Shadows of Fire (5 page)

The
how and why of his—or her—motivation remained unclear. They still had no idea
if it was a vamp or human targeting immortals hiding in the mountains. Though
it seemed unreasonable to think humans could have discovered the vampire world after
hundreds of years, Reese wasn’t ruling out the possibility. After all, the
professor had known of their existence.

Though
he didn’t expect anyone to be looking over his shoulder, Reese took a quick
glance around before lifting a heavy beam with ease and moving it off of a file
cabinet next to the scorched roll-top desk. Only Josh, Timmons and he were left
to finish sifting through the mansion with the fire marshal. The rest of the
guys had been called to a fatal car fire over an hour ago.

Just
as well, he and Josh needed time to figure out what had triggered the
professor’s murder. His body had been found and transported to the mortuary. No
one expected the autopsy to turn up any new information. There was no doubt Paul
Morgan had died from smoke inhalation and been burned. But he’d been working with
the tribunal for several years, so why eliminate Paul
now
?

The
only thing clear was the fact that the number of fires and executions of humans
and vamps in the area was increasing exponentially. If they could discover how
the web of clues connected all the fires, no doubt the information would lead
them to solving who was behind the heinous crimes. But at this point they
couldn’t seem to get ahead of the hell that had descended on their quaint town.

Reese
slid open the file cabinet drawer at his feet, finding only ash. The papers had
combusted in the high heat. Though he hadn’t expected anything more,
frustration lashed out in the form of boot to metal. The singed cabinet flew
several feet before settling next to the melted bed mattress.

“Not
a smart move, Colton.”

Josh
stood at what was left of the doorway, peering into the room, his half-smile
further irritating Reese.

“Fuck
you, Burkett.”

“Thanks
for the offer, but I prefer Hope’s soft curves to your ugly mug.” Josh stepped
into the space and looked around. “Find anything up here?”

“Nothing
obvious. You?”

“You
saw the artifacts downstairs, but nothing that screamed,
‘I’m your answer’
.
I suspect if it was our guy, they took whatever they were looking for or simply
burned any evidence in the office.”

It
had been Josh who’d recruited Reese five decades ago into the underground
vampire military operation. The
Rogue Investigative Seizure and Elimination
Network
, better known as
RISEN
, had been formed in the United States
by the vampire tribunal during prohibition. Their existence was highly
classified.

RISEN
kept a presence everywhere vampires congregated. The acronym was tongue and
cheek, but their mission was dead serious. RISEN worked to help vampires blend
in with the human population and when necessary, control rogues who broke the
unwritten codes set forth by the vampire tribunal. Not the least of which was
learning to live on animal blood or feeding without killing or turning mortals
into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Reese himself hadn’t touched human
blood since joining the RISEN ranks.

It
was Glenn Karr who had alerted the tribunal a little over a year ago to the
number of vampire deaths occurring in the California mountains. Their bodies
had been burned beyond recognition, in fires that had all been ruled
accidental. There weren’t many ways to kill an immortal, but searing the flesh
from their bones certainly guaranteed a final end. The tribunal had acted
immediately, planting Josh and Reese in the local fire department in hopes of
getting closer to any evidence that would bring down the murderer.

Reese
had been happy to answer the call. Glenn Karr was a hero to many. Well known
throughout the vampire population as a kind and gentle mentor, he’d been there
for Reese in the late eighteenth century. Pulled into a swamp and gorged on by
several vampires, Reese had been near death when Glenn fought them off and took
him back to his cabin. It had been Glenn’s own blood that pulled Reese from the
arms of death into immortality. And though the years had been dragging
recently, Reese was mostly satisfied with his life now that he was doing
something worthwhile for RISEN.

But
Josh and Reese hadn’t discovered any new information and RISEN had thrown Ronan
Nason, a new recruit, into the mix six months ago. With his chemistry
background, it had only made sense to put him undercover at the university
working with the professor and Alex.

Alex.
No doubt the
woman would be devastated by the professor’s death. The two of them had been
working for years to perfect the blood wine vampires in town had come to depend
upon. Derived from the blood of pigs that Glenn raised, the three of them were
close to mass producing the product. The tribunal had great hopes it would be
the answer to human blood consumption for the entire vampire population.

“Fire
marshal come to any conclusions?” Reese asked.

Josh
searched the desk, but apparently found nothing. “Accidental, like the others.
Coroner’s got the body now. Preliminary findings indicate the professor
stumbled and hit his head. The fire definitely ignited from the fireplace in
the office either before or after the man passed out. They suspect he may have
been trying to extinguish it when he hit his head.”

Reese
looked at Josh knowingly. This fire had been set deliberately, but without
evidence of an accelerant, the fire marshal would believe it was nothing more
than an accidental death like all the others that were still considered suspect
and under investigation by RISEN.

“Is
there a computer?” Reese asked.

“Melted.
I’m sure there’s no way to recover the hard drive. They’ll be back to collect
it regardless. You know, make sure it’s totally hopeless.”

“Another
big, fat nothing.” Josh stepped over the debris littering the floor. “Looks
like we’re finished here.”

Reese
stole a look at the eastern horizon. “I’m not really interested in getting
caught here when the sun comes up. Not good for my complexion.” He slapped Josh
on the back as they made their way down the stairs and back to the station.

Chapter
Three

Alex
led Ronan down the stairs of O’Malley’s Tavern into the private wine cellars.
Her legs trembled with exhaustion, her head fuzzy from the restless night that
had passed. Normally her mornings off from the university were spent
reconciling the night’s receipts and restocking the bar, perfect activities for
a woman on the brink of collapsing. But when Glenn called before dawn saying
something had come up unexpectedly, it left Alex responsible for this morning’s
appointments. Just as well. She needed to stay busy to keep her mind off her
new reality.

A
fire. The death of a colleague. Research gone forever.

Alex
had no doubt her payment for keeping secrets was coming due and collection had
already begun.

“Aye,
I’m pleased I get to see your operation.” The heavy brogue of Ronan’s native
land pulled Alex from her depressing thoughts. “I didn’t know until recently the
wine you brought to work was made and bottled here at the tavern.” The lilting
tone of the vampire’s speech settled her twitchy nerves. “How long has
O’Malley’s been providing for the vampire population?” He asked innocently,
dragging a well-manicured nail across the stones of the foundation.

As
if he had drawn it across her skin, a shiver sped up her spine, leaving goose-flesh
in its wake. Alex mentally shook off his hypnotic hold and unlocked the heavy
wooden door. This man was not interested in her, only the product she had to
sell. “The blood wine has only been available to the general population for the
last few years. It’s a closely guarded secret. There are few who actually know
the blood base comes from Glenn’s pigs. It wasn’t until the tribunal caught
wind of it that we really needed to step up production.” The metallic smell of
rusted metal and damp wood replaced the heady odor of Ronan’s spicy cologne.
Alex took a great gulp and refocused. “Glenn and I worked on it for decades
before we even thought of offering it to the vampires in the area.”

“So,
you let all your customers pick up their product here?”

She
laughed. “Hardly. There are only a few vampires we trust with the location.”
She pulled the chain on the low-wattage bulb hanging naked from the ceiling.
Its weak light chased away the darkness but not the shadows. Normally, Alex
enjoyed the damp quiet of the cellar, but something about being alone with
Ronan seemed a bit reckless. “They pick it up weekly and distribute the wine
out to the community. I shudder to think what could happen if everyone knew we
made and bottled it here in the cellars.”

“Then
I feel quite privileged.” Ronan peeked into the adjoining cask room. “Quite a
setup you have here.”

Despite
the months she’d worked with Ronan in the chemistry department, Alex was
overwhelmed by the confidence and sophistication that surrounded the man like a
warm cloud. It was difficult not to be drawn into its bewitching embrace. No
wonder he always seemed to have someone new decorating his arm.

“I
became a full partner with Glenn about twenty-five years ago. Glenn had been
working on perfecting the blood wine long before I joined in the endeavor. Feels
like only yesterday when I bought in.”

Ronan
stepped close to her, his mane of butterscotch hair spiking erratically around his
face, accenting the elegantly arched brow. “You are a fascinating woman,
Alexandra. I am bewitched by your beauty.” With a graceful wave of his wrist,
his finger swept a short lock of hair behind her ear. “You don’t worry about
the locals wondering how a lassie stays so young?”

His
gaze roamed her face, lingering on her mouth before taking a leisurely glide back,
hypnotizing her and leaving her speechless. Possessive hunger swam in the
coffee depths of his eyes, reaching in to touch her soul, giving her an odd
sense of familiarity that had nothing to do with their casual friendship. Something
dangerous and unsettling crawled just beneath the man’s polished veneer. Alex
wasn’t sure if she wanted to run from it or fall headlong into its protective
grip.

“Hello,”
a male voice called from upstairs.

Like
a switch, the heavy footfalls coming down the stairs broke their odd
connection. Alex cleared her throat and stepped away. “I know you talked to Glenn
about your first order. I’m sure he mentioned he’d put you on the schedule.” Alex
rifled through the stacks of papers on the heavy oak desk in the corner until
she found the clipboard with the orders. Flipping a couple of pages, she worked
to focus on the task at hand and not the heartbeat pounding in her ears. “Ah
yes, two bottles.”

“Alex,
you down here?” called the voice again.

“In
the wine cellar,” she hollered back. Alex didn’t need to consult the
appointment calendar to know who was thumping down her stairs.

“Glenn
called and asked me …” Reese Colton strode around the corner, coming to a dead
stop at the threshold. Time hung suspended. No one moved. Hostility instantly
crowded the confined space, making it hard for Alex to catch her breath.

Questions
ricocheted over Reese’s features.

The
vampire filling the doorway had done nothing more than spend time at her bar
with the rest of the off-duty firefighters. Perhaps he was a bit more
flirtatious, even shared a toe-curling kiss with her on several occasions, and
though she’d wanted more, Reese had taken it no further. Despite all of that,
the moment shared with Ronan brought a stab of guilt that just pissed her off.
Alex didn’t owe this vampire anything.

“Reese.
You know Ronan Nason?” she asked, pleased it sounded as cavalier as she’d
intended.

“Um
… yeah, we met a couple of months ago at the university.” Reese removed his
sunglasses with such deliberate precision, Alex was sure they would slice the
heavy tension in the air.

“Reese
was one of the firefighters who responded to that horrible fire in my chemistry
lab,” she said, working to fill the uncomfortable silence. “The one where my
grad student was killed?” The young woman had only recently settled in South
Kenton as a doctoral student of Alex’s. The lab and all its contents had been
burned so badly, the university wasn’t sure the insurance would be enough to
replace everything. Fortunately, the grant money from the tribunal would
guarantee a complete refurbishment and extra funding for Alex’s research. “And
I’m sure the fire marshal did his job, but it bothers me that we don’t know the
whys of it all.”

“The
death was ruled accidental.” Both men spoke at the same time.

Her
gaze flew between them. “Yes,” the word dragged slowly out of her mouth.
“Still, it’s hard for me to understand how a grad student in chemistry could
have been so careless.”

“No
doubt the poor woman let the Bunsen burner from one of her experiments get out
of control,” Ronan said. “Thank goodness no one else was caught in the blaze.” He
looked to Reese for corroboration.