The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 127
Sam passed Jo to Olivia, and my heart stopped.
“She got stabbed in the chest,” Olivia said as she started for the entrance. “We pulled the dagger out, but she’s got an extremely weak pulse.”
I held out my trembling hands. “Give her to me,” I ordered.
“Lieutenant, I’ll take her up to the infirmary.” Olivia tipped her head to the SUV. “You need to deal with her.”
When my gaze landed on Nicki, I went into soldier mode. Kill. Kill. Kill. I stomped over to her, but Tripp blocked me.
“I’ll take her to a jail cell,” he said. “Go be with Jo. We can interrogate Nicki later.”
I growled deeply and bared my fangs at the woman who had made my life a living hell.
Nicki smirked as though she was itching to fight with me. Oh, she would, but I would be the one tearing her apart.
“Webb.” Sam’s deep voice resonated. “Listen to Tripp. I’ll go with him. Take care of my sister. We’ll be up shortly.”
I was surprised Sam was so calm. He’d always protected Jo, and he always went out of his mind when someone dared to hurt her. Or maybe I was too crazed to see that he was just as furious as I was. It didn’t matter. I would deal with Nicki later. That much was certain. For now, Sam was right. I had to be by Jo’s side. I couldn’t lose her.
In vampire speed, I was shoving open the doors to the infirmary. “Where is she?”
Dr. Case pointed to the first room on the side wall.
I ran in and sucked in a sharp breath. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”
Dr. Vieira was checking her vitals. “Calm down.” His voice was soft.
Thank God he wasn’t flipping out like I was. My insides felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer and rammed it into my gut a thousand times. It didn’t help to see blood soaking Jo’s shirt, either.
“Talk to me, Olivia. What went down?” My voice didn’t even sound like me. The last time my voice had been so shaky was when I learned my parents had been murdered.
Olivia wiped her sweaty forehead with her hand. “Everything happened so fast. The viewing room at the funeral home filled up with smoke. When Tripp and I tried to open the doors, they were locked. People panicked. Then Ben started punching through a wall. With our help, we managed to break an opening to get everyone out. I was ushering the civilians to safety when Jo took off. The next thing I know, she’s on the ground with a dagger in her chest.”
I stepped up to Jo’s bedside. She looked peaceful with her long lashes fanned out over her silky cheeks. I clutched her cold, clammy hand then raised it to my lips. “Please, please, come back to me.” She couldn’t die. We still had to get married. I still had so much to show her.
Dr. Vieira pulled out a key from his lab coat. “Olivia, go into the fridge in my office.” He tossed her the key. “I need two bags of blood that have Jo’s name on them.”
Olivia disappeared.
I traced circles on the back of Jo’s hand. “Is she going to make it?”
Dr. Vieira’s face paled. “Not sure. But she’s lost a lot of blood, and her pulse is nil.”
The heart monitor he’d hooked up to Jo barely registered a heartbeat.
“How is Jo still alive if she had a cobalt dagger in her heart? This is the second time now.”
Dr. Vieira pressed his stethoscope to her chest. After a few seconds, he shook his head. “We don’t know that the dagger punctured her heart the first time or this time. I suspect though that the first time, the dagger missed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here. The fact that she’s got a weak pulse indicates to me that the blade punctured the sac surrounding her heart. Much like what happened to you when Kate drove the sword into your heart.” He opened Jo’s blouse and proceeded to check the cut around her left breast. “The problem is the wound isn’t closing. It should at least close a little until she drinks fresh blood, then the wound will seal.”
He wasn’t making me feel hopeful.
“I need to see what her heart is doing. I’m going to insert a scope into her and take a look around.”
As I rubbed Jo’s hand, blood pooled in the hollow of her stomach. “You have to save her.” My eyes burned with tears.
He glanced at me with sad, dark eyes. “I’m sorry, Webb. There are some injuries a vampire can’t recover from, and she’s losing too much blood.”
Growling, I pivoted on my foot and punched the wall, my fist going deep inside the Sheetrock.
Olivia ran in. “Doc, your refrigerator is empty. Not one ounce of blood in there. Are you sure you had Jo’s blood?”
Dr. Vieira bolted out of the room.
Olivia and I exchanged a horrified look. I knew he kept blood in his fridge for all of the SEALs in case of emergencies. I also knew he kept reserves of Steven’s, Jo’s, and Sam’s blood. He’d been studying the twins’ DNA since they became vampires.
I hurried out with Olivia on my heels. I found Dr. Vieira frozen with one hand gripping the fridge door as he stared at empty shelves.
“Doc,” Olivia said. “Who else has a key to your fridge?”
He slammed the door shut and scurried to his desk, where he slid out the top drawer then stuck his hand inside. “The spare is gone. I kept one taped to the underside of the desk.”
“Take my blood,” I said. We would figure out who stole his key and the blood later. Jo’s life was hanging in the balance right now.
Dr. Vieira stomped by me. “She can’t have yours. We’re dealing with the heart, so she needs her own blood. That’s why I keep reserves on all of you. That’s how you healed from your heart wound. Get Sam up here.” His voice was coated with fury.
Olivia whipped out her phone before I could.
I trailed behind Doc as he scanned the lab then checked each of the hospital rooms.
“Who are you looking for?” As soon as I asked, my brain kicked into overdrive. “Dr. Case?”
“Find him now!” he shouted.
I dove into action, calling Kraft. “Lock the base down and find Dr. Case.” He’d been there a couple of minutes ago. I growled so loud that the glasses on the lab bench shook. I had two people to kill today, and they would die slow deaths if Jo didn’t live.
Sam flew through the doors. “What’s going on?”
“Get in that room on the end,” Dr. Vieira ordered.
Sam did as he was told.
Since I couldn’t do much for Jo at the moment, it was time to go hunting. Dr. Case was about to get his head bashed in before I interrogated him. And if I was right and he was the mole, then he wasn’t going to live to regret a fucking thing.
“Olivia, check Case’s quarters. I’ll head down to the control room.”
She and I ran out. Within a minute, I was down in the control room, standing over Sawyer, a vampire who had a kaleidoscope of eye colors. Jo always loved talking with Sawyer so she could watch his eyes change colors.
“Bring up the perimeter of the base near the woods,” I ordered.
While Sawyer’s fingers flew over the keys, I picked up the desk phone and called the front gate. When the line connected, I said, “This is Lieutenant London. Don’t let Dr. Case leave the base.” I hung up and snagged a radio off of Sawyer’s desk. “Kraft, check in.”
“Olivia called me. Kodiak and I are sweeping the base,” Kraft said.
“Good. Sawyer will call if he spots anything on the cameras.”
“Ten-four,” Kraft said before the radio went silent.
The phone on Sawyer’s desk rang. He lifted the receiver. “Yes. One minute.” He handed me the phone. “It’s Elder Hollings.”
I’d forgotten about him. “What is it?”
“How’s Jo?”
I held back all my emotions, especially anger, or else I would kill someone. “Not good. Look, we’ll need to pick up our conversation another day.”
“I’m not leaving until I know how she’s doing. What can I do to help?”
I clutched the back of my neck. “Get her father out of jail and on this base ASAP. She might need his blood.”
“I’m on it.” He hung up.
The radio crackled, then Kraft’s voice blared through. “I got him.”
I almost collapsed against Sawyer’s desk. Instead, I pushed the button on the radio. “Bring him into the interrogation room.”
Tripp stalked in with blood above his left eye. “Nicki is out of control.”
I wasn’t surprised. “Did you get anything out of her?”
He wiped the blood that was about to drip into his eye. “Not a damn thing.”
Nicki would talk even if I had to torture the woman.
Kraft pushed Case through the door. Case stumbled down the stairs of the landing. Fear jumped off the man in waves.
Tripp reared back, pursing his lips with a what-the-fuck expression.
I stalked over to the human. “Apparently, Dr. Case wants to die today.” I grabbed his arm and hauled him into the interrogation room behind Sawyer’s desk. Once inside, I shoved him hard. He flew over the table before falling to the floor.
Then I stomped out, locking the door behind me.
“Aren’t you going to talk to him?” Kraft asked.
Tripp, Sawyer, Kraft, and the others sitting at their desks stared at me. Most had no expressions on their faces. Two female vampires, however, resonated with fear. They were lucky Commander Mason wasn’t there. Steven would have no doubt broken everything in sight, and not from throwing things or punching walls like I wanted to do. All he had to do was get so angry that his telekinesis alone would be destructive.
“I’m going to let him stew for a minute.” I had to take a breath before I questioned Case. “Sawyer, let the front gate know we got Case. Kraft, you and Kodiak get over to Case’s quarters and help Olivia search his place. Tripp, I want you with me. Oh, and Sawyer, see where Hollings is on getting the commander back here.” I stalked up to the landing that overlooked the entire control room. “I want everyone’s attention.”
The sounds of pounding keys stopped. Whispers died, and all eyes were on me. I pinned a look on each man and woman. “There’s a war brewing, one that threatens our existence.”
Pinched eyebrows, open mouths, and straight postures came from every vampire in the room.
“So to prepare for battle, each of you will be subjected to having your mind read to confirm your commitment to this team. If you have a problem with that, then you’re free to leave now.” My tone was deep and commanding. “Keep in mind that anyone who does leave cannot return. You’ll be discharged immediately.” And under surveillance.
A hum of protests zipped around the room.
I lifted my hands. “Quiet. There’s no room here to complain. I’m giving you the option to walk out of here right now.”
One of the two females who had fear written all over her face stood up. Her voice shook as she spoke. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, it’s an invasion of privacy.”
I stifled a growl as I read her name tag. I knew most of the vampires in the control room by name, but the newer ones like Petty Officer Slay I hadn’t committed to memory. “Do you have something to hide, Petty Officer Slay?”
She lowered her gaze as she stood at attention. “No, sir. But my personal life is my own.”
Sawyer rose. “Donna, you heard the lieutenant. We’re at war. We have to put our personal lives aside. I’m not happy about someone reading my every thought, but if it means saving lives, then so be it. And let’s not forget we’ve lost quite a few of our comrades lately.”
Following on Sawyer’s heels, vampires rose to declare their agreement with Sawyer.
Petty Officer Slay slumped her shoulders.
I made my way over to her. “Slay, Jo won’t be in your head long enough to see all your memories. And rest assured, what she sees will not be disclosed, even to me or the commander.”
“Thank you,” she said as she rolled her chair over to her computer.
The sounds of voices, beeps, and the tapping of keys resumed as I met Tripp at the door to the interrogation room.
“Nice speech,” he said. “And nice plan.”
I nodded then called to Sawyer. “Thank you.”
“I believe in everyone in here,” Sawyer said.
I wished I could, and part of me did, but I had to be certain.
“Let me check on Jo, then we’ll talk with Case,” I said to Tripp.
He gripped my shoulder. “Webb, go and be with Jo. I can handle Case.”
I knew he could, but I wanted a piece of the fucker. I also couldn’t sit in Jo’s room and wait. It was too painful. I did want to be there the minute she woke, if she did. She will, a voice in my head said. I prayed that my subconscious was right, because if Jo didn’t make it, then my life was over, as was Nicki’s and Case’s.
8
Webb
I called up to the infirmary and found that Jo’s status hadn’t changed. So before I ripped out Case’s heart, I went into the kitchen on other side of the control room and plucked two bottles of blood out of the fridge. I decided to fuel up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t just rip out his human heart. I would drain Case of all his blood, and I couldn’t do that until I got answers.
Tripp came in, rubbing a finger over one of his fangs. “Not a bad idea.”
I grinned. “Good to know we’re both thinking alike. Anything wrong with your fangs?”
He stuck his head into the fridge. “Nicki tried to yank them out of me.”
I almost spit out the blood. “What the fuck?”
He twisted off the bottle cap. “I shit you not. You better be ready to tango with that feisty bitch. How did you even date her?”
I rested against the counter. “Dude, it was only once, and I knew then that she was trouble. But I swear if Jo doesn’t make it, I’m going on a killing spree. First, Case. Then Nicki.”
He knocked back the blood as though he was downing one of the many glasses of whiskey he and I had drunk the other night. “I won’t stop you.”
I chugged one bottle then the other, and within a second, my nerves settled somewhat. I tossed both bottles into the trash. “Let’s go have some fun.”
I found my leather strap in my back pocket and tied my hair into a low ponytail. Tripp followed suit. We both took long strides around the perimeter of the room, passing cubicle after cubicle, until we arrived at the interrogation room. Before I could even think about my next move, I barreled in and hauled Case to his feet.
Tripp ran in and pulled me off him. “I’m all for you killing him, but let’s get answers first.”
I shrugged out of Tripp’s hold and created distance between Case and me. The small windowless room was more than suffocating, especially with a human who could be responsible for Jo dying.
Dr. Case puffed out his cheeks as he backed himself into a corner. Tripp folded his arms and settled against the wall adjacent to the door.
I scrutinized the human doctor, itching to tear each strand of his brown hair out of his head, one by one. As if he knew what I was thinking, he gasped.
I paced near the door. “You’re lucky Tripp is in the room with me.”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Case said.
I growled, showing my fangs. No apology would help the human. He needed to know that in this room devoid of furniture, vampires were on top of the food chain, and the fear on his face confirmed as much.
“Let’s start at the beginning,” I said. “How long have you been sharing information with Edmund?”
His eyebrows went up into his hairline. “Who says I was doing that?”
Tripp snarled, the sound deadly.
“So you weren’t?” I asked.
Dr. Case’s brown eyes shifted back and forth. “You gave me no choice.”
I launched myself at him. He squealed as my hands went around his neck. “If you don’t start talking, then I will tear out your carotid artery.” I pressed my fingers to his neck, my nails ready to slice his skin.
“Tripp,” Dr. Case pleaded.
“Doc, answer the lieutenant,” Tripp said from behind us.
I let go of the human and removed my dagger from the side pocket of my cargo pants.
“Okay,” Dr. Case said, sighing. “Put the dagger away.”
“Absolutely not. One wrong answer, and this blade is going into your chest. Now talk.”
He slid down the wall then raised his knees to his chest. “Not long after you made me a deal to go through that thumb drive in exchange for who killed Ella, Edmund made me a deal as well. If I fed him information that I learned while working in the lab, he would make me a vampire.”
I let out a roar of laughter. He’d expressed another reason humans couldn’t find out about vampires. Some humans would want to become immortal.
“Laugh all you want,” Case said. “You vampires got it made. You don’t get sick. You can barely die. You live the way you want. You kill when you want. You heal quickly. Seriously, put yourself in my shoes.” He hung his arms over his knees.
He had all good points. But living among humans for eternity wasn’t all sweet and rosy, although it would be if the love of my life didn’t die. At that thought, my pulse quickened. “So you want to be a vampire, and you think that Edmund can help you become one?”
He picked at a nail. “No. I know Patrick Mason. He’s brilliant. And he will be the one to make it happen. He’s the one that’s driving this experiment. He’s the one that approached Edmund when he got discharged from the military. Patrick is the mastermind. Edmund is just following his orders.”
Tripp harrumphed. “Whether Patrick is the leader or not, it still doesn’t excuse you from what you’ve done.”
“So I stole blood from Dr. Vieira’s fridge,” Dr. Case said. “So I gave Edmund some information. So I kept notes of conversations that I overhead. They were light years ahead of me, even with the little tidbits I gave them.”
I walked away before I killed him. “You’re a fucking moron.” I was just as much of a moron for believing that Case would do his job and not make the same mistake twice—pissing me off and trying to kill Jo a second time. “Edmund didn’t have Jo’s blood or DNA before you gave it to him.”
He shrugged. “But he had Sam’s. And their DNA is the same. I know. I saw the results.”
“She got stabbed in the chest,” Olivia said as she started for the entrance. “We pulled the dagger out, but she’s got an extremely weak pulse.”
I held out my trembling hands. “Give her to me,” I ordered.
“Lieutenant, I’ll take her up to the infirmary.” Olivia tipped her head to the SUV. “You need to deal with her.”
When my gaze landed on Nicki, I went into soldier mode. Kill. Kill. Kill. I stomped over to her, but Tripp blocked me.
“I’ll take her to a jail cell,” he said. “Go be with Jo. We can interrogate Nicki later.”
I growled deeply and bared my fangs at the woman who had made my life a living hell.
Nicki smirked as though she was itching to fight with me. Oh, she would, but I would be the one tearing her apart.
“Webb.” Sam’s deep voice resonated. “Listen to Tripp. I’ll go with him. Take care of my sister. We’ll be up shortly.”
I was surprised Sam was so calm. He’d always protected Jo, and he always went out of his mind when someone dared to hurt her. Or maybe I was too crazed to see that he was just as furious as I was. It didn’t matter. I would deal with Nicki later. That much was certain. For now, Sam was right. I had to be by Jo’s side. I couldn’t lose her.
In vampire speed, I was shoving open the doors to the infirmary. “Where is she?”
Dr. Case pointed to the first room on the side wall.
I ran in and sucked in a sharp breath. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”
Dr. Vieira was checking her vitals. “Calm down.” His voice was soft.
Thank God he wasn’t flipping out like I was. My insides felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer and rammed it into my gut a thousand times. It didn’t help to see blood soaking Jo’s shirt, either.
“Talk to me, Olivia. What went down?” My voice didn’t even sound like me. The last time my voice had been so shaky was when I learned my parents had been murdered.
Olivia wiped her sweaty forehead with her hand. “Everything happened so fast. The viewing room at the funeral home filled up with smoke. When Tripp and I tried to open the doors, they were locked. People panicked. Then Ben started punching through a wall. With our help, we managed to break an opening to get everyone out. I was ushering the civilians to safety when Jo took off. The next thing I know, she’s on the ground with a dagger in her chest.”
I stepped up to Jo’s bedside. She looked peaceful with her long lashes fanned out over her silky cheeks. I clutched her cold, clammy hand then raised it to my lips. “Please, please, come back to me.” She couldn’t die. We still had to get married. I still had so much to show her.
Dr. Vieira pulled out a key from his lab coat. “Olivia, go into the fridge in my office.” He tossed her the key. “I need two bags of blood that have Jo’s name on them.”
Olivia disappeared.
I traced circles on the back of Jo’s hand. “Is she going to make it?”
Dr. Vieira’s face paled. “Not sure. But she’s lost a lot of blood, and her pulse is nil.”
The heart monitor he’d hooked up to Jo barely registered a heartbeat.
“How is Jo still alive if she had a cobalt dagger in her heart? This is the second time now.”
Dr. Vieira pressed his stethoscope to her chest. After a few seconds, he shook his head. “We don’t know that the dagger punctured her heart the first time or this time. I suspect though that the first time, the dagger missed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here. The fact that she’s got a weak pulse indicates to me that the blade punctured the sac surrounding her heart. Much like what happened to you when Kate drove the sword into your heart.” He opened Jo’s blouse and proceeded to check the cut around her left breast. “The problem is the wound isn’t closing. It should at least close a little until she drinks fresh blood, then the wound will seal.”
He wasn’t making me feel hopeful.
“I need to see what her heart is doing. I’m going to insert a scope into her and take a look around.”
As I rubbed Jo’s hand, blood pooled in the hollow of her stomach. “You have to save her.” My eyes burned with tears.
He glanced at me with sad, dark eyes. “I’m sorry, Webb. There are some injuries a vampire can’t recover from, and she’s losing too much blood.”
Growling, I pivoted on my foot and punched the wall, my fist going deep inside the Sheetrock.
Olivia ran in. “Doc, your refrigerator is empty. Not one ounce of blood in there. Are you sure you had Jo’s blood?”
Dr. Vieira bolted out of the room.
Olivia and I exchanged a horrified look. I knew he kept blood in his fridge for all of the SEALs in case of emergencies. I also knew he kept reserves of Steven’s, Jo’s, and Sam’s blood. He’d been studying the twins’ DNA since they became vampires.
I hurried out with Olivia on my heels. I found Dr. Vieira frozen with one hand gripping the fridge door as he stared at empty shelves.
“Doc,” Olivia said. “Who else has a key to your fridge?”
He slammed the door shut and scurried to his desk, where he slid out the top drawer then stuck his hand inside. “The spare is gone. I kept one taped to the underside of the desk.”
“Take my blood,” I said. We would figure out who stole his key and the blood later. Jo’s life was hanging in the balance right now.
Dr. Vieira stomped by me. “She can’t have yours. We’re dealing with the heart, so she needs her own blood. That’s why I keep reserves on all of you. That’s how you healed from your heart wound. Get Sam up here.” His voice was coated with fury.
Olivia whipped out her phone before I could.
I trailed behind Doc as he scanned the lab then checked each of the hospital rooms.
“Who are you looking for?” As soon as I asked, my brain kicked into overdrive. “Dr. Case?”
“Find him now!” he shouted.
I dove into action, calling Kraft. “Lock the base down and find Dr. Case.” He’d been there a couple of minutes ago. I growled so loud that the glasses on the lab bench shook. I had two people to kill today, and they would die slow deaths if Jo didn’t live.
Sam flew through the doors. “What’s going on?”
“Get in that room on the end,” Dr. Vieira ordered.
Sam did as he was told.
Since I couldn’t do much for Jo at the moment, it was time to go hunting. Dr. Case was about to get his head bashed in before I interrogated him. And if I was right and he was the mole, then he wasn’t going to live to regret a fucking thing.
“Olivia, check Case’s quarters. I’ll head down to the control room.”
She and I ran out. Within a minute, I was down in the control room, standing over Sawyer, a vampire who had a kaleidoscope of eye colors. Jo always loved talking with Sawyer so she could watch his eyes change colors.
“Bring up the perimeter of the base near the woods,” I ordered.
While Sawyer’s fingers flew over the keys, I picked up the desk phone and called the front gate. When the line connected, I said, “This is Lieutenant London. Don’t let Dr. Case leave the base.” I hung up and snagged a radio off of Sawyer’s desk. “Kraft, check in.”
“Olivia called me. Kodiak and I are sweeping the base,” Kraft said.
“Good. Sawyer will call if he spots anything on the cameras.”
“Ten-four,” Kraft said before the radio went silent.
The phone on Sawyer’s desk rang. He lifted the receiver. “Yes. One minute.” He handed me the phone. “It’s Elder Hollings.”
I’d forgotten about him. “What is it?”
“How’s Jo?”
I held back all my emotions, especially anger, or else I would kill someone. “Not good. Look, we’ll need to pick up our conversation another day.”
“I’m not leaving until I know how she’s doing. What can I do to help?”
I clutched the back of my neck. “Get her father out of jail and on this base ASAP. She might need his blood.”
“I’m on it.” He hung up.
The radio crackled, then Kraft’s voice blared through. “I got him.”
I almost collapsed against Sawyer’s desk. Instead, I pushed the button on the radio. “Bring him into the interrogation room.”
Tripp stalked in with blood above his left eye. “Nicki is out of control.”
I wasn’t surprised. “Did you get anything out of her?”
He wiped the blood that was about to drip into his eye. “Not a damn thing.”
Nicki would talk even if I had to torture the woman.
Kraft pushed Case through the door. Case stumbled down the stairs of the landing. Fear jumped off the man in waves.
Tripp reared back, pursing his lips with a what-the-fuck expression.
I stalked over to the human. “Apparently, Dr. Case wants to die today.” I grabbed his arm and hauled him into the interrogation room behind Sawyer’s desk. Once inside, I shoved him hard. He flew over the table before falling to the floor.
Then I stomped out, locking the door behind me.
“Aren’t you going to talk to him?” Kraft asked.
Tripp, Sawyer, Kraft, and the others sitting at their desks stared at me. Most had no expressions on their faces. Two female vampires, however, resonated with fear. They were lucky Commander Mason wasn’t there. Steven would have no doubt broken everything in sight, and not from throwing things or punching walls like I wanted to do. All he had to do was get so angry that his telekinesis alone would be destructive.
“I’m going to let him stew for a minute.” I had to take a breath before I questioned Case. “Sawyer, let the front gate know we got Case. Kraft, you and Kodiak get over to Case’s quarters and help Olivia search his place. Tripp, I want you with me. Oh, and Sawyer, see where Hollings is on getting the commander back here.” I stalked up to the landing that overlooked the entire control room. “I want everyone’s attention.”
The sounds of pounding keys stopped. Whispers died, and all eyes were on me. I pinned a look on each man and woman. “There’s a war brewing, one that threatens our existence.”
Pinched eyebrows, open mouths, and straight postures came from every vampire in the room.
“So to prepare for battle, each of you will be subjected to having your mind read to confirm your commitment to this team. If you have a problem with that, then you’re free to leave now.” My tone was deep and commanding. “Keep in mind that anyone who does leave cannot return. You’ll be discharged immediately.” And under surveillance.
A hum of protests zipped around the room.
I lifted my hands. “Quiet. There’s no room here to complain. I’m giving you the option to walk out of here right now.”
One of the two females who had fear written all over her face stood up. Her voice shook as she spoke. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, it’s an invasion of privacy.”
I stifled a growl as I read her name tag. I knew most of the vampires in the control room by name, but the newer ones like Petty Officer Slay I hadn’t committed to memory. “Do you have something to hide, Petty Officer Slay?”
She lowered her gaze as she stood at attention. “No, sir. But my personal life is my own.”
Sawyer rose. “Donna, you heard the lieutenant. We’re at war. We have to put our personal lives aside. I’m not happy about someone reading my every thought, but if it means saving lives, then so be it. And let’s not forget we’ve lost quite a few of our comrades lately.”
Following on Sawyer’s heels, vampires rose to declare their agreement with Sawyer.
Petty Officer Slay slumped her shoulders.
I made my way over to her. “Slay, Jo won’t be in your head long enough to see all your memories. And rest assured, what she sees will not be disclosed, even to me or the commander.”
“Thank you,” she said as she rolled her chair over to her computer.
The sounds of voices, beeps, and the tapping of keys resumed as I met Tripp at the door to the interrogation room.
“Nice speech,” he said. “And nice plan.”
I nodded then called to Sawyer. “Thank you.”
“I believe in everyone in here,” Sawyer said.
I wished I could, and part of me did, but I had to be certain.
“Let me check on Jo, then we’ll talk with Case,” I said to Tripp.
He gripped my shoulder. “Webb, go and be with Jo. I can handle Case.”
I knew he could, but I wanted a piece of the fucker. I also couldn’t sit in Jo’s room and wait. It was too painful. I did want to be there the minute she woke, if she did. She will, a voice in my head said. I prayed that my subconscious was right, because if Jo didn’t make it, then my life was over, as was Nicki’s and Case’s.
8
Webb
I called up to the infirmary and found that Jo’s status hadn’t changed. So before I ripped out Case’s heart, I went into the kitchen on other side of the control room and plucked two bottles of blood out of the fridge. I decided to fuel up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t just rip out his human heart. I would drain Case of all his blood, and I couldn’t do that until I got answers.
Tripp came in, rubbing a finger over one of his fangs. “Not a bad idea.”
I grinned. “Good to know we’re both thinking alike. Anything wrong with your fangs?”
He stuck his head into the fridge. “Nicki tried to yank them out of me.”
I almost spit out the blood. “What the fuck?”
He twisted off the bottle cap. “I shit you not. You better be ready to tango with that feisty bitch. How did you even date her?”
I rested against the counter. “Dude, it was only once, and I knew then that she was trouble. But I swear if Jo doesn’t make it, I’m going on a killing spree. First, Case. Then Nicki.”
He knocked back the blood as though he was downing one of the many glasses of whiskey he and I had drunk the other night. “I won’t stop you.”
I chugged one bottle then the other, and within a second, my nerves settled somewhat. I tossed both bottles into the trash. “Let’s go have some fun.”
I found my leather strap in my back pocket and tied my hair into a low ponytail. Tripp followed suit. We both took long strides around the perimeter of the room, passing cubicle after cubicle, until we arrived at the interrogation room. Before I could even think about my next move, I barreled in and hauled Case to his feet.
Tripp ran in and pulled me off him. “I’m all for you killing him, but let’s get answers first.”
I shrugged out of Tripp’s hold and created distance between Case and me. The small windowless room was more than suffocating, especially with a human who could be responsible for Jo dying.
Dr. Case puffed out his cheeks as he backed himself into a corner. Tripp folded his arms and settled against the wall adjacent to the door.
I scrutinized the human doctor, itching to tear each strand of his brown hair out of his head, one by one. As if he knew what I was thinking, he gasped.
I paced near the door. “You’re lucky Tripp is in the room with me.”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Case said.
I growled, showing my fangs. No apology would help the human. He needed to know that in this room devoid of furniture, vampires were on top of the food chain, and the fear on his face confirmed as much.
“Let’s start at the beginning,” I said. “How long have you been sharing information with Edmund?”
His eyebrows went up into his hairline. “Who says I was doing that?”
Tripp snarled, the sound deadly.
“So you weren’t?” I asked.
Dr. Case’s brown eyes shifted back and forth. “You gave me no choice.”
I launched myself at him. He squealed as my hands went around his neck. “If you don’t start talking, then I will tear out your carotid artery.” I pressed my fingers to his neck, my nails ready to slice his skin.
“Tripp,” Dr. Case pleaded.
“Doc, answer the lieutenant,” Tripp said from behind us.
I let go of the human and removed my dagger from the side pocket of my cargo pants.
“Okay,” Dr. Case said, sighing. “Put the dagger away.”
“Absolutely not. One wrong answer, and this blade is going into your chest. Now talk.”
He slid down the wall then raised his knees to his chest. “Not long after you made me a deal to go through that thumb drive in exchange for who killed Ella, Edmund made me a deal as well. If I fed him information that I learned while working in the lab, he would make me a vampire.”
I let out a roar of laughter. He’d expressed another reason humans couldn’t find out about vampires. Some humans would want to become immortal.
“Laugh all you want,” Case said. “You vampires got it made. You don’t get sick. You can barely die. You live the way you want. You kill when you want. You heal quickly. Seriously, put yourself in my shoes.” He hung his arms over his knees.
He had all good points. But living among humans for eternity wasn’t all sweet and rosy, although it would be if the love of my life didn’t die. At that thought, my pulse quickened. “So you want to be a vampire, and you think that Edmund can help you become one?”
He picked at a nail. “No. I know Patrick Mason. He’s brilliant. And he will be the one to make it happen. He’s the one that’s driving this experiment. He’s the one that approached Edmund when he got discharged from the military. Patrick is the mastermind. Edmund is just following his orders.”
Tripp harrumphed. “Whether Patrick is the leader or not, it still doesn’t excuse you from what you’ve done.”
“So I stole blood from Dr. Vieira’s fridge,” Dr. Case said. “So I gave Edmund some information. So I kept notes of conversations that I overhead. They were light years ahead of me, even with the little tidbits I gave them.”
I walked away before I killed him. “You’re a fucking moron.” I was just as much of a moron for believing that Case would do his job and not make the same mistake twice—pissing me off and trying to kill Jo a second time. “Edmund didn’t have Jo’s blood or DNA before you gave it to him.”
He shrugged. “But he had Sam’s. And their DNA is the same. I know. I saw the results.”
