Radiance (Brotherhood of the Blade Trilogy #3) (14 page)

“
What is it?” Mikhail asked, his bushy brows furrowed in concern. Nariko stood next to him and he had his arm around her protectively. The more dangerous the missions got, the closer everyone cleaved to each other. It was a matter of survival that we did.

“
A very small sound is mixed in that music file that will thwart some security devices in airports and other places as you pass,” I admitted.

“
Are you freaking kidding me?” Joan asked. “How does it work?”

“
It’s a long explanation,” I said, “and it’s better for you if you don’t know the technical details. If you did know how it worked, it could be dangerous for you.”

“
You mean we shouldn’t know too much?” Griff asked.

“
That’s right,” I said firmly.

“
Could we get in trouble?” Nariko asked.

“
No one will ever know, unless one of you talks, but I want you all to have plausible deniability of the technology used, in case it became known…so I can’t tell you any more about it, other than not to put the ear buds in your ears when that song is playing.”

“
Why not?” Ambra asked. “Would we be harmed?”

“
Not that I know of, but the sound has to be heard by security devices and it can’t be if the ear buds are in your ears. Use medium volume and put the song on a loop, so it plays over and over in your pockets. Does everyone know how to do that on their devices? Put a song on a loop?”

They all nodded at me. “All right. Fresh batteries, too, in your devices, and keep them charged up.”

“We should go,” Ambra said. “We need to hurry.”

“
That’s right,” I said.

“
I hope we find Kristin in Griffith Park,” Joan said.

“
We have every reason to believe she is there,” I said. “We have lots of intel now.”

Griff said, “She’s gotta be there. We just have to find Nero and we’ll find her. And we know Nero has been using the place as his base of operations.”

“Near the carousel,” Mikhail said. “If she’s not in the utility building, we’ll find the nest.”

“
I’ll
find it,” said Corbin. “A werewolf always gets his prey. I have a good sniffer.”

“
I’m glad Sophie stayed behind with the wolves,” I said.

“
Someone has to keep them in line and who better to do that than another werewolf?”

“
Corbin. She’s a werewolf?”

“
I thought you knew!” he said. “I told you I wasn’t going to jump species.” He paused and chuckled. “What did you think when I told you she was my fiancée?”

“
I thought she was some woman you planned to turn after you talked her into it. I thought she was like a…Russian mail-order bride or something.”

Corbin grinned. “First of all, she’s Ukrainian. And not a mail-order bride, either. She’s a werewolf. She’s a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. Well, maybe more than that.”

Ambra said, “Have you ever played that game,
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
?”

“
I’ve heard of it, but who are you talking about? Who sent Corbin a werewolf bride?”

“
Samantha Moon’s friend had a friend, and…oh, forget it. You can be really dense, you know that, Rand?” Corbin said.

Ambra laughed. “Sorry, Rand, but you are dense sometimes. Did you not know his fiancée was a werewolf?”

“Apparently, that went right over my head.”

“
Where is she?” Ambra asked.

“
With a webcam we set up, she’s observing the den of the wolf who adopted the cubs from the Ukraine. We want to make sure the mama wolf doesn’t kill them.”

“
Okay, that’s an important job.”

“
It is. We all have important jobs,” Corbin said.

“
We better get going,” Ambra said.

This was our biggest mission yet, and we had a werewolf coming with us. A very strong werewolf, even on two legs. And he had a werewolf girlfriend. I would have to ask Samantha for the 4-1-1.

We picked up our bags and walked toward the door that led to the underground garage.

“
We’ll see you in a few days, Lucian,” I said. “Take care of your family.”

“
I will. Thank you for making me a part of your family.”

“
We’ll be back, don’t worry,” Nariko said.

“
Godspeed, my friends—Brothers of the Blade and Sisters of the Scythe,” said Lucian.

As we left for the airport, we all shook hands with him or hugged him. Actually, I did both.

Chapter Sixteen

Before takeoff, Ambra went to the restroom to put on a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt. I took that opportunity to Skype with Samantha Moon.

“
Rand! Hi!” Sam’s hair was in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a faded orange Halloween sweatshirt with cartoon bats on it. She wiped the sleep from her eyes. She looked adorable.

“
Sorry if I woke you.”

“
That’s okay. My alarm was about to go off. I have to pick up my kids after school.”

“
I forgot the time difference.”

“
It’s okay. What’s up?”

“
I’m flying to L.A.”

“
Now?”

“
Right now. We’re waiting to take off.”

“
Who’s with you?”

“
Ambra and our remaining vampire hunters, except for Lucian who’s holding the fort and Sophie, the new werewolf and research assistant you sent for Corbin.”

“
A lady werewolf? I didn’t send her. I left one long voicemail, but I never heard back. So, it’s good news, right?”

“
That remains to be seen.”

“
I guess you’ll find out on the full moon.”

“
Speaking of Corbin, he’s coming with us to L.A. He’s now our official vampire sniffer and listener.”

“
Excellent. The ancients and their first-generation creations are not just powerful, they’re good at hiding.”

“
You should know, you are one of the latter.”

“
You might need me to help in the field.”

“
That’s very generous, but as much as we need you, I can’t let you risk your life. You have kids and if anything happened to you, they’d go to Danny. That would suck for them to be raised in that environment.”

Sam pressed her lips together and looked away for a moment.

“You’re upset. What’s up with Danny? Do I need to find him and kick his ass while I’m in town?”

“
No. Let’s just say, he’s not in their lives anymore. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“
Okay. Whatever he did to blow it, this time, I’m sure you made the right decision to cut him out of your lives. Consider the topic closed.”

She nodded. “After the mission, call me.”

“You should hear from me within three days.”

“
Why are you calling me now? You have something important to tell me?”

“
You read me pretty well.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “If anything happens to me—”

“
Don’t talk like that.”

“
Hear me out. Please?”

“
Okay.”

“
If you don’t hear from me within three days, contact Lucian at the castle and have him go to my desk for a big manila envelope with your name on it. It’s right on top of the desk.”

“
Don’t, Rand.”

“
We’re dying left and right, Sam, and if anything happens to me, Kristin will never have a normal life again unless you find her. In that big envelope with your name on it are two more envelopes. One is labeled ‘Kristin’ and the other has your name on it.” I paused. “There’s no other way to say this…there’s a shitload of American money in those two envelopes.”

“
I wouldn’t take any money for finding her. Let me fight them with you…”

“
No. You’re a detective, not an assassin.”

“
Some people might beg to differ.”

I flinched without meaning to. “I don’t want to make you into an official vampire hunter. You’re already so good at what you do.”

“What’s that?”

“
Staying alive.”

“
It’s kind of an unlife, to tell you the truth. But I’m comfortable in my own skin. I have my children. I have my sister and her family. And I have a new best friend.”

“
You do?”

“
Yeah. She’s a witch.”

“
Interesting. I’d like to meet her sometime.”

“
Maybe you will.”

“
What about love, Sam?”

“
That’s harder. Even as a vampire, I’ve been loved and I’ve loved back, to the best of my ability. It doesn’t always last, but when it’s real, it’s the most wonderful, painful, and amazing thing in the world.”

“
I know what you mean.”

“
You and Ambra all right?”

“
We’re fine. We fight and make up all the time.”

“
That sounds normal.”

Samantha’s alarm clock went off. It was apparently an obnoxious recording of a rooster crowing. She shut off her chicken alarm and showed it to me with a wry grin.

“That’s cute.”

“
The kids got that for me for Mother’s Day. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“
You better go get them from school.”

“
Yep. I’ve gotta cover up to go out in the death rays of sunshine.”

My throat was tight. “You mean a lot to me, Sam.”

She smiled softly. “Goodbye, my friend. Call me after the mission.”

“
I will.”

“
I want to meet Kristin.”

“
You got it.”

We ended the Skype session and I plugged my cell phone into a charger.

It was hard to think positive. I was so damn scared that Kristin wouldn’t be where we thought she was.

Ambra sat down next to me and buckled her seat belt. “What’s that odd look on your face?”

“Don’t take this wrong…but after this mission, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”

She looked stricken. “What?”

“I wasn’t talking about our relationship. I know how important it is to rid the world of evil vampires, but I’m getting tired of the lifestyle, just waiting for the next mission to go and kill, kill,
kill
. What have I become?”

“
I think you need a nap before this conversation takes a bad turn,” Ambra said.

“
You’re right.”

She got out her Kindle Fire to stop the conversation. I fell asleep reading a vampire romance novel over her shoulder, a pretty good one written by some ex-private eye guy. The story seemed familiar, like art imitating life. I slept.

I was dreaming…

In my dream, Nero was a short guy with curly hair, but built like a bull. He stuck out his hand and threw a fireball at me in my dream. I must have moaned or something because Ambra woke me with a serious kiss as the jet was descending over LAX. “For luck,” she whispered and tugged my hair affectionately as her lips left mine. “You were out for over ten hours. You get enough rest?”

I stretched. “Yes. Much better. I think I needed that.” I looked out the window. The late afternoon sun was blinding. “Holy cow. It’s the Pacific!” My adrenaline spiked to be back home and on our way to recover Kristin.

When the private jet landed, we bypassed Customs, as usual—oh, the power of privilege. I told everyone, “Turn on your music and put it on a loop.” They knew what I meant. The special song that I had emailed them was now deployed.

We tromped into the airport through the VIP entrance and went straight to the car rental desk, but something went awry, something that I thought I had already taken care of.

In the tradition of the best-laid plans that blow up in a moment, perhaps nothing could have thrown me for a loop more than what happened at the Enterprice Car Rental desk:

“I’m sorry, sir. We don’t have the vehicle you reserved.”

Standing at LAX with my group sweating in their silver weapons-filled boots and Swiss-weight clothing, our mission unexpectedly screeched to a temporary halt.