The Ortega Project

by Linnea Alexis

  Grace turned to face him—her eyes moist. “Thank you.” She climbed in the back seat, pulled the door shut, and the car sped away

  As the Jetta raced across the parking lot and out the gate, a heavy weight lifted from Doc’s shoulders. With Grace safely off the property, he rushed inside to tend to Roman.

  Gabriel stood near the bed, watching Roman sleep.

  “So what do you think? Will it work?” Nothing would please Doc more than to have his favorite vampire back. But how would Roman feel when he found out Gabriel, his former nemesis, had sired him?

  “You aren’t actually considering it, are you?” Shock sounded in Gabriel’s voice.

  “Roman needs more time, which is something I can’t give him. But you can. In the meantime, I’ll continue working on the blood-substitute formula—perfecting it. Once he’s whole again, and if he consents, which I’m sure he will, I can start him on the program once more.”

  “But the program’s fucked up.”

  “It is now. You should turn him. Allow him to enjoy his child and help raise him.”

  Staring at Roman, Gabriel stroked his chin, contemplating the proposal. “You realize there’s no guarantee it’ll work. It might be too late to turn him.”

  “But you’ll try?”

  “I’ll try. For Grace and their son.” Gabriel took a deep breath. “I’m a little out of practice. I haven’t turned anyone in over fifty years.” He rubbed his palms together. “Let’s do it.”

  Doc had never witnessed a turning in person. He’d seen dozens of vampire transformations in movies, and had a pretty good idea what took place. But would he have the stomach to watch?

  Gabriel stretched his six foot five inch body to its full height and stared at Roman. He spread his arms, nearly spanning the length of the bed. He groaned and held Roman’s head in his hands, tilting it to the side to gain easier access to his neck. An animalistic, throaty rumble followed. Gabriel opened his mouth wide, showing fangs. A loud growl followed. He lowered his head and drove his fangs into Roman’s neck.

  Sounds of Gabriel feeding filled the small room. Growling. Hissing, Moaning. Thrashing.

  The inhuman sounds grew louder. The metallic smell of blood filled the room.

  Doc’s gut churned, but a morbid fascination kept him riveted to his chair. He closed his eyes. His breathing hitched. Crawford! What if he heard them? Surely, the sounds would rouse his curiosity. He had to stop Crawford from entering the room. He lumbered toward the door and leaned against it.

  The noise.

  Doc covered his ears, trying to block out the guttural sounds coming from Gabriel. Or were they coming from Roman? He wasn’t sure.

  It grew quiet. Doc dropped his hands from is ears. His gaze pivoted to the bed where Roman’s body twitched and trembled while Gabriel fed, draining him. Roman let out a weak moan. Then stilled.

  Gabriel unlatched his jaw from Roman’s neck. He stood and arched his back. “Check if he’s alive,” Gabriel said in a hoarse voice. Blood dribbled from his chin and in a gesture as normal as breathing, he wiped his mouth and chin with the back of his hand, smearing blood on it. He fixed his gaze on Doc.

  Gabriel’s dark eyes had turned red.

  Caught off guard at the sight, Doc drew in a strangled breath. He’d witnessed Gabriel turn into a monster and it terrified him. He trembled. Struggling to keep his legs from folding, he willed his feet to inch toward Roman. When he reached the nightstand, he grabbed onto the bed rail to steady himself. He fished a stethoscope from his lab coat pocket and pressed it against Roman’s chest, listening for a heartbeat. Finding none, he set the stethoscope on the nightstand.

  “It’s over. He’s gone.” Doc steadied his wobbly legs and hung onto the chair next to the bed.

  Gabriel quickly bit his own wrist and squeezed it until red liquid oozed from the punctures. He opened Roman’s mouth and positioned his wrist above it, allowing the blood to drip between his lips.

  Within seconds, Roman’s mouth opened and Gabriel pressed his bleeding wrist to Roman’s lips. Roman clamped his teeth around Gabriel’s wrist and sucked life back into his body.

  “Stop,” Gabriel said. But Roman continued to feed. Gabriel tried pulling his wrist away, but Roman grabbed Gabriel’s arm with both hands and fed.

  “More,” Roman gasped, trying to sit up.

  “That’s enough for now.” Gabriel forced Roman back into a reclining position and held him down.

  Roman lifted his head and his dark eyes searched the room. “What happened? Where’s Grace?”

  Doc gasped. His friend was alive, but looked and sounded very weak. And very dead.

  “You need to rest. Give your body time to heal so it can return to full strength,” Gabriel said, giving Roman’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “Sleep.”

  Roman’s chest rose and fell erratically. When his breathing finally stabilized, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the pillow.

  Doc settled into his chair. “What now?”

  “Now we wait.” Gabriel pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

  For having successfully turned his former ally, Gabriel’s shoulders drooped and he stared at the blank wall behind Roman’s bed.

  Doc sensed something was wrong. “You don’t want this to work, do you?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Are you in love with Grace?”

  “You heard what the lady said. She loves Roman.”

  “That wasn’t my question. You were planning to hook up with her after Roman died.”

  He didn’t answer immediately, but kept his focus on Roman. “I considered it.”

  “I thought so. What you did—bringing him back for Grace—was the most unselfish thing I’ve ever seen you do. You’re a good man.” He patted him on the back.

  Shaking his head, the corners of Gabriel’s mouth curved slightly upward. “No, I’m not.”

  Seeing no point in arguing, Doc leaned back in his chair and waited for something—he wasn’t sure what—to happen. Together, the men sat at the bedside of their friend. Doc wondered about the real reason Gabriel stopped by to see Roman. Did he truly want his forgiveness? Did he want to re-enter the program? Or did Crawford send Gabriel to spy on him? Curiosity about Gabriel’s relationship with Crawford got the better of him. “I was under the impression you and Crawford were business partners. What happened?”

  “I got sick of doing his dirty work. He’s on his own now,” he answered coolly.

  Had Gabriel suddenly developed a conscience? “Why did you help him in the first place? What was in it for you?”

  “Free meals.”

  Of course! Gabriel’s needs were so basic. Slumped in the chair, the vampire seemed vulnerable, much smaller than his tall frame.

  Gabriel pushed out a deep sigh. “They’re gone now. Alex. Seth. You probably don’t believe me, but I had nothing to do with Seth’s slaying. If Roman’s turning doesn’t take, I’ll have no one. At one time Roman and I were real close. Everything I know, he taught me.”

  “I have many questions. How’d you all meet? Where did you come from? What were you before? How and when you became…”

  Gabriel folded his arms across his chest. “I was an only child and grew up on the outskirts of London. My parents owned several hundred acres of land. Seth’s parents worked on our estate. His mother was one of our cooks and his dad worked in our stables. Seth and I were the same age and hung out. Man, did we get in trouble. What one of us didn’t think of, the other did.

  “Interesting.”

  He chuckled, and a faraway look slipped into his gaze when he tried recalling details from a time long ago. “When I married, I inherited my own estate. By that time, Seth and I had grown up together. Like brothers. And because he loved horses, I hired him to be in charge of the stables.” Gabriel’s expression darkened. “We still hung out at local taverns and picked up whores.” His voice softened. “One night, we picked up the wrong wenches who didn’t want our dicks. They wanted our blood. A
nd they turned us. I was forced to leave my wife and twin daughters.” His voice broke.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Seth didn’t have to leave anyone. He never married. Neither did Alex. Alex and Roman were born and raised in Argentina. Their mothers were sisters. In college, Alex studied math. Roman took up philosophy. At some point, they switched their majors to medicine. One night after witnessing a horrific accident, they ran to help the victims, and were ambushed by vampires. The rest, as they say, is ...”

  Alex studying medicine was not a surprise, considering how he’d saved Roman’s life. But Roman? He had no idea he’d studied to be a physician.

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “The four of us hooked up in New Orleans.” He paused to glance at Roman.

  “He had recently married a woman named Maria. Soon after they married, she got pregnant. Because most of the villagers had witnessed the vampire attack, Roman was run out of town before she gave birth. Later, he found out his wife had given him a son. A son he never saw. He never got over it until now.”

  “When he met Grace,” Doc said.

  “When he met Grace,” Gabriel repeated. “I’m not denying we had disagreements in the past, but he’s a good man who deserves to be happy.”

  “I agree.”

  Gabriel stood and stretched. “I probably should get going in case Crawford shows back up.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed Doc a business card. “Give me a call if you need me when he wakes up. But if …” He stopped and cocked his head toward the door. “Someone’s coming.”

  Crawford. Doc slipped the business card into the breast pocket of the shirt he wore under his lab coat and hurried to stand in front of Roman’s bed, shielding him.

  Gabriel returned to his hiding place behind the door.

  If Crawford entered, he’d most likely want to get a closer look at Roman—out of curiosity, if nothing else. But Doc didn’t want his boss anywhere near him. Gulping down a deep breath, he waited for someone to enter. The footsteps grew louder. Came closer and stopped. The doorknob moved slightly, but the door didn’t open. One hundred one. One hundred two. Three seconds later, the footsteps moved farther away. Then faded.

  Gabriel darted to Roman’s side. He was still fast asleep. “This is bullshit. Get his stuff together. I’m busting him out of here right now.”

  “Where will you take him?”

  “To the safe house where I’ve been staying. Nobody will find him there. Besides, it will be better if I’m with him when he wakes up. He might not be too happy about being turned and I don’t want him to take it out on you or Grace.”

  “What happens when Crawford discovers he’s gone?”

  “I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Right now it’s too dangerous for him to stay here. Actually, for you, too. Pack up what you need and get ready to leave with us.”

  The idea of getting out from under Crawford’s thumb appealed to him. “He did fire me.”

  “Then you’ve got no reason to stay.”

  “I need to also bring my files along, so I can continue working on the formula. We can’t fit everything in your Corvette. Use my car.”

  “Won’t work. Crawford knows your car. We’ll use mine. I traded in my ‘Vette for a new SUV. It’s parked around the corner.”

  Gabriel lifted Roman from the bed and carried him across the room. He turned his ear toward the hallway. “It’s clear. Can you get the door? I’ll bring Roman to the SUV and make him comfortable. Call when you’re ready to be picked up.”

  “Hold on.” Doc yanked the thin blanket from the bed and covered Roman’s body. He held the door open for Gabriel, and did the same at the exit. “See you in a few minutes,” he said and watched them disappear around the corner.

  Doc hurried back into the room. Perspiration beaded on his brow. It’s over. A buzzing sound. Where was it coming from? Roman’s cell phone lay on the bed. By the time he picked the phone up, he’d missed the call. Curious, he checked the Missed Calls option and Grace’s name appeared on the screen.

  * * *

  Grace

  * * *

  At eleven o’clock, Deanna pulled her Jetta into the apartment parking lot.

  Emotionally drained, Grace felt as old as Roman. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. What if Gabriel couldn’t or wouldn’t turn Roman? He was so weak…so fragile. Maybe it was too late to save him.

  Her cell phone rang. A familiar number showed on the screen. She raised the phone to her ear. “Roman? Oh, Doc,” she said softly, unable to hide her disappointment. “I didn’t know your number, and called Roman’s phone hoping someone would pick up. Did Gabriel turn him? Thank God. I’d appreciate if you’d keep me posted. Thank you.” Her shoulders sagged and she hung up. Cradling the phone with both hands, she brought it to her chest.

  Deanna glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Is everything okay?”

  “Gabriel did it. Now we wait.”

  She closed her eyes, leaned back, and touched her sleeping baby’s arm. Recalling Doc’s argument that Roman didn’t want to be turned, she slumped and covered her face with her hands. Once Roman found out it was her idea, would he be pissed at her? Did she let her love for him overrule common sense? What if she’d made a mistake?

  40

  Doc

  Doc was running out of time. Crawford wanted him off the property tonight. The wall clock in his office showed less than thirty minutes to midnight.

  Two moving boxes sat on top of his gray, metal desk. One box was filled with reference books. At the bottom of the second box were personal files he’d kept locked in a cabinet on each vampire, none of which had anything to do with the institute? From the same cabinet, he also packed notes and data on the failed feeding project that Crawford had deliberately omitted from the database. The files were covered by framed certificates and miscellaneous items from his desk—Sudoku puzzle books, a Stephen King novel, several CD’s, a clipboard, and two extra pairs of glasses. He slipped out of his lab coat, folded it, and laid it on top of the items. Once filled, he secured the boxes with masking tape.

  Packing up his office brought an onslaught of memories of the damn Ortega Project. They never should have started it. Who would’ve thought that while they were developing the perfect artificial blood formula to feed vampires, they would stumble upon a formula that reversed vampirism? Did they fail because they tampered with nature? With fate? He blamed himself for the failure and cursed for getting personally and emotionally involved with the subjects.

  He’d never said goodbye to Seth. An innocent who didn’t deserve to be slain. An innocent who followed Gabriel wherever he went. An innocent who always did his master’s bidding.

  Alex. The most well liked and level-headed among the vampires deserved, but never received, a proper goodbye. During Alex’s final moments Doc had abandoned him trying to save Roman. Feeling remorseful for allowing Alex to die alone, a lump formed in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  And now Roman. Doc was closest to him and viewed him as a brother.

  Instead of the four becoming human, Alex and Seth were dead, Gabriel and hopefully, Roman had turned back. All of them would have been better off without the institute.

  As he slid the taped-up boxes aside, his thoughts drifted to Grace and Christian. What would happen to them? To Roman? How long could Gabriel hide not only Roman, but himself as well? It struck Doc that, aside from Gabriel’s offer, he had no place to go. Moving his belongings from the office to his home in Irvine was out of the question. He doubted it would be wise to return home to pack up his own personal things. His home would be the first place Crawford would search for him or Roman. Perhaps it would be wise to hole up in one of the many motels in the area. Or maybe Gabriel had some ideas.

  Gabriel—the least likeable vampire survived the fiasco unscathed. Doc never liked or trusted Gabriel. But now because of their mutual concern for Grace, Roman, and the child, they had joined forces to protect them from Cra
wford and the Church.

  How could he explain the lack of a body when Crawford came looking for Roman? And he most definitely would. As midnight drew near, Doc realized by now, Crawford would be on the hunt. If so, he may need assistance in combating his temperamental boss. He quickly pulled the business card from his shirt pocket and dialed the number printed on it.

  “Gabriel, I’m in my office and ready to leave. And please hurry. I’ve got a real bad feeling all hell’s about to break loose.”

  Crawford stormed into his office. His face red with anger. “Where’s Roman?”

  Without acknowledging his former boss, Doc ended his call.

  Slamming his hands on the desk, Crawford’s eyes grew wide with rage. “Where’s Roman?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” And he didn’t.

  “It’s your job to keep me apprised of something as vital as disappearing vampires. Where. Is. He?”

  Doc flinched. “I. Don’t. Know. Have you forgotten? I don’t work here anymore. You fired me.”

  “Tell me where the child is are and you can have your job back.”

  Chances of his betraying Roman were highly unlikely. “I can truthfully say I have no idea where he is.”

  A smug, self-satisfied grin slithered across his face. “He? Roman had a son?”

  Biting his bottom lip, Doc avoided eye contact. He shook his head. Damn! Why did he say that?

  “If you cooperate and tell me about the boy, you can stop clearing out your office. You’ll be reinstated immediately.”

  “I don’t want my job back. My work here is finished.” He picked up the taped-up box containing the top secret files and carried it past his former supervisor.

  Crawford grabbed his arm. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me about the child.” He glanced at the taped-up box. “Open it. Everything in your office is property of the institute.”

  “It’s personal property. Nothing inside is from the institute.” Doc had always kept his files under lock and key, and considering Crawford rarely, if ever, set foot inside his office, he saw no urgency to remove the files. Damn. If only he’d brought the damaging information home this confrontation wouldn’t be taking place. Damn. Fearing Crawford would gain possession of the personal files and potentially damaging notes against his leadership, the institute, and the formula, he gripped the box tighter.