Sins of the Undead Patriot (35 page)

“I’m not sure I follow what you mean.” Devin crossed his arms. “After we got you out of the freezing tub, you were insatiable.”

“Even with us taking turns, we struggled to keep up with your demands of us,” Rowley said.

“What?” How could that be?

“To the point,” Rowley said, shifting. “We were out of condoms, but you wouldn’t stop.”

“We did our best not to come in you.” Devin sat at the end of the bed. “Rowley, pick up condoms on your way home from the warehouse.”

“Can I go with you?”

“You’d like to come with me?”

“If you don’t mind. I’d say it’s because of being cooped up for so many days, but it seems you both took great care of me.” She sat up.

His dark blue eyes held hers. “I don’t see why not. I’ll only be in for a few hours. First though, we should have breakfast. Devin will make us his famous spinach, feta and jalapeno omelet.” He kissed her forehead and got out of bed.

Her stomach grumbled, though it ached with emptiness. Food was low on her list of needs. Rowley enjoyed having Devin there, someone he could count on. By forcing Devin to keep information from Rowley, he’d lose the one person he’d been closest to since she’d left.

* * * *

Leera slid into the washroom a few doors down from Rowley’s office. The light above her flickered. She took a few deep breaths. The food they’d forced her to consume wreaked havoc on her stomach. A hand on each side of the sink, she met her own gaze in the mirror.

“Keep it together.”

The door opened. She turned. An undead entered, closing the door behind him.

His eyes were dark points, glimmering in the dim lighting, and he was lean and tall. The creature’s features were strong, yet palatable. He wore a black coat over a crisp white high collared dress shirt and black pleated dress pants.

“So you are the infamous Leera?” His voice was raspy.

An undead among the people Rowley permitted at the warehouse? Hard to believe he’d go for such a thing.

“That depends on who’s saying stuff about me.” She evened out her breathing.

“I am.” The corner of his mouth quirked to one side, and his gazed moved over her.

Sizing her up. “And you are?”

“Of course, Rowley hasn’t told you about me.” He nodded. “My name is Gunari.”

Not the one and the same, Vaihan’s maker? What on God’s green earth could Rowley want with this Ancient?

“The name rings a bell?” He cocked his brow. “Interesting, Vaihan still mentions me.”

She swallowed. Would responding further betray Vaihan?

“You and I have had the chance to get close enough to a certain undead to betray him.” In a flash, he was right next to her and lifted her arm to his nose. “One of us is still feeling the effect and reaping the delight of him.”

Shit. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“His scent saturates your pores. Your recent episode was via his fluid. How did you manage to get his ejaculate?” He trailed his nose upward, along her flesh.

“Vaihan won’t have anything to do with me, so I have no idea what you are talking about.” She tugged her arm free.

“You don’t, do you?” He wrapped his forearm around her waist, and yanked her to him. “Let’s just have a peek.”

A foggy mist entered her mind. “I’ll scream, if you don’t let me go.”

“And I’ll inform Rowley, whose poison runs through your veins, if you don’t answer my questions.”

One more asshole threatening her. “What do you want to know?”

“Do you love Vaihan, Leera?” He lowered the tone of his voice.

She laughed nervously. Why would he want this information? “To the best of my knowledge, I do.”

“What sweet agony...” He stepped back. “A human woman truly in love with a monster. Of course, poor tortured Vaihan is the recipient of such affection, which he cannot allow himself to have because you betrayed him. Brilliant.” He clapped. “He continues to be the tragic Greek hero of his own play.”

“I’m glad you are amused.” She placed her hand on her hip.

“The irony of it all is maddening, but somewhat predictable, given who Vaihan is. When I saw him fight, I had to have him. When I saw him make love with the gypsy, I had to turn him.”

“You watched?”

“Yes. I couldn’t turn away from his masterful abandon to passion and his inner self. I’ve yet to find a comparable living or undead, and I’ve spent a great many years searching.” He opened the door. “You’re missed. I would hurry, as Rowley will come looking for you soon.”

Chapter 43

Rowley gripped his BlackBerry. “You are sure about this?” As he squeezed, the casing crackled beneath his fingers.

“Yes.”

“Bastard.” He pushed the End Call button. What possible motive could the man have to do such a thing?

Devin stopped pacing and stepped closer. “Well, what did Gunari say?”

“Leera went to the hospital, signed in to see Dr. M. Steinfeld.” Another fucker he’d need to rid the world of.

“What? Is the doctor giving her the drug? What for?” Devin grabbed his bangs, a sure sign of the stress he was under.

“Fuck, if I know. Shit, maybe he’s doing it for the creature, to force her back to it.” No matter what his motive, Rowley would be sure to provide him with a painful death.

“But he’s a doctor. Why would he take such a risk? It just doesn’t make any sense.” Guilt must be eating at Devin for Lee-lee’s disappearance.

“Gunari said she staggered to the cab stand ten minutes ago, so she should be home any moment.” Rowley would do his best to remain calm. At this point he wasn’t sure how.

To put her into a rehab program, he’d need Peter’s help. Devin probably had a better chance of explaining things to the man in order to get his cooperation.

Car lights pulled up and shone into the living room.

“Deal with the cabby. I’ll get her.” He ran out the door.

Devin nodded, as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

Rowley opened the rear door. Lee-lee smiled at him, her dark eyes drowned in obscurity, the sexy intensity replaced with mindless numbness.

“Honey, I’m home.” She flopped her arms around his neck “Are you both going to fulfill all my needs like you did last time?”

“No.” He clenched his jaw shut to stop the word at the tip of his tongue from flying out.

“Why not? I thought you liked it.” She pressed her lips to his ear. “Another man getting me off just to fulfill your sexual whims. Another man using me.”

Another man using her? Was that how she saw what the three of them shared?

“You think I’m using you?” Whether she intended it or not, her words hurt. Devin could fulfill emotional needs outside the bedroom that he never could. Didn’t she get that he was doing this for her? Did she think he’d made the decision lightly? Beneath his feet, the snow crunched.

She kissed his cheek. “What does it matter, what I think? You don’t really want me to.”

“Enough.” One more hurtful word out of her, and he wouldn’t hold it together.

The door slammed. Devin leaned against the wall in the living room.

Rowley set her down on the La-Z-Boy across from the sofa. His hands shook. Maybe she was trying to provoke him. Why, though? So she could go back to it?

“Where did you get the drug, Leera?”

“Oh, you’re mad. I can always tell, because you use my grown up name.” She giggled.

The pain her behavior caused him amused her. “Let me rephrase. Where have you been?”

“Out.” Grinning widely, she nodded.

“Do I seem amused to you?”

She shook her head.

“Then answer my fucking questions.”

Another shake of the head was her response.

“You’re refusing to tell me your whereabouts? And don’t lie, or I can’t say what I’ll do.”

“I was out.”

“Where?”

“At a Z-Luv club.”

Rage heated his insides. She would lie to him? “You’d fucking sit here and lie to my face.”

“No.” She nodded.

Gunari entered and closed the door behind him.

“I want you to tell me if it’s Vaihan’s drug inside her and how it got into her system.”

“What?” Leera’s eyes widened with fear.

“Now!” Rowley yelled.

The creature moved closer to her, tugged off her jacket and sniffed her skin. “Definitely, Vaihan’s scent.”

“How did his fluid get into her?” Rowley squeezed his hands into fists.

She pushed Gunari away from her. “Get it away from me.”

“Devin, hold her arms.” From behind her, Devin grabbed hold of her wrists, while Gunari smelled her.

Gunari stopped between her thighs. “To be sure, I need a sample from inside her.”

“I’ll do it.” Rowley kneeled down, slid his hand into her pantyhose and panties.

“Rowley, enough. You’ve made your point.” Devin let her arms go.

Rowley pushed on, as she scratched at him. He inserted two fingers inside her. Her folds were slick with a thick coating, lubricant or a male’s ejaculate. He retracted and held his fingers out for it.

“Definitely the point of entry.” Gunari stepped away.

How could she? He rose, grabbed her by her shirt, lifting her to her feet. “You fucked it?”

“No, he wouldn’t have me that way, even if I begged.” She held onto his forearm.

“Liar.” Anger erupted at the way she could stand there and try to feed him more bullshit. He cocked his arm back and swung forward.

Devin blocked Rowley’s blow. “I won’t let you strike her.”

“You dare interfere?” In the ten years he’d known Devin, not once had he stepped between Rowley and his intent. His behavior didn’t make sense. Unless there was more to this–more to them. He gripped Leera’s shirt and reached for his gun with his other hand.

Devin covered his hand at the holster with his own. “Are you going to shoot me because I won’t let you hit her?”

“No. But for fucking her behind my back, I might. You think she loves you, Devin?” Rowley laughed, pushing into him. “Leera and I are the same kind of damaged–completely disconnected from our emotions. She can’t care about you, but she can play on your emotions to get you to do what she wants.”

“You think we slept together when you weren’t around because I won’t let you strike her.” Devin cocked his head.

“Pretty much, but I’ll prove it from the tapes from the cameras I set up in each room.” He cocked his brow. “I can only imagine how she played you. Let me take a guess at it. Did she make you feel like the only person who matters in the world? Oh, and play up being torn with the push-pull of wanting you? It’s her song and dance. The game she plays to test men.”

“I don’t care if it’s a game for her. Much the way, I don’t care that you mostly do as you see fit. I care for both of you and I won’t let you hurt each other. I will take her punishment for her. If you need to take the anger out on someone, let it be me.”

“I’d love to stick around while the three of you figure out your love triad, but I’ve got plans.” Gunari headed out.

Rowley let go of Leera, and she dropped to the seat, unable to support herself.

“Leera, remove the money in my wallet and take a cab to Peter’s place,” Devin ordered.

She got up, swaying side to side, removed the leather billfold, withdrew the cash and tossed the case on the seat.

“You know as well as I do, that isn’t where she is going to go.” Rowley jerked to maneuver himself loose.

With a stumble, followed by another, she put on her coat, grabbed her handbag and escaped into the night.

“If you weren’t you, Devin, I’d kill you with my bare hands.” Rowley pushed into him.

“You may still do that.”

There was no point. “I know she’ll be back.” No other man could tolerate her depravity the way Rowley could.

Devin released his hand. Rowley squeezed his fingers into a fist and drove it into his jaw. A little tai chi was in order to release his delicate side.

Chapter 44

Sunlight beamed on Vaihan’s skin from the large panoramic window. The reflective glare from the snow forced him to keep his sunglasses on.

His BlackBerry vibrated. He sighed, not really in the mood to answer. The display showed Errol’s club number. It could be Dominique. What if something was wrong with one of the women?

He lifted the device to his ear. “Hello.”

“You’ll never guess who just walked in here.” Errol’s voice carried a heavy note.

His heart sank deep into his gut. “Leera.”

“You’re good.” Laughter rumbled on the other side.

The lace of panic in the undead’s voice gave away his fear.

“Dominique is giving her the run-through. We can stall her with paperwork and piddling, an hour at most.”