He laughed as he pulled her against him. “We’ll try that tomorrow night.”

  “What about him?” she said with a nod at Ellis’s body. “We’re just leaving him there?”

  “I’m sure your boss will send your blokes to take care of him once his body is discovered. He’s their problem now. Our problem is finding out who hired the late Ellis Pierson.”

  Bones whisked them into the air as he said it. Cat’s arms tightened around him. As he went higher, her legs tangled in his, too. Soon, she was clutching him so tightly, he could have let her go and done an aerial barrel roll without her dropping.

  “You don’t ever crash, do you?” she shouted above the wind.

  Bones only laughed. “Not lately.”

  24

  Bones set them down behind the house he was renting. He’d selected it for many reasons, one of which was the thick trees that sheltered it from prying eyes even though it was located at the back of a normal subdivision. Now, Bones was glad to have it because Cat also needed a place to hide. Hotels were too public to be safe, and she couldn’t go home. Someone who wanted her dead knew where she lived.

  Cat’s face didn’t regain color until she was inside the two-story structure, although Bones didn’t think that had to do with the attempt on her life. She’d obviously hated flying more than she hated riding on his motorcycle.

  “Do you think Ian’s behind the hit?” she asked as she followed Bones into the kitchen.

  He’d thought about that on the way over. “Not a chance. Ian wants you alive so he can add you to his collection of rarities. He can’t do that if your head’s in pieces.”

  She touched the gash on her forehead as if by reflex. It had stopped bleeding, but it was an angry red slash near her temple. Bones grabbed a knife from the countertop and cut his palm, intending to heal it, when she stopped him.

  “Don’t. I want it there for now.”

  He set the knife down. By the time he touched her face, his palm had already healed.

  “How did you know to knock me out of the way?” she asked, covering his hand with hers.

  He fought a shudder at the memory. “I heard the shot. He didn’t use a silencer.”

  If he would have, Cat would be dead. If Bones hadn’t trained his senses for centuries to seek out danger even when he was focused on other things, she’d be dead. If he’d moved a fraction slower, she’d be dead. So many reasons why she shouldn’t be here with him now…

  “You moved so fast,” she said quietly.

  He brushed the rent in her head. “Not fast enough. A bullet touched your skin. That’s far too slow for me.”

  Cat’s laugh was dryer than crunching leaves. “That’s faster than I knew any vampire could move. The flying trick blew me away as well, although we can never go back to that restaurant. You destroyed the place and didn’t even pay for our wine.”

  He had his ice; she had her sarcasm to shield herself when she felt out of control, and it was on in full force now.

  “We both know who has to be behind this, Kitten. Obviously, Don decided not to trust you now that you’re dating a vampire.”

  She didn’t say anything. Just looked around at the kitchen as though suddenly fascinated by the white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and charcoal-and-white granite countertops.

  “It’s not Don,” she finally said, holding up a hand when Bones drew in a breath to argue. “Think about it. Ellis said he’d originally been given the contract a week ago, so someone planned the hit before you came back into my life. Don had no reason to want me dead then. I was playing by all his rules.”

  Bloody hell, she was right. Even if Don had somehow known about Bones from the moment of Denise and Randy’s wedding, it still didn’t fit the timeframe.

  “I’m still so unsettled about almost wearing your brains on me that I’m not thinking clearly. Right, then. Don looks clean, but then that means there’s a traitor at your compound.”

  “How?” she asked in disbelief.

  Bones gave her a pointed look. “This wasn’t another contract on the Red Reaper. This was on Cristine Russell because they knew where you lived, where you worked, and that you were a ‘government employee.’ Only the people at your compound know those things, so how many suspects does that equate to?”

  She looked rattled. “My entire unit, Don’s scientists, some of the guards…so, about a hundred people.”

  Frustration filled him. “That’s a large number. It also means it won’t take Ian long to pick up on your whereabouts, too.”

  Not with such information making the human bounty hunter rounds, where it was only a small jump from there to reach Ian’s many sources. Bones had to work fast. If only he could get the suspects all in the same place at the same time…wait. He could.

  “I’ll pay a visit to your work and sniff out the Judas.”

  Cat stared at him as if he’d sprouted a second head. “You can’t. That place is heavily armed and heavily guarded. I should know-I designed the security! There are only two ways a vampire can get inside there without massive bloodshed. One way is shriveled. They store the dead ones for study. The other is almost as unpleasant: inside our capsule. Don keeps some vamps alive for their blood so he can keep making Brams.”

  “Brams?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “Synthesized version of the healing component in vampire blood,” she said with an impatient wave. “Doesn’t work as well as the real thing, but it’s great for treating broken bones and internal bleeding.”

  Don truly must fear that drinking vampire blood turned people evil. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the time, expense, and effort to make a weaker synthetic version of it. But Don’s paranoia could be used to Bones’s advantage now.

  Bones took his mobile out, scrolled, and then dialed. “Hallo, yes, I’d like a large pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms. Mmm hmm, a two-liter bottle of Coke as well. I’ll be paying cash. Here’s the address.”

  A frown stitched between Cat’s brows by the time he hung up. “Is that code for something?”

  Bones snorted. “Yes, it’s code for a large pizza and soda. You never did get to eat, and I can’t have you starving on me, can I? Don’t fret, it’s all for you. As you know, I’m full. Now, tell me everything about this capsule.”

  “Why?” she asked with open suspicion.

  He gave her his most innocent smile. “Humor me.”

  She spent the next five minutes describing an impressive mobile prison, finishing with, “We’ve had no escapes once a vampire is secured inside.”

  “Too right you haven’t.” Even a Master like him would be well and truly trapped. She must have designed it when she was in a particularly foul mood.

  “Why the sudden interest in the capsule?”

  Bones didn’t answer. Instead, he texted Ted, frowning when he received an auto-reply. Right, Ted was away on his tenth wedding anniversary, and Ted’s husband, Bruce, had deliberately picked a place with no internet access. Smart bloke knew that staying off the grid was the only way to ensure Ted relaxed. But Ted wasn’t the only computer genius that Bones knew.

  Bones texted Randy, marking it urgent. His mobile rang less a minute later. “What’s wrong, Cris?” Randy asked.

  Cat’s eyes widened when she heard Randy’s voice. “You’re calling Randy while he and Denise are on their honeymoon?”

  Bones waved her off. “So sorry to disturb, mate, but this is an emergency. I’m with Denise’s mate, Cristine. Someone from her work tried to murder her tonight.”

  “What?” Denise shrieked through the line. Randy must have had the call on speaker.

  Cat tried to snatch Bones’s mobile away. He darted out of her reach, speaking over Denise’s demands to know what happened.

  “Can’t go into details now, but she’s all right. Still, the traitor needs to be found, and only a vampire can force a confession out of the unwilling, but her boss won’t be keen on me helping. That’s why we’re not asking him. Cristine has several back-door passwords to her compound’s security system. Think you can override it with one of those, Randy?”

  “You want me to hack the FBI?” Randy sounded partly appalled and partly intrigued.

  “She doesn’t really work for the FBI, mate. That’s cover for her real job of hunting the undead.”

  “Oh,” Randy said. “That makes more sense. Okay, well, with even a low-level password, I can hack into anything.”

  “It’s not necessary!” Cat shouted.

  “It is necessary,” Bones countered. “Can you be ready in three hours, Randy?”

  “I can do it in five minutes,” Randy said.

  “Three hours will suffice, and thank you,” Bones replied. “Your honeymoon is now on me, so treat yourself to the best champagne and the most luxurious amenities.”

  Bones hung up. Cat’s face was no longer red with anger. Instead, it was as pale as Ellis’s after he’d bled out.

  “You intend to let my team capture you. That’s why you were asking me about the capsule.”

  “Yes,” he said simply.

  “You think they won’t know it’s a trap?” she fired back.

  “Not if they think they’re in control. In fact, they’ll believe they’re doing this behind your back.”

  “How?” she all but shouted at him.

  Bones told her. If possible, she turned even paler.

  “You’ve. Lost. Your. Mind,” she bit out.

  Bones only smiled. “On the contrary, I’ve never been thinking clearer.”

  25

  Cat used all of the three hours Bones had allotted for setup to argue with him. She even offered to quit her job. The latter was tempting, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. The traitor had to be found and dealt with. Nothing less would do.

  “This is the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Cat said for the dozenth time.

  “It’s also the only way I can get within sniffing distance of whoever’s trying to take you out at your compound.”

  “What’s to smell? ‘Traitor’ doesn’t have an odor!”

  “Fear does,” Bones said bluntly. “And the traitor will stink like it once they realize why I’m there. Or they’ll run, or smell like the vampire or ghoul they’re associated with, or something else that will give them away. In any event, we’ll know who it is. Now, for the last time, make the call, Kitten.”

  Finally, she accepted his mobile. “Don,” she said after dialing. “It’s Cat.”

  She hadn’t put it on speaker, but Bones could hear the other man’s voice clearly. “Cat, are you hurt?”

  “No, but someone’s trying to change that,” she said with a bleak laugh. “I’m coming in. I’ll be there within the hour. Don’t let anyone, and I mean anyone, leave. Call in whoever’s out, too. We have a fox in our henhouse.”

  “Of course, Cat, come in, but no one here could possibly-”

  “Do you want me to come in or not?” she snapped. “These are my terms, and I’m pretty goddamn inflexible about them since my head nearly parted company with my shoulders hours ago.”

  Don’s sigh filled the line. “If that’s what it takes to make you feel safe, then yes, I’ll have it done. Where is, ah…your companion from dinner?”

  Cat stared at Bones as she said, “He went out. I don’t know where. I didn’t ask. I was more worried about my own ass.”

  A pause, and then, “Hurry in, Cat. I’ll recall the teams, but if you’re not here in an hour, I’m sending them back out.”

  “I’ll be there,” she said, and hung up. Then, she hurled Bones’s mobile at him.

  “Happy now?” Anger vibrated from her voice, but her scent was putrid with fear, and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

  Bones kissed the scabbing trail the bullet had left in her temple. “Not yet, but I will be when this is done. Take my Ducati and go straight there. Don’t stop for anything.”

  She pushed away and grabbed his keys. He was about to tell her he had one more thing when she stopped at the door.

  “I’m so mad at you I can hardly think, but before we do this, I have to tell you something. You already know I still care about you, but it’s more than that. I-I’m still in love with you, Bones. I never stopped, no matter how hard I tried to over the years.” Her gaze dropped. “Of course, I don’t expect you to feel the same way, but I had to say it-”

  She stopped as he caught her in his arms.

  “I’ve never stopped loving you, either,” he said, staring into her eyes. “Not for an instant, Kitten. Even when I was so angry at you for leaving me, I still loved you, and I always will.”

  She pulled his head down, moving her mouth almost desperately over his. It reminded him of the kiss she’d given him before leaving that fateful day, but this was different. They wouldn’t be parted this time. He’d show her that the worst Don could throw at him still wouldn’t be enough. So, he slowed the kiss, savoring her lips, her tongue, and the faint taste of salt from her tears.

  All too soon, she pushed him away. “I’ll give you another kiss later, when this is done. Right now, I’m too terrified.”

  Bones gave her bottom lip a light nip. “I’ll hold you to that. Now, there’s one more thing you must do. Take this and hide it in your clothes. Don’t open it until I tell you.”

  She stared at the sealed envelope he’d retrieved while she was in the loo. “What’s this?”

  “The information I’ve been waiting for, and swear to me that you won’t open it until I’m with you again. Oh, and when you see your boss, tell him he’s the key to finding the traitor, and look him in the eye when you say this name: Maximillian.”

  Her brows went up. “Who’s that?”

  “Just say it exactly like I told you, Kitten, and don’t open that envelope until I’m with you.”

  She folded the enveloped into quarters and tucked it inside her bra. Good thing he’d arranged to have clothes, undergarments, and other amenities here in anticipation of her spending the night.

  “Quit being melodramatic. Scout’s honor, okay?”

  He smiled. “I love you, Kitten. Now, go.”

  This time, her pause by the door was only for a moment, and instead of unshed tears, her gaze was harder than granite.

  “Don’t get killed, Bones. No matter what.”

  Her meaning was clear, and it must have cost her dearly because she considered many of these blokes to be her mates. It was as much a declaration of love as her words before it.

  “It shouldn’t come to that, Kitten,” he said in a steady voice. “But if it does, I’ll try not to kill any of them.”

  Her smile was a pained slash. “I doubt they’ll show you the same courtesy, and don’t underestimate them. I taught them everything you taught me, so expect no mercy.”

  “I won’t,” he said while his ice crystallized within him. “That’s why this will work.”

  Bones spent the hour it took Cat to drive to the compound showering, changing clothes, giving Randy the passwords, and making other arrangements. Then, he pulled out his mobile and placed a single phone call.

  “Hello?” a sleepy feminine voice answered.

  “Hallo, Justina,” Bones drawled. “It’s your daughter’s degenerate vampire lover, in case you don’t know my voice.”

  The spate of profanity that instantly followed had Bones chuckling.

  “My, that is an inventive directive,” he said. “I’d take notes, but there isn’t time. I’m ringing to tell you that I’m on my way to your house. There’s something we need to discuss.”

  “I have nothing to say to you, murderer!” Justina snapped.

  Bones snorted. “You have quite a lot to say, as you’ve just proved, and while you might lack manners, I don’t. That’s why I intend to ask you for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

  “You what?”

  Bones held the phone away from his ear at her shriek.

  “This is only a formality. In truth, I don’t care if you give me your blessing or not, but my dearly departed mum would be very disappointed in me if I didn’t at least ask.”

  “I will never give my blessing, you filthy animal-”

  “As I said, I’m on my way,” Bones replied, and hung up.

  Bones drove the nondescript Chevy he’d rented to Justina’s. Half an hour later, he was pulling up to her house. Her heartbeat, already accelerated, kicked into another gear as he parked in her driveway.

  Bones didn’t need to knock. The front door was already ajar. In fact, the frame was splintered around the knob. He’d be concerned if Justina’s wasn’t the only scent he smelled inside.

  “Ready or not, here I come,” Bones said dryly.

  The house looked vastly different from the last time he’d seen it. Then, everything had been immaculate. Now, every piece of furniture was upturned except for the sofa, and glass crunched beneath his feet from the smashed end tables, television set, and numerous broken figurines. Bones followed the sound of Justina’s heartbeat to the hallway. There, her defiant glare turned to confusion when Bones laughed at the sight of her blackened eyes, disheveled clothes, and bloody knuckles. No wonder her heartbeat was so rapid. She must have worked herself nearly into an apoplexy between trashing her home and then beating herself repeatedly in the face.

  “Where’s your limp?” he asked, still chuckling. “Really, woman, if you’re going to play a victim, sell it!”

  Her confusion changed to a glare of pure hatred. “I’m not ‘playing’ at anything. You came in here and attacked me.”

  Bones snorted. “Intend to tell your daughter that, do you? Think she’ll believe you?”

  “She will now,” Justina said, and kicked her own leg hard enough for Bones to hear something snap. Then, she fell, clutching the limb while muttering, “You’re right. This will really sell it.”

  A breath of laughter escaped him. “You’re so warped that it’s actually impressive.”

  “And you’re delusional if you think my daughter will ever marry you,” she retorted.