Part 21 (2/2)
She briefly shook his hand, surprised to find him so personable. So normal.
But then, Lucan had seemed relatively normal to her as well, and look how that turned out. At least he hadn't been lying entirely when he told her he'd taken her cell phone into the lab for a.n.a.lysis. He'd only neglected to tell her it was a vampire CSI lab, and not the Boston police.
A loud beep sounded from the bank of computers nearby, spurring Gideon into a quick jog back to his monitors.
”Yes! You beautiful bucket of bolts,” he shouted, dropping into a spin in his chair. ”Guys, you'll want to see this. Especially you, Niko.”
Lucan and the other warriors gathered around the monitor that bathed Gideon's face in a pale blue glow. Gabrielle, feeling a bit awkward standing alone in the center of the room, slowly trailed over as well. ”I just hacked into the security feeds over at the T,” Gideon said. ”Now, let's see if we can get some footage from the other night, maybe find out what the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who took out Conlan was really about.”
Gabrielle watched quietly from the periphery as several computer screens filled with closed-circuit images from a handful of the city's train platforms, the feed scrolling by in fast-forward motion. Gideon rolled his chair along the line of workstations, pausing to type commands onto several of the keyboards before continuing on to the next, and then the next. Finally, his frenetic energy came to a halt.
”Okay, here we go. Green Line, coming up.” He backed away from the monitor in front of him, allowing the others a clear view.
”This is footage of the platform beginning three minutes before the confrontation.”
Lucan and the others closed in as the feed displayed an influx of people pouring on and off the train. Peering between the ma.s.sive sets of shoulders, Gabrielle caught the now familiar face of Nikolai on the monitor screen as he and his companion, a menacingly large male outfitted in dark leather, strode onto the commuter car. They had hardly gotten seated before one of the other pa.s.sengers caught the attention of Nikolai's companion. The two warriors stood up, and just before the doors closed for departure, the guy they'd been watching suddenly leaped out of the car and onto the platform. Onscreen, Nikolai and the other man jumped to their feet, but Gabrielle's attention was rooted on the person they meant to follow.
”Oh, my G.o.d,” she gasped. ”I know that guy.”
Five pairs of hard male eyes turned toward her in question.
”I mean, I don't know him personally, but I've seen him before. I know his name. It's Brent-at least, that's what he told my friend Kendra. She met him at the dance club the night I witnessed the killing. She 's been seeing him every night since, pretty seriously, in fact.”
”You're certain?” Lucan asked.
”Yes. That's him, I'm positive.”
The warrior called Dante hissed a violent oath.
”He's a Rogue,” Lucan said. ”Or rather, was. A couple of nights ago, he walked onto the Green Line train wearing a belt of explosives. Niko and another of our brethren chased him down an old track. He blew himself up before they could take him out.
One of our best warriors died with him.”
”Oh, G.o.d. You mean that unexplained explosion I heard about on the news? ” She looked at Nikolai, whose hard jaw was clamped tight. ”I'm very sorry.”
”If not for Conlan throwing himself on that suckhead coward, I wouldn't be standing here. That's for d.a.m.n sure.”
Gabrielle was truly saddened for the loss Lucan and his men had suffered, but a new dread had lodged itself in her chest when she thought of how close her friend had come to the kind of evil Brent had apparently delivered.
What if Kendra was hurt? What if he had done something to her, and she needed help?
”I have to call her.” Gabrielle started digging in her purse for her cell phone. ”I have to call Kendra right now and make sure she's all right.”
Lucan's hand clamped down around her wrist, firmly yet beseechingly. ”I'm sorry, Gabrielle. I can't let you do that.”
”She's my friend, Lucan. And I'm sorry, but you can't stop me.”
Gabrielle flipped open the phone, more resolved than ever to make the call. Before she could dial Kendra's number, the device flew from her fingers and appeared in Lucan's hand. He closed it, then slipped the phone into his jacket pocket. ”Gideon,” he said conversationally, even while his steely gaze remained locked on Gabrielle. ”Ask Savannah to come and see Gabrielle to more comfortable quarters while we finish here. Get her something to eat.”
”Give it back to me,” Gabrielle said, ignoring the current of surprise that ran through the other men when she challenged Lucan's attempt to control her. ”I need to know that she's okay, Lucan.”
He came toward her, and for a second she feared what he might do to her as he reached out to touch her face. In front of the others, he stroked her cheek tenderly, possessively. He spoke softly. ”Your friend's well-being is out of your hands. If she's not yet been bled dry by this Rogue-and believe me, that's a very real possibility-then he poses no further danger to her now.”
”But what if he did something to her? What if he turned her into one of those Minions?”
Lucan shook his head. ”Only the most powerful of our kind can create Minions. That gutter trash who blew himself up in the tunnel was incapable. He was nothing but an expendable p.a.w.n.”
Gabrielle moved out of his caress despite the comfort his touch gave her. ”What if that's how he saw Kendra? What if he turned her over to someone who does have more power than him?”
Lucan's expression was grim, but unwavering. His tone was as gentle as she'd ever heard it, which only made his words harder to accept. ”Then you should forget her entirely, because she is already as good as dead.”
CHAPTER Twenty-one
I hope the tea isn't too strong. If you'd like a little milk in it, I can get you some from the kitchen.”
Gabrielle smiled, truly warmed by the hospitality of Gideon's mate. ”The tea is perfect, thank you.”
She had been surprised to learn that there were other women in the compound, and felt she 'd made an instant friend in the beautiful Savannah. As soon as she'd arrived to fetch Gabrielle on Lucan's order, Savannah had gone to great lengths to ensure that Gabrielle was comfortable and relaxed.
As relaxed as she could be, at any rate, surrounded by heavily armed vampires in a maximum-security bunker housed several hundred feet below the ground.
Not that she would have guessed that, seated as she was now, across from Savannah at a long, dark cherry table in a tastefully appointed dining room, sipping an exotic, spicy tea from a delicate bone china cup while music played softly in the background.
This chamber, and the s.p.a.cious residential suite adjoining it, belonged to Gideon and Savannah. From all appearances, they lived as a normal couple within the compound, in comfortable living quarters, surrounded by sumptuous furniture, countless books, and beautiful objets d'art. Everything was of the finest quality and all of it impeccably maintained, no different than one might expect to find in a pricey Back Bay brownstone. If not for the absence of windows, it would have been close to perfect. And even that lack was compensated for, with a breathtaking collection of paintings and photographs adorning nearly every wall.
”Aren't you hungry?”
Savannah gestured to a silver tray of pastries and cookies that lay between them on the table. Next to that was another gleaming platter of dainty finger sandwiches and aromatic sauces. Everything looked and smelled wonderful, but Gabrielle had pretty much lost her appet.i.te the night before when she'd watched Lucan shred the Minion's throat with his teeth and then proceed to drink his blood.
”No, thank you,” she said. ”This is more than enough for me right now.”
She was amazed she could hold down anything at all, but the tea was hot and soothing, and she welcomed its warmth both inside and out.
Savannah watched her drink in silence from across the table, her dark eyes friendly, her thin brows knit into a sympathetic furrow. She wore her tight black curls short against her shapely skull, but the effect was more sophisticated than gamine when paired with her striking features and pretty, feminine curves. She had the same open, easy demeanor as Gideon, something Gabrielle greatly appreciated, after having dealt with Lucan and his dominating ways the past few hours.
”Well, maybe you can resist temptation,” Savannah said, reaching for one of the crumbly scones, ”but I can't.”
She spooned a dollop of thick cream onto the biscuit then broke off a piece and moaned happily as she popped the bite into her mouth. Gabrielle knew she was staring, but could hardly help it.
”You eat real food,” she said, more a question than the statement it sounded like.
<script>