Femme Fatale (5 page)

Then that danger had nearly taken his life.

But Savannah was different. Savannah was… “I’ll stay,” he said. He withdrew from her, absolutely hating to leave her body, but he pulled her close and sank into the bed covers with her. She seemed to fit him, an odd thought, as odd as the fact that—

No one else had ever fit before.

She snuggled toward him, and he felt the light stir of her breath against his skin. “I don’t want anything…to happen to you,” Savannah murmured.

“Nothing will. We’re going to find that guy out there. We’ll stop him.”

Her breathing was evening out. She was slipping away from him. His hold tightened on her. “I’ll keep you safe during the day,” he promised her.

“I know you will.”

His lips curled.

Mick was still smiling when she fell asleep in his arms.

“Wake up.” A sharp slap to the face accompanied that order.

Will Mato’s eyes cracked open. He squinted, trying to see around him. The room was damn dark, so it was hard to make out anything. He tried to stand up—only to realize that he was tied to a hard, wooden chair. Awareness flooded back through him. “What in the hell—?”

A bright light flashed on right over his head. A bare bulb that dangled from some kind of slender cord.

“Not hell,” Will was told by that grim voice. “Though I’m sure you’ll be getting there, soon enough.”

His heart raced faster as Will locked his gaze on the man in front of him. Tall, big, dark-haired—the bastard who’d attacked him before. “What the hell did you do?” Will snarled.

“Knocked your ass out,” he was told. “And now, you and I have plenty of time to talk.”

Will’s heart raced faster. He’d just caught sight of the fangs behind the man’s lips. “Just so you know…you’re about to be dead.” The guy smiled down at him, definitely flashing those fangs. “But there are two ways you can die. Screaming in agony…or you can go off gently into the hell that waits. I can make your death quick. Even painless.”

Will swallowed. “I don’t want to die.” That hadn’t been his plan. Never. “I-I can help you.”

The vampire cocked his head to the side and just waited.

“You wanted to know about the blonde.” Will yanked on the ropes, but there was no give to them. His hands were secured behind his back, behind the chair, and that SOB had tied him too tightly. “I can lead you to her. If you let me go, I’ll deliver her right up to you, I swear.”

“Hmmm…can you now?”

“Yes!” He’d do anything to live. “Look in my shirt pocket. There’s a card in there. A PI’s card. He’s with the blonde. You call that guy, and you’ll have her.” His words tumbled out in a fast rush.

The vampire closed in on him. The guy’s hand grabbed for the front of his shirt, and a few seconds later, Will saw that the fellow was holding the white business card. “Mick Swayne.”

Will nodded desperately. “That’s him. He’s like her guard dog or something. She came after me last night and I-I had to defend myself,” he rushed to say.

“Did you? How?” Anger sharpened his voice.

Cautious now, Will said, “It’s not like the bullets did much to her. She walked away fine, I swear.” He’d expected her to go down. She hadn’t.
Much stronger than I realized.
“I got the guy’s card. His number is on it. We can call him, and…set a trap.”

The vampire was just staring at him. Will licked his lips and kept taking, fast. As if his life depended on the words he said.
Because it does.
“They’re looking for you, you see. She…she knows you’re in town, and she came to Intoxication because she wanted to know about
you.
”

The vampire hadn’t gone for his throat yet. Will thought that was a good sign. “I saw you with Steve. I’m sorry,” he looked down, hanging his head, “but I told her about you. I described you. She knows you’re here. She said—I heard her say they had to stop you.”

Silence.

He tilted his head, risking a fast glance at the vampire in front of him. The vamp still had the PI’s card in his hand. “Don’t kill me,” Will said, knowing that he was begging and just not caring. “I can still help you. I will do anything you want. I will bring that bitch right to you—”

A fist drove into his face, shattering his nose and sending blood spurting down his face. The blow was so hard that Will fell back in his chair, slamming into the floor. “Don’t call her that,” the vampire told him flatly as he loomed over Will, his hands clenched and ready to swing again. “You’re worth nothing when compared to her.
Nothing.”

But he wanted to be more. He wanted to be…forever. That was why he’d fired in that back alley. He just hadn’t realized how strong she was, not until she’d grabbed him by the throat. Then he’d realized…
bad plan.

“L-let’s make a deal,” Will said as he spat out blood. “I will help you, I will bring—”

“I want the PI. He’s the threat. Not her.”

Will’s nose was throbbing and burning and he tasted blood. “I’ll get him. I swear it.”

The vampire leaned over him. The vamp’s eyes—an icy blue—locked on his. “You will, or you will be
begging
me to kill you before this day is done.”

***

A faint ringing noise reached Mick’s ears, pulling him from sleep. He resisted that sound at first because he was sure enjoying his dream. He and Savannah were dancing in the moonlight. She had on a long, red dress that swirled around her ankles. His limp wasn’t slowing him down. She laughed up at him and told him,
“You can have forever…
”

But the ringing wouldn’t stop and the dream was already fading. His eyes opened. The shutters were drawn in that room and it was totally dark, but he knew he was in Savannah’s bed. She was half-sprawled on top of him. Delicious and warm and out
deep.
He lifted her hand, then, smiling, he let it drop.

Her hand slammed back onto the bed. She didn’t so much as stir. The lady had been right when she said that she slept hard. Kinda cute.

And the incessant ringing would not stop. Was his voice mail screwed up? Mick stumbled around the room and finally saw the glow of his phone’s screen. He bent and scooped it up, but he didn’t recognize the number displayed there. He started to ignore the call but…

The caller is damn determined. Someone might need my help.
“Swayne.”

“PI guy? Is this you?”

He frowned because the voice was familiar. Ragged and rough and—

“It’s Will Mato, from Intoxication. You said to call…to call if I saw that other vamp.” The guy’s words were coming rapid-fire now. “I saw him. I even, hell, man, I followed him back to his place. I’m in front of his building right now.”

“You’re bullshitting me.”

“I couldn’t let him kill someone else! But, jeez, I’m scared. Maybe I should call the cops…”

No.
“The cops aren’t going to be able to handle him. You need to tell me where you are. Savannah and I will come over—”

“He’s packing up. I saw him. Moving boxes. Loading up an SUV with some freakishly dark tinted windows. That guy is making a break for it.” Will’s breath heaved out. “We have to stop him, right? We can’t…let him kill anyone else.”

“No, he can’t kill again,” Mick agreed.
Dammit
. “Tell me where you are. Now. I’ll be right there.”

“Thank you.” The relief in Will’s voice was obvious. “Man, I owe you because these vamps scare me shitless.” Then he rattled off the address. “But come
now,
okay? Because if this guy gets out of here…”

“We won’t let him get away. You stay right there,” Mick ordered. “If he tries to leave, follow him. Call me, and tell me every move that he makes.”

“Okay, yeah, yeah, I can do that. Just…
hurry the hell up.
”

“Dude, just calm the fuck down. And don’t approach the guy without me, got it? I’ll be there. Keep your shit together.” He ended the call. Mick turned on the lamp and gazed down at Savannah’s sleeping face.

She was out cold, and she’d told him that vampires were weaker during the day. So if there was ever a time to strike their enemy, it would be now.

But I won’t put her at risk.

She’d hired him to do two things…help her track the killer and protect her.

He knew where the killer was.

And now, he’d do his second job—keep her safe. Mick leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “I’ll be back before you wake,” he promised her. Besides, it wasn’t like he was breaking his word to her. He wouldn’t be letting anyone
in
her place. He’d be going out to catch that SOB.

Then Mick headed out of the bedroom, softly closing the door behind him. He needed to get over to the killer’s location, ASAP, but first—he had to get the right weapons for this job.

***

When Mick pulled up in front of the old townhouse that sat on the end of a narrow, rather deserted-looking street, there was no sign of Will. Actually, there was no sign of anyone. He shut the door to his vehicle and studied the building. The windows were boarded up, and a big
No Trespassing
sign hung in front of the door.

Mick took out his phone and dialed back the number Will had used. He advanced toward the townhouse slowly and—sure enough—he could hear a ringing coming from
inside
that place. “I told you to wait,” Mick said. Hell. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and then he pulled out his gun. He crept up those porch steps, his feet moving softly along the bricks. When he got to the front door, he wasn’t particularly surprised to see that it was slightly ajar.

He just hoped he wasn’t about to find Will’s dead body on the floor.

Cautiously, he entered that place, his gaze tracking from the left to the right. The building smelled musty and old, and cobwebs and thick dust covered the floor. But in that dust, he saw footprints, a perfect outline.

He started following that trail.

“
Help!”
Will’s scream. Loud and desperate. “
He’s going to kill me!”

Mick didn’t cut and run forward. He’d been in too many instances in which hostages were just used as bait to trap cops. So he took his time as he advanced, making sure to glance behind him every few moments so he’d be sure no one was coming up from the rear.

He saw Will, got a visual on the guy—he was tied to a chair, his face stained with blood. Will saw him, too, and the guy yelled, “
Help!”

Way to
not
attract extra attention.
The guy needs to shut the hell up.

Mick closed in on the guy. The rest of the room was empty, and there was no sign of the other vampire. “Just calm down,” Mick told him. He holstered his gun and pulled a knife from his boot. He sliced through the ropes. “Didn’t I tell you to wait?”

There was a faint creak from behind him. In a flash, Mick had his gun out again—out and aimed at the man who stood there. Tall, dark, with cold blue eyes.

Mick’s finger tightened on the trigger.

And something hard slammed into the back of his head. He went down, ramming face-first into the wooden floor. At the impact, the gun slid from his hand.

Fuck. Not a victim! Not—

“See?” Will called out, sounding impressed with himself. “I told you…I can help. I did my part, just like I promised.”

Mick’s hand flew out. He grabbed that asshole’s foot and yanked Will down to the floor beside him. Will yelled when he hit the old floor, but Mick wasn’t worried about him. He knew the real threat was at the door. He reached for his gun.

But the vampire’s foot shoved down on his hand, nearly breaking Mick’s fingers. “Now why would you want to do that? Especially after I’ve gone to all this trouble so we could have a little chat.” The vamp smiled at him.

Will had crawled to his feet.

“I’m not in the mood to chat,” Mick spat.

“Too bad. But then, I don’t really give a shit how you feel.” The vampire motioned to Will even as he kept his cold gaze on Mick. “You’re going to listen to me, one way or another.”

Mick lunged up, ignoring the pain as he felt his wrist snap beneath the vampire’s foot—

And that dick Will slammed a chair into Mick’s back. Mick went down again, and this time, he didn’t get up.

***

The bed was cold.

Savannah fought against the ever-so-tempting pull of sleep. For the last few days, she’d been pushing herself nearly non-stop. Even staying out in the daylight because she’d been so desperate to find Mick.

But she’d found him now. He was safe. They were safe. She should be able to sleep peacefully.

But the bed was cold.

Mick wasn’t cold. He was hot. Nearly scorching. Only when she reached out to touch him, he wasn’t there. And the pillow next to her—the pillow and the sheet—they were too cool, as if he’d been gone for a long time.

Savannah rose from the bed. She didn’t even think about grabbing clothing. If she had her way, both she and Mick would be heading back to bed soon. Her steps were sluggish as she headed to the bedroom door. “Mick?”

She opened the door and slipped down the hallway.

And suddenly,
she
was the cold one. Because her place was empty. Mick had left her. Fear slid through her veins.

He isn’t safe.
If she didn’t get to him in time, Savannah knew that Mick would be lost to her.

Maybe, forever.

“Are the ropes secure?”

The pounding in Mick’s head brought him back to awareness. An awareness that he was in a wooden chair and that jerk-off Will was tying him up—

Screw this.
Mick slammed his head into Will’s face. Will screamed. Blood spurted from his nose—
looks like that already happened a time or two—
and Will fell back. Mick yanked against the ropes and surged to his feet.

Only to find his own gun pointed at him.

“I’m guessing that means the ropes
weren’t
secure,” the vampire said, shaking his head. “Oh, well, I’m the one with the gun now. So maybe you’ll just stand there like a good mortal and listen to what I have to say.”

“You’re a killer!” Mick snarled.

The guy just shrugged. “Like you never killed in the line of duty? I don’t buy that. I did some checking on you today. You’re quite the decorated officer. Or you were, until too many bullets hit you.” He lifted the gun. “This weapon is so close, I’ve nearly got point-blank range. Isn’t it terrible, the things a bullet can do, when it hits so close?”

Every muscle in Mick’s body locked down.

Will scampered back, moving to stand behind the vampire.

“Since when are you working for him?” Mick demanded. Or maybe the guy had been working for him all along and he just hadn’t realized it.

“S-since I decided I wanted to keep living,” Will threw back at him.

The vampire smiled. It was kind of eerie because the guy…sort of looked like Mick. His face was leaner, his nose sharper, his jaw a little softer, but there
was
a similarity there.

What is up with that shit?

Their eyes were different. And of course, Mick wasn’t a depraved monster. That was different, too.

“She didn’t tell you, hmmm? That we looked alike?” Now the vampire’s voice was mocking. “My, my, but that should make you wonder…what else has the lovely Savannah
forgot
to mention to you?”

Mick’s jaw locked. “She didn’t know who you were, so I guess it would be hard for her to say—”

“Savannah knows me well. Intimately well.”

Mick’s left hand fisted. His right wrist was broken—throbbing and burning steadily. He ignored the pain. He’d deal with it after he took care of this bastard. “Savannah knew a vampire was hunting here, not
who
that vamp was.”

Only the bastard in front of him smiled, showing off the tips of his fangs. “I think she had an idea. A very, very good idea. But she didn’t want to tell you too much. After all, that would mess up
her
plans.”

“Her plans didn’t involve killing two men.”

The vamp blinked. “Are you really so sure about that?” He raised one eyebrow. “Just how well do you know her?”

“Well enough,” Mick gritted out. He prepared to make a grab for that gun.

“You fool, you already slept with her, didn’t you?”

Mick glared back at him. “I don’t fucking kiss and tell, asshole.”

But the vampire stepped forward. “You didn’t let her bite you, did you?”

Mick’s chin jutted up.

The vampire lunged forward. Mick grabbed the gun from him but the vamp didn’t even seem to notice. The vamp fisted his hands in Mick’s shirtfront even as Mick put the gun right to the SOB’s chest.

“Oh, shit,” Will muttered.

The vampire blasted, “Tell me she didn’t bite you!”

“You’re about to die, you bast—”

“Not three times,” the vampire said quickly. “You didn’t let her do it three times, because if you did…
then she owns you.
She controls, you, totally.”

What?

“Not three times.” The vampire’s shoulders slumped. “Because if you did, then I’m too late. You won’t die, you’ll just be a vampire, and you’ll be…hers. Forever.”

This scene wasn’t playing right. Nothing about it was right.

The vampire’s eyes widened. “She didn’t tell you, did she?” He still didn’t seem to notice the gun pointed at his chest. “Of course not, because you would never have let her close.
You
are one of the few who can change. A mortal who can be more. Three bites, and you won’t be a human any longer. Three bites…
and she has you.
”

Mick shoved the vampire back. “Tell me why I shouldn’t put a wooden bullet in your chest right now.” Because, yeah, he was ready for this joker. He’d stopped by a hardware shop and bribed a buddy to make him a very fast and lethal weapon to attack a vampire. If wooden stakes took out vampires, then he figured wooden bullets would definitely do the trick, too. He wasn’t completely clueless about vamps. In every movie he’d ever watched, a wooden stake killed the undead.
So I figure my bullets will do the trick, too.

The vampire lifted his hands, as if showing he wasn’t a threat. “I’m not the killer. I haven’t been attacking the men in town.
She
has. She was looking for a human to change. Vamps have to bite the prey, they have to taste the blood, in order to know if the human can be more. She bit those men and found them useless. So she killed them.
It’s what she does.
”

Was he really supposed to believe that guy?

“She’s found you, and if you let her bite you again, it will be your last mistake. You’ll never have another conscious thought or
choice
again.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“She was born, not bitten. That means she has power. When she makes another vampire…” The fellow heaved out a rough breath. “The new vampire is totally under her control. A companion that she keeps and uses until she gets bored. Then she kills the poor fool and goes onto the next victim. I know. I’ve seen her do it. I’ve tried to stop her.” His eyes were slits of blue fury. “She looks harmless. She looks like a walking wet dream. But I am telling you, that woman is a nightmare.”

Mick heard the thud of frantically running footsteps. His gaze shot to the left and he saw Will running for the door. The vampire didn’t even try and stop him. “That guy doesn’t matter,” the vamp muttered. “You matter. You have to help me stop her.”

“Who the hell are you?” The gun was still in Mick’s hand.

The vampire looked down at the weapon. “My name is Kale Vargas, and, once upon a time, Savannah took my life.” His gaze returned to Mick. “So now I’m here to take hers.”

***

Mick wasn’t at his PI office. He wasn’t at his home. Desperate, Savannah headed to Intoxication, thinking maybe he’d gone back there to push for information from the bartender. But the place was locked up, completely sealed for the day.

Her hands slammed into the front door. “Dammit!” She had to find him. She’d tried calling his phone, again and again, but he wasn’t answering her.

She spun around, staring out at the street. The sun beat down on her, weakening her even more. Things couldn’t fall apart this way. She’d worked so hard and so long. This
had
to work. She’d been so close.

But now…now Mick could be lost to her, after all of her careful plans.

Kale, you bastard. You won’t take him from me.

She’d been searching desperately for Mick, even since that night at the hospital. Savannah didn’t always take blood straight from a living source. Sometimes—through a contact at the local hospital, one who didn’t ask too many questions because the money Savannah paid was good—she’d use bagged blood. Donations. She’d been at the hospital months before when she’d caught a sweet, tempting scent in the air.

What she’d told Mick before had been true. Mostly. Vampires
could
tell if a human could turn when they took that first delicious bite but…

If a vamp
smelled
the blood first, the blood didn’t just have a normal, coppery scent. Humans who could transform had blood that was sweeter. Blood that called to the vamps.

That night in the hospital, his blood had called to her.

Only she’d had one hell of a time figuring out just
who
he was. The hospital had been packed. There had been so many people there and then—

Then I’d thought that maybe I should stay away. That I was better off not finding him.

She’d stopped being weak and sentimental a few weeks after that. Unfortunately, by then, Kale had also been in on the hunt.

It had only been a matter of time until the bodies started turning up.

***

“I don’t know how she tracked you,” Kale said. “But she did. Savannah found you first, and now, unless I’m wrong, she’s drank your blood. But has it been three times? Or two? Because if it’s already three, then the
only
way you’ll be free of her is if you take her pretty head. Chop it straight off.”

“The way I see it,” Mick kept all emotion from his voice, “the only person in danger of losing a head is you. I’ll take it after I put a wooden bullet in your heart.”

For an instant, what could have been fear flickered in Kale’s eyes. “Don’t waste that bullet on me, pal. Save it for the real threat.” And he moved to the side. Kale gestured toward the door. “You heard what I had to say. That’s all I wanted, really. To give you the chance to make your choice.”

Keeping his eye on the vampire, Mick eased toward that door. He noticed that his smashed cell lay in about twenty pieces on the floor. “I don’t buy that. You were tying me to the damn chair when I woke up.”

“Because I didn’t want you waking up and attacking.” Kale shrugged. “If you don’t believe what I’ve said, go ask her.
Ask,
and see how she responds. See if you can tell when she’s lying or not as she explains how she tried to kill me before.”

“And I’m just supposed to walk away and let you stay free?” Mick laughed. “No dice, asshole, you—”

Wind whipped around Mick. No, not wind. That had been the vampire—moving far too damn fast. He’d raced around Mick and the slamming of the front door told Mick the guy was long gone.

So much for him being weak in the sunlight.
Savannah had
told
him that story about vampires, and now he wondered…
was it true?
Were vamps really weaker during the day?

Mick headed to the door, but the street was empty. No sign of Will or Kale. “Sonofabitch.” He kept his gun in his left hand. He knew he’d be seeing that vamp again, sooner or later.