NATALIE HADN’T known what else to do, so she’d sat on the bed in her room and worked, digging into Anthony’s files, reading them one by one. Despite her efforts, however, she hadn’t found anything as condemning as the fax Anthony had sent to Vincent. But what she did find didn’t paint a lovely picture of Anthony. He’d been working with an outside accountant, looking for ways to steal money from the territorial accounts without her noticing. Unsuccessfully, of course. She did know her job. But it made her wonder if that was the real reason for his obsession with her. Maybe he’d thought to seduce her into helping him abscond with funds.
The idea made her shudder in disgust.
Needing something to cleanse her mind, she got up and walked over to the open bedroom door, intent on going to the kitchen for a snack. She was about to step into the hallway, when the front doorbell rang.
Natalie stilled, somewhat alarmed at the unexpected sound. She stepped quietly back into the bedroom, then spun around and hurried over to her bed where she’d been working. Slapping her laptop shut, she stared around the bedroom looking for a hiding place. Maybe she was being paranoid, but too many crazy things had been happening lately, and a little paranoia might be a good thing. Under the mattress was too obvious, as were the drawers. Peering behind the elaborate headboard, she saw there was a slight ledge where the headboard met the bed frame, and there was just enough space between the headboard and the wall that it might work. She was on her knees on the bed, shoving the laptop down into the narrow space, when she heard Jaclyn’s heels on the wooden floor heading for the front door.
With the laptop reasonably secure, she tiptoed over and pulled the bedroom door nearly closed, leaving it open just enough for her to peek down the hall. She watched as Jaclyn checked out their visitor through the peephole, then entered the code—which Natalie had given her for safety reasons—and opened the door.
Everything happened so fast after that that Natalie had trouble ordering the events in her head. Jaclyn opened the door, greeted someone with a friendly, “What are you doing here?” And then three shots sounded, and Jaclyn stumbled backward, blood blooming on the back of her designer sweater.
Natalie managed to stifle her gasp. She ducked back into the room and pushed the door nearly closed, just as three vampires rushed into the house. She had to get out of there. Christian had told her the shutters could be opened from inside once the code was entered. She could go out the window, and run until she found a safe place to hide and call Christian. She slid her shoes on, and grabbed her jacket and purse. Acting on impulse, she ripped open the box with the gun that Cynthia Leighton had given her and shoved the gun and a box of ammo into her purse, then slid the box under the bed. She wished she had her cell phone, but it was sitting on the charger in the kitchen. She got the window open and had just cranked the shutter release when the door to her bedroom was pushed open so hard it hit the wall with a loud crack. Natalie spun around, her back pressed to the unopened shutter.
“Going somewhere, little human?” the vampire asked. He was huge, bulked out with muscle, his eyes cold and mocking. She recognized him vaguely as one of Anthony’s security people. But there were so many vampires around Anthony, she’d never paid attention to them, unless they came into the office.
“What do you want?” she demanded, trying to be tough. After all, he had no right to be here, but she did.
He grinned, his fangs on full display. “You,” he said simply.
She opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell, but he was across the room with his big fingers gripping her arm before she could get the first word out.
“What are you doing?” She struggled, knowing it was pointless. She had to try.
“I’m taking you back where you belong,” he growled. “Your little whoring vacation is over. You belong to Lord Anthony.”
Natalie blushed hotly at his description, even though he was wrong. She didn’t belong to anyone, and she sure as hell wasn’t a whore. But at least she understood what was happening now. Anthony had arranged for Christian to face Hubert alone down in Laredo, hoping and planning for him to die there. And as long as he was gone, Anthony figured he might as well swoop in and claim Natalie, so she could play her part in his ridiculous idea of their future together. He might be a powerful vampire, but he was losing his mind if he thought she would ever agree to live with him. No matter how much he tried to mess with her brain.
As for the gorilla currently squeezing her arm tightly enough to leave bruises, she knew the Borg from Star Trek had been right. Resistance was futile. So she didn’t try. Her time would come, and she would be ready for it, but that time wasn’t now. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she gripped the strap tightly, and let him drag her out the door.
“I’ve got her,” he said, loudly enough that the other two vamps came rushing back from wherever they’d been searching in the big house.
Natalie almost panicked when she thought about the basement, and about Alon sleeping down there, totally helpless. But then a female vamp came running down the hall and said, “Good thing she wasn’t in the basement. He’s got a fucking vault down there.”
“Didn’t do him any good now, did it?” her captor sneered. He pulled her to the front door, and she got her first good look at Jaclyn.
“Jaclyn,” she whispered and tugged at the grip on her arm, wanting to check the female vamp. She’d been shot, but vampires were tough, and Jaclyn was a very strong vampire.
“She’ll live,” her captor growled. “Don’t want Raphael involved in this.”
Natalie was pretty sure that just shooting Jaclyn would be enough for Raphael to get involved. But it wasn’t only Raphael that they needed to be concerned about. Jaclyn had bodyguards, including her lover, Cibor. And they wouldn’t take kindly to her being hurt.
“Let’s go.” He dragged her out the door, not bothering to close it behind him. Natalie thought about Jaclyn lying there vulnerable, and sent a private prayer to whichever god protected vampires that she would be safe.
Laredo, TX
CHRISTIAN HEARD the power behind the unfamiliar voice, and braced for one more battle. God, he was tired. He turned to face his enemy . . . and stared. Three SUVs idled in the shadows beyond the yard. All of the doors stood open, and vampire fighters waited in readiness before them. He’d been so engrossed in his fight with Hubert, and then his worry over Marc, that he hadn’t heard their arrival, hadn’t even sensed their presence. He was aware of Marc and Cibor rising to stand at his back, ready to face the newcomers, whoever they were. The tension was thick enough to ripple the air between the two groups, but no one moved.
Christian studied each vampire in turn, noting their readiness, their discipline as they waited for orders. Their obvious leader was the one who’d spoken. He noted the vamp’s confident posture and watchful eyes, and the depth of his power despite efforts to conceal it. And that quickly, he knew. This was Vincent, Lord of Mexico.
He bit back a sigh. What the fuck? Wasn’t it enough that he’d had to fight an army of creepy zombie vamps, deal with Barranza’s sneak attack on Marc, and finally kill that asshole Hubert to end it all? Now he had to face down Vincent? The boost gained from Hubert’s power was the only thing keeping him on his feet right now. And that was actually the biggest problem. The talent that had let him drain Hubert was the “what the hell” that Vincent was asking about. No one knew about Christian’s talent, except Marc. He sure as hell hadn’t confided in Mathilde, because she’d have killed him in his sleep if she knew. It was vampirism taken to a deep, dark level, the ability to drink the power of other vampires, the way every vampire drank human blood.
Christian eyed Vincent carefully, not sure yet if he was friend or foe. “That was me defending my future territory,” he said bluntly, addressing Vincent’s question at face value. And then a thought occurred to him. “It also made me Lord of Lyon in France, if I wanted the territory, which I don’t.”
Vincent stared back at him, blinking a few times, then he grinned. “Vincent Kuxim,” he said, taking a step closer, and holding out a hand. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner.”
Christian regarded the vampire lord, considering. He didn’t know Vincent other than their brief phone conversation, but he knew from Natalie’s discovery that Anthony had sent him on a false trail to make sure Christian faced Hubert alone. They’d both been used by Anthony and Hubert, and that made them allies of a sort. And Christian could use allies. Especially the kind who shared a border with what would soon be his new territory.
He met Vincent halfway and gripped his hand. “Christian Duvall,” he said. “That was Hubert, by the way,” he said, gesturing in the direction of Hubert’s pile of dust.