Part 34 (1/2)

Numb, Dawn took in what she'd just said. This woman hadn't been an innocent party in all this? Another victim?

But...d.a.m.n it. In all the vampire confusion, she'd temporarily forgotten. No one in this world was innocent. How could she have unlearned that lesson, even for a few days?

Self-hatred spiked Marla Pennybaker's weeping, but it didn't make any difference to Dawn. Not now.

Are you taking this all in, Jonah? she thought. Are you happy with who you chose to help here? Why did you select her?

”I didn't know what else to do,” the older woman continued, ”so I kept my peace. 'Dosomething,' I kept telling myself, and I tried to get strong enough to talk to Nathan about my suspicions, but I couldn't. And then...then Robby was gone.” She sucked in a pained breath. ”But now he's back, and this should be my chance to make up for my failings as a mother, shouldn't it? I've been trying to face every truth, but I can't. I just can't. If I let him inside, he'll destroy me because he won't forgive me-and I don't blame him.”

”And here we were trying to save you from the agony of knowing all the dirty secrets until it was unavoidable,” Dawn said.

”I just wanted you to find him, that's all.” She sounded ashamed, cowed by Dawn's comment. ”I even understood that he might not be...human, based on what Mr. Limpet explained. I was expecting that spirit though. And when you experts tracked him down, I thought that you'd take care of him. That you'd keep him away from me. That's what paranormal professionals do- destroy the ghosts who come back, right?”

Breisi frowned. ”We told you we'd give him peace, if that was what he needed. You seemed to want your little boy back so badly, Mrs. Pennybaker. You seemed to want comfort for and from him. But now that Robby's knocking at your window, you're scared, finally telling us information we should have known up front. You were more interested in extermination than saving him, yes?” ”Yes. No...” She shook her head under the jacket. ”Maybe.”

Now, as Dawn recalled Kiko's faith in Marla, it ate away at her. He'd thought she was a decent sort, too. The psychic had picked up on the matron's desperation to find Robby again; he just hadn't interpreted her buried motives correctly.

He'd be devastated to know he'd misconstrued them, because he was too proud of his talents not to take the failure to heart.

Dawn tried not to think of other visions that might have been misinterpreted, too.

”All Robby wanted was a mom and a dad,” she said instead. ”And he never really had either one.”

Marla shrunk into herself, as if stabbed.

But Breisi kept her cool, even as Dawn boiled.

”In addition to Robby's lifestyle,” the other PI asked, ”did you know about this Underground Nathan took him to for a career overhaul?”

”Underground.” Marla pulled the jacket from her tear-stained face. She had a glaze of apology over her eyes, the confusion of someone who knew they'd done wrong and was trying to compensate by doing right this time. ”What's Underground?”

Dawn's gaze went red. ”Stop jerking us around, Marla.”

”I really don't know! Believe me. Nathan was in charge of Robby's career. I only heard a fraction of what was happening, I'm sure. It's all Nathan's...”

Behind Dawn, thettch, ttchtap of nails on gla.s.s returned. Marla stifled a scream, then burrowed under the jacket again.

Robby was back, and it looked like The Voice's buddies had lost their custody battle. Marla could be taken care of later.

Breisi seemed to be thinking along the same lines. ”Dawn, do you remember what you did to Robby earlier? How you mind blasted him across the room at Bava?”

How could she forget? And, more importantly, how the h.e.l.l had she even managed it?

”If you're asking me if I can do that kind of thing again, when it's needed,” Dawn said, ”I'm gonna say no.”

Breisi gave her an a.s.sessing glance, then turned back to Robby. That's when Dawn realized something.

What if mental warfare was the only way to contain this vamp? What if bullets and blades weren't enough?

Ttch, ttch, ttch.

Like a Greek chorus that had taken Marla's story into quiet consideration on the sidelines, Jonah spoke. ”Let Robby in. He's about to have company.”

Blowing out a breath, Dawn wiped her sweaty palm on her jeans, then prepared her revolver. Breisi turned to the window.

”Robby,” she yelled, ”come in.”

Marla burbled out a string of ”no”s from her corner.

And...Robby didn't move. He just continued staring with those don't-you-dare-look-into-my eyes.

”The invitation was useless,” Breisi said. The Voice made a thwarted sound. ”So it remains that only someone with owners.h.i.+p can issue the invitation. It's no different with Robby.”

At the back of the house, a door slammed shut. Footsteps banged on the stark flooring.

”Company,” Dawn murmured to Jonah.

Both fighters gunned up, aiming at different entrances to the room. And when a disheveled Nathan Pennybaker ran into the light, neither of them put their weapons down.

Immediately, he raised his hands in surrender. ”Marla?” he asked without taking his eyes off the bullet-toting women.

Keeping the jacket on, Marla bolted up in the corner. ”Don't look at the window, Nathan!”

Ttch, ttch, ttch.

Snubbing the warning, the man whipped his gaze there anyway. He froze in abject terror.

At the sight of Daddy, Robby began pounding on the window, the gla.s.s quaking.Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

”Lord,” Nathan said, his tone thin and trembling.

”Don't you recognize the vampire you made?” Dawn asked. ”Where've you been and how'd you get in here without Robby knowing?”

”I...” Nathan gulped, turning his back on the window while still keeping his hands up.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

”Where-have-you-been?” Dawn yelled.

Nathan cowered. ”I've been looking for Robby, too. You know I kept in contact-Marla always knew I was safe, even if she didn't know my location.”

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

”Dad!” Robby's voice was warped by hatred. ”Let me in!”

”Robby,” Nathan yelled, refusing to look back. ”Just...stay where you are! Please!”

A s.h.i.+ver forced Dawn to face the window. And that's when she saw the eyes in the near distance. Red eyes, bobbing up and down, moving to the cadence of a demented heartbeat.

”Guards. They're behind him,” she blurted. A connection sparked. ”Nathan, did you bring them? Are you taking Robby back Underground?”