Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) (28 page)

A
s Rok glided through the crowded building, the mortals parted. Some instinct buried deep within told them he was dangerous. A threat.

The corner of his mouth hooked up.
Humans. Weak, predictable creatures.
He loved it.

As normal, the majority of them were huddled around the bar, just waiting to make themselves even more vulnerable, but the mood seemed different tonight. No loud shouts of laughter or screaming orders at the bartender.

Instead, all eyes were focused on the television screen in the back corner of the building.

Some news program had them all riveted. Without bothering to try to get any closer to the screen, he focused his advanced senses on the newscaster. She stood in front of a burned-out building and threw out theories of what caused the explosion that brought the building down.

His grin widened.
They were talking about him.

Pictures flashed on the screen of the casualties caught in the blast and the soft sound of a girl crying caught his attention.

As far as humans went, she wasn’t terrible-looking. Her light hair was pressed into unnatural curls and her skin still held the glow of youth. Nothing compared to the women of his homeland. Most had long since died out, but he could remember the long, dark, silky tresses, and curves that only a true warrior could fully appreciate.

Rok pushed the memory from his mind. That was his old life. This was his new one. His new world. His kind gained more and more influence with every day. Soon he wouldn’t have to hide and hunt in the shadows. Soon, he could bear his warrior marks with pride.

At the thought, he pulled the stupid head covering lower. A “baseball” cap. Some sort of sport, but the one time he’d seen it on the television, none of the players had worn a hat like it.

Still, it was one of the more common items humans wore to cover their head, and it got the job done.

At the crowded bar, the mortals didn’t part for him as easily, but all it took was a soft shove or a pointed glance to truly get his way. Soon enough, he was right behind his prey.

As though she sensed him, her back stiffened as she turned to face him. Not in the mood to play with his food, he met her eyes and immediately took control. “Why are you crying?”

Even as she gazed blankly up at him, she kept sniffling.
Disgusting.

“All those people. I knew them. All of them. It’s such a small town it’s impossible not to....”

Interesting
... “And the man who owned the gym across the street? What can you tell me about him?”

The girl blinked a few times and glanced around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

His hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around her arm. Just as she let out a squeak of pain, he caught her gaze with his again. “Tell me about Charlie Garret and his friends. The scary ones.”

“Scary ones?” Her empty stare told him nothing.

“Big guys. They’d stand out. How does he know them?”

“Courtney called them the cute ones. They’re FBI, but she didn’t know what they wanted with Charlie...” Her voice drifted off as her bottom lip quivered pathetically.

“What now?”

“Courtney was in the building. I have no idea why.” The sobs started again as she hung her head and shoulders low, completely defeated.

Rok gripped her chin and forced her eyes back to his. “Focus, you idiot. What were those men doing with Charlie?”

She shook her head. The trails of tears glittered in the pale lights of the bar. “I never even saw them. All I heard was that they were hanging around Charlie and Elly a lot.”

“Elly? Who is that?”

“My boss. I babysit for her four-year-old.”

“And these FBI are involved with her? She’s important to them?”

The girl inched away the small distance his mind control would allow. “I don’t know. Honestly.”

Rok nodded and moved his punishing grip from her arm to her hand. “It’s time to go. We have work to do.”

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E
lla rinsed off the dish she was washing and looked out the window at the semi-comforting sight of Dmitri silhouetted against the streetlight.

She pressed her lips together.
Should she invite him in?
He was there to protect her. She set the bowl in the rack to dry and turned away from the window.
No.
She had Clara to think of. Even if Lucian trusted the vampire, he would have to do a bit more to prove himself.

Unconsciously, Ella’s hand went to her neck. The wound had healed without even a scar, but the memory was still fresh enough. Her fear. The pain.

Dmitri would just have to make himself comfortable outside. He was a creature of the night anyway. He should feel right at home.

She unrolled some paper towel and moved to wipe down the counter before she realized the counters were already spotless. Really, the whole kitchen was meticulous at this point. She’d been cleaning like a madwoman for the past three hours. It wasn’t as if she could sleep.

Not with the images of burned-out buildings and grieving friends still stuck in her head. And the threat wasn’t past. She could be a target, and all she could do was stick close to Clara.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the cabinets. Part of her wanted to scour the house for some spot of dirt she’d missed while the other just wanted to crawl in Clara’s bed to be comforted by the warmth of her daughter and Reno.

She needed rest. She’d have to go back to work tomorrow. The entire town would have to pick itself up and go back to normal. Smiling at passersby on the street. Pretending no tragedy had ever happened.

Just as she resigned herself to her need for sleep, a blaring ring came from her cell phone. Ella fumbled in her pocket to quiet the noise cutting through the silent house. She brought the screen to her face, only to slump her shoulders when she saw it wasn’t Lucian calling.

He’d been good about texting her small updates every hour or so, but she was desperate to corner him and discover what they’d learned during the night. It was already two in the morning. It was past time for a full report.

She pulled the phone to her ear. “Gloria. Is everything okay?” It wasn’t like the teen to call at odd hours of the night.

“I thought you said you were going out of town.” Heavy breathing punctuated the girl’s words.

“Are you okay? Are you running?” Ella strode over to the window, checking to make sure Dmitri was still there. His presence had officially crossed over to calming her.

“I thought you said you were going out of town,” she repeated. “Am I fired?”

“No! Of course you’re not fired. Clara loves you. I just had a last-minute change of plans.”

“I need this job. I need the money for school. I need to see you. Can you meet me out here?”

Ella frowned at Gloria’s odd phrasing. Her heart sunk to her stomach. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can meet you in my front yard if you want.”
Right next to my vampire bodyguard
.

“I need to see you,” she repeated, desperation palpable over the phone.

Ella blinked a few times as she tried to focus and regroup.
If she could call Lucian, he’d be there in seconds.
“Where do you want to meet?”

“The library. Just you.”

“I’ll grab my purse and meet you there as soon as I can. It’s going to be okay, Gloria.” She didn’t know what the girl was going through or who she was with, but Ella wanted to offer what limited comfort she could. Lucian would keep her safe. She’d see to it.

“If you hang up the phone, I’m going to burn your fucking house down.” The voice was Gloria’s, but Ella knew she wasn’t the one truly speaking. The words were calm and cold and Ella believed each one.

“You’re going to or the person controlling you is?”

“I’ve brought down entire empires made up of beings much stronger and smarter than you. Abandon the vampire and come to me.”

“And yet you’re wasting so much time with me.” Ella waved a hand in the air, willing Dmitri to look her way.

“Put your hand down, you pathetic bitch. No one can help you now. Are you going to meet me or do I have to light your house up? I know you have young in there. What are the chances she’ll survive the smoke? Or maybe it will be the flames that kill her.”

Ella jerked away from the window, clenching her fists.
How could they be so close without Dmitri knowing?
“Leave her out of this.”

“She’s not the one bat boy’s been sniffing around. You are. If you come with me, I’ll leave her out of this. I promise.”

She fought the urge to snort at his ridiculous “promise.”
As if she would believe a word he said.

Well, she did believe he would hurt Clara if she didn’t come to him. She might not be able to call Lucian or signal Dmitri, but she didn’t need to make a scene. Dmitri was a vampire and had the super hearing that came along with it. All she had to do was walk loud enough and he should know she was leaving.
Right?

“I’m coming to you,” she bit out. The words stuck in her throat.

“Not yet,” said Gloria. “Wait until the vampire moves to the back of the house. Then you come out the front door.”

The walls seemed to close in as Ella’s heart pounded in her chest. She kept her breathing at a normal pace as she squeezed her eyes shut.
There had to be some way out of this. They couldn’t just lure her out of the house this easily.

She opened her eyes just in time to see Dmitri turn and walk toward her backyard. Her heart sunk.

“Now,” came the alien voice of Clara’s babysitter. “Come out the front door or I kill the vampire and burn down your house with you and your offspring inside.”

Ella chewed her bottom lip, holding back all the obscenities she wanted to shout through the phone. She turned, looking around her kitchen for anything she could possibly use as a weapon.

“You can bring a knife if you like. I’ll just take it from you,” said the one using Gloria’s voice.

Shaking, Ella ripped a butcher knife from the block in the kitchen and fished out a smaller, silver blade from the purse next to the front door. If he expected her to have weapons, she wouldn’t disappoint. Maybe he’d even miss one or two.

Slipping the silver knife into the back of her pants, she fingered the silver mace, trying to figure out where she could stash it. Anywhere with easy access would be the first place the vampire would look.

Taking a breath, Ella arranged the cold canister in her bra, making sure her T-shirt didn’t show a bulge.

“Last chance. Come out now or sparks are gonna start flying,” warned Gloria.

“I’m coming,” muttered Ella, not allowing herself to second-guess her decision any more than she already was. She pushed open the front door and walked into the cool evening air.

The wind whipped her hair around her face as each step took her farther from her daughter and home.

It’s for Clara
. She repeated the thought with each stride. Her lungs felt as though she were being crushed. The hand still holding the butcher knife trembled so hard, she was sure she would drop it before the vampire had the chance to take it away.

As she kept walking, her house got smaller and smaller. There was no Dmitri running around the corner to save her. Lucian didn’t magically appear in front of her. Just the cold emptiness of the night.

Was Dmitri even alive?
He was just one vampire against who knew how many. Lucian said there were at least three, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more.

Ella shook her head. She needed to focus. She needed to be ready.

As she reached the end of the street, she turned left, toward the library. Gloria told her to meet the vampire there, but Ella had no illusions. They were watching her and were just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

She didn’t have to wait long. Right as she turned the corner onto the street that led to downtown Pikesville, Gloria emerged from behind a parked car. Her skirt was so short and her top was so low, she must’ve been out with friends when she was caught.

Gloria stopped just feet in front of Ella, her blank stare confirming she was not the one in control of her body.

Ella’s hand tightened on the butcher knife. “Where’s your friend?”

The teen said nothing. Just blinked, as though no one was in front of her.

Which meant she was the distraction.

A cold hand wrapped around Ella’s wrist before the thought was ever completed.

“Are you going to drop it, or do I have to make you?” Unlike Gloria, this voice wasn’t emotionless. It was deep and serious, with a slight hint of glee. This thing wanted her to fight him.

In all honesty, she wanted to fight him too. She knew better, though. She loosened her fingers, allowing her weapon to clatter onto the sidewalk. She tried to keep her mind blank, not wanting to inadvertently give away the locations of her other weapons.

Trying her best to keep her hand from shaking in his hard grasp, Ella turned to face her demon.

Familiar black eyes stared into hers. “Miss me?” he asked.

“Not especially,” she said, unable to prevent the quiver in her voice.