Secrets in the Shadows (27 page)

“I guess I’m just in too deep to run away now,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Besides, I don’t work for the Guardians, and my personal opinion of Eli is that he’s a life form slightly below pond scum. Hell, I might even volunteer to help you kick his ass.”

Once again, Gabriel laughed, as he seemed to do so often when she spoke. She figured that was probably a good thing. Jules was scowling darkly but didn’t say a word to contradict her.

Gabe made himself at home, wandering around the room, eyes roving. When he caught sight of the map Hannah had left out, she wanted to slap herself silly. The only thing they’d had on their side had been time, and she would have preferred Gabriel have no idea she’d been researching Ian’s location on her own. Unfortunately, there was approximately zero chance he’d believe any cover story she could think of to explain the markings on that map.

“You’ve been busy,” he said, picking up the map and examining it.

Jules muttered something under his breath and shook his head.

“Sorry,” she mouthed at him.

“You seem to have narrowed the search down to this area,” Gabriel said, tracing the circle with the tip of his finger. “How?”

She supposed there was no point in lying. “I looked for clusters of unexplained disappearances. I figured twelve fledgling Killers would leave a pretty recognizable footprint.”

The corners of Gabriel’s mouth tightened. “How true. Squires is the worst kind of fool. No one with an iota of sense would create that many fledglings at one time even in the shelter of a big city. Out in the country like that …” He shook his head in evident disgust. “He’s sure to draw attention to himself from mortal authorities. There’s a reason my mother doesn’t keep a legion of fledglings at her beck and call. The last thing we need is to have mortals believing in vampires.”

Hannah didn’t like the sound of that, and from the expression on Jules’s face, neither did he.

Gabriel dismissed their concerns with a wave of his hand. “I didn’t mean that as a threat to you,” he told Hannah. “You are one mortal out of millions. But if those millions should start believing in us, we would be extinct in no time.”

Despite her fondness for Jules, Hannah wasn’t sure that would be such a bad thing. She suspected that for every Jules in this world, there were a hundred or more Gabriels.

“This is good work,” he continued, nodding approvingly at the map. “We’ll have to take a drive out into the country. If we cover the area methodically, I ought to be able to sense Ian and his fledglings.” He smiled one of his especially chilling smiles. “I so look forward to seeing my old friend again.”

“You promised me a clean kill, remember?” Jules said, though sitting on the bed with the covers wrapped around his hips, he didn’t convey much of a sense of authority.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Why this insistence on a clean kill? Why would you not want Ian to suffer after all that he’s done? It would only be justice.” He locked gazes with Jules, and a silent battle of wills ensued.

Afraid of what Jules might decide to say—and of how Gabe might react to it—Hannah decided to answer for him.

“Because he’s not a sadist.” Like you. The unspoken words hung in the air between them as Jules and Gabe broke off their staring contest.

Gabriel looked amused by the silent accusation. Certainly, he saw no need to contradict it.

“I must feed so that I’ll be at top strength,” he said. “Be ready to leave within the hour.”

Hannah’s stomach flip-flopped as she realized someone was going to die soon at Gabriel’s hands. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.

“If you have any silly notions about running away while I’m gone,” Gabriel continued, “I should point out that when I retrieved your car from the impound lot, I fitted it with a GPS tracking device.” He smiled smugly. “That’s how I found you at the Roach Motel. You can search for it, but by the time you find it it’ll be too late.” He looked at Jules. “If I have to come chasing after you, I’ll have Hannah for dessert while you watch.”

Jules’s hands clenched into fists, and a muscle ticked in his jaw, but he didn’t respond. Gabriel nodded, satisfied with himself, then left the room.

“He probably wouldn’t do it,” Hannah said, staring at the door through which he’d exited. “I think he kinda likes me.” Gabe wasn’t exactly what she’d call a good guy, but she had a definite sense that he followed some code of honor. Of course, not being certain what that code was, she wasn’t eager to test him.

Jules swept the covers aside and headed for the bathroom. “We’re not going to find out,” he said with finality.

Once upon a time, his tone would have sparked her to argue just for the sake of arguing. She wasn’t sure her uncharacteristic acquiescence was an improvement.

***

The door to Drake’s room opened shortly after sundown. He’d been awake for almost an hour, pacing the length of the room, trying the door once or twice just to make sure someone hadn’t unlocked it without his noticing. Apparently, Eli’d had no success talking Camille into releasing him. Not a good sign at all. He’d tried a couple of times to eke one more call out of his cell phone, to let Jules and Hannah know what was going on, but the battery refused to cooperate.

He stopped in mid-pace when Camille stepped into his guestroom-cum-prison-cell. No elegant opera dress for her tonight. No, tonight she meant business. A finely tailored, pinstriped pants suit clung appealingly to her curves, and her hair was swept up into a tight bun at the base of her neck. Even her makeup was understated, though no less perfect than usual.

“You will find my son and his fledglings for me,” she said when she stepped into the room.

“Excuse me?” It wasn’t exactly what he’d expected to hear from her.

“You work for the Guardians. You’re an expert at tracking down Killers. My son may have been subtle about his own kills, but fledglings have little self-control. Wherever they’re hiding, they will have left evidence. Find that evidence for me. Find Gabriel.”

“What about my friends?” he asked quietly. “I thought you wanted me to find them and—”

“Find Gabriel.” She stepped closer to him, baring her fangs, her eyes glowing with a hint of madness. “When you find him for me, I’ll set you free and you can do whatever you want. Search for your friends. Go home. It doesn’t matter to me. But until then, you’ll do as I command or I’ll send you back to Eli in bite-sized pieces.”

He held up his hands in surrender. What did he care if Camille and her son fought to the death? As long as he could get out of this house, he’d be happy to hand Gabriel—or whoever the maker of those fledglings was—over to her.

“Do you have a computer with Internet access I can use?” he asked.

The blandness of his tone seemed to calm her some. She retracted her fangs and took a step backward. “Of course. This way.”

She turned on her heel and strode out of the room. Drake had to hurry to keep up. Below, he sensed the presence of eight vampires and realized Camille had called her fledglings to her. She must be worried about another attack. Any faint hope he’d harbored of escaping the house died. He wasn’t getting out of here unless Camille set him free.

She led him to a surprisingly Spartan office, considering the opulence of the rest of the house. She gestured him into the chair in front of her computer, then hovered over his shoulder. He bit his tongue to suppress the urge to tell her to give him some space. He suspected it would take only the slightest of provocation to inspire her to a fit of fury such as she’d demonstrated last night.

Trying to ignore the dangerous, unstable creature who lurked behind him, he started searching the local newspapers for clues.

***

Things were happening way too fast for Jules’s taste. He’d hoped to have another couple of days to plot strategy, to figure out how he and Hannah were going to get out of town without betraying the Guardians. He cast a surreptitious glance at Hannah as they nervously waited for Gabriel to show up again. Jules might have believed in his ability to withstand Gabriel’s interrogation methods, except that Gabriel so clearly knew how to get to him. All he had to do was threaten Hannah, and Jules knew he’d do anything the bastard wanted. If only Hannah had kept driving last night!

It was when Hannah tucked her gun into the pocket of her coat that he realized what he had to do.

“May I have the gun please?” he asked quietly.

She blinked at him. “Why?”

Of course he should never expect Hannah to comply without an interrogation. “Come sit down,” he said, patting the bed beside him.

He could only describe the look on her face as suspicious. But she came to sit by him anyway. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like this,” she said.

He managed a faint smile. “I have to admit, I don’t much like it myself. However …” His voice trailed off. He wished he had a better alternative to offer, but a sense of doom hovered over him.

“What is it, Jules? You’re scaring me.”

He swallowed hard, then forced himself to look at her. From the pallor of her face and the worry in her eyes, he suspected she knew what he was about to say.

“If we can’t get out of this somehow,” he said, “Gabriel’s going to interrogate me. And I have a feeling that with five hundred years of experience, he’ll know how to break me. I can’t betray the Guardians, Hannah. No matter what my differences with Eli.”

“So you want the gun … why?”

“Are you going to make me spell it out for you?”

She shook her head and looked away. “There has to be some other way. Gabe is powerful, but he isn’t omnipotent.”

“He might as well be, where we’re concerned.”

“We’ll find a way,” she insisted. “And I’m keeping the gun.”

Impossible female! “I can take it from you by force.”

“You do and I’ll tell Gabe you have it.”

He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her till her teeth rattled. Somehow, he resisted the urge. “Don’t take away my one and only chance to do the honorable thing.”

“Call me a hopeless optimist, but I’m not buying the ‘one and only chance’ thing. If all else fails, I’ll give you the gun. But for now, it’s mine.”

“By the time you’ve decided all else has failed, it’ll be too late!”

“The subject is closed. And don’t think I’m making an empty threat. I will tell him if you take the gun.”

He suspected she meant it. She’d do it for his own good, of course, to stop him from shooting himself. But it meant that taking the gun from her wasn’t an option after all. He considered telling her exactly what he thought about stubborn, foolish, willful females, but a knock on the door interrupted him before he got started. Giving up on talking sense into Hannah, he went to the door to let Gabriel in.

There was a noticeable flush to the older vampire’s cheeks. Jules gritted his teeth, hating the knowledge that some poor fool had just died and he’d done nothing to prevent it. One corner of Gabriel’s mouth rose in a sneer. Then he licked his lips, and it was all Jules could do not to attack.

Gabriel chuckled, his amusement just another irritant. Jules supposed he’d learned a little self-control over the last couple of days or he’d be at the bastard’s throat right now.

“You might want to step aside just now,” Gabriel said, smiling. When Jules didn’t immediately obey, Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder and gave a little push.

It wasn’t until that moment that Jules realized Hannah had her gun out and was pointing it at Gabriel’s head.

What the hell did the damn fool woman think she was doing? Gabriel’s glamour would never allow her to pull the trigger.

Gabriel smiled even more broadly, spreading his hands and taking a step closer to her. “Go ahead and shoot me, my dear.”

The gun wavered, and Jules realized that Hannah wasn’t under the influence of glamour. His heart pounded as he silently urged her to pull the trigger and get them out of this mess.

“You couldn’t shoot Ian when you had the chance,” Gabriel continued. “What makes you think you can shoot me?”

She forced a grin that looked more like a grimace. “Keep goading me. That’ll make it easier.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not the type to commit murder. No matter what I am, no matter what I’ve done.” He flicked a glance over at Jules. “Besides, without my protection, Ian would make short work of your lover.”

“I’m sure with you out of the way, I’d be able to talk Jules into giving up the vendetta.”

Gabriel shook his head, his smile fading away. “We’re wasting time. Put the gun down and let’s take a ride to the country.”

Why wasn’t the prick using his glamour? This whole standoff could have been finished before it even started.

Hannah was wavering, indecision clear in her eyes. Surely she had to know Gabriel could stop her if he wanted to. Gabriel took another step toward her. Jules wanted to go to her, shield her somehow, but Gabriel’s glamour froze him in place.

Her finger flexed on the trigger, but still she didn’t shoot.

Moving slowly, Gabriel reached out and put his hand on her arms, pushing downward until she lowered the gun. His smile when she did so was surprisingly gentle.

“It’s not a bad thing that you can’t shoot someone in cold blood,” he said.

“It is when that someone is you,” she grumbled, shoving the gun into her coat pocket.

He laughed and released Jules from his glamour.

“You’re found yourself a remarkable woman, Guardian,” Gabriel said. “I suggest you take good care of her. Now, let’s go.” He turned toward the door, beckoning them to follow.

Jules met Hannah’s gaze and shook his head, though relief coursed through his system. Thank God Gabriel hadn’t decided to punish Hannah for her nerve. He could only hope Gabriel’s apparent fondness for her meant that when the final showdown came, he would leave her out of it.

Slinging his arm around her shoulders, Jules followed Gabriel out the door.

They decided to begin their search in the town of Fallston, which was just inside the circle Hannah had drawn on the map. The ride from Baltimore seemed to take about three hours, though with the streets deserted at this late hour Hannah was sure it wasn’t more than about thirty minutes. Jules sat beside her in the passenger seat, the map spread across his lap as he plotted their zig-zagging course. Gabriel sat in the back seat, his eyes closed as he concentrated on his psychic search. His range stretched over a couple of miles, which seemed like a long way until you considered how much ground they had to cover.