The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride (27 page)

She was going to have to figure this out herself. A ping of sadness echoed through her, followed by a sharp stab of fear. They were probably going to kill her. Like, any
second
. That sent a burst of angry motivation through her. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

Footsteps on the stairs again. She craned her neck, ignoring the bruise from where she’d been jabbed. Fat Eddie again.

He walked up to her, tore the duct tape off again, then plopped down on the couch. “My compatriots and I need to know what you know. If you know what I mean.”

“Speak English, not Brooklynese.” She bit her tongue to keep from calling him a name that would only make him want to kill her sooner.

He leaned forward, causing the zipper on the jacket of his track suit to panic. The gleam in his eyes made her think of a great white checking out a baby seal. “What did you see that night at the restaurant?”

“Which night?”

He frowned. “The last night youse was there.”

“I saw a bartender pouring weak drinks. I saw a woman stuff one of the oregano shakers in her purse. I even saw a kid grind half a fried cheese stick into the carpeting. It’s a crazy world, the restaurant biz.”

He stood, hiking up his track pants. “You think you’re funny?”

“Sometimes, yes.” She was being a smartass, and she didn’t care. If she was going to die, she was going on her terms. Not that she wanted to go at all.

He walked over to her, glowering. “It doesn’t matter. The boss says the word and you’re done. You get what I’m saying?”

So they were going to kill her regardless. “Melting chocolate led to the invention of the microwave.”

He screwed up his face. “What?”

“Nothing.”
Breathe
. She had to come up with a reason for them not to kill her. A way to buy some time.
Think think think.
“If anything happens to me—”

“What?” he sneered. “Your boyfriend is gonna come looking for you?”

Maybe. Probably not. “I have an email scheduled to send if I don’t log into my laptop every twenty-four hours.”

“So?”

“That email is set to go to the police, the FBI, Facebook and a whole bunch of media.”

“And I should care about this why?”

“Because attached to that email is the video I took that night in the restaurant along with a message that says if the email’s been received, I’ve been murdered by Anthony Rastinelli.” Sure, Sheriff Merrow already had that video, but Fat Eddie didn’t need to know that.

He laughed. “Sure, kid. You got a video.”

“Get my phone. I’ll show you.”

He thought for a second, then shook a finger at her. “If you’re lying to me…” But he marched upstairs, coming back down a few minutes later with her phone.

“Okay,” he said. “How do I get in?”

“Connect the dots in an L shape starting at the top corner.”

He squinted at the screen, his fat fingers tracing the pattern. It took him three tries. “Here.” He showed her it was unlocked. “Now what?”

“Gallery. Then videos. It’s the first one.”

He watched it while she listened and mentally replayed the scene in her head. When it was over, he stared at the screen for a second, then his fingers started tapping away like he was playing Angry Birds.

“There. I deleted it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Really? You think that’s all you had to do? I already downloaded it to my computer, you numb nut. You think I wouldn’t make a copy? Multiple copies?” She blew out an exasperated breath.

Fat Eddie’s expression flattened. “You little piece of—”

He backhanded her, splitting her lip and filling her mouth with the taste of blood. Pain radiated through her face. She spit the blood out. “You feel manly hitting a woman tied to a chair? Punk. You’re going down so hard when my friends get here.”
If
they got there. Before she was dead.

He leaned in, his face so close to hers she could smell his garlicky breath. “Where’s the laptop?”

“19 Hitchcock Lane.” Maybe if she sent them to Hugh’s, he’d figure out what happened and come after her. It could be her only chance.

Fat Eddie pointed one of his sausage fingers at her. “If you’re lying about this, I’m gonna kill you myself.”

Hugh stripped the pillow case off Delaney’s pillow. He paused and gave Captain a scratch on the head. “I’m going to find her, don’t worry.”

He was talking to a cat. That’s how insane Delaney’s disappearance had made him. Shaking his head, Hugh marched downstairs to where Stanhill, Merrow, his deputies and a few others had gathered, including Nick the gargoyle and Merrow’s fire chief brother, Titus.

Julian and Sebastian met him as he hit the landing. “I didn’t expect to see you two here.”

Sebastian’s appraising gaze held less judgment than Hugh would have expected. “You love her?”

“I do.”

“Then we’re here to help.”

Julian nodded, oddly serious. “We understand she might be in real danger.”

“Yes.” Hugh explained about Rastinelli and the confrontation with his men outside of Howlers.

“Mafia? They still exist?” Julian rubbed his hands together. “This might actually be fun.

Sebastian pointed to the pillow case. “Merrow going to track her?”

“All the shifters are.” Hugh nodded. “And that needs to happen now.” He left his brothers behind and went to Merrow, handing him the pillow case. “This will have her scent.”

He sniffed it and grimaced. “Is she a shifter?”

“No, she’s human.” Hugh frowned. “Why?”

Merrow sniffed the linen again. “I smell cat.”

“That’s Captain. He sleeps with her.”

“That explains it.” Merrow nodded. “I can find her. Provided they’re in one of those cabins.”

“And if they’re not?”

“I’ve already put a BOLO out on the black SUV with the partial plate Nick was able to get.”

“Good. Let’s go.” Hugh was leaving on his own if things didn’t get underway in the next sixty seconds. Because if Rastinelli’s men had her…there was no telling what was happening to Delaney right now. If they hurt her, he would kill them.

Hell, he was going to kill them if they left one little bruise on her.

Merrow held his hand up. “We’re going in three teams. Hugh, Stanhill and I will be the first. We’ll handle the east side.” Merrow tossed the pillow case to Titus, who’d left the fire station to help. “Titus, you’ve got a radio? “

Titus nodded and held the two-way up. “Right here.”

“Good. You take Julian and Sebastian and go west. Give the pillow case to Alex and Nick after you’ve locked on to her scent.”

Titus passed the pillow case to Merrow’s deputy Alex Cruz, a panther shifter. He took a good whiff, then passed it to Nick. Both men nodded. They were ready to go.

Merrow pointed to Nick, who was standing by Merrow’s other deputy, Jenna Blythe, a Valkyrie. “You, Jenna and Alex go straight north. Alex will lead as tracker.”

Alex nodded. “We’ll find her.”

Merrow hooked his hands on his gun belt. “If we haven’t accomplished that by dark, Nick, you go airborne. Search that way.”

“You got it.” Nick shot a questioning glance at Hugh.

Hugh shook his head, already knowing what the man was thinking. “I’ll handle my grandmother if it comes to that. Which it won’t. Night flights are permissible by any flying supernatural so long as they happen after twilight.” They were already going to have two wolves and a black panther running through the woods. Having a gargoyle in the air after dark was the least of their worries. He looked at Merrow. “Can we go already?”

Merrow nodded. “Let’s shift and move out.”

Fifteen minutes later, Hugh and Stanhill were deep into the woods following Merrow in wolf form as he rustled through the undergrowth searching for Delaney’s scent.

Fifteen minutes after that, Merrow came to a stop beside the stream where Hugh had stopped Delaney from running off the night she’d found out he was a vampire. Merrow lifted his big wolf head and whuffed at Hugh.

“It’s nothing,” Hugh said. “She and I were here. Out for a walk a few nights back.”

Merrow went back to sniffing the ground and pawing through leaves.

Hugh carried Merrow’s walkie-talkie and gun belt, but the weight of that was nothing compared to the burden of worry pressing on his nerves. They were stretched thin. Ready to snap at the first opportunity. Which seemed like it might never come. All because he’d been a jerk and shut Delaney out. He had a habit of putting the women he loved in danger. But he could not let Delaney suffer the same fate as Juliette. “We’re getting nowhere,” he snapped.

“Patience,” Stanhill muttered.

“When her life could be in danger? How the hell am I supposed to be patient?”

Before Stanhill could respond, the walkie-talkie crackled with an incoming call. “Sheriff, this is Jenna. Alex picked something up along Carraway Lane, near the old Miller house. We’re doing a wide sweep and—”

Merrow flashed back into human form, his pelt turning into his uniform once again, and grabbed the radio. “We’re on our way. Locate Delaney but stand down until we get there.”

He took his gun belt back from Hugh and strapped it around his waist. “Faster to drive.”

“Back to the house then.” Hugh didn’t need to be told twice. He broke into a run, dodging branches and jumping fallen trees. He made it back to the house a minute before Stanhill and Merrow and met them on the back porch, car keys in hand. “I assume you’re going in quiet, no sirens.”

Merrow nodded. “We don’t want to tip our hand.”

“Good.”

“You and Stanhill follow in your car. Mine will be too full of mobsters on the way back.” Merrow unhooked his keys from his belt and a few minutes later, Hugh and Stanhill were tearing up the mountain road toward Carraway Lane behind the sheriff.

Hugh followed the patrol car into a driveway, unsure of where the sheriff was headed. Carraway was the next road, not more than a quarter of a mile away. Merrow parked and got out, so Hugh and Stanhill did the same.

Stanhill looked at Hugh. “We must be going on foot from here.”

“Makes sense.” Hugh looked around. The trees were covered in green and despite the warm day, the scent of woodsmoke wafted through the air. Tourists who rented the cabins up here liked to use the fireplaces no matter what the season. Made it harder to pick up other scents but hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue for the shifters.

Merrow was speaking into his radio as they approached him. “We’re here. We’ll meet you in five minutes.” He let the button go and glanced at Hugh. “Nick, Jenna and Alex have pinpointed the house. There are men stationed at the front and back, and they think at least two more inside. Maybe three.”

Four or five didn’t matter. He could take them all if he had to. Any sign of Delaney?”

“No, but both Alex and Nick confirm her scent there is strong.” Merrow hesitated. “You should stay here.”

Hugh stared at the man. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

Merrow sighed. “Ellingham, Alex and Nick also confirmed the scent of blood.”

A chill zipped down Hugh’s spine.
Blood
. Images, none of them good, spun through his head. “If they’ve hurt her—”

“They’ll be dealt with. Legally. I don’t want to arrest you today, you understand what I’m saying?”

Hugh stepped into the sheriff’s personal space, let his fangs slide down and spoke with slow deliberation. “If they have hurt her, I will do what needs to be done.”

Merrow’s radio went off. “Sheriff, one of the men is leaving in a black Chevy Tahoe.”

Hugh jabbed a finger at Merrow. “If you don’t want to arrest me today, maybe you should go after him instead.”

“I don’t have a choice,” Merrow shot back. “No one else has a car but you and me, and I’m sure as hell not sending you.” He yanked the door to the squad car open. “Go rescue Delaney. Just keep it
legal
.”

A black SUV rumbled past them. Merrow jumped into his car and went after it.

Hugh narrowed his eyes at Stanhill. “I’m not that concerned about legal.”

Stanhill shook his head. “That’s for bleedin’ sure.”