Heat of the Night

  “I have to head to McDougal’s,” Connor said, “before Rachel calls.”

  “You can’t go. You’ll never get past security.”

  “Watch me.” Connor smiled grimly. “I can’t read the language of the Ancients—I slept through those classes—but I can break into anywhere and kick the shit out of anyone.”

  Aidan appeared prepared to argue.

  “Trust me, Aidan. It’s better this way. Instead of you risking your job, you can play the victim of a kidnapping or something like that. You’ll be blameless.”

  “It’s a fucked-up plan,” Aidan muttered.

  “Hey, I learned those from the best.”

  Growling low, Aidan nevertheless said, “Go. I’ll work on figuring out why she wants this damn trinity so bad.”

  Stacey reached for the book and opened it, running her fingers over the text. “What is this?”

  Needing to have some connection to her, Connor set his hand on her shoulder and leaned over. “Prior to the creation of virtual databases, our people documented our history in texts, just as you do.”

  “You can’t read this?” she asked, her gaze locked on the turning pages.

  “No. Our present-day language is based on it, just as your language is rooted in Latin, but only scholars and the overly curious—like Cross—know enough of its pure form to make sense of it.”

  “Jesus,” she whispered. “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

  He glanced up at Aidan who caught his eye and said, “We’ll take care of her.”

  Connor hated that he couldn’t be the one to comfort her, but he knew his place in Stacey’s life was tenuous at best. She needed consolation and security, and he knew she wouldn’t turn to him for either. The best he could do was manage the logistics and dirty work of Justin’s retrieval.

  He nodded. “Thanks. I’m off to get the things we need.”

  Stacey twisted in the chair to look up at him. “What things? What do we need?”

  “I’m going after your son. I’ll need certain equipment to do it.”

  Hope filled her eyes. “I’m going with you.”

  “No way,” he said firmly. “It’s not safe. You need—”

  “Don’t tell me it’s not safe!” She lunged to her feet. “If Justin is there, I’m there. Did you see the terror on his face? Did you see that freak sitting next to him, hiding behind that fucking mask so I can’t identify him to the police?”

  “A mask?” Lyssa frowned.

  “Yeah, Doc. A mask. With black eyes and fake vampire teeth. It scared me just looking at it. I can’t imagine what my baby is going through—” Stacey’s voice choked into silence.

  Connor caught her close, unable to do otherwise, but she struggled and broke free. She rounded the island, as if that barrier could keep him from her.

  His jaw tensed as her rejection cut deeply.

  “A mask…” Lyssa whispered through white lips. “Oh no!”

  Connor could see that she understood the implication. He had no idea how Rachel was controlling the Nightmare-infected Guardian, but regardless, he doubted the leash was tight enough to ensure Justin’s safety for long.

  The clock was ticking.

  Shoving the cell phone in his pocket, Connor turned to leave. “I’m out.”

  Aidan sank into the chair in front of the duffel.

  “I’ll make coffee,” Lyssa said.

  “I’m going to pack,” Stacey muttered, leaving the kitchen.

  Connor gritted his teeth and ran out the door, preparing himself for the argument ahead. He was not going to risk Stacey. Best she get used to that idea now.

  He climbed into Lyssa’s Roadster and took off.

  Chapter 13

  The drive from the massive wrought iron security gate to the front of the McDougal mansion was not a short one. It was at least two miles long and it wended up the rather steep hill in a series of sharp turns. Cameras on poles turned their eyes to mark Connor’s progress, a precaution the McDougal security team made no effort to hide.

  Having seen Aidan’s memories, Connor knew the first time his friend had come here he’d been slightly intimidated by the rather forbidding welcome. Months later, it still put Aidan on edge, but the job was uniquely suited to their needs so he managed. A bit of discomfort was worth the money the job paid and the unlimited travel expenses.

  Connor didn’t have the luxury or inclination to be nervous about the task ahead. Stacey and Justin needed him and his personal discomfort didn’t matter as far as he was concerned.

  He rounded the circular drive and parked Lyssa’s BMW in the parking spot designated with Aidan’s name. The main house was located around the next bend. This smaller building was set aside for Aidan’s use.

  When Aidan was ready to work, a team of six assistants would be on hand to help him. Since he was supposed to be in Mexico, the building was deserted, which suited Connor’s aims perfectly. He was going to “borrow” the items he needed. He was pretty certain McDougal would consider it stealing.

  Pulling Aidan’s keys out of his pocket, Connor unlocked the heavy metal door. He pushed it open and the lights came on, illuminating a linoleum-lined hallway flanked by rooms suiting various purposes on either side.

  In some respects, it reminded him of both the rock cavern in the Twilight and the private gallery in the Temple of the Elders where the floor dissolved into multi-colored swirls and glimpses of a starry expanse of space. Fanciful, he knew, to compare this sterile human environment to the mysteries of the Twilight, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of déjà vu.

  Connor unlocked the third door on the right and the sensor by the door picked up the movement and turned on the lights. Scattered across the room were numerous stainless steel tables covered with electronics in various stages of assembly. Against the far wall, a specially designed rack held dozens of silver laptops and he went there first.

  They were all charged, due Aidan’s lengthy absence, so Connor grabbed the first one he found and turned to scan it into the computer, which would activate it.

  The level of security utilized by McDougal was astonishing even to a man possessed of Connor’s vast knowledge. He often wondered why the man was so intrigued with the ancient past and what it was about his present that made him so neurotically wary. McDougal never accepted visitors and was often compared to Howard Hughes in the latter stages of his dementia.

  “Who are you?”

  Connor jumped at the sound of McDougal’s distinctively raspy voice. He glanced behind him, but he was alone in the room. McDougal was speaking through the crystal-clear speakers positioned in every corner.

  “Connor Bruce,” he replied, imagining what the man looked like who went with that voice. It sounded almost as if he was on a respirator.

  “Should I know you, Mr. Bruce?”

  Smiling wryly, Connor shook his head. “No. I’m afraid not, Mr. McDougal.”

  “Then why are you absconding with my expensive equipment?”

  Connor paused in the act of placing the now-functional laptop into its padded case. A reasonable question. And he valued Aidan’s job enough to be honest. “Something pressing has come up and I need help.”

  “Ah, yes. You mercenary types are never completely free of danger are you?”

  “You’re taking this well,” Connor noted.

  “How does Mr. Cross figure into this plan of yours?”

  “I brained him and stole his car and keys.”

  “And you magically know your way around my facility as if you’ve been here many times?”

  “Uh…something like that.”

  There was a long hesitation, but Connor kept moving, gathering up all the many items he’d need to track Rachel’s cellular signal. “I’m a very wealthy man, Mr. Bruce.”

  “Yes, sir. I know that.” He caught up the bag and left the room, moving with bold strides down the hall.

  “There is a good reason for that.”

  “I’m sure there is.” Connor keyed in th
e code that opened the armory door.

  “I don’t allow people to take advantage of me.”

  The lock mechanism beeped its approval and the pneumatic locks disengaged with a sharp hiss. Connor pushed the heavy door open and set his bag down on the table in the center of the room. A marksman’s paradise.

  “I’m not taking advantage of you, sir.” He began pulling handguns from their respective racks and laid them out next to the laptop. “I promise to return everything I’m taking with me today.”

  “Including Mr. Cross?”

  “Especially Cross,” Connor said, filling the magazine tube with rounds. “He’ll have a nasty bump on the head, but otherwise, he’ll be no worse for wear.”

  “I’m inclined to stop you.”

  “I’m inclined to make it difficult for you to do so.”

  “I have a dozen armed men surrounding Cross’s vehicle as we speak.”

  Connor reached behind him and tapped the hilt of his glaive over his shoulder.

  “Hmm…I have a fondness for swords,” McDougal said.

  “Me, too. I can kick a lot of ass with one. It’s not pretty, so I’d prefer to take a more peaceable route, if you don’t mind.” Working industriously, Connor dumped out another box of rounds and filled more mag clips.

  “You know your way around an armory, Mr. Bruce.”

  “It’s a prerequisite for us mercenary types.”

  “I could use more men like you,” McDougal said, though in truth it was a demand. They both knew Aidan was at his mercy. “I think you owe me for my cooperation, don’t you agree?”

  “What do you want?”

  “A credit for a future task. Of my choosing.”

  Connor paused and stared grimly down at the weapons in his hands. His instincts were finely honed and he trusted them implicitly. Right now they were clanging hell-for-leather. He exhaled harshly. “Cross keeps his job?”

  “Certainly. After all, it’s not his fault you brained him, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Excellent!” Satisfaction dripped from the coarse voice. “Puts me in a good mood. Perhaps you could use some assistance? Some manpower? Equipment?”

  Oh yeah…he was in deep shit if McDougal anticipated his “credit” being worth all that. But what the hell. If he was going to strike a bargain with the devil, he damn well expected to get his soul’s worth out of it.

  “All of the above,” he said, getting back to work. “Can I get a chopper, too?”

  Aidan stared down at the somewhat tiny filigreed triangle with its intricate design and wondered what value it held. It was thin, about two inches in diameter with no back to it. He could see right through it, so there was no compartment to hide anything inside. In fact, if he found this without having any preconceived notions of what it was, he’d guess it was a necklace charm or some other bit of jewelry.

  “Hey.” Lyssa pulled out the chair beside him and sat, setting a cup of steaming coffee down in front of her. “Is that it?”

  He shrugged and twisted the book around so that she could see the rendering that had been made of it in the pages. “It’s definitely one of the items I was hoping to find, but there are pieces that work in conjunction with it and we don’t have them.”

  “At least it’s a triangle,” she offered. “That’s a good sign.”

  “Yes, it’s hopeful. There’s a mention of the Mojave Desert. The coordinates here—” he pointed to the page “—line up to that area and the mentions of caverns seem to confirm it.”

  She reached out and set her hand over his. “I’m worried. If something happens to Justin, I don’t think Stacey can take it. He’s all she has.”

  “I know.” He straightened in the chair. “The Elders are very good at finding weaknesses and exploiting them. I anticipated something like this. I just wasn’t prepared for them to strike against Stacey.”

  “How could any of us know?”

  “Connor suggested that she might be vulnerable because of how close she is to you. I thought he was bullshitting me, using it as a way to excuse his interest in her. Obviously, I was wrong.”

  “I think he really likes her.”

  “Yeah.” Aidan heaved out his breath. “I think so, too.”

  “So where do we go from here?” She released him and sat back.

  “I’m going to have to search for more things like this—” he held up the filigreed triangle, “—using a book written when the landscape was totally different than the way it is now. I’ll be gone more often than not. If Connor and Stacey can work things out after whatever happens tonight, I’ll feel better all around. I can’t protect everyone alone, Lyssa. The shit just keeps on coming.”

  “I’m not sure that his help will be enough, as much as I value it.”

  “True.” Aidan’s mouth thinned grimly. “We need reinforcements. As soon as we can catch our breath, Connor is going to have to sit down and figure out who is best to bring over from the Twilight. I haven’t been with the men since they’ve become rebels. I have no idea who is up for the task and who isn’t.”

  Lyssa leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I can’t believe all the sacrifices the Guardians are making for us.”

  “It was our fuck-up, Hot Stuff.” He cupped the back of her neck and nuzzled his nose against hers. “It’s our responsibility to clean it up.”

  The sound of a car pulling into the drive caught both their attentions. Then another car. And another. Pushing to their feet, they ran to the front door. Stacey stood on the porch, watching the invasion with a blank stare.

  A fleet of cars flooded Stacey’s property. Hummers, Magnums, Jeeps, and vans, their headlights angled in every direction as they covered the lawn in a broad pattern.

  “Holy shit,” Lyssa said.

  “I’m insane,” Stacey muttered, her hands on her sweats-clad hips. “There is no other explanation for this madness.”

  Connor hopped out of the nearest car, a black Magnum. He caught Aidan’s eye and shrugged. “I brought reinforcements.”

  “I’ll say.”

  The yard was reclaimed by the darkness as headlights were extinguished one by one. Men and women began to climb from their vehicles. Cargo doors and trunks were opened and masses of equipment brought out.

  Sprinting up the steps, Connor gestured everyone into the house. “Your home is going to be headquarters, Stace,” he explained, holding the door open for her and Lyssa to enter. “There’s a transponder in Rachel’s cell phone that is sending its location to a receiver on her end. By setting up shop here, it’ll appear as if we’re staying put.”

  “Do whatever you want to the damn house,” she said, green eyes hard and determined. “As long as I get Justin back, I don’t give a shit about anything else.”

  The screen door was pulled open and a flood of urban camouflaged individuals poured in.

  “First,” Connor said to the group at large, pointing to Tommy. “Tranq him so he stays knocked out.” He looked at Stacey. “We’ll take him back to the hotel. Can you write a note saying that Justin called you and complained of homesickness? Make up something about not wanting to get in a fight about it, so you came and left without waking him.”

  Stacey arched a brow.

  “It’s as close to plausible as we’re going to get on such short notice,” Connor argued. “If you’ve got a better idea, let’s hear it.”

  “Fuck it.”

  “Right.” Connor glanced at Aidan. “Well?”

  “It’s triangular,” Aidan replied, “but it’s a small part of a larger whole and until I figure out what the other pieces are, I can’t figure out what the purpose is.”

  Connor caught the bag thrown at him by one of McDougal’s men. “I’ve got to change into the latest fashion on display here.” He gestured at the black, white, and gray-clad people around them. “McDougal didn’t have much of a selection in the sportswear department.”

  “How the hell did you get away with all of this?” Aidan asked.

/>   “A favor of some sort or another.”

  “I’ve got your back,” Aidan said.

  “Thanks. I’ve got to change before Rachel calls. Hopefully, we can get a beat on her location.”

  Connor traversed the hall to the guest bathroom, which was decorated in soft sea foam green. Stacey liked color because she had a colorful personality. As he stepped into the shower, he thought of this, thought about how he considered such things about her.

  There was a Guardian in the Twilight named Morgan who had been something of a “booty call” to him for centuries. If he wanted a quick fuck with no expectations and even less conversation, she was his girl. Still, despite how often he’d slept with her, Connor couldn’t recall what the interior of her home was like. He knew she liked flowers and he always brought her some, but he didn’t know what her favorite flower was or what her favorite color was.

  He wanted to know everything about Stacey.

  Why her? Why now?

  “Aw, fuck it!” he muttered, scrubbed out the soap in his hair. His brain hurt from trying to comprehend his feelings.

  He cared. Period. Why the hell did he need to know why? He just did.

  When Connor exited the steamy bathroom a few minutes later, he found the living room, breakfast nook, and kitchen completely commandeered.

  The industrious hum of conversations died suddenly. He frowned, then the soft trill of an uninspired cell phone ring explained the ensuing silence. He jogged to the threshold between the living room and kitchen. Aidan tossed him the phone when he came into view.

  Connor caught and flipped it open in one easy movement. “Yes?”

  A cord connected the phone to the laptop on the table, which was monitored by a young lady with severely restrained brown hair and an emotionless expression. She gave the thumbs up signal that the trace was in progress.

  “Captain Bruce,” Rachel purred, “do you have the trinity?”

  “Gold scrollwork triangle?” he queried. “I’ve got it.”

  “Excellent, after it is safely in my possession, I will send someone--”