She’d spotted them straight away. It was difficult not to—they were really hard to miss. Piers should employ some nice ordinary people if he expected to follow someone without being seen. These guys looked like what they were—badass vampires—or maybe she was just starting to recognize the type. Perhaps she should have gotten Asmodai to meet her during daylight hours, though she was sure the Order must have employees other than vampires. Hadn’t Tara mentioned a werewolf?
Did Piers still suspect her of something, or was he just being cautious? Either way, she had to lose the tail and fast. They were in the business district, and the place was quiet at this time of night, so there weren’t even any crowds to mingle with.
She glanced into a large, dark window as they strolled past, trying to catch a glimpse of her followers. Something moved about two blocks back. Good—they were keeping their distance.
Up ahead she could see the entrance to an underground parking garage. She touched Maria lightly on the arm, and the sister jumped. She’d been calming down, but it was obvious that all it required was a little setback—like being followed by scary badasses—to bring her nerves to the forefront. And who could blame her? This was a big turnaround from living in an enclosed convent. “Just be ready to move when I say,” Roz whispered.
She walked past the entrance, risking a quick glance back—her followers were out of sight. Grasping hold of Maria’s wrist, she tugged her backward onto the ramp that headed underground in a continuous circle. Then she ran, taking them down to the lowest level and into the huge parking area.
Down here, the light was dim—just overhead fluorescent strips, and the place was almost empty of cars. Their footsteps sounded loud on the bare concrete floor. Roz kept hold of Maria’s wrist as she ran lightly across the large echoing area. She paused for a second behind a concrete pillar and peered back toward the entrance of the ramp. Nothing moved, and she continued. She found the elevators opposite but ignored them, following the rear wall until she found a doorway, which she knew would lead into the stairwell.
Pushing open the door, she sniffed the musty air then hustled Maria in front of her. The narrow staircase led upward, and she took the stairs two at a time. At the top were two doors, one presumably the entrance into the building, the other a barred double door. She was guessing it would lead into the street, but on the opposite side of the building from where they had come in. She lowered the bar and cautiously pushed the door. It opened into an alley. Up ahead a rectangle of light indicated a brightly lit street, but the alley itself was in darkness, shadowed by the tall buildings all around. A faint scent of decay permeated the air, presumably coming from the trash dumpsters opposite rather than anything more sinister. Roz could sense no living things present. She opened the door wider and slipped outside.
“Come on,” she said to Maria. “I think we’ve lost them.” Though it had been rather easy. Obviously, Piers hadn’t been too serious about keeping tabs on her. Or maybe he hadn’t expected her to make a run for it.
As she headed toward the brightly lit street, her cell phone rang. Although she didn’t recognize the number, she could guess who it would be. For a second, she considered ignoring the call, but then she shrugged and raised it to her ear.
“They were there to protect you.” Piers’ voice sounded soft. And angry.
“Protect me from what? I don’t need protecting. You said I wasn’t a prisoner, but you have me followed like I’m some sort of criminal.” She injected her voice with as much anger as she could manage. She wasn’t angry; she would have done the same in these circumstances. But it would be better if Piers believed she had lost her tail because she was pissed off rather than because she was up to no good. Which she was.
“What are you up to?”
Obviously, she hadn’t been convincing enough. “Nothing. I just needed some fresh air. Again.”
He was silent for a minute. It felt like an hour. Finally, he spoke. “If you have the Key, or know where it is, bring it here.”
Damn. How had he found out? Or was he just guessing? “The Key?”
“Roz, you won’t like the consequences if you become an enemy of the Order.”
“I don’t plan to become your enemy—I just wanted some space.”
“Well, you’ve had some. Now get back here.”
She sighed. “I’m on my way.” Without waiting for a reply, she ended the call and shoved the phone back in her pocket. That would give her half an hour or so before he realized she’d been lying.
They’d come out onto a main road now, and the occasional car drove past. A black cab appeared around the corner, and she hurried forward, her arm raised. The cab pulled up beside her and she opened the back door, motioning to Maria to climb in. “London Bridge Hospital,” she told the driver and clambered in beside her.
“Was that Mr. Lamont?” Maria asked.
“Yeah.”
“The vampire?”
Roz glanced at the back of the driver’s head, but she doubted he was listening, and if he was, he’d probably just think they were a couple of nutters.
“Yeah.”
She hoped Maria wasn’t going to lapse into hysterics, but she appeared quite calm. “I think he’s a good man.” She gave a small smile. “Even if he does make me nervous.”
Roz shook her head at the comment, though actually, she believed the same. Well, as good as a vampire could be. There had to be people willing to do bad things in order to keep the world safe. Maybe when this was over, she could be part of that.
One of the good things in her life had been helping Ryan. She’d make a great detective. Perhaps there would be a place for her at the Order, a job. After all, they employed Jonas, the warlock. Why not her?
But of course, she knew why not. After she had given the Key to Asmodai, she was likely to be a little unpopular around the Order. She’d told Piers she didn’t plan on becoming his enemy, but that was exactly what she would be when he found out. The idea upset her more than she cared to think about. Why couldn’t anything go right for her? She’d found a place—people who could help her discover who and what she was—and now she planned to do the one thing guaranteed to alienate them. She’d be on the run again.
And she was tired of running.
She rested her head against the seat and watched the streets of London flash by. For the first time, she considered not giving the Key to Asmodai. If she handed it to Piers, would he protect her from the demon’s wrath? Asmodai was not someone you lightly crossed. But the Order was powerful. Maybe they could keep her safe.
A wave of excitement washed over her. She might be signing her death warrant, but she’d lived a long time, and she was tired of not only running but of being alone. She didn’t want to be Piers’ enemy; she wanted to be his…Her mind hesitated, unsure of anything except the fact that she desired him. Like a hunger deep in her belly, a powerful thirst that needed to be quenched. She closed her eyes and remembered the feel of his strong arms holding her, his kiss, his bite. What would it feel like if he bit her while he was…
“Roz?”
She blinked as Maria spoke her name. They’d pulled up at the hospital, and she could see Ryan outside the main entrance, a cigarette in his hand. He’d given them up years ago; things must be tough.
She paid the driver, got out, and strolled toward him. “Those things will kill you,” she said, nodding at the cigarette.
“Yeah.” He glanced past her, his gaze settling on Maria. He frowned, and she saw the flicker of recognition. “Sister Maria?”