Carte Blanche [Special Enforcers Series ] Page 18

  "Hello?"

  It was a woman who answered, and that only added to her anger. She started shaking as she spoke.

  "I want to speak to Mike."

  On the other end of the line, the pleasant voice became hesitant.

  "Is this ... is this Grace?"

  She started when Ray's hand settled on her shoulder, light but comforting. As much as she wanted to yell at the woman, she managed to control herself so that she sounded cold but calm. “Put him on the line."

  "Listen, I didn't know what he was going to do, and I swear if he had told me I—"

  All the woman's hurried babbling did was confirm to Grace that Mike had taken Laura. She wasn't interested in listening to excuses or explanations.

  "Where is my daughter?” she cut in harshly.

  "She's here. He'll bring her back Sun—"

  "Tell him I'll be there in two hours. She had better be ready to leave when I arrive, or I swear prison will be the least of your worries. For both of you."

  Her hands were shaking so much that she fumbled for a few seconds before she managed to hang up.

  "I can't believe he's that stupid,” she muttered, incensed.

  "He's never done anything like this before?"

  She turned toward Ray. His hand stayed on her shoulder, soothing her.

  "Never. He can get her every other weekend. He did, the first month we lived here. And then one day he stopped coming to pick her up. Never explained..."

  She stopped and took a deep breath, her anger jumping yet again as she remembered how hurt Laura had been, how sad she still was, on Saturdays, when the morning passed without her father showing up.

  "I am so going to kick his ass."

  She started turning back to the door, but Ray's hand tightened on her shoulder, stopping her. He tilted his head as he considered her.

  "You can't drive when you're shaking like this. You won't get your daughter back or kick his ass if you get in an accident before you get there. You said the drive is two hours?"

  She blinked, then nodded. He was right. She had to calm down. She just didn't have time to calm down, not when the bastard thought he could just take Laura without talking to her first.

  "Do you want me to drive?"

  She blinked again, unsure she had understood him right. Not ten minutes earlier, she had been accusing Ray of kidnapping and murder. He couldn't be offering this now. He didn't have any reason to. His face, however, was nothing but serious and earnest.

  "Why?” she murmured.

  He shrugged. “Why not?"

  If Laura hadn't been two hours away, Grace would have argued that this wasn't an answer. She had assumed the worst of Ray, for no other reason that he was a vampire—something she had promised herself, years earlier, she would never do. She had been nothing short of callous and had threatened to kill him. Helping her was the last thing he should have wanted to do. Nevertheless, moments later they were in her car, and he was driving away in the direction she indicated.

  They hadn't left the town yet when she remembered she hadn't talked to her mother since she had called an hour and half earlier. She had to be worried sick. Indeed, she picked up her phone after the first ring and asked right away:

  "Did you find her?"

  "She's with Mike. I'm on my way to get her."

  Caroline gasped. “He didn't!"

  "I'm afraid he did, Mom.” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. If she stayed much longer on the phone, she just knew Caroline might start rehashing everything Mike had ever done wrong in her eyes. “I'll call you back when we're back home."

  "All right. I'll be waiting."

  She ended the call with a touch of her thumb, then considered the phone for a second before looking at Ray. They reached the highway that she had indicated. He was driving fast but within the speed limit, his eyes darting every so often to the rearview mirror. It was somehow difficult to reconcile in her mind the image she had of him as a submissive on his knees and the man she had met this night, confident and assertive without being antagonistic. She wondered if that was what he was like, at Carte Blanche, when his card was turned red side up. After a moment, he glanced at her as though he had felt her eyes on him.

  "Is something wrong?” he asked.

  She shook herself out of her stupor. “No, nothing. Do you know the name of that bar owner?"

  "I only know him by Terry. I think it's short for Terrence."

  "Thank you."

  She dialed again, this time Hugo's cell phone.

  "Hugo Tyler speaking."

  "Hugo, it's me. I know who our killer is. It's the owner of the blood bar. Terry or Terrence something."

  "Terrence Kane?” Hugo replied, his incredulity obvious. “He's human!"

  "I know. Apparently, he has some kind of device that mimics a vampire bite. Can you have the police arrest him and search his place?"

  "Are you sure? That sounds really ... strange."

  "I know that, too. But there's a councilman in the hospital who might be able to identify him. He tried killing him tonight, but he was interrupted. The police took prints at the crime scenes, didn't they? Have them compare them to his. We've got our killer."

  "OK,” Hugo said reluctantly after a few seconds. “If you're sure..."

  Grace swallowed back an exasperated sigh. “I am sure. Trust me."

  "All right.” He paused for a second, then asked, “What about your kid?"

  "She's fine. I'm on my way to get her. I'll see you at the agency tomorrow."

  This time, when she shut off the phone, she slipped it in her pocket. For a little while, she stared at the road ahead of her, so familiar from her monthly visits to her mother when she and Mike had been married. She felt mentally exhausted, but she couldn't afford to be, not when she had her most important battle still in front of her.

  "You're divorced, aren't you?” Ray asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

  "Yes,” she replied simply, unwilling to elaborate.

  Just a few days ago, she thought with a humorless smile, she'd have taken a paddle to his ass if he had dared ask her personal questions like this. Now, even though she didn't want to answer, she felt that she had to.

  "And you have legal custody?"

  "Yes. I told you, he's got two weekends a month."

  From the corner of her eyes, she saw him nod.

  "I assume you don't have a copy of the legal papers with you. Do you have your attorney's number?"

  Grace looked at him, perplexed. “The number ... Why?"

  "If you have his number and can find him at this hour, you could have him fax the papers to the local police and explain what's going on. By the time you get there, they'll be aware of the situation and ready to help."

  She didn't reply for a while, thinking over his words. It sounded like a good idea—except for one not so small detail.

  "Laura wouldn't understand if the police showed up to take her from her father,” she said, shaking her head. “But thanks for the suggestion."

  He shrugged. “I was in your daughter's place a couple of times when I was a kid. My father wasn't as protective as you seem to be."

  She had a feeling that this volunteered information was an exchange of sorts for what she had revealed of herself. She took it in, but did not question him further.

  "It's funny,” she said after a moment. “You're offering me legal advice, when I'd almost expect you to offer—"

  She stopped herself, belatedly realizing that he might interpret her remark as a suggestion, which was the last thing she wanted.

  "Offer what?” he asked when she didn't finish. “To hurt him? Or kill him?"

  "I'm not saying I want you to, I just..."

  He laughed at that. “I'm not silly enough to tell a S.E. I'm ready to kill for her."

  She frowned at his choice of words. “Not silly enough to tell me, what about doing it?"

  He sobered down at once and glanced at her before focusing on the road again.
“I've been a vampire for eight years. I have never killed to this day, and I don't plan to if I can help it. So, no, as much as I care about you, I would not kill someone for you. Not even if it meant getting you back."

  She didn't reply, unsure what to make of his words. This night had been an emotional roller coaster for her, and she didn't know anymore what to feel or think. All she knew was that she needed to get her daughter back. She'd have time to think about the rest—about Ray—when Laura was home.

  * * * *

  By the time Ray left the highway, Grace had calmed down enough that her voice was back to its normal, even tone. She had been silent for more than an hour, and he didn't know what to make of that. She was still angry, he knew as much; her scent made that obvious. He didn't think she was angry with him, or at least, not any more than she had been when they had talked the previous night. He had thought for a while that she had forgotten about that, and maybe she had, seeing how she had accepted his help, and how they'd had the beginning of a normal conversation. He had a feeling that she remembered now, though, and if she could have gotten rid of him mid trip, she might have.

  She gave him short, clipped directions from the highway to her ex-husband's home. In the well-lit street, it looked exactly like the houses around it: average size, two stories, with a small patch of grass in the front and a garage with matching roof and trim in the back. Ray wondered, briefly, if she had lived there while she'd been married to the guy. The banal little house with white, lacy curtains at the windows did not resemble her. Then again, he had only learned the day before that she had a daughter, and he wouldn't have guessed that either. He thought he knew Mistress Red pretty well, but Grace continued to be full of surprises.

  He parked the car in the driveway, expecting her to practically run out. Instead, she closed her eyes for a short moment and took a deep breath before calmly getting out of the car and walking up to the front door. Ray didn't hesitate before stepping out of the car; he'd been driving for a while and needed to stretch. He doubted his presence by her side would help anything, however, so he stayed back and leaned against the hood. Lighting a cigarette, he watched Grace knock on the door just a few yards away. It would be interesting to see how she acted with her ex.

  The door opened seconds after she knocked, and a man appeared. He was almost a head taller than she was. From the angle at which Ray observed him, his face seemed set in a sneer, and Ray couldn't tell if his bulk was due to toned muscles or lack of exercise.

  "Who's that?” he said in guise of greeting, pointing his chin in Ray's direction.

  "None of your business,” she replied, sounding more like Mistress Red than Grace. “Where's Laura?"

  "Do you ever check your answering machine? If you had, you'd have known I was coming to get her and there would have been no need for you to be hysterical."

  "I'm not hysterical. And if you ever think of pulling a trick like that again, I'll call the cops. You're lucky I didn't call them tonight."

  He took a half step forward at that until he was towering over her. Grace didn't look impressed in the slightest. Ray couldn't help grinning to himself.

  "What if I called them on you first?"

  She snorted. “For what?"

  "For endangering my child.” His voice hardened and raised in volume. “You thought I wouldn't find out?"

  When she replied, Grace sounded truly puzzled. “Find out about what?"

  Ray stilled, his cigarette forgotten halfway to his mouth. Could that man know about him—about him playing with Grace, or being a vampire, or both? He hoped not. He didn't want to be responsible for this, not even indirectly.

  "About you playing at being an S.E.,” the man said, and Ray almost sighed in relief. “Laura told me about it in her letter, but I'd have found out eventually. How could you—"

  "What I can or cannot do,” Grace stopped him, practically bristling, “is not up to you to decide. And you know what? It never was, even when I was silly enough to listen to you."

  He ignored the venom in her words and crossed his arms. “I heard there were several murders by vampires in your town recently. What will happen to her when you get yourself killed? Or when those vamps you hunt decide to hunt your family in return?"

  "Oh, please! You never cared how dangerous being a Special Enforcer was or wasn't, for me or for anyone else. You cared about me doing what you wanted. You're not upset because you think she's in danger. You're upset because I broke your rules. Guess what? We're done playing. We've been done for a long time."

  Ray frowned as he considered her and her words. He wished he could have seen her face, or better yet, ask her if she meant what he thought she did. It was hard to imagine her following anyone's directions as she was implying she had.

  Her ex said something Ray didn't catch—something she didn't listen to. Looking inside the house behind him, she called out for her child.

  "Laura? Get your things, honey. It's time to go home."

  "You're not leaving with her,” the ex practically growled.

  Just then, the child appeared, and slipped past her father to throw herself in Grace's open arms. “Mom! I told Dad you'd be mad, but he said it was OK. Was it OK?"

  She gave her daughter a hug but did not respond, her eyes locked with her ex's. He was the first to break away when Laura tugged at his shirt. He leaned down to pick her up, and for a second Ray thought he would walk back in with her. She hugged his neck, however, saying goodbye before she planted a kiss on his cheek, and he let her back down, albeit with obvious reluctance. Grace took her hand, and together they came back to the car. The little girl's eyes widened when she noticed Ray, while Grace raised an eyebrow at him, her gaze pointedly following his cigarette. He hurriedly got rid of it and smiled apologetically.

  "You said he wasn't your boyfriend!” Laura exclaimed. She threw her mother a dark look. “You lied to me!"

  "I didn't lie to you. He's not. Get in the car, honey."

  Ray opened the back door for Laura while Grace walked around the car. The child gave him a serious look and repeated the question she had voiced when she first met him.

  "Are you my mom's boyfriend?"

  "I'm not,” he replied, amused, then leaned down and whispered: “But I wish I were."

  Her face lit up, and she nodded when he pressed a finger to his lips, asking for her silence. She climbed in, and Ray closed the door after her. On the other side of the car, Grace was frowning at him, her hand poised on the passenger door but not moving. Her mouth opened, and he thought she would ask what he had just said, or reveal that she had heard him. She climbed in without a word, however, and while she talked to her daughter on the way back to Blackwood Falls, she didn't say much to Ray until they entered the town and she told him to drive back to his place, and she'd take the wheel from there.

  They got out of the car together and crossed paths in front of the hood. Looking a little embarrassed, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He looked at her, slightly bemused.

  "Thanks,” she said with a small shrug. “For everything."

  He smiled. “You're welcome. Anything you need, just ask. You know my limits. Everything else is yours."

  He meant it. He had rarely meant something as much as this. But when she looked away and didn't answer, when she drove off without a glance back at him and only Laura waving goodbye, he wondered if she believed him. More than that, though, he wondered if she'd ever take him up on his offer. He had the unpleasant feeling she wouldn't.

  Climbing the stairs up to his apartment—up to Keller's apartment—Ray thought back to his Sire's words. He'd promised to ignore Ray if he joined him before a year had passed; but how long would he be able to ignore him? If in the end he was to be alone, he might as well take his chance and at least try.

  Chapter 19

  Grace found it difficult to leave Laura at school that morning. After her scare from the previous night, she couldn't help worrying that Mike might try the same trick again. She talked to La
ura's teacher and to the school principal, both to let them know what had happened under their watch to make sure it wouldn't happen again. The next step, when she got to the agency, was to call her attorney. She hadn't wanted to do it in front of Laura.

  Hugo arrived while she was in the middle of her conversation. He helped himself to a cup of coffee before sitting down at his desk, rotating his chair to face Grace. He brought the cup to his lips and took small sips. He listened in to her call without trying to hide his interest.

  "So that's where your kid was?” he asked once she had hung up the phone.

  "Yes. And it won't happen again if I have anything to say about it."

  "At least she's safe.” He took a sip of coffee and changed subjects abruptly in his usual fashion. “You were right about Kane. He confessed."

  Grace frowned, momentarily perplexed about who Kane was.

  "Oh, good,” she said when she remembered, a bit peevish that she had forgotten about that.

  "I've got to ask, though.” He leaned forward on his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs. “How did you figure it out? I thought you said you didn't talk to him when you saw him yesterday?"

  She rubbed her fingers to her temples. She had barely gotten any sleep, and her head felt too small for her brain.

  "I didn't. I had help.” She knew him well enough to guess he wouldn't stop asking questions until he had the full story. Two weeks earlier, she would have felt compelled to make up a story rather than admit the truth, but not anymore. “From a vampire."

  He stilled with the cup just inches from his lips and lowered it again without touching it. His disapproval was all too clear, and Grace was in no mood to listen to it.

  "Listen, if you plan on leaving the agency to me, I'm going to run things my way. If you've changed your mind, I'll just create my own agency."

  For ten years, she had listened to other people's opinions and acted on them. Seeing Mike had only reminded her that pretending to agree with those opinions didn't help anything. She was done pretending—about anything.

  "All right."

  She blinked at Hugo's quiet answer, unsure which part of her tirade he was agreeing with.