Chapter 48
Quinn paid the cabbie and jumped out of the taxi, waiting until it disappeared down the hill before he walked back two blocks and turned into the next street, blending into the shadows of the large trees that lined it. Paranoia was hard to shake, and his years as a vampire had taught him never to let his guard down, even if he had no reason to believe that he was being followed. The last thing he wanted to do was to put one of his fellow vampires in jeopardy, particularly when he was here to ask for a favor.
Just because Zane had disappeared with the girl didn't mean that his other problems had just vanished with him. Finding out where the a.s.sa.s.sin had come from was still paramount, and once Quinn had a lead on that, he could use it to force Zane to come back. He knew his friend well enough to realize that once he had crucial information about Mller's whereabouts, nothing could keep Zane from pursuing his ultimate goal: revenge. Not even a piece of a.s.s as enticing at Portia-he hoped.
With a sigh, he stopped in front of the modern home that sat high on Twin Peaks. Its floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around two sides of the house, the back reaching into the mountain behind it. While impressive, it felt by no means out of place in this neighborhood. Just like a vampire's home was meant to be: possessing all the amenities necessary for a comfortable life, yet fitting in and not attracting any unwanted attention.
Quinn walked up to the entrance door and rang the bell. It took only a moment before it opened, yet it wasn't Thomas who greeted him, but Nina, Amaury's hot-headed mate. Her blond curls were tousled, and she looked slightly out of breath. Her sweat smelled sweet and ever so tempting. He could only imagine how her blood must taste, but he would never know for sure how rich and delicious it was. Only Amaury did. And he would kill anybody who touched her.
"Oh, hey, Quinn."
"I won!" Eddie's enthusiastic shout came from behind her.
"Hey, Nina. Is Thomas in?"
She opened the door all the way and motioned him to enter. "He and Amaury are downstairs in the garage."
Quinn entered the large open plan living area with the set of computers nestled in one corner and a large flat-screen TV mounted on one wall. Eddie, Nina's brother stood in front of it, a white plastic object in his hands.
"What are you guys doing?" Quinn asked, pointing at the screen, which showed some sort of green field.
"Wii Tennis," Eddie answered and grinned. "And I'm kicking my big sister's b.u.t.t!"
Quinn smirked. Well, who wouldn't want to kick that cute b.u.t.t, or rather, slap it? Another thing he'd never get to do if he didn't want to find himself at the end of a stake.
"It's only the second set; we said three out of five," Nina reminded her brother and s.n.a.t.c.hed the Wii controller from him.
Starting a new set, she moved into position and swung her right arm as if she were holding a tennis racket. Pinging sounds came from the TV. Her b.o.o.bs bounced as her arm came full circle, and Quinn had to tear his eyes away from the lovely sight. He definitely had a thing for hot women, particularly those who belonged to other men. At least that way, he knew for sure that none of them would snare him in her net and force him to settle down. Getting married was furthest from his mind-who'd ever heard of a married playboy? And that's what he was, a playboy. Hefner was an inexperienced schoolboy compared to him.
Quinn grinned to himself and headed down the stairs that led into the garage. As he approached, he could already hear Thomas's and Amaury's voices.
Knocking briefly at the door at the bottom of the stairs, he entered.
"Hey, guys."
Thomas and Amaury both looked at him and greeted him with enthusiasm.
"About time we get to see you," Amaury said and clasped Quinn's hand.
"Hey, Quinn." Thomas waved a hand in greeting then wiped it on his grease smeared pants.
Quinn cast a quick glance at the motorcycle next to him, noticing that half the engine seemed to be missing. "Working on another bike?"
"Just a few minor repairs."
Quinn raised a doubting eyebrow. "If you say so." If taking an engine apart and putting it back together was minor, then how hard could it be for this technical genius to pry a computer chip from that mangled cell phone Quinn still had in his pocket?
"So, about Zane," Amaury started and gave him a
"Yeah, not a good situation," Quinn felt compelled to say.
Thomas took a step closer. "Kind of strange that you didn't notice what was going on inside him, particularly since you've known him the longest."
Quinn shrugged, not willing to give away his secrets. "You know how unreadable he is. Hey, what's done is done. Any sightings of his Hummer?"
Amaury shook his head. "Nothing so far. He's vanished."
Thomas interrupted. "I have an automated software program running right now to get into Zane's personal accounts. I tell you, that guy's paranoid. Everything is encrypted to the hilt. But I'll get in sooner or later."
"What do you hope to find?" Quinn asked.
"He must have had an idea where to take Portia. He wouldn't just go to a hotel; that's too dangerous once it's daytime. I'm guessing he has a place somewhere."
"Not that Zane ever mentioned any of that to us," Amaury added and gave Quinn a penetrating look. "Maybe he's said something to you. Has he contacted you?"
"Listen, Amaury, and you too, Thomas, just because I'm his oldest and closest friend doesn't mean he tells me s.h.i.+t. I'm the first one to admit that Zane is on the edge, but I don't like it when you guys insinuate that I should have known, or that I know something I'm not telling. I'm as loyal to Scanguards as the two of you." Offense was better than defense; he hoped this would take the heat off him.
Amaury raised his hands in capitulation. "Hey, no offense. We're just all a little agitated."
Thomas nodded in agreement. "I blame myself. I should have said something earlier, but I figured a warning would be sufficient."
"Said what earlier?" Quinn wanted to know, his hackles rising.
"That I noticed something going on between him and his charge. But by the time I told Samson, it was already too late."
s.h.i.+t! So Thomas was the one who'd ratted on Zane. Quinn gritted his teeth.
Thomas held up his hand. "I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't like that. Samson already had a suspicion. I only confirmed it. And I would do it again. What I regret is that we didn't tell Zane to his face. If we'd done that maybe we would have realized what he was planning."
Quinn kept his anger in check. It would do no good to pick a fight with Thomas, particularly since he still hadn't come to what he was there to ask for.
"I doubt even that would have made a difference. Zane hides his emotions better than anybody," Amaury added and gave Thomas a friendly slap on the shoulder.
"Hey, Thomas, given your sentiment about how things went down with Zane, maybe you wanna help me try to coax him back," Quinn baited his colleague.
Thomas's eyebrows went up. "Coax Zane? How?"
Quinn pulled the mangled cell phone from his pocket, drawing both Amaury's and Thomas's gaze onto it.
"There's some information he's after, and I'm pretty sure that if I can get it for him, he'll come running back."
Even though he'd promised Zane not to let Thomas know that this had anything to do with him, this was a promise he couldn't keep. Thomas would work on this problem with much more speed and energy if he knew it could bring Zane back.
"Information in that piece of s.h.i.+t?" Amaury asked full of doubt.
"What kind of information?" Thomas added.
"Phone numbers, contact info, anything you can pry out of it."
Quinn tossed the phone to Thomas who caught it in one hand. He turned it between his fingers and looked at it from all sides.
Then he raised his eyes. "Explosion?"
Quinn shrugged. "Can you salvage the chip?"
"Maybe."
"I thought you were a genius," Quinn needled him.
"And I thought you were loyal to Scanguards."
"It's nothing to do with Scanguards," Quinn protested. "And that's all I can tell you."
"For now," Thomas said calmly, "I'm going with it, but if something turns out to be fishy, I'll demand the whole story."
"Fair enough."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.
Portia traced her fingers over Zane's arm, feeling an intimacy and connection that she'd thought impossible before. Being in Zane's arms had exceeded all her wildest dreams. The pain of losing her virginity had been fleeting and had been instantly replaced by intense pleasure that had built and built until she'd thought she could take no more.
She purred like a content cat and snuggled closer to Zane's lean body.
"My sentiments exactly," he husked at her ear, and pulled her lobe between his lips, humming softly.
Her smile intensified as if wanting to permanently imprint itself on her face. "I liked it."
"Just 'liked'?" he growled while his hand on her stomach pressed her firmer into the curve of his body-his still very hard body. "You practically pa.s.sed out."
Her cheeks flamed. "I nodded off. Sorry."
He lifted her chin with the tip of his fingers and turned her face to him. "Don't be. I like holding you."
"Just 'like'?" she teased back.
His eyes sparkled in response. "What do you think?"
Portia turned in his arms and stroked her hand over the spot on his neck where she'd bitten him. The skin had instantly mended, repairing itself, but she could still visualize the tiny wound.
Zane's eyes darkened, and a moan issued from his chest. "I can still feel your fangs there." He pulled her closer.
She licked her lips, remembering his rich taste, suddenly hungry for more. "Can we do it again?"
"Just the biting?"
"No. Both."
"Biting and making love?"
Portia felt warmth spread in her belly. "I want both."
"Anytime, baby girl. You just tell me when you're ready for me."
Encouraged by his tender voice and the warmth she felt from him, she brushed her fingers over his forearm again, lingering over the tattoo on its inside. She dropped her gaze to it and felt him s.h.i.+ft.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."
"Portia..."
His muscles tensed.
"You must have gone through a horrible time." She'd sensed earlier that whatever things he'd experienced in the death camps, had shaped his beliefs about himself. And now that she'd experienced the pa.s.sion that was inside of Zane, she wanted more. She wanted to understand him, to find out what else was inside him. If he let her in.
"It's best to forget it."
"But you haven't forgotten." Beneath her fingers, the tattoo seemed to burn.
Zane squeezed his eyes shut. "No. I can never forget."
Her hand went to his cheek, cupping it. He jerked for a split-second, then placed his own palm over her hand.
"Why do you want to know about it?" He opened his eyes and gazed at her.
"Because I want to know who you are." She collected all her courage to speak the next words. "Because I'm falling in love with you."
A flash of despair lit in his eyes. "Oh, G.o.d, Portia. Please don't... You're young. This is your first experience. You don't know what you're feeling."
Portia shook her head. Her feelings toward him were intense and honest, and most of all, very clear: it wasn't simply desire that held her captured in his arms, it was something deeper and more potent than anything else she'd ever experienced. "I know what I feel."
"You don't know me."
"Then help me get to know you."
He stared at her, his jaw tight, his chest heaving as if he had trouble breathing.
"Please," she whispered. "Tell me who you are."
Zane closed his eyes in a motion of surrender. "Promise me something."
"Anything."