Grave Vengeance (22 page)

D
mitri hadn’t spoken since they left Dos Rios, and his silence was driving Gwen crazy.

The vein on his forehead hadn’t stopped pulsing, and his nostrils flared with each measured exhale. It must have been taking every ounce of his control to keep himself in check. Which was totally understandable, given the circumstances. It wasn’t every day a man found out he was a father to a grown son. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what must be going through his mind. Would he ever forgive her for keeping Elena’s secret? Not knowing the answer twisted her stomach in knots.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked because she couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

“Checking in with the leader of the local unit,” he replied without taking his eyes off the road. There wasn’t a shred of emotion to his voice. “He runs a tight ship, and he’ll know if Ziegler’s in town.”

Made sense. If she remembered correctly, David Anderson handled this section of Florida, from Vero Beach to Key West. She’d worked with him a few times over the years. He was a good guy, solid, and he cared about his people, which was probably why they valued his leadership.

A few more turns and they pulled into an apartment complex in the middle of Pembroke Pines. The three-story buildings were painted the color of clay with ceramic tiles covering the roofs. A row of palm trees stood in front of each building, swaying with the gentle breeze.

Dmitri cut the engine and got out of the car, and Gwen followed him up the stairs to the second floor. He knocked, and a few seconds later a shadow passed over the peephole. Then the locks disengaged and the door opened to the sight of David Anderson.

He hadn’t changed a bit since the last time she’d seen him. That short blond hair, those rugged features. And judging by way his chest strained against his shirt, he still went to the gym on a regular basis. He was still every bit the all-American soldier he’d been prior to becoming a reaper.

If he was surprised to see them, he didn’t let it show. David’s gaze locked with Dmitri’s for a second or two before he nodded and opened the door wider. “Come on in,” he said, his face giving nothing away.

Dmitri and Gwen stepped inside, and David closed the door behind them.

The place was roomy, with an open floor plan and high ceilings that made it appear larger than it was. A matching couch and recliner sat in front of a television that was tuned in to one of those twenty-four-hour news stations. To the left, on the adjacent wall, were shelves overflowing with books. A few feminine touches—like the vase full of flowers on the dining room table—indicated he no longer lived alone.

David switched off the television and tossed the remote on the couch. When he turned toward them, a smile warmed his mouth. “It’s good to see you, Gwen,” he said as he pulled her in for a hug. “How long has it been? Eleven years?”

“Thirteen. You flew up to help me with that job in Chicago, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, I remember now. God, that one sucked.” David hugged her so hard she could barely breathe. When he pulled back, he ruffled her hair. “You’ve cut your hair. It looks good.”

“Thanks.” Leave it to David to notice. He’d always been a stickler for details. From the corner of her eye, Gwen noticed an attractive brunette dressed in shorts and a gray T-shirt standing by the entrance to the kitchen. The woman was a few inches taller than Gwen, with shoulder-length hair and sharp brown eyes. She watched them all with open interest but didn’t speak a word.

David’s gaze met the woman’s, and his expression softened. Whoever the brunette was, she made him happy, which made her okay in Gwen’s book. “I’d like you to meet Sarah, my better half. Sarah, this is Gwen. We worked together for a few years before I came down to Florida.”

Sarah gave her a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you.”

Gwen accepted the hand Sarah offered, appreciating the fact that Sarah didn’t have one of those limp, dead fish handshakes. She also didn’t act threatened by another woman hugging her man. That was a relief. With everything going on between her and Dmitri, the last thing she needed to deal with was a jealous spouse.

Sarah’s attention shifted to Dmitri, and her smile slipped a notch or two. “Nice to see you.”

Dmitri nodded. “Likewise. You look well.”

Reaching over, David gripped Sarah’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “So where the hell have you two been? Adam’s been bugging the shit out of me ever since you went off the radar.”

Tension rolled off Dmitri in waves. He took a deep breath before launching into a recap of what had happened over the course of their mission. He said nothing about what went on between them, and Gwen appreciated his discretion. “We have reason to believe Ziegler’s in the vicinity,” Dmitri said when he finished. “Have you seen him or heard anything from him?”

David shook his head. “I met with my crew two nights ago, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I’ll put out a few calls, though, and see if anything’s changed.”

“Thank you.” Dmitri’s voice was clipped and his posture rigid. “There’s one other thing I need to speak with you about. Privately.”

Dmitri’s terse demeanor wasn’t lost on David. His expression hardened as he draped a protective arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Sarah. She’s one of us now.”

Dmitri shook his head. “Not this. I need to speak with you alone. Is there any place we can go?”

Gwen knew exactly what Dmitri wanted to talk with him about, and she didn’t want to be around when it happened. “Go with him,” she said quietly to David. “Please.”

David shifted his attention to Sarah. “Babe, would you mind—”

“No, you two go ahead,” Sarah said. “It’ll give us girls time to get to know each other. Isn’t that right?”

“Of course.” Gwen forced out a smile that must have looked as hollow as she felt inside. Honestly, she wasn’t in the mood to socialize, but she’d do whatever it took if it gave Dmitri the chance to work through his issues.

Dmitri turned back for an instant when he reached the door. His eyes met hers, but instead of the affection she’d grown accustomed to seeing, his eyes were filled with a cold detachment that tore a gash in her soul.

“Be safe,” she said as he followed David outside, the door clicking shut behind him.

 

Gwen closed the door separating the laundry room from the kitchen and crossed into the main living area. “Thanks again for the loaner clothes, and for letting me use your washing machine.”

“Oh, no problem.” Sarah was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her and the remote control in her hand. When Gwen joined her on the couch, she pressed a button, and the romantic comedy they’d been watching resumed playing. “Good thing we’re close to the same size.”

Amen. After being in the woods for the better part of a week, it felt wonderful to wear freshly cleaned clothes. The yoga pants Sarah lent her were a little too long, but a quick roll of the cuffs solved that problem.

Gwen checked the time and resisted the urge to chew on her nails. The guys had been gone for over an hour, and she was starting to get nervous. Not that she didn’t enjoy Sarah’s company, but she was dying to know how Dmitri was doing.

“Any idea where the guys went off to?” she asked. Wherever they were, she hoped David would be able to help Dmitri work through some of his anger.

Sarah shook her head. “I can’t say for sure. There’s a place nearby where David likes to play darts—” The words died on her lips as she cocked her head. “We’re about to have company.”

“The guys?”

“No. Reapers.” Sarah paused, her eyes pinched tight with concentration. “Four men and a woman. Two are coming up the stairs, one’s climbing the balcony, and the other two are waiting in the parking lot in case we manage to get past them.”

“You can sense all that?” Most reapers could detect the presence of another immortal, but not with so much attention to detail.

Sarah nodded, and Gwen couldn’t help but wonder how a newbie reaper got so strong so quickly. Granted, she had a great trainer in David, but her level of development was unheard of.

Rushing to the window, Gwen peeked between the blinds. Yep, two reapers, a man and a woman, were standing sentinel next to Dmitri’s car. Another was almost over the balcony rail.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit!
She should have known something like this would happen. Reaching into her back pocket, she grabbed for her cell. No reception. Not that it mattered—it was Dmitri’s cell, so it wasn’t like she could call him anyway. “Is your phone working?”

Sarah checked. “No, I’m not getting any bars.”

Great. That meant the reapers outside were probably jamming the signal so they couldn’t call for help. And as luck would have it, Dmitri’s weapons were locked in the trunk of the rental car. They were on their own. Gwen’s gaze darted around the apartment. “What do you have in the way of weapons? Any guns?”

Sarah shook her head. “David has one, but he keeps it in the glove box of his car. I have a canister of pepper spray in my purse, and there’s a baseball bat by the front door.”

Not much, but it was better than nothing. Gwen did a quick inventory of the kitchen and saw a butcher’s block with seven knives. That might come in handy if things got really messy.

“Two against five isn’t very good odds,” Sarah said, her brow crinkling with worry.

“I’m surprised they didn’t come with more.” Maybe they’d waited for the guys to leave and weren’t expecting much resistance from a couple of women. A stupid assumption on their part, and one she was willing to exploit.

Gwen grabbed the bat, crossed the room, and threw open the balcony door. By now, the guy had managed to climb over the wrought iron railing. His eyes widened at the sight of the bat swinging toward the side of his head. A crack, a yelp, and he staggered against the rail. Gwen shoved him with all her strength, and he tumbled over the side and onto the walkway below.

“One down, four to go,” she said as she stepped back inside. As she turned the lock, someone knocked on the front door. “Do they honestly think we’re just going to let them in?”

Another knock, but this time it sounded more like a kick.

“Guess not. Let me see what I can do.” Sarah stared at the closed front door, a thousand-yard look in her eyes. “Pain,” she snarled, and the men outside screamed.

Gwen ran to the door and checked the peephole. Sure enough, both men were writhing on the floor like they’d been zapped with the business end of a cattle prod. “Well, there’s something you don’t see every day. How did you do that?”

Most humans were prone to the power of suggestion. Fledgling reapers were susceptible as well because their minds hadn’t strengthened enough to withstand the mental assault. The gift worked wonders in tough situations, when brute force alone couldn’t bail you out of a bind. But even then, most reapers needed to be in the direct line of sight to place the thought in the target’s mind. In all Gwen’s years, she’d never seen or heard of anyone capable of implanting commands in the seasoned mind of another reaper, much less through the barrier of a door. Only Samuel possessed that level of power.

Or so she’d thought.

Sarah hitched a shoulder. “I don’t know. I just can.” She let out a pained sound as she rubbed her temples. “It takes a lot out of me, though. Let me take a shot at the other two before I run out of juice.”

Gwen followed Sarah as she unlocked the door and stepped onto the balcony. The two remaining reapers, a man and a woman, were busy tending to the guy Gwen had pushed over the rail. Blood pooled on the ground where the guy’s head hit the concrete, and his right leg was bent at a weird angle. The pair of reapers looked up at the sound of the door opening, their faces twisted with malice. One of them reached for the pistol in his shoulder holster.

“No,” Sarah murmured. “You don’t want to do that.”

The reaper’s brow scrunched with confusion. His hand holding the gun shook.

“Shooting at either of us will cause you incredible pain.” An edge of steel crept into Sarah’s voice. “Put the gun away.”

Eyes never leaving hers, the reaper complied.

“Very good. Now take care of your friend. Don’t leave his side.” Sarah blew out a sigh, her expression tight with strain. “I’m tapped. Let’s get back inside.”

As soon as Gwen closed and locked the door, Sarah’s shoulders sagged.

“How long have you been able to do”—Gwen made a vague gesture with her hands—“that?”

“A couple months.” Sarah closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I accidentally did it to David one night when we were—” A light blush stained her cheeks pink. “Well, the details don’t really matter.”

Gwen was dying to ask, but resisted the temptation. “Any idea how far it goes?”

“Not yet. For obvious reasons, David doesn’t like it when I practice on him.” Sarah sank down onto the couch and leaned her head back against the cushions. She reached up and rubbed her temples. “Could you please get me some aspirin? They’re in the medicine cabinet in the hallway bathroom, bottom shelf on the left.”

“Sure, no problem.” Gwen hurried to the bathroom and returned with the entire bottle and a glass of water. “Any idea how long your suggestions will hold them off?”

“Uh-uh. Thanks.” Sarah shook a few pills from the bottle, washed them down with the water, and then set the bottle and the empty glass on the coffee table. “With David, it depends on how strongly he dislikes the command. If he really hates what I insert, his mind overpowers the suggestion in about ten minutes, fifteen tops.”

That didn’t give them much time. Already, the two reapers in the hall had been out of commission for five or six minutes. The other three were still down in the parking lot, making it impossible to use Dmitri’s car to get away. And with no attic or basement, their escape options were limited.