Blood Secrets (12 page)

“Yes.” Morgan’s voice drifted to them from nearby. “Please do fill the rest of us in on your obviously private joke, Enforcer Baudelaire.”

Varik’s smile disappeared. “If I did then it would no longer be private, would it, SI Dreyer?”

“Then bring us up to speed on everything instead,” Damian said, intercepting Morgan’s response. He moved to look into the trunk. “Who is she?”

As Varik recited what they knew so far and Tasha interjected information she’d learned from her interview with Mindy’s parents, Alex studied the salvage yard, noting the repaired fencing and the car’s proximity to it.

Whoever had disposed of the body and the car had gone through considerable effort. The land beyond the fence was flat pasture with a few clumps of oak trees. No road or path was visible along that side of the fence. Whoever ditched the car here would’ve had to drive or tow it across the neighboring field.

She frowned. But why leave either the car or the body where they could be found? Why not burn the vehicle with the body inside, thus reducing the amount of evidence as well as the odds of making a positive identification?

Movement beside a nearby rusted hulk drew her attention. A black shadow hovered close to the derelict
vehicle. The shadow’s form wavered, elongated, and shifted into something vaguely humanoid.

Fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end. The sense of menace radiating from the shadow caused her to back up.

As she retreated, it moved forward.

“Alex?” Varik asked, heading toward her.

“Don’t move. Stand perfectly still.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Trouble.”

“What kind—”

The shadow charged.

Alex clambered to get out of its way but it moved too quickly. It caught her squarely in the chest and seemed to meld with her flesh as though her body were absorbing it. An unearthly cold passed through her, stealing her breath.

Voices rose in alarm around her. Varik’s hand clamped onto her shoulder. She could see him shouting her name but heard nothing beyond the increasing beat of her heart.

A presence entered her mind along with a sense of malice, directed not at her but outward. The blood-bond reached a fevered pitch as the entity seized upon it.

NO!
Alex screamed at the possessing force.

The intruder left her in a rush, following the path of the open blood-bond. Too late, Varik attempted to throw up protective mental barriers. The shadow slammed into his body, lifting him from his feet and throwing him to the ground several feet away.

“Varik!” Alex hastily erected protective shields around her psyche, severing the bond. She rushed forward and slid to her knees at his side.

His eyes were wide, staring at something only he could see, and his mouth was open but no breath filled
his lungs. A tremor traveled the length of his body and became a series of convulsions.

“He’s having a seizure!” Tasha shouted for Tony to call paramedics.

“No, he’s fucking possessed!” Alex straddled him, trying to hold him still. She used her hands to steady his head. “Where are you, you son of a bitch?”

“Enforcer Sabian!” Morgan shouted. “I demand to know—”

A shadow darted within Varik’s eyes.

“Gotcha.” Alex threw open the bond and sent her consciousness chasing after the invader.

She was vaguely aware of strength leaving her body. The sensation of falling distracted her for only a moment, and then she was plunging through the darkness, searching for a shadow in an endless void.

“FUCK!” KIRK SLAPPED THE BUTTON TO PAUSE HIS VIDEO
game as the doorbell sounded. He jumped to his feet and the handheld controller bounced on the carpeted floor. Whoever was interrupting his playtime was going to get their asses kicked.

The bell chimed again before he reached the foyer, intensifying his anger.

“What?” he demanded, wrenching open the door.

Piper and a tall blond girl both jumped back in surprise. Nearly incoherent words tumbled out of Piper’s mouth, her tone rising so it sounded like she was asking a question rather than making a statement. “Hey, Amber Lynn is—I mean, she and I wanted to—You asked me to bring Amber Lynn by.”

Kirk glanced from Piper to Amber Lynn, one of his newest bunny recruits. He leaned against the doorjamb. “What
are
you rambling on about?”

Piper laughed nervously and cut her eyes over at the other girl. “You told me about that
thing
this morning and asked me to bring Amber Lynn by to talk to you about it.”

The
thing
she rambled about finally clicked into place and he smiled. “Oh, right.” He shifted his attention to Amber Lynn, a pretty blond with pale brown eyes. “Come in,” he said, moving aside as he gestured for her to enter.

Amber Lynn ducked into the foyer, her long hair brushing against his bare chest as she passed.

Piper moved to follow, and Kirk stopped her by placing his hand in the center of her chest. “Make yourself at home,” he called to the other girl and stepped outside. “I’ll be right in.”

“Kirk, what about—”

He whipped Piper around and led her toward her car. “You need to leave now.”

“What? Why?”

“Amber Lynn and I need to have a private conversation, and you still need to find me a replacement redhead.”

“But how will Amber Lynn get home?”

He opened the driver’s door of Piper’s white Nissan Sentra and encouraged her to sit. “Don’t worry.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then smiled. “I’ll take care of her.”

Piper seemed on the verge of protesting but then sighed and cranked the car.

Kirk closed the door and waved to her as she backed out of the driveway. Once she was headed down the street, he dropped the caring-boyfriend façade and returned to the house. He entered and found soft music issuing from the living room. Suspecting what he’d find, he strolled through the foyer, down the short hallway, and into the spacious living room.

“Is she gone?” Amber Lynn asked. The cardigan sweater she’d been wearing lay draped over the back of the sofa and her shoes were tucked under the coffee table.

He nodded and sauntered over to the sofa, positioning himself behind her.

She pushed off from the sofa, drifted to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Good, because I’ve been
dying
for an excuse to see you again.”

He pulled back from her attempt to kiss him. “Before we get down to business, Amber Lynn, you and I need to have a little chat.”

Unfazed by his rejection, she giggled and slipped her hand over the front of his jeans. “You mean the
thing
Piper was talking about?”

“I have a problem.”

“Oh, I can help you with it.”

“I’m sure you can.” He smiled and stroked her cheek. “Someone’s been talking about my little business. Someone with a big mouth.” His hand cupped her jaw and tightened until she cried out and her eyes widened in fear. “Who’ve you been talking to, Amber Lynn?”

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” she whimpered.

Kirk shoved her, watching as she tumbled over the sofa and onto the floor. The back of her head banged against the corner of the coffee table. A crimson ribbon soaked into her pale hair.

“First, you blab around campus about
my
business, and now you’re bleeding on my carpet.” He grabbed her hair and dragged her across the floor to the tiled eating area separating the living room from the kitchen. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to get blood out of carpet?”

She screamed and slapped at his hand. Her fingernails sliced his flesh.

His temper exploded. He released her, ripping strands of hair loose, and grabbed the front of her shirt. Shoving her against the kitchen island cabinet, Kirk straddled her, his face inches from hers. “Who did you talk to, bitch?”

Amber Lynn wailed as he slammed her head against the hardwood cabinet. “I-I didn’t say anything!”

“Liar!”

Blood and mucus trickled from her nose. “Please, Kirk—”

“Piper wouldn’t have brought you here for no reason!” He shook her and she howled again. “Tell me who you talked to and I
may
let you live.”

The girl sobbed hysterically but she rattled off several names, people he didn’t know.

“That’s all of them?” he asked.

She nodded.

He tugged on her shirt, lifting her torso from the floor, and kissed her, tasting the blood that filled her mouth. He shivered as random memories flooded his mind.

She gasped for air when he broke away, only to have it leave in a rush as his fangs sank into the tender flesh of her neck.

Blood gushed into his mouth but he didn’t swallow it. He shook his head like a dog with a favorite toy, digging his fangs deeper and shredding tissue.

Amber Lynn’s heart raced, pumping more of her blood through her system. Little gurgles were the only noise to escape her rapidly paling lips.

Kirk released his hold on her, and she flopped against the cabinet, struggling for breath. He cocked his head, watching for a moment, and then stood. He walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. Twisting off the cap, he gulped down half of the bottle while listening to Amber Lynn’s feeble attempts to draw a breath grow weaker and finally cease.

The lingering smell of blood made his stomach rumble. He set the beer down on the counter and picked through the freezer section of the refrigerator. He selected a couple of Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pockets and tossed them in the microwave. While they heated, he moved back to Amber Lynn.

Her eyes were wide and staring at a fixed point somewhere beyond Kirk’s shoulder.

He squatted beside her, picked up an arm, checked for a pulse, and finding none, allowed her arm to drop. Her hand smacked a puddle of blood, spraying his bare feet with dark droplets.

She’d given him half a dozen names, all students. He knew from experience most could be bought or scared into silence. For now, however, the major information leak was plugged.

Kirk stood, licked the traces of blood from his fingers, and grabbed his Hot Pockets. Sliding them onto a plate, he retrieved his beer and stepped over Amber Lynn’s prone body. He settled on the couch, picked up his game controller, turned off the soft music that had continued to play, and resumed his game.

Alex and Varik both lay unconscious on the ground beside the car. Tasha motioned for Tony to follow her. “We have to help them.”

Damian held out his arm to stop her. “Do
not
touch them.”

“You saw what happened. They could be hurt. We can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“You can and you will, Lieutenant.”

“They
need
help! We have to get them to the hospital!”

Damian shook his head. “Moving their bodies could put both their lives in jeopardy.”

“What?”

“Save your breath, Chief Alberez,” the female vamp—Tasha had heard Varik call her Morgan—said. “Humans aren’t capable of understanding the metaphysical ramifications of what just occurred.”

“Excuse me?” Tasha rounded on her. “I understand a hell of a lot more than you think, lady! I may not
fully
understand this blood-bond thing Alex and Varik share, but I have a pretty good idea that whatever just occurred has something to do with that bond.”

Perfectly sculpted brows rose over the rims of Morgan’s sunglasses and she focused on Damian. “Blood-bond?”
Her voice dropped an octave. “Why wasn’t the Tribunal informed of Enforcers Sabian and Baudelaire’s bonding, Chief?”

With Damian glaring at her, Tasha suddenly felt like a child who’d revealed a secret to the one person from whom it was meant to be kept.

“It’s a recent development,” Damian answered.

Morgan moved to stand over the unconscious Enforcers. “I don’t see fresh bites. Scars, yes, but nothing I would declare as recent.” She shifted her attention back to Damian. “Would you care to revise your statement, Chief?”

“Alex attacked Varik a month ago,” Tasha said, earning a disapproving look from Damian and one of curiosity from Morgan. “I was told that by doing so she reinforced a bond that already existed.”

Damian groaned and swiped a hand over his face.

“Interesting.” Morgan carefully picked her way through the weeds to stand before Tasha. “And when was this bond first established, Lieutenant?”

Tasha glanced at Damian who kept his gaze heavenward.

“I’m asking you,” Morgan said, “since Chief Alberez seems to be either ignorant of the situation or unwilling to share.”

“Six years ago, in Louisville.”

“I see. How did you come by this information?”

“Stephen, Alex’s brother, told me. I was asking him questions about Varik.”

“What made you seek out Enforcer Sabian’s brother regarding Enforcer Baudelaire?”

“I didn’t trust him.” Tasha dropped her gaze to Varik’s still form. “Still don’t.”

“Hmm.” Morgan moved past Damian. “A word, Chief.”

“Does this affect the way the Tribunal will judge Alex’s case?” Tasha asked.

Morgan paused and glanced at Tasha over her shoulder. Sharp white fangs gleamed in the sunlight when she smiled. “Oh, yes, it changes everything.”

Tasha watched the two vamps move some distance away. The thought that she’d once again betrayed her oath as an officer crept into her head. But did it even matter anymore?

She’d already stolen evidence. She’d already determined she would hand it over to whomever her mystery caller ordered. She would report on everything she’d seen and heard here. Her pledge to protect and serve had become twisted, and the inner voice that taunted her laughed merrily at her rising misery.

“Well, I didn’t like the sound of that,” Tony said as he finally joined her. He nodded toward the obviously heated argument brewing between Damian and Morgan. “And I don’t much like the
looks
of that.” He swept his hand out to encompass the unconscious Enforcers. “I think Alex and Varik are going to wish they stayed down once they finally wake up.”

In the distance, Tasha noticed a hearse bouncing over the rough terrain. “Coroner’s here.” She spun away from Tony, anxious to silence the laughter in her mind. “Will you take care of the body transfer? I want to check on something.”