Phoenix Fallen (22 page)

In the backseat, Toby had started to cry, but his little voice was clear. "You leave my mama alone!"

Daimen raised his eyebrows in amusement as his eyes moved from the boy and back to Scott. Fannie just sat there, her eyes wide and startled. As if she couldn't quite process what was happening. Scott took a deep breath, his own thinking hard and crystal clear.

"Hush, buddy.
Daddy's got this
. Not a chance, Cross. This gun is loaded with that mojo juice you left at the trailer." Both Scott's voice and his aim were perfectly steady as he lied.

It was true that he had mulled the option over as soon as he heard about the stuff from Jules, though he wasn't sure Miles would be on board with it. It was only an unrealized idea that had teased the back of his mind a couple of times, nothing anywhere close to reality.

But it had the desired effect. Cross looked suddenly wary. His eyes flicked back and forth from Scott to Toby and back again. And then he smiled. Scott felt a chill skate hard down his spine.

Daimen shook his head almost mournfully. "Well, if you insist." He raised his voice just a hair, his accent going rich and thick as cream.

So enticing, so compelling
.

Both Scott and Fannie shivered, but Cross's words weren't aimed at them. "Hey,
bebette,
why don't you go on outside and play while me and your folks talk? You know where. Go on now."

Scott's jaw twitched with the effort of keeping his eyes on Cross even as he saw Fannie's gaze widen. She turned to the backseat, ignoring the gun at her head. "Toby! Don’t you dare! Baby…
no!"

The sound of the car door opening and closing was loud in Scott's ears, even over Fannie's sob.

"Now that it's just us grown-ups…" Cross smiled as he reached forward and played idly with a lock of Fannie's hair.

Scott's heart pounded. His neck ached to turn to see where his son was.

"You know, I watched you and this one the other night,
para.
Before our little tête-à-tête in the woods. I watched you fuck her senseless while I thought about killing you both. It would have been easy. You were both rather distracted." He leaned over and sniffed at Fannie's neck while his gaze bored into Scott's, whose fingers tightened on the gun in his hands in a mixture of rage and fear and revulsion. "But then was not the time. This is so much better, because I get to give you a choice. You know what I can do, but perhaps you need a more personal demonstration this time, eh?" He smiled when Scott's hand shook ever so slightly. "I told junior to hop on that there railing and go for a walk. He's a very good little boy, isn't he? So
obedient."

Fannie whimpered. Daimen pressed a finger to her lips, still looking at Scott.

"He's okay at the moment, but I'm
just
about to tell him how
super
fun it would be to jump. To just stretch his hands out and see if he can fly. Let's see if he can, what do you say?"

Daimen's eyes glittered as Scott felt the sting of sweat running down his temple. He blinked.

"Come on,
para,
put that gun down right now. You're licked, just like you were licked in the woods. Unless you want to get messy? I have plans for your bitch, but I can speed things up if you insist." He pressed the gun harder into Fannie's skull.

Shit. Scott thought.
Shit, no.

Fannie's eyes met his. Her voice eased into his mind, soft and sure.
You know who you gotta save, baby.

No, goddamnit.

No, Fan!
I can save you both,
he thought at her, desperate, not caring that it was another lie.

She smiled, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"For godsake folks, I have a schedule to keep! Who ya gonna choose, eh? Your brat or your bitch?
Ahh,"
Daimen smiled as Fannie's weight shifted. Cross's fist sank into her hair as he moved the gun to her temple and winked at Scott.

"Guess you don't get make the choice, after all."

Fannie pressed two fingers to her lips as the vampire yanked her out of the car. She kissed them as tears ran down her cheeks. Held them out to Scott and blew softly.

Don't you do that! Don't you fucking say goodbye to me, woman. Jules is coming, we'll be following, we'll be…

Her presence in his head was already retreating. Scott darted out of his own door, desperate to keep the pair in sight. Fannie's terrified cry cut through the night.

"No, don't,
please!
I'm coming with you…please
don't!"
She screamed as Cross dragged her back to the SUV, laughing all the while as he aimed a satisified smirk at something behind Scott.

Scott whirled to see his son hopping on the high, narrow railing of the bridge like a marionette controlled by unseen strings, jumping higher and higher. His little face blank and serene as he tottered over the abyss below. Scott ran with his wife's screams in his ears; it was only a few feet, just a couple body lengths…

He was there in seconds. His hands reached out, dropping the gun without conscious thought, hearing the clink as it hit the grating under him. His fingers brushed one small black-and-red sneaker, closing on the soft rubbery heel, his other hand reaching for the back of the tiny Bears windbreaker…

And Toby fell. Right through his hands, straight to the train tracks thirty feet below.

Jules had his phone pressed so tightly to his ear it hurt. But no more sounds came after that last cry and the roar of a big motor. Fannie must have dropped her cell. But he didn't want to break the connection, hoping Scott at least would come back on. But there was nothing.

The sounds and screams that had made him run from his position greeting people at the door downstairs all the way back upstairs to the ballroom had faded to nothing but static and whistling wind.

Jules had heard everything, seeing it play out in his mind's eye like a godawful movie that you can't stop.  He cut in front of the college president chatting somewhat nervously with Miles and Kelsey.

"Cross has Fannie. And I think he hurt Toby. Miles, can you get someone to the Seventh Street overpass, over in Greeley Park?"

Kelsey gasped. Miles stepped aside without a word, reaching for his phone as he turned his back to the man who was looking at them all with his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish.

"Kelsey, you know Fannie's essence well enough to track her, right?"

"Absolutely." She immediately closed her eyes, taking deep, slow breaths, her fingers lightly cupping her own temples.

Jules ignored her, having seen this a hundred times. His eyes scanned the room, catching the glimmering fall of sleek black hair across the room. "Mags!"

Foley glanced his way in surprise, a glass of wine at her lips. She was at the bar with Dustin and for some odd reason, Rissa's sax player, Benny; but when Mags' eyes met his, she let her drink fall from her fingers. She slipped through the crowd like quicksilver, next to him in seconds.

"It’s Cross, isn't it?"

"Yes. We could use another elemental here. Or maybe even better, a shade." Phoenix only had one of those besides Kelsey and Jules himself. "Is Alicide around?"

"No. He had a thing. Something with his parents. Pack shit." This was from Dustin, who had trailed Mags, his white tux splattered with her wine, the scarlet stains mesmerizing Jules as horrific images played in his head. He shook himself hard, trying to focus.

"Gordy?"

Another negative head-shake. "He's fishing in Wisconsin. Won't be back until September. It's summer, boss man. A lot of our best people are out. Bri, Nolan and Carter, all gone." Most of the paras hated these shindigs, which they felt, not unreasonably, put them on display like animals at a zoo. Phoenix Inc. emptied like clockwork every third week in August. Dustin was giving him a desperate look. "What can I do?"

"I'm not sure yet… Where's Rissa?" Jules glanced at Benny, who had followed the other two. He'd seen her come in at the door, of course, but he needed to know she was still here, still safe…

"She's upstairs with—"

"He's headed out of town." Kelsey interrupted. "Cross. He's on the 55. Fannie is in the front seat, and I can see the river—"

"She's alive then." Jules didn't want to make it a question, but Kelsey nodded anyway.

"Yes. For now. He has a gun. Not that he needs one, but Jules… I'm really scared."

Miles came up behind her, his arm sliding around her waist, his chin resting on her head as he stared over her at Jules.

"Whatever you need, I can get, but it will take time." Jules understood that look. Too much time. Fannie didn't have that kind of time. They would have to make do.

Just then Rissa came walking down the open staircase, that flame-colored hair drawing his harried gaze. She gave a half smile when his eyes met hers, then her face went still as she studied him, that icy-blue gaze growing sharp.

Jules closed his eyes briefly, turning away.
"Kelsey?"
He snapped.

"I don't know, Jules! You know I can't anticipate, not even if I had a lock on him, and I don't. Only her and she has no idea where he's going."

"Yea." He scrubbed his face as honeysuckle tickled his nose. "Yea. Sorry, Kels…"

"Who is it?" Rissa's voice, soft and low. At his shoulder. Kelsey answered before he could.

"Fannie."

Rissa's hand was at her mouth when he turned, but he ignored her. He needed info. He needed to get the hell out of here and get going. But
where,
damnit?

"Let's get out of here. Can you get lock on Scott? Get a visual at least? Maybe he has some idea where the son of a bitch is going." Jules started to walk away. Miles's contacts hadn't had time to get there yet but maybe…

Kelsey let out a sharp cry. Jules whipped back around to see her swaying. Miles grabbed her, pulling her close before she could sink to the floor. "Breathe,
mon petit trésor.
Breathe and tell us what you felt."

"Scott,
Toby
….oh god, Jules. Scott is at the bottom of an huge overpass. He's with Toby and…Toby isn't moving, I don't think he's even breathing. And the only thing I can feel from Scott is despair. He thinks Toby is dead." She buried her face in Miles' chest. The blonde vamp stared at Jules as everyone around them faded away. The world seemed to tilt beneath him, everything falling away into a vast void, silent and white.

No. Toby couldn't be…lights flashed at the edges of his vision. He remembered holding that tiny baby in his hands, less than an hour after Fan had delivered him. So small then, he fit in one damn hand and Tish in the other. Toby had always been the smaller twin, second born. The one who struggled. Stayed a week longer in the hospital than his sister. Took longer to walk, to talk. To do most everything.

Yeah, Toby didn't have Tish's fire, but he was a stubborn little shit. He'd worked on that lisp of his like a trooper, weekly visits with a speech therapist for a solid year and never whined or complained once.

Jules could feel those little hands pulling at his leg, wrapped around his neck, the laughter in his ears…

Jesus.
He couldn't fucking breathe.

There was a cool hand on his arm, then one at his jaw. Silky fingers, coaxing him back to himself. Inch by inch.

"Jules. Be easy." That suede-smooth voice, rich and soft like the fingers on his skin. "Come on, big guy, don't give up hope."

Jules blinked and everyone came back into focus with a painful clarity. Colors, sound. Raw and loud and too bright. It all hurt. But Rissa was right, he couldn't give up hope.
No way.

Miles meet his eyes with a depth of concern Jules had never believed the man capable of, then tilted back Kelsey's head to look down at her.

"Davidson may believe his son is dead or dying,
mon coeur,
but that does not make it so,
oui?
He is no doubt in shock and not thinking clearly. My people are nearly on scene, they will get him immediate care. Both of them.
The best.
You two must push this aside for now." Miles looked around at the strained faces surrounding them. "We all must. It is Fannie and Cross we must worry about now."

"Miles is right." Jules looked at Rissa, at her hands on him. She'd pulled him back from the edge once again. He reached out and captured her hands in his. Needing to feel her, just for a little longer.

An odd sensation curled around his chest as he stood there. And suddenly, looking into Rissa's eyes, he
knew
where Cross was going. "I don't know why, but I think he's going to Phoenix. In fact…I'm sure of it."

Rissa gave a quick nod, understanding lighting her face. "I think you're right. He knows who you are now, he must. And that would be his style. To taint all the most important things in your life…it's what he does." There was an awful well of knowledge in her quiet gaze.

"I want to come with you." Her voice was soft and almost pleading. It tugged at his heart, almost as much as those bright blue eyes.

"No." He shook his head once, pushing her away, not harshly, but firmly. "No, Rissa."

"We'll be right behind you." Miles said. "Wait at the turn off and we'll all go in together." Jules nodded shortly and walked away, not seeing Rissa's face crumple.

Rissa watched him go, her eyes burning. As soon as he was out of sight, her head bowed for one moment. She could hear the murmurs of the others behind her. All of them getting ready to go, to follow Jules….

"I
am
coming." Rissa whirled to face Miles, her fists clenched at her sides. The Frenchman blinked once.

"Jules would not like it," he said slowly.

"I know Daimen better than all of you. I can help, I know I can!"

"Let her come, Miles." Kelsey's words were clipped. "She's right. Para powers or not, she's been inside that monster's mind. She knows how he thinks. We may need that."

Mile only shrugged and turned back to the others.

Rissa gave Kelsey a grateful look but the other woman had closed her eyes again. Trying to link to Fannie again. To pinpoint her exact location on the Phoenix grounds. If that was indeed where Daimen was headed. But as Rissa had said to Jules, she thought it was.

Daimen must know who he was up against now. Not just some swamp brat, not just the lover of his former plaything. He knew who Jules
really
was. And he was bringing it home in the most personal of ways.

Right to their front door if she knew the bastard. Just like he'd done to her when he went back for her sister. Daimen knew how to cut the heart right out of you. He was going to try and kill Fannie because Fannie was Jules' friend, and he was going to try and do it at the company Jules had created. The boy who never should have lived at all was going to be punished and once Daimen considered him properly crushed, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

Less than five minutes later, Miles, Kelsey and Rissa were in Dustin's SUV. Dustin and Mags had been left behind to keep some semblance of normalcy at the party, though rumors were already flying. Heads had turned and whispers followed them out the doors. Miles had teams in route from where Scott had been to Phoenix, but they would be twenty or so minutes behind.

The dark flew past the windows as Miles drove. But all Rissa could think was faster, faster. She didn't want Jules alone with Daimen, not that she thought her sire was necessarily a match for Jules…in fact he'd get one hell of a shock if he was expecting a normal newbie vampire. But if he was able to use his powers on Jules…

Rissa shook off the thought. Jules had some shielding, he'd said so himself and grabbing control wasn't something Daimen did well if he was distracted.

She leaned her head against the cool window. It would be okay, they would get there in time and somehow save Fannie, just like they had all saved her, it would—

Bright lights seared across Rissa's vision, hot and blinding as something slammed broadside into the SUV. Everything flew to pieces as the world screamed around her.

Her whole body was listing to the side when Rissa came to. Everything felt canted, off. The smell of gasoline and blood filled her nose. There was a sharp noise. Her face stung. Once.

Then again.

Ouch!

"Wake up, Rissa! We have to get you out of there, now."

Rissa blinked stupidly. Kelsey's face wavered out of focus in front of her, then sharpened. She was on her hands and knees outside Rissa's crumpled door. There was a knife in her hand. Kelsey reached up and sliced through the seatbelt and Rissa rolled out onto damp grass and shattered glass. Rissa shook her head, still feeling dazed.  Kelsey stood up and then extended a hand to help Rissa to her feet.

"Somebody T-boned us. On purpose." She nodded as Rissa's head whipped up, her voice going hard. "They were waiting for us. Cross planned better this time. But not good enough." Her sweet face went savage. "There was a bunch of vamps in the car that hit us. Four or five." She gave Rissa a fierce look. "That's not nearly enough."

So that's where Miles was. She turned and looked around. Fog was rolling in from the unseen lake, thick and gray, blotting out the hills, erasing the world around them bit by bit. Leaving her and Kelsey alone in a slowly shrinking dark circle.

Without speaking the two woman moved closer together. The temperature seemed to have dropped twenty degrees since they'd left the city. The chill pressed against Rissa's bare arms. She looked down at her dress, the layers of silk and tulle and glittering beads and resisted a mad urge to laugh. Had they really been at a ball only a half hour before?

A scream tore out of the night, silenced after a couple of seconds. There was a grating screech of metal from the other side of the overturned vehicle and both woman startled. Rissa whipped her head around to look and then back as laughter rang seemingly right in her ear.

"What…" Her eyes went wide as the words died in her throat. Kelsey was gone. Fog and night pressed in around her, black velvet and tattered grey wool. Fear trickled down her back in icy rivulets.

Then she made out a figure through the heavy mist, a flash of blond hair. Miles? She slumped in relief.

But no, the hair was too long and bright and golden…and
familiar?

"Come on, Riss-Riss. Come and play with me."