Chapter 23
Hank
Edwina opens her mouth just as my phone rings. We separate, and I notice the unfamiliar number flashing on the screen. I’m tempted to ignore it, but it might be one of Edwina’s associates.
“Yeah?” I connect and glance at her.
“Hank, this is Ace. We’ve a problem.”
“What is it?”
“Ya brother got a call from Damien Duchamp. As soon as he hung up, Tyson said he had to go back.”
“Why the fuck would he do that?” I shout.
“Ryder threatened the kid if ya brother refuses to fight.”
Edwina’s staring at me. The scowl spreading over her face lets me know she’s listening in. “Shit. We’re on our way back. Give us a couple of hours.” I end the call.
“Do ya really think Ryder would hurt Michael?” she asks and drops the keys in my palm.
“I’m not chancing it.” I walk around to the driver’s side and open the door. “We need to find Tyson.”
“No,” Edwina says as she enters the vehicle. “We find Michael. Ya brother will take care of himself.”
I jam the car into gear and let the motor rev before peeling back onto the dirt road. “What I don’t understand is why Sheila got tied up with Ryder and Duchamp in the first damned place. It makes no fucking sense.”
Angel’s hands creep into her lap and twist together.
Oh hell. Edwina knows something. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“When I compelled Sheila, I saw something,” Edwina mutters.
A shiver spirals down my spine, and I growl. “What?”
“Did ya know Jackson Ryder was Sheila’s cousin?”
The words semi-blind me, like a bomb blast, and I jerk the steering wheel, letting the car drift onto the shoulder. Panic engulfs me. I can’t think. My head drops.
“Hank,” Edwina continues, “Sheila is helping her uncle. She never loved ya nor ya brother.”
I clutch my chest. This isn’t a heart attack though. More like reality kicking my ass.
“Hank!” Edwina screams. Her hands are on me as if she’s searching for a source of pain.
I push her off me. “It’s not what you think. I’m fine.”
“What’s wrong? Talk to me,” she demands.
“Can you believe I thought Sheila might have been sleeping with Jackson?” I scrub a hand over my face. “That would be an easier pill to swallow.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell ya, but ya needed to know.”
“Thanks.” After a few calming breaths, I’m able to steer the car back onto the highway. “We can’t let them hurt an innocent kid. Any ideas how to find Michael?”
“I’ll contact Morgan. She can work with her mama. A locator spell might help or…”
“Or what?”
“I could meet with Damien,” Edwina says calmly. “It won’t take me long to learn what he knows.”
My eyes swing from the road, and I roar, “No way in hell—”
“It’s the best way for me to learn what’s happened to the child. If Damien’s had anything to do with it, I’ll read it from him.” She touches my hand. “Let me help ya, dawlin’. It’s the least I can do.”
“No, Angel,” I protest. “I won’t put you in harm’s way.”
“Ya not putting me anywhere.” She swallows hard. “During my time, I’ve learned not all family share blood. Michael’s that type of family.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I side-glance at Edwina. My throat acts like a prison, trapping the words I need to say.
“Okay, Hank. We’ll find another way.” She removes her phone from her pocket and taps out a message. “I’ve asked Morgan for help. It’s late and ya should get some sleep. We’ll go back to Kragen’s and regroup.”
I’d rather have this female under me tonight, but I need rest more. Thanks to Ryder’s men beating the shit out of my ass and the metal collar cutting into me, I’m worn out and weak. Even my beast agrees for a change.
Hours later, I awaken in a darkened room. Edwina rests beside me—eyes shut, body stretched out as if she was laid out by a mortician. It always freaks me out to see her like this. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that my love is no longer alive. Right now, it’s time for her to feed.
I swing my legs out of bed, tug on my jeans, and grab my T-shirt as I make my way into the hallway. Darkness covers every inch of the mansion. More proof of the vampires shrouded within its walls. The aged stairs creak beneath my weight. Somewhere in the distance a grandfather clock chimes out the hour—nine in the morning.
“Is there something I can get for ya?” The booming voice sounds behind me.
My heart ricochets in my chest. Damn vampires can be more stealthy than a cat. I take a calming breath and face the brother. “I could eat some breakfast. Edwina needs to feed as well.”
“Follow me.”
“I don’t think I caught your name last night,” I point out as he leads me down the narrow hall.
We stop in a small kitchen that’s seen better days. Missing drywall exposes reddish brick. Paint peels from cabinets while the wood on the counters is splintered and bowed. In the middle of the faded-and-chipped painted floor is a lopsided table. Crossing the room, the pine boards squeak and groan beneath the servant’s shiny shoes. He stops in front of a stainless-steel fridge, standing out like a new silver dime, on one side of the room.
“I am called Baldovino. Ya intended refers to me as Vin.” He reaches into the fridge and removes a raw steak. “How do ya want this prepared?”
“A little char on the outside would be nice.”
Baldovino goes over to an equally new six-burner gourmet stove, places the steak in a cast-iron skillet, and turns on the jet. The smell of burning meat tickles my nose and makes my stomach growl. A few seconds later he sets a china plate and silverware in front of me. Blood pools beneath the meat. Lifting the knife and fork, I tear into the food. The servant stands over me, obviously looking for approval.
I raise a thumb while I chew. “Perfect.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take a bottle of the Master’s finest up ta the Missus.” Baldovino opens a cabinet and removes a dark bottle and a goblet.
“If you don’t mind,” I start. “What did you mean by my intended?”
“Before I became undead,” Baldovino places the items on a silver tray, “I was a seer. It might surprise ya ta learn the hybrid was meant for ya.”
“How so?” I continue chewing.
“Are ya familiar with the zodiac?”
I nod, finishing my steak.
“Then ya know earth and water work together. The hybrid is the earth. Her former partner was also of the earth. Definitely a strong attraction, but their relationship had no future. It was only about the physical. Ya are water to the earth. Ya soften her heart. Ya let her know she’s cared for.” Baldovino inclines his head. “The Missus is rested and is looking for ya.”
Pushing away my empty plate, I reach for the tray. “Let me take that up for you.”
Baldovino extends it toward me. “Thank ya. Just remember the hybrid needs ya. It will take a lot for her to admit it, though.”
Understatement of the year.
Opening the bedroom door, I see Edwina sitting on the side of the bed. She’s wearing a thin white nightshirt which grazes the tops of her caramel-colored thighs. “Morning, Angel.”
“Good morning, dawlin’.” She reaches for the glass, and I pour out the crimson fluid. “Thank ya.”
I set the tray on the nightstand. “Have you heard from Morgan?”
“Yes. Michael is being held in a warehouse outside of town. It’s the site for this evening’s fight.” Edwina takes a long sip from the goblet, draining the contents.
“What else?”
She holds the glass out for a refill, and I happily oblige. Edwina takes a moment, staring at the viscous fluid, before speaking. “I also spoke with Julien. The BlackGuard wants Tyson to go through with the fight.”
“What? No!” It’s a good thing I’m not holding the bottle. “Have they lost their fucking minds?”
Edwina clenches her fingers around the stem. “They believe that it’s the best way to shut the PFC down.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Right now we only have conjecture. If there’s a fight, however, and someone is killed…”
Angel doesn’t have to say it. If someone dies during a fight, the BlackGuard will have evidence of the PFC’s nefarious agenda. Problem is they want to sacrifice my brother to get it. Ain’t happening.
“Where’s the fight being held?”
Edwina’s eyes widen, and the blood she just ingested drains from her face. “Ya not going there!”
“I can’t let my brother die because of my actions,” I shoot back.
“And I won’t let the one who holds my heart die either.” Her hand goes to my cheek. “Dawlin’, I love ya. Don’t make me face the rest of my eternity without ya.”