chapter 27
A couple of hours after the fire department responded to the call, they had cleaned up and were on their way back to their station. The neighbors had started to return to their homes as soon as it was clear that the fire was small and had only caused minimal damage to the roof. The firemen had boarded up the area and cautioned Quinn and his colleagues not to let anybody go up to the attic until it was repaired. But they had lifted the evacuation order and declared the home safe.
Everybody was back inside, but the night wasn’t over yet.
Amaury and Wesley were keeping watch on the house, and Cain was with Oliver, who had protested, saying he didn’t need a babysitter. Quinn had begged to differ.
“By now Keegan must know that we’ve got his guy,” Quinn said, looking at Rose.
They both stood just outside the gym while Zane guarded the prisoner who’d been tied up with silver chains.
Rose snorted. “He probably thinks that we killed him. It’s what he would do. Maybe we should.”
“He’s more valuable to us alive.”
“If you think that Keegan will trade for him, I have to disappoint you. I’ve seen him kill his own men for minor infractions. Hell, he staked one of his bodyguards just for making a comment about his dick.”
Quinn gave her a questioning look. “He what?”
Rose waved him off. “Long story. But I’m saying, he won’t lift a finger to get his assassin back. Keegan only thinks of himself. It doesn’t matter how many people will lose their lives in the pursuit of his goal.”
“I have no plans about trading our prisoner. I want to find out what he knows.”
“He won’t talk. He knows that if he talks he’s a dead man. You might as well kill him now, because if you leave him alive, Keegan will finish him off. He knows it too.”
Quinn frowned. “Charming man, this Keegan. But we’ll get some intel, one way or another.”
Rose’s pretty face pulled into a doubting grimace. “Good luck with torturing him.”
Quinn grinned. “You obviously haven’t seen Zane’s methods. Come, let’s check on them.”
He was about to open the door to the gym, when he turned abruptly, remembering something else he wanted to tell her.
“Oh, and Rose, thanks for helping out earlier, but I could have done it on my own. You should have stayed with the others where you were safe.”
“Ungrateful bastard,” she hissed.
“I said thanks, didn’t I?”
She let out an exasperated breath. “A thank you followed by a but doesn’t count.”
“How about this then? Does that count?”
Before she could answer, he pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth. It took only seconds for her to soften, her pliable body molding itself to his.
He briefly lifted his lips from hers only to whisper another thank you, then went on to ravish her mouth. As tempting as it was to continue, he knew this wasn’t the time or place. Reluctantly, he released her lips and gazed at her. Her lids had dropped to half mast and her mouth looked red and moist and utterly sensual.
“I love the way you look when you’ve just been kissed.”
Her eyes shot open, but she couldn’t hide the vulnerability that resided in them. That he could still do this to her—make her look like a debutante after her first kiss—floored him. His heart beat so loudly in his chest that he thought it might burst.
“Come.”
Quinn opened the door to the gym and pulled her into the room.
Inside, Zane was hard at work, doing what he did best: convincing an unwilling subject to talk. However, his friend looked a little more frustrated than usual.
“Problems?” Quinn asked.
Zane shrugged. “Just a little stubbornness I’m going to have to beat out of him first.”
“He won’t talk,” Rose predicted. “Keegan has that effect on his men. They’re too afraid of him.”
“Nobody has ever resisted me,” Zane claimed and lashed an angry glare at his prisoner. “Neither will you when I’m done with you.”
The captured vampire lifted his head from his chest and grunted. “Never.”
From what Quinn could see, Zane had already inflicted painful injuries to the vampire’s face, torso and extremities. Yet nothing seemed to have worked. Not wanting to lose out on this opportunity to acquire useful information, Quinn pulled out his cell.
“We can do this another way. There’s always Gabriel.”
Quinn dialed a number and waited for the call to connect.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, Gabriel. Keegan’s people made an attempt tonight. But they didn’t get far. However, we got a prisoner in the bargain. He won’t talk though. Can you come over and help us out?”
“Sure. Be there in ten.”
He disconnected the call and shoved the cell back in his front pocket.
“And how is Gabriel going to help when Zane can’t get anything out of him?” Rose leaned closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Between you and me, Zane looks a lot scarier than Gabriel.”
But Zane had heard her nevertheless. “And I don’t just look it. But Gabriel gets to cheat.”
Quinn grinned. “I wouldn’t call his gift cheating.”
“What gift?” Rose asked.
“He reads memories.”
And truth be told, at this moment Quinn envied his boss for it, because if he could access memories the way Gabriel could, he would have a much easier time, figuring out Rose and why she had stayed away from him for two centuries. But then, would he really want to see all she’d been through, see the men she’d been with? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought.
“He what? I don’t understand.”
Quinn pointed at the prisoner who now stared at him, interest flickering in his irises. “Gabriel can dive into his memory and see what he’s seen. He’ll be able to tell us where Keegan is hiding. Once we have the information, we’re going in.” Then he stared straight at the captured vampire, addressing him directly. “Nobody can resist Gabriel’s gift. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Realization spread in his eyes, and Quinn could firmly see this mind working. Rose was right: he was afraid of Keegan more than he feared torture. His arms bound behind him, his legs shackled to one of the machines, he struggled against his restraints. But they didn’t give an inch.
Then he glared back at them. “There is.”
Before Quinn understood what he meant, he saw the prisoner work his mouth as if he was chewing something, or trying to move something around in his mouth.
“Ah, shit!” Zane yelled and jumped him, trying to force his mouth open. “Suicide pill,” he said by way of explanation as he continued to try and pry the vampire’s clamped jaws apart.
Quinn rushed to him to help, but it was too late. He heard a tiny cracking sound as if something had popped. An instant later, the captive’s body turned hot, and both he and Zane backed away from him.
The hostile vampire burst into flames from the inside, incinerating within seconds.
“F*ck!”
Quinn could only echo his colleague’s curse. Behind him, Rose gasped uncontrollably.
“Oh my god! What happened?” she asked, stunned.
“In World War II they handed out cyanide capsules to high ranking officers so they could kill them themselves if they got captured,” Zane explained. “While cyanide doesn’t work on vampires, silver does. He must have had a silver nitrate capsule hidden in his mouth.”
Quinn could only agree. “Silver nitrate, if ingested, causes spontaneous combustion.”
“So much for getting anything useful out of him,” Zane added.
“Back to the drawing board,” Quinn conceded.
***
Thomas didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know that Eddie was standing over him as he was sitting at his computer. In the far corner of his living room, Portia and Delilah were keeping Blake busy with a game of Wii while the baby slept peacefully on the couch, oblivious to the noise the adults were making.
“Still nothing?” Eddie asked and pulled a chair closer to sit next to him.
Thomas gave him a sideways glance, willing his eyes not to linger too long on the young vampire’s broad shoulders and narrow hips. All it would result in was a bolt of lust coursing through his body, scorching him from the inside. And he was determined not to go down that road, knowing it was a dead end.
“It’s like this Keegan is a ghost. I can’t find anything on him, not even with all the info Rose gave us. All we have is where he last resided, but Rose already knew that. Before that, there’s nothing. And from my contacts in Chicago I know that he’s already cleaned out that place and disappeared,” Thomas elaborated.
Eddie frowned. “It’s not like you to find nothing. You’re the best.”
He smiled at his mentee’s enthusiastic exclamation.
“I wish. But even I can’t find anything. No birth certificate, not even a fake one, no social security number, no driver’s license, no photos of him, no property in his name, no trusts that lead to him, nothing. It’s impossible that a man with his apparent power can remain invisible like this. But there’s no trace of him. Keegan doesn’t exist.”
Eddie gave him a puzzled look. “You mean Rose invented him?”
Thomas shook his head. “No. Keegan invented himself.”
And that bothered him. Because only a man who had something very important to hide would go to the pains of erasing every trace of himself and turn into a ghost.
“But why?”
“Because he needs to hide who he really is.”
It was the only explanation that made sense to Thomas. And for a tiny moment he felt a kindred spirit with this man, because just like him, Thomas had made sure his own origins would never be discovered. He’d all but destroyed any evidence of who he was.
The insistent ring of his phone pulled him from his thoughts. Automatically he reached for it.
Glancing at caller ID, he answered. “Yes, Quinn?”
“We need to get Blake back here.”
“Already?” He lowered his voice to make sure Blake, who was still playing Wii, wouldn’t hear him. “Has Keegan already attacked?”
“He has, but he didn’t succeed.”
“Don’t you think it’s safer if he stays here? The B&B has been compromised.”
“He isn’t safe anywhere. Keegan is combing the city for him. Rose would rather have him here where we have the manpower to protect him than at your place. No offense.”
Thomas shrugged. “None taken. So, what’s the plan?”
“We’re consolidating all resources at the B&B. We want you and Eddie to bring him in and then stay here.”
Eddie gave him a thumbs-up as he heard the news, clearly ready for some action. And it suited Thomas fine too, considering they still hadn’t executed Samson’s orders to make a sweep for the flash drive containing the list of vampires.
“We’re on our way.”
He disconnected the phone and swiveled in his chair. “Blake.”
The human turned his head. “Yeah?”
“Training exercise is over. We’re heading back to the base.”
“Did we win?” he asked eagerly.
Thomas grinned. “Yeah, we won.”
If only one battle. The war was still ahead of them. But there was no need to worry the kid.