Sea Panther (Crimson Storm) (9 page)

She leaned against the mast and inhaled deeply. Fresh air
with a briny tang prompted pleasant memories of better times. She hummed as the
evening sounds of the nearby salt marsh played a symphony.

Robert’s grim expression when he appeared on deck brought
reality crashing down.

In the time it had taken to reach the rendezvous spot, she’d
tried to come to terms with her situation. The need to escape had ruined the
entire crew’s Christmas. She couldn’t allow them to also risk legal retribution
for helping her. She told Robert she didn’t want him or the others to get
further involved.

He wouldn’t listen to reason. He insisted on doing whatever
was required to protect her and the crew. That was more than likely why he sent
his sister on ahead to Florida. To Kimberly’s relief, Raven had taken Robert’s
nasty black bird with her.

A mast light headed toward them along the channel. As it
moved closer, Kimberly could make out the sleek lines of a smaller sailboat.
She watched from the shadow of
Sea Panther’s
boom as the boys secured
the boat portside.

Dressed in wrinkled white linen—more appropriate for the
sultry Caribbean—the man who jumped aboard after they’d finished rafting the
two boats together was attractive in a rough sort of way. His messy,
sandy-colored hair fell into sparkling golden eyes contained within a tanned,
weathered face. Shorter and stockier than Robert, he had a powerful build,
nonetheless. Intimidating, actually.

Bright white teeth snapped into a wide grin as he greeted
Robert. That smile alone probably made most women fall at his feet. But he was
in no way as handsome as Robert.

“Kimberly,” Robert called. “Come. Meet my good friend
Jagger. He’s lending us his personal sailboat
Night Thrill
.”

“That’s kind of you,” she said, joining them.

Jagger took her cold hand into his much warmer one. “So
you’re the woman everyone is after.”

She shut her eyes unable to look at his teasing face. An
awkward moment passed before he released her hand. “Well, I am glad to meet
you.” He eased away.

“And I, you.” Although there was something about him that
made her apprehensive.

A sharp pain at her temple surprised her and she reached up
to massage the spot. With all that had happened, there was no wonder a stress
headache kicked in.

Robert made an annoyed sound deep in his throat, startling
her. He locked stares with his friend. The man shrugged. Robert draped an arm
around her shoulder. “Ignore him, he’s teasing.”

The pain in her head subsided as if it had never been there.
She smiled at him, comforted by his warmth. Although she shouldn’t read too
much into Robert’s actions, he seemed possessive all of a sudden.

They followed the others through the companionway and into
the salon where refreshments waited.

“Please excuse us. I need a private word with Jagger,”
Robert said, and the two men turned toward the passageway to his cabin.

“If it’s about me, I wish to join you.” Kimberly didn’t want
Robert making decisions about the situation without her.

“Not now. Later,” he promised.

“Typical. Men always think they know best.” Kimberly flopped
onto the settee.

The four men seated beside her, stuffing their faces with
appetizers, cracked up laughing. Kimberly ignored them and stared at the
passageway where Robert and Jagger disappeared out of sight. If only she could
be a fly on the wall and hear what they discussed.

* * *

As Robert closed the cabin door, Jagger chuckled. “She will
be a handful.”

“Whisky?” Robert offered.

“Are you still trying to act as if you are fully human?”
Jagger grinned and shook his head. “I gave up the effort to conform over two
hundred years ago.”

Robert snorted and poured three fingers. Although his friend
would never admit it, Jagger hated their existence as much as he did.

“The doctors make progress.” He drank the golden liquid in
one gulp, enjoying the fire that raced down his throat. He’d be sick later, but
it would be worth it to have enjoyed the human pleasure. “I believe they will
find a cure soon. ’Tis why I am heading to the compound for more tests.”

Jagger slapped his back. “I wish you luck.”

Robert sobered. “You should not have probed her mind.”

“You have not marked her.”

Jagger’s statement needled him. Wolfgang had said the same.
Maybe he wasn’t doing Kimberly a favor by leaving her alone. Any vampire who
crossed her path would smell Robert’s presence yet know she remained unclaimed.
Many vampires would relish taking her away from him. Not making love to her
might be more dangerous than loving her and leaving his mark.

The thought of taking her blood while thrusting deep within
her made him throb with need. But, he didn’t want to cause her harm. “I will
not defile another innocent.”

“Yet you want her. And she is ripe for the taking.”

“Aye. The desire to mark her and feed from her burns in my
gut.” Robert rubbed a hand over his face.

“You will be alone with her in tight quarters for some time
after leaving Charleston. How will you curb your appetites?”

“Celibacy. Clinical blood bags.”

Jagger grimaced. “Stale blood? Better you than me.”

“’Tis palatable.”

“Hardly.” Jagger’s eyes took on a knowing gleam. “You are in
love with her.”

Robert tensed. Was he? No. It was just he’d made a promise,
which he intended to keep. He would ensure her safety.

“She is in danger from a hit man and a lunatic who thinks I
killed his sister. And she is running from the authorities’ good intentions. I
have vowed to protect her.”

“Then you will appreciate my news. I managed to get law
enforcement to back off since she is the victim. All you have left to deal with
is the hit man and the lunatic. Any idea why the nut case thinks you killed his
sister?”

“Not a clue. His name is Willy Smit. He crewed for me up
north before he got called home for a family emergency.”

“Shit!” Jagger’s cold stare bore into Robert. “You know the
situation I helped you with in New Jersey?”

“Aye.”

“The lady’s surname was Smit.”

The sensation of being gut-punched forced Robert back a
step. Jagger referred to the vampire groupie with the purple tinted hair. Could
she be related to Willy?

“Please. Tell me she did not die.”

“She was very ill after—”

“Jagger!” Robert roared.

“She did not die, but she was quite ill and is still at the
safe house recovering. Her family is unaware of her whereabouts. Maybe he is
her brother.”

“If so, I have been careless. They both know what I am.”

Robert told his friend everything that happened the night he
spent with the girl. Her seduction of him. The violent sex. The blood. All of
it. Then he showed him the silver mage dagger Willy had carried.

“Damn. This is serious.” Jagger pushed the blade away with a
handkerchief as if merely touching it offended him. “Do you know what this is?”

“I fear I might. I hoped you would tell me my concerns are
unwarranted.”

“I wish I could, but I can’t. The society must not have
perished as we thought. If Willy is one of them, there will be an army hounding
you from now on.”

“Then you better stay away from me, before the society
realizes what you are.”

“You have saved me more often than I can count. I will watch
your back, as you have mine. I will not abandon you because some misguided
slayers are after you.”

“You have been a true friend.” Robert embraced Jagger. “Will
you keep the dagger for me? I dinnae want it near Kimberly.” He slid the
ancient weapon of annihilation into its sheath.

Jagger’s lips twisted into a distasteful frown. Robert
thought he might refuse, but Jagger picked up the leather-encased dagger and
stowed it in the satchel he carried.

“Drop me in Charleston. I will see what I can learn while
you keep your lady safe.”

Slayers? Satan damn them all. Robert never should have
allowed Willy to go free.

* * *

Willy balanced on leaden legs. Yellow light from the late
afternoon sun streamed through grimy windows along the upper section of one
wall. He hated coming to the clinic.

Slayer’s leader ordered he undergo a series of treatments in
an effort to counteract the effects of the vampire bite. The society’s doctor
believed the drug cocktail would free him of the voices talking inside his head
and stop the vampires from tracking him. The antidote hadn’t worked yet.

“You know, it didn’t hurt when she bit me. It was like the
best sex I’ve ever had.”

Cramps gripped his stomach, and he clutched his belly with a
trembling hand. He clambered onto the cold metal gurney at the center of the
antiseptic treatment room in the infirmary at the society’s east coast
headquarters and allowed the orderly to strap him in place.

“They keep talking to me, day and night. Can’t sleep.
They’re driving me crazy.”

The muddy brown, judgmental eyes of the Hungarian physician
glared down at him. Why couldn’t a nurse administer the serum? A dark haired
woman with green eyes? The thought of the raven-haired vampire’s emerald gaze
turning fiery red, the bite, and the ecstasy that followed caused Willy’s blood
to race to his cock. He strained against the bonds.

He wanted the female vampire. He needed to escape. He thrashed
wildly. The orderly used the bulk of his weight to hold Willy in place while
the first needle pierced flesh. He slowly calmed as the drug relaxed him and
eased the crazies.

When he went limp, the doctor jabbed the second needle into
his arm and attached the intravenous bag. With the slow drip, it felt as if
flames raced over his skin. He shuddered, loathing the thought of what would
come next.

His skin burned as if fire ants marched across his flesh. He
screamed. The terrifying sound reverberated off the chamber walls. The
sensation of spiders crawling through his veins had him fighting the
restraints.

The voices didn’t go away. They laughed at him.

Hours later, he woke in a small bedroom, body soaked with
sweat and throat raw from incessant screaming. Unbearable pain wracked his
abdomen. He stumbled to the toilet before the vomiting began.

When the first round of spasms subsided, he leaned his
forehead against the cool china bowl. MacLachlan and his whores must die.

R
obert found it
difficult to step away from the sensuous sight Kimberly presented while
sleeping peacefully in the sailboat’s v-berth. A band tightened around his
heart. He laid the single red rose on the pillow next to her head with hope
that when she woke, the token of affection would bring a smile to her delicious
lips.

He remembered too well the taste and feel of that seductive
mouth.

After allowing a finger the pleasure of brushing across a
single brown curl, he yanked away an unsteady hand. She stretched and moaned in
her sleep, exposing to his hungry gaze the tips of dark nipples through the
sheer cotton fabric of a peach tank top.

The almost-constant pressure in his groin increased.
Throbbed. His mouth watered and his fangs lengthened. To taste her blood again
would be pure ecstasy.

He took two steps back, away from temptation, controlling
the unwholesome urges. For three nights, he’d kept the monsters within him
under tight restraint. His vampire-self relentlessly fought for control.
Demanded he feed upon Kimberly. The panther, however, remained in the shadows
of his mind, stalking, always watching.

Why did the animal not demand his mate?

Unease tightened Robert’s stomach. He was well aware
Kimberly matched his soul. If only he still had a soul. Fate dealt them a
terrible blow. For soul mates to be born in different centuries was one thing.
To be immortal and meet the one woman meant to be yours, and not to be able to
claim her, was more punishment than any man should have to endure.

He ground his teeth. The longer they waited to sail to
Florida the more dangerous things between them would become. He ought to have
Colin take her south.

Robert ignored the reproach from his conscience. He refused
to give up what little time remained to be alone with her. Even if he couldn’t
seduce her, couldn’t free the sexuality he sensed deep within her, he needed to
keep her with him.

With a last glance at Kimberly, he whirled on a heel and
climbed the companionway stairs to the deck. The full moon greeted him, and the
monsters shifted. Robert inhaled a deep cleansing breath, forced them into the
background, and stepped onto the floating dock.

He was eager to conclude the business in Charleston. The
negotiations with the builder had taken more time than planned.
Sea Panther
and its crew still idled farther north along the coast. That was, with the
exception of Davey. The lad hadn’t surfaced, which gave Robert cause for worry.

Jagger worried too. He’d gone in search of the young man.

Robert left the transient dock and walked along the darkened
streets. He prayed that if Kimberly woke while he was gone, she’d remember the
order to stay below and out of sight. He didn’t want her to risk being seen or
recognized.

Before Jagger managed to call off the law, someone at the
police department in New Jersey leaked her story to the press. Her picture,
along with the suspected hit man’s mug shot, was broadcasted over the national
news networks.

Robert watched the story unfold on the small television in
his cabin while Kimberly slept. He hadn’t mentioned the broadcasts, not wanting
to upset her further. The television stations showed interviews with
ex-clients, one of which Robert knew well. Salvatore Romano. Robert planned to
give the man a call after completing his business with the boat builder. Sal
would speak frankly on the matter.

Others spoke well of Kimberly. They couldn’t believe she’d
done anything wrong. The interview with the ex-fiancé wasn’t as cordial. The
weasel accused her of investing in illegal overseas financial funds and of
other unlawful practices.

She was no longer merely a victim of a crime but the subject
of a criminal investigation.

Robert unclenched his fists. He didn’t care much for the
look of the man or for his unverified accusations. A smile tugged at his lips
as he walked along the dock. Jason Reedman didn’t know it yet, but he’d marked
himself for retribution.

* * *

As Willy crept through the dark night, he repeatedly glanced
over a shoulder to see if anyone followed. The secluded warehouse district near
the Charleston docks gave him the creeps. He didn’t want to be there, but the
Slayer leader ordered him to come. One didn’t disobey that psychopath.

Willy stopped in front of an armored steel door. The rusted
light fixture overhead looked as if it hadn’t worked in years. The surveillance
camera, however, was new. Though he couldn’t imagine it would pick anything up
in the darkness. When he rang the bell, a lamp he hadn’t seen blinded him with
bright light.

He waited. No one answered. He would leave, but he didn’t
want to explain to the slayers why he hadn’t met with anyone.

After an eternity, an aged security guard opened the door.
“Whatcha want, boy?”

Willy leaned back. The man’s breath reeked of cheap booze.
“I was told to come here and meet with a gentleman.”

The half-drunk guard eyed him suspiciously. “Know the man’s
name?”

“Nope.”

The guard slammed the door shut. Willy pounded on it until
his knuckles bled. Finally, the old drunk opened the door and glared at him.

“Come on, man. Let me in, they told me to come here,” Willy
said.

“Who?”

“Slayer.”

The old man’s rummy eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say so to
begin with?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“Don’t be sassin’ me, boy.”

Willy forced himself to appear contrite. “Sorry. They didn’t
tell me what to say.”

“You’re the one they called about?”

“Guess so.”

“Well, then. Follow me.” A toothless grin crossed the
guard’s lips. “The boss didn’t like them calling. Didn’t like them knowing
about him.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“For the best. The boss doesn’t like people knowing his business.”

Willy followed the guard into a poorly lit corridor. The
smell of greasy chicken wings from a paper carton on the steel desk made him
feel queasy and reminded him he couldn’t eat. Favorite foods no longer tasted
good. He cleared a tight throat and followed the man through a maze of
passageways until they stopped in front of a metal door with a small tinted
window reinforced with embedded chicken wire.

The old man opened the door. “Wait in there.”

Willy walked into the room. He wasn’t surprised when the
door closed behind him, and the distinct sound of a lock falling into place
grated his nerves.

He examined the glass in the door. It was one-way. Someone
could observe him from outside, but he couldn’t see out. What had he gotten
into this time?

The windowless room was empty except for one marred metal
chair. Willy sat and waited. Over an hour passed. He scratched a raw patch of
skin on his arm. His health had declined since the vampire bitch bit him.

A rat scurried across the dirty floor. Willy moved uneasily
on the cold seat. More time passed. He counted the dingy cream tiles on the
ceiling for the fifth time.

Tortured masculine screams sounded from somewhere within the
rickety old building. His stomach lurched. He swallowed hard and hoped he’d
avoid a similar fate.

What was this place? Why had Slayer sent him here?

He must have dozed at some point because he woke to the
sound of the creaking door. An upscale dressed man with gel-styled brown hair
walked in. The security guard hurried in behind him with another chair. The man
sat and stared at Willy through ice-cold silver eyes, an unreadable expression
on his tanned face.

The inside of Willy’s mouth felt as if an army had tramped
through it. His body ached all over. He rubbed a hand over his jaw. Sandpaper.
“How long have I been here?”

“A few hours. I would’ve met with you sooner, but I needed
to oversee another interrogation…I should say interview.” The man smiled with
perfect white teeth and stretched long legs out in front of him, crossing silk
covered ankles and tasseled loafers below the perfect razor edge crease of tan
gabardine slacks. “I understand you once crewed on the yacht,
Sea Panther
.”

“Yeah. What of it?”
What the freak is this meeting about?
What did fancy pants have to do with
Sea Panther
and Slayer. There must
be more going on than Willy was aware of.

“How would you like to take a trip for me?”

“What’s in it for me?”

“Money.” The man glanced at a manicured hand before pinning
Willy with an intense gaze. “I’ll make it worth your while. If the contract I
have for tonight fails, I need someone on the ground in Florida.”

* * *

Around midnight, Robert examined diagrams and drawings,
pleased with the most recent rendition of the proposed changes to
Sea
Panther
.

“Well? What do you think?” Tom Sloan asked with a
self-assured smile.

Robert studied Tom and considered the easy stance of the
much sought after boat builder. Though much shorter, the dark-haired man had no
qualms about maintaining eye contact. Robert had been impressed on their first
meeting three years ago. Still was.

The builder neither questioned the need for the late
meeting, nor complained about working into the night. He’d profit from the
willing accommodation.

“These plans will work, though I would prefer a higher
ampere generator with a backup.”

Tom jotted a note on a yellow legal pad with a stubby orange
pencil bearing his company logo. “Anything else?”

“Nae, I think we are good. Can you estimate when she will be
ready to sail again?”

“Have to get back to you with a projected date, but I would
expect the refit to take about six months.”

Robert frowned and rubbed his chin. When he’d planned the
refit, he hadn’t thought beyond spending a month or two at the compound in
Florida. He should have realized upgrades to
Sea Panther
would take longer.

After the blood tests were completed, he wanted to sail to
Jamaica. He hadn’t returned to the island since his turning. Recently someone
or something had begun calling him there, a desperate whisper in his mind.

He’d ask Jagger to allow him to keep
Night Thrill
a
while longer. His friend had mostly become a landlubber and wouldn’t need the
sailboat.

Robert filed a copy of the plans into his leather briefcase.
“I will be out of reach for a number of days. Contact my office in Florida with
the estimates.”

“Will do.”

As he grasped Tom’s hand, Jagger rushed into the conference
room, a dark storm raging within the depths of his golden eyes. Fear kicked
Robert in the gut. “What’s happened? Is Kimberly—”

Jagger held up a hand. Taking the hint, Tom stepped toward
the doorway. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you discuss your business in
private.”

After he left the room and closed the door discreetly behind
him, Robert barely contained himself. “Well?”

“I found Davey in an alley by the docks,” Jagger said. “Badly
beaten. I took him to the hospital. He’ll be fine, but my hunch is the hit man
knows where to look for Kimberly.”

* * *

Filtered light from a lamppost on dock streamed in through
Night
Thrill
’s open companionway. The sight of the single red rose on the pillow
beside Kimberly made her pulse quicken.
Robert
. If she didn’t guard
against it, she’d find herself in love with the sweet man. She brought the
bloom to her nose and savored its soft scent. Who was she fooling?

He already held her heart.

She climbed out of the awkward shaped v-berth and dressed.
It felt strange to sleep during the day and stay awake all night. The first day
on the smaller sailboat, she tossed and turned on her bunk unable to fall
asleep. The second morning, she agreed to take the melatonin Robert offered.

Once before, when she complained about jet lag, an associate
at the financial firm where she worked at the time suggested the dietary
supplement supposed to help regulate sleep and wake cycles. The little pill
seemed to work. She slept through the day and was disappointed to have missed
seeing Robert before he left for the meeting with the boat builder.

Robert had no problem sleeping while the sun was high. Of
course, the aft cabin where he slept had a door, whereas the v-berth opened to
the salon, to the bright daylight streaming through the Plexiglas.

Kimberly hummed as she brushed her hair. A twinge of guilt
spoiled her good mood when she noticed the cell phone sitting in the top of a
tote bag. Sarah more than likely seethed with anger. She would have worried at
first, but her fear for Kimberly would ultimately morph into pure fury.

There was nothing to do about her sister’s angst. Kimberly
didn’t dare contact her. She couldn’t risk putting Sarah in harm’s way.

Kimberly plopped onto the settee and thumbed through a
fashion magazine Robert had brought for her. After a while, the stuffy cabin
made her feel like a prisoner trapped within the small confines of the
sailboat. She needed fresh air.

Snatching the cape Robert gave her for Christmas on the way
out, she stepped through the companionway and into the cockpit. Brisk reviving
air filled her lungs. She glanced heavenward and searched for constellations in
the star-filled sky. Finding Orion, the great hunter, made her smile.

A tinge of sorrow pinched near her heart. She’d often
stargazed with her father when they’d sailed together.

“Ouch.” A large insect whirred past her ear after biting
her. She swiped at the bite and found blood on her fingers.

“Duck,” a man shouted. It took Kimberly a few seconds to
realize Jagger ran along the dock toward her. “Get down!”

She crouched in the cockpit and peeked over the edge. What
was going on? In a blur of incredible speed, Jagger raced toward her, zigging
and zagging with agility.