"And that's your defense? It wasn't Jack but a clone?" Suzy gave a mocking, hard-edged laugh. "They're really going to believe that."
"They will when I produce the real thing. Where is he?"
"Like I'd really tell you if I knew."
She knew, all right. The cynical half-smile touching her artificially full lips said as much. "Then tell me why you came back here today?"
"I live here, remember?"
Not recently, she hadn't. Maybe she'd come here to collect something Jack had forgotten — like a certain set of digital disks. She frowned. If Jack was a vampire, it made sense he'd keep Suzy near to do his daytime work. What didn't make sense was the fact he'd sent two guards, both of them vampires.
Apparently, they could move around in sunlight. But how? Her gaze flicked down to the two men. There was enough light coming in through the kitchen window and back door to cause them discomfort, yet their skin remained a pasty white, untouched by the slightest hint of burn.
It also appeared shiny. As if someone had taken a roll of cellophane wrap and stretched it tightly across their faces.
Had someone figured out a way to enable vampires to move around in the sunlight? Foreboding began to beat through her. If that were true, it could be a very, very bad thing.
"Don't move, Suz. Or I will shoot, love of Jack's life or not."
Suzy gave her a mutinous look and crossed her arms. A sign of rebellion and compliance in one action, she thought grimly. She knelt next to the men, and lightly touched the first vampire's face. He glared at her, brown eyes promising death — or worse — when he could move. Not that she was planning to hang around until then. His cheek felt as shiny as it looked and sort of wet.
She looked at the vampire she'd shot in the head. What looked like skin had peeled away from the wound near his temple. She grasped it, and lightly pulled. With a weird sucking sound, a three inch sliver came away.
Though it felt like real skin, the odd shininess suggested it was some sort of plastic-like substance. She shoved it into her pocket. Maybe Gabriel would know what to make of it — once he'd finished throwing the book at her for escaping his noose yet again. She rose and returned her gaze to Suzy.
"Time to cut to the chase. I know, and you know, that Jack's alive. I want you to arrange a meet. Midnight tomorrow at the Dragon and George." Hopefully, that'd give Gabriel enough time to calm down, and her enough time to convince him this was a good move.
"He won't come."
"Oh, I think he will. Especially if you tell him I have the disks."
Suzy's gaze narrowed. There was nothing pretty about her face now. In fact, she looked like the harridan Sam had always thought her to be. "That's theft, officer. Those disks belong to me."
Suzy didn't ask which disks, she noted. "So report me."
Suzy didn't respond to that, and Sam half-smiled as she added, "Just give the message to Jack."
"Why, so you can kill him all over again?"
"If it's another clone rather than the real Jack, most certainly. And if it's not the real Jack, the disks are history."
"He'll kill you, you know."
The venom in Suzy's rich voice sent a shiver down her spine. "If he tries, I'll shoot his brains out. Again."
One of the vampires on the floor moved. Though it wasn't much more than a fingertip, it was warning enough that the immobilizing effects of the laser were starting to wear off. She backed to the door. There was no way in hell she wanted to be around when those two got mobile. She might still have the laser, but they were both pretty pissed off, and she'd lost the element of surprise. Plus, there was Suzy. Three against one weren't good odds, whether or not she was armed.
"It was such a pleasure to see you again, Suz."
Suzy didn't reply, merely glared. Grinning slightly, Sam backed out the door. And realized about a heartbeat too late that someone was standing behind her.
* * * *
Her reactions, Gabriel thought, were almost too fast to be human. Though he hadn't spoken, much less made a sound, she seemed to sense his presence behind her. She leapt away with almost vampiric speed and spun, her left hand raising so fast it seemed to blur.It was then he saw the deadly Holcroft laser clenched between her fingers.
"Whoa. I'm on your side, remember?" He raised his hands and watched her blue eyes. With most people, the pupil dilated a little before the trigger was pulled — not much of a warning, but generally, it was the difference between life and death. Of course, as he was beginning to discover, she wasn't most people.
Luckily, it was recognition, not the need to kill, that sparked in the depths of her eyes. She lowered the laser, but didn't entirely relax. Neither did he.