Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,83
the obviously frightened Piper Garver.
Damian motioned for Tasha and Piper to join him as he stepped a few feet away and began explaining the plan to them.
Morgan’s eyes traveled to Varik’s feet and back up. “I’d forgotten how good you look in a uniform.”
“Save it, Morgan. Whatever you’re after, I’m not interested.”
She sidled closer and lowered her voice. “You may change your mind once you find out there’s a formal complaint levied against you.”
“For what?”
“Intimidation.”
“By whom?”
Her gaze darted to Tasha and back.
“Goddamn it to Hell.”
“You may even change your mind when I tell you I haven’t actually filed her report with the Bureau.” She traced the seam of his uniform along his shoulder with her finger. “Yet.”
He twisted away from her. “What do you want, Morgan? Don’t give me that Tribunal bullshit either. You’ve been playing games ever since you came to Jefferson. Now, what do you really want?”
She hesitated and then whispered, “Enforcers have gone missing in Louisville.”
“How many?”
“Eight as of a few days ago.”
“Why haven’t I heard anything about this?”
“The information is strictly on a need-to-know basis. So far none of the missing Enforcers have been located—no bodies, no demands. Chief Magistrate Phelps is calling in regional directors from all over the country under the guise of an internal audit but its real purpose is to covertly determine if more Enforcers are missing or if it’s localized to Louisville.”
“Does Damian know?”
“Not yet.”
“What do you want from me?”
For a moment he thought he saw fear reflected in her hazel eyes. “When the time comes, I want—”
“We’re ready,” Damian called and Varik followed as their group moved to the hastily erected barricade in front of the house.
He thought about what Morgan said. Eight missing Enforcers was certainly cause for alarm, but his primary concern at the moment was nailing the son of a bitch preventing him from finding his own missing Enforcer.
eighteen
KIRK CLOSELY WATCHED THE THREE PARAMEDICS CARRYING equipment and a bright orange stretcher board into the living room for signs of trickery. He kept a firm grip on Emily’s arm and the revolver pressed against the soft tissue beneath her chin, using her as a precautionary living shield.
“That’s far enough,” he said, stopping them short of reaching Janet, who lay in the center of the room. “Nobody touches the bitch until I see Piper.”
The one holding the stretcher shifted his weight.
“You.” Kirk gestured at him with the revolver. “Why are there three of you?”
“Two to carry the board,” he drawled in a thick accent. “One to carry equipment and hold an IV.”
A cell phone trilled and Kirk tensed. “Answer it,” he ordered Emily. “Keep it on speaker.”
She calmly pressed the button to answer the call. “Hello?”
“This is Chief Enforcer Damian Alberez,” a deep voice rumbled through the speaker. “To whom am I speaking?”
Kirk nodded his approval when she glanced at him.
“Emily Sabian.”
“Are you injured?”
“No, but Janet is.”
“Are the paramedics helping her?”
Kirk draped his chin over her shoulder. “She gets help when I see Piper. That was the fucking deal.”
There was a brief pause. “And you are?”
“I’m the one with the gun pointed at Emily’s pretty fucking face! If you want her to keep it, you send Piper in here now!”
“I can’t do that, son,” Alberez said evenly.
“You can and—”
“Kirk?”
Piper’s voice slammed into him and stole his breath. They’d actually brought her to him.
“Kirk? Can you hear me?” An edge of desperation crept into her voice.
“Yeah,” he muttered and then cleared his throat. “I can hear you.”
“They won’t let me come inside. They’re telling me you need to let the paramedics help that girl and give yourself up.”
“They can fucking go to Hell.”
“Kirk, please, just do what the Enforcers say.”
“Why should I? All I wanted was to see you and they won’t even give me that. Why the hell should I do anything they want?”
There was a pause, and when she spoke again, her voice carried a tinge of hopefulness. “Why did you want to see me?”
Once again, he marveled at her gullibility. “You know why.”
“You love me?”
He could no longer contain himself. He grabbed the phone, shoved Emily aside, and ripped open the blinds, searching the crowd for Piper. “So I could rip your fucking heart out and bathe in your blood, you lying bitch!”
A fist connected with his jaw, slamming him in the wall. He tried to raise the revolver, only to have it knocked from his hand. More blows struck his torso, leaving him breathless, and a final swipe of his legs sent him crashing to the