If they went much further, there would be no witnesses, no press. No point.
A chauffeur climbed out of a white limousine when the group ahead approached it. As the chauffeur walked around to open the passenger door, Wetherton stopped and looked around. His gaze fell on her before she could avoid it, but it quickly moved on. Easily dismissed, she thought wryly, but stepped into the shadows of a nearby shop entrance anyway.
She wasn't supposed to be here, so it was better if she kept out of sight as much as possible.
Once the chauffeur had opened the car door, Wetherton climbed in, followed quickly by the two women and one of the men. The last man hesitated, one hand on the roof, his gray hair gleaming silver under the wash of the streetlights as he turned to study the night in much the same manner as Wetherton had.
His blunt nose profile sent shock crashing through her.
He was the man from her dream.
The evil man with the dead gray eyes.
Four
Sam pressed the ear-stud, quickly activating it. "I want a search done on the man with the gray hair," she murmured.
"All details, ASAP."
The man in question hesitated a bit longer, and then climbed into the car. The chauffeur walked back to the driver's side, and within seconds, the car purred to life and pulled away from the curb.
So much for Stephan's spectacular attack. What the hell was going to happen now? Without the attack, there was no reason for her to become one of Wetherton's bodyguards. No reason that wouldn't look suspicious, anyway.
And that, in turn, meant a return to the broom closet.
"There's never a vampire around when you bloody need one," she muttered, as she stepped from the shadows.
"Someone had better contact me and tell me if this assignment is still a go."
She touched the transmitter and switched it off. Then she resolutely turned away. A return to her hotel was her only option now.
She'd barely taken three steps when an explosion ripped through the night. As her heart leapt to the vicinity of her throat, a wave of heat hit, sending her staggering. She swore loudly, but the words were lost to the sudden sound of screaming. She caught her balance and swung round.
What lay before her seemed more like a scene out of an action movie than something found on a Melbourne street.
Wetherton's car was up on two wheels, skidding forward under the force of the explosion. It crashed into a car parked on the right side of the road and thumped back down, the back wheels on fire and the flames spreading fast.
People were scattering, some running back inside the theater and others running down the street, most of them screaming and obviously terrified. The paparazzi were in a frenzy, cameras flashing as they jostled for the best picture position. Wetherton had finally gotten the attention he'd missed earlier.
Had he lived to bask in it?
The chauffeur scrambled from the car, blood pouring down his face from a cut above his eye. A line of blue light bit through the night and hit him in the chest. He dropped like a stone out of her sight.
Laser fire.
He'd been hit with laser fire.
That certainly wasn't a part of Stephan's plans. She drew her weapon and ran forward, using the cars parked near the curb as cover as her gaze swept the surrounding rooftops. The laser shot had come from the top of a building down from the theater, but the light glaring from the many signs prevented her from seeing if the shooter was still up there.
But there was no reason to believe he wasn't.
She glanced at the limo. There were no movements from inside. Maybe the people had seen what had happened to the driver and were staying put, despite the dangerous fire. Or maybe they were unconscious.
Or dead.
The answers to those questions were something she had to find out—fast. But the closer she got to the car, the more the heat lashed at her skin. The smell of burning rubber damn near choked her, and thick smoke spun through the night. If Wetherton and his people were alive and didn't get out soon, the fumes and the heat would kill them. Not to mention the growing danger of the gas tank exploding.
From across the road, a familiar voice yelled at people to get back, that everything was under control. She smiled grimly.