“Perhaps they’ve bugged the car.” Fear ran through me even as I said it. One person who might want to do such a thing was Gautier. I had no doubt it was part of his plans to kill all I held dear before he killed me. If he
did
know about Quinn and
was
behind us being followed now, it meant that Rhoan had been right and Gautier was playing a game far deeper than what he was admitting. “Was it dark when you flew in?”
Quinn frowned. “Twilight. Why?”
I told him about the events of the night and Gautier’s proposition.
“And you believed him?” he said, voice holding a hint of incredulousness.
“I really don’t know what to think.”
“So why ask the question about time?” He grabbed my arm, holding me steady and stopping me from sliding across the seat as the driver took a sharp left then accelerated.
“Because if you flew in at twilight, it confirms the fact it couldn’t have been Gautier.”
Because he might be the best guardian ever seen, but he was still a vampire and therefore couldn’t escape the standard restrictions facing all vampires. And because he was a clone, he was too young in vampire years to be able to face
any
sunlight.
“He mightn’t be able to risk fading light, but he’s more than capable of employing people who can.”
“Trust me, Gautier doesn’t work with other people.”
“All vampires work with others when the need arises. Even the Lone Ranger had help.”
Amusement bubbled through me. “The Lone Ranger? That’s a character from a cruddy old TV series, not real life.”
“I’m rather a fan of that series,” he said stiffly, but humor sparked his dark eyes.
“I
know
.” After all, we’d spent boring nights watching the damn show. Well, until I managed to distract him, that was.
“You, young pup, will get a cuff over the ear if you do not show more respect for the old classics.”
“That a promise?”
He shook his head, as if in disgust, but the effect was somewhat spoiled by the amusement playing across his lips. “Maybe. But first we need to find out who our followers are, and who hired them.”
“When you promised an exciting time, I wasn’t expecting
this
sort of excitement.”
My voice was dry and, with a smile, he leaned forward and kissed me. I’m sure he meant it to be short and sweet, like all the other kisses we’d shared tonight, but my hormones had had more than enough of
that
. As his lips met mine, I ran a hand through the silk of his hair and lightly clenched a handful at the back of his head to stop him from pulling away. Then I deepened the kiss, taking my time, exploring and tasting and teasing. By the time I released him, we were both breathing heavily.
“The wolf gets her revenge,” he said softly, his breath hot against my lips.
“Only partial revenge. I’ll take the rest of it when we uncover who’s tracking us.”
“I think my plans for the evening are about to go ass up.”
“Totally.” I kissed him again, this time lightly. “Let’s do it.”
“Harry, next side street, stop long enough to let us out. Then continue into the next street and block the road.”
The driver nodded, obviously unfazed.
Tension curled through my limbs as the car began to speed up. Those following us
had
to know they’d been spotted. The mere fact we’d entered an industrial estate would surely have given the game away, let alone this sudden burst of speed.
The driver wrenched the car left into another street then stopped. We scrambled out, barely getting the doors closed again before he was off. Lights pierced the night, lighting up the main road, drawing close fast. I wrapped the shadows around myself and ran for the semi-enclosed doorway of the nearby warehouse. Quinn joined me, squeezing into my shadow-filled corner, his body pressed close and hard against mine. My heart skipped, then began to race. Danger was a very powerful aphrodisiac to a wolf, and the wild part of my soul rose with a vengeance. Desire rushed through me, fueled by his nearness, by the hardness of his erection pressed so invitingly against my groin. And, most of all, by the danger of what we were about to do.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the needs of my body, trying to concentrate on the approaching car. The rumble of the engine was close, so close.
But Quinn was closer still.
I lifted my face and his mouth was there, crushing mine, the kiss deep and hungry and powerful. Everything our kiss in the car had been and more. And oh, so glorious.
The tires squealed as the second car came around the corner, then the engine gunned and the car sped off.
Quinn pushed back immediately. “Let’s go.”
His voice was curt, and I wondered if the source was the tension of the hunt, or anger that he’d responded so strongly to my closeness. He wasn’t a man who liked to lose control. Not in
any
situation.
He was off in an instant, running with the speed of the wind after the car. I followed, staying to the left of the road, barely keeping up with him despite the fact that I had a vampire’s speed.
The car sped around the next corner with us close on its tail. Up ahead, the limo had stopped sideways across the road, as instructed.
The Saab slowed to halt. I stopped, and saw Quinn do the same. There was no movement from inside the car. Indeed, I couldn’t even see the shadowy outline of the driver or the passenger through the darkened windows. The car just sat there, idling quietly.
I glanced across at Quinn, felt the caress of pressure against my psychic shields. I opened the door we’d created between our minds and said,
I’m not getting any feedback from my senses.
Nor I with infrared.
I switched briefly to infrared. He was right. There wasn’t even the faintest hint of blood heat in the confines of the car.
Could they be shielded against it?
Maybe, though I’ve never heard of such a thing. Let’s approach cautiously.
I blew out a breath, then nodded. The closer I got to the car, the more tension curled through my limbs. Still no movement from inside, and definitely no sign or scent of life.
They
had
to be there, somewhere. Had to be hiding. Two people couldn’t just up and disappear without even opening doors.
I edged along the side of the car and wished I’d brought my laser with me. The whole situation would have felt a lot more manageable with a weapon in my hand.
Which just went to show how far along the road I was to full acceptance of becoming a guardian. Once upon a time, not so long ago, I’d sworn that I would never pick up a weapon for the Directorate, let alone use one.
How long would it be before I actually caved in and killed for something other than self-defense or defense of pack?
A shiver ran across my skin. I ignored it and reached for the front door handle. The window was open slightly, allowing a tight-angled but clear view of the inside of the car. Even this close, there didn’t appear to be anyone there. After a quick look at Quinn over the top of the car, I wrenched open the door and stepped back, out of the immediate path of a firing weapon.
I shouldn’t have bothered.
The car was as empty as it had appeared.
Chapter 3
T
hat’s impossible.” I stepped closer and waved a hand through the space of the passenger seat. It met with no resistance. No invisible beings sitting there, then.
“Apparently not, because the car is empty.” He opened the back door and felt inside. His hand, like mine, found no resistance.
He slammed the door shut and the sound echoed across the windswept night. He didn’t say anything, just stood there, his hands on his hips as he studied the nearby buildings and shadows. After a moment, he walked over to the limo.
While he talked to the driver, I grabbed my vid-phone and dialed the Directorate. Jack would undoubtedly still be at the warehouse, but Salliane, the vamp who’d taken my place as a guardian liaison and Jack’s main assistant, was on duty.
“Sal, it’s Riley Jenson,” I said, when her dusky features came online. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“That depends.” Her husky voice was reserved, as it usually was whenever she was talking to me. “On whether you can be bothered using my real name or not.”
I rolled my eyes. Vampires—even the ones that washed—could be fucking annoying at times. But as far as battles of wills went, this was one I was willing to cede. Though what her damn problem with me was I had no idea. And Jack was no help—he kept insisting I was imagining things.
Which was just more evidence to support my theory that he was in lust with his caramel-haired liaison.
“Salliane, I need you to do me a favor.”
“What?”
The glint in her brown eyes was evident, even down the phone line. She liked the fact I’d backed away. Enjoy the moment, cow, because it sure as hell won’t be happening again.
“I need a plate traced.” I gave her the details.
“This guardian business?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll check with Jack.”
Not just a cow, but a bitch as well. “Fine. Just trace the plate.”
“Hang on.”
I did, my gaze moving to Quinn, watching as he turned to study a small alley to the right of the limo.
Sal came back online. “It’s registered to a Karen Herbert.”
“You want to do a background check on her for me?”
“You sure this is Directorate business?”
“Yes,” I said, even as I was thinking, Just do it, bitch. But I wisely held my tongue.
“I’ll see what I can find and give you a call back.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up and called Jack immediately, but got switched to voice mail. Maybe the cow had him on speed dial. I left a message telling him why I’d asked for the trace and the background check, then hung up and walked across to Quinn. “The car belongs to a Karen Herbert. She’s not a disgruntled ex-girlfriend, is she?”
“Never heard of her.”
Didn’t think the answer was going to be
that
easy. I glanced at the alley he was continuing to study. Something scratched at my senses—a presence that was there, and yet not. Which didn’t exactly make sense. I frowned and looked at Quinn again. “So who wants to kill you now?”
He smiled at that. “I’m a very successful, often ruthless businessman, and a vampire besides. Those two alone give me more enemies than most.”
“It would be helpful if you could narrow the field a little.”
He glanced at me, eyes again obsidian stone, in which there was no life, no warmth. He suspected someone, that much was obvious. But he wasn’t about to tell me, and I had to wonder why. He might have a trunk-load of secrets that he chose to keep, but this
shouldn’t
have been one of them. I had the right to know, simply because I was now involved.
But all he said was “Something hides in that alley.”
It drew my attention away from him again, as he’d undoubtedly intended. My senses crawled outward, and the sensation of being watched by something indefinable increased, until my stomach flip-flopped in reaction. “What is it?”
My voice was a whisper, and he answered in kind. “A presence I haven’t felt in centuries.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What sort of presence?”
He shook his head. “Wait here.”
I caught his arm, halting him as he stepped away. “You can’t go in there alone.”
“I must. He will not speak if you are with me.”
“Why not?”
He touched my face briefly, his fingers so warm against my suddenly chilled skin. “Just trust me, and stay here.”
I did trust him. I was just afraid for him, and besides, two was always better than one when in a fight—a fact I knew too well after a childhood of misadventures.
I crossed my arms and watched as he walked into the alleyway. The shadows wrapped around him as gently as a lover, whisking him from sight. He wasn’t even visible through infrared. And it took every ounce of will I had to remain near the car, to wait as he’d asked. To trust that he knew what he was doing.
Which he did, of course. You didn’t get to be over twelve hundred years old without gaining more than a little common sense. Not to mention some usable fighting skills.
After a while, the wind died down again and the night grew colder. Within minutes of that, it began to rain—not as hard as before, but rain was rain.
I shivered and rubbed my arms, torn between the need to charge into the alley and see what was taking so long and the desire to get into the limo and out of the weather. I’d just about decided on the former, when Quinn walked out of the alley.
He was whole and unhurt, and relief swept through me. But it only lasted a second, because his anger hit me, the force of it a tidal wave that crashed over my defenses and left me struggling for air.
“Quinn,” I somehow managed to gasp.
The wave of emotion stopped immediately. “Sorry.”