“You’re okay,” Nick said reassuringly. “I’ve found us a way out of here. You’re going to have to walk to me, though, so I can pull you up.”
The man blinked, still staring at him like he didn’t comprehend a word Nick said.
“Come on, man,” Nick said, exhaling more to reassure the other male. “You want to get out of here, right? Trust me… I do, too. I’m strong. I can carry you out. But it would be a lot easier if I could just pull you up from here.”
The male blinked again.
Nick still wasn’t sure if Case understood anything he’d said.
Then, as if outside of his own power, the human slowly straightened, giving one of those jerky, marionette-type nods.
The car swayed a bit when he straightened and the man froze, still gripping the brass bar.
“You got it,” Nick said, stretching out his arm and fingers as far as they would go. “Take my hand. I’ll do the rest.”
As he watched the human edge closer, it occurred to Nick for the first time that he hadn’t asked Jordan or Straven who was behind either of the bombs.
Then, a few more things occurred to Nick in quick succession.
One, Straven must have known the instant Nick’s limo pulled up to the curb.
Two, Straven might have just tried to murder him.
Three, Damon just warned him they had a drone in here somewhere.
“Come on,” Nick said, reaching for the human, more urgency in his voice. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, man. Doesn’t that sound good? It sure sounds good to me—”
“Yes.” The man nodded emphatically, panic and a cautious hope rising in his voice. “Yes, it sounds really, really good—”
“All right. Then come on, Case. Let’s do this.”
The human’s jaw firmed.
Letting go of the brass bar, he inched towards Nick, wincing when the car shuddered, then tensing more when it began swaying lightly on the cable. Once he was close enough, the human’s jaw firmed.
He reached up, and, relieved, Nick clasped his hand.
He didn’t wait, but yanked the human up through the opening in the roof, eliciting a yelp out of the tall, slender male.
Luckily, the guy didn’t weigh much.
The man was hyperventilating again though, so Nick didn’t wait.
Clutching him in his hands and one arm, he sank his fangs into the male’s neck, injecting him with a hard, fast dose of venom.
Chapter 13
Something’s Off
Wynter’s presence exploded around him, sparking in furious disbelief.
NICK!
It had to be done, baby, he sent to her, blowing her a kiss in the darkness behind his eyes. I can’t risk him flipping out and flailing around while I’m trying to climb this damned cable. And I couldn’t wait to see if he would. It’d be too hard to bite him mid-climb.
He paused, falling silent as he felt her think about his words.
He could feel that she agreed with him.
He could also feel that, irrationally—but understandably, at least from his perspective—she was still pissed.
It didn’t help that when he unhooked his fangs from Case’s neck a few seconds later, licking the blood off his lips, the male human looked at him with unadorned worship.
“Feel better?” Nick said, patting him on the shoulder. “You okay there, buddy?”
Case nodded, staring up at Nick’s eyes, his full of awe.
“You are beautiful,” he murmured.
Wynter snorted, audibly, even for Nick.
He’s also mine, she muttered angrily. Just get him out of there, Nick.
Nick rolled his eyes. Believe me. That’s the plan.
Nick felt the pull of the venom from Case. He felt the blood connection there, and felt Wynter’s annoyance worsen.
Pretending to ignore it, he bent down, picking up Case in a fireman’s carry, gripping his legs in one arm. The human gasped, but didn’t fight him, or flail around. He grasped Nick around the waist from behind instead… first in shock at the abrupt change in his view, and then, in relief, when he seemed to understand what had happened.
“Hold on,” Nick instructed. “Don’t let go.”
Case nodded, wrapping his arms around him more snugly.
Nick didn’t wait, but leapt up the cable.
He didn’t make it as high that time, with Case in tow, but still got a good ten or twelve feet up from the roof of the elevator car before catching the cable, one-handed.
The human he carried let out a surprised Oof! and gripped him tighter.
“You okay?” Nick asked him.
He didn’t pause in his climb.
He kept his right arm and elbow hooked around the human’s knees, using his right hand to grip the cable periodically for balance—mainly when he had to let go with his left to reach for a higher part of the line to pull them up. As a result, Nick’s left arm, feet and legs did all of the actual climbing work; his right hand really just kept them from falling.
Despite the handicap of only really having one arm to pull them up, they were soon making their way steadily up the thick band of braided steel.
Nick focused on keeping his pace measured, consistent, but he was feeling a pretty urgent pull to get the fuck out of there at that point… which had him climbing as fast as he could without risking dropping the human.
“You are so strong,” the human gasped.
“Yeah,” Nick said. “Vampire vitamins.”
There was a silence.
Then the human laughed.
He started to massage Nick, starting with his stomach from where he held him, then working his way down. Nick had already picked up that the guy liked males.
Case liked males a lot.
No shit, Wynter muttered.
“Hey,” Nick said, when the guy reached for his cock. “Cut that out. You’re going to get me in trouble… not to mention getting us both killed.”
Nick felt the man’s bewilderment.
“In… trouble?”
“Yeah,” Nick said. “I’ve got a girlfriend. So chill out. Relax. That cock’s not for you.”
“Oh.”
Nick felt the human’s disappointment through the blood connection.
Case didn’t disobey him, though. He wrapped his arms back around Nick’s waist from behind and stopped trying to touch him, and Nick felt himself relax. He hadn’t realized how much the human’s hands were stressing him out until he stopped.
Glancing up the cable, he could see the lit square above.
He was still staring up at it when something displaced air near him.
He didn’t see it. He didn’t hear it.
But the hairs on his arm rose, even as his muscles tensed.
What? Wynter sent. What is it, Nick?
I think there’s a drone in here, he said.
You think? You can’t see it?
No. Nick continued to climb, thinking. I can’t see it. Of course, that might not mean anything. If it’s Straven’s, they’re a vampire. They’d know how to hide a drone from vampire senses… including vision.
And that’s the good news? Wynter scoffed. That it’s Straven? Really?
There was a silence, then Nick grimaced.
It might be, he admitted. It might not.
Do you and Jordan and Morley think Straven might be behind this? Is he a real suspect, Nick? For killing Silverton?
Nick thought about that, too.
After a few beats of silence, he exhaled.
I think they definitely know more than they’re saying, he sent, grunting a little as he threw more of his arm and back into the climb. One bomb, I’d believe was an accident. A burglary gone wrong. Even a murder gone wrong. Yeah… it’s unlikely. Weird, even. But security systems can be twitchy.
Shaking his head slowly, he added,
But two bombings? Three bombings? All at major Straven properties? That seems more like a message.
What kind of message?
&
nbsp; Give us what the fuck we want, Nick sent, grunting humorlessly. Or we’ll keep blowing up your buildings until you do.
But that means Straven is a victim… not the bomber. Why did you think just now that Straven might have just tried to kill you?
Nick sighed, purely as an expression of emotion.
I don’t think that, honey. Not really. It was just my paranoia talking.
What is your paranoia saying? she pressed.
He thought about that, too.
I don’t know, he said truthfully. Something just feels… off.
There was a silence.
He could almost feel her thinking that time.
He could feel her concentrating, too.
I’m not seeing much in this guy, she observed after another beat. This “Case” you’re carrying. Other than the fact that he thinks you have a nice ass… about which I happen to agree. Even if I’d like to punch him in the face for thinking it right now—
You can read him? Nick sent, startled. Through me?
Right now? she sent. Yes. I can read him as clearly as I can you. Most of it is about wanting you to dominate and fuck him… in case you were wondering. Some of it involves calling you “daddy.”
Nick snorted a laugh.
He couldn’t help it.
Wynter was less amused.
Get the hell out of that elevator shaft, Nick, she sent, sharper. I don’t like it when you have paranoid “feelings” about people trying to kill you. They’re right too much of the time.
I’m trying.
He looked up the darkened tunnel. He knew he was moving fast, but the square of light didn’t look any closer. If anything, it looked further away.
What if I steered his thinking? Nick sent. Any chance you could read him again, if I get his mind off my ass and onto things that might actually help me figure out what the hell is going on here?
There was a silence.
Then he felt her nod.
Absolutely, she sent. Just talk to him. I’ll read him, and tell you if there’s any new information. Anything beyond what you can feel on him already.
Nick thought about that.
“Hey, Case,” he said, glancing up at the square of light, now trying to actively gauge the distance. “What does your boss think about these bombings? Straven?”
There was a silence.
Nick could feel he’d pulled the human out of a more dreamlike musing.
“What do you mean?” Case said.
“Who does Straven think is doing it? Any theories?”
There was another pause.
Then Case shook his head.
“They said they don’t know,” Case said, his voice cautious.
That’s a lie, Wynter said promptly.
Nick flinched.
Then he frowned, making his voice disappointed.
“Why are you lying to me, Case?” Nick used the venom and blood link to push at the human’s mind, even as he softened his voice. “Aren’t we friends? I’m carrying you out of here, right? Why would you lie to me? You know that hurts.”
Shame flooded the blood connection between them.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Tanaka. I’m really sorry—”
“Nick, Case. Call me Nick. Who does Straven think it is?”
“They told me not to say. They told me not to tell anyone. No matter what.”
“But you can trust me. You know that, right? I won’t tell Straven you told me. Promise.”
He waited for a few beats, waiting for Case to think about his words.
He pushed on the venom again.
“Case?” he urged. “Can’t you tell me anything? I’m trying to help Straven. And you. I’m trying to find out who’s behind this so I can stop them.”
“Straven won’t know?” Case said, his voice tentative. “Are you sure? They’d be really mad at me. They were really, really clear about not wanting us to talk about it—”
“Straven will never know, Case,” Nick assured him.
Case hesitated another beat.
“I don’t know his name…” Case began, again cautious.
That’s true, Wynter affirmed.
“…but Straven definitely suspects someone, some group or person in particular. They kept saying how Abe screwed them, how Abe must have talked, or tried to get a better deal behind Straven’s back. Straven thought Abe cut him out somehow—”
“Abe? Abe Silverton?”
“Yes.” The human nodded, still gripping Nick around the waist. “Straven thought Mr. Silverton must have told someone what they had.”
“What did they have, Case?”
Nick felt the human thinking. “I don’t know exactly—”
“But you have some idea?”
“Some kind of tech. Something… experimental.”
Case hesitated.
Again, Nick could feel him thinking, trying to remember.
He had a million questions, but he knew in this kind of thing, sometimes it was better to be silent, to see what came up.
Case felt worried when he spoke next.
“Straven seemed to think it was worth a lot of money,” the human said, after Nick pushed on him lightly again. “They were talking about how we’d all be a ‘whole new level of rich’ if this thing went through. When he was high the other night, Straven said militaries would be fighting over this tech, that humans would want it… that vampires would want it, too. He thought Abe got greedy… that he screwed him…”
Nick frowned, thinking about the other’s words.
Any insight on that? he asked Wynter. How do I redirect?
Ask him about vampire venom, she suggested.
What? Nick’s frown deepened. Why? What about vampire venom?
I don’t know. I just know it has something to do with the tech.
That didn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense.
Shrugging, mentally at least, Nick cleared his throat, watching the opening in the wall approach as he climbed.
“What were they doing with vampire venom, Case? Straven and Abe Silverton? Were they experimenting with it? On humans, maybe?”
Nick felt the human panic.
“I really can’t talk about this, Mr. Tanaka…”
There’s some kind of block there, Wynter sent, frowning inside Nick’s mind. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before—
“I don’t know what you want to know! I don’t know anything…”
Nick could feel Case getting more and more agitated.
He could also feel a blankness there.
He could feel whatever Wynter was talking about.
The human really didn’t know.
Vampires can’t block minds, not like this, Nick sent, still looking at the human through the venom, and through Wynter. Or erase memories. He paused, thinking. Did a seer do this? Confuse him like this? He seems afraid, but also like he really can’t remember—
A seer didn’t do this. Wynter shook her head. This isn’t from a seer.
You’re sure?
Positive, she said, no doubt in her voice. Absolutely positive. This feels nothing like a seer. A seer couldn’t have done this.
Is it like how vampires used to block seer vision?
No. That didn’t do anything to memories.
Nick frowned, thinking.
He spoke to Case again.
“Do you know who Straven was talking to?” he said next. “In the military? You said this technology would be valuable to the military, right?”
Case’s panic worsened.
“Calm down,” Nick said. “Just try to remember—”
“There was a man,” Case said, that agitation making his voice higher. “A man came here. He wanted the formula—”
“Formula?” Nick said, startled. “The one with vampire venom?”
Case burst out, “I DON’T KNOW!”
It was practically a wail.
To Nick, it felt like he was fighting to speak through some kind of pain.
It is li
ke that, Wynter affirmed. It’s like it hurts him to speak. Like somehow, they’ve made it so it causes him mental anguish to speak of this.
You’re too far in his light, Nick sent, blunt.
The thought came out of him seemingly out of nowhere. Nick felt the punch behind it. He felt his own anger, even heard it in the words, even inside his head.
Back off, Wynter. Now.
Nick. Affection warmed her thoughts, along with a faint amusement. Nick, honey… trust me. I am completely and totally not your friend’s type. It’s honestly funny just how utterly not your friend’s type I am—
It’s not funny to me at all, he cut in.
His mental voice came out hard, as cold as the steel cable.
Do this for me, Wynter. I’m asking.
Not a threat precisely, his words weren’t remotely soft, either, or even pretending to be a real question. They were one hundred percent a demand.
Hell, they were almost an order.
Do this for me, Wynter. Do this for me—
Calm down, Nick.
She sent warmth, pulling on him, and his panic, anger, and frustration flared hotter, twisting into a sexual angst that somehow made the rest of it worse.
Nick. Calm down. You need to get out of this. Then we can talk about us. I’m in this man’s mind because you need this. Remember? I’m doing this for you, Nick. You need this. Whoever did this might be trying to kill you.
I know—
So calm down. I know you don’t breathe, but let me in. Let me calm you down. Let me breathe for you. Let me pull you back to me, Nick…
Nick fought to do as she asked.
He climbed, feeling his anger and the heat in his chest worsening even as he focused on the sensations there, fighting to relax, to center in climbing, in what he felt on his hands and feet, his hold on Case, the human’s hold on him.
That’s it, she sent. Focus on him. He knows something, Nick.
“You know something,” Nick said, speaking aloud, to the human.
“No!” Panic returned to the human’s voice. “No! I don’t know anything!”
“What did the man look like? The military guy who came to the building?”
“Not military.” The man spoke as if the words were a discovery to him, as if he was remembering them even as he spoke them. “He wasn’t military. Not us. Not even…”
The Prescient: A Science Fiction Vampire Detective Novel (Vampire Detective Midnight Book 3) Page 20