Precisely. Ava clenched both hands around the back of a chair as she stared at all of them. "Edward Leicester said they needed all the crates of serum by last night. So whatever they're planning, it must be soon, and I think there's something else going on here we haven't seen before. I think they plan to use the serum elsewhere."
Malloryn placed his fingers together, looking grim. "You're right." He met all their eyes in turn. "My spy networks turned up nothing. You're the investigators, where do we go from here?"
"Ingrid and I can try and track Ulbricht," Byrnes said, running a hand through his pale hair. The color had faded from it completely now, ever since he'd been turned into a dhampir against his will. "We were on his trail last month and know his hidey-holes, and his scent. My senses are better than ever, we might as well use them."
"And you two?" Malloryn asked, turning to her.
Ava sighed. "We have several leads to chase up. I think the vaccine issue has trailed off, and this is more important anyway. We need to find out who can manufacture dart guns, or guns with hollow bullets that might be filled with Black Vein, much the way the Firebolt bullets are filled with chemicals. And Kincaid has ties among the humanist population." She paused, glancing at him. "Do you think any of your friends would know anything?"
Kincaid nodded slowly. "They might."
Twenty-Seven
AVA AND KINCAID spent another restless afternoon traipsing halfway across London.
Exhaustion rode her hard, but she couldn't give in. Not while Garrett was lying there, trying to recover. Not while her friends-all the Nighthawks she'd ever worked with-were under a cloud of danger.
Ava finally stumped out of the last warehouse they'd been checking. The two main manufacturers on her list had never heard of any strange shipments or requests. Both of them supplied the Nighthawks and the Coldrush Guards who guarded the queen with a standard-issue dart gun, though they used hemlock darts, and not Black Vein. Neither of them knew anything.
"Three thousand vials of serum," she said, wearily rubbing her face. "No dart guns. How are they planning on attacking blue bloods? Individually? With a one-on-one injection?" It made no sense. Ulbricht and his SOG were sons of the Echelon. Pampered fops who thought dueling was the limit of violence. There could only be a hundred or so SOG members at most, hardly enough to take on a force like the Nighthawks. "Think, Ava," she told herself. "How do you kill over four hundred blue bloods in a single hit?"
Kincaid slung his leg over the back of his velococycle. "You'll work it out. I believe in you."
"But what if I'm too late?" she cried. "These are my friends, Kincaid. I can't afford to waste time."
"Then we need to talk to my friends. See what they know." He helped her onto the seat behind him. Ava sat sideways, hampered by her skirts today, but she gladly clasped her hands around his waist.
She was almost starting to enjoy riding through the streets behind him. "Are you going to return me to Malloryn's?"
Kincaid started the boiler pack, letting it heat. "No." He let loose a loud sigh. "They're good people, Ava, just misguided. The same way I was. And I think-if we want peace in London-then it's about time both races started getting to know each other a little."
"Do you think they'll like me?" She swallowed nervously.
He laughed. "Not at first. But nobody who ever knew you could dislike you, kitten."
* * *
Xander and Maggie were setting up for the night when Kincaid rapped on the door of the inn, and called out, "Anybody home?"
"Good grief," Maggie called. "Twice in one week. One would almost think you'd remembered who you were, K!"
"Either that or he wants something," Xander added, and then he turned from his seat at the bar. Xander's smile slowly died when he saw Ava hiding in Kincaid's shadow.
He'd never brought a woman home. Nor had he ever introduced one to his friends.
"Ava, luv," he said, gesturing her forward, "this is my friend Xander McGraw, and his lovely wife, Maggie. Xander and Maggie, this is Miss Ava McLaren."
"How do you do?" He could tell Ava was nervous. She was pressing her hair into place, fidgeting.
"The blue blood?" Xander said bluntly.
Kincaid shot him an icy glare, but Maggie gave Xander a nudge with her elbow and smiled warmly. "A pleasure to meet you. I must say, I've been very curious about the woman who finally stole Kincaid's heart."