Prime Vampires - I Hunger For You Part 20

Justinian smiled, showing fangs. "And will youhelp with our revenge as well?"

"Oh, cut out the melodrama," Foxe said.

Laurent schooled his features and emotions, not wanting to show that he completely agreed with the Clan Prime.

"Of course I'm not helping you get revenge," Mia said. She looked around at everyone at the table. "If my great-grandfather is doing bad things, I'll help you stop him."

"Bad things?" Colin Foxe echoed. "Hon-"

Serisa gestured him to silence. "How will you help us and Tribe Manticore?" she asked Mia. "Will you tell us where to find him?"

"I'll take you to him," Mia answered. She looked at Foxe. "I'll get you in to talk to him, search his compound, whatever you need to stop his operation. But you can't kill him," she added. "I won't let you kill my great-grand-father."

"That is unacceptable," Justinian said. Laurent thought that Justinian spoke just before Foxe would have said the same thing.

"He's an old man," Mia said. "He's in his nineties. Maybe that's not old to your kind, but among ours that makes him ancient. He isn't going to live that much longer."

"Which is why he's trying to find the secret to immortality," Foxe pointed out.

"But there isn't one. So, you shut down his experiments, destroy the research records. You make him forget vampires exist. Do whatever you have to do, short of killing him. You have to promise that," she insisted, concentrating her plea on Colin Foxe.

While Justinian seethed and Belisarius fought the urge to attack the Garrison woman from behind, Laurent decided it was time to get back to the important point. "We don't care about the Patron's medical experiments. We want our money back."

Mia flashed him a smile. "And that's the solution right there. Take away my great-grandfather's wealth, and he can't fund any mad scientist stuff."

"And how can you give us his wealth?" Justinian demanded. "Do you know where he keeps a vault full of gold?"

"No, but I know where he keeps his laptop," the woman answered tartly. "If you can't find out how to break into his financial records with that, you really are a bunch of pathetic medieval losers, aren't you?"

After a moment of shocked silence, Justinian mastered his outrage and sneered at her. "And we are supposed to trustyou to bring us this laptop?"

"Yes."

Justinian laughed. "Such calculating openness, such false naivete. We do not forget the female's treacherous blood." He looked earnestly at Serisa. "Do you? Do you really think she will betray her blood?"

"She will bring the laptop to us," Serisa answered, ignoring Justinian's skepticism. "We will share whatever information we find about the Patron's finances with you."

Justinian banged his hand on the table again.

"This is where you're going to have to compromise, Matri," Laurent said before Justinian broke into a rage that could turn violently ugly. "From our point of view, you have just told us that you will take charge of the wealth that was stolen from us. You sayshare information, but what we hear istake what is ours. "

"Don't the Clans have enough wealth already?" Justinian demanded. "Are you so contemptuous of the Tribes that you would stoop to stealing from us?"

Serisa's head snapped up proudly. "Of course not!"

Justinian gave a satisfied nod. "Then you cannot object to my sending one of my Primes to retrieve this laptop for us."

Finally, Serisa nodded.

Justinian looked at Laurent. "You."

Belisarius stepped forward. "But he-"

"Laurent goes," Justinian snapped. "Understood?"

Awestruck by the possibilities, Laurent was unaffected by the glares being turned on him not just by Belisarius, but by Fox and the woman, as well. He was also fully aware that Justinian's question had been aimed him, and of its dangerous implications. "Understood," he answered. He smiled at Foxe. "So, partner, when do we a.s.sault the Patron's fortress?"

"No a.s.sault!" Mia waved her hands. "No violence. n.o.body gets hurt."

"He's surrounded by security, isn't he?" Foxe asked.

"All rich people have bodyguards. They're just doing their jobs to protect him."

"We do not want innocent casualties," Serisa said.

"The Patron uses well-armed, trained mercenaries," Foxe said. "I've fought them; I know what they can do."

"That was a different time and place." Barak spoke for the first time. "You destroyed his private army. We do not know if he has had time to rebuild his organization. Mia could be correct about the people currently guarding the Patron. We will approach this operation with an initial nonlethal action plan."

"Aw," Laurent complained, and got an agreeing look from Foxe.

"Initiallynonlethal?" Mia protested.

"We cannot go in unprepared," Barak told her.

"You can't do anything without me," she pointed out, and crossed her arms. "And I have a plan."

Chapter Twenty-three.

Everybody's going to be really p.i.s.sed at me if this doesn't work, Mia thought as the car approached the rendezvous point at the Van Trier airport.

She and Colin were seated on opposite sides of the s.p.a.cious back seat, not touching. They hadn't spoken for a while, either, not even by telepathic contact. Ever since the op started, Colin had been focused on nothing else.

To set everything in motion she'd made a phone call, and they'd been picked up by a car sent by her great-grandfather's lawyer.

So far, so good, but those who'd argued against doing it her way weren't going to like it if anything went wrong.

Colin had been one of the one's who argued about her coming along, no matter how necessary her presence was. She didn't know whether he was trying to protect her, or if it was because once the action got started, Primes were macho males who ran the show. She had a nagging fear that he didn't quite trust the Patron's great-granddaughter. And she almost didn't blame him if that were the case.

Even more important, if her plan didn't work, people and vampires both could end up dead. She wanted no deaths on her conscience.

Well, maybe the smart-mouthed blond Manticore guy.

No, not even him.

"What a rough, tough slayer I made," she whispered, and got a quelling look from Colin in response.

She quelled the impulse to stick out her tongue, since Colin's gaze flicked briefly toward the driver. The driver ultimately worked for the Patron. The less gratuitous chatter, the better, if this make-s.h.i.+ft undercover operation was to work.

Colin was half tempted to reach over, pat Mia's hand, and rea.s.sure her that she would do just fine. She might not be up to slaying vampires, but she could hold her own in a fight against mortal opponents.He was spoiling for a fight, but he had to hope that it didn't come to one. One of the reasons he hadn't wanted Mia along was that if she got into trouble, his first impulse would be to protect his bondmate. That impulse could cloud his judgment in the middle of a dangerous situation. And maybe another reason he didn't want her in a fight was because he wasn't sure which way her instincts would impel her to jump.

But he admitted that her presence was necessary. She was the key. But having her with him was dangerous in many ways. Not only did he worry about her safety, he had trouble keeping his hands off her. This was not a situation where a Prime's natural l.u.s.t for his bondmate was welcome. Not touching her was a misery, but it was the only choice for now.

"Remember to stay in character," he'd told her before they left the house. "Keep your hands to yourself and your mind on business."

His tone and att.i.tude had angered her. "Do I look like a l.u.s.t-crazed idiot to you?"

"Yes," he'd answered, not adding that he was even more crazed than she was. It was better to have her p.i.s.sed at him and in character, even if having her angry brought its own dangers.

Now, as the car pulled to a stop next to another dark sedan, he chafed at not being in charge of the situation, but tried to tell himself that this was no different than an op led by his mortal SWAT commander. Except that he had total faith in his commander's abilities.

"Let's go," he said.

Mia steeled her resolve at Colin's words, trying to emulate his calm. She got out of the car and approached the man standing at the rear of the other car, recognizing him as one of the lawyers she'd dealt with before.

"Where is the object?" he asked when she reached him. Then he looked suspiciously at Colin. "Who is this?"

Mia was pleased with the man's reaction; he obviously didn't recognize Colin for a vampire. She'd been worried that there was some secret way his nature could be detected, and now she was a bit more confident this would work.

"He's here to help," she told the lawyer. She gestured toward the trunk of the car she and Colin had come in. "We brought what my great-grandfather requested."

"You'll want to verify the merchandise," Colin said. He made it sound like a drug deal.

He walked to the back of the car, and she and the lawyer followed. The lawyer looked nervous.

Mia was now glad that she'd had to agree to this addition to her original idea. "Pop the trunk," she ordered their driver.

It was after dark, and there were no other cars in the parking lot. There were lights illuminating a runway where a small jet was prepped for takeoff. The muted roar of its engines added a keening background noise to this tense meeting.

The lawyer looked at the handcuffed male lying curled up in the trunk. The prisoner was wearing a hooded sweats.h.i.+rt and sungla.s.ses, and his ankles were bound as well as his hands. "This is the experimental subject the Patron requested?"

"Yep, he's a vampire, all right," Mia answered. She reached into the trunk and lifted Laurent's upper lip. He didn't oblige her by showing even a hint of fang. "He's drugged to the gills with the stuff I was told to use," she added. "So you don't have to be afraid he's going to bite you."

"The subject has the required blood anomalies the lab is looking for," Colin contributed. "Let's get him loaded, shall we?"

The lawyer looked around as if he was afraid they were going to be overheard. And even though Colin's expression hadn't changed, she knew he wasn't happy with her saying the V word. He certainly hadn't been happy when he'd found out that she been furnished with vampire catching equipment, even though they hadn't used it. The blond in the trunk had flinched a little at the mention of drugs; maybe he was afraid of needles.

The lawyer gently lowered the trunk lid. "Thank you for your a.s.sistance," he told Mia. "I will take charge of the subject from this point."

"Just what does that mean?" Mia frowned. "My great-grandfather instructed me to bring him the subject."

"I know nothing of those instructions. Your presence is no longer required."

"Oh, no. That's not how this plays out." This lackey wasnot going to snarl up their plan.

"He's not going anywhere without us," Colin seconded. "We're taking him to the Patron."

"That is not possible," the lawyer answered adamantly.

Mia felt her temper rise. "It's imperative," she snapped.

"You will be well compensated for your services," the lawyer said.

"I don'tneed compensation. I am Henry Garrison's great-granddaughter; this is a family matter. I did this for him, and for a good cause. It's not finished until I know the subject is in his possession. Understood?" If thisidiot didn't- "My instructions are explicit. I am to take charge of the subject at the rendezvous point and convey it to the research facility. No mention was made of you"-he glanced at Colin-"or anyone else accompanying me."

Mia's temper flared white-hot.

Get out of my way!she shouted as she glared at the lawyer.Just do as you're told and get out of my way!

Colin took a swift step back, his vision flaring bright white and fading quickly to black, the inside of his head ringing with Mia's telepathic shout. He heard a gasp escape Laurent from inside the trunk.

When Colin's vision returned, he saw the lawyer on his knees in front of Mia with his hands clutching his temples, his features a mask of pain. Mia was still glaring at the man, practically incandescent with fury, and he wouldn't have been surprised if flames suddenly shot out of the tips of her fingers. He's always known her temper could flash, but he'd never known it could burn.

He rushed to his bondmate's side and snagged her around the waist, turning her to face him. "Calm down. Focus it," he commanded when she didn't take her gaze off the mortal.

Colin's touch steadied Mia, made everything solid again. He brought the ground back under her feet, put the sky back over her head. His voice brought her back from a dangerous edge. The world had gone away for a moment, leaving only her will. She'd held it like lightning in her hands, and she'd used it like a weapon.

She blinked now, and night air laced with jet fuel and desert dust rushed into her lungs. She coughed, shook her head, and told the man on the ground, "Get out of here."

He sprinted to his car and was gone within seconds, tires screeching as he fled the airport.

Mia collapsed against Colin. "That was me," she said, bewildered. "I did that." Feeling like a lost child, she looked at him for help.

"What did I do?"

He held her and explained, "Telepathy. Very strong telepathy."

She rested her forehead on his shoulder and breathed in his scent, starting to feel dizzy. When she looked at Colin again, his face was slightly out of focus. "Domini said I had a psychic gift. That sometime it would just explode."

He nodded. "That was quite an explosion." He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "It's your gift, and your curse."

She smiled, but it took an effort. She felt exhausted. "Like Spiderman?"

"With great power comes great responsibility," Laurent's m.u.f.fled voice came from the trunk.

Mia looked toward the car. "We'd better-"

"Not yet." Colin held her tighter. "Wait for it."

"For wha-"

The pain hit like a star going nova inside her head, driving her down into merciful darkness. She thought she heard Colin say, "That's what," just as the darkness closed over her.