I followed him down. “What the hell were you arguing about this time?”
“He wanted to move in with us.”
“So?”
He looked over his shoulder. “You knew?”
“He asked for my permission first.” I raised a hand to my jaw, massaging it lightly. It hurt to talk, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. Maybe he’d pulled his punch at the last moment. “Don’t tell me that’s what you argued about.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.”
“You’re never ready for anything he wants, Rhoan.” I hesitated, then added harshly, “And now you may very well not have to worry about it ever again.”
He stopped and swung around violently. “That’s unfair—”
“No, what you’re doing to him is unfair. He’s your soul mate, Rhoan. Dammit, why won’t you just start treating him like it?”
“Because of this! Because of things like this!”
I looked at him incredulously. “Why has him being kidnapped got anything to do with your relationship?”
“It’s what could happen to him. I’m a guardian—”
“That’s just a fucking excuse, Rhoan, and you know it.”
“How can you say that when you lost Kellen for the very same reason?”
“Kellen left because he didn’t want to sit at home wondering if each night was going to be the night I didn’t come home. Liander’s accepted that possibility and is willing to live with it.”
“But I’m not. If I commit to him, if we do the moon ceremony, and then something happens to me, he dies. And I don’t want that. I couldn’t live with that.”
“Death isn’t always the end result of the moon bond.” Although I had no proof of that. Ben might have survived the death of his soul mate, but they hadn’t sworn their love to the moon. Maybe that was the difference.
“I don’t care.” He spun around and clomped down the stairs. “I refuse to risk full commitment.”
“But he’s not asking you to risk it, Rhoan. He’s just asking to move in with us and become part of our family. Why is that asking too much?”
“It’s a risk—”
“Life itself is a goddamn risk! As Liander being caught by a serial killer proves.”
He muttered something under his breath. I caught the words “bitch” and “ridiculous,” and smiled. “This bitch is going to kick your ass to kingdom come if you don’t start acting sensibly where Liander is concerned.”
He snorted softly and strode across the living room, snatching an old photograph up and thrusting it in my direction. “This is it.”
I took the photo from him and then looked around. “Where’s the phone? My cell’s in the car.”
He pointed to the left, then crossed his arms, his nostrils flaring. “Why is Quinn here?”
“Because I was getting emotional hits from you, and it was shaking me up so badly I couldn’t drive.” I picked up the receiver and dialed Jack’s number.
“I suppose I should be grateful he couldn’t pass the threshold, or my ass would be history.”
“Too right it would be,” Quinn commented calmly from the doorway. “You’re too old to be acting like a petulant child.”
“Christ, first my sister tells me off, then her lover.” He paused. “How come you two are together again? When did that happen?”
“We are not together, as such,” Quinn said. “Not yet, anyway.”
Rhoan raised an eyebrow as he glanced at me. “Funny, because you have his scent all over you, which kinda indicates you have been together.”
“Having sex doesn’t mean we’re together. It just means we were horny,” I answered, then said, as Jack picked up the phone, “Boss, we’ve got problems.”
“Sal told me. You and Rhoan okay?”
“Yeah, we survived the encounter. Rhoan’s thinking a little more clearly now.”
I looked at Rhoan as I said it. He grimaced, and thrust a hand through his hair. His body was still taut with tension, and the smell of his anger and frustration stained the air. He was in control, but only just.
“What about Liander?”
“He’s missing. I think Aron Young might have him.”
“Why? What is his connection to the other men Young has murdered?”
“As far as I can see, the only connection between any of them is the fact they all did tenth grade in the same school as Young. It’s not much.”
“For twisted minds, it often doesn’t have to be. What do you need?”
“I need a trace on a van and the following names. Liander’s not dead yet, so he’s been snatched rather than killed outright. Young knows we’re onto him, so maybe he’s gone for the rest of them, too. Maybe he’s planned on one big killing party.”
“It’s possible. Give me the details.”
I read the names out, then added the plate number the bouncer had given me. “I’m about to head on over to Vinny’s. She tasted him, and I’m sure knows more than what she’s saying. I think it’s about time she anted up.”
“Just be careful,” he warned. “Emos don’t have to be touching to suck emotion from you. She and her crew can drain from a distance if they wish.”
“She wouldn’t want to try it on Rhoan right now. Trust me on that.”
“I can imagine.” His voice was dry. “You sure you two are unscathed?”
“We can walk, we can talk, and we can certainly throw a punch or two. We’re fine.”
“Good. I’ll contact you as soon as we have any info.”
“Thanks, boss.”
I hung up.
“So who is this Vinny?” Rhoan said.
“An emo vamp who has set up camp in one of the abandoned government housing towers. I mentioned her before, remember?”
“No.” He frowned. “When?”
“After the premiere—when you and Liander came home pissed.”
Darkness ran across his face, and he took a deep, shuddering breath. “Yeah, I remember. Let’s go see this Vinny, so that there is a next time.”
I gave him a hug, and his arms wrapped around my waist, holding on to me briefly. I could smell the fear on him, smell the pain. Feel the quivering in his limbs that was a mix of anger and the need to hit out, to hurt those responsible.
Vinny had better not try anything on my brother.
I pulled back. “Quinn should drive, in case you get any more hits from Liander.”
He nodded and thrust a hand through his hair again. “It’s gone quiet on that front.”
“He’s okay, Rhoan. You’d know if it were otherwise.” I turned and headed for the door, so he couldn’t see the worry in my eyes. Him getting nothing from Liander was not a good sign.
It meant he was getting weaker, that the link between them was fading.
He couldn’t die. God, fate, and whatever else might be up there watching—please don’t let him die.
Quinn was no longer at the door. I led the way down the street, following his scent, and heard an engine start up. Rhoan’s car, not Quinn’s. There was more room in my brother’s car.
Quinn reversed out of the parking spot then stopped to let us in.
“Where to?” he asked, glancing at me as I climbed into the front. His eyes were alight with anger and concern, and just a hint of hunger. He might have fed off me earlier, but the smell of blood was on me, and it was teasing his vampire senses to life.
I gave him the address, then sniffed back the blood still running from my nose. “Sorry,” I said, when I could.
He shrugged and shoved the car into gear, taking off so fast the tires squealed. “I am old enough to control my hunger, Riley. And there isn’t that much blood.” He glanced at the rearview mirror. “Though there deserves to be.”
“Try losing someone you love and see how you react,” Rhoan retorted.
“I have. And people died because of it. My point, however, is that Liander is not dead, and you should not be acting like he is.”