Sexiest Vampire Alive(28)

But what if Mr. Holstein had dangerous psychic powers? How could she possibly trust him? On the other hand, how could she pass up an opportunity to help her mother?

“Alan.” Her dad turned to the director of Homeland Security. “I’m putting you in charge of making that video disappear and proving to the public that vampires are nothing more than fantasy. Get started immediately.”

Alan Schiller nodded with a resigned look. “Yes, Mr. President.” He strode from the room.

“Thank you,” Mr. Holstein told her father. “We’ll be happy to assist you with any problems that might arise.” He glanced at Abigail and lifted his eyebrows with a questioning look.

She turned away, her cheeks growing warm. Would Dad actually do it? Would he ask a vampire to take her on her research trip?

“I have something personal I’d like to discuss with Mr. Holstein,” her father said. “General, George, Frank, thank you for coming.”

General Bond shot Mr. Holstein a disgusted look, then marched from the office, followed by the secretary of defense and the national security advisor.

“Mr. President?” Josh asked. “I’ll escort your daughters back to the residence floor now.”

“You can take Madison, but I’d like Abigail to stay.”

She swallowed hard. Yes, Dad was going to do it.

“But that’s not fair!” Madison latched on to Abigail’s arm. “If Abby gets to stay, then so do I.”

Dad lowered his voice. “Sweetie, we have business to discuss with Mr. Holstein.”

“I can do that! I’m a vampire expert!”

Dad’s mouth twitched. “I doubt you could know more than the vampire himself.”

“Oh.” She tucked her chin down. “I suppose that’s true.”

“If the young ladies wish to remain, I would be honored to have their company.” Mr. Holstein gave them a dazzling smile.

Abigail’s pulse jumped. Did he know the power of that smile? It was every bit as striking as his phenomenal hearing. The man who had accompanied him, Mr. Whelan, nudged him with an elbow and gave him a warning look that he seemed to find amusing.

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Holstein!” Madison grinned and extended a hand. “I’m so excited to meet you. I have long been an admirer of your . . . species.”

He shook her hand. “Please, call me Gregori.”

She giggled. “I love your name! It’s so vampirish. Don’t you think so, Abby?”

“I suppose.” She avoided eye contact with him, but still saw his hand reach out to her.

“Abby?” he asked softly.

She swallowed hard. Why did his voice have to be so deep and sexy? “Gori.” She clasped his hand, intending to give it one quick shake and release, but he held tight until she lifted her gaze to meet his.

A small frisson of energy shot through her, giving her a shock. Where had that come from? His eyes? His hand? Or both? She pulled her hand from his grip, jerking back hard enough that she lost her balance and fell onto her rump on the couch.

“Yes, let’s all have a seat.” Her dad sat in his chair at the head of the coffee table, apparently unaware that anything odd had happened.

The CIA director and Mr. Whelan sat on the other couch. Josh and the three Secret Service agents remained standing.

Had she imagined that little jolt? No, her right palm still tingled with residual electricity. Abigail clenched her hands together. Maybe it was just her. She ventured a glance at Gregori.

He was regarding her with a puzzled look.

“Gregori.” Her dad cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I call you Gregori?”

“No, that would be fine.” He sat in the chair at the end of the coffee table.

Madison set her dog bag on the coffee table next to the ice bucket, then sat next to Abigail. “I’m so sorry, Gregori, that I didn’t recognize you right away. I was expecting you to fly in as a bat.”

He nodded with a hint of a smile. “We try to be inconspicuous.”

Abigail snorted. As if Gregori Holstein could ever be inconspicuous.

He glanced at her, and his eyes darkened to an intense green.

Her heart went back into warp drive. Dammit, he could probably hear that.

Abigail’s dad leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees, as he studied Gregori. “Now that we’re helping you with your problem, I’m sure you realize that we expect something in return.”

Gregori shifted in his chair as he unbuttoned his suit coat. “What do you have in mind?”

Mr. Caprese cleared his throat. “Your ability to teleport makes you an excellent candidate for covert operations.”

Gregori nodded. “We can do covert. We’ve been covert for centuries.” He leaned forward, his expression earnest. “But you must understand that our commitment to not harm mortals remains firm. We will not torture or assassinate for you.”