Tara (4 page)

He looked like the killer that he was.

At midnight he pulled on his coat, which he had bought for the sole purpose that it hung from him in such a way that the bulges of the weapons never showed. Throwing the small pack over his shoulder he headed downstairs with the knit cap tugged over his hair again, and no one even looked twice on his way out the door.

Back in the car he felt a sense of peace settle over him now that he had the power of the car at his fingertips, the guns at his sides, the target in mind – he was in control. This was his job. The cool clarity filled him as he prepared to leave and he compartmentalized again. Anything not to do with the contract was shelved, shut away in a box he could mark with ‘
deal with later
’, and move past mentally. When he opened his eyes again he was good, it was time to move, and the engine growled in response as he eased into the traffic.

He passed by the villa twice to check that all of the lights were out on the second floor, and then he parked about fifty yards east of the gate to the drive. Getting out he walked the long way around the block until he came up to the rear wall. Coat into the bag, and a running jump let him pull up and over so he could land in a crouch inside the property. As the motion sensor lights started clicking on he popped off silenced rounds to put them back out, the dropping shards of glass still made less noise than the cars passing on the street.

Still, he waited a moment for the sound of anyone coming.
No one
.

Alaric made quick work of climbing to the second floor balcony, which had no security bars. It was little effort to cut the glass out of the window and set it down inside the hallway, before he reached up and flipped the lock. People built these palaces to be impenetrable, but for people like him it was just a puzzle. A puzzle he was always able to crack.

He closed his eyes and saw the floor plan in his head. Only two bedrooms on this floor, Gianni’s first. The girl was next door. This would be an easy in and out, as long as he could keep her quiet. Crouching low he moved to Gianni’s door and turned the handle slow, conscious of every tiny creak of the metal until the door swung open smoothly. Alaric shifted himself inside, into the shadows by the door, and eased it closed.

Listening for any movement he stayed still, and then moved forward slowly to the bed. Under the bedding there was an outline of a person sleeping, but he had to verify the identity. He raised the gun in one hand and lifted a small flashlight with the other. Pulling the image of Gianni Formato to the forefront of his thoughts, he clicked the light on.

Confirmed
.

With two muffled puffs of air it was done. Another person dead. When it was his turn, he hoped he was so lucky to go in his sleep, unaware of the gun. Just a sudden nothingness.

Clicking the flashlight off he tucked it back into a pocket and moved to the door that joined the two rooms. He put the gun away and slid out one of those blue syringes, prepared to carry the girl out if he had to, but gently.

Shit
. What if she fought back?

The pictures he’d seen flashed in his brain. Ones of her smiling, her blonde waves trailing over her shoulder as she’d moved into some triangle pose, the concentration on her face when she’d listened to music – dammit, he couldn’t hurt her.

Now, is a great time to think through this part, Alaric
.

Standing in a room with a dead man.
Just genius
.

He touched the handle of the door and it moved open smoothly like the other, but this time he rushed to the bed so he could try and get her out before she started screaming.

Nothing. No one asleep in bed, and it was still crisply made like no one had been there.

Turning around he was struck by the scent of milk soap. It was clean and had an undertone of herbs. As he leaned over he realized the smell was all over the bed, and then he realized that he was being really fucking weird taking deep breaths in some socialite’s bedroom. Pressing the heel of his hand to his temple he turned around, his eyes skipping over a pile of magazines, a make-up table to rival a display in a mall, and an empty violin case.

The girl wasn’t here.

If not in this room, where could she be? Back through the floor plan in his head: third floor was staff, first floor security detail and living and kitchen.

Weird off limits basement
?

Slipping into the hall he tucked the sedative into a side pocket and drew the gun again. He stuck to the wall as he moved carefully down the stairs to the first floor, but a voice from the hall below drew his attention and he froze.

“I don’t think Gianni will care if she’s gone in the morning, he was upset with her when he got back, he has her downstairs.” The voice was speaking Italian in a hallway that ran under the staircase, the voice bouncing off all that marble on the first floor. Alaric worked through the rapid translation as the man continued. “Tell him he can come get her now, payment is complete.”

There was the confirmation he needed that she was in the basement, but who else would be coming for her?
Worry about it later
.
Get the girl
. Dropping over the side of the stairs Alaric landed quietly and shot the guy almost point blank, the phone he’d been on went skidding across the marble, but Alaric managed to grab the guy before he fell and eased him to the floor.

“Armand?” A voice came from farther down the hall and Alaric moved towards it quickly. As soon as the figure turned the corner he fired twice and the man let out a stunned shout of pain.
Bloody hell.
Alaric rushed forward to cover the guy’s mouth as he groaned and he pushed him to the floor to wait for him to go silent.

Too much noise
.

He needed to orient himself to figure out where the steps to the basement were before the bodies were discovered. A moment later the man went limp and he let go, wiping his hands on his pants.

Doubling back he turned right and could see the front door and then he knew where to go, the floor plan alight in his brain as if the computer screen were still in front of him. Crossing the foyer he turned down a short hall just as he heard shouts of alarm behind him. He stopped and pressed himself back against the wall, hiding inside the hallway. Smacking his head back against the wall Alaric gritted his teeth in frustration. Now that he was downstairs he was already on his back-up plan, and he hadn’t even found the fucking girl yet. He heard footsteps move past the hall he was in, and he started counting in his head to five.

One, two, three, fo-

A dark haired guy turned into the hall staring past him to the open doorway to the basement, but then he saw Alaric. His gun was up and firing instantly, but Alaric slammed his hand into the guy’s firing arm and the bullet buried itself in the wall. Bringing his elbow up into the side of the man’s head Alaric twisted the hand holding the gun until it dropped and then kicked him in the back of the knee to drop him. A single shot put an end to that and Alaric stepped over the guy to head to the stairs.

The shot was going to bring more of them. No more time, he had to get her out now.

Chapter Four

When the bands had hummed against her wrists before suddenly disappearing minutes before, Tara had sat up on the bed and ripped the headphones out of her ears. She was free, but she was still locked in the damn cell. Gianni had to be dead, because there were no new bands on her wrists, no warning shocks of pain up her arms to tell her a new master controlled them. No new master at the bars waiting to take her. Nothing.

Above her there were shouts, and the sound of heavy feet running across the floor. More silence. Then a loud pop came from the top of the stairs, and she jumped.

Standing slowly Tara went to the bars and looked at the open doorway as panic took flight in her chest. Her heart fluttered like a wild bird until she took control and snagged it, clipping its wings and locking it away. She
hated
feeling trapped. Even a large cage was still a cage, but none of it really mattered. No matter what, she would have a new master soon and fear wasn’t going to help.

She didn’t even hear the footsteps of the man that appeared at the bottom of the stairs holding a long gun. No, not long, there was a silencer on it. His breathing was steady, the dark clothes he wore covered in clips and pockets – everything about him screamed ‘soldier’.

His mouth opened like he was about to talk, but then he just stared at her. He was handsome, and really young. Had he come for her, or was she a surprise? Was this about Gianni’s less than reputable business connections?

Releasing her fingers from the bars, Tara showed him her palms coaching her voice to be soft and calm despite the gun he had pointed at her. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

A flicker of shadow moved across his face before he spoke. “I won’t hurt you, but I need you to come with me.” He dropped the gun to his side and turned to look back up the stairs. She was surprised by the smooth Italian since his voice told her he was British, but his accent had clearly been muddled by speaking a multitude of languages.

His head whipped around as she responded in English, “I’ll come with you, but you’ll have to unlock the door.” Tara pointed at the cell door and he cursed before moving up the stairs quickly and silently. In his absence she grabbed the iPod and wound her headphones around it before tucking it into her bra. She glanced over at the four-inch heels, debating whether to put them on, but decided she’d do better barefoot.

Maybe her new master had decided he’d rather just take her than pay for her - that had happened in the past. Or perhaps this man was working for someone new, someone striking at an opportunity. Either way her time with Gianni was over and this guy probably wouldn’t hurt her without permission. Soldiers tended to be obedient like that.

He reappeared at the bottom of the stairs with the gun in his holster, a small key ring, and a syringe filled with blue liquid in his hand. Tara stepped back from the cell door at the sight of the Dreamland, her stomach doing flip-flops. “You don’t need to use that, I’ll come with you.”

His eyes came up to hers as the door swung open on the hinges, they were brown, or green, or both. “I can’t have you running off, too many people with guns, and we need to move fast.”

“So your plan is that it’s easier to carry an unconscious girl around?” Tara asked the question bluntly, but tempered it with a playful smile, hoping she wouldn’t make him angry. Pushing her hand through her hair she continued, “I promise I’ll come with you. No fuss.”

He looked up the stairs again and then muttered something under his breath as he tucked the syringe back into a pocket. “If you try to run, I’m using it. Understand?”

Tara nodded and walked forward through the cell door, folding her hands behind her back. He was forced to step out of the way as she exited, and he just stared down at her, blank. He was like being around a wall. No expression on his face, no emotions.

Be careful
.

She made her voice light and calm even though he made her nervous towering over her, she’d never had the best experiences around soldiers, and the fact that he had Dreamland in his pocket made her queasy. “You really don’t need to use that, and it’s a lot easier to move me conscious.”

Tara thought she saw the edge of a smile before he turned around and drew his gun, moving to the bottom of the stairs. How he took the steps so quietly in boots, she wasn’t sure, but it was easy for her to be quiet in her bare feet. They ascended and at the top of the steps there was a body lying in a pool of blood. The soldier turned to look at her but she didn’t react, keeping her face calm and smooth, which wasn’t hard since the guy on the floor was Sebastien.

No more favors for you, asshole
.

“You okay?” His accent was stronger when he spoke English. He had a nice voice, soft but serious, even though he seemed cold and distant on the surface. He could have easily been asking her about exchange rates and not whether or not the sight of a dead body was bothering her. It almost made her smile for real.

“I’m good.” Tara shrugged and she watched as his mouth twitched in response but then stayed flat.

“We’re going out the front door. They already know I’m here so there’s no need to take the long way out.” He leaned his head out of the hallway, and then turned back, his eyes assessing her for a moment. “Stay here while I clear a path.” Taking off in quick steps she barely heard him moving.

It was impressive.

He’d also trusted her to stay still. Dumb, or maybe she was already making an impression. Tara leaned against the wall and listened to the nothing. If he wasn’t the one laying the claim, he was going to take her to whoever wanted her badly enough to kill off the household. She hated new masters. New rules to learn, a new personality to figure out, a new person to be. Hard to be perfect when you didn’t know what they even wanted. And they always wanted to hurt you for it. For not being whatever they had pictured in their head.

“Tara!” A voice hissed off to her left and she turned. It was one of the security detail, Tony, and he had his gun out, pointed down at the floor. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Sebastien’s body at her feet.

Time to look terrified, Tara
.

She caved her shoulders forward and the tears came on command. He waved her over and she stayed right where she was. With wide eyes, she shoved her hands into her hair and let out a quiet sob. Gianni and his men had already lost, they just didn’t know it yet. She wondered if Tony even knew Gianni was dead. Either way, she couldn’t go with him, the Brit with the gun was her best bet, and he at least wanted her. Gianni had sold her.
Bastard
.

She heard Tony curse and stomp towards her. Good, predictable man. Damsel in distress over here! Time to come save the day.

“Tara-” he hissed as he moved closer, stepping over Sebastien’s body to grab her arm. Off balance and just where she needed him. Grabbing the chamber of the gun she bent it up and his hand twisted sharply, he started to shout and she threw the gun to the side. Covering his mouth with one hand she pulled him forward towards her, driving her knee up into his stomach so he’d bend over, and then it only took a sharp yank of his chin towards the ceiling.

Snap
.

Dropping him to the floor she felt herself thaw a little on the inside, her body and her mind working in perfect sync. For a moment she was Faeoihn again, a daughter of Eltera, a warrior. The smile that spread across her face was finally real, because she felt real in that moment for the first time in centuries.

I don’t want you anymore – I want someone real.

Gianni’s words kicked her in the stomach and overwhelmed her thoughts – the chill coming back into her chest like the tide returning to the shore. She was just a commodity, she wasn’t a warrior anymore. She hadn’t been worth the blood in her veins for millennia. She felt herself pull away again, numb again, just in time to hear that British voice echo across the marble floor from the foyer, “Come on!”

Right. It would be such a waste to kill all of these people and not have the prize.

Stepping over the bodies she moved into the foyer on swift, silent, padding steps. The soldier was at the front door looking up the stairs and scanning the halls around them. He tugged the door open and shoved her through it and to the side, sweeping that gun left to right on the empty driveway. His hand stayed gripped around her upper arm, but he didn’t hurt her.

“Do you know how to get the gate open?” He spoke quietly and when she looked up at him his eyes struck her again, in the streetlight they were almost the color of amber. “Hey! The gate! Do you know how to open it?”

“The security detail always has the remote. I don’t know where it is.” She heard herself respond automatically, and he just nodded.

“Stay here.” He took off across the open driveway and crouched in front of the gate, digging in the bag that had been on his back. He was completely unprotected except for the shadow the gate threw across him. Standing by the place where the gate joined the stone wall. He was doing something for a minute or so and then came back across to her. He put his hands on either side of her, his body almost touching hers as he leaned close to her and she pressed herself back against the house, waiting for him to make contact.

“Cover your ears.” His voice sounded like a command, but the request confused her, even more so when his vest brushed against her chest and she became extremely aware of just how tall he was, and how broad his body was. All muscle by her estimate. She lifted her head again and saw his fingers pressing into his ears.

Suddenly there was a blinding light all around him and an ear-shattering noise that left her head ringing. When her eyes finally squeaked open she saw a cloud of dust in the street lamps over the man’s shoulder. His eyes were open and boring into her own, and his lips were moving but she just shook her head, she couldn’t hear anything he said. Just a painful ringing.

His jaw clenched and he grabbed her arm, harder this time, and started pulling her to the gate that was now detached from the stone wall and hanging at an angle, almost touching the ground. When they got to it he lifted her by her waist like she weighed nothing, and she finally got with the program. Climbing over the broken pieces of wall she hit the sidewalk and realized there were car alarms going off, and the smell of smoke in the air was from a bomb.

The bomb he had set off to get them out of the driveway
.

Then he was next to her again, pulling her after him as he took off down the street. She could run, she was good at running, and she kept up with him enough that he let go of her. The flashing rear lights of a car signaled where he wanted her and he wrenched open the passenger door and pushed her inside before slamming it shut. He was around and in the driver’s seat in a moment, and then the roar of the engine brought sound fully back to her. She could feel the pulse of it in the seat as he put it in gear before looking over at her.

“Seat belt!” He turned and shouted at her, and her hands responded before her brain had fully processed the demand. He tilted the rearview mirror and let out a torrent of curses that made her eyes widen. She turned and saw several of the security team in front of the ruined gate talking through the window of a car on the street, and they pointed after them. The car accelerated towards them fast, and the man next to her took a deep breath. “Hold on,” he growled and floored it out into the street ahead of the car.

Tara was instantly slammed back into the seat as the car roared off, quickly taking a turn that had her bracing herself against the door and the dash. Her bearings were coming back steadily, but the headache that had taken the place of the deafness would probably last until morning. Another sharp turn down a narrow street would have thrown her at the man driving if she had not grabbed onto the handle of the door.

When the car steadied again she turned to see not one, but two, black cars take the turn behind them. In the straightaway their car leaped ahead, accelerating much faster than theirs, but they weren’t giving up.

“So, do you know who they are?” The guy’s voice was calm and steady, despite the car chase and the occasional click of him changing gears.

“Either Gianni’s men, or whoever Gianni sold me to… or whoever tried to buy me and couldn’t.” Tara spoke loud enough to be heard over the roar of the engine, and the side-glance the guy gave her showed his confusion for a moment.

“Sold you?” He braked hard and sent them right, up a larger street that had more space between the cars for him to weave through.

“Yes.” Tara watched his face as he seemed to process that information, his brows coming down low over his eyes before he flicked his gaze back to the mirror and swerved to cut off an SUV to their right.

“Listen, I don’t want the details, I just need to know if they’re going to back off.”

“Probably not. People don’t really give up when it comes to me.” Tara watched the cars behind them maneuver dangerously through traffic as they tried to get closer. One of the pursuers swiped a car and sent it careening into a parked car on the street, the sound of the crash fading fast as they accelerated away.

His grip tightened on the wheel as he cut left through an active intersection, barely missing an oncoming car and leaving the other two cars scrambling to turn around and catch up. He didn’t wait for them though. He pushed the car hard, putting kilometers between them, yanking the wheel to move down side streets, onto different main roads. “Well, I don’t want to know anything. I don’t need to know anything. I’m going to find out where the client wants you, I’ll deliver you, and I’m out.” He spoke into the windshield and didn’t even glance over at her.