"You could make someone carry a bomb," she said quietly.
"I could," he said, just as quiet.
"And you did not have to paralyze me earlier. You could have just forced me to follow you."
"True." Joseph stepped close, forcing her to crane her neck. "But feeling captured is one thing. Violated, another. I took a guess at what you would prefer."
"Neither." Six placed her hand on his chest to push him away. "I prefer my freedom."
He caught her hand, holding it to him. The warmth of his skin traveled through her. She tried to remember the cold he had created, but it was a distant, fleeting memory. She did not pull away.
"I'm going to help you," he said gently. "We're going to help each other, Six."
"No," she replied, unable to look away from his eyes. "You were right. I should not be here with you."
"I don't see you kicking my ass."
"No kicking. Men like you should not be allowed to live."
"Really." Joseph's mouth curved into a slow smile. Six remembered the hot taste of ginger, the spice of his lips. "I can think of better uses for me than killing."
She pulled her hand away from his chest. "Do you have any idea who your rival might be? Who would want you dead?"
"No," Joseph said. "Don't know where to find him, either. Unlike some people I know, we don't run around with tracking devices taped to our chests."
Six narrowed her eyes. "And are you certain you know nothing else about the organization that tried to hire you? You seemed knowledgeable enough about Chenglei's circumstances. You could have told the police."
"Who would have believed me? Besides, I had no names, no proof, no locations. No desire to get involved. I didn't think, ever, that they would find someone to take my place. I can't even imagine how they managed it the first time. Discovering what I could do was supposedly an accident."
"I don't believe in accidents," Six said. "Especially those that happen twice in a row. They knew how to find you."
"I agree," Joseph said. "I can only think that the vampires told them."
"And how would they know?"
"They know. I get around. That must be why they infected Chenglei. Because they knew I would answer his request for a meeting. Easy target."
"So you hunt these creatures."
"The ones who aren't careful. You would be amazed at how many of them work in hospitals, around the dying. It's easy for them to siphon off energy there. Patients are already weak. Problem is, with a vampire around, there's no chance of getting stronger."
"And no one notices? No one sees them for what they are?"
"Why would they? They usually look exactly like you and me. Shifting as they have, in front of us and in public, is extremely rare."
"They did it for a reason, then. To make a point."
"That they're not afraid of being caught?"
"No," she said softly, clarity becoming instinct, fear. "Because they are not afraid of people knowing they exist."
Joseph sucked in a quick breath. "They have a reason not to care anymore."
Six imagined the temperature dropped. It was a good reflection of the way she felt—cold, so cold—and she found herself speaking secrets, things she should not say, because in her gut she knew Joseph was the man who would understand.
She leaned close. "We were warned something was going to happen. The government intercepted a message, a death, but it made no sense. Only we knew it was related to terrorist activity in the region, a new cell that we have been unable to track except through remote contacts, like Chenglei."
"It's the holiday," Joseph said urgently, voice dropping into a hush. "There's no better time."
"But what do those creatures receive from the bargain? Freedom? People to feed upon? And where do you come in? Why pass on your name, if that is what happened? Why ally themselves with a group that would hire someone who hunts and murders their own kind?"
"I don't know," Joseph said grimly. "But we don't have much time to find out. A day at the most."
"Why a day?"
Joseph hesitated. "Because after that, you'll start changing."
Six forgot how to breathe. "You said you could help me."
"Yes, but—" Joseph's voice was cut off by the loud wail of a siren. They turned, but Six already knew what she would see. She recognized the sound. And for the first time in a long while, she was not happy to hear it.
A black Audi with military plates pulled to a quick stop beside them. There were two women in the front seat. Familiar faces.
Joseph murmured, "How?"