Bitter Blood (Blood and Moonlight Book 3) (14 page)

Actually, he
did
know it. His temples were throbbing. Nausea rolled in his stomach.

“What did you tell him about me?”

“N-nothing,” Roth said. That was the truth, he hoped. He hadn’t told the guy anything about his boss. At least, he didn’t think he had. The whole scene was kind of blurry in his mind.

“Why don’t I believe you?” His boss dropped his hold on Roth and paced away.

Because you’re not a very trusting bastard?

“Aidan could have made you forget every single fucking thing you said to him.” The boss peered out of the blinds that covered Roth’s windows. “He could be hunting me, even now. Dammit, I needed more
time.
”

His boss was seriously pissed.

“Aidan won’t forget you,” his boss said. “He’ll start digging into your life. He’ll want to learn everything he can about you. And if he digs too hard into your world, he’ll find me.”

Roth’s heartbeat was racing in his chest. The job had taken a far darker turn six months ago, and yeah, the money had increased to go along with the new orders. First his payment had increased to five grand a week, then to ten grand recently, and the money had been so good that he hadn’t cared that some people were getting hurt.

When you went so long without money, getting it…well, it could change a man.

The boss's rage wasn't a good thing. It was very, very bad, and Roth tried to defuse the situation before it headed to hell. “I gave the other wolf the blood!” Roth said quickly. “Just like you said to do!”

“At least you did something right.” A dark mutter.

Roth notched up his chin. “More than just something. I’ve been doing
exactly
what you told me, all along.” Maybe the boss needed a reminder. “I-I broke into the ME’s lab the night it caught on fire, remember? The night Jane changed? I snuck in there while Jane was still out cold on the ME’s slab. Heider had samples of her blood and I took them, without him even noticing me.” And one of those samples had been given to Paris.
See—I was following orders.

“Yes,” the man acknowledged. “That night, you did very, very well.”

Roth blew out a low breath.
Damn straight, I did well.
“And when I gave it to the other wolf, to Paris, I was doing
exactly
what you wanted. I’ve always done what you wanted.”

This time, a soft smile flickered over his boss’s face. “You have.”

Roth began to relax. This was good. He was going to be okay. “I’ve done all the tests, monitored Jane’s progress exactly as you wanted.” Hell, maybe by the time he was done talking, the boss would even give him a raise. “Look, I won’t make the mistake of getting near Aidan Locke again, okay?” It had just been a screw-up that night. He’d taken pictures when he shouldn’t have lingered. “I’ll keep doing my job and no one will know what’s happening.”

His boss nodded as he came closer. “It is important for no one to understand what’s happening. At least, not yet.”

“I won’t breathe a word—”

The boss’s hand flew out and locked around Roth’s throat. “I know you won’t. After all, it’s incredibly hard for the dead to speak.”

Roth tried to fight him but…but the bastard was so much stronger than he appeared. He clawed at the guy’s hold, twisting and kicking and—

“Thanks for all the hard work,” his boss whispered. “Now consider yourself fired.”

The big door at Hell’s Gate swung open, and Jane glanced over at the entrance. Captain Harris walked in first, and her expression was grimly determined. She came in with her hand locked around the wrist of another woman, a blonde with a short, pixie hair-cut and mascara stained eyes.

“Aidan, Jane,” Vivian murmured in acknowledgement. She shut the door behind her and her guest. “Meet Sharon Lawson, the EMT who was working on Paris the night he died.”

Aidan was sitting at a table in the middle of the club. Jane stood at his side. As Vivian and Sharon approached, Jane could practically smell the human’s fear. Sharon’s gaze darted all around the club’s interior. “Sh-shouldn’t more people be here?” Sharon asked. “I mean, I know it’s early but the other bars on Bourbon Street are already—”

“We’re closed,” Aidan murmured. “The bouncer I have out front won’t let anyone inside, not without my approval.”

Sharon licked her lips. “Are you the ‘friend’ that is supposed to help me remember?”

“I am.” His hands were flat on the table. His claws weren’t out. Jane figured that was a good thing. She was standing and not sitting because…

Because I feel like I need to keep a close eye on him.
She
wasn’t
scared of Aidan, but she also wasn’t sure just how smoothly this little meeting would go.

She wanted to make sure he didn’t cross any lines and, oh, say…hurt a human.

“Come closer,” Aidan ordered.

Sharon looked as if closer was the last place she wanted to go, but when Vivian nudged her, she edged a few steps toward Aidan.

“Have a seat.” Aidan’s voice was calm. That eerie kind of calm that came right before a storm.

Sharon slumped into the chair across from him.

“Vivian told me,” he began, body relaxed, “that you don’t remember exactly what happened on the ambulance.”

Sharon twisted her hands on the table top. “One minute, my patient was alive. The next…” She swallowed. “I was lying sprawled on his chest and my hands were around his neck. I don’t remember hurting him, I swear, I—”

Aidan caught her hands. He stared at them, then he looked up at her. “You will remember.”

“Wh-what?”

A shiver slid down Jane’s spine. His voice wasn’t so calm now. Now…he was more like the storm.

“You will remember what happened on that ambulance. You will tell me exactly what happened to Paris. Every detail. See it in your head right now. Tell it to me.”

Sharon’s hazel eyes seemed to glaze over.

Jane looked at Vivian. Vivian’s focus was on Sharon.

This always makes me so damn uncomfortable.
The idea that Aidan could force his way into someone’s mind. That he could control that person completely…

I’m glad he couldn’t control me.
She never wanted to give up that kind of power to someone else.

“I was working on the patient,” Sharon said, her unfocused stare seeming to see her past. “He was breathing. His vitals weren’t the best, but I knew he was going to make it. How incredible. I’d just seen him fall from that second story window, but he was going to
survive.
Other people were still in the building and I had to work on him alone because my partner was needed to tend to the other victims. But then…” A furrow appeared between her brows. “A firefighter came to help me.”

Aidan’s head tilted toward her. “A firefighter?”

“Yes, he said he had training, that he could help.” She gave a hard, negative shake of her head. “I told him I had the patient, I could take care of him, but…” Her hand lifted to her neck. She stopped talking, just touched her neck.

“Tell me what happened next,” Aidan said.

Her eyes had gone wide. “He pulled out a needle and shoved it into my neck.” Her fingers were rubbing along the side of her neck. “I couldn’t even speak! Everything went dark. When I woke up, I was on top of the patient. His neck was broken.”

“And I’m guessing the firefighter was long gone,” Jane said, unable to stay silent any longer.

Sharon nodded.

“What did he look like?” Jane was betting the guy had been no real firefighter. Like her, he’d probably just taken a uniform so that he could hide in plain sight.

Was he watching me that night? Did he see me do the same thing?

Sharon frowned, but didn’t answer Jane’s question.

Jane sighed. “Aidan, keep doing your thing.” She glanced down at him and saw—his claws were coming out. Crap.

“Describe the man,” Aidan instructed flatly.

Sharon nodded. “Big. Wide shoulders. Tall…over six feet, I-I think. He had on his helmet when he came inside the ambulance but…but when he brought that needle toward me, I saw his wrist. H-he had tattoos there.”

Jane stiffened. Tattoos?

“See the tattoos in your mind,” Aidan said. “Tell me
exactly
what they looked like.”

“A raven.” Sharon’s voice had gone breathless. “He had a raven flying on the inside of his wrist and a snake was reaching up to bite it.”

Jane took a step back.

Roth?
They’d
had
the bastard. They’d had him, and they’d just let him go.

Sharon’s chair scraped across the floor as she shot to her feet. “That guy—he killed my patient, didn’t he?”

Killed him…transformed him into a vampire. Same thing, mostly.

“Who is he?” Sharon demanded. Her frantic gaze flew to Vivian. “The cops have to find him! You have to arrest him! You have to—”

Vivian put her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of him.” Her gaze slid back to Aidan. “Won’t we?”

He was already rising to his feet. “Hell the fuck yes, we will.” He stalked around the table toward Sharon. He paused, staring into her eyes. “You never saw me today. You never came to Hell’s Gate. The patient’s death wasn’t your fault and you know that. So go back to your life. Go back.”

And forget the monsters in the dark.
Jane bit her lip so that she wouldn’t say those words.

A few moments later, Sharon walked out of Hell’s Gate. Aidan watched her go, his clawed hands hidden behind his back.

Jane was on the phone, calling in favors at the PD and getting Roth’s address.
Roth Sly.
The sonofabitch. Was he already in the wind? Running hard and fast?

The dispatcher came back and rattled off his current address to Jane. She thanked him, then hung up the phone. She looked over and saw that Aidan and Vivian were standing nearly toe-to-toe. Uh, oh, that couldn’t be good. “Guys?” Jane cleared her throat. “I’ve got the address. We need go get the hell over there.”
Before the guy clears town.
If he hadn’t already.

Jane had learned one important lesson that day. Aidan’s power had limits. Apparently, he had to be sure and ask the
right
questions. Because otherwise, some jackass like Roth could slip away.

Despite Jane’s words, neither Aidan nor Vivian moved. Vivian just kept her stare locked on Aidan as she asked, “Where’s Paris?”

“Safe.” A clipped, rough answer.

“You’re not going to tell me?
Me?”

Jane paced closer. She grabbed Aidan’s arm. “Come on.”

But he kept gazing at Vivian. “I can’t tell you, not yet.”

Vivian’s lips pressed together, then, after a tense moment, she said, “What did that bastard do to Paris in the ambulance? Something worse than death…”

Aidan nodded. “Yes, worse.” Pain flashed on his face. “But I’m trying to bring Paris back. I just need more time. And I can’t risk more pack members finding out just yet.”

Vivian stumbled back, as if she’d just been stabbed. “You don’t trust me?”

“You need deniability, Viv. Because if I go down, you’re the only one who can keep this pack together. They have to trust
you.
”

She held up her hands, palms out. “I’m no alpha.”

“No, but you’re the fucking closest thing, and they need you.” He inclined his head toward her. “I will handle this.” Then he looked at Jane. “I should have killed that bastard earlier.”

Killing Roth wasn’t the answer—they needed to question the guy. Find out what he’d given to Paris. Why. This time, they’d ask the right questions. She knew Aidan had gotten sidetracked earlier…
because of me.
His feelings for her had gotten in the way, and, dammit,
she
should have been the one to push for a deeper truth from Roth.

Instead, she’d been focused on making sure Aidan’s control didn’t explode.

Jane and Aidan hurried for the door but…Vivian snagged Jane’s wrist, stopping her before she could leave Hell’s Gate. Aidan strode outside, and she heard him talking to the bouncer/guard who was on duty out there. Jane had caught a glimpse of the guy when she and Aidan first arrived. Troy. Tall, muscled, a strong, fierce wolf with multi-colored eyes. She knew his job was to make sure humans received the message that Hell’s Gate was closed—closed to all but a select few for the time being.

“What’s wrong with Aidan?” Vivian asked, her voice hushed.

Jane’s shoulders tensed.

“You think I can’t see that something is going on? Jane…what is happening?”

She stared into Vivian’s eyes. She wanted to tell her but…

“Jane.”

Her head snapped toward the door. Aidan was back. He lifted his hand, offering her his palm. “We need to hunt.”

Jane pulled away from Vivian.

“Watch out for him,” Vivian whispered.

Jane’s hand curled around Aidan’s. Was the captain asking her to watch Aidan’s back? Or was she telling Jane…

Watch out for Aidan’s attack?

They walked outside and Sharon had been right, the rest of Bourbon Street was busy while Hell’s Gate was absolutely dead.

When Aidan gave an order, it was followed. The nearby guard gave her a brief nod. She inclined her head toward him.

A wild, woodsy scent teased her nose—a scent
not
coming from the werewolf guard Troy—and she heard the rush of footsteps coming toward her.

“Aidan!”

They turned together and she saw Garrison frantically waving at them as he ran down Bourbon Street. He shoved people out of his way, muttering apologies as he went. “Aidan, I know what happened to Paris!”

So did they. Or rather, they knew
who
had happened to Paris.

Then Garrison was in front of them, breathing heavily, his cheeks flushed. “Annette…she gave me Paris’s blood.”

Aidan grabbed the guy and pushed him against the wall of Hell’s Gate, moving them away from the humans who were eager for their drinks and parties as they strolled down Bourbon Street.

“She wanted me to take the blood to Dr. Heider and get him to run his tests.” Garrison’s words tumbled out so fast that Jane had to strain to understand him.

“Slow down, Garrison,” she urged him.
So I can figure out what’s going on.

His gaze snapped toward her. “It was you.”

Jane’s brows shot up. “What?”

“Your blood and Paris’s blood…the doc said they’re showing the same characteristics. The blood that Paris was given was
yours.
That’s why he changed. He had your blood in him when he died.”

She could feel Aidan’s stare on her. She looked at him and sure enough, that glittering blue gaze had locked on her. “I didn’t give it to him,” Jane said.

“I know,” he gritted out. “Roth fucking did.”

But where had Roth gotten her blood? And why had he given it to Paris?

Aidan rolled back his shoulders. “Garrison, go back to Annette and Paris. Stay there until you hear from me.”

Garrison nodded. “Right. But, um, what am I supposed to do there?”

“Keep them both alive. If anyone comes gunning for Paris, you take them the fuck out, got it?”

The bright color faded from Garrison’s cheeks. He stared at Aidan, and suddenly, the guy didn’t look so young. “I got it, alpha. I got it.”

***

He hadn’t asked the right questions. That alone told Aidan just how far gone he was. Days ago, he never would have made a mistake like that. His mind was in damn chaos, and he’d screwed up.

And I put Jane in danger. I should have eliminated the guy when I had the chance.

Aidan leapt up the steps that would take him to Roth Sly’s apartment. Jane was right in front of him, her gun was already in her hand.

He’d had Roth in his grasp, and he’d let the bastard go.
I won’t be making the same mistake again.

Jane thought they were going to interrogate the guy. That Roth would get taken into police custody when they were done with him. Just because he was human, did Jane seriously think Aidan was going to let the fellow live?

He hurt Paris. He’s been stalking Jane. That fucker is going down.

They reached the landing. His nostrils twitched and the coppery scent that reached him stirred the vamp within.

Blood. A whole fucking lot of it.

When he heard Jane’s sharply indrawn breath, he knew she’d caught the scent, too. They both ran for the apartment door on that second floor—the historic building only had two floors, and the bottom floor was a closed down book store. Aidan beat her to the apartment door and he kicked it in, making the wood splinter. He rushed inside, his claws out, his fangs ready to bite—and then he found his prey.

Roth Sly lay on the floor, a growing pool of blood beneath him. Jane rushed to Roth’s side, slipping a bit in the blood. She put her hand to his neck—jeez, the bastard’s throat had been cut nearly from ear to ear and the blood was pumping out of him fast.

“He’s still alive!” Jane cried. She slapped her hands over his neck, trying to stop that wild flow of blood.

That scent…
So much fucking blood.

Every muscle in Aidan’s body tensed.

“He needs an ambulance!” Jane yelled. “Aidan, we have to get help!”

Help wasn’t going to arrive in time for that guy. Aidan saw the truth clear as freaking day. Why didn’t Jane see it, too?

“Who did this to you?” Jane leaned over Roth. “Look at me, tell me—”

But Roth was trying to frantically turn his head away from Jane, struggling weakly with his last bit of strength.
Because I told the bastard to not so much as look at her again.
Aidan surged forward even as he tried to stamp down the bloodlust that was rising within him.
Like a damn buffet in here. So much blood.