Now or Forever (8 page)

That meant he loved her. And that changed the rules of the game. It wasn’t just insane anymore. It was dangerous.

It was time to quit playing. And way past time to get his ass back in gear.

“Tassanee?”

He whispered it the same time he jiggled his arm, moving her head slightly. Her eyes opened. Caught his. And then she smiled. And his heart gave another powerful thump.

“Oh...Leonard.”

“Later, babe. We got issues.”

She frowned. And he really loved that confused look of hers. And that meant he really had to look at something else. Like that ax handle. There wasn’t a pilot in VAL that would stay in there like that. Not without one word of complaint, anyway.

“Something’s not right, babe. I have to check in.”

“Check in?”

“Yeah. Cell phone. Um...jacket pocket. And that means...I have to...move you.”

Wow. He could really get used to these new powers. Placing her into the adjoining seat and moving back at a crouch to his jacket didn’t take any energy or make much sound. She was practically weightless. But since she followed him, he probably should have just taken her along in the first place.

“What is it?” she asked.

Oh. Hey. Look at that. He hadn’t been a complete hormone-crazed lunatic when they’d boarded. Despite the fact his dick had been in charge and it had all been hazy. He’d brought the backpack with him. And dumped it at the back of the cabin. His jacket was resting atop it.

“We got problems, babe. I just need to find out how big and how many.”

“How do you know?”

“A decade of training and a lifetime of saving my own ass. Trust me.”

She scrunched her forehead again. He couldn’t help smiling as he rummaged through his pockets. Damn! He really loved that look of hers. His fingers locked on the cell, sliding it open before he even had it out of the fabric. And...

Oh hell.

The screen had three numbers and a dash displayed. Sixteen. A dash. And then an eight. It also showed that he was off on time somewhat. It was 0300. A.M. EEST. Eastern European Summer Time. They’d been flying west. Not east. No wonder it wasn’t dawn. They were flying away from it. That put them somewhere in Stan’s alma mater. The old USSR eastern bloc. Ukraine? Lithuania? He’d worry about that part when they landed. Len slid the cover closed.

“What is it?”

He needed to work on his poker face if she read his expression that easily. “Oh. It’s a code.”

“What did it say?”

“It said we got problems.”

“Like what?”

“Nothing much.”

“Len. I’m your mate. I’m not stupid.”

“Oh hell, babe. You’re so far off that, I might need help keeping up.”

“Then tell me what it said.”

He handed her the phone. “Don’t touch anything. Even if it won’t connect, it’ll probably send a signal. And I don’t want any more signals sent. Oh. Fuck!”

She jerked a bit at his expletive.

“Oh, hon. Sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at me. I had the clue the entire time! But I let my judgment get clouded. And then some. Training and resourcefulness went right out the window the moment I met you, I think. I have really messed this one up, love. Big time.”

“How?”

“Your laptop. You know. The one from the German archeology team?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve used it for what? Two months? Maybe more? And not one person stopped you, did they?”

She shook her head.

“Well. When I told Stan to call for help, I assumed he’d use his cell. He didn’t. He’s new. Damn everything and everyone! Mostly me. I wasn’t paying attention. He used your laptop.”

“So?”

“When he brought it to you to destroy, that was a huge clue. He said it was hacked. I should have been on top of things and already moving. Damn me.”

“Why?”

“That unit was zeroed in and monitored...
and
tracked. That’s why nobody ever stopped you from watching movies. Son-of-a-bitch. Leonard. You asshole! They were treading water after losing you at Angkor Wat. They were really shitting bricks when you didn’t show up at the hangar after their drug trafficker trick. They’d lost your sorry ass. And Stan. They’d even lost the vampire! All they could possibly do was hang out at their monitors and hope like hell you turned the laptop back on so they’d get a fix on your location...and you did! Like the dumbest new recruit! You didn’t even notice it wasn’t a VAL pilot in the chopper’s seat when you got picked up! Ah!”

He smacked his forehead with a palm. As much power as he used it should’ve hurt. Nope. Must be another premium benefit to this partial vampire thing.

“Len?”

“Yeah.”

“You are not making sense.”

“Oh Tassanee. I’ve got to finish kicking my ass before I make sense. Look at the cell screen. What do you see?”

She slid the top of the phone open and looked at it. And then back at him. With that cute expression of hers. And his heart gave another stutter. Damn thing.

“It says sixteen dash eight.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the code? What does it mean?”

“The first number is the level of danger. Twenty being imminent death. Two is akin to telling you to tie your shoe laces or something like that. Sixteen is somewhere between bad and pretty damned bad.”

“And the second number?”

“Well. That specifies the level of threat.”

“Is eight bad?”

“Actually eight is good. The second number is based on a fraction of the first. Stop me if I’m going too fast. If it’s a quarter of the first number, then the threat is minimal. That would be a four. Local authorities, mainly. Civilians with arms. Nobody with much power. If it’s three quarters that means we’d be facing a difficult foe. If that number was twelve, it means someone in-the-know is right on our tail. Could be another immortal. Or a well-equipped small army. Or a mass of Hunters with intelligence leading them. A full number would mean the threat is imminent and deadly. We usually have two options then.”

“What are they?”

“Hide and then run. Or run and then hide.”

“Those don’t sound like good options.”

“Right. That’s why it’s a good thing it’s an eight. Half of the first number. That means it’s a small band of Hunters. I liken it to half a brain. There’s like half a brain per whole Hunter. Get it?”

“They’re not very bright?”

“Yes and no. They’re not exactly rocket scientists but they’re not walking masses of matter, either. So. All of that aside, we’re facing a mid-level threat. More than one Hunter. Less than say...twenty.”

“How do we know that?”

“We’ve got at least two of the bastards to deal with. Even if we’ve only got one pilot, he’s going to land at some point, and he’ll have ground help. And don’t forget. Stan got in one of their planes, too.”

“Will he be okay?”

“Tassanee. Babe. Keeping you safe is my major objective at the moment, Okay? I’ll worry about Stan later.”

“Oh...Len.”

“No tears. Remember? It’s a rule. Here.”

He fished out his little packet of tissues and handed one to her. And then he was sorting through his backpack and checking rounds. Just in case they’d been messed with when his brain had been disengaged.
Whew
. Still had both 9mms. His shoulder holster. The Ak-47. Spare rounds. And look. There was the camera, too.

“These Hunters. They’re human?”

“Yeah. Mostly. Some might be half-turned. With special powers. Like you made me.”

“Why do you consider them so stupid, then?”

“Bright. You are very bright, Tassanee.” He took a deep breath. “They aren’t stupid. I just like to put them in that box. Know what I mean?”

She shook her head.

“It helps prepare for an enemy if you make fun of them. It’s kind of like psyching yourself up for an opponent. You make fun of them. Jeer at them. Belittle them. It helps up here.”

He tapped his forehead. She was giving him that confused expression again.

“No dice, huh? Okay. How about this one? If you already have a foe beaten in your head, it’s easier to do battle against them once you get to the physical realm. Get it?”

She nodded. She didn’t look convinced, though. And damn! He really loved that confused look of hers.

“Bottom line, sweetheart – I know they’re not stupid. They’re actually fairly sharp. They’d have to be. The Hunter Organization goes back years. Decades. Maybe centuries. Right now, I like to think there isn’t a lot of brain power at the top. Couldn’t be...if DNA means anything. It doesn’t faze them much, however. They may have less-than-optimum brains running the show, but they’ve got funding to buy strategists and military geniuses and premium equipment. I mean, they own at least one, multi-million dollar, Gulfstream G-Series jet, right? I think the Beethans founded a railroad or a cotton mill or a shipping line or something equally as lucrative back in the day. And so now they don’t have to do anything other than spend the bazillions of pounds in their bank accounts.”

“They’re rich?”

“Yep. But rich doesn’t buy brains, babe. Or class. Chester Beethan is living proof.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Let me help.”

“Tassanee. These guys are serious. They’re going to be using crossbows equipped with sanctified wood arrows, flame throwers modified to shoot Holy Water. Crucifixes. Ultraviolet light. All sorts of religious iconography. They’re fully equipped to handle everything a vampire can throw at them. And we’ll probably land in full daylight. I’ll probably even need my sunglasses. Wait. I’ve been half-turned. I’ll definitely need the shades.”

“But I have skills.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I know. Trust me. You’re the most skilled woman on the planet. But that is not helpful at the moment. I have to be able to walk. Shoot straight. You know. Things like that.”

“I wasn’t talking about those kinds of skills. I learned more things in...there.”

She was blushing. Or something that sent a rosy shade all along her cheeks. That was almost as adorable as her confused look. And he needed to get his mind and eyes moving.

“Now, babe. I might be dense, but I’m not
that
dense. I’ve already figured a few things out. Like...you didn’t just steal things from a harem. You came from one. Yes? That explains the outfit, and that bed, and your particular skill set, although the emperor was a complete dumbass for ignoring you. Yet another example of how money does not buy brains.”

“It wasn’t an emperor. It was a king. And his successors. Well. Some of them.”

“Right. And those are just titles for dead guys who had you in their cadre of women and yet didn’t know what they had. Like I said. Dumbasses. The entire lot of them.” He looped the shoulder holster over his head, slipped a clip into a 9mm, and holstered it.

“Leonard. I can help.”

“Just fly out of the way and stay hidden. That will help. Okay?”

“But I know
Bokator
.”

“Boka-what?”

“It’s one of the earliest systems of Khmer martial arts.”

“They taught that in the harem, did they? Do I really look that gullible?”

“I had a teacher. One of the eunuchs.”

“Oh. Right. Look. I just need you to stay out of sight. I’m an expert level sharpshooter, Tassanee. Expert. This means I’ve passed multiple tests and achieved Designated Marksman level. I’m ranked on long range sniper rifles, marksman rifles, close quarter submachine guns, and personal defense firearms. I have the military bars to prove it. That’s why VAL hired me. I do not miss.”

“Well, I achieved blue
krama
level in
Bokator
while I lived. I have since earned the tenth degree in black. There is no one to best me. If there is, we have yet to meet. It isn’t because I was better. It takes a lifetime to earn the tenth degree black
krama
. And I’ve had more time than that.”

“What the hell is a
krama
?”

“A scarf. It’s tied about the waist to show the level of expertise. I use mine for my top. But I also have red and blue
sangvar day
that I can tie elsewhere.”

“What the hell is
sangvar day
?”

“Red and blue silk cords. They fasten my trousers.”

“I suppose all that means you have the ability to kick major ass, even if you weren’t a vampire. Yes?”

She nodded.

“Okay. I give. You do your thing. I’ll do mine. I’ll try not to shoot you and you try not to knock my head off. Between us, there shouldn’t be anyone left standing. Now. Listen up. We are in the enemy’s hands. We’re going to be landing somewhere in Eastern Europe. And they probably have a nice little torture session prepared for us. Me, for sure. I’m rather worried that they’ll just take you out without time to shout a warning first.”

“Why?”

“They really want Akron and VAL Headquarters. And I know where it is.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Now. For the advantages.”

“They don’t know about us.”

“Well. Yes and no. It’ll be an advantage for about a second and a half. Maybe less.”

“What?”

“That’s how long it’ll take before I make sure they know I’m your mate.”

“Oh. Leonard.”

“You’re not going to cry, are you?”

She shook her head.

“Good. Hear that?”

She shook her head again.

“The engines have changed. Not much. If you know what to listen for, you’d notice. If I don’t miss my guess, we’re going to start descending any time now. So. No tears. Geez. Why would you do that?”

“You said...you’re my mate.”

He grinned. “Well...yeah. Let’s debate that later, okay? We really don’t have time to prove it again. Deal?”

She smiled back. And then gave him that confused look again. “So why would you tell them?”

“Because I need to give you value the moment they see you.”

“Value?”

“Listen. We’re going to play like this is just another stop on a VAL mission, and nothing’s amiss. We’re going to use our first moments acting like nothing’s up. That way we’ll get the layout. The targets. Their objective. And if they think they can use you to get me to talk, they won’t be trying to shove a stake through your heart right away. Don’t worry. They wouldn’t succeed. But it would force my hand and tip the scales in their direction. And then we’d be in a complete disadvantage and shooting blind. Got it?”