The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 72
“I will be. Thank you,” I managed to say as tears slid down my face.
Sam stood. “We appreciate your help, Hunt.”
“Petty Officer Hunter, if that is all, we thank you for taking the time to get to the bottom of this. Next time, please call before driving all this way. It’s been quite a long night and Jo needs to get some rest. As you know, she’s been through a great deal.” Webb’s tone was resolute.
“I’ll walk him out,” Sam said, nodding at Webb as though they had communicated telepathically on their next move.
“I understand,” said Hunter. “I’ll check in with you later, if that’s okay. I’m headed back to the base hospital in Newport. I’ll phone if things change.” He collected the photos into the folder and walked to the door.
I stood.
“Things will work out,” Hunter said.
Glancing at me, Sam tapped his heart twice. “I’ll see you back at the apartment.”
Hunter turned. “Jo, it was great to see you again. Lieutenant.” He nodded at Webb, then he and Sam were gone.
My body swayed. I placed my palm on the wall, taking in a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?” Webb wrapped an arm around my waist.
“I don’t know. Probably just lack of sleep.” A bead of sweat slid down my temple. “I am tired.”
Webb laid his hand on my forehead, then my cheek. “God, Jo. You’re burning up. Let’s get you up to the medical facility.” He lifted me, cradling me in his arms as he walked to the elevator.
I rested my head on his shoulder and nestled into him while we waited for the elevator doors to open.
“Webb?”
“Yes, beautiful?”
“Do you think Ben will be okay? I mean, do you think he’s turning into a vampire?”
“Don’t worry about that,” he whispered, dragging the backs of his fingers down the side of my face.
When we got in, and the elevator doors closed, so did my eyes.
The rise and fall of Webb’s chest, coupled with the sound of his breathing, lulled me towards sleep.
His cool lips touched my forehead. “Don’t fall asleep until we know what’s wrong, Jo.” His voice was distant.
The dream world loomed. My body was in shutdown mode, probably from all the stress over the last twenty-four hours.
“I’m…fine. I’m…tired…sleep. Take…me…to…bed,” I slurred.
The last things I heard were his heartbeat speeding up, then the sound of his breathing fading.
24
I slept for the twelve hours. When I woke, I barely had time to change before the assault team was due to leave. We exited the base as soon as the sun set for the night. Sloan, Tripp, Webb, and I were in one SUV, Sam, Olivia, Kodiak, Kraft and Dad were in the van up ahead of us, and four Sentinels from Viking II were behind us in a Hummer. Every one of the Sentinels wore their hair tied at the nape of their neck, black cargo uniforms, black fingerless gloves, stab-proof vests, ear communicators and several weapons hidden on their bodies. The only two weapons visible were their Sentinel swords and daggers strapped in sheaths to their legs. They reminded me of a badass SWAT team. Even Sam was clad in their uniform. I hated that he was so eager to fight, but it seemed to suit him. Maybe this was a way for him to quell his anger issues.
I was the odd one out. I didn’t have my hair in a ponytail, and I wore blue jeans and a dark-blue short-sleeve cotton Henley. The only black things on my body other than my hair were my boots and the stab-proof vest Dad had strapped me into. I knew of bulletproof vests, but the Sentinels had these special armored vests designed since they used daggers and swords mostly when fighting other vampires. Dad had explained that the vest was made out of strong synthetic fibers to prevent a blade like a sword or a dagger from penetrating. I was given no such weapon though. My only defense was my physical ability and my special powers.
“How do you feel?” Webb asked, placing his hand on my knee.
I swung my gaze from the passing landscape to meet his. He sat in the back seat with me while Sloan drove and Tripp rode shotgun. It reminded me of the day I left Durfee with them. The day my life changed forever. I just prayed it wasn’t about to change again.
“Fine.”
What did he want me to say? The butterflies are awake now that your hand is on my knee, and I’d rather have your lips on mine instead.
He grinned as though he were reading my thoughts.
“Am I missing something?”
His grin morphed into a downright sexy-to-die-for smile as his eyes flashed vampire.
Huh, I guess I was missing something. It couldn’t be that he was worried about me coming along tonight, not with a look that spoke of sinful pleasures.
“Care to share?” I asked.
“You had a slight fever when I brought you to Dr. Vieira this morning.”
“I was just tired. Isn’t that what Dr. Vieira said?” I tilted my head to one side.
He nodded. “Do you remember anything before you fell asleep in my arms?”
I thought for a second. I remembered him carrying me. I asked about Ben. Then I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I didn’t want to go see Dr. Vieira. I asked him to take me to…bed. My eyes widened. My cheeks flushed red. I didn’t have to feel my face to know it was blazing hot.
He still had that sexy, impish grin on his face.
No need to blush, beautiful.
I turned my head away from him.
Look at me
No
Jo, don’t be embarrassed. I’m just playing with you.
Now the vampire was being playful? Seriously? I really had a ton to learn about Webb London.
While I had been asleep, the Sentinels firmed up their plan to attack the Plutariums, and Webb filled me in as we rode along. Webb and Sam argued with Dad for me not to accompany them on this raid but Dad stuck to his guns.
I agreed. If I could survive the events of the past two days, then I could manage to help the Sentinels with the raid.
“Sloan, you’re responsible for Jo. Don’t let anything happen to her or the commander will have our heads,” Webb said. His playful tone melted away.
Thank you for changing the subject.
Anytime, beautiful.
“Good luck with that, buddy,” Tripp muttered.
“Hey, I heard that!” I said.
“Sorry, Jo, but you did take off on me yesterday,” Tripp reminded me.
“Jo, if you so much as give Sloan a hint of trouble, I’ll cut your head off,” Webb said lightly.
I glanced at him, smirking. “Yeah. Okay.”
I’d like to see him try.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked. His tone hardened all of sudden.
“If you cut my head off then my father will kill you, so what’s the point?” I said.
“She’s right, sir,” Sloan said. “Don’t worry. I got this. Jo and I will get along fine.” He peeked in the rearview mirror. “If you try to hit me in the balls again, Webb won’t have to cut your head off.”
“Why are you guys ganging up on me?”
They laughed.
“In all seriousness, you need to listen to Sloan,” Webb said. “Tripp will be there too. He’s just as much responsible. Once we get there, Kraft and your father will run point, meaning they will scope out the premises and report back. We have RIBs standing by down on the water. The property is surrounded by the ocean on two sides. Once your dad gives the signal, then we’ll go in. It’s a large place, so we’ll have some challenges.”
Webb hadn’t taken his eyes off me as he spoke, but now he turned to Tripp. “Tripp, you have the blueprints?”
“Yes, sir. The mansion has four access points. There are the front and back entrances to the main level. Then the basement can be accessed from two areas on the outside of the house. It looks like one was the servants’ entrance and the other was the owner’s. Inside access to the basement is through the kitchen.” He studied the document using a penlight like the one Dr. Vieira had.
While they continued to go over their plan again, I gazed out the window, thinking of Darcy. Was she still alive? Edmund said if I didn’t return the brunette, he would kill Darcy. But if he had his own agenda in stranding Ben and me in the middle of the ocean to lure the Sentinels away from the base then why use Darcy as a pawn?
“Yes, Commander,” Webb said suddenly, slanting his head to one side.
With my heightened hearing I could usually decipher the voice on the other end of a cell phone, but I couldn’t hear a damn thing with the earpieces the Sentinels used.
“Nothing we can do right now. Fehherty and Sawyer will handle it.” Webb touched his right ear.
“We’re there in five,” Tripp called from the front seat.
“What’s going on, Lieutenant?” Sloan asked.
“Mr. Jackson and a Mr. Rose are at the base gate asking for the commander. They’re quite upset. Jo, do you know Mr. Rose?” Webb asked.
“Darcy’s dad? I’ve only met him a couple of times. He works in Boston. He’s a big-time lawyer who defends criminals. That’s all I know.”
Webb growled low for some reason.
The two times I had met Mr. Rose, he seemed preoccupied and not that friendly. Maybe he had to be that way to defend criminals.
We zipped through the streets of Newport, mostly hugging the coastline. The moon illuminated the ocean to my left while the lights of the large, gated mansions lit up the landscape to my right.
As the raid loomed, I kept thinking of what would happen, especially with Kate. I was worried about Webb. When I told him about his sister, he’d vented some of his anger. Since then he seemed to be in pretty good spirits. But if Kate was there tonight, how was Webb going to react? The question reminded me of something I had been itching to ask him, only I didn’t want to ask it out loud. I could use telepathy, but I had a problem with that idea. I had never initiated a connection. Webb and Dad always had. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try. Anything to do with vampire’s powers seemed to begin with opening up the senses, at least for me. Okay then.
I inhaled, then released my breath, letting out all the tension in me. Once relaxed, I pinpointed Webb’s scent and focused on his presence and his energy. His woodsy scent filled my nostrils before I silently asked, Were you serious about killing Kate?
A zap of electricity stung my ears, and then his voice filled my head.
Did you say something?
I smiled, as I turned to face him, elated that I’d done it.
Impressive.
I flashed him a wider grin.
Now, what were you asking?
This morning in the pyramid room you led me to believe that you would have no problem killing Kate if it came down to it. I raised my brows in a silent gesture to say, Well?
Jo, by nature as predators, vampires are very possessive, protective, and trust their family and loved ones. I love my sister and have always trusted her. So I’m not sure if I even believe she’s sided with Edmund. I’m not saying you were lying. Sometimes seeing is believing, right? If it is true, the struggle for me would mean that Kate broke that trust bond between her and me. I don’t know how I would react to that. What I do know is that breaking my trust doesn’t mean I would kill my own sister. In fact, I don’t want any Sentinel harming her. But…their job is to protect themselves, and Kate is a good fighter. Which is why I said what I said. I will do everything to capture my sister if she is here. That’s all I can give you right now.
That was more than I expected. Then again, I didn’t know what to expect. I did agree with him that seeing was believing. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t believe me either. I would definitely need proof.
Thank you.
I grabbed his hand and squeezed. I wanted him to know that I was here for him, and that I empathized with him.
He smiled and winked as he rubbed a figure eight several times on the back of my hand.
Sloan followed Dad’s van, twisting and turning around the curves and switchbacks. I held my breath. One small error in turn would propel us into the freaking ocean.
As we turned the last curve, the mansion came into view. Webb was right. The house was half surrounded by the ocean. The van pulled into a small parking lot off to the right side of the road about a mile or so back. A yellow sign said, Whale watch area.
We drove in, following behind the van into an opening in the rock cliff that stood about ten feet high—a cave. The Viking II team parked alongside us.
The four of us got out of the SUV.
Dad opened the back door of the van, reached in and pulled out a small box. Kodiak grabbed it from him and set it down on the SUV.
“What is this place?” I asked, looking around. A musty scent hung in the air, making my nose itch.
“That’s not important right now,” Dad said.
Turning, I peeked into the van. The vehicle was equipped with monitors and computers like a surveillance van police would use for covert observation. Two of the computer nerds from the control room were typing away on their keyboards inside.
Everyone huddled near the van.
Kodiak handed out glasses to everyone except me.
“I don’t get any glasses?” I asked.
“No, Jo,” Dad said. “We want you to concentrate on your powers. Glasses like these can be a distraction. Besides, you’ll be with Sloan and Tripp. They will be your eyes on this mission.”
I wasn’t going to argue. Dad was the military soldier and I trusted him.
“As you guys know, these are the high-end glasses that we’ve been waiting for,” said Olivia, holding up a pair. “They’re new tech, so not something Edmund is aware of from his days as a Sentinel. They have a few components that will come in handy tonight. All the glasses have a transmission signal built in that talks to our satellites.”
“First, the camera,” Olivia continued. “In the upper right corner of the eye lens there is a screen that will engage once you twist the dial on the side of the frame. The first click clockwise is team view. This will allow you to see everything the team leader is seeing. For example, when the commander’s glasses are recording, we’ll be able to see what he’s seeing if we’re on channel one. Second click, channel two is the recording mode itself.” She turned the knob. “You won’t be able to see anything on the screen but a signal will be sent back to the guys here in the van to show them what you’re looking at. That way they can clue everyone in on comms. Questions?” Olivia asked. She waited for a few seconds.
“Okay. We’ll keep it on channel one until we’re all in position. Once we disperse, switch to channel two until told otherwise,” Olivia instructed. “Next, the small red button on the left side of the frame.” She flipped the glasses, pointing to it. “Like the camera, when this button is active, a small screen will emerge in the upper left corner of your glasses. This is a temperature view and will distinguish between human and vampire. Since our core temperatures run about ten degrees cooler than a human, the screen will show a human as bright white, and a vamp as dark gray. Clear?” she asked.
Everyone fiddled with their glasses before putting them on.
“Remember,” Webb said, “do what you need to do to stay alive. If Kate is here, I want her captured alive if at all possible. I’ll deal with her. Agreed?”
If Edmund was here then Kate was here. I was confident about that.
They all said yes, dropping their heads. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes at this moment. They all knew Kate well. Heck, some of the Sentinels like Tripp and Sloan probably had a soft spot for their boss’s sister. Now they were faced with her as one of their enemies.
Dad adjusted his vest. “Kraft and I will head out. We’ll give you the heads-up when we’re ready. As Olivia stated, you’ll have my eyes until we go in. Kodiak and Sam, remember to grab any files or hard drives that you can. The Viking II crew will back you up. Kraft and I will take the second floor. Olivia and Webb, you got the first level. Sloan, Jo and Tripp, backyard, servants’ entrance.
“Make sure Viking II has the RIBs ready. We’ll need to get any victims out as fast as we can, and that includes any humans and any humans-turned-vamp. We have four RIBs waiting a half-mile out.
“Get in. Get out. This is a rescue mission. We’re not here for revenge. If assaulted then defend yourself, but no humans are to be harmed. If Kate is there, remember, she’s one of us, folks, so heed the Lieutenant’s words as best you can.”
I wanted to argue that point. She certainly wasn’t one of us anymore.
“Any questions?” Dad asked, meeting each gaze in turn. “Very well. Be safe. Be fast. And stay alive.” Dad walked up to me. “Listen to Sloan. I love you.” He kissed me on the head then he turned to Sam. “Son, you’re new at this, follow orders, and I love you too.” Then he and Kraft were gone.
Between Olivia’s speech on the new glasses and Dad’s orders, I was a little dizzy. Sam seemed to be wide-eyed and ready to head into battle.
“So do the computer vamps stay here alone?” I asked.
The nerdy vamps didn’t look like they could defend themselves, but what did I know?
“One of the Sentinels from Viking II will stay behind to guard the opening,” Webb said.
“Lieutenant,” one of the nerdy vamps called. “Commander is live.”
“Make sure your glasses are engaged to team view, channel one,” Olivia stated.
Since I didn’t have a view of what they were looking at, I jumped into the van to check the monitor. Four guards patrolled the front of the house. Dad’s head turned, showing two more guards on the outer perimeter near the cliff. Kraft ran toward the two and pushed. Their bodies disappeared into the night air.
“Move now,” Dad’s voice said through the computer.
“Everyone knows their job,” Webb said. “Sloan and Tripp, cut through the brush on the side of the house, then make your way around back. The rest, follow me. We’ll meet the commander at the front. Be safe. Be fast. And stay alive,” Webb said, repeating Dad’s words.
“Let’s go, Jo,” Sloan called.
“Sis,” Sam called. He tapped his heart twice, and mouthed I love you.
