J. R. was in the back of a white van with the door open to the sidewalk. She wanted to vomit at the sight of her little brother wrapped up in the arms of the very same man who had attacked her in the club a few weeks back. She'd heard Chase say his name was Nathan.
Nathan held a knife to J. R.'s throat with one hand and a syringe full of milky-looking liquid pressed into his arm with the other. Nathan's arms were crossed tightly over the boy's chest to hold him still.
Dani stepped toward the van, but Debbie grabbed her arm.
"Don't move and don't even think about pulling any freaky vamp tricks! If I feel even a pinch, this kid is getting an armful!" Nathan was deadly calm. "Your friend said you weren't here, but I've been watching since before you left that house by the park. It's really not smart to broadcast the fact that you are unprotected, sweetheart. Not smart at all. You need to come with me, Danielle. You don't want to have this boy's blood on your hands, do you?"
Sarah was hyperventilating.
"Let go of the boy, and I will come with you," Dani bargained. She knew full well that if she left with Nathan, she wouldn't be coming back alive. The evidence of that fact had been left in the form of a dead girl in her bed, and the deaths of several other unfortunate young vampires.
"I've come face-to-face with your telekinetic freakdom once before. I won't let him go until I've secured you, and you're unconscious. All I have to do is depress this plunger to kill him for sure at this dose. So, I suggest you get your pretty ass over here, because one of you is coming with me to my master. I can take you alive, or I'll take him and wait to see if he ever wakes again," he threatened with a smile.
J. R. cried and looked at her with a fear that raked her heart. "It's alright, buddy. Don't be afraid." She tried to smile for him, while slowly moving forward. She was trying to work out how to disable that asshole without hurting J. R. Her power was new to her and it worked sporadically. If she tried to subdue Nathan and was too slow, he could kill J. R. She couldn't let him be taken instead of her. If she couldn't handle it safely, she'd have to surrender.
"Don't play with me! If you try anything, I will kill him! I have nothing to lose, and I will not fail again! My master wants you. I am gonna deliver, today. Get in the damn van. And after you're down, I'll release the boy." He tightened his grip on J. R. A thin rivulet of blood ran down J. R.'s throat where the blade bit into his skin. He breathed hard, and tears streamed down his round cheeks.
Debbie held her arm in a death grip. She didn't let go when Dani tried to go to the van. Sarah stepped up and knocked her hand off Dani's arm.
"Let her go, Deborah!" Sarah hissed.
Dani couldn't help smiling at the irony of the situation. "I thought you wanted me to let the men take care of things from now on, Sarah?" She got no response. Dani yanked the delicate chain from her neck and handed the warrior pendant to Debbie. "Please give this to Kayden. Tell him I'm sorry. Make him understand this isn't his fault. Tell him I wish I'd had the chance to see what we could have been together."
Slowly, she turned and walked to the van. Encumbered by the gown she wore, Dani crept in slowly, and the nightmare began. The two women outside looked on, holding their breath.
J. R. continued to cry, blood trickling down his neck. He tried to squirm away from the needle that stung his arm. As she brushed him, he looked up at her in horror. He didn't want her to go. He didn't want her to sacrifice herself for him, and it was plain in his sweet face. He was such a brave boy.
"Facedown on the floor, hands crossed behind your back!" Nathan barked.
"It's going to be alright, J. R. He isn't going to hurt you, honey. Don't worry about me, okay?" She soothed the whimpering child and complied with Nathan's orders.
"Shut up and don't move!" Nathan bellowed, just before she felt the sharp stab and burning in her thigh. It was the syringe. He had drugged her again, but this was different. She slipped away instantly. There would be no defending herself this time.
"Sarah, calm down. I can't understand you." Griffin was on his cell when he strode off the elevator outside of Chase's penthouse and knocked on the door. He had come to check on Danielle Scott. He'd done so frequently. Maybe too frequently, but she seemed to have a pull on everyone she came in contact with, including him. Griffin was fascinated by her abilities and felt a kinship to her he couldn't explain. Maybe it was the hair. He knew how tough it was growing up with that curse, but Danielle wore it beautifully.
Chase opened the door, looking less than happy to see him. Kayden paced a hole in the carpet of the living room.
"Put Debbie on the phone. I have no idea what you're trying to tell me."
Chase stepped back to admit him.
"What the hell is going on, Deb?" Griffin had the attention of Chase and Kayden. They both looked like they'd been waiting for trouble, and it had just arrived. Debbie gave him the rundown of the events that had just elapsed. "How is he? Dear God, how could this happen? How did he disable her? She's very capable of self-defense." Griffin eyed Kayden in anger and listened to Debbie's explanation. "I understand. All three of you need to get to Chase's place right now. I'll call Doc Stevens. Give me the license plate number." Griffin motioned for something to write on. "Alright, get moving. I'll send Kayden to meet you. You're right around the corner. See you in a few." He hung up and cursed before launching the phone across the room. He stood there, fuming for a few seconds. He looked back and forth between Kayden and Chase. "If you two are the future of our race, I'm afraid we're doomed. Do you know where Danielle is right now?" He waited a moment. "No, I don't guess you do. Let me tell you. She gave herself up to a madman in exchange for my son."
All the air was sucked from the room. Kayden blinked rapidly, looking suddenly ill. Chase fell back into the chair behind him and spent a moment trying to catch his breath. It was silent in the room as the three men contemplated the loss of the girl they'd only just found and didn't want to lose.
Chase spoke up first. "It's my fault, Mr. Vaughn. I was watching over Danielle this morning when Sam showed up. I was trying to diffuse the situation when Danielle disappeared." Chase held his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.
"Did anyone think to go look for her?" Griffin asked.
"I searched the area," Kayden explained. "Chase stayed here, in case she came back. Her phone was turned off, but she turned it on long enough to text me that she was fine and would be back soon. So, I returned to wait for her here."
"Both of you, call your fathers and tell them that Danielle has been abducted. I'm calling in Doc. Debbie said J. R. was cut. Kayden, go meet Sarah and Debbie at the dress shop on Fifth Avenue off Main Street and escort them back here. Sarah can fill you in on the way back. Go, now." Griffin had to locate the phone he'd thrown. He walked into the room Danielle had occupied and shut the door for privacy while he dialed the Doc.
In her room, he was overwhelmed by the memory of his first love. The scent of her seemed to linger in that space. He had noticed it several times before. The similarity Danielle's scent bore to Tessa's was staggering to him. From time to time, Griffin could swear Tessa was still out there, somewhere. He thought he could feel her, but he dismissed it as wishful thinking and his deep love for her creeping up on him again. He had to look around the room. After he had lost Tessa and Soleil, the agony was too much to bear. Suddenly, he completely understood why his sister had committed suicide when her mate was murdered. The pain was like losing your soul. It was like losing the part of him that made him alive. It was like not having oxygen to breathe, but living to suffer in its absence. He bonded again immediately in an effort to stop the pain, but it was still there in the background. His bond to Sarah had never been the overwhelming love he hoped would wash away the pain. He felt Tessa's loss every day, in a whisper from a far-off place that said, "I'm here and I still love you."
He was still frozen in the past when Doc answered his call. "Hello? Hello, are you there, Griffin?"
"Yes, I'm here. J. R. has been injured in an abduction attempt. I need you to come to Chase Deidrick's place to have a look at him. When can you be here?"
He confirmed Doc was on the way before hanging up. Griffin sank heavily onto Danielle's bed. He shut his eyes and reveled in the scent and memories of the human woman who'd stolen his heart all those years ago, the woman who still owned his soul.