snap that jarred every part of him. A scream tore up his throat, but became nothing more than another hiss of air through clenched teeth. Sweat stung his eyes, and for several seconds, everything went red. He wasn't sure if it was blood or pain.
Gradually his vision cleared, and he saw he was clenching a one-foot section of the rung. What in hell was he going to tie it with?
He stared into the darkness and listened to the restless stirrings of the fledgling's. They'd attack soon.
Farmer had obviously stepped past the distance from which he could control them—or perhaps he wasn't even aware there were such limits. Either way, the blood-craze was stirring the 'boys' into a frenzy of lust and wanting. And he was fresh meat all too close, all too tempting.
He slipped off his shoes then edged off his socks. Hooked them, one at a time, between his toes and held them up so he could grab them with his good hand. He positioned the rung on his chest then carefully took hold of his broken arm and eased it towards the pipe. He knew it would hurt and it did.
When the red haze had once more cleared, he clumsily secured his socks around both his arm and the rung. Then pulled the bottom of his shirt from his jeans, undid the bottom button and pulled it up over his arm, reattaching it to one of the top buttons. As slings went, it wasn't the best. But it was the best he could do.
He turned his attention to the chain holding him captive. It was thick and strong, but the ladder to which it was attached wasn't. He carefully edged into a sitting position, thrust his bare feet against the ladder, grabbed a fist full of chain and pulled back hard.
Against the strength of his desperation, the ladder had little hope. The rusted side gave way with a snap that sent him sprawling backwards. Through a haze of pain he heard the sudden silence, felt the surge of panic and lust.
Saw the red glazed eyes of the fledglings as they rushed towards him.
Chapter Fifteen
Nikki stared at Jake, not wanting to believe his words even though she knew them to be true. 'Maybe she just missed the flight.'
'She didn't even check in.' Jake scrubbed a hand across his face. 'God, I should have gone into the airport with her. Should have escorted her to that plane.'
'None of us thought Farmer would go after her in the daylight,' Nikki said, trying to ease her own guilt as much as his. Lord, if only she hadn't been so consumed with her own problems, maybe she would have seen this coming…
'We have to find her. Now. Tonight.'
'Yes.' And there was only one way they were going to do that—with her psychometry skills. But finding strangers and finding someone she knew and loved were two entirely different propositions. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle what Farmer might be doing to Mary…
Farmer. He'd want them to know. Want them—or her—to choose. She quickly stood. 'I have to get back to my room.'
Jake looked up. His expression—a mix of fear, guilt and confusion—wrenched her heart. 'Why?'
'Because Farmer will try to contact us. Go get something of Mary's then meet me upstairs.' She hesitated. 'If she's okay when we rescue her, we'll need some place safe to hide her. You able to arrange that?'
He nodded and rose. Rather than waste precious time waiting for an elevator, she ran up the stairs to her room. Energy tingled across her skin the minute she entered. She kicked the door shut and walked into the bedroom. A man stood there, his image rippling, as if it were a pond in which a stone had just been thrown. She hesitated in the doorway, but the image gave no indication he'd sensed her.
Farmer was just as she'd pictured—short, thickset in a powerful sort of way, and balding. He wore dirty looking jeans, heavy black boots, a zipped leather jacket that struggled to hold in his stomach, and over that, a sleeveless jean jacket.
She slowly walked around him. On the back of his jean jacket were his gang colors— The Shadows. A somewhat appropriate name for a vampire gang. She finished her tour and stopped in front of him. His eyes were small and mean looking, his mouth thin and petulant.
He showed no sign of realizing she was there. She frowned, wondering why—then remembered she was wearing Seline's charm. She retreated, took it off, then went back into the bedroom. His image came to life almost immediately.
'So.' His voice didn't match his tough appearance, tending to be high, almost feminine. 'We finally meet.'
'We're not exactly meeting.'
His smile revealed bloodied canines. A chill ran down her back. God, don't let that blood be Mary's…
'I suppose, technically, you're right. But we will meet in person soon, have no fear of that.'
She had plenty of fears about that. She crossed her arms, suddenly glad this image wasn't real. At least Farmer couldn't taste her apprehension. Couldn't hear the rapid pounding of her pulse.
'What do you want, Farmer?'
'I suppose you know I have your lover?'
She nodded tightly.
'What you probably don't know is that I also have the woman you consider your second mother.'
She kept her face stony. Disbelieving. They needed to buy time. Needed to make Farmer believe they
'I'm afraid I just couldn't let that happen. Not when I had so many delicious plans for her.'
God, if Mary had been a captive of this madman since this morning, there was no saying what sort of condition they'd find her in now. He may have been taking his time with his earlier victims, but time was the one thing running out on him now. He may have decided to just do her quick… Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed heavily.
'I don't believe you,' she said, forcing her voice to remain flat. 'It was daylight. Neither you nor your fledglings can move around in the sun.'
Farmer chuckled. It was a cold sound that churned her already agitated stomach.
'Ah, but I didn't have to breach the sun's barrier. I just took over the mind of another and had him kidnap her for me.'
She clenched her fists, fighting the urge to smack the image's smug smile from his face. 'You're just playing mind games, you bastard.'
'Actually, no. Both my parents were married.' He snorted softly at his own joke. His image wavered as he shifted his stance, and electricity stirred the tiny hairs along her arms. 'However, perhaps you should call her friend in Long Beach and check. And call the airlines while you're at it, just to see that she didn't board another flight.'
'I will, believe me.'
His smile widened. His canines were wicked points that dug past his bottom lip. She rubbed her arms, but it didn't stop the goose bumps fleeing across her skin.
'Good. Then think about the decision you must make. I will let you save one. The other I will destroy.
You will have an hour to decide, then I'll reappear to hear your decision.'
His image faded a little, then flickered back to full strength. 'Oh, and remember, I know everything you do, so don't think you can mount a rescue attempt for either of them without me knowing. You move from that hotel room, and I'll kill them both. Clear?'
'Clear,' she murmured between clenched teeth.
His image disappeared just as Jake walked into the room. 'What was that?'
'Message from Farmer. We've got an hour, then he's going to kill either Mary or Michael.' Though she seriously doubted Farmer had any intention of letting her save even one.
Jake took a deep, shuddering breath. 'At least that means they're both currently alive.'
