Len’s eyes looked bright with unshed tears as he carried Billy from the room. Quiet settled in the wake of his leaving. Finally, Pierce shifted to face them.
“The baroness asked that I convey that whatever you all need, the Imperium will provide. And if they don’t, she and I will,” he said.
Campbell extended his hand. “We can’t thank you enough, Mr. Pierce.”
Pierce took Campbell’s hand between both of his. “Call me Ray. And truly, no thanks are necessary. I’m honored to have you here.” He gestured at their surroundings. “One of the benefits of being wealthy is that I can help. Feel free to look around and use the house as you see fit. I don’t live here, so consider this entire place yours.”
Campbell suspected that calling this a house was like calling the Titanic a dinghy.
After Pierce left them alone, Campbell met the eyes of his team. Before they did anything, they had to say goodbye to Billy.
* * *
Olivia sat in the middle of her empty diner and watched the sun move closer to the horizon. She was dimly aware that Chloe was on the phone with her brother. Chloe had wanted to call Mindy, but Olivia wouldn’t let her. She didn’t think she could handle facing Mindy when she knew her friend wouldn’t mourn the loss of any vampire, not even Campbell.
Surrounded as she was by empty tables and chairs, Olivia couldn’t believe how fast her life had changed from being on the upswing to hitting rock bottom.
She became aware of the fact that Chloe was no longer on the phone.
“Would you like something to eat?” Chloe asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
“I know, sweetie, but you have to eat.”
“Why?”
Chloe slid into the chair next to Olivia. “Because Campbell cared about you, and he’d want you to take care of yourself.”
Realizing Chloe wouldn’t give up until Olivia ate something, she said, “Maybe a grilled cheese.”
The sandwich ended up tasting like old cardboard, not through any fault of Chloe’s cooking but rather through Olivia’s utter disinterest in eating it. Her friend must have realized it, because she quietly slipped the half-eaten sandwich off the table and took it to the trash in the kitchen.
“I think we could both use some rest,” Chloe said from the doorway into the kitchen.
Olivia realized that night had fallen without her noticing, and that meant Chloe wasn’t going anywhere until morning. Reluctantly, she nodded and somehow found the strength to stand. She was halfway to the staircase when someone pecked on the front door. Fear shot through her until she turned and saw a familiar face. She grabbed the back of a chair and still felt as if she might collapse. Whether it was her imagination, a ghost or reality, Campbell stood on the other side of the locked door.
And she couldn’t make her feet close the distance between them.
Chloe crossed to the door and unlocked it. She looked as stunned as Olivia felt.
“Hi, Chloe,” he said. Then he looked at Olivia. “We found your car.” He motioned toward the street, and she saw Colin leaning against the door of her car. He raised a hand and waved.
That movement broke through the veil of unreality that had kept her immobile, and she raced to Campbell. She leaped at him so fast that he stumbled backward but caught her in his arms.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay,” he said.
She framed his face and met his gaze. “You’re alive.”
The confusion in his eyes gave way to understanding as he glanced at Chloe.
“How did you survive that?” Olivia asked. “I saw the hole. I just knew you were gone.” Tears streaked down her cheeks again, a mixture of remembered sorrow and tremendous happiness that she’d mourned for no reason.
His eyes dimmed in pain, and she realized Colin was quiet, too. Even though she barely knew him, she knew that wasn’t normal.
“Campbell?” Chloe said as she stepped forward.
He met Chloe’s gaze, then lowered his own. “We lost Billy.”
“Oh, no.”
Olivia saw the pain, knew he was taking responsibility. She squeezed his hand. “It’s not your fault. The police said it was a bomb.”
“He’s just as gone,” he said, his voice thick. This, more than anything else, showed her he had feelings the same as any human.
“I’m sorry.”
“How did you get out of there?” Chloe asked.
“We fled into the subway tunnels. The Imperium sent someone to help us set up a new headquarters elsewhere.”
“You’ve got a new place already?” Chloe asked, sounding surprised.
“It’s in the Imperium’s best interest that we stay on the job, and that means having equipment and a place to lay low during the daytime.” He shifted his gaze to Olivia. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I didn’t think.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Campbell caressed her cheek and gave her a sad smile. “I need to go. I hadn’t planned to come back tonight.”
“Oh.” She tried to hide her disappointment. He had too much on his mind already.
“Being with me has serious repercussions, including the fact that I have my own enemies. But turns out I’m not as selfless as I’d like to be. After today, I couldn’t stop wanting to see you.”
“I’ll see you upstairs,” Chloe said, and turned away.
“Good night, Chloe,” Campbell said. “Thank you for staying with Olivia.”
She waved over her shoulder without looking back and headed for the stairs. Colin made himself scarce, too.
Campbell returned his attention fully to Olivia. “I’m sorry you worried about me. The day was chaos, and I never thought you would make the connection between the bombing and V Force.”
“Do you really have to go?” After a day of thinking he was lost forever, she never wanted to let him out of her sight again.
He nodded. “We have to follow a lead on the bombing. We think it might be the same person who is behind the kidnappings.” He ran his fingers along the curve of her jaw.
“I’m afraid if you go, I’ll convince myself the past few minutes didn’t happen,” she said.
He pulled her close and lowered his mouth toward hers. He kissed her softly, then more thoroughly, full of hunger. She responded with all the joy she felt at having him still be alive.
Campbell growled, not the scary version but rather the kind that made her want to drag him to bed. Suddenly, he broke away and took a step backward. “I need to stop now or I’m going to end up taking you up against this building,” he said next to her ear.
The thought shouldn’t have excited Olivia but it did. But enough common sense still resided in her that she knew she didn’t need to make the current situation with the diner irrevocable by having public sex with a vampire. Plus, Chloe was upstairs waiting for her. And Olivia knew part of what Campbell was feeling likely had to do with the loss of his friend, the need to feel alive after a brush with death.
“Promise me you’ll be careful,” she told him as she cupped his jaw.
“As careful as I can be.”
That would have to be enough.
* * *
Olivia went through the motions of running the diner for the next couple of days, but her only regular customer to appear was Jane. And as lovely as Jane was, she and the occasional person who had no idea who Olivia was sure weren’t enough customers to keep the diner running. Frustrated and not knowing what to do next, Olivia decided to take a day off. She slept in, had a leisurely cup of coffee then decided it was time to go see Mindy.
She tried calling, but Mindy was either out or ignoring her calls. Whichever it was, she aimed to talk to her friend today even if she had to plunk herself down outside Mindy’s apartment door and talk to her through it.
After arming herself with her gun and a knife, she headed out into the brisk wind. She kept in mind Mindy’s first rule of self-defense, always being aware of her surroundings. But thankfully all she saw were other New Yorkers going about th
eir days.
When she reached Mindy’s apartment building, movers had the elevator filled with someone’s belongings, so she took the central staircase. A shiver went up her back as she looked back down the stairs and saw one of the guys watching her. She felt safer with the weapons and the knowledge of how to incapacitate attackers, but he still gave her the creeps. Not every bad guy in Manhattan was working for vampires. There were still plenty of garden-variety rapists, muggers and thieves, too.
She felt better by the time she reached the fourth floor, where Mindy’s apartment was one of four units. At least she felt better until she saw Mindy’s keys hanging in the door and a bag of spilled groceries on the floor outside Mindy’s apartment. Dread settled in her stomach like a cold stone.
“Mindy,” she called out as she pushed inside. Her fear ratcheted up several notches as she searched the apartment. Instinct told her Mindy was not inside, and Olivia’s thoughts flew back to those movers.
She called 911 for backup as she raced down the stairs. When she hit the lobby, she saw one of the guys loading a bulky object covered in a thick blanket. She shoved her phone in her pocket and pulled the gun from her waistband.
“Put her down,” she said with as firm a voice as she could muster when she pushed through the exterior door. She scanned the area but didn’t see the second guy.
The guy at the back of the van dropped the bundle and held up his hands. Olivia did her best to stay calm when she saw two feet in familiar athletic shoes tumble out of the end of the bundle. “Move away from her,” Olivia said, punctuating her words with the gun.
“You even know how to use that thing?” the guy asked as he took a couple of steps backward.
“You want to find out?” She would shoot him, and she wouldn’t hesitate. Not with Mindy’s life at stake.
The sound of movement behind her caught her attention just before the other man grabbed her. She forced her elbow back into his gut. He grunted but it didn’t stop him for long. She tried kicking the side of his knee, but he was too fast and she kicked open air, putting her off balance.
“You are more trouble than you’re worth,” the guy said as she spun and slipped out of his grip again. He snatched at the gun but she stepped backward out of his reach.
Unfortunately, her heel slipped off the edge of the sidewalk. The guy took advantage of her momentary lapse of concentration and grabbed her. She kicked, squirmed, tried to bite him. He managed to get his arm around her neck to limit her struggles. She noticed the other guy was shoving Mindy into the van, so she lifted the gun still in her hand and aimed for the biggest target, his chest. When she pulled the trigger, the other guy flew backward and lay still. Mindy dropped halfway out of the van. She didn’t try to free herself, so they must have drugged her or knocked her out.
Fear zipped through Olivia a moment before the guy holding her cursed and covered her mouth with a cloth. Despite his tight hold on her, she struggled to get free as the world around her started to fade and then went black.
* * *
For a couple of days after the bombing, Campbell’s team got their new headquarters up and running. Though they all wanted to take Salmeri apart chunk by chunk, they knew they had to go in with a solid plan that would ensure they were getting the right guy and he didn’t go free this time. So at night they ferried computers, cabling, office furniture and a new collection of weapons into the mansion. During the day, they set everything up and used the new supply of holy water Chloe had delivered to Ray to bless their shiny new handcuffs.
“What’s the plan?” Kaja asked as she sat on the edge of Campbell’s desk.
He looked up from where he’d been coordinating with Team 2’s leader, Matt Calloway, on a combined visit to one Nicky Salmeri. In the midst of setting up the new base of operations, Campbell had been beating the bushes extra hard, too. Turned out that Nicky was part owner of that new club where Campbell and Colin had convinced Charlie Benson to be a little more forthcoming with his intel. Universal Donor—Campbell still hated that name.
A Souled vampire witnessed the abduction of the teenage boy through his building’s video security feed. He’d recognized the driver of the van as one of the bouncers from Universal Donor. That’d been the one break they’d needed. But they couldn’t go in stakes raised without planning this down to the tiniest detail.
“Team 2 will be holding down the exterior, making sure no one leaves. We will go in and spread out. Word is Nicky likes to hang at the club early in the evening, so we’ll set up a perimeter and only go in after we see him.”
“When is this going down? Because I want to make short work of this creep and get the humans back where they belong.”
“Have some heavy-duty shopping to do?” Len asked as he strolled by to his desk.
Kaja gestured at the ratty jeans and Yankees T-shirt he was wearing. “You ought to think about doing some of your own.”
Campbell just smiled. It was good to see his team members showing signs of normalcy. After Billy’s funeral and the burning of his body, they’d all walked around in a daze until Colin pointed out that Billy was probably rolling his eyes at them. That had led to stories about Billy and even a bit of unexpected laughter.
“Tonight,” he said in answer to Kaja’s question.
Kaja laced her fingers together and bent them backward to crack her knuckles. She was ready to kick some Soulless vampire ass.
In contrast, Sophia was sitting on a dark brown leather couch reading one of her science journals. She might not work in a hospital or treat humans anymore, but she liked to keep up with medical science. As he looked closer, he noticed a tight look on her face.
“What’s wrong, Sophia?” Campbell asked.
She glanced up at him, but part of her was still far away for a few seconds until she fully reengaged with the world around her. “Maybe nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound too convincing.”
“It’s just a story about a couple of scientists who’ve gone missing.”
“Please tell me they’re not from here,” Colin said.
“No. One, a geneticist, is from Duke University. The other works for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.” Sophia looked up with an expression of concern. “She’s a phlebotomist.”
“A fla-what?” Len asked.
“Phlebotomist. A doctor of the blood.”
“Could be a coincidence,” Campbell said. “Can’t imagine that scientists’ blood tastes any better than anyone else’s.”
“I know. It’s just...something feels off,” Sophia said.
Campbell didn’t much like it either, but the truth was those two scientists could have slipped up and been killed by vampires. They also could have been taken by abductors of their own kind for a purpose that had nothing to do with vampires. Heck, they could have just flown the coop.
Whatever had happened, it wasn’t his responsibility. He and his team had enough to worry about in their own backyard. As he finalized the details of the raid on the club, he tried to focus on the fact that he was just doing his job. But the reality was that this was personal. He needed to put an end to these kidnappings so Olivia would be safe, so he could stop worrying about her.
At least stop worrying about this particular threat. The damage he’d caused in her life was another worry altogether. When he took care of Salmeri’s operation, he was going to do what he could to ensure her customers came back or she at least got some new ones.
His cell rang. After glancing at the caller ID, he answered. “Hey, Chloe.”
“They’ve got Olivia and Mindy,” she said, frantic and out of breath.
White-hot fear shot through him as he sat up straighter and nearly crushed the phone in his grip. “What?”
“Witnesses in the neighborhood said the kidnappers were in the process of taking Mindy when Olivia showed up at her place. She managed to shoot one of them, but they took her.”
Campbell’s world spun off its axis. “The guy she shot, is he alive?�
��
“Yeah. At least he was when they hauled him away in the ambulance.”
“Travis, find out where they took a gunshot victim today. Get me his name and everything about him, now,” Campbell said, punctuating his words with jabbing gestures.
“What’s going on?” Colin asked.
“Kidnappers took Olivia and Mindy.” He couldn’t believe he was saying those words.
“Campbell, what can I do?” Chloe asked.
“Stay with your brother until we take care of this.” He hung up and stared at the door he couldn’t yet exit. He’d burned for her once, but that had been only moments and had nearly done him in. As much as it killed him, he had no choice but to wait.
“The NYPD?” Sophia asked.
“They won’t be able to go wherever the humans are stashed,” Len said.
Campbell roared and cursed the sun.
“We’ll get them,” Colin said. “We stick to the plan, and we’ll save them all.”
Somewhere beneath the fear and rage, Campbell knew Colin was right. It didn’t make the wait any less agonizing.
“Gunshot victim is a Troy Giani. Has a rap sheet of petty stuff,” Travis said. “Looks as if he’s picking up his game.”
“And got a slug for his trouble,” Len said.
“Yeah, right in the chest,” Travis said as he pointed to the report on his computer screen.
That Olivia had not gone without one hell of a fight made him proud of her but also afraid she’d be punished more than the other abductees, and before he could get to her. He paced the library. He had to save her. He had to.
* * *
When Olivia woke, the first thing she noticed was how parched her throat felt. Next came the throbbing pain in her wrists. She blinked her eyes several times to try to push away the fogginess in her brain. Gradually, memories slipped into place from wherever they’d been floating. Going to Mindy’s. The spilled groceries. The movers who weren’t movers at all. Shooting the guy who had Mindy. Then something being pressed over her mouth.
That last thought made her jerk more awake. Her movement sent pain shooting down her arms.
“Olivia?”
She turned her head and saw Mindy in the dim light. She was shackled to a stone wall, her arms stretched out above her and her ankles spread. That was when Olivia realized why her wrists hurt. She was shackled the same as Mindy, the same as the rest of the people beyond Mindy.
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