Relentless Seduction (9 page)

Rafe gave the flashlight to Claire, drew his Sig and then slowly made his way down the hall to the door with the light underneath. In the darkness, Rafe reached behind him and Claire’s hand found his. He squeezed it, not sure if it was in reassurance or warning. Or both. The air seemed to grow colder, except for Claire’s warm breath on his neck.

Gingerly, he turned the crystal doorknob. As if a movie soundtrack had provided it, the door hinges screeched, sounding strident in the utter silence.

As the door was opened wider, light from dozens of candles seeped into the dark hallway.

Rafe blinked as his eyes adjusted. Ten, maybe twelve people lounged on sofas, pillows and chairs, the furnishings new, the room clean. Candelabras sat on tables and hung from wall plaques.

And the people? Mostly naked and writhing in each others’ arms, some blatantly having sex, some sharing oral sex and some threesomes, all enjoying each other.

A tall, lanky figure lying in a chaise longue wearing a white flowing robe open down the front petted the head of the woman kneeling at his feet and looked up at Rafe and Claire. “Do you really think your silly little gun can hurt us? Put it away,” he said in a smooth French accent as he waved a languid hand with long, black pointed fingernails.

“I’ll keep it out for now, thanks.” Rafe stepped into the room, eyeing the group, but the few that even bothered to stop what they were doing only glanced at him in curiosity. Even the woman at Frenchie’s feet laid her head down on his lap with a dreamy smile.

“You guys call yourselves The Colony?” Rafe asked the Frenchman.

The guy who’d spoken had long white hair hanging below his shoulders.

Silence was his only answer, until... “We
are
The Colony.” The Frenchman, obviously their leader, pierced Rafe with a glare from eyes the color of liquid gold. “I am Armand. And you are?” He resumed petting the hair of the woman waiting at his feet. She raised her head and stared up at him adoringly.

“Rafe Moreau. And this is—” He turned to gesture to Claire. She gasped and covered her mouth with her empty hand. Her eyes filled with tears.

For the first time Rafe took a close look at the woman at Armand’s feet. She wore a sheer white negligee that revealed a pert figure, her blond hair was midlength and as she turned to look at him, he noticed her big blue eyes which widened as they moved to gaze behind him.

“Claire?”

9

T
HE
OTHER
CULT
FOLLOWERS
eerily stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Claire. Rafe scanned the poor pale freaks for any sign of attack, glad of the Sig in his hand.

“Oh, Julia.” Claire moaned her friend’s name, her tone somewhere between disillusionment and horror. “Have you been here, living like this, the whole time?”

Julia shrugged and scratched her arms, her gaze unfocused. “How long has it been?”

Rafe blinked as he watched Claire lift that horrible crocheted thing off over her head. It got caught in her glasses, and the harder she struggled to work it loose, the worse it seemed to tangle, and the more frantic she became.

He still couldn’t believe how her nerdy fumbling made him feel...protective.

“Here.” He stuck his Sig into his waistband, shrugged out of his jacket and strode across the room to throw it over Julia’s shoulders. He even managed to not stare at the petite blonde while he did so.

And since when did he not take the chance to ogle a nearly naked woman?

“Thank you.” Claire squinted at him with a wobbly smile.

And there she went making him feel all important again. Like she needed him.

It was dangerous to be needed.

She yanked the crocheted thing down over her head, and straightened her glasses, smoothing the earpieces behind her ears. “Julia, do you know what you’ve put me through the past four days looking for you? Worrying my head off?”

Julia’s lips thinned and her wild eyes sparked. “I’m sorry, hon. I—” She frowned. Looked confused. “I figured you’d just leave. Go back to your important job. That’s all you care about, anyway,” she whined. “I had to beg you to take this trip with me. A-and I wanted to stay longer, but no, you had to get back.”

“Julia.” Claire stepped forward. “That’s not it. It—” She glanced at Rafe and lowered her voice. “It just seems like all you want to do when we get together anymore is hook up with some guy. And you either want me to do the same or you leave me all alone.”

“But that’s because you never want to have fun.”

“Fun? Picking up strangers and disappearing is not my idea of fun.”

Julia flinched and then her face crumbled. “You’ve changed, Claire. You were my best friend. I thought we were a family. But you don’t care about me!” She ended her tirade on a sob, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Oh, Julia, that’s not true.” She opened her arms, but Julia turned her face into Armand’s lap and he wrapped his arms around her protectively.

Claire frowned. Rafe could see the hurt and bewilderment in her expression. That’s what happened when you got involved with other people. Things got messy. Complicated. He could’ve told her that’s why he didn’t. He sure as hell wouldn’t let himself care about someone the way Claire cared about Julia.

But then Claire seemed to regroup, folding her arms across her chest. “If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t have spent the last four days searching for you.”

Julia lifted her head and sniffed. “When Shadow brought me to The Colony, Armand took me in, made me feel like I belonged somewhere again.” Her eyes lit up and she glanced back at the white-haired guy. “And I fell in love.”

“And you couldn’t be bothered to call and let me know what happened to you? I thought you’d been abducted, raped, murdered!”

Julia got to her feet, her mouth a petulant pout, and closed the distance between her and Claire. “Shadow stole my phone. He took my purse and everything in it.” Her face cleared and became dreamy. “But we of The Colony don’t need material things to be happy.” She flashed a brilliant smile. “Oh, Claire, I’m in love!” Julia’s dreamy-eyed smile was a bit too manic to be believed. Then she dived back into a sulk. “But you wouldn’t understand.”

“What does that mean?” Claire’s brows lowered. “You don’t think I’m capable of falling in love?”

Julia giggled. “With your microbes, maybe.” Armand laughed and everyone in the room followed suit.

Claire’s mouth dropped open and she blinked a couple times. Rafe fought the urge to go to her and put his arm around her. To tell the selfish little blonde just how passionate Claire could be under her eccentric outfits. But this wasn’t his fight.

Julia’s wild gaze shifted to him, slithering over him from shoulders to zipper. Lingering on the zipper. “Or maybe you
have
found someone?”

“What?” Claire glanced from Julia to him and back to Julia, her expression feigning innocence. “He’s not— He’s only helping me because I blackmailed him into it.”

Rafe’s stomach clenched. Really? Did she actually believe he’d go to this much trouble just to avoid a few questions from the cops?

Damn. Why the hell
was
he doing this? He couldn’t think of any other living person he’d have done all this for. Maybe he just wanted this whole fiasco over with. The sooner he found Julia, the sooner Claire went home. But that reasoning didn’t sit right in his gut.

“Poor Claire,” Julia said softly. “I can only hope someday you find what Armand and I have.” She gazed lovingly at Armand.

Rafe felt queasy.

Armand—his name was probably as fake as his French accent—rose from the chaise, sauntered over and draped an arm around Julia’s shoulders. “After tomorrow night, Julia will truly be one of us.”

“Yes.” Julia turned in Armand’s arms. “I’ll be joined with my true family.” She lifted her face to him, and they kissed. Her hair fell back, exposing red puncture marks on her neck. Looked like the rumors were true. Armand was one sick weirdo.

Claire gasped. “Have you let him cut you with something and drink your blood? Have you drunk his?”

Julia turned a brilliant smile on Claire. “I haven’t drunk his yet. We’re saving that for the ceremony tomorrow night. Armand is going to make me immortal like him.”

“Oh, no,” Claire muttered. “Julia, this isn’t real. These people aren’t really vampires. You know there’s no such thing. I want you to come home with me right now.” Claire’s voice shook. “Please.”

Julia barely acknowledged Claire’s words as she continued to gaze into Armand’s eyes. “Go home, Claire. Go back to your job at the lab and all the important work you do and leave me alone. You could never understand.”

Rafe didn’t know what Julia was like normally, but she was on something. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her skin pale and noticeably clammy. And she was sniffing every few seconds.

Was Armand drugging her to keep her delusional? Or was Julia taking something of her own free will?

What did it matter? There wasn’t a thing he could do about any of it. Even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t. He’d done his part and found the stupid bimbo. Now Claire would go home, and he’d get his life back.

“I’m not leaving you.” Claire stepped forward and tried to take Julia’s arm.

Armand wrenched Julia away and hissed—he actually bared his artificial fangs and hissed—at Claire.

She reared back, but Rafe was between them before he’d even realized he’d moved, his hand wrapped around Armand’s throat, cutting off his air. “Give me a reason.”

Armand choked, prying at Rafe’s fingers, trying to pull them away.

A soft hand touched his arm. “It’s okay, Rafe.”

Tightening his grip in warning, he released the jerk. “Let’s go, Claire.” He took her arm.

He expected her to argue, to cry or threaten him. But her features flattened. “Get your coat back.” She retreated to the door and snapped on the flashlight.

Her cold acceptance bothered him more than her earlier emotional pleas.

Still pressed against Armand’s chest, Julia wiggled out of his jacket and extended it to him on the end of her fingers.

Rafe took it and strode over to where Claire was waiting at the door. “Ready?”

At her nod, he took the flashlight, and stepped out into the dark hallway.

* * *

C
LAIRE
STARED
OUT
THE
window of Rafe’s car. Her eyes stung and a tight knot of emotion was lodged in her throat. How long had Julia resented her? Had she truly been such a horrible friend? Had Julia felt abandoned when she’d gone off to college?

But the worst part of all of it was that she’d been so clueless. Now that she thought about it, the signs were there. Julia had always been boy crazy. Anytime some guy gave her the least bit of attention, she’d jump into a relationship and cling to the man as if she would drown without him.

Julia had been an easy mark for someone like Armand. He’d taken advantage of her feelings of insecurity, tempted her with some illegal substance and convinced her that her family and friends didn’t care about her.

But she and Julia had faced too much adversity together, been there for each other when it really counted for something like this to destroy their lifelong friendship. Claire couldn’t abandon her now.

The way she’d looked tonight, unkempt and sickly, really worried Claire. If Julia actually drank that freak’s blood who knew what diseases she might contract? Even without the ceremony being imminent, the sooner she got Julia away, the better.

But she couldn’t involve Rafe any further. Who knew how dangerous those creeps would get if they were threatened or thwarted? Or how far Rafe might go if the situation escalated? He’d almost choked Armand back there.

In that moment, Claire had lost a piece of her heart to him. Surely no rational woman could experience those kinds of heroics and not fall a little in love. Which would’ve worried her more, except she’d read somewhere that going through a highly emotional experience with someone produced false feelings of closeness—even love. But she did owe him a lot.

Claire glanced at him for the first time since leaving the asylum. His jaw was set and his eyes were narrow slits. She longed to reach over and cup his tight jaw in her palm. To run her fingers through his silky black hair. Even lean in and press her lips to the corner of his oh-so-expressive mouth.

“Thank you for...everything.”

Rafe shrugged, nodded.

Hey, that was progress. He’d actually let her thank him.

He stomped on the clutch and jerked the gearshift, downshifting to exit the freeway. He was taking her back to his place. But she should get her things and go to a hotel tonight.

Shadow had more than likely—as she’d suspected—taken Julia’s room key to get in and steal her things, so she should be safe in a different hotel tonight. There really was no reason to ever see Rafe again.

She resisted pressing a palm to the ache in her chest. Drew a deep breath and held it, shoving the depression back down, bricking it in behind a wall of common sense. This was merely that emotion derived from mutually experienced danger.

Rafe glanced at her as he came to an intersection somewhere in the French Quarter. “You okay?”

She nodded and let out a long breath. “I’m fine.” Then she closed her eyes to avoid any further discussion.

When she opened them he was turning into the parking lot behind Once Bitten. Rafe glanced at her with a wary look as he parked the car and turned off the engine.

She managed a weak smile. “I’ll be okay.”

With an accepting shrug, he jumped out and headed for the stairs. Claire sighed, climbed out at a much slower pace and trudged up behind him.

Once inside Rafe’s apartment, she stood awkwardly at the door. She should call a cab to take her to a hotel.

Rafe stood at the table, his laptop open, typing in—she assumed—his password. “You can use this to check for flights home. I’m going to relieve Ro at the bar.” He headed for the joining staircase, but stopped and faced her. “Shadow is still out there. Feel free to sleep here. I’ll be working the rest of the night, anyway.”

Before Claire could think what to say, he was headed downstairs, the door closed behind him.

She blinked. Looked around the room. The reality of her situation began to penetrate. He expected her to return to Boston. And why shouldn’t he? He’d found Julia.

She wasn’t returning to Boston, of course.

With that thought, she concentrated on the problem of Julia and the cult. She needed to formulate a plan. And she needed to make a list. Yes. She grabbed her purse and dug around for her little notebook with the pen attached.

Making lists always made the overwhelming seem possible. Put things in black and white so she could find a logical solution. So, how to convince Julia to leave that awful cult?

She tapped her pen on the table. Tapped some more...

Maybe begin with the practical things to be done.

Call hotel—arrange for belongings to be packed and left at the concierge’s desk.

Call Sergeant Mulroney—suggest someone to hire.

A cult specialist? Is there such a thing?

If she wanted to stop Julia from drinking that jerk’s blood, he only had until tomorrow to find a solution. Better start by calling the sergeant. Even at this late hour, he picked up on the first ring and she filled him in on their success in finding Julia. As expected, Mulroney told her there was nothing to be done since Julia was an adult and was staying of her own free will.

However, he recommended a security firm that might be able to help. It was run by a group of ex-military personnel who provided tactical rescue of kidnap victims.

Before she hung up, she made sure he knew Rafe and Once Bitten had nothing to do with Julia’s disappearance or the cult. That seemed the least she could do for the man who had put his life at risk for her. More than once.

What would it be like to have that kind of man in one’s life all the time?

Stick to the matter at hand, Claire.

Trying not to get her hopes up, she called the twenty-four-hour hotline for the security firm and explained her situation. Although nothing about forcibly removing Julia was specifically mentioned, Claire was given the impression that extraction was a service they might provide. Unfortunately they were based in L.A. and the soonest they could help in a non-life-threatening situation was three weeks.

Claire had twenty hours. If that.

She closed her phone and laid it on the table. She’d just have to rescue Julia herself. If she could get her away from Armand’s influence maybe she could talk some sense into her. But she’d need to go during the day and hope Armand was asleep. If Julia was too delusional to listen to reason, then she’d have to try forcing her out to the cab.