Steal the Night (18 page)

“What’s wrong, lover?” Dev asked.

“I suppose this Hugo Wells is an older vampire.”

Dev’s smile was weak. He knew where I was going. “Yes, my love. He is old, but he’s also an academic. I will have to be circumspect, but he will likely prove tolerant. He knows we sleep together but we can’t rub his face in the fact that we’re together even when Daniel isn’t around. He won’t understand. But, Zoey, in the privacy of our bedroom, there will be nothing to stop us. Daniel will join us this evening, and I’m sure after his long flight he’ll need some comforting.”

I nodded, not mentioning how much I hated playing these games. Dev knew. The plane was in steep descent and I could see the city. London was huge and I got excited for the first time.

“Cool,” Neil said, looking out his window.

“I see Big Ben, Lee.” Zack tried to point out the enormous clock to his brother.

Lee shifted in his seat but resumed his light snoring as we passed over the city proper and into the suburbs where the small private airport was located. We would be driven back into the city where Hugo’s home was.

Neil’s strange eyes were excited as he grinned back at me. “We have to do that thing where we try to get the guards with the fuzzy hats to smile.”

“When all of this is done, I think we should do some traveling,” Dev said as we touched down in the private airfield. “I would like to go on a vacation that doesn’t end in gunplay or me getting stabbed in the gut. Perhaps someplace tropical. Daniel could use a tan.”

Knowing Dev, that meant he would probably buy us an island. It would be worth it to just lie around in a bikini and drink fruity drinks and not worry about who was going to try to kill us next.

Dev helped me up as the door to the plane was being opened. We would depart right on the tarmac, and I could see the limo Dev had ordered already pulling up. I saw the driver from the window. He was a tall, strong-looking man who might be able to double as muscle. He stood beside the limo that waited to take us into the city.

Lee stretched as he woke up. He took a deep breath and then he was on his feet, his eyes wide and his hand going for his gun.

“Close that door!” he yelled at Zack, who was just starting to head out.

“What?” I asked as Dev started to push me down. He wanted me on my knees, safely out of the range of the windows and whatever bullets might pass through them.

“We’re surrounded,” Lee said.

Dev looked out the window, shaking his head. “I only see the driver.”

“There’s at least ten of them,” Lee said as Zack pulled the door closed.

“Shit,” Dev cursed.

I peered over a chair out the window. Sure enough, Lee was right. Two men carrying rifles came out of the limo. Two more flanked the plane, and I watched as three came up from hiding spots in the long grass by the airfield.

“Who the hell sent them?” Neil asked, crouching down beside me.

“Louis.” Tears filled my eyes because I was about to be taken in. How would I keep Marini from killing my wolves? My heart thundered in my chest. He would keep Dev alive, but he would try to kill my wolves. I couldn’t take that. I couldn’t imagine a world without Neil and Lee and Zack. They were my family.

“If you’re referring to the head of the Vampire Council, I assure you he has nothing to do with my Order,” the pilot said, opening the cockpit door. He stood there with a Glock in his hand. “Get that door open,” he ordered Zack. “These bullets are silver. I’m not sure just how many of you they will work on, but I know if you take me out, the others will simply blow up the plane and that should work.”

“What do you want?” Dev asked tightly.

“For starters, we want your kind to stop attempting to bring about the apocalypse,” the pilot said in a crisp British accent he hadn’t had before. “You will not be allowed to wake the wizard.”

“So much for keeping things quiet,” Lee said, crossing his arms defensively.

I heard three thuds against the side of the plane as soldiers slapped C-4 against the side. Guess they were serious about blowing us up.

“I’m going to kill Stewart if I see him again,” Dev promised.

“I’ll help you,” I offered as Dev helped me up.

“My wife is human and has nothing whatsoever to do with this little plot of mine,” Dev lied. “If you would allow her to go, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. We’re seeking out Merlin for peaceful reasons, I assure you. We can explain everything.”

“I doubt she’s innocent, Mr. Quinn,” the pilot said. “And if you want to live, your explanations had better be excellent. Now get that door open or I’ll give them the signal to blow the plane sky high. Do not doubt my resolve. I joined the Order at sixteen and have devoted my life to our cause. A death in the line of duty is one of my greatest ambitions.”

Dev nodded, and Zack pushed the door open again.

Lee glared at the pilot. “If we’re going to die, I would rather take you with me.”

“I have no intention of killing anyone if you follow orders,” the pilot explained. “We have questions we want answered. We would prefer to talk to you first. We’re not animals. Now move if you want to keep your heads on your bodies.”

Dev squeezed my hand as we passed the pilot. I studied our welcome party. There were ten of them, each with a high-powered rifle in his hands.

Looked like gunplay was definitely on the itinerary for this vacation.

Chapter Twelve

“Hands up, all of you!” a masculine voice shouted as every soldier-of-fortune-looking guy kept us in their sights. Zack went down first.

“Zachary, obey them,” Dev ordered. “Do you understand?”

Zack nodded his old-man head as he walked down the steps to the tarmac with more bounce to his step than a man his “age” should. Neil went next, obediently holding his hands over his head.

“Lee, stay calm,” I ordered my personal guard. He wasn’t known for dealing well with authority.

“I’ll try.” It was so weird to hear Lee’s growl coming out of a lanky teenaged boy.

“Stay close to me,” Dev said, worry in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking. We had hours until Daniel would make it here. He had to wait until dark, when his powers were at their peak, before he would even start the flight. We had to stay alive until Daniel could come for us.

I followed Lee down the steps, wishing I could hold onto the handrail. It was fine for the boys because they were all in comfy sneakers or loafers, but I was in four-inch Ferragamos. Dev followed after me with the pilot and his gun close behind. I looked out over the private airfield. It was completely deserted except for our small party and the group taking us hostage. It could only mean one thing. This group had power and a plan. They had completely isolated us in a place where that would be hard to do.

They had us line up and lock our hands behind our heads. Then, one by one, they had us toss our guns their way.

“I don’t have one.” Neil never carried. In the entire time I’ve known him, I’ve only seen him with a gun once. “Search me if you like.”

“Don’t touch him,” the pilot ordered. “We have no idea what these beings are yet. Follow standard protocols until we have confirmation of their species.”

The rest of us gave up our guns. Well, we all gave up one. If they were afraid to touch us, then we could use that to our advantage. They didn’t know how many we were wearing. I knew Dev was practically an armory on his own. They would have to get him naked to find everything he had on him. When they had the guns, the pilot nodded to the limo driver, who opened the car door.

Two men stepped out. One was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. I would have guessed he was nineteen or twenty. His face had the softness of youth that hadn’t reached its masculine potential yet. The other man was older and dressed in an immaculate suit and tie. His hair was dark, matched by his dark goatee. He was obviously the big guy. Everyone treated him with the utmost respect.

“Who do we have here?” the older man asked. His voice was strong and sure and his dark hair was just beginning to show lines of silver. He asked the question as though we’d been invited to tea and simply hadn’t been properly introduced yet. He focused on the younger man, who was a good half a foot shorter. “Jacob?”

The young man named Jacob walked up and down the line, staring at each of us in turn. He stopped and studied me, his youthful face lighting up a little bit. “Who did your glamour?”

I wasn’t sure how he knew I had a glamour, but there was no point arguing with him. His voice was soft and curious, with a very cultured British accent. I answered him quietly. “A friend.”

He watched me for a moment. “You’re so much prettier in your natural form. Your hair is truly beautiful. Like the finest mahogany.”

So he wasn’t human if he could see through Ingrid’s magic.

“Are you going to hit on my wife all afternoon?” Dev asked, annoyed with the kid. “I thought we had an interrogation to get to.”

The boy blushed and stared at his shoes for a moment. “Sorry. She’s just very pretty on the inside as well as her outside. She’s tough and practical, but she’s also quite loving.” He turned to Dev. “It’s obvious you love her very much.”

Dev had that look on his face he got when he was playing poker and trying to get an opponent to muck the best hand. He kept his voice solid, but I knew he was appealing to the boy’s better nature. “I do. I would do just about anything so these men don’t shoot her. She isn’t a threat. Please let her go.”

“I am sorry, Mr. Quinn. I cannot authorize that. We have questions that must be answered,” Jacob said sadly. His face changed and became very professional. His hand encompassed our guards. “Those three are werewolves.”

The man in the suit nodded and just like that Neil, Lee, and Zack were hit with gunfire. I screamed and tried to get to them but Dev held me back. I could feel his hands shake with anger and fear, but he knew there wasn’t a lot we could do about it. Zack and Neil fell almost immediately. Lee went to his knees, and his eyes watched me bitterly as he finally fell forward.

“They didn’t do anything to you,” I yelled at the asshole in the suit. “They were doing what you asked.”

The suit waved off my anger. “They’re wolves. They will inevitably attempt to protect their masters. Calm yourself, woman. I only knocked them out. They were tranquilizer darts. Please, see for yourself.”

I looked down at Neil and sure enough, there was a dart sticking out of his thigh. I just had to hope it wasn’t too much.

“Mr. Quinn, please don’t,” Jacob said softly. His look was sympathetic but firm. “It won’t work. They’ll just shoot you and then your wife will be left alone to answer their questions.”

Shiny green vines crept across the asphalt, working their way toward us. Now all those guns pointed straight at my faery prince’s head. His hands relaxed and the vines curled back up, finding the field once more.

“Well, I don’t need Jacob to tell me what you are,” Pin Stripe Suit said. “You don’t look like Devinshea Quinn. Is he wearing a glamour? He doesn’t look like the photos we have of him.”

Jacob walked up to Dev and shrugged apologetically before pulling the amulet he was wearing off his neck. Dev was immediately Dev again, his natural glory back in full measure.

“Yes, that’s him.” The suit nodded, satisfied. His voice took on an academic nature, like he was lecturing. “Gentlemen, this is Devinshea Quinn. I hope you’ve all read the file on him. Be careful around him. He looks like an idiot male model but, by all reports, he’s quite dangerous. He’s considered a fertility god by the Fae. You’re in the presence of actual royalty. Mr. Quinn is what we call a
sidhe
. His mother is the Queen of the Seelie. He’s chosen to come to our plane and become a notorious gangster.”

Dev laughed at the thought. “I’m hardly a gangster. I’m a legitimate business owner.”

The suit shook his head, not buying Dev’s claim. “We’ve tracked several arms shipments that went directly to those clubs of yours. You buy weapons, explosives. You deal with smugglers. If someone wants something illegal in the supernatural world, they go to your clubs to obtain it. Two of your clubs are strip clubs catering to some of the more predatory creatures on this plane. There are rumors you run illegal gambling rings.”

“I don’t consider them illegal,” Dev said with a jaunty smile.

“And the kickbacks you give to certain members of the mafia?”

Dev sighed as though the man was very naïve. “Are merely one of the costs of doing business.”

“Who’s the girl? Is she one of his strippers?” the man asked Jacob.

I reached up, sparing Jacob the trouble of ripping my necklace off. I pulled the amulet off myself and was shocked when everyone took a step back. All those men with the guns seemed terrified of me. “Do I really look that bad, baby?”

“Find the vampire!” the suit yelled and half the troops ran back toward the plane, looking for evidence of Daniel’s presence. Whoever this Order was, it was obvious they had a file on me.

“He isn’t in there,” I said.

The leader looked down on me, his displeasure obvious. “You expect me to believe a vampire allows his companion to fly halfway around the world on her own? I think I know a thing or two about vampires, Mrs. Donovan. Let me ask you something. Are the rumors about your master true? Is he really a
Nex Apparatus
?”