Teased (13 page)

Jared grabbed him by the lapels and leaned in. “I don’t give a shit about the Realm and never have. So long as they stay out of my way, I’m fine.”

“They’ve never been in your way,” Chalton yelled into his brother’s face, arms shooting up to break the hold. Every inch of his body wanted a brawl, and he braced to take the punch that was no doubt coming.

“Stop it right now,” Olivia yelled, her voice much higher than theirs.

They both stopped, their heads swinging to look at her.

She stood and planted her hands on her hips. “Far as I can tell, the last time you got into it, you didn’t speak for a hundred fucking years. So how about this time you work together, get your mom back, and act like brothers?” Her voice rose high enough at the last that Chalton winced.

“Your woman is loud,” Jared said, backing up to sit next to Ronni on the sofa.

“I am not his woman,” Olivia screamed, her face turning red.

Ronni cleared her throat. “It kind of seems like you are.” When Olivia swung an irritated look back at her, she shrugged. “Well, it does.”

“I can’t be,” Olivia whispered.

Ronni smiled at her and turned that smile on Chalton. “Hey, so I appreciate the offer of mating and all of that, even though I think you’re all certifiable. But I am so not mating the guy my best friend loves. Sorry.”

“I don’t love him,” Olivia snapped.

“Yes, you do,” Chalton bit out. It was one thing to play hard to get or to take time to figure out feelings, but no way was she going to lie out loud to him. “It happens fast with vampires, so deal with it.”

“What about Ronni?” she asked, pain slicing through her. “She’ll die.”

Ronni reached up and tugged Olivia down to sit. “We all die.” Then she glanced around the room. “Okay, maybe not. But most of us do.” She frowned and glanced sideways at Jared. “Is this possibly a trick? The whole vampire thing?”

He lifted an eyebrow and let his fangs slide out. “Feel.”

She gingerly reached out and ran a finger down the wicked canine. “Feels real.”

It retracted.

She leaned away from him. “You’re sure you won’t suck all my blood out and turn me into the undead?”

Jared rolled his eyes. “Jesus.”

Chalton glanced at their helpless mother on the screen. “We have got to find her place in the city.”

Olivia cleared her throat. “Um. I know where that is. It’s actually my private office in the city. I gave Helen a key because she wanted a quiet place to go, and we arranged for her to leave me information there for the story. It’s where my laptop and all my notes are hidden.”

More tension roared through the room, and Olivia fought the very real urge to run like hell. “I can, uh, draw a diagram of the building and outlying area, if you’d like.”

Chalton nodded, his eyes black orbs of pure fury. “Is there any chance our mother told you why she decided to betray the immortal world?”

Olivia cleared her throat, trying to remain calm. “Um, no. She didn’t mention she was immortal.”

“No reason at all for giving up the information?” Jared asked, tension cutting lines in the side of his mouth.

“She just said that she had information that had to get out there, and that the researchers behind the studies had all disappeared. She felt that the medical advancements being hidden could be an impressive help with human illnesses.” Olivia smoothed her hands down the thick yoga pants.

“So she knew about Ronni,” Jared drawled. “She used your motivation against you.”

“I think she really wanted to help,” Olivia countered.

“Did she mention us?” Theo asked, rubbing his jaw.

Olivia shook her head. “Your mom looks about forty years old, so if she’d mentioned three grown sons, it would’ve been a red flag, don’t you think?”

“Good point,” Chalton said grimly. “All right. I’ll contact the Realm and get satellite imaging going for the building, while you start diagraming.”

Jared pushed to his feet. “You know this is a trap, right?”

“Right.” Chalton nodded. “Definite trap.”

Olivia stood and then faltered. “If it’s a trap, how can you go in?”

“It’s our mom,” Chalton said. “No choice. So let’s get as prepared as possible.”

Well, that was just fantastic. What could go wrong?

CHAPTER TWELVE

Olivia ignored her extremely pissed off lover and kept flush against the building, adrenaline shooting through her veins faster than a motorcycle at full throttle. A gun lay heavy at her back beneath a buttery-soft leather jacket, and a knife scratched against her calf inside a badass leather boot.

Chalton’s mom knew how to dress apparently.

Ronni, similarly armed, nudged her. “I’m thinking we’re idiots for coming,” she whispered.

Olivia swallowed down bile. “I know.” Yet she was a journalist, and stories sometimes became dangerous. She started this one, and she’d by damn finish it.

Chalton cut her a look from across the doorway of the older brick building. He’d ordered her to stay at the warehouse, but both she and Ronni had insisted on coming. When he’d decided just to tie them up, Theo had intervened, saying that they had a right to finish this out, too.

Jared had agreed with tying them up, his gaze remaining pretty hot on Ronni.

But the satellite pictures with heat signatures illustrated that Petey was long gone from the office. The pictures showed a lot of people in the vicinity but no guns. Well, no visible guns. They could be hidden, and Petey might be nearby ready to strike.

Chalton was a different man in battle. Hard, cold, and meticulous…completely banishing the lover who’d rocked her world last night. For the first time, she could see the assassin he used to be.

No doubt he’d kill to protect his mother, but Olivia said a quick prayer that he wouldn’t have to do so. What would that do to him?

He gave some weird hand signal. Jared nodded and yanked open the quiet green door, while Theo tensed behind Ronni.

Chalton went in first, Jared second, then Olivia hustled after him, trusting Theo to protect Ronni. Even now, her breathing was labored behind Olivia.

There had to be some way to save her.

Jared lifted some cool-looking scope down the hallway and gave a quick nod. Several doorways lined the way, all to small offices, all seemingly quiet since it was Sunday.

They reached the third office on the left, and Jared pointed the scope at the door. Olivia stood up on her tiptoes to see the readout, which showed the heat signature of one person tied up on a chair. A smaller person. It had to be Helen.

Jared meticulously ran the scope around to see the entire office. No heat signatures…no other people.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. Okay. So the trap wasn’t inside.

“They’ll be waiting when we leave,” Chalton whispered.

Jared nodded. “I have men closing in on the area. If there’s a threat, they’ll find it.”

“The shifters are still an hour out, but they’ll be here as soon as possible,” Chalton said, having called for more backup the second they’d formed a plan.

“If Petey is around here, waiting to take a shot, he’s mine,” Jared said.

Chalton shook his head. “Whoever has the shot can take it.”

“It won’t be a shot, and you’ve come too far to return to darkness,” Jared said.

Chalton studied him but didn’t answer. “Ready for go?”

Jared’s face hardened even more and he nodded.

“Ready,” Theo said, his voice strong and determined.

Olivia tensed, ready to jump inside and do something. Anything. Okay. Duck and cover.

Chalton kicked the door in and went in low, while Jared went in high. Theo covered Olivia and Ronni in the hall.

“Clear,” Chalton called out.

Olivia ran inside just as he was gingerly removing the gag from Helen’s mouth.

“Get out,” Helen screamed, struggling furiously with her bindings, tears streaming down her face. “Now. Go.”

The door slammed shut behind Theo, and he turned to pound on the heavy oak. An explosion rippled through the hallway outside, and ceiling tiles rained down in the office.

Chalton drew a knife from his boot to cut his mother’s bindings.

Jared rushed for the window.

“Stop. It’s wired,” Helen hissed.

Jared slowed down and peered up and then surveyed the windowsill. “Yep. Wired from the outside.”

Ronni hitched to his side and bent down to survey the outside sill. “Mercury lever. If we lift the window or even try to break the glass, the vibrations will make it blow.”

Jared glanced down at her.

Ronni shrugged. “I haven’t always been dying, you know.”

“You work with a bomb squad?” Jared asked.

Ronni scoffed. “No. I’m a police shrink. But the job gives me access to tons of different classes, and bombs are interesting.”

“Can you diffuse one?” Jared asked.

“No.” Ronni blanched. “Sorry.”

Helen stood and was instantly enfolded by Chalton. She shoved him. “What are you three doing here? It’s a trap. You had to know it’s a trap.”

“Of course it’s a trap,” Chalton said, gingerly touching a bruise at her hairline. “Are you all right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m fine. I’m just bait, you know.” Irritation wrinkled her forehead. Then she caught sight of Olivia. “Oh no. What in the world are you doing here?” Rushing forward, she gathered Olivia in a lilac-scented hug.

“I came to help save you.” Olivia returned the hug and then levered back to study the shorter woman. Since Olivia’s parents had died when she’d been young, she’d enjoyed the maternal comfort provided by Helen. “So. There’s quite a bit you didn’t tell me.”

Helen smiled, her dark eyes identical to Chalton’s. “True.”

“How could you lie to me and get away with it?” Olivia asked. “I can usually tell.

Helen smiled. “I’ve been immortal for centuries, dear. Masking a lie isn’t as difficult as you’d think.”

“Why, mom?” Jared asked, gently leading Ronni away from the wired window. “Why in the world would you leak proprietary information and put a bounty on your head?”

Helen shrugged. “I figured the king would send Chalton to investigate. I hired Theo, and I had friends of mine hire you to all track down Olivia.”

“Why?” Chalton asked, his eyebrows drawing down.

“You boys haven’t talked in over a hundred years.”

Helen put both hands on her hips. “I thought that having a common goal would get you in the same place, and look! It worked.”

“Is that all?” Theo asked, a smile barely lifting his lips.

“Um.” Helen shuffled stunning black Manolo’s. “Well, I did notice that Olivia was enhanced. As is Ronni, by the way.”

Chalton groaned. “This is some elaborate matchmaking scheme?”

“Well, it was, but I admit it got out of hand. I didn’t expect Petey to make a move.” Helen swallowed. “It’s my fault. Obviously he was watching me, and when I arranged for you all to be here at the same time, he finally made a move. I’m so sorry.”

That did explain the timing. Chalton strode toward the crumpled inward door. “Let’s get out of here and deal with the treason and matchmaking issues later. It sounds like the explosion completely blocked the door.”

Olivia straightened and craned her neck, her gaze searching. “Something is off. I feel…something. A weird vibration.”

Ronni frowned. “What do you mean?”

Olivia turned toward Helen. “Did they touch anything in the room? Leave anything?”

Helen glanced around. “I’m empathic, not psychic. I was knocked out for a little while, but I did hear them rummaging in the desk. I figured they were looking for the research I’d leaked to Olivia.”

Olivia inched toward the desk and bent down to study the drawers. Gingerly, she pulled out the bottom one.

“Hell,” Jared murmured, looking over her shoulder.

Olivia sucked in air. “We have a bomb, folks.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Chalton hurried around the desk to study the bomb. Different wires cascaded out from a compilation of material only known to the immortal world. When it blew, it’d take out the entire building.

A timer ran along the side, and he had to bend down to read it. “We have two minutes.”

He levered up and glanced around the room. The outside walls were brick, the door was blocked, and the window was wired from the outside. “Everybody take cover. It has been a while, but I’ll do what I can,” he said evenly, trying to remain calm.

Ronni cleared her throat and stood up. “I have no clue how to diffuse a bomb.” She grasped Helen’s arm and drew her over to the bookshelf. “Anybody?”

“I know more than most.” Chalton reached for a pair of scissors on the desk, his gaze on Olivia. “When you sense lies or truth…what is it like?”

She blinked, panic darkening her eyes. “Like?”

“Yes. Do you smell a lie? See a lie? Just sense it?”

She rapidly shook her head. “There’s a subtle vibration I sense through the air.”

He smiled and tried to banish all concern. “Good. That’s good. Come here.”

She moved without hesitation, arriving at his side and kneeling down, her gaze on the bomb. “I don’t know anything about bombs.”

He gripped the scissors. “Wires send out vibrations, just like people do.” He leaned toward her. “I’m going to press on each wire, and I want you to listen to and catalog the sound.”

She swallowed and glanced at him. “I can see patterns in books, colors, words, speech, even the air sometimes.”

He frowned, wanting nothing more than to force open the door and tell her to run. “You see one here?” he asked instead.

She gulped in air and studied the bomb. “The wires. Colors and crossing.” A tingling set up from her…popping the air around him. “I don’t sense the bad ones.”

He angled to the side, the scissors at ready. “This pink wire is an instant detonation if cut. I can tell by the way it’s inserted. We have to cut all the other ones first, but I don’t know the order.” Careful and slow, he pressed the scissors on the wire.

She glanced up, her face pale. “Okay. That was shrill.”

He hadn’t heard a thing. She was amazing but obviously getting freaked out. Couldn’t blame her. “Okay. Let’s try the yellow one.” He tried to convey confidence in his gaze.