but it wasn’t common knowledge. Despite four decades of living openly, vampires were still a secretive lot and information regarding them was often hard to obtain. The fact that the FBPI was sharing this much information with humans underscored the gravity of what had transpired in the past few hours.
“Enforcer Sabian—” Varik’s broken voice fractured even more, forcing him to pause yet again. “Enforcer Sabian was abducted—” He stopped, and when he attempted to speak again, no words came forth.
Damian Alberez stepped forward, laid a hand on Varik’s shoulder, and Varik turned away, unable to continue with the briefing. Damian’s dark eyes swept the crowd as he picked up where Varik faltered. “Enforcer Sabian was abducted at approximately fifteen hundred hours, or three p.m., local time. That was almost five hours ago. I know most of you have worked through the day on other assignments and I know you’re tired. Despite what you may have heard about events of weeks prior, Enforcer Sabian is a federal agent. She’s one of us. Let’s bring her home.”
The crowd dispersed, with the Enforcers gathering around Damian, who appeared to be issuing additional instructions. The human officers moved away in pairs or small groups. Those who’d been working through the day gave the new arrivals a brief rundown of the events. All officers had been called in for the search, even Tasha, despite her status on the sick roster.
Still trying to massage away the pain in her temples, Tasha entered the deserted Municipal Center lobby and strode toward the wing housing the Jefferson Police Department. A rush of air and noise signaled that someone had entered behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Varik limping toward her.
“We need to talk,” he croaked.
Tasha didn’t respond and entered the JPD offices, breathing in the smells of stale coffee, gun oil, and sweat as she passed through the rows of empty desks on her way to the employee break room.
“Where the hell were you earlier today?” Varik’s ragged voice carried an edge of anger that quickened her pace.
“Sick.”
“I left messages for you to meet Alex and me at the mobile lab.”
Tasha reached the break room and rounded on him. She braced one hand against the doorjamb to keep from falling over as the world suddenly spun at a much faster rate than normal. “And I told you I was sick. It happens to humans from time to time. We’re not as robust as your kind.”
“You should’ve been there.”
“I’m not some rookie you can jerk around from one place to the other, or threaten, for that matter.”
Varik shoved her inside and closed the door behind him.
“Get your grubby hands off me!” Tasha pulled free of him. “Goddamn vamps think you can just barge in whenever the hell you feel like it and manhandle people—”
Varik clutched her shoulder, yanked her from her feet, and slammed her into the door. Fury twisted his face into a dark mask. “I haven’t begun to manhandle you, Lieutenant,” he growled, fangs flashing as he spoke. “Alex is gone, abducted by the Dollmaker, and if you’d been where you were supposed to be, it might not have happened.”
“You are not going to pin this shit on me.” She tried to push him away but she might as well have been trying to move a brick wall. Human strength was no match against a pissed-off vampire. “What happened to Alex isn’t my fault.”
“I ask you again: where were you?” His dark chocolate eyes became two kaleidoscopic maelstroms as they shifted from brown to gold.
Tasha’s stomach churned violently. She gagged and he released her. She ran to the sink, expecting to heave the contents of her stomach into it, but nothing came forth. Once the nausea had passed, she splashed cool water on her face, praying that Varik would be gone when she turned around.
He still stood in front of the closed door, arms folded over his chest and glaring at her.
She returned his hostile stare, trying not to wince at the extent of his injuries. The limp he now sported was the result of a savage kick to his leg that had dislocated his right knee.
When the Dollmaker took Alex, he attacked Varik first, using the ruse of a stranded motorist to move in close. Once Varik’s guard was down, he’d severely beaten the Enforcer and then wrapped Varik’s own jumper cables around his neck, choking him into unconsciousness. The cables had been left tied around Varik’s neck, slowly stealing his breath. If