let Finn take over. You’re going to need all your strength to deal with what comes next.”
Yeah, he would. He just wished the revenge he’d been hoping for didn’t feel quite so much like betrayal.
Chapter 3
Heavy footsteps were headed Conlan’s way. It didn’t take a genius to know that his boss had arrived. Great. The perfect ending to one bitch of a day. It had been two hours since Joss had departed, leaving only another hour until sunrise. Given that, the vampire wouldn’t be staying long.
When Rafferty came strolling in, he was carrying a thermos of coffee and another basket of goodies from Joss. The woman had been trying to fatten Conlan up from the day she’d dragged him home with her.
Rafferty shoved the items at Conlan. “If I were the jealous type, I’d really hate how often my wife sees fit to feed you.”
In truth, he was the jealous type, which meant for an often uneasy employer/employee relationship. Conlan had known Rafferty’s wife long before the couple had met, not that they’d ever been anything other than friends.
Conlan poured himself a cup of coffee and another one for Rafferty. “I suspect she thinks the time you and I spent in prison somehow stunted our growth.”
The vampire chuckled and patted his stomach. “I don’t know about you, but if she keeps this up, I’m going to need a new wardrobe.”
“That’s why I try not to eat at your house. I can’t afford all new clothes.”
Rafferty snorted. “If that was a hint for a raise, forget it. And we all know the reason you duck Joss’s dinner invitations is because of me.”
And Conlan felt bad about that. “It’s not just you, Rafferty. Besides, I was all set to come last night. I’ve already apologized to Joss for not showing up.”
“So she told me.” Rafferty studied the sleeping woman. “What’s her status?”
“Seamus has her sedated. Evidently, those immune boosters really speed up the healing process, but her body needs the extra rest. He hopes to cut back on the pain medicine later in the morning. If so, she should be alert enough to talk by the time you’re up and about after dark.”
“Good. I don’t want this to drag out any longer than absolutely necessary. It will make it that much harder on all concerned, her included.”
“No arguments there.”
“I really don’t need this, and neither do you.” Rafferty ran his hands through his hair, a habit that revealed his frustration. “Any idea why she was headed this way or who was after her?”
“I can only guess she was hoping you’d take the three of them in. She was traveling under an assumed name and obviously had no idea I was here. I’ve got a couple of my men checking with some of their contacts in New Eire about the mercs. With luck, they’ll find out who has a contract on her and why.”
Rafferty’s fangs were showing, his predatory nature never far from the surface. “Good. If trouble is headed this way, I want to be ready for it. I’m assuming you’ve beefed up security patrols. If you need to hire some more staff, even if on a temporary basis, let me know. I promised my people they’d be safe here, and I damn well meant it.”
Which was one reason Conlan found working for the vampire tolerable. With Rafferty, the welfare of his people always came first. It didn’t matter if they were human, vampire or hybrid chancellors like Conlan and Joss.
“So far it’s been quiet. My men found some shell casings and not much else out where the attack took place. I killed at least one of their men and shot and possibly killed a couple of others. Evidently they took their dead and wounded with them when they left. That doesn’t leave us much to go on.”
Rafferty sipped his coffee. “I don’t like this one bit. That was a lot of firepower just to kill one woman and a couple of kids.”
Conlan knew exactly how the vampire felt. Despite his own personal feelings about Kat, it pissed him off to see a bunch of thugs gang up on three females like that.
“If I had to guess, I’d say their primary orders were to capture, but they underestimated the situation. They never expected Kat to fight back or that we’d show up and take her side. I’m guessing she knows something or else has something someone wants.”
“That makes sense.” The vampire tossed his empty cup in the trash and checked the time.