Annie Nicholas: Hunting Colby

“If he spreads it out over the whole city so no one hospital is overwhelmed, then no alarms are set off. Nobody would notice the increase. With enough people recovering, the death counts are low.” I rubbed my temples. “Shit. So whoever is doing this has a food supply.”

“It’s Cesio.” Mutt folded his arms over his chest. “My gut is never wrong about these things.”

I snarled at no specific person, and it echoed against the empty warehouse walls. “I agree.”

Alcide’s eyes widened but he didn’t scoot away like most vampires would have. I liked him a little more for it.

Jumping to my feet, I had to pace to keep up with my racing thoughts. “You’re right. We can’t go to the Nosferatu with this yet. There’s nothing concrete. A few sick humans caused by vampires won’t bother anyone if the humans recover.” I stopped in my tracks in front of Alcide. “Why do you think Cesio is breeding?”

“The bite marks.” That made sense. Each vampire’s bite was different, almost like a fingerprint, but I was far from an expert on the subject. “The puncture holes were tiny, like made by thin needles. It’s probably why the doctors didn’t detect them. Young vampire’s baby teeth are formed this way—thin, translucent, and very, very sharp.”

“The young I’ve met don’t have much control over their hunger. I don’t understand why the death toll isn’t higher.” I hadn’t much experience with this. I dealt with the old, not the young.

Alcide shrugged. “Me neither. This is why I tried to find help.”

“But with slayers?” Mutt frowned. “Why not ask me?”

“What would you have done? If Cesio suspected you knew, he’d find a way to destroy you. It’s not a secret there’s no love lost between you. I needed someone objective.”

I sighed and stared at the concrete floor. “Except now they think you’re behind it. If I hadn’t shown up at the motel, your ass would have been ash.”

“I didn’t realize the girl was a lure. She was too easy, and I was so hungry. Real nice…” Alcide held his hands in front of his chest.

Classy.

“Enough.” Mutt’s voice cut like glass. “She’s off limits. She belongs to the slayers.” He twisted in his seat to face me. “So what do we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

Tension built on the back of my neck, and I tried to ease the knot by stretching as I paced the length of the warehouse with my cell phone in hand. Colby wasn’t answering my calls, the dickhead.

I spun to face the boys still sitting in the chairs. Alcide had dressed while I’d taken some time to mull things over. “We should start with our smallest, yet most important issue. Where were you supposed to meet Red, Alcide?”

“At a bar in Queens. He knew the place and wanted to meet in a crowded public area.”

I continued pacing. “Did you tell anyone about it?” If we could find Red alive, we might have a witness to Cesio's wrong doings and get Colby off Alcide’s back.

“No!”

“Well, someone found out. Help me. Did you see anyone at the bar you recognized, say something about the hospital visit, tell them about your companion?” The knot in my neck moved to my chest. If I could shift, I’d be worried about losing control and getting furry.

Alcide squirmed in his chair as our gazes met. “I—I didn’t see any vampires at the bar, only humans. One of them might have been a companion. I can’t keep track of them all. Some vampires keep four or five of them.”

“Someone might have recognized you.” I tapped my chin. “Still doesn’t link you to Red, though. Did your companion socialize with other companions?”

He nodded. “Most of them do.”

“She could have voiced your concern over this anemic flu. It’s easy for gossip to spread.” I worked for the master of such skills and had been used on occasion to spread rumors.

His baffled expression clarified his opinion of humans. He didn’t think beyond their bodies and blood. Most vampires forgot that they were once from this race and that humans could think as well as they could. “I guess she could have mentioned it.”

“Did the companions she socialized with service any of Cesio’s men?”

“Fuck.” He whispered the word as his head fell into his hands. “Technically, we’re all Cesio’s men, but some do feed his personal guard.”

“One of them must have heard about your concern and set a tracker on you.” Master Tane wasn’t the only one who used shifters. Many of the Overlords made deals with local packs. I didn’t know the New York City pack well enough to make inquiries, though.

“Why take Red and not me?”

Mutt snorted. “Because he posed more of a threat.”

A spark of warmth bloomed in my chest as I smirked. The young vampire was listening to me and learning. “All this speculation won’t get us anywhere. We have to assume Cesio has Red and that he still lives.” A shiver ran over my spine. I couldn’t think of any scenario in which Red survived. “Where would he keep prisoners?” In a city like New York, there were thousands of places. I glanced at the digital clock on the wall over the training ring. “It’ll be dawn soon. We can’t do anything until after sunset.” I pulled Mutt’s oversized sweatshirt over my head and rolled the sleeves. “Get some rest. I’ll call as soon as I have a plan.”

Mutt jerked to his feet as I moved toward the exit. “Where are you going?”

“Back to my hotel to get some decent clothes and weapons. Then I need to find Colby.”

Mutt followed me to the door. “Good luck.”

I eyed the locks. “How did Alcide get in when you padlocked the place?”

“Secret tunnel.”

I gaped. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“Then it wouldn’t be a secret.” He closed the door, and I heard the interior locks sliding in place. It was good that Mutt thought independently, but it still irked me that he’d confide in Alcide and not me, his teacher.

It didn’t take long to jog to a main street and flag a cab. Without Mutt’s presence, they seemed more receptive to giving me a ride. I couldn’t blame them. The vampire struck an imposing figure.

The long ride over the bridge, back to Brooklyn, gave me a few moments to tune out my worries. Sometimes the best thing to do was nothing. At least we had a better idea of who took Red. We’d been hunting the wrong vampire the whole time.

I paid the cabbie once we arrived at my hotel. My heart zigged as my soul zagged. The lot was empty except for a familiar car parked next to my vehicle.

Colby’s sleek sedan.

I took slow, measured steps to the entrance and paused so I wouldn’t appear eager.

Why wasn’t he answering his phone? Was he injured on the other side? What could have possibly happened to prevent him from answering his phone except his arrogance? In the end, fury overrode any logic. I unlocked the door and strode in, hands on hips and ready to reach for my gun.

Colby lay on my bed, arms resting behind his head, ankles crossed as he watched the television. “Hey, sweet cheeks.” He gave me a crooked smile.

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?” I stormed across the room and picked up the cell sitting on the table. It showed all my calls and a map tracking a signal to what appeared to be my hotel. I glanced at my chest. The stupid tracker was still between my breasts. “You’ve been tracking me.”

“Yep.”

I reached inside the sweatshirt and dress, groping for the device before tearing it from my skin.

He ducked as I tossed it at his head. “What were you doing in that industrial area all night? Warehouse shopping?”

“If you cared enough, you should have stuck around instead of having a tantrum.”