Hunter's Rise (33 page)

It needed to be done, right? He stared at the door, wishing he could see through it, wishing he could figure her out, understand her better… and failing.

Miserably failing.

Shit.
Closing his eyes, Toronto thought the past day through, tried to figure out how he could have,
should
have done things differently.

Did they just keep wasting time? No. That wasn’t an option, and he was pretty sure Sylvia wouldn’t argue that point. She had to see that this made sense, right? Why should they stay tucked up inside when he could damn well drive and make up some of the time they lost each time the sun rose?

Fuck. Maybe he should have just waited in that shitty little no-tell motel and run everything by her…

Hell. Was that it?

Toronto didn’t know how to work with people that well. When he did work with somebody, it was always a Hunter,
and usually somebody weaker than he was— leaving him in charge. A Hunter on a job had only
one
focus— the job. Just that, and there were unspoken rules.

Move hard, move fast. Period.

“But she doesn’t get that,” he muttered, dropping his half-eaten slice of pizza back in the box. He probably needed to eat more— skipping sleep was one thing, but weres couldn’t slack on the calories. The appetite was shot, though. Grabbing a napkin, he wiped his mouth and his fingers.

Okay. So that could be the problem. Maybe. She didn’t get how he worked, he wasn’t used to having to explain things and they just weren’t meshing well on this part. Workable, right? He’d been treating her like she was one of the other Hunters— and a subordinate. He’d made all the calls.

To her, that probably felt like she was being cut out. It wasn’t that… exactly.

Sylvia was weaker than he was, and that wasn’t likely to change much thanks to what had been done to her right after her Change, but she’d survived. She’d become a fighter in her own right, and she’d done all of that on her own. Without the security he’d always had, without the network of friends or an Enclave, and no Master to watch out for her.

She’d earned her place. She wasn’t his equal in power, but she’d damn well proven her worth as a warrior.

He dumped the trash and went to the sink in the little kitchenette, washing up his face and hands. She’d earned her place, was used to doing things on her own and she probably felt like he was pushing her into the dark or something. He needed to apologize, right?

This compromise shit was a hell of a lot more work than he liked.

But they’d started this together and they’d finish it.

She emerged from the shower less than three minutes later, wrapped in a towel, her hair twisted into a braid. Those dark eyes were still cool with anger. He’d rather see them hot. Hot was easier to deal with. That ice, she used it as a distance and he hated it.

“Look, I… I’m used to working with other Hunters,” he said, watching as she paused by the bed, eyeing the black
bag he’d brought in. It had been back at his place and he’d had Lindsey bring it up when she brought the van.

“I don’t think you’re used to
working
with anybody.” Sylvia unzipped the bag and put her toiletry case inside before pulling out a pair of close-fitting black pants and panties.

Toronto was damn glad his kind weren’t prone to heart attacks because he might have had one when she dropped the towel and pulled her panties on, then her pants. With her sleek, naked back to him, she reached back into the bag again, pulling out a bra— black— and a T-shirt— black again. In under a minute, she was dressed and turning to face him. “You have this
‘it’s my way
’ deal going. We’re working this together, but you don’t ask for my input, my opinions— we just do what you think needs to be done. Is that how your kind works?” She shrugged and sat down on the bed, grabbed her boots.

“In a way… yeah. Discussing things down to the bare bones can waste a hell of a lot of time— today, it would have. We made it to Terre Haute last night— four hours. That’s all we managed. While you were sleeping in the van, I got us to Toledo and I managed to catch an hour of sleep during the day, too. Doing it this way saved us time— we don’t have any to spare.” He stared at her bowed head, waiting for her to look at him. “I’m not trying to cut you out… it’s just how I’m used to operating. I’ve done it for a damn long time, Sylvia, and if you think it through, it makes sense. You had to rest— you can’t be in the sun. But we’re losing time. I can drive while you rest, so why
waste
the time?”

“And you just turn my bike over to strangers?” She shifted her dark gaze to his, her face an unreadable mask. “You haul me out of a motel in the daylight?”

“I gave it to Lindsey— a woman I trusted to get it to my house,” he snapped. Then, pulling the anger back in before it raged out of control, he said in a level tone, “I get that you don’t know her. And I get that you’re protective as hell over the damn bike. But do you want to find Pulaski or not?”

She gave him a withering stare and tapped her feet into her boots. Rising, she grabbed her bag. “Keep your paws off my things in the future, wolf. Got it?”

Paws—

As she turned her back on him, he rolled his eyes. “Sure thing, Sylvia. Whatever you say. I’m sorry I pissed you off.” He could have said he’d try not to do it again, but it wouldn’t matter if he tried or not. Pissing people off was his special gift in life. He’d tried to explain— and it hadn’t done jackshit, either. She was still mad at him. Having people pissed off at him wasn’t anything new… so why did this bother him so much?

Fuck it
, he told himself silently.
Fuck it, forget it, move on.

Easier said than done, though.

Grabbing Angel’s cloak, he tossed it in Sylvia’s direction. “Here.”

She snagged it, whipping it around her shoulders and not looking at him. Not speaking to him.

An ache settled in his chest, one he didn’t like at all. Thirty minutes ago, she’d been wrapped around his dick and shaking with climax. Then she’d cuddled against his chest and held him. Now she was furious with him, wouldn’t look at him or anything.

“So, would the mighty Hunter deign to share with me any information?” Sylvia asked as fastened the cloak.

Clenching his jaw, he debated between two responses. One was pithy and full of the temper she’d managed to spark in him. He went with the second response. “I recognized one of the scents in the house we were at. We’re heading back to where I’ve scented it before.”

“And that would be where?” She pulled the hood up, leaving it pushed back from her face.

For a moment, he was struck by the exotic, soft beauty of her. The dark velvet against her ivory skin, the soft tilt of her dark eyes, that pretty mouth. Fuck, he was so screwed…

“Ah…” Turning away, he grabbed his bag from the bed. He’d already showered, already packed. He was ready. “Back where they found me, after I was attacked. A lot of us have a habit of going back to whatever place held importance for us in our mortal lives. Guess this vamp isn’t any different. I’ve noticed it before, off and on, but it’s always faint, like I’m there weeks after he is. Since nothing’s ever really tugged at
me while I’m there, I never bothered to track it.” He frowned, absently reaching up to touch the back of his head, memories racing through his mind.

Your darkest days are in your past…
Nessa’s voice. She’d told him that so often.

I told you he wasn’t going to pull through. I’ll put him down, Nessa.
Put him down. Like a mongrel dog.

You’ll do no such thing, Mary…

Shit. Shoving the memories to the side, he looked up, found Sylvia watching him, her eyes blank and remote.

“And where were you found?” she asked, one brow lifted.

Forcing himself to smile, he headed for the door. “Nobody knew my name, you know. They never found any family, even though they looked. They had to call me something. I ended up telling them to call me Toronto, after the city where they found me.”

T

It hit her like a punch— nothing else could have hit her that hard, except maybe if he’d looked at her and told her he was going to let Alan Pulaski go free.

Toronto.

They were going to Toronto—
nobody knew my name
… Shit. Of all the cities. Why couldn’t he have been found in Detroit? Albuquerque? Paoli, Indiana, for crying out loud. Anywhere but Toronto…

Get it together
, she told herself. With a shaking hand, she pulled the hood of the cloak down over her face, made sure no sun would kiss her flesh.

“I pulled the van around to the front entrance. They’ve got a covered overhang and it faces east. No direct sunlight, so you’ll be good,” Toronto said as they entered the empty stairwell.

He might as well have been speaking Latin for all the sense his words made.

Toronto.

She had to get a grip on this, before he noticed.

Too late—

They hadn’t even rounded the first flight of steps when he realized something was off.

So much for her poker face.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Now’s not the time.”

“Then when is?” He caught her arm and pulled her to a stop. But even as she tried to reach for some way to stall him, something saved her— on the next level, there were squeals of laughter, followed by raised, tired voices. Kids. Wonderful.

“Maybe when we’re not trying to get out of here. Maybe when we’re done with this job. Maybe never. I don’t know.” Averting her face, she focused on what mattered… putting one foot in front of the other. That was how she’d make it through this.

If she had to go to Toronto, then damn it, she’d go to Toronto.

But she sure as hell wasn’t going to strip herself bare about why the thought of it terrified her so. The past was where it belonged. In the past. And it was
her
past, damn it. The monster who’d made her was dead.

Yeah, somebody had survived— the mirror was proof of that, but it had nothing to do with her.

She’d finish the job with Pulaski.

Then she was gone. Maybe even out of the country gone.

H

You have to do it, though…

That quiet little voice had gotten louder over the past few days, and it was time he listened. He just needed to get it done… and go back home.

The casino’s hotel was a busy one. Located in Detroit, full of people looking to get drunk, get laid, throw away their money in the hopes of winning more, they blended in.

Not quite as nice as some places, but it would work.

You can’t be choosy. You need to hurry. This is fine… do it.

Not yet— not so fast.
Not so fast?
But…

He ignored the voice as he studied the people in the hotel. It was busy and it was loud. And better still? There was a wolf in hiding who worked the night shift at the local cop shop. Perfect. The wolf would be his messenger. He was being chased, and although the idea scared him, he figured if he gave them what they wanted, they’d leave him alone. He hadn’t done anything, really. Nobody had died because of him, except Alan— and making him a vamp wasn’t
really
dying.

Plus, he’d be dead soon. They’d want that, he knew.

He watched the taller man’s back as they moved into the room, already seeing how it would play out. He had a plan, of course. It was one that had come to him as he rested.

As they went into the room, Alan was already stripping out of his clothes, his eyes glowing with two different kinds of hunger.

As Alan came to him and started to tug at his clothes, he let him. He’d already wanted another time— they had fun together. He’d miss him.