A dangerous man.
It should have relieved Merek to hand Chloe over to competent agents, but it didn’t. He clenched his jaw until it ached as he listened to Luca explain Chloe’s situation to her, the need for her to give up her life, her family, her friends, her career because the knowledge she had in her head made her a risk to everyone she knew.
She grew paler and paler by the moment. Her eyes went wider and wider with shock, her fingers twisting the strap on her purse, and Merek’s insides twisted right along with it. Those haunted hazel eyes turned to him for confirmation of this nightmare she’d found herself in, and he could only give her a single, sharp nod.
Gods, but he wanted to pul her into his arms and protect her from this. His fingers fisted on the arms of his chair listening to Caval i’s smooth voice lay out why she had to go into protective custody until they captured Leonard Smith—though Merek noted the vampire failed to mention how many years they’d been unsuccessful in doing so, and that they might continue to be unsuccessful for years more. She might never reclaim the life she had now, might never see the people she loved again.
Every instinct told him not to let her go, to keep her with him, but he ignored them. The possessiveness wasn’t something he should feel, and he shoved it aside.
Her dazed, terrified eyes met his just once more before she was pul ed out the door, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that if he let her go now, he’d lose her forever. She would be gone, ended. Dead. His gut clenched, twisted into a cold, hard knot.
The tension inside built and built until it snapped.
Cursing her, cursing himself, he grabbed his jacket and slammed out of his office. The captain would have his ass if he interfered with a case that was no longer under the MTF’s jurisdiction. Hel , his partner would have his ass for fucking up like this, and that was a lot more dangerous than pissing off the captain.
Neither thought slowed him down as he peeled out of the station to tail the FBI agents. Chloe.
He shoved a hand through his hair. “I have lost my fucking mind.”
Worse, he’d lost control.
3
How had she ended up in this place? A few hours ago, she’d been at work in her pristine lab. An hour ago, she’d been a murder suspect. Now she was a victim in the making with a terrorist who wanted to do to her what he’d done to Damien. It just couldn’t be real. She was dreaming. Having a nightmare. Having a psychotic break. Her research had final y driven her around the bend. Chloe stared blankly at her surroundings for a moment before anything even registered.
The safe house was smal and dark, with a faint dankness in the air that said the Pacific Northwestern damp had set in and begun to rot the wood somewhere in the building. It was nothing like her beautiful, airy home.
She swal owed, already hating the gloom of this place. She wanted to go around and turn every lamp on.
Instead, she glanced at the men who dominated the living room. Peyton’s nostrils flared, the closest thing to emotion to cross his face in the hour since she’d met him. He didn’t smile; he didn’t talk much; he just looked over and summed her up in a cool y competent way that made her real y, real y glad they were on the same side.
What Peyton lacked in gregariousness, Luca Caval i more than made up for. He had the gift of gab and had kept up a light stream of conversation she could tel was meant to put her at ease. It didn’t work because she could also tel that, in his own way, he had summed her up and reacted accordingly as quickly as his werewolf agent had. She was being handled. She wasn’t sure which method she liked less, but at the same time, she didn’t feel threatened by either man.
Perhaps because Merek had given her that one tiny nod to let her know these people were tel ing her the truth, that she could trust them to look out for her.
At the same time, she knew she’d feel a lot safer if the detective were with her instead of the agents. She frowned, shook her head to clear it. She didn’t know Merek Kingston any better than she knew these men.
Sex was not the same thing as knowing someone. She’d had a lot of sex with Damien, and look where that had ended up.
The thought made something huge and horrible expand inside her chest. She couldn’t breathe; she wanted to curl up and cry. Damien was dead, Ivan was gone, and her life was over. Her world had been shaken up and tossed out again like dice in a cup. She had no idea what was beyond the next rol .
“This is just temporary, until we get you transferred somewhere else.” Luca’s gaze met hers, and she guessed she was supposed to feel reassured. She would have if it had been Merek. She pushed that notion away. “Somewhere outside Seattle, but we wil keep you safe.”
Butterflies took wing in her bel y, fluttering madly. She hoped that meant another big city. She didn’t want to leave the people and the comforting brightness and energy that swirled around her when she was in a booming metropolis. She dragged in a breath. There was no need to worry about that now. They might ship her to New York or Atlanta or somewhere else just as frenetic.
“I understand. Thank you.” She gave Luca the best smile she could manage. She understood they’d try to keep her safe, but whoever Leonard Smith was, she knew he’d already managed to break into a Conclave-owned apartment building and kil two ful -grown vampires. That didn’t say much for her chances, but she didn’t voice that opinion aloud. Tempting fate just seemed like a bad idea at this point.
She stepped through the doorway from the smal living room to the even smal er kitchen. Maybe looking around would make this al seem more real. At the moment, she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She was stil moving around as if everything were normal, but her mind was floating about a foot above her body, looking down on some dream she wasn’t quite attached to.
The tile was cracked on the floor, and the faucet dripped steadily into a big, old-fashioned enamel sink. A door on the wal adjacent to the entry she stood in led to what must be a backyard. It was half glass, and it wasn’t until that moment that she noticed every window had the blinds closed so no one could see in. The place was ugly and worn down, but if it was safe, then she didn’t care. She pul ed in a calming breath.
“Before I leave town there are some things I’m going to need.”
Peyton spoke for the first time, his voice richer and mel ower than she’d have expected. “It’s best if you detach yourself from everything here.”
“Trust me, you want my aunt to know I’m going into protective custody, or she wil tear this city and then the rest of the world apart looking for me.” Again, she didn’t need to mention who her aunt was. Mil ie Standish was a byword in the Magickal community, and not just in Seattle. “Also, I need my familiar with me. I won’t leave her behind.”
Neither man looked happy, but both of them nodded their agreement. Luca slid his hands into his pockets, his lips twitching ever so slightly. “I suppose I have the dubious honor of letting Mildred Standish know her niece’s life is in danger. Wonderful.”
“One of the perks of being the boss, boss.” What could almost be cal ed a smile crinkled the corners of Peyton’s blue eyes. “We can send someone to gather your things for you, Dr. Standish. Make us a list.”
“One more thing, and this one neither of you can do for me.” Chloe twisted the strap of her purse between her fingers. “I need to cal my godson and let him know what’s going on. Unless . . . he’s already in protective custody, too?”