Big mistake.
His partner moved so fast there was no stopping him. And he cocked that photog so hard, he probably broke the fuckers jaw.
As the perp sagged in the hold of the other policemen, no one said a thing. Theyd all wanted to do it, but given Vecks little car ride, hed earned the right.
Unfortunately, the payback move was probably going to get the detective suspendedand maybe the CPD sued.
Shaking out his punching hand, Veck muttered, Someone give me a cigarette.
Shit, José thought. There was no reason to keep trying to find Butch ONeal. It was like his old partner was right in front of him.
So maybe he should give up trying to trace that 911 call from last week. Even with all the resources available down at headquarters, hed gotten nowhere and the cold trail was probably a good thing.
One wild card with a self-destructive streak was more than he could handle on the job, thank you very much.
TWENTY-FIVE
Down in the training center at the compound, Butch kind of wanted to hate the surgeon out of loyalty to V.Especially given the guys Chippendale, half-naked routine with that towel.
God, the idea that piece of meat had been near Payne all undressed? Wicked bad idea on so many levels.
It would have been different if hed been built like a chess player, for instance. As it was, Butch felt like John Cena had been macking on Vs little sister. How the hell was a surgeon built like that?
Still, there were two things that saved the guy: The bastard had put on the fresh scrubs Butch had given himso no more ladies night. And, as theyd sat down in front of the Dell in the exam room, the guy seemed honestly concerned about Payne and her welfare.
Not that they were getting anywhere on that front. The pair of them were staring at the computer screen like two dogs watching Animal Planet: very focused, but incapable of turning up the volume or changing the channel.
Ordinarily? Butch would phone or text Vishous. But that was not going to happen, given the showdown that was going on up at the Pit.
God, he hoped V and Jane got their act back together.
So now what, the surgeon asked.
Butch shook himself back into focus and put his palm on the mouse. We pray I pull the security files out of my ass. Thats what.
And you were bitching about my towel.
Butch cracked a smile. Smart-ass.
As if on cue, the two of them leaned in closer to the screenlike that was somehow going to magically help the mouse find the stuff they were looking for.
I suck at this shit, the surgeon muttered with disgust. Im better with my hands.
Me, too.
Go to the start menu.
Im going, going. . . .
Shit, they said together as they got a load of all the files or programs or whatever it was.
Naturally, there was nothing named Security, Cameras, or Click here, dummy, to find what you two losers are looking for.
Wait, would it be under videos? the surgeon said.
Good idea.
They both inched even closer, until the tips of their noses were all but polishing the damn monitor.
Can I help you guys?
Butch snapped his head around. Thank God, Jane. Listen, we need to find the security cameras digital files He stopped himself. Are you okay?
Fine, fine.
Uh-huh, right. Standing in the doorway, she wasnt fine. Not even close to fine. To the point where he knew not to ask where V wasor expect the brother to show up anytime soon.
Hey, Doc, Butch said, as he casually got to his feet, can I talk to you a sec?
Ah
He cut off the protest she was about to put up. Thanks. Just outside in the corridor. Manello, you try and find your way around the comp.
Ill get right on that, the guy said drily.
When he and Jane were outside the room, Butch dropped his voice. Whats going on? And yes, its none of my business. But I want to know anyway.
After a moment, Jane crossed her arms over her white coat and just stared ahead. But not to shut him out, it seemed. More like she was replaying something in her mind.
Talk to me, he murmured.
You know why he went for Manny, right?
Not the particulars. But . . . I can guess. The female had been looking pretty suicidal, frankly.
As a doctor, I get pulled in different directions. If you can extrapolate . . .
Oh, God, it was worse than hed thought. I can. Shit.
Thats not all, she continued. When I went up to pack, I found a set of his leathers in the back of the closet. Theres black wax all over them. Along with blood and . . . She took a shuddering breath. Something else.
Christ, Butch groaned.
As Jane went silent, he knew she didnt want to put him in the middle and wasnt going to ask out loud. But she was good like that.
Fucking hell . . . so much for honoring Vs stay-out-of-it demand. Except he just couldnt watch the two of them fall apart.
He didnt cheat on you, he said. That night, a week ago? He let himself get beaten, Jane. By lessers. I found him surrounded by three of them and they were whipping him raw with chains.
She let out a gasp, which she covered with her hands. Oh . . . God . . .
I dont know what you found of his, but he wasnt with anyone else. He told me himself.
But what about the wax? And the . . .
Did it ever occur to you he might have done it himself.
Jane was momentarily speechless. No. Although why couldnt he just say so.
Wasnt that the theme song of the night. No guy wants to admit to his wife he was jacking off alone. Its too patheticand he probably thought it was cheating in a way. Hes that devoted to you.
As tears speared into Janes forest green eyes, Butch was momentarily nonplussed. The good doctor was as buttoned up as her hellrenand that reserved strength was why she was so damned useful as a doctor. It didnt mean that she was without feelings, though, and here they were.
Jane . . . dont cry.
I just dont know how were going to get through this. I really dont. Hes upset. Im upset. And then theres Payne. Abruptly, she put her hand on his arm and squeezed. Can you please . . . can you help him. With what he needs. Maybe its the crack in the ice that will help us.
As the two of them stared at each other, he wondered if they were really on the same level. But how could he bring that up judiciously: So do you want me to work him over instead of the lessers?
What if they werent on the same page. And she was already tearing up.
I cant do it, Jane said roughly. And not just because weve got issues at the moment. I just dont have it in me. He trusts youI trust you . . . and he needs it. Im worried that if he doesnt break through this wall hes got going on that he and I arent going to make itor worse. Take him to the Commodore, please.
Well, that settled one issue.
He cleared his throat. Ive been thinking the same thing, frankly. And, actually, I just . . . offered it to him.
Thank you. She cursed and wiped her eyes. You know him as well as I do. He needs to get unfrozensomehow, some way.
Yeah. Butch reached out and stroked her cheek. And Ill take care of him. You dont worry about it.
She put her hand on his. Thank you.
They embraced for a moment, and as they did, he thought there was nothing he wouldnt do to keep Jane and V together.
Where is he now? he asked.
I have no idea. He gave me a bag and I just packed it and left. I didnt see him in the Pit, but then I wasnt looking for him.
Im on it. Will you help Manello?
When she nodded, he gave her a lingering squeeze and then took off, hitting the underground tunnel and rocketing down to the last stop in the thing: the Pit.
With no idea what he was walking into, he put in the pass code and stuck his head in through the reinforced door. No smoke, so nothing was on fire. No screaming. No scent of anything but the fresh bread his Marissa had baked earlier.
V? You here? No answer.
God, it was too fucking quiet.
Down the hall, he found V and Janes room empty and in a mess. The closet door was open and there were things gone from the hangers, but that was not what really got his attention.
He went over to the leathers and picked them up. Nice Catholic boy like him didnt know much about BDSM, but it looked like he was going to be learning firsthand.
Taking out his cell phone, he hit V, but didnt expect an answer. He guessed GPS was going to have to come in handy once again.
Seems like old times.
Manny focused on the computer screen as he spoke. Hard to say what was the most awkward part of sitting next to his former colleague. With so much to choose from, the silence between them was an Easter-egg hunt for three-year-olds, everything badly hidden, ready to be found and captured.
Why do you want to review the digital files? she asked.
Youll see when we get there.
Jane had no problem locating the right program, and a moment later the live image of Paynes room came up on the screen. Wait, the bed was empty . . . except for a duffel bag.
Wrong one. Here it is, Jane murmured.
And there she was. His Payne. Lying against the pillows, the tail end of her braid in her hands, her eyes locked on the bathroom as if maybe she were imagining him still in the shower.
Damn . . . she was beautiful.
You think, Jane said softly.
Okay, now would be a great time for his mouth to stop working independently.
He cleared his throat. Can we go back about a half hour?
No problem.
The image reversed, the little counter in the lower right-hand corner draining down in milliseconds.
As he saw himself checking her over in that towel, it was too frickin obvious that they were attracted to each other. Oh, God . . . that fucking hard-on so gave him another reason not to look at Jane.
Wait . . . He sat forward. Slow down. Here it is.
He watched himself back into the bath in a rush. . . .
Holy . . . crap, Jane breathed.
And there it was: Payne up on her knees at the bottom of the bed, her body long and lean and balanced perfectly as her eyes focused on the bathroom door.
Is she glowing?
Yeah, he murmured, she is.
Hold on. . . . Jane hit forward, running the images in proper order. Youre testing her sensations here?
Nothing. She felt nothing. And yetgo back again . . . thanks. He pointed at Paynes legs. Here, though, she clearly has muscle control.
This isnt logical. Jane played and replayed the file. But she did it . . . oh, my God . . . she does it. Its a miracle.
Sure the fuck looked like one. Except . . . Whats the impetus, he muttered.
Maybe its you.
No way. My operation clearly didnt do the ticket or she would have been kneeling before tonight. Your own exams showed she remained paralyzed.
Im not talking about your scalpel.
Jane reversed the file back to the moment Payne rose up, and froze the frame. Its you.
Manny stared at the image, and tried to see something other than the obvious: Sure as hell, it seemed that as Payne had looked at him, the glow in her had gotten brighter and she was able to move.
Jane forwarded the file frame by frame. As soon as he came out of the bathroom and she was lying back, the glow was gone . . . and she had no feeling.
This makes no sense, he muttered.
Actually, I think it does. Its her mother.
Who?
God where to start with that. Jane indicated her own body. Im what I am because of the Scribe Virgin.
Who? Manny shook his head. I dont understand any of this.
Jane smiled a little bit. You dont have to. Its happening. You just need to stay with Payne and . . . see how she changes.
Manny resumed staring at the monitor. Well, shit, it seemed like that Goateed Hater had made the right call. Somehow, the motherfucker had known this was what would happen. Or maybe the guy had merely hoped. Either way, it looked like Manny was a kind of medicine for that extraordinary creature lying on that bed.
So damn right he was going to hang in.
But he wasnt fooling himself. This wasnt going to be about love or even sex; it was about getting her up and moving so she could live her life againno matter what it took. And he knew he wasnt going to be allowed to stay with her at the end of it. They were going to discard him like an empty orange bottle from the pharmacyand yeah, sure, she might get attached to him, but she was a virgin who didnt know any better.
And she had a brother who was going to force her to make the right choices.
As for him? He wasnt going to remember any of this, was he.
Gradually, he became aware of Janes stare on his profile. What, he said without taking his eyes off the screen.
Ive never seen you like this about a female.
Ive never met anyone like her before. He put up his palm to stop any conversating. And you can save the dont-go-there. I know whats coming at the end of this.
Hell, maybe those bastards were going to kill him and roll him into the river. Make it look like an accident.
I wasnt going to say that, actually. Jane shifted in her seat. And believe me . . . I know how you feel.
He glanced over at her. Yeah?
Its how I was when I first met Vishous. Her eyes watered, but she cleared her throat. Back to you and Payne
Whats going on, Jane. Talk to me.
Nothings going
Bullshitand right back at you. Ive never seen you like this before. You look ruined.
She drew in a great breath. Marital problems. Plain and not so simple.
Clearly, she didnt want to go into it. Okay. Well, Im here for you . . . for as long as Im allowed to be.
He rubbed his face. It was a total waste of time to worry about how long this was going to last, how much time he had. But he couldnt help it. Losing Payne was going to kill him even though he barely knew her.
Wait a minute. Jane had been human. And she was here. Maybe there was
What. The. Fuck.
Jane . . . ? he said weakly as he looked at his old friend. What . . .
Words deserted him at that point. She was sitting in the same chair, in the same position, wearing the same clothes . . . except he could see the wall behind her . . . and the steel cabinets . . . and the door across the way. And not see as in on the far side of her shoulders. He was looking through her.
Oh. Sorry.
Right before his eyes, she went from translucent to . . . back to normal.
Manny jumped out of his chair and pinwheeled back until the examination table bit into his ass and stopped him.
You need to talk to me, he said hoarsely. Jesus . . . Christ . . .
As he grabbed for the cross that hung around his neck, Janes head dropped and one of her hands tucked some of her short hair behind her ear. Oh, Manny . . . theres a lot you dont know.
So . . . tell me. When she didnt reply, the screaming in his head got way too loud. Youd better fucking tell me, because Im really done with feeling like a lunatic.
There was a long silence. I died, Manny, but not in that car wreck. That was staged.
Mannys lungs got tight. How.
A gunshot. I was shot. I . . . died in Vishouss arms.
Okay, he so could not breathe over here. Who did it?
His enemies.
Manny rubbed his crucifix, and the Catholic in him suddenly believed in the saints as so much more than examples of good behavior.
Im not who you once knew, Manny. On so many levels. There was such sadness in her voice. Im not even actually alive. That was why I didnt come back to see you. It wasnt about the vampire/human thing . . . its because I am not really here anymore.
Manny blinked. Like a cow. A number of times.
Well . . . the good news in all this, he supposed, was that finding out his former trauma surgeon was a ghost? Barely a blip on his radar. His mind had been blown too many times to count, and like a joint that had been dislocated, it had total and complete freedom of movement.
Of course, its functionality was fucked.
But who was counting.
TWENTY-SIX
Alone in downtown Caldwell, Vishous stalked the night by himself, traversing the underbelly stretch beneath the citys bridges. Hed started out at his penthouse, but that hadnt lasted more than ten minutes, and what an irony that all those glass windows had felt so confining. After launching himself into the air from the terrace, hed coalesced down by the river. The other Brothers would be out in the alleys looking for lessers and finding them, but he didnt want to be around the peanut gallery. He wanted to fight. Solo.
At least, that was what he told himself.
It dawned on him, however, after about an hour of aimless wandering, that he wasnt really looking for some kind of hand-to-hand showdown. He wasnt actually looking for anything.
He was utterly empty, to the point where he was curious where the ambulation routine was coming from, because he sure as fuck wasnt doing anything consciously.
Stopping and staring across the sluggish, stinking waters of the Hudson, he laughed cold and hard.
In all the course of his life, hed accumulated a body of knowledge to rival the Library of frickin Congress. Some of it was useful, such as how to fight, how to make weapons, how to get information and how to keep it secret. And then there was some that was relatively useless on a day-to-day basis, like the molecular weight of carbon, Einsteins theory of relativity, Platos political shit. There were also thoughts that he ruminated on once and never again, and their polar opposites, the ideas that he took out at regular intervals and played with like toys when he was bored. There were also things he never, ever let himself think of.
In and among those various cognitive outposts was a huge stretch of cerebellum that was nothing but a dump yard of bullshit that he didnt believe in. And given that he was a cynic? It was miles and miles of rotting, metaphorical Hefty bags full of trash along the lines of . . . fathers were supposed to love their sons . . . and mothers were gifts beyond measure . . . and blah, blah, blah.
If there was a mental equivalent of the EPA, that part of his brain would have been cited, fined, and closed down.
But it was funny. Tonights little stroll in this underpass of Godand-awful by the river had him ruminating through that landfill and pulling something out of the pile:
Bonded males were nothing without their females.
So bizarre. Hed always known hed loved Jane, but being the tight-ass that he was, he had stitched up his feelings without realizing a needle and thread were in his proverbial hand. Shit, even when shed come back to him after shed died, and hed known for that brief moment what the term overjoyed not just meant, but felt like . . . he hadnt truly let himself go.
Sure, his permafrost had slicked over on its top layer from the warmth she brought to him, but the inside, the deep inside, had stayed the same. Good God, theyd never even gotten properly mated. Hed just moved her into his room and loved every minute of having her there as theyd gone about their nights separately.
Hed fucking wasted those hours.
Criminally wasted them.
And now here they were, separated by rifts that, in spite of his intelligence, he had no clue how to cross.
Christ, when shed been holding those leathers in her hands and waiting for him to talk, it was like someone had stapled his lips togetherprobably because hed felt guilty about what hed done at his place, and how fucked-up was that? His own hand hardly counted as cheating.
The trouble was, however, that even being drawn to the type of release hed once had so much of had felt wrong. But that was because sex had always been a part of it.
Naturally, this made him think of Butch. The solution the guy had suggested was so obvious, V was surprised he hadnt realistically considered it sooner himselfbut then again, asking his best friend to beat the shit out of him wasnt exactly a casual idea to have.
He wished hed had that option a week ago. Maybe it would have helped things . . . Except that scene in the bedroom wasnt his and Janes only issue, was it. She should have come to him first about the sitch with his sister. He should have been briefed and decided what to do with the two of them.
As anger rose like a stench inside of him, he feared what was on the other side of this emptiness. He wasnt like other males, never had been, and not just because of the Mommie Dearest deity crap: Knowing his luck, hed be the one bonded male on the face of the planet who got past these purposeless numbs at losing his shellan . . . and went somewhere oh, so much darker.
Insanity, for instance.
Wait, he wouldnt be the first, would he. Murhder had gone mad. Absolutely and irrevocably.
Maybe they could start a club. And the handshake could involve daggers.
Emo-ass motherfuckers that they were
With a snarl, V pivoted in the direction of the prevailing wind, and he would have offered up a prayer of thanks if he didnt hate his mother so much: In and among the tendrils of fog, riding upon the vapors of gray and white humidity, the sweet smell of the enemy gave him purpose and a definition that his numb state had not just lacked, but seemed likely to reject.
His feet started to walk and then jog and then run. And the faster he went, the better he felt: To be a soulless killer was far, far, far better than to be a breathing void. He wanted to maim and murder; he wanted to tear with his fangs and claw with his hands; he wanted the blood of slayers on him and in him.
He wanted the screams of those he killed to ring in his ears.
Following the sickly stench, he cut over into the streets and weaved in and out of alleys and straightaways, tracking the scent as it grew stronger and stronger. And the closer he got, the more relieved he became. There had to be a number of themand even better news? No sign of his brothers, which meant first come . . . first served.
He was saving this for himself.
Rounding the last corner of the quest, he plowed into a short, squat stretch of urban armpit and skidded to a halt. The alley had no outlet on the other side, but like a chute system for livestock, the buildings on either side were directing the wind that came off the river outward, the herd of molecules scrambling and picking up the smells on their hooves and galloping it straight into his sinuses.
What . . . the . . . hell . . . ?
The stench was so strong, his nose filed relocation papersbut there werent a bunch of those pale-ass fools standing around, stroking each others knives. The place was empty.
Except then he noticed the sound of dripping. As if a faucet hadnt been quite turned off.
After throwing up some mhis, he pulled his glove free of his glowing hand and used his palm to light the way. Walking forward, the illumination formed a shallow pool of clear-and-visi right in front of him, and the first thing he came to was a boot . . . which was attached to a camod calf . . . and a thigh and hip. . . .
That was it.
The slayers body had been cut in half, sure as if it had been deli sliced, the cross section leaking portions of the intestinal tract, the stump of the spine showing bright white in and among all the greasy black.
A resonant scratching drew him over to the right.
This time he saw a hand first . . . a pale hand that was digging its nails into the damp asphalt and retracting like it was trying to hoe up the ground.
The lesser was just torso, but it was still alivealthough that wasnt a miracle; it was how they worked: Until you stabbed them through the heart with something that was made of steel, they hung around, no matter what state their bodies were in.
As V slowly moved his palm-light upward, he got a load of the things face. Its mouth was stretching wide, the tongue clicking as if it were trying to speak. Typical of the current crop of killers, this one was a new recruit, his dark skin and hair having yet to turn floury white.
V stepped over the bastard and kept going. A couple of yards over, he found the two halves of a second one.
As the back of his neck went ants-all-over in warning, he passed his glowing hand around, moving outward from the bodies in a concentric circle.
Well, well, well . . . wasnt this a blast from the past.
And so not in a good way.
Back at the Brotherhoods compound, Payne lay in her bed, waiting.
She was not good at patience at the best of times, and she felt as though ten years passed before her healer finally came back to her. When he did, he brought with him a thin booklike panel.
As he sat down on the bed, there was tension in his strong, handsome face. Sorry that took so long. Jane and I were firing up this laptop.
She had no clue what that meant. Just tell me whatever there is to say.
With quick, nimble hands, he opened the top half of the contraption. Actually, you need to see it for yourself.
Feeling as though she wanted to curse loud and often, she dragged her eyes to the screen. Immediately, she recognized the image of the room she was in. This was from before, however, because as she lay on the bed, she was staring at the bathroom. The frame was frozen like a picture, but then a little white arrow moved when he touched something and the picture became animated.
With a frown, she focused on herself. She was glowing: Any piece of flesh that showed was illuminated from within. Why ever was that
First she sat up from the pillow, her neck craned so that she could spy on her healer. More leaning to the side. And then maneuvering downward upon the bed . . .
I sat upright, she breathed. Onto my knees!
Indeed, her luminescent form had raised itself up perfectly and hovered with precise balance as she watched him in the shower.
You most certainly did, he said.
I am aglow as well. Why is that, though?
We were hoping you could tell us. You ever do that before?
Not that I was aware of. But I have been imprisoned for so long, I feel as though I know not myself. The file stopped. Do play it again?
When her healer didnt reply, and the pictures didnt renew their action, she glanced over at himonly to recoil. His face was showing a thunderous rage, the anger so deep, his eyes were nearly black.
Imprisoned how? he demanded. And by who?
Strange, she thought dimly. Shed always been told humans were a far milder form of creature than vampires. But her healers protective response was every bit as deadly as that of her own species.
Unless, of course, it wasnt about protection. It was entirely possible that her having been jailed was not attractive to him.
And who could blame him?
Payne?
Ah . . . Forgive me, healerperhaps my word choice is incorrect, as English is a second language to me? I have been under my mothers care.
It was nearly impossible to keep the distaste from her voice, but the camouflage must have worked, because the tension left him completely as he released his breath. Oh, okay. Yeah, that word does not mean what you think it does.
Indeed, humans as well had standards for behavior, did they not: His relief was as great as his tension had been. But then, it was not wrong to look for morality and decency in femalesor males.
As he replayed the pictures for her, she shifted her focus to the miracle that had happened . . . and found herself shaking her head at what she saw. Truly, I was unaware. How is . . . this possible?
Her healer cleared his throat. Ive talked it over with Jane . . . and shewell, wehave a theory. He stood up and went over to inspect a fixture on the ceiling. Its crazy, but . . . Marvin Gaye might just have known what he was talking about.
Marvin?
With a quick shift, he picked up a chair and placed it under the camera. He was a singer. Maybe Ill play you a song of his someday. Her healer planted his foot on the seat and rose to the ceiling where he disconnected something with a yank and got back down. Its good to dance to.
I do not know how to dance.
He glanced over his shoulder, his lids dropping low. Something else for me to teach you. As her body warmed, he approached the bed. And Im going to like showing you how.