Dare You to Run (21 page)

She suddenly felt sick. Turning around, she made it to the toilet just in time. Her body heaved, sending up the contents of her stomach. She ended up draped over the toilet, a quivering mass of sweat and fear. Telling herself to get it together wasn't working. It was as though her body knew she had the time to break down now and was taking advantage of the moment.

Just great.

Well, she didn't have the time. Not really. She hadn't made it to her safe zone. Even when she made it there, she wasn't going to be able to fall apart. She would have responsibilities and no one to fall back on.

There were times she hated her sire more than others and this was one of them. She flipped on the sink and opened a drawer. There was a selection of toiletries, all still in their packages. She selected a toothbrush and broke open the plastic.

If it wasn't for her sire, she could bloody well marry Vitus.

She shot herself a glare in the mirror as she brushed her teeth.

What are you doing?

Thinking about a future that included Vitus, even one that she was going to be denied, was a one-way trip to being miserable. She knew it from personal experience.

No crying over spilt milk.

Or at least milk that she just couldn't get her hands on.

She finished up and went into the shower. It was a small one, but private. When she emerged, she took a moment to run a pick through her hair. There was no hope of controlling her hair. Once introduced to water, it curled into tight little corkscrews. Any attempt to dry it would result in a frizz cloud, so she pinned a section of it back from her face and went to find some clothing.

It was folded and laying over the back of a chair. Her memory offered up a vivid picture of Vitus pulling the sports bra off her while she was tugging it into position. Her cheeks heated as she suffered a twinge of guilt.

Honestly, she really needed to find another way to deal with stress. She highly doubted her new colleagues in the labs would be anywhere as satisfying as Vitus when she jumped them. Of course, she was hoping her life would become very sedate once she started working under Colonel Magnus.

Yeah, well, none of that is going to help you at the moment.

Nope, but Vitus would.

She didn't care for how comforting that knowledge was. Using him wasn't right and it was only going to increase how much her sire wanted to kill him. The best way for her to express her love was to push Vitus out of her life.

The problem was, he always saw right through her.

Well, you'll just have to do better.

*   *   *

Dare Servant crouched down, taking in details of the murder scene.

The bodies were cold, the blood clotting, which meant the killer had left them there to be found. At least that was his guess. Outside, there were bits of conversation floating through the window as the curious were kept back from the alleyway by uniformed police officers.

“What do you think?” Kagan stood in the doorway.

Servant straightened up. “I think Pratt is sending a message to his boys about how much he doesn't like to be disappointed.”

“Yeah, I'm reading that message loud and clear,” Kagan agreed.

“Where's the girl?” Servant asked.

“Don't know,” Kagan answered easily. “Fact is, I don't want to know.”

Servant sent him a long look. “Sure about that?”

Kagan straightened up. “For the moment I am. Better to have her tucked away so I can get a good look at who pops their head up to look for her.”

“They might just dig in and wait for her to make an appearance.”

Kagan nodded. “I've got a few days before I have to worry about testing that theory. A lot can happen in a few days.”

He made sure his hat was tugged low over his head. It would only protect him from aerial surveillance but that was a good beginning. Tyler Martin had taunted him with the facts about how hard it was to remain anonymous in the modern world. It was a solid truth that weighed on his mind as he walked down Bourbon Street. For a moment, he considered a pair of women. They were tourists, their eyes sparkling with the excitement of their adventure. Naive and yet attractive, because they had no idea there were bodies lying inside one of the buildings they were busy taking pictures of.

Life was about perception. A palace might be a prison, high station nothing more than shackles. Damascus Ryland was a prime example. Part of him wanted to see her free but the rest of his logical mind knew without a doubt that she had little chance of success. Even with Colonel Bryan Magnus and his contract.

The hard fact was, her father was about to join Carl Davis in a run for the presidency. The Colonel might be able to fend off her father, but Carl Davis was another matter altogether, a bigger dog without a doubt. He'd rip Damascus right out of Magnus's grasp. It turned his stomach, which was slightly surprising, because he dealt with a lot of sad facts. One congressman's daughter was hardly the most pitiful creature he'd encountered in the last month.

But part of him admired her. Damascus Ryland had guts and a hell of a will. It was the stuff that motivated him to want to see her win. There really was nothing like betting on the underdog. Maybe it was part of his soul, that part that had wanted to put a bullet in Tyler's skull just because it was the decent thing to do.

Well, there was more than one kind of bullet in the modern era. Tyler Martin had made sure Kagan understood that. In the modern era, he had friends to protect him. Well, it was going to be Kagan's absolute joy to introduce Tyler Martin to Kagan's friends.

Kagan pulled out his cell phone, grinning as he considered the look on Martin's face when he realized Kagan still had a few moves.

*   *   *

Dunn Bateson had places to be and an appointment waiting in his outer office who had flown in from Hong Kong.

He sent his secretary a message to have them wait.

Kagan didn't fuck around. At least, Dunn had never known him to. He picked up the call. “This is a surprise.”

“Going to be a day for those,” Kagan replied. “I'm sending you a gift. Interested in seeing what you do with it.”

The line went dead. Dunn watched as his desktop flickered with an incoming email. He tapped in his clearance code and watched the document open up. Damascus's picture was attached, making him raise an eyebrow. But he began to chuckle as he read the information.

Now that was an interesting gift to say the least.

*   *   *

“You should be nervous.” Jeb Ryland spoke slowly, fixing Tyler Martin with a disapproving glare.

“I wouldn't be worth a tin Rolex to you if I rattled when the shit started hitting the fan,” Tyler responded.

Jeb nodded once, but his forehead remained furrowed. “Where is my daughter?”

“I don't know.”

“And you admit that?” Jeb exploded.

Tyler took a moment to glance behind him, to make sure the office door was firmly shut. There was soft buzz as Jeb pushed a button beneath the edge of his desk to lock the door. “It's a soundproof door. Now what the hell do you mean you don't know where she is?”

“Vitus and Saxon Hale are not easy to manipulate. I warned you it would be better to leave them alone. Men like them don't kill easily. Especially when they know you are coming for them.”

“And I made it clear—Jeb was leaning forward, slapping his open hand onto the center of the desk—“that I want them dead and disgraced!”

“I'll be in touch when I have new information.”

He wasn't the first man Tyler had worked for who was slightly off balance. At that moment, Tyler recognized the twist of Jeb Ryland's features, the unmistakable mark of insanity. It was a self-inflicted sort. Something the good congressman had done to himself by believing he was so vastly superior to the men around him. Maybe his parents might be blamed for rearing him without letting him experience the life that his voters lived. Not that any of it mattered. What Tyler had to contend with was how to get what he wanted from a madman.

Outside the congressman's home, Tyler considered his contacts and what favors he was owed. A text message came in, making him smile. It seemed luck was on his side. He moved toward his car, intent on gaining the upper hand. As for Damascus Ryland, he'd find her. A woman like her didn't know how to stay hidden. It was only a matter of time.

 

CHAPTER FIVE

Saxon and Vitus were in the outer room when she emerged. The scent of coffee was drifting in the air but she was more interested in the view out the windows of the kitchen.

“Wow.” She moved toward the glass, marveling at the expanse of green hills and the massive flow of water going past the house about a hundred feet away. It was a dull roar, even through the walls, the water white because it was moving so fast.

“So what is the next—” Damascus clamped her mouth shut, chiding herself for forgetting how completely they'd risked their skins for her. “Thank you for … everything.”

She made a point of not looking at Vitus when she said “everything.”

“But you want to know what the plan is?” Vitus supplied her question for her. She ended up shifting her attention to him.

And felt like the breath got socked right out of her. There was something about him. Actually, it was everything about him. She was surrounded by fit men, seriously ripped men, and they all were lacking compared to Vitus. Just looking at him sent a tingle down her back. Where there hadn't been a hint of sexual hunger, now there was a teasing of need in her clit.

Just from the sight of him.

So damn frustrating, and yet undeniable.

“Um … yes.” She realized all three men were looking at her, waiting for her to grasp her wits. “I need to get back.”

“For what?” Vitus demanded.

The guy turned her on and frustrated her in equal amounts. “To complete my doctorate.”

“Aren't your finals finished?” Saxon asked quietly.

Too quietly, because she knew he was baiting her, just trying to lull her into a sense of comfort so that she'd spill information.

“They are,” Vitus informed his brother. There was one way the two were different—Vitus took the head-on approach to everything. Damned if that didn't make him seem even sexier.

You're a nitwit … some genius …

Yeah, well, when she was facing Vitus, she felt like nothing more than a bundle of hormone-influenced reactions. Her brain went straight to base-level activity, no higher functions making it through the flood of impulses.

“I have final labs.” She pushed past her rioting emotions.

“That won't lower your GPA very much if you miss them.” Vitus crossed his arms over his chest. “In case you missed it Princess, someone kidnapped you.”

“Because they are looking for you.” Her brain suddenly snapped back into focus. She pointed at the two brothers. “Jeb is gunning for you two. I need to get away from you both, for your own good.”

Saxon's eyes narrowed, but Vitus reached up and flipped her hair away from her ear, exposing the missing section. “Seems like you're the one bleeding at this point.”

“Why do you never listen to me?” It suddenly didn't matter who else was in the room. The battle was between her and Vitus and it was very, very important.

“I listen.” Vitus responded in a deadly quiet tone. “To your actions. Words are cheap.”

“Fine. What did me refusing to marry you say?” She was getting desperate, but she had to cover up her own weakness or watch him suffer for it.

“That you're Daddy's little girl.”

She felt like she'd been sucker punched. Time froze, her temper ignited, and a moment later, the sound of her hand connecting with Vitus's jaw cracked through the room. She slapped him so hard, her shoulder felt the impact. Her palm was stinging as she wrenched open the door and walked out of the house.

She couldn't wait to get back to Colonel Magnus. She needed help protecting herself from her own stupidity when it came to who she decided to fall in love with.

*   *   *

“Ye're an idiot.” Greer's accent intensified with he was mad. He stepped in front of Vitus, blocking the door. “I've got half a mind to add a good decking to that slap she gave ye.”

“Get out of my way,” Vitus growled.

“Sit yer arse down. I've got her.” Greer grabbed a jacket from a coat rack and shot Saxon a hard look. “Talk some sense into your brother before I have to do it.”

Greer opened the door and went after Damascus. Vitus caught a glimpse of her making her way up the lush hillside before the door slammed shut. He reached for the doorknob.

“Don't. Greer called it right. You need to deal with whatever is eating you.”

Vitus froze. It wouldn't be the first time he'd told his brother to shut up, but guilt was chewing a hole in him, proving that he needed to check himself.

“Why are you always so controlled?” Vitus asked his brother. Frustration was ripping him to shreds while it took every ounce of self-control he had to stay inside. All he wanted was to go to Damascus, but he seemed to do nothing but push her away when he did. Saxon was right, he needed to get a grip.

“I'm not in love.” Saxon replied. “And I'm not ever planning on tumbling into that tar pit. You're welcome to it.”

“You think I planned it?” Vitus snorted at his sibling.

“Doesn't seem like it. Not with the way you're trying to shove her away,” Saxon observed. “Not that you're going to have to worry about it after that little remark, even if part of me was rather relieved by getting to see how much she really doesn't like her daddy.”

“So now you approve of her?”

Saxon lifted one shoulder. “Blunt responses like that can't be faked, you sideswiped her with that comment. It doesn't get much more honest than that.”