Ethan followed Kayla up the stairs leading to her loft-style apartment, watching as she kicked off her shoes and tossed her keys onto a tiny table to the right of her front door. A second later, the room was flooded with lights, displaying a cozy room with wood-paneled walls and hardwood floors. The room was given a warm feeling by the presence of throw rugs, an over-stuffed couch, and a corner fireplace. But much like his own apartment, he saw no pictures, no connection to family. Perhaps that was one of the things that had always drawn him to Kayla. They were both without roots, without anything but duty to drive them to tomorrow.
Yet, still, they lived by different rules, in different worlds.
Kayla sat down at a corner computer desk and began to punch keys. “I just need to check in with the Council and grab a few things and we can go.”
Ethan gave her a quick nod as he stepped farther into the room and settled down on the couch. He’d only agreed to take her back to the hotel for one reason, and that was to keep her safe. The more he had considered the risks of her exposure, the less he’d been willing to leave her out there on her own.
The closer she was to him, the more control he had over her exposure to the Brothers. Why that was so important to him, he didn’t know. There were plenty of people who would call him a cold-hearted bastard who cared about no one but himself. He’d never cared what they said about him. It didn’t matter. Fighting wars meant making tough, often unpopular, decisions. He’d made his share and earned his reputation for his ability to do so.
But could he make that kind of calculated decision if it impacted Kayla? For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure. She’d gotten to him on a deeper level than the physical. Gotten to him in a way he couldn’t explain. Not unless she was indeed his mate. But how was that possible? She wasn’t a vampire.
From where he sat he could see her work and he found himself wanting to see the real Kayla, not the fantasy, and wishing that damn blond wig gone. When he got her back to his room, it was the first thing he was getting rid of. Right before her clothes.
With the punch of a key, Kayla pushed to her feet. “Okay. I’m ready. Nothing new tonight I haven’t already dealt with. You have a computer I can check in on, right?”
“Of course,” he said, standing up. “Since when does the Council e-mail you assignments?”
“It’s fairly new. We used to be flying blind, patrolling and making our own contacts. But now, The Portal Guardians are all set up under the guise of operating paranormal investigation operations. They get tons of calls from all over the country and those are funneled through to the proper Watchers for investigation.” She rolled her eyes. “We get a lot of active imaginations sending us on wild goose chases, but it comes with the job.”
“Interesting,” Ethan said, wondering if the goose chases she mentioned might not be too much of a distraction. But then, vampires rarely agreed with the methods of The Council.
His cell phone rang and Ethan reached for it, noting the private caller ID as Rigo’s. He frowned and punched the answer button. Rigo wouldn’t call without cause. “Problems?”
“One of the dancers left Secret Sins to get her things. She called Michael and told him she thought someone was following her. Halfway through the call, she screamed and the line went dead.”
There was only one other woman at Secret Sins he knew on an intimate level. “Who is it?”
“Carrie.”
And that was her. Ethan’s blood went cold. “What’s her address?”
“I’ve got a team headed out to check on her now,” Rigo said.
Ethan spoke through clenched teeth. “What’s her address?”
A beeping sound from Kayla’s purse drew his attention and he looked up to see her retrieving her phone. He memorized the address Rigo gave him and hung up in time to see Kayla reading a text message.
She looked up, her face pale. “We have a problem.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he mumbled. “Tell me what it is on the road. I need to check on one of the dancers.”
“The Council knows about the Brothers, Ethan. They want me to check on a possible victim and report back immediately.” He could see her mind racing. “I need to change. I can’t fight like this.” She ripped the wig off and tossed it to the ground and then eyed her phone. “99 Walker Street.” Her gaze went to his. “You know the address?”
Ethan cursed. “It’s the same address Rigo just gave me. You have two minutes to change. I’ll meet you out front with the car.”
She nodded and then reached out, touching his arm. “If you leave me I’ll show up anyway.”
He gave her a nod. “I have no intention of leaving you.” And he didn’t. He planned to keep her close and safe.
“Okay then,” she said, studying his face and appearing satisfied with his answer. “I’ll see you out front.”
Only minutes later, Ethan pulled in front of Kayla’s apartment to find her standing at the curb, dressed in black from head to toe.
She yanked open the door and slid inside, tossing a small bag in the back, which he assumed contained her wig and previous get up.
“You know the victim?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, hating the truth, feeling responsible. “I know her.”
“Maybe it’s not too late.”
Ethan ground his teeth again. “Maybe.” But he knew the chances of Carrie being alive were next to zero. If she’d been attacked when she was on the phone with Michael, too much time had passed. Yet another woman in his life had found her demise. And here he was keeping Kayla close, as if that would keep her safe.
Perhaps the best thing he could do was get the hell away from her.
99 Walker Street had a similar set up as Kayla’s own neighborhood. Side by side apartments lined both sides of the road, with street-side doors leading into second floor lofts. In Carrie’s case, she also had a back entrance, offering Kayla and Ethan two points of entry to consider.
Having parked the car a mile away in a small garage, careful to be discreet, they approached the apartment on foot. Exchanging a quick look, they silently agreed to approach the rear of the building. Though both Kayla and Ethan were well armed, their guns were holstered. They were both aware of their limitations. Discretion was critical for safety reasons, but neither of them wanted attention brought to the paranormal world, either.
Kayla surveyed the dark windows, the interior as pitch black as the outside of the building. With her instincts not quite right yet, she felt more on edge than normal.
They squatted down at the edge of the wall, inspecting the door. “I have a bad feeling about this,” Kayla whispered.
“You and me both,” Ethan murmured softly.
A scream from inside the building put them both in motion. “I’ll take the front,” Ethan said, already moving.
Kayla didn’t watch his departure, her attention on the ground in front of her, on the door she had to go inside. A warning screamed in her head and she started running, her hand going to the knife sheathed just inside her jacket at her ribcage.
She had reached for the doorknob when her instincts told her someone was behind her, to her right. She kicked, making hard contact, and drew her knife. Rotating around she found herself faced with not one, but three male vampires. She inhaled, absorbing their emotions, their hatred, and making it her own. Frustrated, as the task was more difficult than usual, she still managed to let their emotions fill her.
She threw a punch, and another, successfully fielding what was thrown at her. This wasn’t the first time she’d been outnumbered, though it was her first time facing vampires. They were strong. So damn strong. But she didn’t let herself think about it. She couldn’t. She would survive and save that girl.
Suddenly, Ethan was there. One of her attackers was thrown aside, tossed like he was nothing. Kayla caught a glance of Ethan as he reached for another attacker, leaving her with only one to deal with, and one she could easily handle.
She kicked him solidly in the chest and he stumbled to the ground. Rushing forward, she straddled him, holding the knife above his chest, ready to plant it in his heart. The old fables about a stake in the heart killing a vampire were true, of course. At least, to some degree. Shove a stake—or, in this case, a knife—in anyone’s heart, and they died. She reared back and prepared to plant the knife.
A male voice roared through the air. “Do it and she dies.”
Kayla froze, knife drawn back, arm lifted high. She looked up for the source of the voice. And that’s when she saw the woman, her back held against the broad chest of a muscular male, a blade at her throat.
Ethan spoke then, his voice as tense as she felt. “Rigo? What the hell are you doing?”
“That’s Rigo?” she asked, still poised to slam the knife into the vampire’s chest, not daring to look away from the man she still held captive.
Kayla’s question was ignored as the man called Rigo answered Ethan. “I’m showing you who has the real power,” Rigo said. The two vampires who’d been battling Ethan moved to stand on either side of him.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ethan demanded. “What kind of game are you playing?”
Jac rounded the corner and he wasn’t alone. Two more muscle-bound vampires framed him. “No game,” Jac said. “Rigo simply got smart. He was tired of fighting for a king who gives no rewards.”
“This is the Rigo you trusted?” Kayla demanded of Ethan, planting her foot on the vampire’s chest beneath her so she could survey the situation. At the same time, she eased her knife to the front of her body rather than poised above her head.
Ethan didn’t get to respond to Kayla. Rigo did it for him. “I am indeed the Rigo he stupidly trusted.”
Rigo eyed Kayla and gave her an evil smile. He touched the blade to the woman’s neck. The woman whimpered. “Help me.”
“I am also the Rigo who will slice her neck if you don’t drop your weapon and back away.”
She clenched her jaw and stared down at the vampire on the ground, fighting the urge to be done with him. “I don’t mind cutting her,” Rigo said, as if he sensed her resistance. “Unlike Ethan, I don’t fight my nature. I like blood.” He laughed, amused at himself. “Give me a reason to cut her, Watcher. Please.”
With a frustrated sigh, she threw the knife away and took several steps backward. “Stand beside Ethan,” Jac ordered.
She did as he said, not unhappy about her new position. Together, she and Ethan would be stronger. But she didn’t look at Ethan as she took her place by his side, afraid to take her eyes off their enemies.
“Turn around,” Jac ordered, walking toward them, his eyes locking with Ethan’s. When neither of them moved, Jac raised his voice. “Turn around or the girl dies.”
Ethan glanced at Kayla and gave her a tiny nod that said they really had no choice. Slowly, they did as they were told, moving in unison.
“Put your hands on the wall,” Jac ordered.
Kayla and Ethan did as they were told. They stood there, hands before them, eyes locked. She could see his mind racing with potential escape options. Hers was doing the same thing. Strategic moves played in her head.
But before a solid plan could form, Jac was there, close, his hands on her hips. “I’ll need to search you for weapons.”
Kayla felt herself recoil and then anger formed. She started to turn, ready to fight to the death, ready to stop this now. But she wasn’t the only one who reacted violently.
She heard Ethan curse even as he turned and reached for Jac, yanking him forward. “You sorry bastard,” Ethan spat at Jac. “I’ll kill you.”
Kayla had to get to the girl. She started running toward Rigo but it was too late. The woman she’d intended to save fell to the ground, lifeless. Kayla didn’t stop. She charged forward, determined to make Rigo pay. But, suddenly, a sharp pain pinched her shoulder and dizziness rushed over her. She reached toward the pain to find a dart stuck in her skin. Kayla yanked it out and tossed it aside, knowing she was in big trouble.
She turned to find Ethan, just in time to see not one, but three, darts hit him. “Ethan!” she screamed, seeing him stumble even as she started to run toward him. But her legs were like jelly and she started to fall, slipping into darkness.
Ethan.