Seduced by the Night (36 page)

"I get immortality," Miles said proudly, gesturing to himself. "And a percent of the profits when we sell Immortality on the street."

"Not a lot of repeat business in that, is there?"

"At the price Patterson plans to sell it, we don't need repeat business."

"Only one problem," Dirk said, confused. "I thought Beth wasn't able to duplicate the venom."

"True, but I was never in it for the money."

"I suspect Patterson and Harris are, so I can't help but wonder why they agreed to convert you before you delivered the goods?" Then the light went on. "You gave  them the stuff Beth was working on and told them it worked."

Miles cocked an eyebrow and smiled.

"And they didn't test the drug for themselves?"

"Of course they did, but as I'm sure you know, it takes a couple of nights."

Dirk shook his head. "You have no idea whom you're dealing with, do you?"

"I don't really care. I got what I wanted. By the time they figure it out, I'll be long gone." There was arrogance in his tone that wouldn't have been there if he really understood what was going on.

"That's your first mistake." Miles raised a curious brow, so Dirk went on. "The police found a body against your door earlier this evening. Middle-aged man, blue jogging shorts, white T-shirt. Sound familiar? From the looks of him, he'd been killed a couple of days ago. He'd converted, but then something went wrong. That body will never rise again. I'd say Patterson already knows your drug doesn't work."

Miles was silent for a moment, seeming lost in thought. Then, as if remembering that he wasn't alone, he turned to Dirk. "Well, I appreciate the information. I guess I'll have to leave town a little sooner than expected."

"I don't think so."

Miles's
eyes blazed brighter and he gave a bark of laughter. "What? You think you're going to stop me? You are nothing compared to what I am."

"That's your second mistake," Dirk replied. He gave his anger and hatred for the man free rein. His vision bled to red and his lips instinctively curled back to reveal his fangs. He saw
Miles's
eyes widen in surprise. "If it's a fight you want, let's do it."

The ride to
Miles's
apartment was a silent one, except for Bethany giving the admiral directions as he drove. Even though he pushed the upper bounds of the speed limit, it still took twenty minutes to reach the building. The doorman tried to stop them, but the admiral held up some sort of badge Bethany had never seen before and they were allowed to continue.

They stepped on the elevator and Bethany wanted to scream as it slowly carried them to
Miles's
floor. As soon as the doors opened, she rushed down the hall, heedless of Mac's order to let him go first. They reached the door to Miles' apartment and found it slightly ajar. From inside came the sound of a man's cry followed by the dull thump a body makes when it falls to the floor.

With no thought other than to save Miles, Bethany burst into the room.

The sight that met her was so horrifying that she stopped short and stared,
openmouthed
. Before her, on the ground, lay Miles' body with Dirk poised over it; eyes glowing red, breathing hard, rivulets of blood running down his arms from myriad scratches—and his hand still gripping the dagger buried to the hilt in Miles' chest.

Dirk slowly became aware that he was no longer alone in the apartment. Looking up, he saw Mac, the admiral,
Lanie
, Julia, and Bethany standing just inside the door. Their shocked expressions of horror were understandable. The condemnation he saw was not.

"You killed him?" Bethany's voice was barely more than a whisper of sound.

"Bethany…" he started to explain, taking a step toward her only to stop when she shied away.

He looked at Mac and the admiral. Both men wore grim expressions of confusion and something worse, disappointment. He knew what they were thinking. In a jealous rage, he'd lost control and killed an innocent old man. They weren't interested in knowing what happened and suddenly Dirk was a teenager again, found guilty without consideration for the truth.

It had been the story of his life for so long, he should have been used to it. Their censure should come as no surprise and certainly shouldn't cause the pain and hurt it did. Seeing Bethany's confusion and horror, her fear of him, was the crudest blow of all.

He had to get away. Giving them a defiant glare, he brushed past them, unfettered.

Bethany watched him go as grief and horror warred with confusion, leaving her in a type of shock. Miles was dead. Dirk had killed him. Those were the only thoughts she seemed capable of and her mind replayed them over and over. She knew Miles and Dirk had hated each other, but would hate have been enough reason for Dirk to kill Miles?

Finally, a single new thought pierced through her mental fog. No. Irrefutably, no. Dirk might be many things, but he was not a cold-blooded murderer.

In her mind's eye came the image of Dirk's expression when he'd seen them standing there. The hurt that flashed across his eyes tore at her heart and she knew he thought they blamed him.

Pushing past the others, she raced for the elevators, stabbing the button for the lobby repeatedly until the doors closed.

"A man just came this way," she said breathlessly to the doorman when she reached the front of the building. "Tall, blond hair, wearing a black duster. Which way did he go?"

The doorman pointed.

"T
hank
s." She rushed out the door, heading in the direction the doorman indicated. The night air was cool, but she didn't notice. A few cars were on the streets and the pedestrian traffic at this time of night was light. She scanned the sidewalk ahead of her, but saw no sign of Dirk.

Hoping the doorman had steered her in the right direction, she picked up her pace. After going several blocks, she spotted him in the distance. She ran, hollering for him to stop, afraid that even if he heard her, he wouldn't listen.

Desperate, she ran faster, closing the distance, and almost slammed into him when he suddenly whirled around to confront her. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You shouldn't be out here." He looked beyond her. "Where's Mac?"

"Back at the apartment," she panted.

"You came out here by yourself?" He was yelling now, but she knew his anger stemmed from his concern for her safety.

"I'm not by myself, I'm with you."

He gave a derisive snort. "Yeah, and we both know how safe that is, right?"

"I'm willing to take my chances." She searched his  face for some sign of what he was feeling. "You're not a cold-blooded murderer."

"Don't kid yourself, Beth. I didn't find him dead; I sank my dagger into his chest. The man you were going to marry, I just stabbed through the heart. Don't tell me that doesn't bother you."

She flinched at the hurt and anger in his tone as much as from his words. "I'd like to know what happened," she admitted softly. "But you're wrong about one thing. I wasn't going to marry Miles. I didn't love him." She hesitated, gazing into his eyes, willing him to believe her. "I do, however, love you."

Dirk stood there, shell-shocked. No one had told him that before; no one who'd meant it. "Beth." He breathed out her name as if it were a prayer, grabbed her to him and kissed her. She was his life's blood, his reason for living. He
savored
the feel of her body and in her arms he found sanctuary and peace. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but having never spoken the words before, they stuck in his throat.

"Isn't this romantic?" a snide voice spoke from the darkness.

Dirk froze. "Patterson," he spat out, lifting his head to look around. In doing so, he saw they were surrounded by vampires and knew he had failed to do the one thing he'd vowed to do—keep Beth safe.

Dirk felt at his belt, belatedly remembering where he'd left his dagger. It made him think of the others. Mac wouldn't have allowed Bethany to race out unprotected; he had to be close. All Dirk had to do was stall for time. "What do you want?" he asked the Prime.

"I would think that would be obvious by now, Adams," Patterson said with a smile.

"You're not getting Bethany without going through me." Dirk pushed her behind him, hoping to protect her.

Patterson laughed. "How very noble of you, and yet, totally naive. I have twenty fresh recruits. Do you suppose you can beat them all? Do you think you can beat
me?”

Dirk knew he couldn't take them all, so he changed tactics. "You don't need her. The venom can't be duplicated."

Patterson shook his head. "No, I don't believe that. Van Home simply didn't know how to properly motivate his employees."

"What does Miles have to do with this?" Bethany asked quietly from behind Dirk. "What venom?"

Patterson looked at Dirk in surprise. "You didn't tell her how her
fiance
was using us all?"

"What?" Dirk heard the disbelief in her voice.

"That's right," the vampire continued. "The night we took Stuart wasn't our first attempt to kidnap a biochemist. The night we kidnapped Van Home was." He gave a half laugh. "You can imagine our disappointment when we learned he wasn't a scientist at all, merely a wealthy businessman—but one, it seems, with high ambition."

Bethany gasped and Dirk wished he could have spared her the truth, but if it bought them more time, he hoped Patterson continued to talk.

"From the beginning, Van Home was only interested in what he could gain for himself," Patterson continued. "He convinced us that his research facility could duplicate the venom; that his
fiancee
was a brilliant scientist and unquestionably devoted to him. I assume he meant you." He gave her a mocking smile.

"The plant extract?" she asked.

Patterson shook his head. "It wasn't plant extract. It was
chupacabra
venom."

"But why would Miles offer to help?" she asked.

"Not for money. A man like that—wealthy, powerful, in the autumn of his life—only wants one thing, but what the hell. Who am I to deny him? If he kept his word, I intended to keep mine. I told him my plans to sell the venom on the black market and he offered to work with the distributor I'd already lined up."

"Mr.
Santi
."

"Yes. Fortunately for me, drug dealers don't care much about the nature of their clients, as long as they get paid. Mr.
Santi
overlooked my vampire status when I presented him with the opportunity to distribute my drug. He acted as an intermediary, delivering my messages to Van Home and bringing the samples that Van Home took from the lab so we could check the progress of your work. Two nights ago, Van Home brought me the finished product himself."

"But I never—"

Patterson held up his hand to stop her. "I am not that gullible, Ms.
Stavinoski
. When Van Home demanded payment for the duplicated venom, I paid him."

"By killing him," Dirk said.

"By giving him the immortality he sought," Patterson corrected.

"Immortality with a catch," Dirk clarified.

Patterson didn't bother to hide his fangs when he smiled.

"What do you mean?" Beth asked.

It was Dirk who answered her. "Miles wanted to be a Prime, but only a
chupacabra
can do that. Patterson didn't have the adult, did you, Patterson? You killed him yourself."

Patterson merely smiled.

"Miles rose tonight as a vampire, but he probably only had about two to four weeks before he lost all traces of his human self and became nothing more than a bloodthirsty brainless creature, living from one victim to the next."

"That's why you killed him," she mumbled to herself, though Dirk heard her.

"It's time to go," Patterson announced. "I'll come back later to deal with Van Home, personally."

"Don't bother," Dirk replied. "I just killed him."

Patterson seemed surprised, but then he shrugged. "Whatever. It saves me the trouble. Now, let's go."

Dirk glanced at the vampires surrounding him. It was now or never. Mac wasn't going to reach them in time.

He waited until the first vampire came for them, staying close to Beth, afraid one of them might grab her while he was busy fighting the others.

The battle was over almost before it began as Patterson and his team jumped Dirk and bore him to the ground, fighting all the way.