Authors: Christin Lovell
“I’m sorry, babe.” He hugged me tight. “We’re strong. We’ll get through this, all of this, together. I’m not going anywhere. I swear to you. I’ll always be here. I love you.”
Tears
soaked my face, his neck and
his
shirt. I didn’t trust myself to talk though. I could barely breath
e
, let alone speak. My chest heaved as I gasped
between sobs.
He didn’t push me
to speak
. He didn’t relay any of his previous frustration
s
. He just held me
,
patiently
,
until the last tear fell
…
until I was
limp
in his arms. His support was the only thing keeping me from falling, as it always was.
I swallowed past the
tightness
in my throat
and fought to relieve the pressure
in my chest. I
tilted my head back, gazing
into his
crystalline,
emerald eyes, deep and rich like the man himself. “I love you too.”
Removing one hand, he
held
my face. He claimed my lips in a soft, sweet, sensual kiss. There was no urgency; he kindled the original spark between us that had
become
buried beneath the clutter of life,
having
been dwindled by the outside world. “You’re my forever
-
girl.” He smiled dreamily as he pulled back.
Chapter 14
One month later…
The past month had been trying for all of us. Tensions ran high as Cecilia remained hidden away, Rashik had yet to turn up and Kalia had dropped off the planet with him. Kellan had been increasingly distant lately, fielding phone calls in the middle of the night.
Though
not
irregular for a vamp, his secrecy regarding them was. He’d purchased a Mac desktop recently that he
was
utiliz
ing
often.
Each time
I approached him though, he minimized all programs and windows.
Approaching my apartment, my
hand shook as I reached for the note protruding from between the door and the frame. My stomach churned; my
pulse
sped up
.
The letters had started up again two days ago. This time
though
,
it had risen
to a
creepy
stalker level. Everywhere I went, around every turn
,
a new message appeared on the same kind of lined notebook paper.
Drexel moved in right behind me as Sanders
swept the perimeter, even
checking the stairwell before coming back to us, just as perplexed as always.
I took a deep breath, but it did nothing for my nerves. I unfolded the paper.
Watch and listen.
-C
R
I
crumpled the note in my hands.
She was always cryptic. Why weren’t people direct anymore? I was tired of the games.
“Let’s check the security footage.” Drexel reached around
to unlock
the door. He immediately pull
ed me out of the way.
Sanders
stepped in front of me, taking extra precaution.
Thirty seconds later
,
Drex returned. “It’s clear.” He held the door open for me.
I’d just
gotten comfortable
on the couch when my phone
rang.
“Any luck?”
“Another dead property,” Jarrod announced. “The guy hasn’t lived here in over a century. It
’s
a fucking wasteland. We did a thorough check just in case, but nothing.”
“Freaking sugarplums on high!” I huffed, letting out a
n
exasperated groan.
I sat for a moment, staring at the TV across from the sofa. “How many more properties are on your list?”
“Fifty-two.”
“Alright. Be careful.” I hung up, tossing my phone aside.
I’d divided my team into threes and sent them out with a list of properties. Thus far
,
they’d found a lot of abandoned properties, a few rented out and only one vampire actually living in his home.
“What else can we do guys? There has to be more.”
They exchanged looks. “You’re already doing everything strategically. You’ve got men in the field doing footwork
and
checking leads. You’ve got people trailing you, trying to find the ones tracking you and leaving notes. You’ve got Frank checking all the traffic and business cams around where the notes were left.
You’re doing everything right, Baby C
akes.”
“I’m gonna check the footage,” Sanders said, moving for Kellan’s Mac. The oversize
d
monitor-computer combo sat atop the desk in the back of the living space.
I got up and moved behind Sanders. Drex
stood
beside me, both of us watching closely as Sanders logged in and pulled the footage. I sighed. Just as with all the others, whoever was leaving a note for me was incredibly fast, even compared to a vamp. He, she, it was merely a blur, a blip on a single
-
second frame.
We’d tried slowing the feed, but couldn’t make anything out. “I’m going to start calling
it
Flash. At least then I have a name.” I gestured towards the screen. Sanders had frozen the image, the
ir action appearing as a pixilated
line of motion on the display.
I sighed, moving away. I gazed out the window, trying to
search
my mind for something. We had to be missing some avenue. No one was this good. Everyone left a clue.
“We’ve already checked the building’s cameras. Flash is flying past the lobby and up the stairs, but
never seems to slow down.”
“Fingerprints!” I exclaimed, running for the stack of papers. “Maybe we could dust them for prints. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s something. I can’t just sit here
and do nothing
.”
Drex and Sanders hesitated, communicating through expression again.
I ignored them, giving them time to figure out if they were going to fight me on this or not. I grabbed my phone and dialed
Kai’s
number.
“Hey, Leka.”
“Hey. Where are you?”
“Condo. Why?”
“Can I come over?”
Only a
second passed before he spoke. “Of course.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you in a bit.” I picked up the pile of notes. “I’m going, guys.” I made a beeline for the front door.
I’d just rounded the corner when Drex leapt in front of me, halting my escape. “We’ll escort you.”
“I would argue, but
I know
it would be pointless. Let’s go.”
He and Sanders fell into step
at my side.
***
Each man flanked me as I knocked on Kai’s door.
My knuckles were about to strike for the second time when the door
flew open.
He stood casually in a pair of basketball shorts and a thin white tee. His feet were bare; his stance was relaxed. His lips mashed together as he
appraised
Drex and Sanders. He stepped back and jerked his head, gesturing for us to enter.
I moved past Kai, surprised when the guys hung back.
“
Make sure
you protect her
!”
Drex asked. He crossed his arms over his chest, planting his feet shoulder-width apart.
Kai rolled his eyes. One second he was at the door, the next he had Drex pinned to the wall just beyond the threshold with his gold dagger at his throat. “Good enough?” Kai growled.
Drex didn’t flinch. “I guess.”
Kai backed away, tucking his blade into a hidden holster
.
“I’ll be back later, Baby C
akes.” Drex smiled, winking at me.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Bye, babes.” Sanders gave me a small wave before moving towards the elevators with Drex.
Kai closed and locked the door. “Are you dating them now too?” he smirked, his eyes
filling with whimsy.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh hush.”
“What’s going on? I see papers in your hand, so I’m assuming you need help with something.”
I
blushed.
I really did only come to him for help. We never just hung out. We
always seemed to act like
business friends. “Yeah.”
I followed him into his condo. The ultra
-
modern design always
caught
me off guard after seeing him in the lake house, which
had a
more traditional
décor.
He sat down at the dining room table
;
his two laptops and a pile of papers were waiting. From the looks of it, he was studying reports. He moved the papers aside and slid out the chair beside him. “Sit.”
I slipped into the seat, immediately
tugging
on my shirt
, trying to cover my full belly
.
Aside from maxi dresses, nothing seemed to cover me anymore.
I’d been practically living out of them lately, but changed into sweats and a tank the moment I got home from the office
, though the
opening
was
really
annoying though.
I focused on the bigger issue. “I’ve been followed lately.
All of the cameras we checked
only show a blur of motion. We’ve tried freezing the frames, but whoever it is moves too quick
ly
, even for a vamp. What Flash leaves behind every time is a new note from Cecilia. With no luck at other angles, I wanted to see if we could go the human route and dust for fingerprints, maybe find a match by chance in the system.”
He eyed me for a
n exaggerated
minute. His features slowly softened with each passing second. “You know it’s a long shot, right?” He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek.
I shook my head, my skin warming beneath his touch, my heart flittering. “Yeah.” My voice was barely above a whisper as I gazed into his
inviting
brown eyes.
We were stuck in th
e
moment. Neither one of us could move. It was like an invisible magnet was
pulling
us together, forcing us to stay that way. Our breath
ing
synchronized as
our eyes locked and
we
became lost in
each other. I didn’t have the same unveiling with Kai when I kissed him, but at times like this, he volunteered his soul for me.
Suddenly he turned away, dropping his hand. “Let’s, uh, see what we can get.”
I watched as he opened the
cabinets of the
sleek TV console
.
He pulled out a few pieces of equipment, unloading them on the table. He held out his hand for a note. I passed him the latest one.
He
ran
a black light over it followed by some sort of handheld scanner. “Nothing on this one. Next.”
I handed him all nineteen notes one by one.
“They’re all clean. Sorry, Leka.”
I groaned, leaning back in the chair. Why couldn’t this be easier?
***
Kellan
“Are you positive?” I studied the dark shadow on the screen.
“Ninety-nine point nine,” was the snarky reply.
My informant and I had a rocky relationship. I still hadn’t figured out why he was helping me, but he was helping, so I wasn’t going to piss him off by pushing
his buttons.
I sat back in the chair, considering my options.
“Either you’re coming or you
’
r
e
not.”
“Hold your pants, man. It’s not that easy.”
“Either you want to protect her or you don’t.”
“It’s not black and white,” I
spat
out.
“It is to me. You have twenty-four hours. I’ll text you the information.” He
ended the call,
as always, leaving me to stew in my thoughts alone.
I sighed,
resting my head on my hand.
Damn it. I hated leaving her. But he was right. If I wanted to protect Lexi and our baby, then I needed to go take out Cecilia. I didn’t want Lexi near her. Her team was close enough. The stakes had tripled in the past few days with the recent activity.