Replica(7)

My jaw tightened. Thank God he hadn’t noticed, or smelled, that I indeed had felt a spark of attraction.

“Because the less humans we interact with, the better. How do you think monsters are created? By accident?”

“No, but—”

“No buts. If you’re going to come with me, you play by my rules. We don’t play with the humans unless they are working with us and understand the stakes. The woman back there didn’t. She thought she was going to get a dinner, movie, and maybe some time between the sheets. She wasn’t signing up to learn how to howl at the moon.” I opened one eye to peer at him.

Ivan clenched the wheel, and the edge of his jaw ticked. “I’m not sloppy. I wouldn’t have turned her.”

“Everyone fucks up.”

“Even you?”

I snorted. “Except me.”

A few minutes later, we pulled onto the street opposite the entrance to the Hilton. Ivan put a hand to the door.

“Stop,” I said. I leaned forward and watched the vehicles parked around the hotel. Three were of a color and style I recognized all too well. Government black. Men in dark suits and glasses sat in those three cars.

“She’s being watched. Which means they probably have a description of me.”

“And you don’t exactly blend in, with your leathers and cowl.”

I grimaced. He was right, and we both knew it.

“I have an idea.” He slipped out of the cab and was gone before I could say a word.

I closed my eyes and tried to rest, but my mind wouldn’t relax. To say Rachel would be pissed when she figured out the manipulation I’d pulled was an understatement. And seeing as she was one of my few friends, I couldn’t afford to hurt her.

Not to mention the tiny fact I’d bonded her to me without her knowing.

The cab door jerked open. Ivan slid back in and handed a plastic bag back to me. “Here, get changed.”

I peeked into the bag. Red crinoline and sparkles, along with a pair of stiletto heels. “What the hell is this?”

“A disguise. We’ll leave your gear here in the cab, and we can go in as a couple. They aren’t looking for me. They’ll still notice you in that dress, but for the wrong reasons.”

A part of me hated that he was right. But at my age, I’d learned to let pride go, from time to time. I slid out of my clothes and pulled on the dress. Fire-engine red and strapless, the dress was snug around my bust, and the skirt flared out to mid thigh. The crinoline pushed it out further. Like a Barbie doll outfit. I put on the heels and stared down at my bare legs.

“You got sunglasses?” I held a hand out to Ivan. He gave me his. They were large and round, far too big for my face, but they would have to work. I let my hair down, fluffing it.

“This isn’t a beauty contest.”

I lowered the glasses to glare at him. “I need as much skin coverage as possible, wolf.”

“Shit. I forgot about that.”

“Kind of an integral part of my life,” I muttered. “We’re going to do this fast. I can handle the sun for only a few minutes before I start to blister.” Just my luck the setting sun was positioned just right between the buildings to shine on the entrance.

“Ready?” He had his hand on the door. I nodded and did the same.

Ready as I was going to get.





CHAPTER 4





RACHEL



“Who is this?” I stepped closer to the building to get out of the flow of people.

“Someone you want to know.”

I sighed and rubbed my hand against my aching temple. “If you don’t cut the bullshit and get to the chase, I’m hanging up.”

He released a smug laugh. “I have information that can help you.”

“Like what?”

“I know about the suicide pills.”

Now he had my attention. My investigation of a series of serial killer crime scenes was what had landed me in this rabbit hole. All the victims had met with death by vampire. I hadn’t mentioned it in my report, but I’d found a vampire suicide pill outside one of the scenes. My on-air time had been limited, and other information had taken priority. What was the point of mentioning something like that when there were far bigger issues to discuss, like the bioterrorism weapon that turned humans into crazed monsters? Or the vampire blood that cured diseases but created others? Why would someone give a shit about vampire suicide pills if they didn’t even believe in vampires? “How do you know about them?”

“Rachel, you’re a reporter,” he said in a mocking tone. “Why are you asking the wrong questions?”

His voice set me on edge. He sounded like a patient serial killer, toying with his victim before he got to work. Yet I couldn’t hang up. “Okay,” I said, stalling to come up with a plan. I needed to play his game. Based on his egotistical tone, he wanted to make this about him. Time to suck it up. “You must be someone of importance if you know about the pills. From what I’ve gathered, only a few strategic people know about their existence.”