As Dawn Breaks, page 4




Chapter 3
What the hell had he said to make her run? David had seen the hint of terror, and then she’d been up and off, out of her seat.
He sighed and turned his attention back to his work.
The hours passed quickly after her flight, and soon the night was dark. Perhaps I should turn in, start fresh in the morning?
Previously, before walking away from the nest his father had ruled with an iron fist, each day would have passed in the large commercial building, bustling with staff who knew their aspects of the business and ran it like a well-oiled machine. He’d have been taking briefings and making investment decisions in an office that reeked of money and class. His suit would have been an immaculate one-of-a-kind costing thousands of dollars, and he’d have had carafes of coffee on hand, while his personal assistant would have screened calls.
It was the position he’d been groomed for his entire life. His future secure and accepted while he attended the right schools, had the right training. Took the right wife.
“God!” He groaned, well aware that the time to examine decisions had long since come and been ignored.
Instead, David had run away from the memories and regrets, and the recriminations he should have faced. The ones no one had heaped upon him. He’d been a fool, blindly accepting his parents’ machinations in his life.
Since he’d left there, he’d felt rudderless. Ill at ease.
He was needed here. With Daniel joining Cressida, they’d needed a stable guiding hand, but he wasn’t the fit he’d hoped to be.
David knew he wasn’t like the rest of the nestlings. Though he knew the business aspects inside out, and understood the intricacies of what was due to whom, he didn’t fit in, as this nest was far more casual than he was comfortable with. First names were used by even the lowliest to address him. That had been a culture shock in the earliest days of joining the nest.
It wasn’t what he was used to.
Oh, he did his job well enough. The nest was growing, the investments sound. He’d found several ways to increase the output of their manufacturing arm.
His heart just wasn’t in it.
His mind returned to the woman who’d left in such a hurry.
Liaison Division. Javed had offered very little information, as had Kharisma. He wanted to know more about her—hell, it was more than that. Her memory gnawed at him. What was it about her?
“Papers won’t wait,” he muttered and glanced down, but they swam in front of his tired eyes.
He pushed back from the seat and moved from the meeting set-up, as exhaustion reminded him it was time to rest his body.
David made his way up the stairs, listening to the clank of feet on metal and wood. The human quarters were at the top of the building, while below were the reinforced bunker apartments of the vampires.
Tonight, Celina and Javed were with Cressida and Daniel, Xavier, and his sister, Hope.
His brain told him to change once he closed the doors to his private rooms, but waves of sleepiness washed over him, so he gave in and lay down. Sleep claimed him quickly.
Dusk had well and truly passed, and while she’d taken the time to rest earlier in the day, it had been neither relaxing nor refreshing. Genevieve felt the sap of energy in her bones as she wearily parked the vehicle once more behind the old cinder block building that housed the Liaison Division. Thankfully, they were set apart.
Cracking open the door was met with an equally jaw-cracking yawn. She staggered up the steps, only to stop short when the emptiness of the building caught her attention.
“What?” she demanded of Katya, who waited, jittery.
“There're children missing from the al bin Habbad house. No one knows where they’ve gone, but there're major concerns for their welfare and safety.”
Energy revved inside her. “I should go—” she started, but before she could finish, Katya’s eyes rolled, as they did when she was foretelling. “No. You’d be unwelcome.” Then she squinted at Genny as the moment passed. “Trust me. That’s a firm no.”
Genevieve opened her mouth but stopped. Whatever Katya was, she was always insightful and was more often than not right with fraught situations.
“But perhaps I can…” She rose just as the boss entered the room.
“Sit down, Genevieve. Katya is right. This is not the time to run blindly into an unknown situation. We cannot interfere unless our help is requested. Particularly not at this point when there are human children involved.” He spoke with such authority that she couldn’t argue. The boss made the rules and enforced them. She had to abide.
She sank back down into the chair, but it didn’t make the situation any easier to bear.
“I could help,” she muttered.
Lottie, a witch who sometimes assisted in the department, bopped into the small room. “They’ll find the girls soon.” Then she grinned, and Genny shook her head. She’d definitely never been wrong before.
David woke to the sounds of searching. He rubbed aching eyes and staggered to his feet. Opening the door, he watched the barely controlled rushing of nestlings. He grabbed a woman by the arm and turned her to face him. “What’s going on?”
“The three children? They’re gone. They were with Kharisma earlier in the gardens. She left them to attend a meeting, but when she returned, they’d disappeared. She scented an unknown vampire, so they’ve called in Cressida, Daniel, Hope, and Xavier to follow the scent trail. In the meantime, Kharisma pointed out that there could be someone else here. We need to check carefully to make sure we’re safe.” The woman nodded and retreated.
His head ached, but no matter his own personal discomforts, he should be downstairs, if not assisting with the search, then at least marshalling sustenance for those who were on their return.
He pulled the door closed and headed down to the kitchen. Scents filled his nostrils, though not of food but burning. David hurried into the kitchen and noted pots on the stove, flames leaping and smoke filling the air. He sprang over, looking at the knobs. He’d spent little to no time in kitchens since his childhood but knew turning them either increased the flame or doused them. One by one he turned them off.
As he turned, a wild commotion and cries went up. “They’ve been found!” He didn’t know who called out, but there were claps and cries of happiness. It filled him with hope. Perhaps all was not lost yet?
Stepping from the kitchen, he spied the cook and beckoned him over. “The pots on the stove were catching. I’ve turned them off.”
“Damn. Thank you. I’ll get someone to scrubbing the pots and arrange for food for those who require it,” the cook answered.
“We’ll need food for the searchers too.” Though he’d already seen the goblets standing on the side, his experience was that they were always ravenous after a hunt. “They’ll require filling with blood, and add a warmed carafe in case they wish more.” He nodded to where they sat on a silver tray.
“Of course, David,” the cook answered.
Satisfied, he moved to his office. He’d want to contact their security firm and find out how the incursion had been missed. It burned him that children, and especially those who were under the care of the nest he led, should be endangered.
The vampires stalked in, eyes shining with the scarlet gold of intense hunger and emotions.
Cook scurried forwards and Daniel stepped into his office while peace surrounded him. Once the door closed, he sighed and slumped against the wall.
Am I the best person to be leading them all? The question gnawed at him. He couldn’t decide now, his own anxiety spiking, and he knew that would cause him to make poor decisions.
With that awareness in mind, he stalked to his chair and sank down into it, taking a moment. Then he spun the seat, reached for the lower of the small filing cabinets, and dragged out the file marked Security.
Genny picked up the phone. “Genevieve Fernly.”
“Officer Fernly. I’m ringing to ask if you’d be available to meet later today.” Her informant’s voice sounded shaky.
“Sure, Lolly. How about in an hour outside the Stop and Go?” The small coffee shop was more of a hole in the wall, but it was also anonymous and perfect for meeting a snitch.
“Yeah,” the woman muttered, and the line disconnected. She’d been working with her for over a year, getting her to feel comfortable feeding information back, but Genny hadn’t heard from her for a month or two before this.
“Just hope it’s worthwhile.” She opened the drawer where she kept her wallet. The snitch rarely wanted much, and the unwritten rule she used was no cash until the information was verified. It had taken her a while to find enough people who agreed to these rules, but the boss had been adamant, and it worked perfectly. They rarely wasted time with information that wasn’t usable.
The Stop and Go was all the way across town, and she’d need to move now if there was any hope of making the meet. Traffic at this hour of the day could be a manic, she thought as she moved out, having scribbled a quick and somewhat cryptic note for her partner. She’d need to talk to the boss about that too. Her older, human partner was due to retire in several weeks and spent more time now clearing up paperwork than with her, and that suited Genny just fine.
The autonomy of working alone suited her.
The car groaned as she crept through the traffic, her eyes alert to anything suspicious, but when she reached the parking area, it was empty. Genny frowned. Odd.
Her hand automatically moved to her belt, checking to ensure her weapons were within easy reach as concern crept over her and she climbed from the car.
She caught sight of the woman she’d come to meet loitering beneath the sign hanging just beside the doorway.
Genny moved in, and Lolly followed her inside. They ordered their drinks and moved into a private seated area where she waited in silence.
“Vamps. Filthy lucre-toting bastards. They’re everywhere at the moment, but there’s a nest of six or seven. I’ve seen them hanging around the old mercantile building, but they’re not following the normal rules. I seen them feeding and killing. They shouldna been here, ya know?”
Genny frowned. “The mercantile building? The empty one on the eastern side?”
“Yeah. Seen them coming and going. They also got a few humans now, keeping an eye out. Reckon they’re Rocketmen.”
The Rocketmen were an offshoot of one of the most dangerous human gangs in the region. If they’d somehow made an agreement with them, then things were really bad. Genny knew she needed to get the intelligence back to the boss and quickly.
Once the drinks arrived, she slipped a couple dollars into Lolly’s hand. “Stay safe, and I’ll be in touch soon. Keep your head down.”
Lolly’s gaze met hers. “I’ve done bad things in the past, but this is past what I’d do. I’m getting outta here, Fernly, and I don’t want no cash, ’cause I’ve got friends with bigger friends, and they’ll find me somewhere I can hunker down. You’ve done good. You’re square with me. I appreciate that.”
The woman waddled away as Genny watched.
The mercantile had been empty for years. It had once been a thriving business for humans needing just about anything until a downturn had forced the family who owned it to walk away.
Now the building was in a state of disrepair, and its integrity was failing. Could she chance a drive by, or would that raise more questions? With a shake of her head, Genny decided that now wasn’t the time. She’d need others to join her. Maybe even soft clothes and an unmarked car so they didn’t raise questions. That and she knew Lolly bunked down somewhere around there. She’d give the woman time to clear out. It was the least she could do after being offered a freebie.
Once she’d reached the precinct, she took the steps two at a time and hurried inside.
“Hey, they found the kids” came from a corner, and she gave a sign of victory before knocking on the boss’s door.
“Hey, got a minute?”
He was hunched over his desk and nodded. “Whatcha got?”
“My informant today told me she’s found a group of vamps. They’ve hungry habits, but not nested. They’re hooked in with a Rocketmen gang guarding them, living in the old mercantile building. It’s condemned, and no one goes there, so it makes sense that they’d hole up there. I need to follow up but don’t want to go alone.”
“What about your partner?” He sat up, steepled his fingers, and stared at her.
Frustration rose, but she beat it back. Realistically, she knew this was about him making sure she knew what she was asking for and had drawn appropriate conclusions as to safety. “He’s ready to retire, and working alone works best for me.”
“We don’t work alone, Genevieve,” he answered.
The need to roll her eyes was difficult to banish, but she did. They’d been over her situation on more than one occasion. “I’m in a better position than when I joined the crew. I’ve come to terms with—”
“My crew. My terms. No one works alone. I know your partner is retiring, and I’ve been busy recruiting, and I think I’ve found you the perfect partner. He’s a shifter too. You might even know him.”
Her gut churned. No. Oh no! Her lips felt like concrete. “Who?” she asked.
“Julien Delacorte.”
Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! How am I supposed to cope with this?
David stared at the meal before him. Somewhere in the long day, he’d considered eating, but now that the time had come, he couldn’t raise any enthusiasm. The bowl of pasta congealed before him, and all he could do was stare at it.
Something made the hairs prickle at the back of his neck, and he looked up. Who’s watching? Turning, he noted her in the doorway, her piercing green-gold eyes searching the room.
Tension flowed from her in waves.
He frowned and almost rose when she spied him. She firmed her mouth and started through the gathered throngs of nestlings.
“Mr Jardin.” It certainly wasn’t a query.
“Officer.”
She took the seat opposite him and sat. “Hmm, that looks like you’ve waited too long.” She pointed to the bowl, and he grimaced.
“Not overly hungry, to be honest.”
“Ahhh.”
David frowned. “Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Yes. Yes there is. I’m wondering if you’ve got a few people here, guards or the like, who’d be interested in joining me on a—” The air around her flashed. “—jaunt.”
“A jaunt?” The word was an odd choice. “Where and why?” He leaned back in his seat and waited for her answer.
“Look, I got a call today. Someone in a position to see where some strays may hole up. I need to swing by. The problem is, I think they’re being supported by a gang. My boss wants to me take someone with no experience in this area, but I need people with not just power but knowledge. The kind he”—she fiddled in her seat—“doesn’t have.”
He. Yet another tell. She had a few, from the fiddling and the flashing of eyes. Something about the “he” unsettled her almost as much as it did him.
“Who?” The word slipped out.
The woman opposite blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Who’s the ‘he’?”
“Oh. An officer I knew long ago. Doesn’t matter.” She made to rise, and he reached out, covered her hand.
“Stay. Tell me more.”
The flush of red tinged her cheeks, and her eyes glinted. “I shouldn’t have come.”
“Please.”
She settled back in her chair. “Mr Jardin—”
“David,” he corrected gently, and her mouth fell open. “Look, I know I’m thought to be strait-laced and pretty uptight. I’m trying. Work with me, okay?”
“Sure,” she mumbled.
“So, you need help.”
“I’m not sure that’s quite how I put it. More like if you had people, humans, who’ve got training and skills and can be spared.”
“I’ll talk to Kharisma and ask around. When are we doing this?”
She started, and the chair scraped on the floor. “There’s no ‘we,’ Mr Jardin.”
“David,” he corrected once again. “You use my people, you get me too. I’m not unable to defend myself, you know.”
Now her eyes roamed over him, and the heat inside him rocked up to simmering. “I’m not sure you understand the depth of the dangers, David.” He watched as she visibly settled herself, inhaling deeply and tightening, then loosening her fist. “These are the Rocketmen gang members. They’re sly and won’t hit you immediately. They’ll wait until your back is turned, then attack your family.”
David shook his head. Perhaps she was right, and they would launch a surprise attack, but on who? His parents? He didn’t know where they were and certainly hadn’t had any contact since the truth about his soon-to-be ex-wife had emerged. Hope? She was a vampire and had a legion of supporters and guards. Who did that leave? No one.
“Trust me,” he said, “I’ve got no one who’d be unprotected.”
She frowned. “No one?” He read the scepticism on her face. “Your parents?”
Whatever expression he responded with must have surprised her, as she reared back. “Did I cross some boundary there?”
“No. I don’t have contact with my parents right now, and my sister and I… we’ve some fence mending to do. All my fault.”
The surprise in her gaze melted away to something like understanding. “Ahhh, I see. I heard a bit about your ex-wife, but I didn’t realise…”
For the first time, he wanted to explain. To offload some of the burden he carried. Would that scare her off?
That startling thought confused him further. “I’m not sure I want to talk about that.”
“Sure. Look, do you want me to leave? I can—”
“No,” David cut her off. “Let’s grab a coffee and go outside. It’s quieter there.”
She followed him to the large coffee machine, poured herself a large mug, and followed him to the door. Outside, he blinked and led her to the side gardens. “We’re working on a sensory garden for the children of the nest.”