Deadly Captive (25 page)

I resolved to take it more seriously. "The sword's more comfortable, but I'm not doing too badly with a Colt. Why do I have to learn how to use a rifle?"

He moved to my side. "For experience with longer guns. Right now, you still have to be too close."

I nodded, accepting it. He was right. If we were going to be picking people off, I needed to adjust to something with a long range. That fact didn't change my desire to have his dick in me right then. But it did make me focus a little better so that I could get what I wanted.

I took a few shots. All of them were well within the center of the target. "So what were you saying about fucking me?"

He grabbed the back of my cargo pants and tugged them down. Leaving them at mid-thigh, he freed himself and prodded his dick between my thighs. "You are utterly insatiable and I fucking love it. Let's hope—" He rammed his dick into me fully— "It lasts."

Speechless, I moved to set down the gun. He set it back against my shoulder. I moaned and ground against him. "I can't focus."

My body slammed against the shelf of the safety partition as he fucked into me.

"Try, Lydia." He wrapped one arm around my waist. "Let's see how much distraction you can take."

I took a few shots, but, as it turned out, my aim was shit, while my body was being thrust about. I didn't care, and soon, neither did he. He came hard and leaned down on me, holding me close as I clenched down in my own climax.

"Let's hope you don't ever have to shoot under duress." He managed to say once he'd caught his breath.

I laughed. "If anyone's fucking me when I'm trying to shoot, it's guaranteed I'm dead. I don't see it happening."

Pulling out, Daederich chuckled. "Let's hope not. If I'm the one fucking you, it's likely I'll be dead too."

A few more times after that, we practiced. After the second time that sex took over most of the training, we both agreed to hold off until we got back to the hotel. This naturally led to much frustration, but we both knew it was important that I learn how to shoot accurately, with at least some distraction. While it was unlikely I would have to shoot while being fucked, I definitely needed to be able to maintain my focus in the case of an abrupt sound or motion.

By the end of the week, Daederich had decided I was as ready as I was going to be. After packing our bags, we had another quick tryst and then headed for the plane. I was excited and eager to prove myself. Daederich had sworn I could take the first shot at the target. If I happened to miss, he would finish the job.

I'd never thought I would be so anxious to take another's life. At this point, I couldn't see it as killing someone. I trusted that, if Daederich had taken a job, it would be a just kill. All I cared about now was making him proud.

Little did I know that it would never be enough. Daederich wasn't infallible.

Neither was I.

* * * * *

Unpacking and sex—our arrival in New York had been pleasant. The hotel was luxurious; the bed was nice and bouncy. Daederich had found me a gun, some kind of Berretta rifle. Daederich had tried to give me some details about it, but, in my excitement, all I could remember was that it was a sniper rifle commonly used by SWAT. It was a ninety-something B, and its matte black color facilitated concealment.

After taking so much time explaining it to me, Daederich had been rather exasperated when I'd told him it looked cool anyway. He'd accused me of acting like an airhead. I'd snapped back that, so long as I could shoot it, it didn't matter if I didn't memorize the specs.

The tension between us from that point was unpleasant, but I didn't let it distract me. Setting up the rifle on the ledge of the high rise as Daederich had practiced with me, I sighted into the hotel conference room.

The scope made each person seated within clearly visible. I watched one stand, then moved the scope so I could take in all attending. Shocked, I blinked; I was sure I was imagining things. This couldn't be right.

"Can you see him?" Daederich kept his voice just above a whisper, lying down at my side. "Black hair, dark blue eyes. He should be at the head of the table."

I gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I see him. But . . . ."

"Just steady your breathing. You can make this shot."

Grinding my teeth, frustrated that he was in kill mode and wasn't listening to a damn thing I said, I leaned up on one elbow and looked at him. Then froze.

Five men stood over us, all clad in black leather, heavy black cloaks resting on their shoulders. Four of them had guns trained on us. The fifth was regarding us with amusement that reminded me chillingly of Cyrus. It wasn't Cyrus, but for some reason that wasn't very reassuring.

"If I'm not mistaken, she's surprised to see you are targeting children." The man arched a brow when Daederich rolled over and sat up. He smiled as Daederich scowled at the man resting the barrel of a gun against his temple.

"They aren't children." Daederich remained very still as he spoke. I could imagine his mind racing as he searched for an out. "The target is nineteen and has been so for three hundred years."

The strange, imposing man inclined his head. "Yes, but that doesn't change his youth. More so, it doesn't change the fact that you didn't bother with your usual, faultless scrutiny of every target. You took the job because it was good money and he wasn't human. If he'd been human, you would have refused. There's no valid reason to kill him."

Daederich bared his teeth. "He's a monster. That's reason enough."

The man nodded. "As are you both. Thank you for clarifying." He looked over at one of his men. "How much is being offered for the girl?"

The man's eyes were cold and hard. "Three mill."

Their leader inclined his head. "Well, if any of you want to cash in then go ahead.

Twice as much if you drag him—" He jutted his chin at Daederich. "Back to Cyrus."

Daederich pushed to his feet and pulled me up behind him. "Cyrus put a price on us?"

The man nodded. "Are you surprised, Daederich? You didn't really think he was just going to let you go." He shook his head and smiled. "No, Cyrus just isn't the type to do his own dirty work. What surprises me is that you haven't gone after him yet."

Daederich scowled at his feet. I could tell he wanted to lash out, but was holding back because he wasn't stupid. We were outnumbered and outclassed. These men reeked of controlled force. "I was waiting . . . ."

The man looked pleased. "You wanted to catch him off guard. Rather than give in to your need for immediate revenge you held off, stifling it until the moment was right. Commendable."

Daederich set a level gaze on the man. "Thanks."

The dry tone didn't faze the man. As though reaching a decision, he waved his men down. "The only problem is that Cyrus was never on guard. He doesn't see you as a threat. He's having you hunted down because he thinks you're hiding. He sees you as a harmless fledgling. It's to your advantage."

He had Daederich's full attention now. "I get the impression that you don't see me that way."

The man smiled. "No. I don't. Which is why I'm here. New York is a sanctuary. I cannot allow you to kill their leader. I will, however, offer you a mission that will pay just as well, and, even better, give you some satisfaction."

Daederich nodded slowly. "I'm listening."

The man stepped up to the edge of the roof. He gazed out into the darkness.

"Cyrus and his people have broken many of our laws. They flaunt their power and refuse to heed warnings. Unfortunately, Cyrus has some strong supporters and no official strike can be brought against them. Any effort to bring them down must be done on a voluntary basis, and discreetly so." He turned and gestured toward the other men.

"What you see before you are the volunteers. No one else wants to draw the wrath of Cyrus' supporters. That means finding him has become something of a problem."

The corner of Daederich's lips curved up. "But I know where he is. You want me to tell you."

"No. I want you to show me. What I offer is a temporary position as a mercenary.

You may choose to continue with us when the mission is complete, but, for now, we'll keep it on a trial basis." He held out his hand. "You have more reason than anyone to want to bleed that son of a bitch. Work with us, and we'll bury him."

Daederich reached out and clasped his hand.

During the whole exchange, I hadn't moved. Still sitting on the rough gravel surface of the roof, I had simply watched, speechless, trapped in wonder at the power buzzing in the air between these men. Now I stood, not liking how easily Daederich had given in. I knew the need for revenge was strong in him. It was strong in me too.

Still, leaving one confinement for what was potentially another wasn't something I was ready to do.

Feeling like a child interrupting grown up talk, I stepped up to Daederich's side, arms crossed tight in an unconsciously defensive stance. "Let me ask you something."

The man turned to face me and nodded for me to go on. "Why the hell should we trust you? How do we know you're not trying to get us to follow you back to him? You said yourself that there's a price on our heads."

Giving me a patronizing smile, the man reached out and patted my cheek. "I did.

But you seem to forget, my dear, only Daederich's price requires a body attached to the head."

I smirked. "I'd like to see you get him to go anywhere willingly if you killed me."

Daederich put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back, seeming to realize that, now, I was the expendable one. The tension that had wavered grew taut once again.

The man looked impressed. Apparently, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of his motives seeming so underhanded. It made me feel better about him, but I didn't let it show. I let him try to reassure me now that he didn't see me as an inconsequential tag along.

"Very astute, Lydia. And you're right. Keeping you around long enough to make Daederich manageable is exactly what an intelligent bounty hunter would do. I suppose a belated assurance that your skills would prove useful as well will do little to pacify you?"

Daederich let out a rough laugh. I could feel his muscles relax even as he smiled down at me. "There's little you can do to pacify her regardless. Lydia strives in conflict."

I frowned at him. "Thanks a lot. It's not my fault that you're so anxious to play you can't think straight."

Daederich dropped his hand to his side and lifted his shoulders dismissively. "At least I can admit I want to play." His lips curled derisively. "If you're scared, Lydia, just say so."

My frown deepened. I considered that Daederich was just falling into the "one of the boys" routine, but with the vast array of vampire powers that we still knew too little about, his easy acceptance worried me.

My next move was a combination of amateur errors. Eyes fixed on the man, I went for the gun at my belt. I might as well have shouted out my intentions. An angry sound of frustration worked out through gritted teeth as I found myself disarmed and held tight against the man's chest, his arm barred over my ribs to hold me still.

Chin on my shoulder, he breathed in, as though taking in the scent of me.

"Bravery is admirable, Lydia, but now it's foolishly misplaced. Skilled as you both are, I think you know, as fledglings, you are still outclassed. You should be a little more careful with the life Daederich returned to you."

I'd stopped struggling when I felt his lips move close to my throat. Suddenly, very aware of him, I glanced over to Daederich, expecting him to step in. He wasn't looking at me. Instead, he had locked eyes with the man over my shoulder.

With a sharp nod, he crossed his arms and stepped back.

Licking my lips, I felt panic flood me. "Daederich?"

The man pressed his lips to my throat. Accepting that Daederich wasn't about to save me from him, I began grasping for ways to free myself. His strength made me seem like a slight child in comparison, and going for the blade at his belt only served to get my hand trapped at my side when he caught my wrist.

I decided to try talking my way out of my exceedingly hopeless predicament.

"What have you done to Daederich?"

Nuzzling his face into my hair, the man gave me a little squeeze. "Not a thing, Lydia. His need for revenge is what's made this decision so easy for him. And he's powerful enough to sense the truth of my words."

I ground my teeth. I might not have Daederich's power, but I wasn't stupid. I'd always known Daederich was likely to go after Cyrus. We had never discussed it, but I knew. I hadn't expected it to be this soon, but Daederich was one to use every opportunity offered. What I still didn't understand was why he was tolerating this man being so forward with me. Was his need for revenge so strong that he would hand me over to get it?

Daederich shook his head and stepped forward. "No, Lydia. Don't think for a second that I'm handing you off." His gave me a crooked grin. "I just think you need some convincing."

Body stiff, I jerked out of the man's grasp. He let me go. Now it was only me, facing Daederich. "I told you to stay out of my head."

He looked surprised, and, if I wasn't mistaken, a little contrite. I had a feeling it had nothing to do with invading my mind. "Sorry."

Suddenly, I understood. Only the throbbing of my hand informed me I had reacted without thinking. Daederich's head bowed as he cupped his abused cheek. I couldn't believe I'd slapped him. I wasn't about to apologize. "You were testing me, you son of a bitch!"

Daederich reached for me. "Lydia, I—"

I turned away from him and faced the man who had become his eager tool.

"Before I agree to anything, I need to know two things."

He nodded for me to go on.

"One. You got a name?"

He nodded again, then smiled. "Elah."

I nodded back. "Okay, Elah. What do you get out of this?"

Looking a little exasperated, he glanced from me to Daederich. "As I said, you know the way."

Frowning, I shook my head. "There's more."

His own frown darkened his features. Then he sighed. "Some of my own people use his . . . services. Taking him down could be more difficult than expected. I could use Daederich's skills." He smiled, all charm. "And yours."