Allegiance(18)
“Who the hell are you?”
“A man with a light.” The man held up a key chain with a small flashlight hanging from it. “It’s not very big, but brighter than you might think. Depends on what you’re looking for.”
Mirren stared a second at the proffered hand before taking the key chain and tossing it to Cage. “Can’t hurt. If you’re one of our new Rangers, welcome to fuckin’ paradise. If you aren’t, you’re lost.”
The guy smiled. “You must be Mirren Kincaid. You’ll be pleased to know Colonel Thomas described you as a grizzly bear, only bigger. I’m Sergeant Nikolas Dimitrou—Nik—from the Texas Omega Force team. I’m supposed to check in with either Rob Thomas or Aidan Murphy.”
“I’m Murphy.” Aidan had been watching the exchange with narrowed eyes, sizing up the new guy. “Unfortunately, Captain Thomas was killed tonight. We were just about to discuss whether or not to call an ambulance. What do you think?”
Mirren didn’t know if Zorba the Greek realized he was getting his first test in vampire politics, but he crossed his arms and waited for the newcomer’s response. If he said that, of course, they needed an ambulance because the law required it, then he wasn’t ready to work with vampires. And if he thought Aidan sounded cold and dispassionate, he was a poor judge of character.
Nik introduced himself to Cage and shook hands with Aidan. “Normally you’d call an ambulance, but this isn’t a normal situation, is it?” He gave Aidan a steady, unflinching look and then shifted the same intense gaze over to Mirren. “Your eyes tell me how upset you are about this—both of you. The colonel put us through vampire basic training, you might call it.
“But this is Colonel Thomas’s son.” He looked down at the tarp. “I’d say if you have a place in town where the body can be preserved, it should be the colonel’s call on how to handle it. His sister lives here, too—Randa, right? The family should make the final decision. I can’t imagine the colonel would do anything to jeopardize Penton.”
The guy had balls, Mirren would give him that much. If he was uncomfortable standing around with three vampires who could all tell with a single sniff that he was unvaccinated, he didn’t show it. And he’d clearly done his homework on his new fellow citizens.
Mirren had been trying to place Zorba’s accent, which was sort of Southern but with an odd turn to it. Finally, it hit him. “You from New Orleans?”
Nik grinned. “First generation Yat. Grew up in Broadmoor. And now, I guess I live in Penton.”
Aidan’s smile was slight, but genuine. “Welcome to town, Nik—wish the circumstances were better. I’m guessing the colonel will need to reassess things here before deciding your chain of command. One other Ranger is here—Max Jeffries—although he and Rob were tight. I don’t know how he’s going to react. Another guy from your unit is due in tonight. Mirren’s in charge of training unless we hear differently, and we’ll wait to see if the colonel has a mission for you.”
“Penton is our mission for now, as I understand it.” Nik cocked his head and looked at Aidan with a bemused smile. “So my Omega team member isn’t here yet?”
“Guy named Ashton,” Mirren said. “The dickhead’s already late.”
“No he isn’t. His timing is perfect.”
Mirren swiveled at the voice coming from somewhere behind him and scowled as a girl approached them from the woods behind the construction site. No, not a girl, but a woman. A tiny woman who couldn’t be a hair over five feet. She was slender, with short spiky hair that glinted auburn in the floodlights, big dark eyes, jeans, and a tight T-shirt that revealed an inch of tanned skin and the glint of a navel ring.
What the hell was a human woman doing out here, in the woods?
He looked back at Dimitrou, who stood next to Cage, their arms crossed over their chests and smiles on their faces. Aidan, at least, looked properly concerned, unlike Tweedle-dee and Zorba.
Sometimes a little fright therapy was a valid psychiatric treatment, as he was sure the shrink would know if he hadn’t been standing there like a fucktard.
“Who the hell are you?” Mirren took a step toward the woman. “You need a ride back to the sorority house?”
She grinned and walked to within a foot of him; he had an inexplicable urge to take a step back. He’d be damned if that was going to happen.
He pinned her with his Slayer expression, which alone had driven many lesser men to their knees, including vampires. She frowned at him and didn’t answer.