The Merzetti Effect (A Vampire Romance) (31 page)

“Come on, Radak. Skip the theatrics and get straight to the point.”

“Okay, Delano. Here’s my point.”

Screams erupted, and the rotor blades became suddenly louder.

Eli’s radio burst to life again with the voice of a team member Ainsley had met a handful of times. “Jesus, he’s dangling someone out of the chopper! And not over the roof, either. Over the street. Jesus, fuck! It’s a kid. Just a kid.”

Ainsley leapt to her feet again, wanting to crawl through the telephone to get at the bastard. “You hurt that child and I’ll kill you!”

“Tell Delano to withdraw his forces from the roof, Ms. Crawford, and nothing will happen to the child. Then you and me and Daddy Dearest can sit down and talk trade.”

Eli stabbed the mute button. “We can call ’em down, but have them arrayed just inside the doors to the roof. If it starts to go sideways up there, they can be back out on the roof in seconds.”

Delano released the mute. “We’ll meet your demand. Just haul that kid back in.”

The noise of the rotors dipped again, making the sobs of mother and child all the more audible.
Oh, Devon, Lucy, I’m so sorry.

“Okay, she’s safely inside again,” came Janecek’s voice. “Your turn.”

Eli gave the order for his men to retreat, this time not bothering with the mute button. However, he did mute the phone to relay the order for them to hang just inside the stairwell, close to the roof’s door.

“Better?” Delano asked.

“Infinitely. But before I land, I want you to tell Mr. Grayson that this handsome craft is equipped with an M60D machine gun. He’ll be familiar with it. It’s standard NATO fare, I understand, and it’ll be pointed at that door. My pilot tells me it’s rated for 550 shots per minute, as I’m sure Mr. Grayson can confirm, although I haven’t had an opportunity to personally benchmark it against those specs.”

Delano glanced at Eli, who nodded grimly.

“Okay, land that bird and we’ll talk again.” Delano leaned forward and hit the off button on the conference phone.

Ainsley’s stomach dropped sickeningly. “You hung up on him? Omigod, what have you done?”

“I’ve simply reminded him that we also have something he wants, and that he doesn’t hold all the cards.”

Ainsley was vaguely aware of Eli in the background, instructing the B-Team to move further down the stairwell and out of danger from the helo’s guns.

“But he
does
hold the cards.” She thumped her hand on the table. “He’s got Lucy and Devon. You just heard what he did to Devon!”

Before Delano could defend his action, Eli jumped in to do it for him. “Delano’s right,” he said, radio still gripped at the ready. “We have to try to hang on to whatever edge we can get, even if it’s psychological. And don’t forget, we have our little jack-in-the-box surprise up there.”

He referred, of course, to the commando they’d earlier stashed in Delano’s helicopter. They’d also planted a guy in the interstitial space between the first and second floors, above the security room with its banks of monitors, which would be the logical place for Janecek to take up headquarters if he gained access to the building from below. Yet another man lay in hiding in the building they’d made use of as a clinic, in case Janecek chose that location for a rendezvous. But they’d felt all along that the roof was more Janecek’s style, and he’d obliged. Still, what if Janecek sensed their man’s presence?

She felt her nails biting into her palms again, and unclenched her fists. “That’s presuming he goes undetected. You know the first thing he’s going to do is a deep scan of the roof for any kind of hidden presence. Can you be completely certain the stealth technology of the helicopter will shield him?”

“We’ve been over this before, Ainsley,” replied Delano. “Remember the way Janecek walked right up to me wearing that fireman’s turn-out suit? If Kevlar shielded a powerful vampire so completely from my senses, then I have every confidence that the helicopter’s technology will easily shield a mere man. And he’s tucked completely out of sight, if Janecek is suspicious enough to order a visual.”

Ainsley grimaced. He was out of sight, all right, lying in the coffin-like bed Delano had retired to during their daylight flight from St. Cloud. He’d be a sitting duck‌—‌no, make that a dead duck‌—‌if they were wrong about the shielding capacity of the helicopter’s highly reflective shell. “But what about‌—”

Delano responded to her concern before she could voice it. “Janecek won’t catch a whiff of our guy’s thoughts. That’s why we gave him the headphones. That’s why he’s been instructed to focus exclusively on the continuous incantation being relayed to him. Until and unless we interrupt that flow with other orders, he won’t be having the kind of brain wave activity that Janecek can pick up on.”

She gnawed her lower lip. “You should have let me do it. I’d feel better if I was up there. At least then I could‌—”

“Feel like you were doing something?” Eli sighed. “I know how you feel.”

Eli’s voice was harsh, as though he, too, wanted to be the one on the roof. Suddenly, she remembered the way he’d looked the first time she’d asked him about why he’d left the army to work for Delano. He’d said he’d found another war to fight. She’d never pursued the matter with him, but it was evidently very personal. He badly wanted to be the one to bring the monster down. What had Janecek‌—‌or someone like him‌—‌done to Eli?

“But all due respect,” Eli continued, “the man up there is a former Navy SEAL. He’ll get the job done if the opportunity is there. Besides, you and Delano have to be down here, to negotiate with Janecek. He’d know something was up if you weren’t both here for his call.”

The phone rang again.

Delano let it ring twice before picking it up. “Bowen.”

“Hang up on me again, and you’ll get one of these ladies back faster than you bargained for, but you won’t like the condition you find her in.”

Ainsley’s anguished gaze flew to Delano’s.
See? You angered him!

That’s good
, he countered silently.
If we don’t get him off balance, he won’t make a mistake. And if he makes no mistakes, we’re screwed.

“So sorry,” he said aloud, “I didn’t realize you needed me to hold your hand for the landing.”

“Ah, but you did your share of hand-holding in your time, didn’t you, Delano? Not to mention a little hand
shackling
.”

Delano sighed, and Ainsley noticed a tic start under his left eye.

“You were a child, Radak. An abomination, to be sure, but a child nevertheless. I tried to protect you from your own appetites. Unchecked by an immature value system, you would have wreaked horrific destruction, and then you would have died. For while you knew how to feed, you lacked the necessary survival skills.”

“Ah, my father, my savior.”

Delano rubbed a hand across his forehead, and Ainsley realized he was wiping away perspiration. What? She’d never seen him do that before. So much for the superior vampiric biology he’d tried to explain to her. She’d wager his system was dumping plenty of stress hormones right now.

“Once more, I am not your father. But I did try to protect you. I thought if I could supervise your adolescence, you’d eventually develop the maturity to handle yourself responsibly. I was wrong.”

“You were a fool, Delano. Now enough of this. You and Nurse Crawford will come up to the roof. Delano, you will come forward first. When you reach my pilot, who will be standing by the aircraft, I will release the child. When Nurse Crawford is assured of the child’s safety, then she will come forward. When we’ve secured her, I’ll let the woman go.”

Delano laughed grimly. “You’re a brave man, Radak, to propose taking me first.”

“Ah, but if I don’t take you first, I can’t be assured of taking you at all. I know you, Delano. You’re the big-picture guy. You’re invested in the greater good. Ms. Crawford, on the other hand, is invested in the safety of her loved ones. Besides which, we’re more than prepared to handle the likes of you.”

“Give us a moment.” Delano stabbed the mute button and turned to Eli. “What are you thinking?”

“The report from our security cams says we’ve got three people to worry about‌—‌the pilot, another unidentified man, probably a co-pilot, and Janecek. Janecek is in the back, keeping the kid close, which keeps the mother docile. The co-pilot is manning the big gun.”

“Lovely,” Delano muttered.

“I say we comply with his demand, but activate our jack-in-the-box. He’s the best sniper I’ve got. When the chopper door opens to let the kid out, we let our man take a shot. Meanwhile, you take the pilot out.”

“And I’ll dart out and grab Devon,” Ainsley volunteered.

“No way,” both men said in unison.

She lifted her chin. “Someone has to scoop her up. We can’t leave her there while gunfire is possibly being exchanged.”

“Ainsley, honey, you can’t come outside that door. If we’re both out there on the roof at the same time, all they have to do is open up on us with that machine gun. Then they won’t have to let anyone go.”

“But‌—”

“No buts. If you’ll remember, I move a little faster than you. I can take the pilot out, scoop up the kid and get back inside before you could even reach her.”

Well, that was hard to argue. He was capable of moving faster than her eyes could track him. But the plan had one flaw‌—‌a
gigantic
one.

“Okay, you’re much faster than me, so that makes sense. But do you really think Janecek is just going to stand in the doorway and give you that free shot? Even if he’s satisfied there’s no one up there to worry about, he’s not going to expose himself. He’s got far too much respect for you as an opponent to do that. He’ll get the co-pilot to do it.”

“That’s exactly what we’re counting on,” Delano said. “The co-pilot is the one we need to take out of commission. If our man on the roof can disable him, and if I handle the pilot, that’ll leave Janecek stranded. I’m pretty sure he can’t pilot that thing himself. It’s not his style to do anything for himself that an underling can do for him.”

Ainsley paled. “Okay, so he’ll be stranded, but he’ll also be extremely pissed. And he’ll still have a hostage and some serious fire power.”

“Once he appreciates he’s stranded, his hand will be forced. Guns or no guns, he’ll have to negotiate with us for his own survival.”

“What do you mean?”

“When dawn comes, he’ll be at our mercy.”

“Couldn’t he just call for another helicopter to lift him to safety?”

“He could, but he’s got to know we’re equipped with anti-aircraft guns we could turn on any incoming helo. He would not have dared land here without hostages.”

“Hey guys,” Eli interrupted, “Security cams indicate the pilot is doing a visual sweep of the rooftop, looking for booby traps. He gave our helo a careful look, but didn’t raise an alarm.”

“No less than what we expected,” said Delano. “Give them a few more minutes for Janecek to scan‌—”

“Time’s up.” Janecek’s voice came through the speakerphone. “Decide now. You have precisely four minutes to get up to the roof, or one of these pretty gals becomes dinner.”

Delano hit the mute button to connect with Janecek again. “We’re on our way.”

“Excellent.” Janecek severed the connection, leaving a dial tone resonating through the room.

Delano turned the phone off. “Okay, raise our jack-in-the-box. We’re going up.”

D
ELANO SILENTLY CURSED
the perspiration that slicked his skin beneath the armored vest Eli insisted he wear under his shirt. Was this the normal human state, or was the reversal in progress wreaking extra havoc on his body? It had been so long, he couldn’t remember. Probably a little bit of both.

Eli stood with his hand on the door’s panic bar, impatient to be off, but they had two minutes yet, and Delano had things to say to Ainsley. “Go on up,” he said. “I need a minute.”

Eli frowned. “Make it a literal minute.”

The door had barely closed behind him when Ainsley spoke. “I should be going up there with you.”

“No, my love. You know we can’t run the risk of both of us falling into his hands. He wouldn’t spare the hostages.”

“I’m scared, Delano.”

“I know, love.” He put a hand to her face and felt a tremor go through her. “But it’s our best chance.”

She nodded, biting her lip to still its trembling.

I love you
, he said silently.
If something should happen to go wrong up here, I just wanted to make absolutely certain you to know that.

Her brow furrowed. “Delano?”

Oh, Lord, she couldn’t hear him. The reversal was progressing quickly. “Sorry, I just wanted to do this before I go.” He fit his hand behind her head and drew her to him for a short, sweet kiss. Just as quickly, he released her and stepped back. “I’m afraid our minute is up.”

“I know. Go.”

He’d reached the door when her voice stopped him.

“Delano!”

He turned to find her heart in her eyes.

“Be careful.”

Heart thudding painfully against his ribs, he gave her his best reassuring smile. “I will. Now remember, don’t go out there, no matter what happens. Okay?”

She nodded, her eyes solemn, and he turned away before his throat could grow any tighter. Knowing he’d used more than a minute, he leapt up the stairs. On the first landing, Eli and the members of B-Team stood waiting.

Eli clapped him on the back. “You ready for this, boss?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Are we good to go?”

“Our man has a bead on the helicopter door as we speak.”

“Time to rock and roll then.”

Delano ran lightly up the last flight of stairs alone. When he reached the door, he took a deep, steadying breath. Exhaling, he raised his hands up over his head, pushed the panic bar with his hip and carefully stepped out on the roof.

The pilot stood midway between the idling helicopter and the door, holding a lethal-looking rifle. A rifle that was trained unerringly on Delano’s chest as evidenced by a red laser dot. Feeling alarmingly weak in the legs‌—‌damn the timing of this mutation reversal‌—‌Delano strode toward the flak-jacketed pilot.

Then all hell broke loose.