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"Damn," Phineas muttered. "I thought women were into vampires. I thought she'd be cool with it, man. "
A jab of pain sliced through Jack's chest. "She wasn't. "
"Shit. Do you think she's gonna tell her police buddies about us?"
"I don't know. She might. So grab whatever you need from the townhouse and bring Carlos here, okay?"
"Okay. Sorry, dude. " Phineas teleported away.
Jack reached the side entrance, swiped his card, and used the hand sensor. He was halfway down the hallway when the security door opened and Connor leaned out.
"I saw Phineas teleport away," Connor said. "Where did ye send him?"
"To the townhouse to fetch Carlos. They're going to stay here for the next week or so. "
Connor's eyes narrowed. "And why is the townhouse no longer safe?"
"It may be perfectly safe. This is just a precaution. " Jack strode past the Scotsman into the office. He heard the door shut behind him.
"Bugger," Connor whispered softly.
Jack turned to face him.
"Ye told her. "
Jack widened his stance and folded his arms across his chest. "I did what I had to do. "
Connor snorted. "I gather it dinna go well. "
Jack shrugged one shoulder.
"Ye told a police officer about vampires," Connor muttered. "Did ye really expect it to go well?"
"She knows I love her. "
"Och, and that is supposed to make a difference?" Anger flashed in Connor's blue eyes. "Do ye seriously believe that rubbish about love conquering all? How many mortals have we loved, only to watch them succumb to death. All the love in the world canna stop them from dying. "
"I know that. " He'd lost Beatrice when an outbreak of typhoid had swept through Venice. "Love is fleeting. That doesn't make it worthless. It just makes it more special. "
Connor glowered at him. "It makes it more painful. Ye must know that. I can see the pain in yer face. "
Jack swallowed hard. He couldn't deny that.
"Have ye even considered what this great love of yers will do to her?" Connor asked. "Ye'll be dragging her into a world that she may no' want any part of. "
Jack winced. He had to admit Lara had not reacted well. Still, other mortal women had adjusted to the vampire world. "Shanna is happy. And Emma and Heather. "
"Ye canna expect every woman to want to live with the Undead," Connor grumbled. "I brought Darcy Newhart into our world, and she hated me for it. Ye wouldna want to live with that kind of guilt. "
Jack wondered if Connor had felt more than just guilt. "Darcy's very happy now. And she still works with us. "
Connor waved a dismissive hand as he strode toward the desk. "Let's get back to this friend of yers. Is she going to tell her superiors about us?"
"I don't know. Maybe not. " Lara wouldn't want them thinking she was crazy.
Connor took a seat, still scowling at Jack. "I'm sorely tempted to put a dent in yer skull, but ye look so miserable 'twould be like kicking a dog. "
"Gee, thanks. "
"Did she make any threats? I could teleport her someplace where she couldna tell anyone about us. "
"No. " Jack gritted his teeth. "You will leave her alone. "
Connor snorted. "I wouldna harm her. 'Tis better than having the New York Police Department hunting us down. "
"I don't think she's a threat to us. She's more of a threat to herself. She leaked all of my information on Apollo to her superiors. "
"Bugger," Connor muttered.
"The police and FBI have formed a special task force, and they've asked Lara to go under cover. On the fourth Saturday in June, Apollo will be trolling universities, giving his seminar, and looking for the perfect victim. If the police have their way, that victim will be Lara. "
"Bloody hell. " Connor looked appalled. "We have to stop it. Apollo could kill her. "
"That's why I told her the truth," Jack said. "I was trying to scare her into quitting the assignment. "
Connor nodded. "All right. I can understand that. "
"We're in a race for time," Jack continued. "We have one month to find Apollo and kill him. I've asked Robby to help. "
"We have plenty of time. " Connor motioned to one of the surveillance monitors on the wall. "Robby has arrived. And he's no' alone. "
Jack peered at the monitor. Robby had teleported onto the grounds, and he'd brought Phil with him. As a day guard, Phil wasn't able to teleport. But as a shape shifter, he had other talents that made him valuable.
"There's Phineas and Carlos. " Connor pointed at another monitor.
Jack spotted Phineas materializing outside the side entrance with the day guard Carlos. They were joined by Robby and Phil, and the four men entered the building.
Jack smiled grimly. He'd assembled his own special task force. Counting himself and Connor, he had four vampires plus a werewolf and a were-panther. Lara should be safe now.
Apollo wouldn't live long enough to hurt her.
CHAPTER 18
The next night, Jack paced around the conference room, wondering if it was too soon to call Lara. Everything else was under control. Roman had sent word to all the coven masters in North America to be on the lookout for a spa with classical Greek architecture. Already, a few leads had come in, and Robby and Phil were checking them out. Phineas was guarding Romatech. Carlos, who worked during the day, was sleeping in the basement, on call if they needed him. Howard had offered to help, but he also doubled as the day guard for Roman's family, so his time was limited.
Jack considered investigating some of the missing girls, but he figured Apollo's MO would remain the same. He lured pretty girls to his seminar on staying young and beautiful forever, then he selected a victim.
Jack halted his pacing. What if Apollo was making good on his promise to keep the girls young and beautiful forever? He might not be killing them. He could be transforming them.
Jack winced at the thought of controlling a harem of vampire women. Merda, he couldn't even control one mortal woman. At least there had been no police snooping around the townhouse. No police had come to Romatech, either, so it looked like Lara was keeping quiet about vampires. Most probably she feared her superiors would think she was crazy. But Jack hoped she still harbored some protective feelings toward him. If only her feelings for him could survive. If they could outlast her initial reaction of horror and disgust, he might have a chance.
You must have faith, Giacomo.
He called her apartment. The phone rang once. Twice. If she had Caller ID, she would know it was him. Three rings. She might be avoiding him. Four rings.
"Hello, Jack. "
It was LaToya, her roommate. "Hello. Is Lara-"
"Save your breath. She's not here. And she doesn't want to talk to you. Ever. Good-bye. "
"Wait. Is she. . . is she all right?"
"She's totally bummed out, you moron. I don't know what you did to her. I've never seen her so upset. She won't even talk to me. And she's always talked to me. "
"She didn't tell you anything?" Jack felt a flicker of hope. Lara was keeping his secret.
"All she said was that she never wanted to see you or talk to you again. In case your super hearing didn't catch that, the operative word was never. "
The flicker of hope sputtered out.
"And I am really pissed at you," LaToya continued. "You've got Lara moping around like the world has come to an end, when she really needs to be on the top of her game right now. Your timing really stinks!"
"She's going ahead with the undercover assignment?"
"Shit. You know about that?"
Jack wondered if he could find an ally with LaToya. "I don't want her to do it. I think it's too dangerous. "
"Oh. "
"I'm trying to locate Apollo myself, so Lara won't have to put herself in danger. " There was a pause, and Jack hoped LaT
oya was reassessing the situation.
"I've got to go. Bye. " She rang off.
Jack sighed. He'd keep trying.
By five a. m. , Robby and Phil had checked out four locations, all false leads. They promised to return the next night, then teleported home to Texas.
Four more nights passed. The month of June began, and Apollo's location remained secret. By the second Saturday in June, Jack was beside himself with worry. Only two weeks were left. Still no sign of Apollo.
And no word from Lara. Was she trying to forget him?
The following Monday, he tried calling again.
"She still doesn't want to talk to you," LaToya said.
"How is she?"
"She's sad and depressed. I've heard her crying a few times in her room. Does that make you happy?" LaToya growled.
In a sad way, it did, although Jack knew better than to admit to it.
"Have you found that Apollo guy yet?" LaToya demanded.
"No. " Jack was beginning to wonder if Apollo's Greek-style resort even existed. He could be showing bogus pictures in his seminar. "We're still trying. "
"Well, you'd better try harder. Lara's going under cover in a couple of days. "
"Where?"
LaToya snorted. "Like I would tell you?"
"I'm worried sick about her. "
"Well, that makes two of us. " LaToya hung up.
Jack paced around the conference room. Lara's undercover work would obviously be at a university. The special task force had probably enrolled her under a false name, and she was living in a dorm. But which university?
He sat in front of the laptop and checked his information on the missing girls. They came from ten different universities. He made a list of the past twenty months in chronological order, then listed the universities that Apollo had targeted each month. There was definitely a pattern. Two universities in Connecticut, four in New York, two in New Jersey, two in Pennsylvania, then back to Connecticut. Apollo's last hit had been Columbia University. If he followed his pattern, Syracuse University would be next.
"Jack. " Phil strode into the conference room. "We've got a new lead. A place called Apollo's Golden Chariot, in Massachusetts. "
Jack stood. "Is Robby back yet?"
"No, he and Phineas are still in Hoboken, checking out the Grecian Goddess Spa and Resort. "
"All right," Jack said. "You and I can go. Do you have the phone number?"
"Right here. " Phil passed him a slip of paper.
"Are you armed?"
Phil opened his brown leather bomber jacket to reveal a forty-four Magnum in a shoulder holster. Jack had a dagger strapped to his calf and another sheathed beneath his black leather jacket. If they ended up in a skirmish, he would call Robby and Phineas for immediate backup.
"Let's do it. " Jack punched in the number on his cell phone.
"Apollo's Golden Chariot," a feminine voice answered. "Macy speaking. "
"Hi. Can you give me directions from. . . Connecticut?" Jack asked.
As the speaker launched into a long explanation, Jack focused on the voice. He grabbed Phil's arm and teleported them both. He quickly scanned their new surroundings. A small office, a file cabinet, a messy desk, the harsh smell of chemicals in the air, and a blonde, staring at them with hot pink lipstick outlining her gaping mouth.
"Aack!" She let out a high-pitched squeal and dropped the phone.
"It's all right. " Jack unfurled a wave of psychic energy to take over the woman's mind, but before he could gain control, she jumped to her feet, let out another squeal, then collapsed into a dead faint.
"Merda. " Jack frowned at the sprawled body on the floor. "We scared the poor woman to death. "
Phil snorted. "That's not a woman. "
"She screamed like a woman. " Jack's gaze ran over the hot pink miniskirt, black hose, and hot pink boots. They looked feminine enough, but the black tank top revealed broad shoulders and a flat chest. A man.
Jack hunched down beside the unconscious man and swept into his mind. Macy, you will not fear us. We walked into the office, looking for Apollo. You will awaken now.
Macy's green-shaded eyelids flickered open.
"Are you all right?" Jack asked. "You fainted. "
"Oh my God, this is so embarrassing. " Macy sat up and tugged at his pink miniskirt. "It must be this new diet I'm on. I swear, I'm so woozy. "
"Here. " Jack helped him stand.
"You're too kind. " Macy looked at him. "Oh my. " His eyes widened, and he glanced at Phil. "Oh my. " He patted his long blond hair. "What can I do for you two?"
"We're looking for Apollo," Jack said.
"Well, he should be in the studio. I can't believe you missed him. Or that he missed you. " Macy inspected them with an appreciative gleam in his eyes. "Come on, big boys. Follow me. " He clonked past them in his platform boots and cast a sidelong glance at Phil. "Mmm. "
Phil shot Jack an annoyed look.
"Come on. " Jack headed for the door.
Phil caught his arm and muttered, "This can't be the right place. Let's get out of here. "
"We might as well meet this Apollo," Jack said.
Phil scowled. "I have a bad feeling about this. "
"You think it'll turn violent?" Jack asked.
"Worse," Phil grumbled.
Macy glanced back with a frown. "Come now, you two, stop bickering. Apollo doesn't allow any love spats here. "