Blood From a Silver Cross (Kat Redding) (15 page)

“Nah,” Bart said. “I’ll take care of it. I was running low on meat for the burgers anyway.”

I looked up, shocked, to find him grinning at me. He winked before kneeling by the corpse and going through his pockets. Maybe if he found ID, he’d contact the guy’s next of kin.

As Bart went about bagging the body, I checked over my motorcycle carefully. If Mephisto’s man had put something onto it, I was going to find it.

I scoured every inch of my Honda, but found nothing. Either putting something on it wasn’t his goal, or he hadn’t had a chance to do it. Or perhaps the Left Hand killer had removed whatever was placed there.

In the end, it didn’t matter. My bike appeared clean. If Mephisto wanted to track me, he’d have to do it the old fashioned way.

Bart waved as I started up the engine and rolled out into the road. I waved back and aimed for home, hoping I wouldn’t find someone lying dead in my front yard.

“H
ow’d things go?”

I paused just inside the dining room, coat halfway off. Jeremy was standing between me and the stairs, with Ethan sitting on the couch to my right. I couldn’t tell if Jeremy was pissed at me or not about running off without him. If he was still angry, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

I sighed and finished taking off my coat. I draped it over a chair and went to work on my belt and shoulder holster.

Ethan walked over to Jeremy. He wasn’t wearing shoes, telling me he was done with the basement tonight.

I set my weapons on the table and then looked at them. They’d effectively cut me off from the rest of the house, but no one was saying anything. It was clear they were itching for a talk. I simply wanted to get upstairs to a bath, where I could soak out the worries. I was mentally exhausted.

“What?” I asked, when I’d decided the silence had gone on long enough.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asked, doing his best to look me in the eye, though I could tell he was nervous.

“Not really.”

“Care to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Kat . . .”

I pulled out the chair I’d set my coat on and dropped down into it. “What do you want me to say?” I asked. “It was a bad night. That’s nothing new. I’m tired. I just want to go upstairs and cool out for a little bit. Is that too much to ask?”

Jeremy and Ethan glanced at each other. Something passed between them before they both turned to look at me.

“We’re worried,” Jeremy said.

“Is this an intervention?” I asked with an irritated laugh. Neither man smiled.

“No,” Ethan said. “But we do want to talk to you.”

I waved a hand at them to go on, too exhausted to talk. I’d dealt with far too much that night without actually having to kill someone. What I really wanted to do was to blow them off and go straight to my room, but knew I needed to hear them out. The old Kat was the type who would tell anyone and everyone to piss off. I wasn’t that person anymore.

Or at least, I was trying not to be.

“You can’t leave without telling us where you’re going.” Jeremy spoke carefully, as if making sure he chose his words correctly. I guess he still felt the need to treat me like my old self. “We need to know in case something happens. We might have to come looking for you and it would be nice to know where in the hell you are.”

“It’s not safe out there,” Ethan added with a shudder and glance toward the back door.

“Has it ever been?”

“Well, no.” His face reddened. “But it’s worse now.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

“It’s just . . .” Ethan trailed off and looked to Jeremy for help.

“We sit here, waiting for you to get home night after night.” Jeremy shifted his weight, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “We don’t know if you’re alive or dead. Someone could have you locked away somewhere. We just don’t know.”

I looked down at my hands. They might not call it an intervention, but it sure as hell felt like one. They were making me feel like a teenager who’d been sneaking out at night to see her metalhead boyfriend.

I knew I should be more upfront with them, but it was hard. I’d kept things to myself for so long, it wasn’t easy to open up to people, even my friends. I didn’t always know whom I could trust. I feared getting people hurt, myself included.

“You don’t have to tell us
why
you’re going wherever it is you go on nights like these,” Jeremy said. “We just want to know where it is you’re going just in case something happens.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Okay?” Ethan sounded surprised. I’m not sure there was a time I didn’t argue with a request like that.

“Yeah,” I said. “I need to start trusting you more.” I glanced at Jeremy. “Both of you.”

I think I caught both of them off guard because they both looked at each other as if they’d had this big speech planned and I’d totally wrecked it. Jeremy looked worried, like he thought I was trying to trick them somehow. It was almost funny.

“So, you’re not mad?” Ethan asked.

“I am,” I admitted. “But I realize it isn’t you I’m mad at. I had a real shitty night and, well, you know what it’s like living with a monster inside you.” I directed the last at Jeremy. “It’s easy to lose control and lash out at people who don’t deserve it.”

There was a moment of silence, as if they still didn’t believe me.

“I’m serious,” I said. “I’ll tell someone where I’m going whenever I leave. I promise.”

“Great,” Ethan said with a shaky laugh. He clapped his hands together and cleared his throat. “Now that that’s settled, there’s something else we want to talk to you about.”

I didn’t like the way he said that. I narrowed my eyes at him and he took a step back. He ran his fingers through his hair and continued to clear his throat as if something was caught in it.

“We were thinking it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to take Jonathan up on his offer,” Jeremy said, drawing my eye.

“Which offer?”

“You know, the one where we go hide out at his place for a little while,” Ethan said with a weak smile.

“You can’t be serious.”

“It would be safer,” Jeremy said.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

This time, it was Jeremy who narrowed his eyes. “And what do you mean by that?”

This was it—the big test. I could go back to my old ways and refuse to tell him anything, or I could tell him that I thought someone at the Den was feeding the Left Hand information. I could tell him about my concern over Nathan and Keira. He might not live at the Den, but Jeremy was still part of the Cult.

Then again, telling him might cause some serious damage. He might hate me for even considering such a thing, or he might start to distrust those who took him in. Either way, he wouldn’t be happy with it. It would be far easier to try to do this on my own so that when the shit eventually did hit the fan, I’d be the only one standing in front of it.

Why did trusting others have to be so damn hard?

“I have some concerns about a few people at the Den,” I said, meeting Jeremy’s eye.

“Concerns? About who?”

I rubbed at the back of my neck. “Nathan, for one.” I winced as I said it.

“What about him?”

“Do you know where he’s been sneaking off to?” I figured I might as well go all out and see what Jeremy knew. If I were going to accuse Nathan of something, it would be far better to get as many facts as I could.

“Sneaking off?” Jeremy looked genuinely confused.

“Yeah. I was heading in one night and caught him driving off on his own. I followed him, curious, and he went to some house and just watched it. Before I could see what he was up to, I got jumped.”

“By Nathan?”

“By someone else. I . . . I think it might have been Keira but I can’t be sure.”

“Wait, what?” This time there was anger in Jeremy’s voice. I’m not sure if it was directed at me or at the other weres. I’m not so sure it mattered. One-armed or not, Jeremy was still a werewolf with a monster inside him that could cause irrational bouts of rage in an instant.

I carefully moved my hand next to my gun, just in case. I doubted Jeremy would attack me, but it was always best to be safe around a were. I wouldn’t shoot him, but I hoped the threat would cause him to hesitate if he were to wolf out on me.

“She was shifted when she attacked, so it might not have been her,” I admitted. “And Nathan was gone before I could question him. I don’t think he saw me.”

“Jesus.” Jeremy rubbed at his forehead and started pacing. “Do you think Nathan and Keira have anything to do with . . .” He shook his head. “No. I refuse to believe it. They wouldn’t help the Left Hand.”

“I agree that Nathan wouldn’t,” I said, surprising even myself. I moved my hand away from my gun. Jeremy looked agitated, but not so much that I was worried he’d shift. “It isn’t his style. But how much do we really know about Keira?”

Jeremy remained silent.

“Are you sure there’s something going on with them?” Ethan asked. “I mean, could it have all been a coincidence?”

“Sure,” I said. “But Nathan looked nervous. He was up to something. And I sure as hell don’t trust Keira.”

Deep down, I knew my distrust was rooted in how close she seemed to be with Jonathan, but there was nothing that would get me to admit that to either of them. It just seemed too convenient for her to show up just as the Left Hand started killing people. She had to be connected somehow.

“We should talk to Jonathan,” Jeremy said, reaching for his phone. “He’ll know what to do.”

“I tried,” I said. “Nathan stopped me.”

Jeremy looked troubled and eased his phone back into his pocket. “Why would he do that?”

“I guess he was with Keira. She . . . she may have gotten to him.”

The room fell silent, which was okay by me. The thought of Jonathan and Keira together had my stomach twisted into knots. The bath sounded better than ever now. I wasn’t even sure I could keep talking about this without breaking down like a love-struck teenager.

Is that what I was? Could I actually be in love with a werewolf?

I stared down at my hands, which were shaking. I wasn’t sure what was happening to me. I truly didn’t want Nathan to be up to something devious. We’d never gotten along, sure, but he was always there when I needed him. He could have let me die more than once, but he always saved me.

But Keira . . . I had no connection with her. In fact, I almost hoped she was the one who was feeding the Left Hand information. It would suck for Jonathan, but at least I’d get the pleasure of putting her down for him. Things would be so much easier if she weren’t around.

I sighed. Once again, I wasn’t sure which part of me was talking.

“What can we do?” Ethan asked into the silence that had fallen.

I shrugged. “I’ll talk to Jonathan as soon as I can.”

“I can call him,” Jeremy offered, reaching for his phone again.

“No. I think this needs to be done face to face.”

“When?”

“Soon,” I said. “I’d do it tomorrow, but . . .”

“It’s okay,” Jeremy said, actually managing something akin to a smile. “We understand.”

Our eyes met. I could tell he truly did understand. He wasn’t going to ask me about where I’d been or what I’ve been doing every Monday since I’d dealt with Baset. He trusted me to do what was right.

God, I hoped that trust wasn’t misplaced.

“I’m going to get some rest,” I said. “I’ve got something I have to take care of tomorrow, but as soon as that’s done, I’m going to go talk to Jonathan.”

I rose and both men stepped back. While some things had been settled, there was a whole lot of unease going around.

“Don’t bring any of this up to him if you talk to him tonight,” I told Jeremy. “I’d like to make sure I’m not leaping at shadows here. Maybe Nathan has a good reason for doing what he’s doing. Maybe I’m wrong about Keira. If anyone is going to bring these concerns up to Jonathan, it has to be me, all right?”

Jeremy nodded.

“Okay.” I heaved a sigh and headed for the stairs. “I’ll see you two tomorrow night.”

I paused by the stairs as another thought hit me. I turned back to face Ethan.

“Did you happen to find anything out about the stuff in the syringe?” I’d given him the briefcase last night as soon as I’d gotten home. I figured he might have some luck identifying what was inside. I’m not sure how it would help, but the more we knew about the Left Hand, the better.

“Not yet,” he said. “I’ll keep working on it.”

I nodded and continued upstairs.

I entered my room and closed the door behind me. I leaned against it and sighed. I might have come clean with a few things, but there was still quite a lot I’d left out. They deserved to know about Baset and Mephisto.

About Adrian.

I could feel him out there and wondered if he was thinking about me. I knew his intentions were impure, knew that he was far more dangerous than a lot of people gave him credit for, yet there was a comfort there, knowing he’d protect me even if I didn’t actually need it.

I’d never become his mate. He could take that dream and shove it up his ass for all I cared. I doubted I could even bring myself to like the guy. He was a pompous ass who was as creepy as hell with his blank stares and emotionless voice.

But maybe, someday, when I wasn’t so preoccupied with everyone trying to control me, I could learn to trust him. Stranger things have happened.

A
nton Green lived in a surprisingly nice neighborhood. The lawns were manicured, houses were of moderate size, and welcome mats sat on nearly every doorstep. There were motion sensors outside all of the houses, and I caught a glimpse of something near one door that looked like the barrel of a gun poking out of shrubbery.

Needless to say, the people here were prepared.

When Mikael had given me Anton’s name and address, I immediately thought about movies in which the guy with all the info lived in a basement with computers hanging from every available space, where you had to duck beneath wires, and step over empty soda bottles. You’d find all of this after saying your pleasantries to his mother.

One look at the property and I knew that wasn’t the case.

I parked behind a blue Chevy in front of a white house with black shutters. The glow coming from inside told me someone was home and they were looking at either a television or computer screen. I glanced around and noted that many of the other houses were the same.

But despite the fact that they gave all appearances of being unafraid, I could smell blood in the air. I wasn’t sure if it was Pureblood blood or if it was the blood of a supe who’d strayed too close, but it was there. Across the street, someone peered out of an upstairs window and I caught a glint of light that could only have reflected from a gunsight.

I decided the blood must have been from a supe.

I walked slowly past the Chevy truck and glanced inside. There were a few discarded napkins on the passenger seat and a plastic bag stuffed with wrappers sat on the floor. Otherwise it was clean. There were no guns laying inside or blood splatter, or even a few stray wires from a computer. It looked like anyone’s truck, really.

The light from inside suddenly went out. I paused beside the truck and studied the windows. I couldn’t see past the curtains to tell if someone was moving around inside or not; they were too thick.

Mikael had said he’d tell Anton I was coming, but how much had he told him? As far as I knew, Anton knew just as much as Mikael, which meant I was still a threat to him and his neighborhood. He might not be happy to see me.

The back of my neck itched where I could still feel the gun pointing from the house across the street. I had a feeling there were more eyes than that on me. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Anton was sitting inside, gun in hand, waiting to put a bullet through my eyes the moment I came too close.

I kept my hand away from my weapons as I strode toward the door. I couldn’t show fear here. I had a feeling fear was met with violent and abrupt force in the guise of a bullet through the head. The seemingly peaceful neighborhood was definitely not as peaceful as it first appeared.

A ceramic cat with the word “Welcome” painted across its chest sat beside the door. The door itself looked welcoming, outside of the peephole that looked to me to be a little too large and a little too dark. I had a feeling I was staring straight into the barrel of a gun.

With nothing else to do, I knocked on the door. If Anton was going to blow my head off, running wouldn’t do any good. He’d just shoot me in the back if I tried.

“Anton?” I called through the door when it didn’t open. “Mikael sent me.”

Four quick clicks sounded and the door opened. Standing just inside was a man who looked as if he’d spent most of his life in the gym. He was wearing tight bicycle shorts and a sleeveless shirt that exposed biceps bigger around than my leg. His head was shaved bald and a faint scar cut through one eyebrow.

He gave me a smile that could light up a room. “Come on in,” he said. “I was expecting you.”

I stepped past him, noting he stood a good two heads taller than me. He wasn’t wearing shoes and I vaguely wondered if he could even
find
shoes that would fit him. His feet were bigger than most people’s heads.

He closed the door and took a moment to hit the safety on the gun built into the door, right where the peephole should be. “Can’t be too careful,” he said with a grin as he turned. “Let’s head to my office.”

He led the way across a room that looked as if his grandmother had decorated it. The television sat across the room on top of a doily. In fact, every surface was covered by white crocheted doilies. Even the chairs and couches had them draped over their backs.

Anton must have seen something in my face because he paused long enough to run his fingers over one. “It’s a hobby,” he said. “Keeps my fingers nimble.”

He waggled huge fingers at me before turning and walking deeper into the house. With a grunt and one last look around the room, I followed him.

We went up a flight of stairs—dispelling any illusions that he would take me into his basement hideaway—and went to the first room on our left. He opened the door and flipped on the light.

It looked like any other office. The window was covered so that no light could possibly seep out, and if I didn’t miss my guess, the glass would be tinted as well. A pair of computer chairs sat in front of a large desk. In place of the mass of wires and computers I’d expected were two seemingly innocuous laptops sitting side by side on an otherwise clean desk.

He took the first chair and leaned back. He was still smiling and even though I was positive he knew I was a vampire, he seemed completely unconcerned. I glanced around, thinking he had some other weaponry he could trigger in a heartbeat if I were to attack, but there didn’t appear to be anything. And there sure as hell wasn’t anything hidden on him. There’d be nowhere for him to hide it.

“How do you know Mikael?” I asked when my scan of the room was complete.

Anton shrugged. “Saw him at the Bloody Stake a few times. Offered him my services.”

I glanced at the computers and he laughed.

“Not that kind of services.”

My brow started to crease and then I shook my head. I really didn’t want to know.

“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked instead.

“I do.” Anton’s smile fell. “I can’t say I like it. This isn’t the sort of thing I like finding, but what can you do?”

“So I take it you get information for Mikael?”

Anton laughed again. I’d expected it to be a deep rumble, but it was more of a pleasing chuckle than anything. I could listen to him laugh all day and not get annoyed.

“More like he tells me where to find stuff and I extract it for him. If anything hits the net and he has even the slightest interest in it, I get a call from him.”

“I see.”

“Please,” Anton said. “Take a seat.” He gestured toward the other chair.

I considered declining. If I were sitting, I’d be in a more vulnerable position. If Anton had some other trick up his sleeve, I’d want to be prepared.

But Mikael wouldn’t have sent me here if he thought Anton was a danger to me. I was sure the guy could take care of himself, or else I wouldn’t be here. This was probably one of the few places I could go and actually be safe.

I sat down and let my coat fall open. The hilt of my sword poked out and Anton’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he was grinning again.

“Now,” he said, “this isn’t going to be pleasant.”

He opened his laptop and a video player was already up. The screen was dark, but I could tell it wasn’t just a black screen. It looked as if he’d paused the movie just as it was fading in.

I braced myself. Mikael had said this wasn’t something anyone should watch. I wasn’t looking forward to this in the slightest, but I definitely could use a visual description of my target. It would make my job far easier, especially if Mikael was right and I wouldn’t find him alone.

“Ready for this?” Anton asked, finger poised over his mouse button.

I nodded.

He clicked Play.

The screen rolled dark for a moment and then came into focus. It showed an empty room that looked to be some sort of hotel room. The bed was stripped of its sheets and pillows. They’d been tossed into a chair and left there, telling me this wasn’t exactly a high quality production.

There was faint music playing, but I couldn’t make it out. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to have been heard on the video or if Anton had the volume turned way down. It didn’t seem like the right kind of music for a porno, even a blood porn like this was supposed to be. The music sounded like it belonged in a dance club or perhaps a party house somewhere. The pulse-pounding beat caused my own heart rate to pick up despite the fact I couldn’t really hear it clearly.

“They always start like this,” Anton said. “And are always in the same room.” He pointed to a spot on the screen. “Bloodstains,” he said, indicating a darker spot on the wall.

I grimaced. “How long before he shows up?”

“Not long,” Anton said. “The guy thinks this is his establishing shot. Needs a lesson in moviemaking, if you ask me.”

I continued to watch the screen. I scanned the room, hoping I could make something out that would help me, but there really wasn’t anything to see. I could make out the bloodstains on the wall, and the mattress itself looked as if it had seen its fair share of blood, but otherwise, there were no identifying features that would tell me where the film had been shot.

Before I could ask Anton if he knew, a girl walked over to the bed and sat down. She was pale and shaking. Her eyes were terrified as they found the camera. She stared pleadingly into the lens, as if hoping that someone would see her and come rescue her. She couldn’t have been any more than fifteen.

I almost told Anton to shut it off. I was
not
going to watch this girl get defiled by anyone, even if it would help me take the man down. Rushing out and searching for Boris Stevenson wouldn’t do a damn bit of good for her, though. I was pretty sure the girl in this movie was already dead.

“You won’t have to watch him hurt her,” Anton said. “I chose this one because it takes him some time before he gets into it enough to bite.” Anton cleared his throat. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt. “But you do get a good look at his face, which is what you wanted, right?”

I nodded. I felt sick to my stomach. The girl’s eyes were jerking back and forth, like she wasn’t sure if she should be staring into the camera or looking at the person approaching. I could hear the sound of his feet on the carpet, but he’d yet to walk into the frame.

“Death is just another form of life.”

The voice coming out of the speakers made me jump. It was louder than I’d expected. The girl hadn’t made a peep and the music stayed just faint background noise. I’d been positive the volume had been turned way down, but I guess that wasn’t the case.

“That’s Boris,” Anton said.

A moment later, a nude man strode into the frame.

He wasn’t muscular or all that well built, to be honest. He had a bald spot on the back of his head and while he wasn’t overweight, he looked flabby. Just because someone is a vampire, doesn’t mean they suddenly become ripped. This guy looked like he enjoyed sitting around eating potato chips far more than doing anything strenuous.

He walked toward the girl, who cringed away from him on the bed, but she didn’t try to run. I’m not sure if she’d wanted to do this or if she was being compelled somehow, because if it were me, I’d have kicked him in the nuts and bashed his face in by now. I don’t care if there was a guy standing off screen with a gun aimed at my head. If I was going to die, I was going to go down fighting.

My hands were clenched into fists as I waited for Boris to move so I could get a better look at him. I wanted this over with already.

He sat at the edge of the bed, back still to the screen. He was facing the girl who was trembling so badly, I was afraid she might die of fright right then and there.

Boris reached out a hand and gently touched her cheek. She winced, but didn’t pull away.

“I’ll take you to your new life,” he said and the girl nodded.

“How much longer?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“He turns in a sec.”

I bit my lip. Why couldn’t Anton have simply paused the video on a shot of Boris and left the rest to my imagination? I really didn’t need to see this to know the guy needed to die.

Boris pulled back his hand and then turned. He looked directly into the camera, giving me a perfect view of his face. He was showing fang with his smile. He had a bad goatee that was uneven on the right side, as if he accidentally shaved too far up and didn’t bother fixing it. His eyebrows were thick and bushy above beady little eyes. His nostrils were huge black holes in his face. The guy’s nose was as big as a Buick.

Anton reached out and hit Pause. “I’m guessing you don’t need to see any more?”

“No,” I said. “This is good.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the vampire. I wished I could reach through the screen and wring his neck.

“It isn’t pretty,” Anton said. I glanced at him and noticed he was pale. “I had to watch a few of these for Mikael. I didn’t eat for a week after.”

“I can imagine.”

Anton turned in his chair and looked hard at me. I tore my eyes away from Boris’s smug face and met his gaze.

“Are you going to kill him?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you going to make him suffer?”

“I am.”

Anton pressed his lips together and his eyes became hard. He suddenly looked like someone who could crush a man’s skull by simply thinking about it. No wonder the neighborhood appeared mostly untouched. They had a terrifying protector.

“Good,” he said finally. “I want him to scream for mercy.”

So did I, but I kept that to myself.

Anton sighed and then turned back to the screen. “Can I shut this off now?” he asked. “I can’t stand looking at him any longer.”

“Yeah.” I stood. “I’m done.”

Anton hit the keys like he was trying to hurt Boris through the computer. The screen went dark and he lowered the laptop lid.