One Foot in the Grave

I thought it over, and then shook my head.

“It’s not Don. It doesn’t make sense. Ellis said that he had originally been given the contract a week ago. That means the hit was planned before anyone knew you came into my life. Don had no reason to want me dead then. I was playing by all his rules.”

Bones got up and began to pace. “You’re right. I’m still so bloomin’ unsettled about almost wearing your brains, I’m not thinking clearly. Right then, Don looks clean. Perhaps. But then that means that there’s a traitor at your compound. This isn’t just some random contract by an undead bloke who wants the mysterious Red Reaper eliminated. This is someone who’s privy to who you are, what you are, and your whereabouts. How many people does that equate to?”

Reflectively, I rubbed the wound near my hairline. “My entire unit, Don’s scientists, some of the guards…about a hundred people.”

He frowned. “That’s a large number of suspects, and that means it won’t take Ian long to pick up on you, either. I’ll have to pay a visit to your work. Sniff out the potential Judases one by one.”

“Bones.” I marched over to him. “You don’t understand. That place is heavily armed and heavily guarded. I should know, I helped design the security! There are only two ways a vampire can get inside the compound without a massive bloodbath. One way is shriveled. They store those vampires on ice for study. The other way is nearly as unpleasant-pronged with silver near the heart and transported inside our capsule. We keep those vampires alive for their blood to supply the Brams. That’s it. End of story.”

Instead of being discouraged, he tapped his finger on his chin and then picked up his cell and dialed.

“Yes, thank you, I’ll hold…Right, one large pizza, extra cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms. Two liters of Coke also. Um hmm, cash. Forty minutes? Here’s the address…”

When he hung up, I blinked at him in confusion. “Is that code for something?”

He laughed. “Yeah, it’s code. For a large pizza and soda. You never did have a bite to eat, and we can’t have you starving on me. Don’t fret; it’s all for you. As you know, I’m full. Now tell me about this capsule.”

“This is the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

My jaw ached from grinding my teeth. I was practically hoarse from arguing, but Bones was unperturbed.

“This is the only way I can get within sniffing distance of whoever’s trying to take you out. If they’re a vampire or ghoul’s lackey, I’ll smell it on them. Or they’ll try to run, or stink like fear. Either way, we’ll know.”

“Or you’ll be packed on ice next to Switch.”

“Not going to happen, pet. Make the call.”

Bones handed me his phone for the fifth time. With a withering glare, I finally took it and dialed. Here went nothing.

“Don, it’s me,” I said when he answered.

“Cat, are you hurt?” To his credit, he sounded genuinely concerned.

“No, but someone’s trying to change that. Look, I’m coming in; I’ll see you in an hour. Don’t let anyone, and I mean anyone, leave until I get there. Call in whoever’s out. We have a rat.”

“Of course, come in at once. We’ll discuss it when you get here. But no one here could possibly be involved-”

“Do you want me to come in or not? These are my terms, and I’m pretty goddamn inflexible about them, since my head nearly parted company with my shoulders last night.”

He paused and then sighed. “If that’s what makes you feel safe. Where is, ah, your companion?”

“He went out, I don’t know where. Right now I’m more worried about my own ass.”

“Hurry in. I’ll recall the teams, but if you don’t arrive in an hour, I’m sending them back out.”

I hung up and almost flung the phone at Bones. “Happy now?”

He pressed his lips over the scab on my temple. “Not yet, but I will be. Go straight there; don’t stop for anything.”

I started to leave, but then paused.

“Bones, before we do this, I have to tell you something. You know I still care about you, obviously, but it’s more than that. I’m…I still love you. I’ve never stopped, actually, even though I tried to snap out of it over the years. I don’t expect you to feel the same way, but-”

“I’ve never stopped loving you,” he cut me off, coming over to take me in his arms. “Not for an instant. Even when I was so angry at you for leaving me, I’ve always loved you, Kitten.”

He kissed me, a slow, deep kiss, like we had all the time in the world. I wished we did, but right now, I was afraid I might never see him again.

With a shuddering sigh, I pushed him back. “I’ll give you another kiss later. Right now I’m too scared about what you’re doing.”

Bones smiled, undisturbed, and traced my lower lip with his finger. “I’ll look forward to it. There’s one more thing, and you must swear to do exactly as I tell you. Take this.” He placed a sealed envelope in my hand. “Hide this in your clothes and don’t open it until I tell you. This is the information I’d been waiting for, and I need to be there when you see it. Swear to me you’ll wait.”

“Quit being melodramatic.” I thrust the envelope down the front of my shirt, tucking it in my bra. “Scout’s honor, okay?”

“I love you.” He made it difficult to stay mad at him.

That stopped me by the door, my hand on the knob. “Don’t get killed. No matter what.”

From the look in my eyes, he knew what I meant.

“It shouldn’t come to that, but if it does, I’ll try not to kill any of them.”

“Right.” My tone was brittle. “I don’t know if they’ll show you the same courtesy.”

This time, when I drove up to the guard gates on a motorcycle and took off my helmet, I was rushed through without hesitation. After all, I couldn’t exactly hide a vampire on the handlebars, could I? I rode straight through to the entrance, literally leaving the bike by the door, and was met by Tate and Juan. They both looked awful.

“Christos, querida, we thought the worst,” Juan exclaimed. Tate was less expressive, but he stared at the scratch on my forehead as if transfixed.

“Jesus. Is that from the bullet?”

“Sure is.” Flippantly. “Were you one of my spies last night? Or did you get the report secondhand?”

We headed for Don’s office. To my relief, I saw the building’s doors seal promptly behind me. Good, Don was keeping everyone inside.

Tate still looked rattled. “Actually, I saw it on video. You were being recorded. Don has the tapes.”

“At least I’ll get to see how my dress looked, even though it’s toast now.”

“You looked beautiful, querida.” Trust Juan never to miss an opportunity, no matter the circumstances. “Throw away that pulseless pale man and I’ll take care of you.”

“That ‘pulseless pale man’ saved my life, Juan,” I bleakly reminded him. “I wouldn’t be pretty with three holes plugged in my head, would I?”

Don stood when we entered, a rarity. He stared at me for a moment, and something flashed across his face I couldn’t name.

“Let me see it,” I began without pleasantries.

He knew what I was referring to, and clicked a button that flicked on the plasma screen as Tate shut the door.

Whoever had been filming me had a better vantage point than my would-be assassin. This looked to be from a neighboring building, since the slant was less steep. Dispassionately I watched the silent footage of Bones and me at our seats, the waiter bringing us the wine, him leaning forward, and me stroking his hand. The next scene was a blur of volatile movement that defied tracking with the naked eye. Then there was the unbelievable sight of the window exploding outward and a black-draped form free-falling with me before zooming off to wreck the van below.

The cameraman had apparently stopped filming and started moving, because the next footage was far more mundane. It showed the dead body of Ellis Pierson, and a close-up on the puncture wounds in the throat. Bones hadn’t bothered to heal them. He knew my team would scoop up the evidence.

Don clicked off the film and regarded me with guarded expectancy.