Authors: Christin Lovell
I turned back to the table, stopping short at the open stares. No one spoke; they were all listening.
Serum rose in my throat. I swallowed hard, but it didn’t help. “My men may need your team’s help, Auggy.” I kept my tone as casual
and
robotic as possible. I slipped into my chair and set the phone on the table beside the rolled silverware.
“You got it, sweetie.” His tone was soft, consoling,
and
not full of the gruff edge it usually h
eld.
“Why don’t we order, Lex? Maybe some yummy in your tummy will make you and
the
baby feel better,” Mel suggested.
I met her gaze. There was a keen knowledge in her eyes. She was far more perceptive than others gave her credit for
…far more
than she let on
. I nodded. “That sounds good.”
Chapter 12
One week later…
This was déjà vu. I sat at the head of the conference table, minus Drexel, and gazed out at all nine members of my extraction team. I was glad that all of them had returned safely,
regardless of the
bumps along the way.
“What are your theories?” I looked specifically at Jarrod.
“I have several.”
“Let’s knock them out.” I grabbed my pen and pulled the legal pad closer to me.
“They could have been using the ambush as a distraction so they could move.”
I wrote the theory down beside the number one. “That’s a good one. Next.”
“They were trying to drive us away before we could get to them, meaning we were a hell of a lot closer than we thought.”
“Okay.” I continued to jot down his ideas
,
numbering them in the order he gave them.
“The town’s people were merely acting on their own suspicions. They’re an extremely…sensitive melting pot of cultures down there
– reminds
me of New Orleans with its dark magic.”
“That’s an interesting one. You did conceal your weapons in the street, right?” I glanced up at him across the way, lifting a single brow.
His annoyance was palpable. “Of course.” His features were taut,
forming
hard lines of anger.
I dropped my pen and sat up straight
, crossing
my arms over my chest. “Spit it out. You know I have an open-door policy.”
His hands
pounded
on the table in front of him; his muscles flexed beneath his
shirt.
His eyes seemed to
darken
impossibly further
.
A storm was brewing within him.
Everyone
looked up
, hearing
the knock on the door. Kalel, Auggy and Kellan all walked in as if they
had been
invited to the meeting. They took the remaining three seats around the table.
I
pressure around my lips intensified, forcing them together; I was
trying to control my own upset. “Can I help you?” I didn’t withhold my sass.
“We’re sitting in. It was our men backing you up,” Auggy said. He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, silently challenging me.
“Your men never had to move in. My team handled it just fine
,
so don’t go there.”
“Relax, babe. We’re
just
sitting in so you don’t have to relay anything. We’ll be quiet.” Kellan was
trying to
pacifying
me, which
didn’t sit well
.
He’d been distant lately, running his own agenda and never cross-referencing it with mine. There were too many nights that I was alone with Drex and Sanders while he was out. He was giving me too much time to think.
This wasn’t the time or
place to open fire on him
.
I stuffed my pain
deep
down inside to confront another time.
“And you?” I met Kalel’s gaze.
His lips curled up in the corners, their fullness creat
ing
a sexy lure. His eyes
beaming
with
delight.
“I’m good.” He winked.
I sighed, shaking my head in dismay. “Alright, Jarrod. Please continue as if these…” I huffed. “Just continue.”
My team
gave them a once-over,
analyzing them. It didn’t matter that I knew Auggy, Kalel and Kellan well. My team didn’t. They were black ops. They didn’t trust anyone outside their circle.
Jarrod narrowed his eyes at Kellan, scrutinizing him. He’d obviously heard the endearment
was able to piece
together
our
association
.
Deeming them
safe to hear
this discussion, Jarrod faced me again. “I think we’re being played big time. She’s running us in circles, biding time. They have to be working on something; I just don’t know what. It’s been two months though, so it must be on a major scale. No small attack takes this level
of
coordination.”
We’d
come to the same conclusion
, although
I hated to admit it
.
I despised the notion of walking around on eggshells. “I agree. Jack and I came to that conclusion already. We don’t know what she’s planning
.
Until something comes to fruition, we’re just going to have to up the ante. No solo missions until Cecelia and Kalia are in custody. I’ll issue the order for all vampeen soldiers to pair up until further notice. If it’s possible to unite in
to
groups of larger numbers, then I’ll push for that. We have safe houses across the world. I’ll notify each zone manager of the addresses in their area.
“For now, I want you all to work with me on the home front. Let’s try to access any personal records related to Cecilia. I don’t care if it’s a hundred years old. Fact
-
check it; follow up on it. It’s far better for
us
to have the jump on her than the other way around. Our focus should be on properties. She’s probably smart enough not to have any in her name, so we’ll need to sift through all the properties owned by any member of her army.”
I glanced down at my paper. I’d scribbled a few notes earlier that were
no longer relevant.
I looked back up at my team. “Do any of you have something to add? Any questions or concerns?”
“Are we grounded?” Anthony asked. He rubbed his hands together. He was always on the go. He hated deskwork. He preferred the action of the front lines.
I considered him. “No. But you can’t travel alone. I don’t care
if
you confirm the addresses
electronically or in person. If you
decide
to go, make sure you let us know where and what gear you sign out for the trip.”
“I’m down to go with you.” Bobby was eager. He still had the innocence and vigor of being new.
“Hell yeah. Double
-
trouble bustin’ down doors.” Anthony high-fived him.
“Don’t bust down doors,” I
barked.
“Try to keep the damage to a minimum. I do have a cap on our repair budget. Anything above and beyond comes out of your pay.”
“
Ooh, that’s
a bit harsh.” Anthony
’s whole face scrunched as if he was dodging an attack.
“Sounds damn fair to me. If we didn’t put a cap on your ass you’d leave a
never-ending
trail of destruction
wherever you went.”
Germia rolled her eyes, shaking her head negatively.
“Jealous much, baby?” Anthony wagged his brows.
“Guys. Let’s focus.” I checked my phone. “You’ve been going for eighteen hours on the home front so take a
break. Report back
in eight hours.
No funny stuff between now and then. This isn’t the time to party or get careless.” They began to stand, officially dismissed. “No wandering off alone!”
“Yes ma’am.” Anthony saluted, shoving back his chair and heading for the door.
Jarrod hung back, remaining in his seat. His face was solemn. He kept stealing glances at Auggy, Kalel and Kellan, who were still sitting as well.
“It pains me to admit this, but you’ve got good leadership skills, Lex.” Auggy’s lips tweaked, like he wanted to smile.
And like that, the tension in the room was gone. I laughed. “Admit it. You’re proud.” I couldn’t resist
teasing
him.
“You’re not getting anything more. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you can get away with that crap.” He snarled his lips, but his eyes
softened
around the edges. He really was a big teddy bear. I knew there was some humanity beneath
his gruff
exterior.
“So, how can I help you men? You obviously crashed for a reason.”
“We want to take
this
over
,”
Kalel stated.
“Come again
?”
I felt my features
pull
as I
stared
them down.
“I’m not working for you,” Jarrod said, his tone rougher than normal.
“That’s not your decision, now is it?” Kellan
eyed
Jarrod
warily
.
What was wrong with him? Jarrod had never done anything to him. And there again, I felt the distance between us. He didn’t even consult me on this. He’s just storming in and laying down the law.
A wave of nausea rolled over me. I heard my pulse quicken as my head began to spin. Perspiration
dotted
my skin.
“Leka!” Kalel was at my side in a split
-
second.
I placed my forehead in my palm,
trying to
breath
e
through
the sickness threatening to overtake me.
It happened every once in a while. Sometimes I would lose my stomach, other times I didn’t. I closed my eyes, concentrating on pushing past the bile sloshing around. My serum rose
high
up, scorching my throat, a warning flare.
In the distance, I heard movement, but it required too much energy to focus on what
was going on around me.
The
serum coated my tongue, burning
it and
dulling my taste buds at first. The moment I tasted the blood though, I knew. I leapt up and dashed for the trash can
, nearly diving in;
I squatted down in front of it
.
My breathing was labored as I
attempted
to clear my mind; I tried not to fight it, but every part of me wanted to avoid it. I didn’t want to give my body free reign
or
to
have it
expel anything
.
I groaned, choking as the mixture of blood and serum
blistered
its way up
from my stomach
, erupting
into the trash bag. I felt a cold rag press against the back of my neck. Thankfully
,
my hair was already
secured on top of my head
in a tight knot
.
I shuddered as I moved back and sat down on the floor. The cold, wet cloth moved with me. When I saw Kalel and Jarrod watching me with the same stark expressions on their faces, I knew it was Kellan behind me.
“You heard me! Move it!” Auggy shouted. He was outside the door yelling at someone.
“You okay?” Kellan stroked my back.
I didn’t trust myself to speak. The fire that blazed a trail up my esophagus was still
smoldering.
I meekly nodded my head once,
signaling to
them that it was over.
“How often does this happen?” Kalel’s brows furrowed. His eyes were full of compassion.
I shrugged, averting my gaze to dismiss his question
.
“It’s random. Sometimes she throws up; sometimes she doesn’t,” Kellan offered.
I hated this. I knew they were going to use this against me somehow. Human women continued to work even when they were plagued with morning sickness. I didn’t see how this was any different.
“What took you so damn long?” Auggy grumbled. A moment later he was
crouching
down in front of me, passing me a water bottle.
“Thanks.” My voice cracked.
He gave me a long
,
hard look as I opened the bottle and devoured half of it. A shiver ran through me as I pulled the bottle away from my lips and put the cap back on.
I smiled, knowing I had to convince them. “I’m fine now.”