Vampire in Crisis (26 page)

Either way, there could be only one. And as Deanna had said, Tessa was it.

*

Cody grinned. Tessa
was back. After worrying how much was Deanna and how much was Tessa, he couldn’t believe it – she was here. Damn well about time. They were so far past late.

“We need to hurry,” he said.

“Oh, why?”

“Motre is preparing against another attack.”

She spun around, shock widening her eyes. “What? Why didn’t you say so?”

“Because you were busy fighting your own war,” he said patiently.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” Serus said patiently. “He’s got a large group of our people secured at the second floor. But they have been attacked several times. Many of his group are weak. They needed recovery time.”

“We should have gone there earlier,” Tessa fretted, running in front of him now. “He’s going to feel like we deserted him.”

“Well, he might, but Motre would know there had to be a damn good reason.”

She seemed to ignore that. Then her heart was so damn big she wanted to make sure everyone was okay all the time. So far life hadn’t worked that way.

They came to the elevator. She went to push the button then stopped. She turned. “Did we ever get hold of the second canister?”

Silence.

“I have no idea.” Honestly, he hadn’t even considered it.

In a low tone, she added, “And Bart?”

“He’s gone. Just booked it.”

“He’s good at that,” she said with a smirk. “I wonder if he’s gone after the second canister.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

“No,” she said slowly, “but if the system can’t work without both canisters, then maybe that’s not our priority.”

“Getting our people out is,” Cody added. “I agree.”

She bolted toward the elevator.

He groaned. “Damn her.”

Serus laughed. “Get used to it, boy. She won’t change much.”

“That is not what I need to hear.”

“Maybe not, but her mother is just like that.”

“What? Stubborn, headstrong?”

Serus went quiet, then in a low sad voice, he said, “Yes, exactly that.”

*

Serus tried once
again to talk to Rhia. He wished she’d never closed the door between them. His beloved was indeed stubborn and headstrong, but she was also compassionate and caring and filled with remorse. She was doing what she felt she had to do. He could understand that.

But it sucked big time.

He’d still couldn’t believe the attack on Sian.

Everyone needed to understand what lengths these people would go to. That they’d tried for Sian, thinking to keep the child, brought a level of disgust and fear he hadn’t experienced in a long time. It was morally and ethically wrong and made his stomach churn to think of other innocent and vulnerable women caught in their clutches. Sian was Amazonian. That she’d survived the attack was awesome, but a lesser female wouldn’t have made it.

Still, she had survived and even now she was sleeping, healing. At least she was supposed to be. He could see her wanting to throw off her rescuers and make a run for it. Not like Bart, looking for an escape, but like Rhia hunting for her attackers.

Damn women. God, he loved them. Both were so different and yet wired the exact same way. And stunning in their loyalty. Hard to argue with. He walked the hallway, every doorway open and every room empty. He frowned. They should be here somewhere. At least one or two of them. Where could they have kept dozens of vamps? Could they have all escaped? At least most of them? If they hadn’t, as long as they were conscious, he could get them out of here. If they weren’t, then saving them all would be close to impossible.

Still, like his daughter and his wife, he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and walk in the right direction.

Too bad all he wanted to do was snag up Rhia and take her away. Reconnect with her on a level he hadn’t been able to for a long time.

Instead, he was following their daughter once again back through the hospital hallways.

And why the hell was he following
her
?

Somewhere along the line, he’d lost control of the shy insecure daughter he once knew. And likely forever.

Thank heavens.

*

Sian lay back,
eyes closed, on the couch. She knew she needed to rest, but at the same time she couldn’t stand that Rhia was still missing and that they were no closer to finding out more about her own attackers. She was fine. A little bruised, a little cut. A lot sore. But she was healing. Another few minutes and maybe she could leave.

“No.” Taz’s warm caring voice washed over her.

Her eyes flew open. “Now what?”

“No, you aren’t chasing after them,” he said.

She frowned at him but lay back down willingly. Maybe she could use a little more rest. Then again, she had good reason to be tired. She’d been working long hours and taking no breaks for days. Make that weeks. If this mess didn’t finish soon, it might finish her.

Before that happened, she was going to make sure a lot of nasty vamps suffered. Now if only she could figure out how.

“Did you find Rhia?”

Taz shook his head. “No. She hasn’t shown up anywhere. In the Council Hall or out.”

“I don’t think she’d have left.”

“Why?”

“She wasn’t trying to go to the enemy, she was trying to save her son. She needed information, and the best place for that would be the computers that were seized.”

“That would be the room Wendy and Ian told us about.”

“Yes.” She sat up eagerly. “It would. We should find out who those men were. Maybe they are trojans here made to look like our computer crew who were working on sorting through the databases for anything incriminating.”

“Maybe, and maybe they attacked Wendy and Ian for a different reason. No point in guessing. We’ll find out soon.”

“And why is that?” she asked in a plaintive voice. “I’m fine. I can go back to work now. I’m not a baby.”

“No. There are a lot of other people here. Let them help. A team is searching floor by floor. Ian has gone with them.”

“How long ago? They should be back by now.” She hopped to her feet. “I should go look.”

“No. You are fine right where you are. If they were done, then they’d be home but if not, they won’t be. Give the men time to do their job,” he said in exasperation. “Rest.”

Obediently, she lowered herself on the couch again. “I am resting.”

“Rest more. Think about the baby.”

“I am thinking about the baby,” she snapped. “I’m trying to make sure she lives a long life without anyone attempting to kill her.”

Silence.

Slowly, he lifted his head and stared at her. “Her?” he asked delicately. “A slip of the tongue, or are you trying to tell me something?”

She stared at him, her mind consumed with her words. Did she mean what she’d said, or…

“Sian?” He leaned closer, his gaze warm, searching, hoping…

“You want a daughter,” she said in surprise. “Don’t you?”

“I want a healthy baby and I’d love a son, too,” he said with a small laugh. “You know it doesn’t matter to me.”

“But…”

He shrugged. “I’d love to have a baby girl to call my own.”

She smiled. Inside, she could feel a centering. A sense of rightness. “Well, in that case, you’re in luck.” Her smile deepened with the inner joy blasting through her. “We’re having a girl.”

*

Ian walked up
to the door where the men had been the last time he’d seen them. “It’s this one,” he said, motioning to it. He was sure it was the right door. He’d already taken them to the wrong door once and had felt like a fool.

“Here?” The first of the four-man team knocked on the door at Ian’s nod. “That’s what you said last time.”

There was no answer from inside the room.

Ian shrugged. “Who knew all the doors looked alike?”

No answer. He knocked again. Still no answer. With a second questioning look at Ian, he raised his eyebrows and asked, “Are you sure?”

Ian nodded. “They were in there with multiple computer monitors all linked together.”

The men glanced at each other then back at the door.

One of the men in the back stepped forward and said, “Let me.”

The others backed away. He came forward with a funky tool and played with the lock. Ian wasn’t sure if it was a master key or some kind of lock pick. If it were the latter, he wished he’d had a chance to try Tessa’s credit card trick. But he had no cards of his own. Still, it would be nice if he could be the hero one day. Tessa made it look so easy.

There was a loud click and the door opened. The man pushed the door wide and studied the interior. It was completely empty.

Ian’s stomach sank. Shit. They’d booked it, and these guys were going to assume Ian and Wendy had made it all up.

“This is the door and they were here.” He followed the first man inside. “Surely they’d have left something behind to prove it.”

He walked the large empty space and realized one thing. “It’s
too
empty. As if they had no idea what belonged here originally and so they took everything.”

The others looked at Ian, then at each other. “That’s possible but hardly likely. They’d have been seen.”

“Or they took the other furniture out over time so no one would know, and all they had to take this time was their stuff.”

The room had bits of garbage on the wooden floor, but there were no chairs or tables, no desks, and definitely no computer equipment. They’d stripped it clean. He turned and walked back to the hallway, wondering if he could have possibly made a mistake. No. It couldn’t be. He was sure this was the room. He walked back inside and closed the door. Then stopped. Something white was on the back of the door.

He reached up to snatch it off then stopped. “They forgot something.”

The others turned to look then crowded around. “It’s some kind of calendar.”

Ian caught just a glimpse of the lines on the paper before it was ripped off and they pored over it. But the lines, the dates, times… “It’s not a calendar. It’s a schedule.”

They froze, stared at him, and then glanced back at the writing on the sheet. “I think he’s right.”

“But a schedule for what?” muttered one of the others.