“Dennis Rogers.”
She turned back to Mac. “The guy who came forward with testimony about Burton? I thought you said he was dead?”
“I exaggerated. Someone—Burton, I believe—tried to kill him. They failed, but Admiral Winslow thought it might be better to let them think otherwise.”
“Is it safe for him to be here?”
“Probably not, but remember, they think Burton’s dead and hence no longer a threat.” As Mac talked, he unbuttoned his jacket and took it off. “I want you to put this on.”
His request caught her off guard. “Oh, thanks, but that’s okay. I’m not cold.”
“Lanie, if you don’t put on this jacket, I’m going to have to fight every man in here.”
She stared at him, not sure if he was serious or not. “Fine.” She acquiesced, not bothering to tell him it was only because she felt self-conscious wearing the dress in front of Admiral Winslow—who reminded her of her father. Let Mac think whatever he wanted.
He draped the jacket over her shoulders, and she delighted in the lingering warmth that made her feel as though he still held her close. Then he placed his hand along the small of her back and guided her toward the buffet table.
“Are you hungry?”
“A little,” she admitted. “I sort of skipped dinner.”
“Me, too. Let’s get some food before we go over there.”
He handed her a plate, taking one for himself, and as they walked along the buffet, he pointed to the various items and when she nodded, he served her. When they had all they wanted, they walked over to join Dirk, the admiral, and Rogers. Lanie didn’t miss Dirk’s smirk or the admiral’s surprised look, which he quickly masked behind genuine pleasure at seeing her.
“Lanie, it’s good to see you again. You look stunning tonight,” the admiral said, giving her a hug around the plate of food. “I’m so sorry about your father. He was a good friend, and I’m going to miss him.”
“Thank you,” Lanie murmured, wondering how he’d take the news that her father was still alive—sort of.
“I believe you know Dirk,” Admiral Winslow continued, “but let me introduce you to Dennis Rogers. He was another member of Mac’s team.”
“Pleasure, ma’am,” Rogers said, dipping his head in a slight bow.
“Mac, I thought you were going to come by earlier today.” The admiral’s reprimand was gentle, but pointed.
“I ran into problems,” Mac replied, his tone serious.
The admiral’s smile vanished. “Could you be more specific?”
“Yes, sir. Lance Burton.”
“What about him? He’s dead.” Rogers sounded alarmed as he looked at each of them. “Isn’t he?”
“It’s complicated,” Mac replied.
“More so than you think,” the admiral said, getting all their attention. “Patterson, Brown, and Kinsley have disappeared. Their rooms were found in shambles, and the police suspect foul play.”
“When did that happen?” Mac was clearly startled by the news.
“Last night,” the admiral replied.
“Who are Patterson, Brown, and Kinsley?” Lanie asked.
“They were men in our unit,” Dirk answered.
Beside her, Mac’s body grew tense. At first she thought he was reacting to the news, but when he cocked his head to one side, it seemed more to her as if he were listening for something, although she wasn’t sure what. Then, in slow motion, he set his plate of half-eaten food on a nearby table and scanned the room. As if they communicated on an unseen wavelength, the other three men also looked around, though Lanie was sure they had no more idea what to look for than she did.
With Mac acting so strangely, her own fears rose. Wanting reassurance, she reached out to place her hand on his arm, needing to feel his strength. Without glancing at her, he covered her hand with his own.
“Mac?” This time it was Dirk asking the question, and it seemed to break the spell. Taking Lanie’s forgotten plate of food from her hand, Mac set it next to his. Then he turned back to Dirk. “I don’t know, but something’s not right. I’m getting Lanie out of here, and then I’ll be back. Keep your eyes open.”
Dirk nodded.
Pulling her by the hand, Mac led her through the crowd, heading for the nearest door, which happened to be the one the waitstaff had been using all night to keep the buffet table filled with food. They had almost reached it when Mac came to an abrupt halt.
“What’s wrong?” Lanie whispered, using her free hand to brace against his back to keep from running into him.
Again, he cocked his head as if he were listening and then started moving, but in a different direction this time, through the crowd toward the main doors.
Once out in the hallway, Mac didn’t slow down. Lanie did her best to keep up, but his stride was longer than hers and she was wearing heels, not to mention a long skirt. When they reached the short staircase to the lower landing, she almost fell.
“Mac, slow down,” she bit out, irritation pushing the fear aside. “I can’t keep up.” When he didn’t immediately stop, she pulled back on the hand holding her.
Almost distractedly, he looked back to see what was slowing him down. Maybe it was her panting or maybe it was the glare she shot him, but instead of yanking her forward, as she expected, he stopped and came back to her side. Still holding on to her with one hand, he gently cupped her cheek with the other.
“I’m sorry, baby. Are you okay?”
“No.” His endearment caught her off guard. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
At that moment the lights flickered and went out. Lanie felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle as alarm swept through her. She gripped Mac’s hand more tightly. “Mac?” Her whisper echoed in the silence, and she opened her eyes wider, hoping to see something, anything, in the total darkness.
“Shit.” Mac’s muttered oath beside her was almost comforting. “I knew I should have brought my gun. Okay, put your arms through the sleeves of the jacket, so you don’t have to worry about it falling off, and then hold up your skirt. We’re out of here.”
She felt him lift the jacket from her shoulders and help guide her hands when she couldn’t find the armholes. “Thanks.” She stood perfectly still, afraid to move. “I can’t see a thing. How do we know which way is out?”
“No problem,” he said, taking her hand. “I can see fine.”
It seemed they walked a long time and Lanie, who’d been trying to keep track of where they were in the dark, was completely lost.
Suddenly the emergency lights blinked on, throwing an eerie green glow over the empty corridors. Lanie’s eyes had almost adjusted when she heard the sound of women screaming and knew it had to be coming from the ballroom.
As one, they stopped.
“We have to go back,” she said.
“No, it’s too dangerous.”
“Mac, I have to. If someone’s hurt, I might be able to help.”
It seemed to her that he took a long time deciding, but a part of him must have wanted to return as well, because when they started walking, it was back toward the reception.
They hadn’t taken more than four or five steps, however, when a shift in the shadows stopped them. Clutching Mac’s hand tighter, Lanie watched as two men stepped out of the dark.
One of them was Burton.
The other was a man Lanie had never seen before, but she was familiar with the man’s pale skin and glowing eyes. This was another vampire.
No sooner had the thought formed than the two vampires rushed them. Mac, still holding Lanie’s hand, tried to push her out of harm’s way as he faced the men, but Burton reached him first and the punch he delivered sent Mac flying.
About to run to him, Lanie was pulled up short by the other vampire’s powerful grip on her arm. He held her easily and Mac, who’d managed to get to his feet, hesitated, giving Burton time to grab him and shove him against the wall.
“Isn’t this a surprise?” Burt
on snarled. “You know, Knight, I’m about shit full of running into you everywhere I go. You think you’re going to stop me, is that it?” He gave a nasty, short laugh. “You never thought much of me, did you, Knight? Well, I’ve got news for you. I’m not like I was before. Death changes a man.” He leaned close so that his mouth, lips curled tight and fangs protruding, was only inches from Mac’s ear. “What do you think of me now?”
Chapter 10
Lanie watched Mac strain to look at Burton out of the corner of his eye. Instead, his gaze locked with hers, and she knew he saw her fear. An expression of rage crossed his face, equal to the frustration she felt at not being able to help. She struggled against her captor, but he held her easily.
Then she saw something that frightened her more. Mac’s eyes began to glow. In the gloom of the dimly lit hallway, they took on a reddish light—and they weren’t the only pair shining like that. Two others matched his.
A growling noise, barely audible over Burton’s heavy breathing, distracted her from Mac’s eyes. She wondered where it came from until she realized it, too, came from Mac. Almost before her eyes, he seemed to gather his anger inside him until it burst forth. He pushed away from the wall, catching Burton off guard so that he fell back a step. In one fluid motion, Mac spun around and slammed his fist into Burton’s face. The impact of that blow was so great that even after Burton hit the floor, he slid for several feet until Lanie lost sight of him behind the man holding her.
Whipping her gaze back to Mac, she found him standing a few feet away, his lips curling back to reveal his newly formed fangs. In the face of such obvious rage and promise of carnage to come, the hands holding her tightened as they dragged her back a step.
“Let her go.” Mac’s tone sounded lethal as he glared at the vampire clutching her.
In the distance, she heard the faint sound of running footsteps, but knew whoever it was wouldn’t be able to help. This was not a battle between mere mortals. This was something more.
No sooner had she finished the thought than Mac rushed them, moving faster than her eyes could follow. One second he was several feet away; the next he’d grabbed hold of her arm and spun her from the other vampire’s grip with one hand as he plowed his fist into the man’s face.
When everything slowed, Mac was still holding her hand and gazing at her with such a wild intensity, she no longer knew who was more dangerous—Mac or the two vampires.
He stood with his back to them, temporarily blocking her view, yet she knew he was aware of every move they made. Finally releasing her, he turned to face them.
Lanie heard Mac’s growl begin low in his throat, and though she could no longer see his face, she imagined his lips curling back farther and the two front fangs gleaming in the greenish light of the hallway. She saw Burton’s feral smile fade and his eyes widen—and thought that he’d finally noticed the change in Mac.
The sound of running footsteps, louder now, came to a stop not far away. “Nobody move,” Dirk’s voice shouted.
Burton glared at Mac. “This isn’t over.”
Then in a blur of movement too fast to track, the two vampires were gone.
Lanie had a clear view of Dirk down the hall, his gun still pointed at Mac, though she could tell the sudden disappearance of Burton and the other man troubled him. As he drew closer, she waited for him to lower his gun, but he didn’t.
“Put the gun away, Dirk.” Mac’s voice sounded rough.
“I don’t think so. Lanie, step back.”
Not sure why Dirk was acting that way, Lanie moved closer to Mac. “What are you doing? You can’t shoot Mac.”
“What’s going on here?”
Lanie’s focus had been on Dirk, but at his words, she turned to look at the man beside her and saw the problem. Mac looked less like himself and more like the proverbial creature of the night, fangs protruding and eyes glowing a dull orange.
Although half afraid of him herself, Lanie took the step that put her in the path of Dirk’s bullet. “I can’t let you shoot him, Dirk. He’s not like they are, no matter what he looks like now.”
She stood very still, hardly daring to breathe, while the two men contemplated each other over her shoulder. When it seemed the silent battle would go on forever, she lost her fear and grew impatient. “Oh, for God’s sake. Put the gun away. And you”—she swung around to face Mac—“you need to calm down because you’re scaring everyone. Right now.”
Mac turned those orange eyes on her, and for a moment she wondered if she’d been wrong about him. Maybe he was too far gone and she should have let Dirk shoot him. Then his lips relaxed and she thought she saw the hint of a smile. The relief that swept through her left her feeling weak.
When Mac’s arms came up to envelop her, she went into them willingly, resting her head against his chest and wrapping her arms about his waist. He felt so strong and capable. It was hard to reconcile the vampirelike creature he’d been a few seconds ago to the caring, warm man who now stood stroking her back and whispering words of comfort. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head before his arms pulled her a little closer.
“Someone mind telling me what in the hell is going on here?” Dirk’s voice sounded closer. “Sorry, Mac. Just being careful.”
Mac shifted her to one side so he could shake Dirk’s hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Mac’s deep voice rumbled in his chest beneath Lanie’s head. “I’ll explain everything, but later. What happened back at the reception hall?”
“They killed Rogers.”
Lanie wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to stare at Dirk. “Oh, no.”
“How?” Mac asked. Lanie knew he was wondering if he’d have to find a way to stake the body, to keep it from rising. He needn’t have worried.
“When the emergency lights came back on, I found him on the floor with a table knife planted in his chest. They had to have come in through the kitchen, to do it so fast. Otherwise, there would have been too many people to get past. When they ran, I tried to follow, but lost them. Then I heard the sound of voices and followed them here.”
Lanie knew Dirk had questions about what he’d seen, but he’d wait until later for his answers.
“Who was that other vamp . . .” She cast a quick glance at Dirk. “Who was that other man?”
“Munoz,” Dirk replied. “Hector Munoz.”
“He one of yours?” Mac asked.
“Recent transfer. He’s the one who disappeared in the jungle while everyone was out looking for Burton. Guess now we know what happened—he was working for Burton and went AWOL.”
Lanie suspected there was more to it than that, but that conversation could also wait until later. They started walking back to the reception room, with Lanie still tucked beneath Mac’s arm as he and Dirk talked.
“How’s the admiral?” Mac asked.
“I think shaken, but you’d never know it. He immediately took command of the situation. I left him issuing orders.”
They walked into the grand ballroom to find it mostly empty. The band had packed and left, and the waitstaff was decidedly somber as they stood around, wondering what to do. A noise outside the door caught Lanie’s attention and when she turned, she saw that the police had arrived.
Efforts had already been made by the guests to preserve the crime scene. What would happen, Lanie wondered, when they discovered that the prints on the knife belonged to a dead man?
She looked around the room, unable to stop herself, knowing she wouldn’t find what she searched for. The one familiar face she would have liked to see again was not there. It was probably just as well. She didn’t like the thought of her father being mixed up with Burton and his schemes.
The police interviewed the remaining guests and when it was their turn, Mac answered all the questions, avoiding any mention of Burton and Munoz by saying that he and Lanie had left the party early to be alone and then been trapped in the hallway when the lights went out. There was nothing the police could do about
Burton and Munoz anyway. It was something that he, with Dirk’s help, would have to take care of.
When they were finally allowed to leave, Dirk accompanied them back to their hotel. Once inside Mac’s room, Lanie, still wearing Mac’s jacket, kicked off her shoes and sat in the chair with her legs curled under her while Mac and Dirk got comfortable, taking off their ties and unbuttoning the collars of their shirts. Then Mac produced the bottle of tequila.
He poured out three equal glasses, handed one to Dirk and carried the other to Lanie. For several minutes, they drank in silence. Mac felt the other two watching him and could almost guess their thoughts. Dirk wanted to know what was going on, but he wasn’t going to waste his time guessing if Mac already had an explanation. He’d wait until Mac was ready to share—no matter how long that took.
Lanie, on the other hand, was probably wondering how much of his humanity he’d lost in the confrontation with Burton. Mac wasn’t sure he had a satisfactory answer for either one of them, but he knew it was Lanie’s question that he dreaded the most.
Taking a seat on the bed so he could lean back against the headboard, Mac took another swallow of the tequila and let the warmth seep down his throat. Finally, he looked at Dirk. “I’m not exactly sure where to start.”
“How about with how Burton faked his own death,” Dirk said.
“He didn’t,” Mac replied.
“Come again.”
“Burton was killed by a creature called . . .”
“El Chupacabra,” Lanie supplied when he hesitated. “It was in the cage at the facility.”
Dirk shook his head. “I was out there. The only thing I saw in the cage was—”
“The stone gargoyle statue,” Mac finished for him. “That was it. Don’t ask me how it’s possible, because I don’t know. During the day, it turns to stone. At night, it’s alive and trying to suck the blood from your body.”
Dirk glanced first at Mac’s face and then at Lanie’s, no doubt trying to judge whether they were telling him the truth. Mac remembered how hard it was for him to accept when Lanie first tried to explain it to him.
Out of the Night Page 13