Chapter Ten
Lana clutched the edge of the table and swallowed the puke back.
That son of a bitch has Espe, and God only knows what he’s done to her.
“What is it?”
“The vampires took Espe hostage.”
A four-letter word hissed from his lips as he spun on his heel and paced the room. “Any idea where they took her?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure he’ll tell me soon, though.”
“It’s another trap.”
“I know.” She rummaged through the debris for her laptop but couldn’t find it. Dammit. She hated having to call the Foundation with this news. The disappointment in Wade’s voice would be like a knife twisting in her gut. “I need to make a few phone calls,” she said before she disappeared into her bedroom and shut the door.
***
Byron opened a few windows to clear the vampire stench from the room. Judging by the intensity of it, the gang must’ve been here for several hours. What surprised him, though, was that they hadn’t left Espe a drained corpse. Highly unusual behavior for bloodsuckers, and that only added to his unease.
He needed to track them down before Lana fell into their trap. The guilt and anger on her face told him she’d fight to free her mentee, but he’d be damned if he’d let her do it alone. Time to call in the pack.
Greg answered his phone on the second ring. “Hey, Byron, how’d last night go?”
“I need you and whoever you can round up on the ranch in Vegas ASAP.”
“Uh-oh, what happened?”
“I’m organizing a little hunt.”
“Did they hurt your mate?”
The wolf inside snarled. “Not yet, but they’re sure as hell trying to get to her.”
“I’ll see who’s here and be on the road in about ten minutes. Need more bullets?”
“What do you think?” He was about to hang up when he added, “By the way, don’t tell anyone in the pack about her yet. Just tell them I might have a lead on Eddie’s killer. Call me when you get into the city limits and I’ll set up a rendezvous point.”
“Will do.”
He shoved the cell phone into his pocket and started trying to clean the room. If this situation had some shred of normalcy, he’d be calling the cops to come and dust the room for prints. Instead, justice fell into his hands. He planned on sticking to Lana’s side like glue, whether she liked it or not. It didn’t take a werewolf to smell out this trap. The only question that remained was why they wanted her.
When Lana emerged from her room half an hour later, her pale face and tense expression barely showed any of the surprise he heard in her voice. “What are you still doing here?”
“Helping you.”
That sparked her anger. Her stormy eyes flashed and her upper lip curled. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t need your help? You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“You underestimate me.”
The stress of the situation finally revealed itself in the sudden slump of her shoulders. She massaged her temples. “Byron, Espe was a trained hunter, and they got her. What makes you think you stand a chance against a gang of vampires?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I have backup on the way. They’ll be here in three to four hours.”
“I have backup on the way, too, only they’ll be here within the hour.”
So much for breaking her will. A new surge of color climbed up her neck into her cheeks. “Why the hell do you feel the need to stick your nose into my business? Apparently it isn’t enough to endanger your own life. No, you have to drag others into it as well.”
“Lana, all the men I invited to join us hate vampires and have a vendetta to settle with them over my uncle’s death.”
“Who cares? They’re still humans with nothing more than revenge on their side.”
“You’re wrong about that.” He cupped her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “I’m not letting you face them alone, Lana. If I have to hound your every step, I will, but I’d prefer to be treated as an equal here.”
“Byron, please, I can’t bear to lose you.”
And then he saw it. All her fear, her pain, her guilt, her grief. The real motivation for her words played out on her face like a movie, but only in fast-forward. She’d lost someone she cared about to a vampire.
He pulled her into his arms and tucked her head under his chin. “I’m harder to get rid of than you think.”
He should tell her the truth about what he was, about the pack, about why he’d never in his right mind leave her. It was sitting on the tip of his tongue when her phone rang.
She broke free from his embrace and rushed to answer it. “Hello?” The color drained from her cheeks.
She turned on the speakerphone and brought her finger up to her lips.
A rich, German-accented voice filled the room. The same one he’d heard in the voice mail on Eddie’s phone. “How are you this evening?”
A snarl formed in the back of Byron’s throat. He’d have his vengeance tonight or die trying.
“Quit the games, Klaus, and tell me where Espe is.”
The vampire chuckled as if she had told him a joke. “You get right to the point. I like you, Hunter.”
“I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, asshole.”
Klaus made a sound of disapproval. “Such a temper. And here I was calling you to negotiate Espe’s freedom.”
“Spill it.”
“As you can see outside, it’s almost sunset. I’d like to propose an exchange. You show up alone at a place of my choosing, and I let your little hunter go. You bring others with you, and she becomes more than just a delicious little snack.”
Her eyes narrowed and her fingers tightened about the phone. “What do you want with me?”
“We’ll discuss that at the drop-off point. Now, are you willing to agree to my terms?”
“The Foundation doesn’t negotiate with bloodsuckers.”
“That’s what they say, but you know as well as I do that rules are broken all the time.”
She turned to him and silently asked for his advice.
He crossed his arms and nodded. It wouldn’t hurt to play along for now. Anything to get him closer to Eddie’s killer.
“Fine. Where’s the drop-off point?”
“I’ll have a limo parked in front of the Mardi Gras in two hours. Remember, come alone, or Espe becomes my new plaything.”
The line went dead, and a shiver shook her body. She threw the phone at the couch in disgust. “God, I can’t believe I just agreed to this.”
He massaged the knots in her shoulders. “You did what you had to do to protect Espe. No one will fault you for that.”
“But I’ll be walking into his trap before my reinforcements get into town.”
“That’s why I’m glad I called the rest of the pack in.” Her shoulders tensed. “The pack?”
Now it was his phone that interrupted the conversation. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered. Greg’s voice filled the airwaves. “We’re almost there. Where’s the rendezvous point?”
Byron checked his watch. “Shit, you must’ve been going at least ninety miles per hour.”
His friend laughed. “Try over a hundred. When the Alpha calls, the pack responds.”
“I’m not the Alpha yet.” He glanced over at Lana to see if she’d overheard him.
The downward angle of the corners of her mouth told him she had.
“Speak for yourself. So, are you gonna give me an address, or are we going to have to circle the city all night?”
He rattled off Lana’s address and clicked the phone closed. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Your ‘pack’?”
“Yes, my pack.”
She increased the gulf between them and crossed her arms. “I’m not letting anyone in here until I get an explanation.”
So, she would finally learn the truth, although not in the way he wanted to tell her. Maybe after dinner or a few glasses of wine—something to lessen the initial shock. Now she was forcing him to show his hand.
He took a deep breath and decided the simplest explanation was the best. “I’m a werewolf.”