She felt a rush of relief. Finally. Progress. Still, a bite of irritation ate at her. She didn’t like the way Ethan demanded control. “What conditions?”
He narrowed his gaze on her. “You stay in my room with me.”
A fizzle of heat rushed through her limbs at the prospect. But she was in work mode, solid about her motives for pretending to be one of his women. And those motives said she needed to be close to the other girls to dig for information. She opened her mouth to say as much and Ethan grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, his hand holding her close.
“That’s condition one, Kayla. Take it or leave it.”
Intimate memories of their bodies pressed together flashed in her mind, making it hard to think, let alone find her voice.
“First,” she said, suspicious about where this was headed, “Tell me the other conditions.”
“We’re hunting my race so we do things my way.”
“Only if I agree with your way,” she countered.
He stared at her a moment and then laughed. His hand slid across her lower back, molding her curves to his hard body. “I’m sure you remember how convincing I can be.”
Oh, she remembered. She remembered all too well. “As long as you understand I might need convincing, then I guess we have a deal.”
Jac stood outside room 1313 inside the Night Sins hotel corridor and knocked once, hard. Paused. Knocked twice. It was their code, the one he and Rigo had come up with so they’d know one another.
A second passed and the door flew open, displaying Rigo, a glass of bourbon in hand. Rigo motioned Jac inside, turning back to the executive suite he’d occupied since his arrival. Ethan took good care of those he trusted. Too bad for him he trusted the wrong people.
Leaning against the well-stocked corner bar, Rigo gave a nod. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Oh yeah,” Jac said, grabbing the crystal decanter on the bar and filling a glass with the caramel-colored liquid. “Ethan has it bad for that Watcher chick. It’s perfect. We can deal with them both at once.”
Rigo laughed evilly. “I can’t wait to see Ethan’s face when he finds out he’s defeated.”
Jac took a sip from his glass and studied Rigo, surprised at how much the man hated Ethan. He hated him out of nothing but jealousy; he’d wanted Ethan’s role in their government and he’d been overlooked. Now he wanted power wherever he could get it.
Jac certainly would never give the man his back, nor would he keep him around when this was over. For now, he’d let Rigo believe otherwise, though. “The question is,” Jac pondered, “do we kill her or simply capture her and use her for ammunition?”
“A shame to waste such a fine piece of ass,” Rigo commented, finishing off his drink.
Jac had to agree with that one. The Watcher was a fine woman, for sure. And judging from the possessive way Ethan guarded her, he’d go nuts knowing she was being used for another’s pleasure.
A slow smile slid onto Jac’s lips. Oh yeah. He liked that idea. This was going to be fun. He’d have a little taste of the Watcher and he might even make Ethan the audience.
“If he brings her here, we’ll need a way to get out of his reach.”
“Easy enough,” Jac said. “She’s a Watcher, protector of innocents. Let’s give her some innocents to protect. And the way I see it, the sooner the better.”
Rigo refilled his glass. “That can be arranged.”
Jac had already figured out that Rigo had connections, connections he planned to make his soon. “Meaning what?”
“The Council has a leak or two of their own,” Rigo offered. “I’ve got an insider who will guarantee Kayla gets called to duty. Tonight, if you like. That way, Ethan never gets her inside the hotel where he can protect her.”
Jac considered that a moment, an evil smile playing on his lips. “Yes.” He gave Rigo a nod. “Make the call.”
Tonight was the night Ethan would pay for his sins.
6
Ethan followed Kayla up the stairs leading to her loft-style apartment, watching as she kicked off her shoes and tossed her keys onto a tiny table to the right of her front door. A second later, the room was flooded with lights, displaying a cozy room with wood-paneled walls and hardwood floors. The room was given a warm feeling by the presence of throw rugs, an overstuffed couch, and a corner fireplace. But much like his own apartment, he saw no pictures, no connection to family. Perhaps that was one of the things that had always drawn him to Kayla. They were both without roots, without anything but duty to drive them to tomorrow.
Yet, still, they lived by different rules, in different worlds.
Kayla sat down at a corner computer desk and began to punch keys. “I just need to check in with the Council and grab a few things and we can go.”
Ethan gave her a quick nod as he stepped farther into the room and settled down on the couch. He’d only agreed to take her back to the hotel for one reason, and that was to keep her safe. The more he had considered the risks of her exposure, the less he’d been willing to leave her out there on her own.
The closer she was to him, the more control he had over her exposure to the Brothers. Why that was so important to him, he didn’t know. There were plenty of people who would call him a cold-hearted bastard who cared about no one but himself. He’d never cared what they said about him. It didn’t matter. Fighting wars meant making tough, often unpopular, decisions. He’d made his share and earned his reputation for his ability to do so.
But could he make that kind of calculated decision if it impacted Kayla? For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure. She’d gotten to him on a deeper level than the physical. Gotten to him in a way he couldn’t explain. Not unless she was indeed his mate. But how was that possible? She wasn’t a vampire.
From where he sat he could see her work and he found himself wanting to see the real Kayla, not the fantasy, and wishing that damn blond wig gone. When he got her back to his room, it was the first thing he was getting rid of. Right before her clothes.
With the punch of a key, Kayla pushed to her feet. “Okay. I’m ready. Nothing new tonight I haven’t already dealt with. You have a computer I can check in on, right?”
“Of course,” he said, standing up. “Since when does the Council e-mail you assignments?”
“It’s fairly new. We used to be flying blind, patrolling and making our own contacts. But now, The Portal Guardians are all set up under the guise of operating paranormal investigation operations. They get tons of calls from all over the country and those are funneled through to the proper Watchers for investigation.” She rolled her eyes. “We get a lot of active imaginations sending us on wild goose chases, but it comes with the job.”
“Interesting,” Ethan said, wondering if the goose chases she mentioned might not be too much of a distraction. But then, vampires rarely agreed with the methods of The Council.
His cell phone rang and Ethan reached for it, noting the private caller ID as Rigo’s. He frowned and punched the answer button. Rigo wouldn’t call without cause. “Problems?”
“One of the dancers left Secret Sins to get her things. She called Michael and told him she thought someone was following her. Halfway through the call, she screamed and the line went dead.”
There was only one other woman at Secret Sins he knew on an intimate level. “Who is it?”
“Carrie.”
And that was her. Ethan’s blood went cold. “What’s her address?”
“I’ve got a team headed out to check on her now,” Rigo said.
Ethan spoke through clenched teeth. “What’s her address?”
A beeping sound from Kayla’s purse drew his attention and he looked up to see her retrieving her phone. He memorized the address Rigo gave him and hung up in time to see Kayla reading a text message.
She looked up, her face pale. “We have a problem.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he mumbled. “Tell me what it is on the road. I need to check on one
of the dancers.”
“The Council knows about the Brothers, Ethan. They want me to check on a possible victim and report back immediately.” He could see her mind racing. “I need to change. I can’t fight like this.” She ripped the wig off and tossed it to the ground and then eyed her phone. “99 Walker Street.” Her gaze went to his. “You know the address?”
Ethan cursed. “It’s the same address Rigo just gave me. You have two minutes to change. I’ll meet you out front with the car.”
She nodded and then reached out, touching his arm. “If you leave me I’ll show up anyway.”
He gave her a nod. “I have no intention of leaving you.” And he didn’t. He planned to keep her close and safe.
“Okay then,” she said, studying his face and appearing satisfied with his answer. “I’ll see you out front.”
Only minutes later, Ethan pulled in front of Kayla’s apartment to find her standing at the curb, dressed in black from head to toe.
She yanked open the door and slid inside, tossing a small bag in the back, which he assumed contained her wig and previous get up.
“You know the victim?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, hating the truth, feeling responsible. “I know her.”
“Maybe it’s not too late.”
Ethan ground his teeth again. “Maybe.” But he knew the chances of Carrie being alive were next to zero. If she’d been attacked when she was on the phone with Michael, too much time had passed. Yet another woman in his life had found her demise. And here he was keeping Kayla close, as if that would keep her safe.
Perhaps the best thing he could do was get the hell away from her.
99 Walker Street had a similar set up as Kayla’s own neighborhood. Side by side apartments lined both sides of the road, with street-side doors leading into second floor lofts. In Carrie’s case, she also had a back entrance, offering Kayla and Ethan two points of entry to consider.
Having parked the car a mile away in a small garage, careful to be discreet, they approached the apartment on foot. Exchanging a quick look, they silently agreed to approach the rear of the building. Though both Kayla and Ethan were well armed, their guns were holstered. They were both aware of their limitations. Discretion was critical for safety reasons, but neither of them wanted attention brought to the paranormal world, either.
Kayla surveyed the dark windows, the interior as pitch black as the outside of the building. With her instincts not quite right yet, she felt more on edge than normal.
They squatted down at the edge of the wall, inspecting the door. “I have a bad feeling about this,” Kayla whispered.
“You and me both,” Ethan murmured softly.
A scream from inside the building put them both in motion. “I’ll take the front,” Ethan said, already moving.
Kayla didn’t watch his departure, her attention on the ground in front of her, on the door she had to go inside. A warning screamed in her head and she started running, her hand going to the knife sheathed just inside her jacket at her ribcage.
She had reached for the doorknob when her instincts told her someone was behind her, to her right. She kicked, making hard contact, and drew her knife. Rotating around she found herself faced with not one, but three male vampires. She inhaled, absorbing their emotions, their hatred, and making it her own. Frustrated, as the task was more difficult than usual, she still managed to let their emotions fill her.
She threw a punch, and another, successfully fielding what was thrown at her. This wasn’t the first time she’d been outnumbered, though it was her first time facing vampires. They were strong. So damn strong. But she didn’t let herself think about it. She couldn’t. She would survive and save that girl.
Suddenly, Ethan was there. One of her attackers was thrown aside, tossed like he was nothing. Kayla caught a glance of Ethan as he reached for another attacker, leaving her with only one to deal with, and one she could easily handle.
She kicked him solidly in the chest and he stumbled to the ground. Rushing forward, she straddled him, holding the knife above his chest, ready to plant it in his heart. The old fables about a stake in the heart killing a vampire were true, of course. At least, to some degree. Shove a stake—or, in this case, a knife—in anyone’s heart, and they died. She reared back and prepared to plant the knife.
A male voice roared through the air. “Do it and she dies.”
Kayla froze, knife drawn back, arm lifted high. She looked up for the source of the voice. And that’s when she saw the woman, her back held against the broad chest of a muscular male, a blade at her throat.
Ethan spoke then, his voice as tense as she felt. “Rigo? What the hell are you doing?”
“That’s Rigo?” she asked, still poised to slam the knife into the vampire’s chest, not daring to look away from the man she still held captive.
Kayla’s question was ignored as the man called Rigo answered Ethan. “I’m showing you who has the real power,” Rigo said. The two vampires who’d been battling Ethan moved to stand on either side of him.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ethan demanded. “What kind of game are you playing?”
Jac rounded the corner and he wasn’t alone. Two more muscle-bound vampires framed him. “No game,” Jac said. “Rigo simply got smart. He was tired of fighting for a king who gives no rewards.”
“This is the Rigo you trusted?” Kayla demanded of Ethan, planting her foot on the vampire’s chest beneath her so she could survey the situation. At the same time, she eased her knife to the front of her body rather than poised above her head.
Ethan didn’t get to respond to Kayla. Rigo did it for him. “I am indeed the Rigo he stupidly trusted.”
Rigo eyed Kayla and gave her an evil smile. He touched the blade to the woman’s neck. The woman whimpered. “Help me.”
“I am also the Rigo who will slice her neck if you don’t drop your weapon and back away.”
She clenched her jaw and stared down at the vampire on the ground, fighting the urge to be done with him. “I don’t mind cutting her,” Rigo said, as if he sensed her resistance. “Unlike Ethan, I don’t fight my nature. I like blood.” He laughed, amused at himself. “Give me a reason to cut her, Watcher. Please.”
With a frustrated sigh, she threw the knife away and took several steps backward. “Stand beside Ethan,” Jac ordered.
She did as he said, not unhappy about her new position. Together, she and Ethan would be stronger. But she didn’t look at Ethan as she took her place by his side, afraid to take her eyes off their enemies.
“Turn around,” Jac ordered, walking toward them, his eyes locking with Ethan’s. When neither of them moved, Jac raised his voice. “Turn around or the girl dies.”
Ethan glanced at Kayla and gave her a tiny nod that said they really had no choice. Slowly, they did as they were told, moving in unison.
“Put your hands on the wall,” Jac ordered.
Kayla and Ethan did as they were told. They stood there, hands before them, eyes locked. She could see his mind racing with potential escape options. Hers was doing the same thing. Strategic moves played in her head.
But before a solid plan could form, Jac was there, close, his hands on her hips. “I’ll need to search you for weapons.”
Kayla felt herself recoil and then anger formed. She started to turn, ready to fight to the death, ready to stop this now. But she wasn’t the only one who reacted violently.
She heard Ethan curse even as he turned and reached for Jac, yanking him forward. “You sorry bastard,” Ethan spat at Jac. “I’ll kill you.”
Kayla had to get to the girl. She started running toward Rigo but it was too late. The woman she’d intended to save fell to the ground, lifeless. Kayla didn’t stop. She charged forward, determined to make Rigo pay. But, suddenly, a sharp pain pinched her shoulder and dizziness rushed over her. She reached toward the pain to find a dart stuck in her skin. Kayla yanked it out and tossed it aside, knowing she was in big troubl
e.
She turned to find Ethan, just in time to see not one, but three, darts hit him. “Ethan!” she screamed, seeing him stumble even as she started to run toward him. But her legs were like jelly and she started to fall, slipping into darkness.
Ethan.
7
Ethan woke with a jerk, trying to sit up, only to find his hands tied above his head. He eyed his surroundings, taking in the dimly lit space and realizing he was inside a cargo van of some sort. Beside him, Kayla still slept, clearly under the influence of the drug they’d been given, her hands also tied. Thank God, she was okay and still with him.
Sedation didn’t last long on a vampire with elder blood such as his own. But they’d filled him with plenty of drugs. The heaviness of his limbs left no doubt of that. The question was—why bother even trying to sedate him? Why not just kill him and be done with it?
Whatever the reason, Ethan didn’t plan to find out. He yanked at the thick, corded ropes, testing their strength. Yanked again. Nothing. They were solid.
“Ethan?” Kayla jerked upward, trying to escape, only to find she couldn’t budge. She eyed the restraints before fixing her gaze on him. “Where are we?”
“Nowhere good,” Ethan said, rolling to his side to face her. “Are you okay?”
She blew a strand of raven hair from her eyes. She nodded. “Considering the circumstances, fine.” Her head lifted as she surveyed the van. “There was a knife in my boot they might not have found.”
“How exactly would you propose we get to it?”
She frowned. “I don’t hear you making suggestions. We have to get free. We’re outnumbered and they’re stronger than us.”
“They’re young and weak,” Ethan said. “Not even a close match for me. All except Rigo. He’s of elder warrior blood like myself.”
She stared at him a minute as if he were insane. “Forgive me for saying so, but we both got our asses kicked.”
Ethan gave her an irritated look. In some ways, he was a typical male vampire; namely, he didn’t like his ability to protect his woman questioned. He ground his teeth. Not that she was his woman. No matter how much his body screamed that she was his mate, it was impossible. Both biologically and realistically. To be together would be a crime in both their worlds. Besides, his willingness to die in battle had always been an advantage. Being alone meant no one to worry about in life or death.