usual ones around the moon, but these are all the time, like something’s building... that needs to erupt.” Vincent quickly released her, and sat up on the edge of the bed, his back to her once again. Sam sat up, too, the blanket tucked around her as she continued: “Vincent, I feel...like I’m going to change again. It’s like this breath of air being pushed from a subway tunnel, the screech of the wheels on the tracks...It’s coming... And the thing that scares me the most...is the part of me that wants it to.” Vincent was as still as stone, his chest barely rising as he breathed. “Have you ever felt that? Vincent?”

  Vincent got up quickly and went to the dresser near the door. He pulled out some clothes and began to dress. Sam could feel the waves of tension and anger emanating from him, and she tried to reach out to him with her mind but recoiled immediately. He’d locked his mind down completely, shutting her out from even the barest superficial contact. Sam could feel her eyes filling with tears, and her breaths started to come in gasps. Oh my God, what is going on?!

  “Vincent?”

  Vincent held up a hand, his face a mask, his eyes dark and unfathomable. “Sam, I can’t talk about this. I just can’t. I’m sorry.” With that, he turned away, left the bedroom... and a few moments later, Sam heard the front door close.

  21

  SAM SIPPED HER ICED mocha without tasting it. She watched the gate leading up into Pomonder Walk without seeing it. Her mind was decidedly elsewhere, and under the circumstances, that was not a good thing. Alice had noticed and had asked twice already if she still wanted to do this. Sam had answered in the affirmative, but now, as she watched yet another person as they exited the gated community, she was beginning to think today may not be the day for this. She said as much to Alice.

  “Too right.” Alice took a final drink of her coffee, then tossed the empty cup in a nearby trash bin. “It’s too busy to scale the wall, especially in the daylight. We’d never make it in without being seen.” She looked at Sam archly. “Where’s Vincent?”

  “Why?” The one-word answer came out more abruptly than Sam had intended, and Alice held up her hands in a warding gesture.

  “Sorry I asked.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” Sam wilted a little as she spoke. “He... needed space, I guess.”

  Alice nodded. “He’s always been like that. Going off in the woods, or to the beach near where we lived outside Dublin. My dad always thought he was muckin’ about, but mum would always stick up for him... Said he thought more than most, needed the quiet.” Alice paused a moment, her eyes getting a distant look as she spoke. “He’d gone off that night... It’s where I found him, before...” She swallowed hard and shook off whatever images or thoughts had streamed across her mind in that moment.

  “I asked him... about changing.” Alice’s head turned quickly, and her dark eyes went wide.

  “Are you feeling it, too?”

  “I feel like I want to... like I need to, for some reason.”

  Alice nodded quickly. “Yes... me, too. I don’t understand it. What did Vincent say?”

  “I asked him how many times he’d changed, and he got angry... said he couldn’t talk about it and left.” Alice was quiet, her arms wrapped around her in a protective, yet comforting, posture. The topic seemed to be affecting her, too, and Sam found herself wondering how many times this young woman had changed as well. After all, she’d been a werewolf since she was... eleven years old...

  “Alice? Last night, when we were talking about all of this... It was the kids, wasn’t it? That’s what changed your mind about the pack and the operation and everything.” Alice didn’t reply, but she hugged herself tighter, and Sam could see the moisture in her eyes. “You were just a kid when they took you.”

  “Yes.”

  “It must have been awful,” Sam said quietly. Alice sighed, and managed a wan smile.

  “It was... what it was.” The smile faded quickly, and Alice lifted her chin, her gaze fixed on something down the street. “There’s the car.” Sam hesitated a few seconds, then turned her head just enough to see.

  A black sedan drove toward them as slowly as it could, considering traffic. It slowed to a stop almost directly across the street, and right in front of the entrance gate leading to Pomonder Walk.

  “Is that for her?” Sam’s question was low, and somewhat muffled by the straw in her mouth. She’d raised her iced coffee and was pretending to drink it as she watched. With their sunglasses on, and the coffee in her hand, they looked more like a pair of young women chatting over coffee than a surveillance team.

  “Yeah,” Alice said quietly. “They’ll sit for a minute, and then she’ll come out. The cop assigned as part of her security detail will get out of the car before she leaves the gateway, and then Strong gets in first, and then they’ll drive away.”

  The momen
t she finished speaking, it started to play out. Sam saw movement on the stairway leading down from the gated community, and seconds later Congresswoman Donna Strong was standing at the gate, her short, blonde hair blowing slightly in the breeze. Everything about her appearance screamed organized, focused, determined... and cold. Sam shivered slightly, despite the heat already building in the air.

  Moments later, the backdoor of the sedan opened, and the police security officer got out. Sam didn’t realize how loudly she had gasped, until she saw Alice staring at her. Sam ducked, trying to cover it with a feigned coughing jag, but she could feel herself shaking. The Congresswoman left the safety of the gateway, and hurried into the car, the cop following her. The sedan pulled away, and made a right onto Broadway, disappearing into traffic.

  Sam swallowed hard, fighting down the feelings of shock, anxiety, and anger... She’d recognized the cop who got out of the car, the cop who was working for Strong. If someone had told her, she wouldn’t have believed it, but to see with her own eyes...

  “Are you alright?” Alice laid a soft hand on Sam’s arm, the first physical contact the two had ever hand, and Sam immediately felt a warmth go through her. Alice must have felt it, too, because she pulled back quickly, startled, and smiled awkwardly. “Did you recognize that copper?”

  Sam nodded. “Yeah, and he may be the way to get us access to that server.”

  “But, if he’s working for her, can we trust him?”

  Sam sighed. “I hope so.” She could feel her anxiety and anger beginning to fade. If there was one thing she’d learned in the brief time she’d been a Narcotics Detective, it was that partners watched each other’s backs, even off-duty.

  Whatever the reason for him being part of the Congresswoman’s detail, Sam hoped her instincts were correct... she hoped Lenny Jackson was still watching her back.

  22

  CITY HALL LOOP STATION

  Sam descended the stairs into the abandoned subway station. She’d seen the station many times, traveling the loop on the 6-Train, but had never actually come down into it. Most people hadn’t, as it wasn’t open to the public, reserved instead for private tours and the like. She was a bit surprised Lenny had chosen this as the spot to meet her and struck by the irony of it... Above them stood City Hall, and here she was conspiring to dethrone the presumed Mayor-to-be.

  She’d also wrestled with a twinge of fear since they’d made the plan to meet hours before. Lenny had sounded... tense... on the phone and coupled with the fact he never told her he was moonlighting for the Congresswoman left a little gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her instincts told her Lenny wouldn’t betray her, wouldn’t set her up, but still... She thought of the small Lorcin strapped near her ankle. Putting on long pants in this heat hadn’t been her first choice, but something told her to cover herself, just in case.

  Sam stepped onto the platform and took a moment to appreciate the magnificent tile work of the vaulted ceilings. It really was a shame the station had become unusable so quickly. It had sat idle for more than seventy years, cleaned and maintained for the through train traffic... a ghost station, its elegance and decadence frozen in time. She glanced at the time on her phone. There was no signal down here, of course, but the time continued to keep. She was early...

  “Sammy?” So is Lenny, Sam thought, as her former partner and friend emerged onto the platform from one of the other staircases. Sam could feel the tension in his body as he crossed to join her, but she flashed a big smile. Just play it cool...

  “Hey, Len.” She made a sweeping motion that took in the space. “Nice. You know I’ve never been down here?”

  Lenny smiled tightly and shrugged. “I’ve been a few times. It’s a good, quiet place... Private.”

  “Right.” Sam could see small talk and camaraderie were not on the menu this evening in City Hall Loop Station, so she decided to cut to the chase. She did a quick scenting, checking for anything suspicious on the wind... She could smell Lenny’s cologne, an unusual smell she couldn’t place... but otherwise, nothing. “I’ll just cut right to it, then. I need you to help me get to some information. Some private information.”

  Lenny remained stoic as he asked, “Whose information?”

  “Strong.”

  “Strong, as in Mayoral Candidate Strong?”

  “Yup.”

  Lenny sighed raggedly. “How did you find out I work for her?”

  “Well, I saw you picking her up for work today,” Sam began, and watched the effect her words had on him, his expression registering his alarm. “The fact that you work for her? I wasn’t entirely sure about that, until you just verified it.” It was a lie, of course, but it put Lenny off-balance. One of the first things she’d learned at John Jay was that, when it came to interrogation in any context, you should never ask a question of someone you don’t already know the answer to. Surprises do happen, but for the most part if you confront people with questions you already have answered, it tells you a shitload about them, depending on what they reply.

  “Sam,” Lenny began, shaking his head slowly as he spoke. “I can’t access private files...”

  “I’m not asking you to,” Sam replied. “Just need fifteen minutes to get in there and download what I need.”

  Lenny frowned deeply. “Get in where? The campaign office?” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re asking me this.”

  “Me neither.” Sam crossed her arms and glared at her former partner. “Why in hell are you working for her? They promoted you to One-P-P... You don’t need the hours, or the money.” She paused, and her eyes widened. “Wait, was this the actual promotion? Riding shotgun for her? You know she’s a monster, right?”

  “Why, because she’s a werewolf?” Sam flinched at the bitterness in Lenny’s voice. She’d often wondered, in all the months since the first night she’d turned, if he had harbored ill feelings. Through everything... his months of recovering, their separation as partners, his promotion while she was demoted... All this time, Lenny had maintained that he bore her no ill-will, and yet here it was. Finally, the truth was revealed. Sam could feel the knots in her throat and stomach building, and she started looking for a quick way to exit before she started to cry. She wished Vincent was here... and the very thought of him made her even more anxious and upset.

  “I’m not risking my family, or my career, or myself, for you.” Lenny’s voice was raised higher than it needed to be, and it echoed through the station, bouncing off the vaulted ceilings and coming back at Sam. Nothing like being stabbed in the back in stereo.

  The sounds of the 6 Train began to replace the echo of Lenny’s voice as it approached the loop. The screech of the wheels and the zaps of the electricity arcing filled the space as the train raced in. Sam looked at Lenny for a long moment, then turned without a word and made a quick exit from the platform, taking the steps two at a time to get out as quickly as possible.

  The 6 Train passed through, leaving silence behind it. Lenny stood on the platform, his shoulders slumped from the strain of the encounter.

  Then, a sound... palm hitting palm, and, moments later, Congresswoman Donna Strong emerged from the shadows, clapping slowly. The smirk on her face was so like the campaign smile she wore that anyone observing could be fooled into her looking pleasant and happy. She was far from it, though, and, as she walked toward Lenny, he could see the cruel set of her jaw, and the coldness in her eyes. She stopped in front of him and concluded her mocking slow-clap.

  “You did well. That was a nice little show there.” Strong searched his face, and, evidently satisfied with whatever she saw there, smiled more affably. “We need to get ready for the rally tonight. Make sure you send Hans to my house while we’re at the rally. And have him remove the server. Make it look like a break in, it will play better in the press if anything breaks.”

  LENNY SAT AT HIS DESK at one Police Plaza and stared out the window. The light from the red sunset glinted off the nearby buildings, sending beams of golde
n light into the room that danced on the walls. He sighed, and his eyes left the view out the window to roam around the room... over the pictures of family and friends on the shelves... over the medals and plaques displayed on the walls... it was a great office, with a great view, and everything was... great...

  Lenny sighed again and focused on one of the pictures on the shelf... a picture of he and Sam after the last NYPD softball game they’d played in together. It didn’t seem that long ago, yet so much had changed... he lowered his gaze to the desk. He pulled out the center drawer and took out... a small key. Quickly he unlocked the top drawer on the left, and pulled it out, reaching into the back almost up to his elbow.

  Lenny glanced at the door, then took out a cell phone, the cheap, disposable kind. He sighed again, and stared at the phone for several seconds, a frown on his face. Whatever he was struggling against passed quickly, however, and Lenny tapped in a number...and started to write a text message...

  Rally tonight at 8... Fifteen minutes...Check the box...Leave it clean.

  Lenny hesitated, re-reading the message he’d typed, then hit “send”. The screen cleared, and he quickly shut the phone off, and threw it back in the drawer. He locked it up, replacing the key in the center drawer, then leaned back in his chair, his gaze returning to the window and the view.

  Lenny smiled... He’d done what he could... He just hoped it would be enough.

  23

  RONNE’S HAND HOVERED over the door, knuckles poised to knock. Sam should be inside, though she hadn’t answered the phone when he called. That was unusual, and part of the reason he’d hauled himself over here after work. He could use the key he had. Ronne thought of the copy in his pocket, and smirked. Vincent would have a fit if he knew Ronne had a copy of the apartment key, although Sam had nothing to do with him getting it. It had been Ben who suggested having the key made during the younger man’s time living in the apartment on his own, his reasoning being that if there was a problem, at least Ronne could get in to help him.