Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,68
Freddy and Reyes hadn’t found him, drawn out of the lab by Alex’s screams, he would’ve died. He’d been very lucky.
Although, looking at him now, Tasha was certain he didn’t consider himself so.
“You could’ve helped save her,” he whispered. “Why weren’t you there?”
Tasha held his gaze for a moment and then looked away. The memory of finding Rueben naked in her bed zipped through her mind like a movie. “It was a personal matter.”
“That is the best answer you can give me?”
“It’s the only one you’re going to get.”
“When you compromised evidence by giving it to Sheriff Manser—”
Tasha shuffled her feet and frowned, avoiding eye contact.
“—Alex covered your ass. I covered your ass.” He stalked toward her, hands clenching into fists. “Now Alex is in trouble, and you’re going to stand there and play these stupid games?”
“I answered your question.” She backed away from him until her shoulders bumped into a corner. “You can threaten me all you want, but you should know by now, I don’t respond well to threats.”
He leaned in close so his face was only inches from hers. “And I don’t respond well to losing people I care about.”
The door opened and Damian Alberez’s hulking form entered the break room. His dark eyes swept the scene as he placed his hands on his hips. “Is there a problem in here?”
Varik fell back a few steps but never looked away from Tasha. “No, no problem, just a misunderstanding. Right, Lieutenant?”
Tasha remained silent.
Damian grunted. “If you’re finished correcting it, the medical examiner has the report on the Jane Doe from the salvage yard.”
“On my way.”
“Lieutenant.”
Tasha glanced at Damian.
“Someone needs to follow up with the owner of the property next to the salvage yard. You’re it.”
“Whatever.”
Damian shot Varik a final parting glare and left.
Varik turned to follow but paused in the doorway. “This isn’t over between us, Lieutenant. Far from it.”
Tasha listened to his retreating footsteps as he limped down the hall toward the central office area. Her ears rang in the ensuing silence, and she struggled to control the hatred growing in her heart. Shaking like a rookie hyped on adrenaline, she vowed she would no longer allow herself to be pushed around by vampires.
Varik scared her, especially now that Alex had been abducted, but what frightened her even more was the prospect of people discovering where Tasha had been: drunk and in bed with a man whose last name she didn’t know.
Just like your fucking mother, the nagging voice in her head taunted. How long did she wait after your father split to shack up with someone? One week? Two? You’re just as pathetic as she was.
Tasha bolted from the room, trying to outdistance the voice that sought to break her spirit and drove the self-destructive thirst building within her.
“Lieutenant,” a woman’s voice called from the hallway behind her.
Tasha stopped and glared at Morgan as the vampire approached. “What is it, SI Dreyer? I’m in a hurry.”
“Running from the ghosts of your conversation with Director Baudelaire?”
Tasha tensed. “Excuse me?”
“I couldn’t help but overhear what Director Baudelaire said to you, specifically the threats.” Morgan slipped her hands into the pockets of her tailored designer slacks. “Such behavior is unbecoming for someone of his rank. If you’d like to file a formal complaint, I can see that it receives the appropriate attention at FBPI headquarters.”
“Wouldn’t that start an inquiry against him?”
“It’s possible, depending on the severity of his threats and if he’s made any against you in the past.” She shrugged. “Just something to think about,” she said as she sauntered past.
Tasha replayed in her mind her encounter with Varik, absently rubbing her shoulder where he’d grabbed her. “Ah, hell,” she muttered to herself then raised her voice. “SI Dreyer?”
Morgan stopped at the end of the hall and half turned toward her.
“I think I’d like to file that complaint.”
As Morgan strode back down the hall, her smile wide enough to show her fangs, Tasha couldn’t help but think she’d just made a deal with the devil.
fifteen
A GENTLE BREEZE RUFFLING HER HAIR AND THE SCENT of wildflowers forced Alex’s eyes open. The wind brushed her again and something slithering over her outstretched arm sent her heart into a frantic rhythm. She pushed herself away from whatever had touched her.
Soft things encircled her, and her mind began to piece together her environment from touch and smell. She lay on what she surmised was a huge bed, surrounded by mounds of pillows and a fluffy comforter. Sheer drapes billowing in the breeze