The Ortega Project

by Linnea Alexis

  At the door, he held up her key ring. “Which one?”

  She pointed to the largest gold-toned key with the words Do Not Duplicate etched on it.

  Reaching around her, he unlocked the door, pushed it open with his knee, and carried her over the threshold. Still in his arms, she reached for the light switch and flipped it on. Once inside, he closed and bolted the door.

  “Do you think he’ll find me again?” she asked in a small voice.

  He dropped the key ring on the coffee table, eased her onto the sofa, and knelt beside her. “You don’t have to worry about him,” he whispered, and brushed her hair from her face. “He won’t be bothering you anymore.” He didn’t want to tell her that the son-of-a-bitch was probably dead before they even drove out of the parking lot.

  She grabbed the front of his jacket. “Kiss me.”

  He obliged by pressing his lips to hers while he laced his fingers through her hair.

  “Make love to me,” she begged, desperation sounding in her voice.

  Surprised by the request, he jerked his head back and locked gazes with her. “You’ve been through a lot tonight, babe. What you need is some sleep.”

  “What I really need is you inside me. I’m wound up tight as a yo-yo. What’s the matter? Aren’t you up to it?” She challenged him.

  Damn, she was sexy. “Under different circumstances, yes. But right now.…”

  Propped up on pillows, she reached for him. “Please,” she whispered. “I need you to hold me. Make love to me.”

  Before things heated up more, he wanted to confirm that making love wouldn’t be painful or uncomfortable because of her scuffle with Father Darius. “Babe, I don’t want us to do anything if you were hurt.”

  “The only hurt is the emptiness I feel inside.” She brushed her lips against his and bit his bottom lip. “Fill me up.”

  How could he resist? He couldn’t deny the woman he loved what she wanted. Heat flooded his body and settled in his groin. He kissed her gently and when she gasped, he withdrew. Had he hurt her?

  “Don’t stop. I want more. Give me all of you.”

  “Oh, Baby” he whispered as his breathing grew labored. Staring down at her…begging him…tempting him, his arousal strained against the confines of his tight jeans. He ripped off his leather jacket and tossed it on the sofa.

  He carried her into the spare bedroom and lowered her to sit on the edge of the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he unzipped her vest. As he unfastened her bra, a low appreciative growl surfaced from deep within his throat. He cupped her large breasts and kissed each one.

  Desire made him dizzy. He wanted to relieve her stress and his own desire, but considering her condition, he reminded himself to be gentle. “Tell me if I’m too much for you. If I hurt you…or our baby.”

  “Pregnant women have sex all the time or haven’t you heard?” She bracketed his face between her hands and kissed him. “Discussion over. Now take off your clothes,” she ordered and crawled to the center of the bed.

  Seated on the edge of the bed, he slipped off his shoes and socks. Grabbing the bottom of his T-shirt, he pulled it over his head, and dropped it on the floor.

  Leaning over her, he gave her an opened mouth kiss. She accepted the invitation and slipped her tongue inside. He groaned as his tongue matched hers stroke for stroke. Running his hand down her body, he slid his hand to her center and massaged her until she writhed beneath his palm.

  With her face flushed and lips parted, she never looked more alluring or erotic.

  “Lay down.”

  When he did, she climbed on top and straddled him, grinding against him.

  He massaged her breasts and moved his hands down to her vee. When he touched her most sensitive spot, she took hold of his length and guided him inside.

  “You feel so good,” she whispered. As he filled her completely, she moaned and let out a quiet, breathy scream. She set the rhythm, and he followed her lead.

  They moved in concert. Slow at first. Then wild and uninhibited. He loved the feel of her. How she clenched and caressed him inside her. How she worked him into a frenzy, causing him to lose himself.

  Release for both came fast and hard. Totally spent, they parted, rolled onto their sides, facing each other. Their sweat-slicked bodies intertwined, they enjoyed wave after wave of aftershocks.

  He kissed her thoroughly, deeply. How could he have been so lucky to find someone like Grace? He traced her jaw with the back of his index finger. The corners of her swollen lips curled upward and when she opened her eyes, her intense gaze pierced his soul.

  “You’re magical. I can’t even remember my life without you.” He kissed her tenderly.

  While cradling her in his arms, his thoughts were consumed with everything he’d left undone tonight. He needed to meet up with his team ASAP to get an update on the priest. Hopefully, Gabriel was able to squeeze information out of him before the kill. According to the bouncer, Father Darius started showing up about the same time Dark Syde started performing at the club. Which meant Erik, inadvertently or intentionally, had led the priest to him.

  Slaying Erik continued to haunt him. And he still didn’t know what his vampires were allergic to. There were too many lose ends. If he didn’t tie them up soon, his life wouldn’t be worth shit. And with a baby coming, he couldn’t let that happen.

  “Roman?”

  Wasn’t she asleep? “Yeah, babe?”

  “The priest came to the club tonight to warn me about you. About what you were. And I told him I already knew—that you told me. He said you were a beast and a killer.” She hesitated. “But you’re not like that anymore, are you?”

  “No,” he answered weakly. But he still killed, didn’t he? Perhaps the priest was right. He was a beast…a monster.

  As Grace snuggled closer, he kissed her forehead.

  As he waited for her to fall asleep, he played with her hair—winding and unwinding long blond strands around his finger. A contented expression settled on her face and from time to time, she sighed.

  When she drifted off to sleep, he slipped out of bed and quietly dressed. He lay back down, just to feel her soft, warm body next to his, and would remain at her side until Deanna arrived home from work.

  The sound of keys clanking jarred Roman out of his reverie. Someone was entering the apartment and it had better be Deanna. He jumped out of bed and zipped into the living room. Positioning himself in front of the sofa, he watched and waited.

  The door opened. Deanna stood in the doorway. When she looked in his direction, she jumped back and dropped her keys. “Roman! You scared the crap out of me. I forgot you were going to be here.” She retrieved her keys from the floor and set them, along with her handbag, on the dining room table. “How is she?”

  Roman grabbed his jacket from the sofa. “She was pretty worked up—which is understandable—but once we got here, she started to unwind. I did what I could to help her relax. She’s sleeping now. I stuck around until you got home because I didn’t want to leave her alone.” He slipped on his jacket, picked up the key ring from the coffee table, and followed her into the kitchen.

  Deanna pulled a cold beer from the refrigerator and twisted off the cap. “Do you want one?”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I need to get going. My truck’s at the lab, so I’m taking Grace’s car. I’ll return it tomorrow. But first I have to bring up her suitcase and backpack.” He spun the key ring on his index finger and headed for the front door. “Be right back.”

  Roman bounded down the stairs and into the parking lot. When he gathered the items from her Sentra, he rushed upstairs and knocked lightly on Deanna’s front door.

  “It’s open,” she shouted.

  He pushed open the door and carried Grace’s things inside. “Where to?”

  “Go ahead and put them in her bedroom.”

  Roman brought the items into the room where Grace slept, and set them on the floor next to the dresser. Filled with love for her, he smiled, r
eturned to the bed, and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, my darling,” he whispered. Leaving her to her dreams, he backed out of the bedroom, and closed the door behind him.

  “Is she still sleeping?” Deanna asked from the kitchen.

  “Like a baby.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks for giving me the heads up about her going to work.” Thinking about what could have happened to her if he hadn’t shown up at the club, caused his stomach to churn.

  “I had no choice. You know how stubborn she is. Once she puts her mind to something, no one can change it.”

  “No kidding.”

  Deanna sipped her beer. “I spoke with Jerry about covering Grace’s shift while she recovered from her accident and he agreed she should stay and rest for at least a month. I never did tell Jerry what actually happened to her.”

  “Good thinking. Tonight really shook her up. She needs time to get back on her feet.” On his way to the door, he hesitated. “And Deanna, thanks for being there for her. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. I’d do anything for Grace. That’s what friends are for.”

  23

  Roman

  After leaving Grace’s side, Roman got behind the wheel of her Sentra and breathed in her sweet scent. It filled her car, hugging him like a favorite aunt.

  Sick with worry over what happened to her tonight, a cold chill swept over him, causing goose bumps to rise on his arms. Her life would be a lot less complicated if he had walked away the first time he saw her at the club. Much safer, too.

  Now it was too late.

  The pale glow of morning peeked over the horizon when he pulled up to the gate of the institute’s parking lot. He punched his code onto the keypad, the gate opened, and he went on in.

  Alex and Seth stood in the parking lot, and when he drove past, both looked in his direction. What were they doing outside? At this time of day, they should be in the lounge. Something was wrong.

  He parked Grace’s car next to his truck and jogged in their direction. “Where’s Gabe?” he asked.

  “Over here.” Gabriel leaned against his sports car, parked next to Seth’s Cadillac.

  Roman motioned him to follow. “Coming inside?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “No can do, man. No can do.”

  As Seth took his place next to Gabriel, Alex joined Roman.

  Curious what Gabriel was up to, Roman narrowed his eyes and strode toward him. “What are you talking about?” By the time he stood face to face with Gabriel, the answer was clear. He smelled fresh blood. Gabriel had turned.

  “I’m done,” Gabriel said. “They screwed us royally. I’m never going back inside that place. I’m over it.”

  “Where will you go?”

  Gabriel shrugged. “Haven’t planned that far. But I’m willing to bet there’s a safe house somewhere nearby.”

  Even though Roman had threatened to replace Gabriel in the past, he actually didn’t want him to leave. For years, he’d been his next in command, the warrior he’d personally selected to be his replacement. He needed Gabe more than ever now so he could step down and lead a normal life with Grace and their child.

  “What will you do?” Roman asked.

  “What I’ve always done. I’ll do whatever’s necessary to survive.”

  “Don’t feed along Ortega Highway,” Roman warned, recalling what had happened to the other vampires under his protection.

  “Oh yeah, and about that. Why haven’t they figured out what killed them? What’s taking so damn long?” Gabriel argued.

  He’d been thinking the same thing himself. “I need you to help fight the slayers.”

  “No, you don’t. Even with the fucked-up formula, you’re still stronger than any slayer out there.” Gabriel sneered. “The program’s a bust. Time to move on. Come on, Seth, let’s go.”

  Seth didn’t move, but remained next to Alex

  Gabriel stared at Roman. “Why do you want to stick around and die when you’ve got this hot woman who’s crazy about you? You’ve got everything going for you. Hook up with us and stay alive. Forever. For her.”

  However tempting the offer, Roman stood firm. “I can’t. And if you do this, you’ll go back to looking over your shoulder. Not knowing who you can trust. Or who wants to kill you.”

  Gabriel squared his shoulders. “Isn’t that what we’re doing now?”

  Touché.

  “What if they fix the formula? Think about what you’re doing.” Roman’s voice softened. “Even the Elder Council advised us to give it more time. We’re doing this for our race. Don’t go back to being hunted like a dog. Stay.” He stepped back and scanned the lot. “Speaking of being hunted, where’s the good padre?”

  “Let’s say we took care of him, and leave it at that.” He glanced at Seth.

  “Did he say anything before he died?”

  He shook his head. “He wasn’t talking. So I killed him.”

  “Damn.” He’d hoped Gabriel had gleaned information from the priest before the kill. “How did you get rid of him?”

  “We took a ride along the Ortegas. Then cleaned out the trunk of Seth’s Caddy by rolling the trash down a cliff.”

  Seth glanced at Gabriel. “I hope the cats got him, don’t you?”

  “Sure, Seth.” He nodded toward the door of the laboratory. “You two better get inside before Crawford comes looking for you.”

  Alex stood eyeball to eyeball with Gabriel. “Don’t do this. They’ve already slowed down the negative effects of the formula. Wait a little longer.”

  Backing away, Gabriel smirked. “Are you two fucking crazy? The sooner Crawford gets rid of us, the better. Why would he want to keep us alive? Think about it. We’re evidence of his screw-up. Having us around makes him nervous.”

  “I’m in. How about you, Roman?” Seth asked, while inching closer to Gabriel.

  The decision wasn’t easy and Gabriel’s offer tempted him. “I can’t. Not for me, but for.…” He shook his head as thoughts of Grace and their unborn child flashed through his mind. “I can’t do it, man. Not yet.” His voice shook.

  Seth turned to Alex. “How about you?”

  “Turning back isn’t an option for me either.” Alex returned to Roman’s side.

  “So you’re busting up our team?” Gabriel said, appearing anxious, shifting from one foot to the other.

  “No, you’re busting it up,” he answered. If it wasn’t for Grace and the baby, he’d walk away in a heartbeat. Maybe Gabe was right. Maybe the formula was unfixable. Damn them. Damn the program. He clenched his fists.

  “I thought we were brothers. Blood brothers.” Seth’s voice quaked. He shifted his gaze from Roman to Alex.

  “We still are,” Alex said. “Nothing will ever change that.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Gabriel jabbed his index finger at them. “If you go back inside, they have the control.” He moved his gaze to Roman. “What will you do if they stop you from seeing Grace??”

  “I’d like to see them try.”

  Gabriel threw up his hands. “I’m done. Let’s go.” He put his arm on Seth’s shoulder and led him toward their cars.

  “Hold on,” Roman couldn’t let his former warriors walk away without saying goodbye. He embraced Gabriel. He held Seth a little longer, fearing it might be the last time he would see his friend. Would Seth have to pay the price for Gabriel’s recklessness? “Watch your back,” he whispered in his ear.

  He and Alex left their former comrades in the parking lot and jogged toward the building. When they reached the door, two engines revved and they turned to watch their friends drive away. Before he had a chance to swipe his keycard, the door opened.

  Doc waved them inside. “There you are. I was just heading outside to check if you’d returned. Your drinks are waiting.” He poked his head outside. “Where are Gabriel and Seth?”

  “They quit,” Roman answered.

  Doc’s jaw went slack and he let the door bang shut. “What did you say?”

  “They turne
d back,” Alex explained.

  As he and Alex trudged toward the lounge, a lump formed in his throat. The clomping sound of their heavy boots echoed throughout the barren hallway.

  Doc jogged to catch up. “But that’s not possible.”

  “You’re wrong, Doc. They can and they did.” Roman opened the door to the lounge, and held the door open while Doc and Alex entered before him.

  Doc dragged his hand over his face. “Damn. Are you sure?”

  “I smelled it. They’ve turned into full vampires again,” Roman said. “Alex, you were with them. Go ahead and tell Doc what you know.”

  “Didn’t actually see it happen. But afterwards, I rode back with Seth. When we got here, they packed up their shit, then stuck around to say good bye to Roman…and try convince us to join them.”

  Roman checked the lockers lined up against the wall opposite the plasma TV. Sure enough, the doors were wide open, and the lockers cleaned out.

  Slipping his hands into his lab coat, Doc stared at the empty lockers and shook his head. “They did it. They actually did it.”

  “I didn’t agree with them quitting the program, but I helped them pack up.” Alex stared at the lockers. “In a way, I kind of envy them for leaving.”

  Although Roman didn’t say as much, so did he.

  Roman and Alex pulled off their jackets and tossed them on the sofa. They kicked off their boots and made themselves comfortable in their recliners.

  Doc went next door to the lab, and returned with a frosted tumbler in each hand. He gave one to Roman, the other to Alex. After dimming the lights, he sat on the armrest of Seth’s recliner. “Where do you think they’ll go?”

  “Not along Ortega Highway, that’s for sure.” Roman sipped his drink. “Speaking of Ortega Highway, did you ever find out what killed my vampires?”

  Doc shook his head. “Because we’ve devoted our attention and resources to the formula, we put finding the cause on the back burner. Only temporarily, of course. And once you’d moved your vampires out of the area, we saw no urgency.”

  “We had an agreement. Part of our bargain was that you find out why our vampires died. I need to know. So does the Elder Council,” Roman said