Wouldn’t be too long before he had to disappear again for a while. Buck had been around nearly ten years. Vax was starting to see signs of age on his weathered face, which meant that sooner or later somebody might start to wonder why Vax hadn’t done any aging.
But he couldn’t even think about that problem until he’d solved this one.
Maybe he should just pass it on, tell somebody about the club and the general bad vibe he kept getting. It wasn’t as if this was his life any more.
There were a couple of Masters in the general area. One in Chicago; one in Tennessee; and Excelsior wasn’t that far. He could have just sent a message to any of those places, and the problem would be addressed. He could climb on his bike, and before he made it even halfway home, somebody else would be all over the club.
Except he couldn’t ignore the burn in his gut any more than he could ignore the urge to breathe. “Should have just stayed home,” he mused as he stared into his half-empty tumbler of whiskey.
It hadn’t been that bad a few hundred miles away. Vax knew he could have ignored the call. Sooner or later, the need would reach for another Hunter, a willing one. As he had drawn closer to Indiana, though, the burn in his gut had gotten worse. By the time he’d hit Indianapolis, the burn was so bad that it was almost making him sick, and he knew he’d done the right thing by answering.
Walking by this club had been like feeling the cold finger of death run down his spine.
People had died because of somebody in that place. More would die. Unless someone acted.
And that someone, it seemed, would have to be Vax. Time was running short for at least one person in there. The black stink of death clung to the place, and somewhere in there, death was ready to wrap her shroud around some innocent soul.
Or relatively innocent, considering what sort of club he was in.
It would happen tonight. He was the only Hunter close enough to act.
From the corner of his eye, he saw somebody staring at him, and he lifted his head, looking the man square in the eye. Muscle, plain and simple. Somebody hired to make sure no undesirables entered Debach. He wore a suit that cost close to two thousand bucks, easy, and Vax imagined that under normal circumstances the hired muscle was good at his job. He hadn’t ever had to deal with somebody like Vax, though.
A slight smile curled his lips as their eyes locked. The guy had a head like a cinderblock, but still, it took only a minute to pierce through the dense shields. Vax wasn’t psychic. He wasn’t using psychic coercion to make the man walk away, and he wasn’t brainwashing him the way a vampire would.
No, what Vax used was magick. Plain and simple. There was a flare of heat low in Vax’s spine as he concentrated. The man’s eyes glowed for one brief second. And then there was blankness. He turned around and walked away, his gait stiff, disjointed. He paused a few feet later, reaching up to rub at his temple. Some time late tonight, or early tomorrow, he would have vague memories of a dark-haired man who didn’t belong in the club. He’d remember that he had been going to say something to him.
Just like the man at the door, and the woman who’d offered to get him a drink, a companion…Not one person would remember seeing Vax here until he was long gone. And not one of them would have a useful memory.
Once he’d taken care of whoever was in danger, Vax would make a quick stop by the security room and take care of the security tapes for tonight. It would be as though he’d never been there.
If his mark would just move.
So far he didn’t know who he was here to save. He could sense power, but it was all tainted. Too often, places like these drew the young gifted. They often felt like they didn’t belong, even if they didn’t understand why. Eclectic lifestyles appealed to a lot of them, and usually they were safe outlets. But every once in a while, the darker things in the world used places like sex clubs or goth clubs as trolling grounds, looking for those gifted, unaware people.
But Vax sensed no young witch or shifter on the verge of coming into his or her power. He sensed no vampires, either. None of the people he’d seen so far had any unnatural sort of blackness lingering near.
Whoever death was looking for was hidden from Vax.
The only one that seemed to stand out to him was the redhead.
It could be her, he supposed. His eyes kept drifting back to her against his will. Could be her…
She wasn’t exactly the kind of woman he usually went for. She was long and lean—he usually went for soft and curvy. Her eyes were cool and unreadable. For some odd reason, he couldn’t feel anything from her, but he did have an odd, almost disconnected sense of grief. Something sad, angry, and full of pain.
Maybe it was that complicated mess that made him keep checking her out, or he might just be staring because he liked the look of her. Vax couldn’t tell.
“Been out of the game too long,” he muttered. He emptied his whiskey and tapped his finger against the edge of the glass as one of the female servers walked by. She wore nothing more than a dog collar around her slender throat, a white leather G-string, and a sweet, almost vacant smile. She took his glass, returned with a fresh drink, and left him without saying a word.
As she walked away, he caught sight of faint red stripes across her buttocks.
The only thing that kept him from exploding was the haze of sexual satisfaction he could sense inside her. Whatever had been done to her had been consensual. So, as much as it bothered him, he would leave that one alone.
He was going to have his hands full dealing with the real problems. He didn’t need to take ones on that were problems in his mind but not in the minds of those he’d try to rescue.
Damn, were there problems. Even after he dealt with the one in mortal danger, there were way too many victims in this place.
Vax had set one foot inside Debach, and that was all it had taken for his stomach to revolt. Visions had assailed him, women and men alike on their knees, blood running in rivulets down their torsos, whips slicing through the air, the heavy power that came from blood and sex.
And screams. People screaming. Kids screaming. Begging for help. Begging for release. Begging for pleasure. Begging for death.
It was warped, how deeply entwined pleasure, danger, pain, and death were inside these walls. Seeking one could mean attaining all. It should have had people running away screaming, but instead they were packed outside the door three and four deep, just waiting to get inside.
Most of them had no idea what they were getting into. Innocents came looking for some sort of thrill, and they got pulled into something too powerful for them to understand, and became so lost they might never find their way back.
Some of them had lost more than their innocence because of this place.
Some had lost their lives.
AS Nathaniel Metcalf passed the bar, he met Xeke’s gaze. He glanced towards the redhead with a cocked brow. Xeke’s only response was a flicker of his lashes, but Nate had complete faith that Xeke would watch the woman.
She didn’t belong here. Oh, she might be fun for the entertainment the club provided, but she wouldn’t be the kind they could pay to be silent. It was in her wide-set blue eyes, in the way she lifted her chin and met his gaze head-on.
Nate wasn’t sure what she was doing here, but they needed to get rid of her. The way she kept staring around, as though she was looking for something. What Nate really wanted to know was why she was on the upper level. Upper level was reserved for members and invited guests only.
She sure as hell wasn’t a member, and if one of the regulars had invited her up here, that person needed a reminder on the types of people allowed in the upper levels. Most likely, that was what had happened, and Nate would have to deal with both her and the regular.
There was one other possibility, but Nate didn’t think she fit the profile for the project, either. Nate didn’t know precisely what the project was. He wasn’t high enough on the food chain to rate getting details, but he didn’t think she was m
eant for that.
The boss had people who trolled the club for one reason, and that was to sight out prospective subjects. When one was found, there was a protocol that was followed, and Nate would have been notified. So it didn’t seem a likely prospect, but he couldn’t rule it out.
Probably the best way to handle it was to have Xeke doctor her drink, and when she passed out, they could remove her. One of the others would have to do it. Xeke wouldn’t be able to pass up the enticement she’d present, unconscious and helpless.
First, though, Nate needed to talk with the boss. Just to make sure the boss wasn’t the reason she was here.
On rare occasions, for entertainment, the boss did bring in women who weren’t like the kind they generally used. Hot anticipation flooded Nate’s system as he contemplated that. If that was the case, he’d be in for some fun tonight. These women weren’t selected just for individual patrons. They were for the fun and pleasure of all. Nate, being an employee, would have to wait his turn, but that wasn’t so bad.
By the time they got to him, the women were so terrified and broken, they’d do anything….
Leaving the public areas, Nate headed for the boss’s office. Even before he reached the door, somebody had opened it for him. He didn’t bother glancing at the naked woman who knelt in front of the desk.
As a trusted member of management, Nate was entitled to enjoy some of the pleasures offered to the club members, but not during business hours. His might be an unusual management position, but Nate fancied himself a businessman, and his pleasures didn’t happen on the clock.
Well, not usually.
So instead of admiring her kneeling, naked, and bound body, he took the seat across from the boss and waited to be acknowledged.
The boss sat at a table off to the side. Another woman was bent over it, the pale white flesh of her buttocks striped with red welts. The boss was riding her so hard, the table beneath them was shaking. Her eyes were wide over the ball gag, and just as the boss shoved into her one final time, Nate watched her body stiffen and buck with an orgasm.
Under the fine linen of his trousers, Nate was erect, but when the boss pulled away from the woman and gestured towards her, Nate just smiled and shook his head. It wasn’t a first-time occurrence. The boss had offered him women in such a manner before and would again. Usually Nate took what was offered, and happily, but not tonight.
If there were going to be games tonight, he’d wait. There was something to be said for anticipation.
A few minutes later, he couldn’t help but grin.
Hot damn. There were going to be games.
The boss glanced towards the cameras as Nate explained his concerns about the redhead, but he didn’t look at all concerned. “Yes, I know who she is. Do you remember the reporter who was nosing around about some former subjects, asking a lot of questions?”
Nate inclined his head. “Didn’t we already address that?”
“Apparently she didn’t take the warning.”
Narrowing his eyes, Nate studied the redhead a little closer. She didn’t look anything like the blonde who’d been nosing around, but if the boss said it was her, then Nate imagined it was. “You’d think after what happened to her sister, she’d leave it alone.”
“Hmmm. That tactic doesn’t always work, Nate. Maybe I should have handled this personally instead of passing it on to William. William gets so enthusiastic. That enthusiasm often overrules his common sense. It’s entirely possible that killing her sister only pissed her off, and she won’t care what happens to her.” He smiled, and the smile nearly made Nate shiver in reaction. “At least, she thinks she won’t care.”
“Is there anything I need to do, sir?”
“No. She’ll be dealt with tonight, once and for all. Right now there’s nothing connecting her to us, so we need to take care of the problem immediately.”
Dealt with. Nate didn’t let his anticipation show as he asked, “Should I do anything to prepare?”
A cool, emotionless smile curved the boss’s mouth. “No. The only thing you’ll need to do later is clean up.”
Excellent.
ACOLD chill raced down Vax’s spine, and he straightened in his chair, watching as the man from earlier approached the redhead. She shook her head when he spoke to her, but apparently her opinion wasn’t of much concern. A big, hard hand closed around her upper arm, and as she was jerked from the bar, not one person batted an eyelash.
Vax still couldn’t get much of a read on her, so he couldn’t tell whether she was the one dancing at death’s door. Instead of focusing on her, he focused on the suit. That man had so much darkness inside of him that it was sickening, and he had a murderous intent.
Going by what he picked up from the suit, Vax pegged the woman as the one he was supposed to protect.
The shirtless piece of muscle behind the bar watched as she was dragged away, and there was a smile on his lips. Vax really didn’t like the looks of that smile.
She planted her heels and twisted her arm, jerking back with a determination that probably would have worked on the average guy. Except Vax knew this man was used to having women fight him. He continued to pull her struggling body along behind him, heading for an unmarked black door. Vax slammed down his whiskey glass and shoved to his feet, following them.
The guy from behind the bar started towards him, but Vax didn’t even pause. It took half a thought, and the guy collapsed to the ground. Several others were rushing towards them, but Vax reached the door before they got to him. He shut it behind him and locked it. Just ahead of him, he could see the redhead still struggling against Muscle Boy, arguing and insisting that he let her go. She could have been fighting with a rock wall for all the attention the man gave her.
Vax wasn’t about to be ignored. “I don’t think she’s interested, pal.”
NATE had a grip like a damned vise and she suspected there were bruises forming. But bruises would be the least of her concerns if Jess didn’t get away.
The sophisticated man from earlier was gone, and in his place was an animal. As she stared up into Nate’s eyes, all she could see was a ravenous greed that made her skin crawl.
How many times did Mom tell me that my damned nosiness would get me in trouble one day? she thought. For once she was aware of an emotion besides rage and grief, but fear really wasn’t a welcome addition. Being afraid of anything had always pissed Jess off.
It added to the mess of emotions already inside her, turning into an unending spiral of fear, grief, and rage that built on itself as Jess bolstered her mental shields. Now wasn’t the time to let anybody know how scared she was. Fear messed with her control, and she had to be in complete control if she wanted to make it out of this mess alive.
Jess didn’t have her mom’s strong psychic abilities and she wasn’t an Empath like Randi had been, but she didn’t need either of those gifts to know what was going on inside Nate’s head. She could tell just by looking into his eyes, and what she saw there made her blood turn to ice. She had to get away from him, or she was dead.
Though death didn’t seem that bad, she had a job to do first. Jess jerked her arm again and snapped out, “Damn it, let me go.”
Nate just cast a bored glance her way.
“I didn’t come here to get manhandled like this,” she said. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Maybe the guys just assumed the women wanted this—
Nate didn’t even bother to look at her this time. But she could see a smile curving up the corners of his mouth. She didn’t like that smile. It was almost as terrifying as that wolfish, hungry look she’d seen in his eyes.
“If you don’t let go of me this second, you’re really going to regret it,” Jess said, snarling a little. She didn’t like to use her gift when others could see, but it didn’t look as if she had much of a choice right now.
Jess focused on the solid wooden door down the hall. That would do a decent amount of damage to Nate’s hard head. But apparently she didn’t need to do
anything. Right as she started to open it with her mind, she heard a voice behind her.
Jess was convinced it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.
Her assailant swung around. The grip Nate had on her arm had her spinning around with him, and Jess found herself staring at the newcomer. If she thought his voice was a welcome intrusion, then actually seeing him was double the pleasure.
Oh.
Oh. Wow.
Even though some bastard was forcibly taking her someplace she really didn’t want to go, even though not one person had looked her way when Nate dragged her out of the bar, and even though she had come thisclose to having to use her talent to save her neck, the only thing she could think was…
Wow.
He looked like a warrior angel. Thick, raven black hair fell past his shoulders. There was a small braid at each temple. His face was strong, commanding, with high, arched cheekbones, a mouth that looked almost too soft, a squared chin. She could just barely see a glimpse of rawhide around his neck—some sort of necklace. His skin was a dusky gold color that she suspected he’d been born with. And his eyes…even from ten feet away, she felt the power of his eyes.
They were gray. Like the color of thunderheads, surrounded by thick, spiky lashes. They gleamed like jewels against the warmth of his skin. As she stared at him, mouth agape, those fantastic gray eyes began to glow.
Her skin crawled from the power she felt coming off him, and before she could stop herself, she muttered, “Shit.”
Her soft gasp sounded terribly loud in the silent hall. The warrior angel looked at her briefly. Damn, but he was amazing. He didn’t belong in here, wearing jeans and a faded, too-tight black T-shirt. He belonged on some mythical battlefield, carrying a sword in his hands.
The hand on her arm tightened, and the pain of it jerked her attention away from the warrior angel and back to Nate. “This is more trouble than you want to mess with, so just leave now,” Nate said, his voice arrogant, confident—and oh so very wrong.
A faint smile appeared on the man’s lips. In a calm, level voice, he said, “If you let go of her now, you might have two seconds to try to run for it.”
Hunter's Salvation Page 4