Savage Redemption

chapter 17



Conlan counted off the rings, reaching eight before Ambrose finally answered.

“Where the hell are you?”

He smiled at the rough concern in the other chancellor’s voice. “I’m guessing you know exactly where we are, Ambrose. What you really want to know is why we’re sitting here in the middle of nowhere.”

“I’m listening.”

“Kat hid copies of her research near her late sister’s place. We were on our way to retrieve it when we picked up some company. Eddington must have deep pockets to keep funding this much firepower. Mercs equipped with helicopters and rocket launchers don’t come cheap.”

“I’m guessing they’re the ones responsible for those new craters in the road. Until you called, Rafferty and I were trying to figure out if you’d been vaporized by one of those shots.”

Conlan pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke, trying to forget how close those rockets had come to doing just that. “We think they were actually trying to herd us. When the second shot hit right behind us, we cut across country to a back road that delayed our arrival by about twenty minutes. Probably so their welcoming committee could get in position.”

Ambrose let loose with an impressive string of curse words, all shouted at top volume so that Conlan had to hold the phone at arm’s length. Even Kat was smiling at his creativity. When his temper wound down a bit, Ambrose spoke again.

“Rafferty and I are coming in behind you, and my men are driving around to the main gate. You stay parked right where you are until we get there. Then we’ll come at them from both directions.”

As appealing as that scenario sounded, it wasn’t going to happen. Not with an all-too-familiar sound growing louder by the second.

“Sorry, no can do, Ambrose. The helo is back. I’m guessing we’ve taken too long to reach the farm, and they’re getting antsy.”

“Then hold out as long as you can. We’re on the way.”

Conlan hung up and opened his door. He paused long enough to ask, “Kat, I don’t suppose you’d wait for the second wave to arrive?”

Kat was already climbing out of her side of the transport and came around to his side. “Give me a gun and let’s go.”

He retrieved his pack from the backseat. “Let’s get out of this place. It won’t take those guys up there long to figure out where we went to ground. I wouldn’t put it past them to blow this barn all to hell and back just for grins.”

They slipped out the smaller door on the far side of the barn, glad that the sun was down. Conlan took Kat’s hand and led her across a field of overgrown grass, knowing her night vision was limited. When they reached the questionable safety of a stone wall, he knelt down and pulled out his spare gun for her.

He gave both it and his own weapon a quick check and pocketed extra clips. He passed the rest to Kat, although he hoped like hell she wouldn’t need them. Before they could move on, the sound of shouting could be heard coming from near the barn, followed by the sound of running feet. A few seconds later there was a whoosh and then the whole place exploded, lighting up the night.

Kat’s face was pale in the glow of the fire. “So much for our means of escape. At least they checked to make sure we weren’t in there beforehand.”

He didn’t bother to point out that the only reason they’d done so was that they needed Kat alive long enough to retrieve the missing research. As soon as they did, both of them were instantly expendable. Hell, he already was.

“Ready?”

She nodded. “Do we still have a plan?”

He wished they did, but that would have to wait until he saw what they were up against. “Survive?”

Kat laughed. “Good one.”

He had to taste that smiling mouth one more time. “Come here and kiss me.”

She stepped into his arms, the way she fit against him perfect as always. Kat cupped his face with the palms of her hands as she raised up far enough to brush her lips across his. He closed his eyes and soaked in the sweet warmth of her touch. But soft and gentle wasn’t what he wanted. Not now. He deepened the kiss, trying to tell her everything he felt but had no words for. If their kiss tasted a little too much of desperation, that was to be expected. It also made it that much more precious.

Time to get moving. “Stay low, follow me and do what I say.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Cyrus stared out into the darkness. “Where the hell are they?”

The sergeant in charge of the mercenaries shook his head. “We haven’t located them as yet, sir. They abandoned their vehicle in a barn. I sent men in to make sure that chancellor hadn’t left the woman behind before we blew it up. They won’t get far on foot.”

“Fine. Post guards. I don’t want them slipping up on us in the darkness.”

That the merc immediately looked to Richie to confirm the order made Cyrus furious. He was tempted to remind the idiot who was paying his salary; however, now wasn’t the time to get into an argument about the chain of command. Nor would he admit that he’d made an error in judgment by insisting on coming rather than sending in Richie and the mercenaries to deal with Kat Karr and the mongrel helping her.

At one time he’d had high hopes that Kat would join the cause, but she obviously had the same taste for trash as her dead sister. It clearly wouldn’t be enough to rid the world of vampires and their chancellor spawn. There’d have to be a purge of tainted humans, as well. To be sure, there would be protests from even among his fellow purists. However, eventually the survivors would understand that it had all been done for the benefit of humanity.

He would be a hero, even if they didn’t know it.

Looking around, he shuddered, the darkness giving him the creeps. Humans had always been at a disadvantage once the sun went down. Not for one second did he forget that they were intruding on a vampire estate. He’d gotten permission—of a sort. They’d agreed he could confront a human woman on their land because he’d assured them the outcome would help clear up the title for them to claim the farm for their own use. On the other hand, he’d also promised it would all be handled quietly without bringing the whole affair to the attention of the Coalition Council.

Blowing up that barn could hardly be considered quiet. Then there was the small problem of Ambrose O’Brien already being involved. That bastard had the ear of every prominent member of the Council. There was no way this was going to go unnoticed. All Cyrus could hope was that the research was far enough along that the scientists working for the purists could replicate it quickly. How sweet would it be to implement it before the vampires and their kin could interfere?

He stalked over to where Richie stood staring out into the darkness. “Well, where are they?”

Silence.

Cyrus tapped him on the shoulder. “I asked you a question.”

When Richie turned around, he was pointing a gun straight at Cyrus.

Cyrus gave his assistant a disgusted look. “Watch it, Richie. You shouldn’t be carrying a weapon if you don’t know how to use one. It could go off.”

“Oh, it will just soon as Kat and company show up. They won’t be the only casualties, though I figure you and her chancellor hero will be dead long before she is.”

In an instant the rather tentative assistant was gone, and in his place stood a cold-blooded killer. “Now shut up, or you’ll die before the party even starts.”

The night had nothing on the darkness in Richie’s gaze. Cyrus tamped down his fear and drew himself up to his full height. “Don’t threaten me, you young fool, or you’ll be looking for a job when we get back to New Eire.”

Instead of being cowed, Richie laughed. Not only that, but all the mercs within hearing distance joined in. Cyrus looked around, trying to find at least one ally in the group. It didn’t appear that he had any. Not one.

He sneered at the sergeant. “If I were you, I’d think about who was funding this little operation. If you want to get paid, that is.”

That only seemed to add to their collective amusement. Obviously he was missing something, some key bit of information that would explain what was going on.

“Richie, what have you done?”

The man in question sauntered forward. His entire demeanor had changed to the point that Cyrus hardly recognized him.

“What I’ve done, Cyrus, is drained your personal bank accounts and then your precious organization’s funds, as well. I also made sure that the theft would all trace right back to you. As soon as we retrieve Kat’s research, my friends here will see me safely transported out of the Coalition’s reach. From there, I’ll be auctioning off the data to the highest bidder.”

He got right in Cyrus’s face. “Tell me, boss, considering how deep vampire pockets are these days, who do you think that will be? And once they’ve figured out what you and the other purists had in mind for them, I’m thinking they’re not going to be very happy.”

Cyrus’s knees threatened to give out. If the vampires and chancellors found out the truth, there wouldn’t be a person connected with the movement who’d be safe from their predations. The muscles in his neck twitched and tightened painfully at the thought of a vampire’s fangs ripping into his throat.

Fury at the betrayal sent him charging forward. Thanks to the suddenness of his attack, Cyrus succeeded in getting the traitor in a chokehold. The satisfaction lasted all of five seconds before two of the mercs were yanking Cyrus back. Then they held him until Richie caught his breath.

When he could finally speak, Ritchie’s voice was little better than a wheeze as he grabbed Cyrus by the front of his shirt. “For that, I’m going to feed you to the first vamp I can find.”

Before Cyrus could respond, one of the other mercs slipped into their makeshift camp inside the burned-out walls of the house and headed straight for Richie.

“Sir, the guards we left posted at both entrances have called in. Coalition forces are moving in.”

Richie shoved Cyrus, sending him stumbling back. “Damn it, spread out and find Kat and Shea. They’ve got to be close by. Don’t apprehend until she leads us to her hiding spot. Tell the rest of your men to fall back to the pickup point.” His eyes gleamed with malice. “Once we’ve got the package, we’ll fly out and leave Councillor Eddington here trussed up as a present for Ambrose and his buddies.”

Cyrus didn’t bother trying to resist. Right now, being picked up by Ambrose to face Coalition justice sounded a whole lot safer than remaining with his former allies.

* * *

One shadow, only slightly darker than the others, detached itself and moved straight toward her. Kat froze, praying that it was Conlan returning from a long reconnoiter up ahead. She knew he’d only been gone a few minutes, but her nerves were stretched almost to the breaking point, making it seem much longer.

He knelt beside her, leaning in close to whisper to her. His warm breath tickled her skin, his reassuring presence renewing her resolve.

“The leaders have holed up in the shell of your sister’s house. They’ve got scouts scattered all over the place equipped with night-vision goggles.”

He dangled something in front of her face. “I thought you might find a pair of them useful. Their previous owner won’t need them any longer. Put them on and give yourself a little time to adjust to seeing through them.”

He helped her adjust the straps. When she looked around, she could see their surroundings in far greater detail, and everything was green. “Is this how you see all the time?”

“Hard to say, because they’re designed for human eyes, but I’m guessing it’s similar.”

“Okay, where do we go from here?”

Conlan pointed in the direction of where her sister used to live. “I’ve found one gap in their defenses. Could be a mistake on their part or it could be a deliberate choice in hopes we’d fall into a trap.”

None of that was good news. Still, they had no choice but to go forward if this nightmare was ever going to end. By coming here, she’d confirmed to Eddington and his men that her research was hidden nearby. If she and Conlan didn’t get to it first, there was every chance those mercs would eventually find it.

She pulled together the ragged edges of her courage. “Let’s get this over with.”

Conlan’s hand squeezed her shoulder. “That’s my girl. Once we get the drive, we’ll call in the troops.”

While she’d been sitting there in the darkness, alone with her thoughts and memories, she’d come to a decision. One that Conlan would hate, but it was the only course of action she could live with. The only reason she’d be able to carry it off was that Conlan trusted her at his back. Foolish man.

As he remained kneeling, she rose up suddenly with the fist-size rock she’d found and brought it crashing down on the side of Conlan’s head. He fell over in a silent heap at her feet. She whispered an apology and walked away without looking back.

The moon had finally risen, bathing the whole area with its dim light. With the aid of her night-vision goggles, the world was painted all in shades of green. Odd to be seeing everything in such detail. Although it gave her a better chance of making it across the field without tripping over obstacles in her way, she knew the enemy would be able to see her just as clearly.

Keeping to the darkest shadows, she worked her way toward the old well house. It was hard to keep moving, knowing she was skating so close to Eddington’s men. She’d done the right thing by leaving Conlan behind, but she desperately missed his reassuring presence at her back. She’d been on her own for the past three years, terrified that she’d make a mistake and cost her nieces their lives just as she had their mother. It had been safer to trust no one than to risk putting her faith in the wrong person.

All her caution had disappeared the second she’d woken up in Seamus’s infirmary with Conlan Shea hovering over her. Even if he would’ve done the smart thing and turned her over to Ambrose O’Brien, he’d have taken care of Rose and Maggie. That’s all that really mattered. The past few days with him beside her each step of the way had filled a huge gap in her life.

She glanced back to where she’d left him alone and bleeding. He’d wake up hurting and furious, but at least he’d wake up. Chances were that even if she did make it to the well house, she wouldn’t live to see the dawn. But one way or the other, this was going to end tonight.

With that as her mantra, she swallowed her fear and strengthened her resolve. It would be easy to retreat and let Ambrose O’Brien and his men take over. However, she’d made the mistake of putting her faith in them once before. Instead of finding justice, they’d been badly fooled three years ago by the Dowitar Institute. She’d find the evidence and do her darnedest to make sure it got into the right hands.

The well house loomed up before her. She stopped just short to listen. The night was silent. Too silent. No voices, no small animals rustling in the undergrowth. Nothing. It didn’t take a genius to know that meant there were predators out and about.

She took another step forward and then another, reaching out to touch the rough surface of the small brick building. It felt cool, solid, reassuring. If she’d come this far only to find the old building had been torn down, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. For now, she needed to orient herself and then start counting.

She eased around to the front of the well house, still taking care to make her moves slow and deliberate. So far, so good. Then around to the far side. Starting at the top, she counted down the bricks until she reached the twelfth row and then moved five bricks to the left. After taking one last look around, she shoved her gun in her waistband to free up both hands.

Using her fingernails, she grasped the edge of the brick and tugged on it. At first it resisted her efforts, but then it moved slightly, enough to give her a better hold on it. Another tug and it broke free, but the scraping noise seemed to echo through the night. She froze, waiting to see if the sound had drawn the enemies’ attention.

Nothing. She used her fingers to grope the opening left behind by the brick. There—she found it. The small, plastic-wrapped bundle she’d left hidden there three years before. She stuck it in her pocket and then slowly eased the brick back into place.

Time to get back to Conlan. Before she could take a single step, the night lit up all around her, blinding her. She tore off her night goggles and threw them to the ground as she reached for her gun. Whoever was out there was careful to remain hidden in the darkness on the other side of the spotlight.

“Don’t bother drawing your gun, Kat. We’ve got half a dozen weapons aimed right at you. One move and it’s over. Raise your hands over your head.”

She should’ve known it had been too easy for her to reach the well house without being spotted. She slowly did as ordered while trying to figure who was issuing the orders. More important, why did the voice sound familiar?

“Sergeant, disarm the prisoner and bring her to the house. Be careful. That chancellor she’s been bedding down with is still around somewhere.”

Rough hands grabbed her by the arm and dragged her along. She fought down the rising panic, drawing comfort from the knowledge that her actions had kept Conlan from falling captive to these bastards. Rose and Maggie were safe, too. Someday maybe they’d understand the choices she’d made. Her one regret was not getting to say goodbye to them one last time.

As scary as this was, what she was really feeling was relief. All the running, all the fear, all the hiding were about to end. And if the price was her life, she’d pay it as long as it meant her loved ones were safe.

The crowd of mercs parted as her escorts led her through the pack. She kept her eyes focused on the ground, trying not to trip on the rough terrain. When they finally broke through to the inner circle, she came face-to-face with an older man standing near a campfire. Although she’d never met him before, she had no doubt she was facing Councilman Eddington himself.

The man seemed more out of place in the midst of the men in camouflage and definitely looked ragged around the edges. At long last her enemy had a face. She might not survive the night, but she wasn’t going to die without having her say.

“Councilman Eddington, I’d like to say how nice it is to meet you, but that would be a lie. After all, you’ve made my life a living hell for the past three years and cost the lives of my sister and my friend Richard

Jacobs.”

She looked him straight in the eye. “You have to know that Ambrose O’Brien and his men are closing in on you here. He also knows what you’re planning to do.”

Eddington’s face flushed with anger. On second thought, maybe it was fear, because he actually looked over his shoulder as if expecting the Coalition chancellors to come leaping out of the darkness any second. When nothing happened, he turned his fury on her.

“You’ve cost me a small fortune, Miss Karr. Now I’ll take the research I paid for three years ago.”

“So you can murder innocent people? I don’t think so.”

He stalked toward her, his hand held out. “No innocent people will be harmed by your research, Miss Karr. Only those mutant freaks that carry the vampire gene.”

She had no doubt that she was staring into the eyes of insanity. He would believe whatever his madness had convinced him was the truth.

“If my research was implemented, thousands and thousands of people who have done you no harm would die horrible deaths. Men, women and children.”

Images of Rose and Maggie filled her head even as tears filled her eyes. “Children like my nieces. They’ve never hurt anyone.”

He sneered. “Not yet, but they will. Right now they probably seem almost human to you, but that’s a lie. On the inside, their mongrel blood is making them stronger than us. What are you going to do if they develop a taste for human blood? And if not them, then half of the brats they produce when they mate with one of their own kind or, worse yet, a pureblood vampire.” His voice dripped with venom. “The spread of that tainted gene has to be stopped, and soon, or there won’t be a safe place on this planet for those of us blessed to be born pure.”

Blessed? Pure? She couldn’t believe the drivel coming from Eddington’s mouth, but it was obvious that he meant every word. That left her no choice. She slipped her hand into her pocket, fingering the memory stick that she’d hoped to use to prove her innocence. But she’d spend every day of the rest of her life in prison or face the executioner with a clear conscience before she’d hand over her research to this depraved bunch.

Slowly, hoping not to draw attention to what she was doing, she withdrew her hand with the flash drive hidden in her fist. As soon as she lunged toward the fire, ready to toss her one hope into the flames, a pair of hands jerked her backward and up against a hard chest.

“How gutsy of you, Kat. I have to admit you’ve shown a lot more gumption over the past three years than I would have ever given you credit for.”

She struggled to break free of the hold. Then her captor shoved her toward two of the mercs. She managed to avoid letting them get their hands on her, turning instead to face this latest addition to the party.

At first her eyes wouldn’t believe what they were seeing, but there was no denying the truth when it was standing right there in front of her: Richard Jacobs. He’d changed. His hair was shorter, his eyes hard and cold. But even so, he looked damned good for a man who was supposed to be three years dead. After all, she’d been convicted of his murder.

That was the last straw. She charged him, managing to land a solid hit on his nose before the mercs had her back under control. She struggled against their hold, wanting to do some serious damage to the man she’d trusted.

“You bastard, you let me go to prison for killing you! We were friends!”

He wiped the blood off his nostrils with his sleeve and then backhanded her. Her head whipped back, and tears filled her eyes. That didn’t mean she was going to cower.

“Gee, Richard, it takes a big man to hit a woman when someone else is holding her for him.”

“Shut up, bitch. And to set the record straight, we were never friends, Kat. Oh, you were pretty enough, but no man wants to sleep with a human calculator. You had about as much feminine appeal as one of those computers you spent so much time with.”

There had been a time in her life when that comment would have hurt, but she knew better than that now. Conlan had made her feel feminine, cherished and even loved. If there had been anything lacking between her and Richard, it had been him.

She delighted in telling him so. “Maybe it wasn’t me, Richard. As I recall, you were never much good at chemistry of any kind. That’s why you needed me to do all the heavy lifting on the project.”

The mercenaries all laughed, which only infuriated Richard more. “Shut the hell up, you fools, especially if you have any hope of getting that bonus I promised you.”

When silence settled around the fire, he turned his ice-cold gaze back toward her. “Now give me that flash drive. I have a buyer waiting.”

Eddington rejoined the conversation. “Richie, you’re not going to sell that to anyone. My organization bought and paid for that research. It’s mine, and I want it.”

Richard only looked bored as he raised his gun and pulled the trigger once. Kat screamed as the councillor stumbled back, his hands on his chest, trying to hold back the gush of blood.

“Looks like you bleed red just like everybody else, Cyrus. So much for that superior, pure blood of yours.”

Not a single man lifted a finger to help Eddington. Their callous disregard for his life sent a chill straight through Kat. How long did she have left before Richard turned his weapon in her direction?

As it turned out, not long at all. He aimed the gun straight at her face. “Now, Kat, back to that flash drive. Hand it over now, and I promise to make this quick and clean. That’s the best offer you’re going to get tonight.”

She nodded and started to raise her arm, hoping to draw his attention to her hand long enough to buy herself a second, maybe two. That’s all it would take for her to throw the drive into the heart of the fire. As if reading the intent in her eyes, Richard shouted, and his men made another grab for her.

It all played out in slow motion as she spun and threw the flash drive straight at the fire: the yelling, the bark of Richard’s gun, the burning impact as a bullet sent her spinning in circles on her way to the ground. Her last sight was one of the mercs diving to intercept the drive as it spun end over end toward the flames.

Then the ground came rushing up to meet her before she could see if he caught it.