Forbidden Nights with a Vampire(73)

 

The French Vamp waved a hand in dismissal.

 

"The two of you are the perfect choice," Connor explained. "Ye can guard at night, and Lara during the day. And ye'll still be alive for yer wedding."

 

Lara looked relieved, but Jack was grinding his teeth.

 

Connor gave him a sympathetic look. "I know how ye feel, lad. I've been there myself. But keeping Roman safe is verra important. If he succeeds in making Nightshade, it could be our greatest weapon in combating the Malcontents."

 

Jack heaved a resigned sigh. "All right. We'll do it."

 

Lara took his hand and squeezed it.

 

"Who else is on the list?" Angus asked.

 

"I am." Phineas raised a hand proudly. "Dr. Phang at your service."

 

Angus smiled. "Verra good, lad."

 

"I'll go, too," Robby announced. "They should have backup, someone Casimir isna expecting."

 

"Like a secret weapon." Angus nodded. "Good idea."

 

"Look, guys," Gregori spoke up. "I'm not a warrior, but I know marketing and publicity. You guys from the hit list can sit on a hill for a week, but if Casimir doesn't know about it, he'll never show up. You've got to stage and promote this deal without it looking like it's been staged and promoted."

 

Angus folded his arms. "What do ye suggest?"

 

"A believable scenario." Gregori rubbed his chin as he considered. "Zoltan and Dougal just narrowly escaped death tonight, so it would be logical for them to go out and celebrate. They would go to a Vamp club. The most popular one is Vanda's, but it was destroyed tonight. Is she all right?"

 

"She's fine," Phil replied quietly.

 

"Good." Gregori flashed him a smile, then grew serious again. "When it comes to Vamp clubs, I've been to most of them. We need a dark, seedy place, perfect for an ambush." He snapped his fingers. "I've got it. Vampire Blues in New Orleans."

 

"I like it," Angus said. "And the Coven Master there is a good friend. Colbert will help us out."

 

Gregori tapped his chin, still thinking. "We'll need publicity."

 

"What about Corky Courrant?" Emma suggested. "She does celebrity gossip on her show."

 

"Yeah, but let's face it," Gregori said. "Dougal and Phineas aren't celebrities. Corky wouldn't care what they're doing."

 

Phil felt a heaviness in his chest. There was a surefire way to get Corky's unwitting participation. He glanced at Connor, and the Scotsman was giving him an apologetic look.

 

Connor cleared his throat. "There was one more name on the list. Casimir wants Vanda Barkowski dead. And Corky hates her with a passion."

 

Phil's heart squeezed in his chest. Damn. He didn't see any way out of this.

 

Gregori winced. "There has to be another way. Vanda lost her club tonight. She's suffered enough."

 

"But she's a feisty lass, no?" Angus asked. "She might want revenge."

 

"She does have an anger problem," Gregori admitted. "But we've been trying to help her get over it."

 

"Her anger might be just what we need," Connor said. "We take her to the club, let it slip to Corky that she'll be there, and let Vanda throw one of her famous fits. Corky shows it on air, and when Casimir realizes Vanda is still alive, he rushes to the club, hoping to kill her. And that's when we kill him."

 

Gregori nodded. "That would work, but we need to make sure Vanda would be safe."

 

"I'll go with her," Phil said quietly.

 

"Can ye convince her to do it?" Connor asked.

 

Phil sighed. Did he have any choice?

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 16

 

 

 

 

It was close to dawn by the time Phil returned to the cabin. Phineas teleported back to Romatech, leaving him alone with Vanda. She was folding laundry at the kitchen table. He noted the stack of clean towels and clothes, including her purple catsuit.

 

As soon as Phineas disappeared, she threw her arms around Phil and hugged him. "I missed you."

 

He held her close and nuzzled his chin against her hair. Connor had suggested he simply invite her to New Orleans for a holiday. No need to let her know what the real plan was. She might refuse to be their bait, and they were too desperate to take that chance. This was war, and a time for desperate measures.

 

Phil hadn't argued the point, although he'd doubted he could purposely mislead Vanda. Now that she was in his arms, he knew for certain that he couldn't.

 

"How bad is it?" Vanda asked.

 

"Bad enough." He took her hand and led her to the couch. "The Malcontents used mind control to get ahold of some military helicopters. They bombed those two Romatechs from the air."