Together, they all left the penthouse and went down to the building’s car park below.

Lauren looked good dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. They fit her slender shape well, and for the first time Nikolai felt like he was seeing the person she’d been before he’d come into her life.

He didn’t like them being out in the open, however. Normally, the night brought him peace, but not tonight. Now, everywhere seemed to hold a portent of danger. Every dark crevice held the promise of someone hiding within the shadows. Every vehicle might be used to snatch away his Bloodmate. Every stranger they passed might be in collusion with the vampire who’d paid to own Lauren.

He wanted to feel reassured by having members of The Directive around him, but the nagging fear wouldn’t leave him. He should be happy about being able to march into the club with Henry Grimes and the others at his shoulder, to take Deacon down for what he had done to Lauren, and hold him accountable, and force him to give over the name of the other vampire, but instead unease nibbled away at his edges, leaving his nerves frayed, like rats on a sack filled with corn.

Henry and his two companions had arrived in one car, so they needed to divide between that vehicle and Nikolai’s car. “Take Price and Jennings with you,” Henry said. “I’ll ride with Ivan. Just gives you that little extra bit of protection in case something happens. Of course, we’ll be right behind you, so don’t think for a moment that you won’t also have backup.”

“Thank you, Henry.”

Nikolai didn’t know the exact scope of Henry’s powers, but he knew the witch must be powerful to be a part of The Directive. He hoped those powers would be put to use, should they need them.

They drove through the city. Nikolai didn’t think he’d ever been so tense in his life. Even in the early days, when he’d first come to London and didn’t know if the person who’d taken his human life had followed him over, he’d felt less stressed. He had more at stake now. He could handle losing his own life, but if something happened to Lauren, that would be the end of him. He kept glancing over to her, making sure she was still there, still real.

They drove across the East End of London and found two parking spots on the street on the other side of the road to the club. Behind them, the second car also pulled up, and Ivan and Henry climbed out. Nikolai stepped around to the other side of the car so he could put his arm protectively around Lauren’s waist.

Nikolai surveyed the front of the club. He remembered pulling her from the place only twenty-four hours earlier, dragging her through the streets in her dress and heels. The same rage he’d experienced at finding her locked behind bars surged through him again, and he gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his emotions. He’d need to keep it together, and he knew that was going to be hard, especially when he was faced with the son of a bitch who’d taken her.

It was still early, but a few people milled around, some queuing to get inside the club, while others hung out. A group of young people chatted while one of them finished a cigarette and threw the butt to the ground, bouncing red embers on the black tarmac.

Nikolai glanced over at Lauren. “If a single person so much as looks at you the wrong way in this place, I swear to God ...”

Her hand on his arm calmed him. “It’ll be okay, Nikolai. No one is going to let anything happen. We’re just going in there to talk. To put a stop to this.”

“You think whatever vampire bought you is going to just walk away? If he’s had a taste of your blood, he’s not going to just ask for a refund and let things go.”

Henry stepped forward, interrupting their conversation. “We can’t let him do that, anyway. It’s against the law for a vampire to buy a person against their wishes. There are protocols that need to be followed.”

“So, maybe he’ll realise he’s in trouble and just run?” she said, and he heard the hope in her voice.

“I want to believe that, too, Lauren, but you have no idea how enticing you are. If he’s had a taste of you, he’ll be like a drug addict trying to get his next fix. He won’t care that it’s against the law or that it might get him in trouble. He’ll keep coming for you until he gets what he’s paid for.”

Her lips tightened, and she lifted her chin. “Then we’ll have to find him and make sure he can’t.”

Nikolai risked a smile. She looked so fierce standing there, her dark eyes blazing, her shoulders back, her small chin lifted. He almost hoped the other vampire would get a glimpse of her, so he could see she wasn’t someone who would allow herself to be bought and used. She was a fighter, and she was brave, and, right in that moment, he thought he’d never been prouder of a single person his whole existence.

He reached down and laced his fingers into hers. “Let’s hope we can do that.”

The club was still quiet, but it was up and running. They pushed through the doors. A couple of doormen approached them, with burly shoulders and stern expressions.

“Where is Deacon Thorn?” Henry commanded. “Tell him The Directive is here to speak to him.”

The two doormen exchanged a glance and then vanished.

Despite there only being a handful of customers, girls wearing very little gyrated and danced on stage to the pounding music. The customers nursed drinks while staring up at the young women. This place wasn’t touted as being a strip club, and encouraged both men and women to frequent its dance floors, but at this time of night it seemed to be mainly older men.

Nikolai had expected Deacon to run, to put up some kind of a fight, or at least have some of his wolves around him. But instead the werewolf appeared less than flustered. He stood as they entered the room and greeted them with a smile.

Nikolai held back a growl. What the fuck was he playing at?

“Mr Grimes,” Deacon said, stepping forward to offer Henry his hand. “Your reputation precedes you. To what do I owe this visit?”

Nikolai glared at him. “Are you fucking kidding me? We’re here because you kidnapped Lauren and sold her to a vampire.”

Confusion crossed the other man’s face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. The last I saw of you was when you went crazy in my club and bit one of my employees. Really, it should be you The Directive is interviewing, not me.”

“Bullshit. Lauren knows exactly what happened to her. You held her in a cellar beneath the club. Ivan and I both got her out of there. You can’t possibly deny what happened!” Anger roiled within him, and he clenched his fists by his sides, trying to prevent himself from leaping across the desk and tearing the wolf’s head from his shoulders.

Deacon looked to Henry. “I’m sorry, Mr Grimes, but I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted journey. These two men have a reason to try to put a case against me. I forbid my daughter from having relations with this man,” he pointed to Ivan, “and to retaliate, he brought Nikolai into my club, and had him attack my employees. I’ve never seen this young woman before in my life, and I can only assume they’ve paid her to be here.”

Lauren lunged for him, but strong arms held her back. “You’re a fucking liar. You took me from the place I was staying. You threw a cloth sack over my head, and brought me here. Then you and your friends threatened to rape me in wolf form if I tried to escape.”

Nikolai whipped around with a snarl. “You did what?”

Henry took a step forward, placing himself between them. “I suggest everyone take a deep breath.”

Deacon jerked his chin. “That’s a good little actress you’ve got there. Should be in Hollywood.”

Henry lifted his hand. “I said that’s enough.”

Nikolai spun to Henry, imploring him. “Why would I call you here if I wasn’t telling the truth?”

Deacon gave a cold laugh. “That’s fairly obvious. You brought him here to try to destroy me.”

“I could have done that all on my own. I don’t give a shit about you, Deacon. You’re a nothing. A worthless piece of shit. The only reason I’m here now is to find out the identity of the vampire you sold Lauren to.”

He folded his arms across his chest and scowled at Nikolai. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Ivan stepped in. “Come on, Deacon. You and I have known each other for years. Sometimes you just have to accept when things haven’t gone to plan and hold your hands up.”

He scoffed at Ivan. “If you think I’m going to admit to something I didn’t do, you can think again. I know what this is all about. You want rid of me so you can get into my daughter’s knickers.”

Deacon turned back to Henry. “A number of my staff can back up what I’m telling you. I’m afraid it’s the truth. You’re targeting the wrong man.”

“What about cameras?” Henry asked. “You must have surveillance equipment?”

”I try to keep it limited. My customers appreciate their privacy, as do many of the girls who work here. I’m sure you understand.”

“Come down to the cellar,” Nikolai said to Henry. “I can show you where that son of a bitch kept her.”

Henry looked between them both and nodded. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”

Deacon waved a hand. “By all means, please, look wherever you like. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Nikolai shot him a glare and spun from the office, heading in the direction of the stairs which led them down to the network of corridors which housed the staff changing rooms, and the gated space where Lauren had been held. He kept hold of Lauren’s hand, even though he could tell she needed to run in order to keep up with him. The others were following as well—Henry, Ivan, Deacon, and their backup. A small horde charging through the narrow corridors, forced to move shoulder to shoulder, as Nikolai led the way to where he’d found Lauren locked up.

He pulled up short, Lauren almost crashing into his back.

“What—” she started, but then the words faded from her lips as she must have seen what was wrong.

Where previously they’d been able to continue down the corridor, to the gate which led to the cellar where she’d been held, now they were faced with boxes of bottles beer stacked several layers thick. Behind the boxes, Nikolai caught sight of a red brick wall which hadn’t been there yesterday.

The son of a bitch must have had it built, hiding the crime area.

Nikolai gave a roar of anger. He bent and picked up one of the boxes and threw it to one side. The bottle inside smashed with a crash of glass, and the pungent scent of beer filled the air.

“What the hell!” Deacon declared. “That’s private property you’re destroying.”

“The place you kept her is right beyond this wall. It wasn’t here yesterday. You must have had it built, and then you’ve stacked these boxes against it to make it look as though it was always here!”

“It has always been here. This is our stock room.”

“Bullshit. I’ll smash every box if I have to, and then I’ll tear down that goddamned wall with my own hands.” Fury raged through him, a fire ripping through his insides, threatening to consume him.

“He’s right,” Lauren said to Henry. “This wall wasn’t here yesterday.”

Deacon stepped in, muscling his way through. “You can’t come down here and start destroying the place.” He turned to Henry. “Surely, this has gone far enough. When it’s one person’s word against the other, I don’t believe you’re allowed to come in and start tearing apart the other person’s business.”

Henry pressed his lips together, but to Nikolai’s dismay, he nodded. “He’s right. I’m not about to start tearing down walls, especially when the club has customers and we don’t know what damage it will do to the structure. There’s clearly some bad blood going on here, and right now I’m not sure what to think.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kid—” Nikolai started, but Henry lifted a finger to stop him.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to call in the other two members of my team so we can look at this further. There’s a spell that can be conducted that forces the both of you to tell the truth, but it’ll need some preparation.”

“Those kinds of spells sometimes work differently on werewolves than vampires,” Nikolai growled. “They can’t always be depended upon.”

“The other members of my team will make sure everything goes to plan.” He looked between them. “I assume that will be a satisfactory result for everyone.”

Nikolai glowered at Deacon. He didn’t want to wait any longer. He wanted Henry to force the name of the vampire who’d bought Lauren out of Deacon. Wasn’t that the most important thing here?

“Your taskforce is supposed to protect Bloodmates. This doesn’t feel like you’re protecting her. You should be doing your job.”

Henry’s tone grew cold. “Lauren is surrounded by us. I’m calling my other two team members over from where they’re working on another case in France. We won’t let anything happen to her. Considering everything, I think I’m more than doing my job.”

The smug look on Deacon’s face made Nikolai want to rip his head from his shoulders.

Nikolai pointed a finger in his direction. “This isn’t over. We’ll settle this tonight.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Frustration coursed through his veins. A part of him wished he’d never got The Directive involved. He should have dealt with this himself, hidden Lauren somewhere safe, and come over here with Ivan and torn this whole place apart. While his heart told him that was what he wanted to do, his head told him otherwise. Nowhere would be safe for Lauren while this other vampire was out there, and, if he’d come to Deacon’s club alone, and something happened to him, he’d have left Lauren alone and exposed. That would never have done. He also didn’t know how being apart from her would affect his Thirst affliction. If he spent hours with her not by his side, would he lose control again? Or would it take days for The Thirst to return?

Biting down on his anger, he tightened his grip around Lauren’s hand and pulled her from the club. The others followed, and they left Deacon Thorn and his wolves behind as they stepped back out onto London’s streets.

“I’m not happy about what just happened,” he snapped as they headed towards the cars.

Henry shook his head. “We’re not vigilantes, Nikolai. We’re brought in to make sure peace is kept within the supernatural society, and that means following rules. I can’t take accusations as the truth if someone else is refuting them. Now, we have methods of finding out the truth, and I need you to trust those methods.”

It was killing him inside, but he managed to growl, “Fine.”

“Is there any truth in what Deacon said?” Henry asked.

“Some,” he admitted. “Ivan has been dating his daughter, and I did attack a girl in the club a couple of nights ago.” He could feel Lauren’s gaze on him, and inwardly he shrank in shame. He didn’t want her to think of him in that way—that he was a monster who would attack innocent women. In that way, how did it make him any worse than Deacon? “But that wasn’t me, not really. The Thirst had hit me, though I didn’t realise it then. I would never do something like that in my right mind. It was only because I was in the club that I picked up on Lauren’s scent. If I hadn’t, she would already be in the hands of this other vampire.”

Henry nodded. “When the others arrive, we’ll go back and do a search of Deacon’s office. If he’s done a transaction with this vampire, he’ll have left a trail somewhere.”

“And if he just denies everything again?”

“Like I said, there’s a spell I can use to make sure the truth comes out, but I don’t want to do it alone. I want the rest of my team with me in case there’s any fallout.”

Nikolai lifted his eyebrows. “Fallout, as in Deacon reacting badly?”

“Assuming what you’re telling me is the truth, he’s not going to want to have someone like me probing into his mind. Whoever is guilty is most likely going to try to disrupt the spell in some way.”

“You think that’s what he’s going to do?”

“It will be as sure a sign as any that he’s guilty, but I need to have my people with me.”

Nikolai nodded. The rage he’d been experiencing while at the club began to dissipate. The Directive had their own way of dealing with things, and Henry was right, he did need to trust in the process. It was just difficult when every instinct told him he needed to protect Lauren, and part of protecting Lauren involved making sure Deacon paid for what he’d done to her.

“If you kill Deacon, we might never find out who the vampire is,” Ivan warned, clearly reading Nikolai’s mind.

“And we can’t allow you to take things into your own hands,” Henry warned. “Doing so might start a turf war between the werewolves and vampires in London, and you’ve lived in peace, side-by-side, in such a cramped space for many years now. If you harm Deacon without our say-so, that will become The Directive’s business, too.”

They stopped at the vehicles.

“I understand,” Nikolai said, wanting to finish the conversation before they climbed in. “How long will it be until the other members of your team arrive?”

“They’ve already left. They’ll be here before morning.”

“And what do we do in the meantime?”

Henry glanced to the woman at Nikolai’s side. “I suggest you go home. Lauren is human, and will still need her rest.”

“I’m fine,” Lauren insisted, lines appearing across her normally smooth brow.

“And she’s not fully human,” Nikolai pointed out.

Henry’s lips pressed together. “Even so, that seems like the safest and most sensible thing to do at this point.”

It wasn’t what Nikolai wanted to do, but he didn’t feel like he had much choice in the matter. “Very well.”