Duncan Read online

“Yeah, it does come in handy.” Nicole grinned, handing Tessa a mini flashlight. Being a vampire, she could see perfectly at night. “Come on, let’s get busy.”

  “What exactly are we looking for?” Tessa kept her voice low, testing the flashlight, but keeping it from shining toward the windows.

  “A syringe vial.” Nicole headed out of the small kitchen. “I’ll check the bedroom. You check the bathroom.”

  “That sounds familiar.” Tessa rolled her eyes. A syringe vial is pretty much what brought Tessa and Jared together.

  “It does. I forgot about that,” Nicole snorted. “So I guess you don’t need a description.”

  Tessa followed Nicole, stopping at the bathroom door. “Why didn’t you tell the guys that Pam contacted you?” Tessa herself had just found out before Jared had interrupted them in the kitchen.

  Stopping, Nicole turned to look at Tessa, her face lined with worry and stress. “Actually, I was going to tell them, even though I promised her I wouldn’t, but Damon and Duncan were too busy beating the crap out of each other.” Nicole shrugged her shoulders. “I know I should have, but they pissed me off fighting, and the more I thought about it, I have never broken a promise to Pam. She said she isn’t in any danger, but was dealing with something and needed this vial if I could find it.”

  Tessa nodded in understanding, wanting to help Pam as much as Nicole did. “Well then, let’s find that vial.” Tessa ducked into the bathroom and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

  Nicole walked into the bedroom and stopped. The scent of old blood hit her highly-sensitive nose as soon as she walked in the room. Looking around, her eyes zeroed in on the bed. Making her way closer, she spotted two chains locked onto the head post. Her stomach clenched.

  The bed was a mess of covers and a few clothes, Pam’s clothes. Grasping the edge of the cover, not really wanting to see what the cover hid, and even knowing exactly what is was, she flipped the sheet back. Her eyes welled up at the sight of old brown blood stains that told the horror of what happened in this room. “Oh my God.” Nicole felt the room closing around her. She had to get out of here.

  “Don’t move.” A man’s voice and the click of a gun echoed in the silent room.

  *****

  “If you knew they were up to something, why the hell did you leave them alone?” Damon slammed into the Cincinnati Police Department with Jared hot on his heels.

  “I didn’t leave them alone,” Jared defended himself as he passed Damon. “I caught them talking in the kitchen, and they looked guilty as hell. Nicole left and then…”

  Damon stopped, a suspicious frown forming on his lips. “And then what?”

  Jared thought about the ‘then what,’ which was Tessa’s sweet mouth.

  “Wipe that goofy-ass look off your face and come on.” Damon gave him a disgusted look before heading to the front desk.

  “Oh, like Nicole hasn’t turned your brain to mush with her sexy little…” Jared chuckled when Damon flipped him off over his shoulder.

  Stopping, Damon loomed over the counter, glaring at the officer who was unlucky enough to be the one on shift.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, looking back and forth between the two huge Warriors.

  “Buzz them through,” Officer Pete Rosen ordered before Damon could answer.

  Damon and Jared passed through the door. “Where are they, Pete?”

  Frowning, Pete tilted his head for them to follow him. Stepping into a room, he closed the door. Pete Rosen had been on the Cincinnati police force since he was twenty-one years old. He was six months from retiring at the age of fifty-five. He had seen a lot of shit during his years on the force, but nothing had prepared him for working with vampires. To his surprise, he had enjoyed his short time working with the Warriors and respected them deeply. So when he saw Nicole come in handcuffed with another woman he didn’t know, he had called Damon right away. Nicole was well known around the police station, and he always had a soft spot for her; she was the best when it came to the kids she worked with. She was always hitting up the police department for charities.

  Pete leaned against the closed door and sighed. “Detective Ferguson is interrogating them.”

  “Who the fuck is that, and why is he interrogating my wife?” Damon growled taking a step toward the door.

  “What the hell did they do?” Jared crossed his arms, not sure he wanted to hear the answer to that question. The only thing that Pete had told them over the phone was that they had Nicole and another woman in custody, which Jared assumed was Tessa.

  “They broke into Pam Braxton’s apartment,” Pete replied. “And Tom Ferguson is lead detective on Sheriff Bowman’s murder.”

  “Dammit!” Jared rubbed his hand up and down his face.

  “Dammit is right.” Pete frowned. “Ferguson is an asshole and will do anything to close a case. Rumor has it, he plans on running for mayor, so the more bad guys he puts away, the more votes go in his pocket.”

  “So in other words, he’d make a deal with the devil.” Jared knew the type all too well.

  “If he hasn’t already.” Pete opened the door and headed down the hall to another room where two men sat watching a monitor.

  Jared and Damon both looked at the screen, seeing Nicole and Tessa seated at a small table that was attached to the wall. A tall balding man in a suit stood in the middle of the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

  Damon noticed Nicole wincing. The man moved, and he saw why. Her hands were in front of her on her lap, handcuffed. “Those better not be silver handcuffs.”

  One of the men sitting at the monitor snorted. “She’s a fucking vampire, of course it’s silver.” His laugh died a quick death when he turned and met the black eyes of Damon DeMasters.

  Jared stepped in front of Damon. “Well, since she is a vampire, as dumbass over there has pointed out, we have authority.” He nodded toward Pete and the door. “Lead the way, Pete.”

  Damon growled, flashing his large fangs at the man who was visibly trembling in fear. His partner quickly pushed his own chair out of harm’s way, clearly stating his partner was on his own.

  “Come on, bro.” Jared pushed Damon toward the door. “You can decapitate the asshole later. Let’s try to get the women out of trouble.”

  Two doors down, Pete gave a one-knuckle knock before opening the door. The older officer headed toward Nicole and unlocked her handcuffs. Damon and Jared followed, filling the tiny room.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Detective Ferguson stepped in front of Pete before he could unlock Tessa’s handcuffs.

  “The VC Warriors are here, so there is no need to handcuff these women.” Pete stood his ground with a half grin on a weathered face that had seen too much. “I’m sure they’ll protect you.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Jared mumbled, his eyes leaving Tessa’s handcuffed hands to shoot a nasty glare at the detective.

  “You have no right coming in here, Officer Rosen.” Detective Ferguson looked quickly away from Jared’s intense glare, putting his focus back on Officer Pete. “I could have your badge for this.”

  “The Sargent is in his office.” Pete nodded toward the door. “Be my guest.”

  With one last hard glare at everyone in the room, Detective Ferguson stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

  “You have ten minutes tops before he’s back.” Pete headed toward the door.

  “Thanks, my man.” Jared slapped him on the shoulder.

  “Yeah, well, you owe me one.” Pete grinned closing the door behind him.

  Once the four of them were alone, Jared turned toward Tessa and Nicole. “So who’s going to start?”

  “Don’t need an audience.” Damon nodded up toward where the camera was hidden behind a fake smoke detector.

  Walking over, Jared gave a hard glare into the smoke detector that held the camera before taking the face-front off. With a twist of a wire, the red recording light went dark. “Secure.” Jared turn
ed back around.

  Both women sat staring at the Warriors. “What?” Nicole broke the silent staring contest they were having.

  “You know exactly what,” Damon growled, looming over his mate.

  Nicole stood quickly. “Don’t you growl at me, Damon DeMasters,” she hissed standing toe-to-toe with him.

  “What were you two doing in Pam’s apartment?” Jared glared at Tessa, giving Damon and Nicole some cooling off time.

  “We were getting some clothes for-” Nicole answered, still having a stare down with her mate.

  “Bullshit.” Jared didn’t let her finish.

  “I will call Adam if I have to.” Damon pulled out his phone. Adam was Tessa’s brother who had been turned into a half-breed. He had the power to read people with just a touch, no matter how hard they tried to block him.

  Nicole wrinkled her nose at him before plopping back down in her chair. “We were looking for a vial.”

  “Why?” Damon’s tone hadn’t changed. He was pissed, and it showed in his voice, body language and scowl that slashed across his handsome face.

  “I’m not sure,” Nicole replied then frowned when they both continued to glare at her. “I don’t know.”

  Damon rubbed his hand down his face, clearly irritated. “Why didn’t you come to me with this? Duncan has been looking everywhere for her, and here you are talking to her.” Damon shook his head, disappointment radiating off him in waves.

  Nicole looked away for a second, but her eyes quickly found his again. “She is my friend and asked me not to say anything.”

  “Where is she?” Damon’s tone deepened, his eyes narrowed.

  “I have this under control,” Nicole replied, standing her ground. “She’s fine.”

  “I demand you tell me where she is.” Damon’s voice rose with each word.

  “Okay, why don’t we just calm down.” Jared tried to smooth the situation over, but Nicole stood again, this time knocking her chair over.

  “You demand?” Nicole tilted her head, looking up at her mate. “You demand?” She shouted this time, her voice trembling with anger.

  “Shit.” Jared stepped in front of Tessa who had also stood.

  “You have no right keeping this information from Duncan, Nicole,” Damon shouted back; he never shouted and definitely not at his mate. “And you know it!”

  Nicole gave him a deadly glare. “What I do know is my friend trusts me, and I’m not breaking that trust.”

  “Call Adam,” Damon growled at Jared, but his eyes did not leave Nicole. “And Duncan.”

  “Screw you.” She emphasized each word with a hard point of her finger to his chest before walking around him.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Damon went to grab her arm, but she snapped it back.

  Nicole stopped and slowly turned around. “Away from you.”

  “I don’t fucking think so.” Damon took a step forward to grab her again, but she smacked at his hand.

  “If you touch me, you are going to have your hands full, Damon DeMasters,” Nicole hissed.

  “You are not leaving.” He loomed over her, bent slightly to glare down at her.

  “Is that a demand?” She stretched up so she could go nose-to-nose with him.

  Before Damon could respond, Tessa pushed past Jared. “Stop it. Just stop, both of you.” She walked between the two, pushing each of them back. “I know where she is. Nicole, I understand why you haven’t told Duncan, but I never promised Pam anything. You can stay here while I tell them what I know, or you can leave.”

  Nicole stared at Tessa for a few seconds before nodding her head. Without looking at Damon, she walked out the door, closing it softly.

  Tessa watched Damon stare after Nicole, his face changing before her eyes. He hated himself for fighting with his mate and it clearly showed. She almost felt sorry for him…almost.

  “You’re an asshat.” She pointed at Damon. Before he could open his mouth, she continued. “You of all people should understand Nicole. She is loyal to a fault.”

  “She should be loyal to me. Her mate…her husband.” Damon frowned, becoming angry again. “She should not have kept this from me.”

  “This isn’t about you,” Tessa sighed. “This was about Duncan. You said so yourself.”

  “But you both put yourselves in danger.” Jared pointed out with a frown of his own. “That makes it about us.”

  Tessa snorted. “Breaking my damn neck was the only danger I was in.” Seeing Jared’s concern, she waved it away. She didn’t need to go into her embarrassing fall through the kitchen window. “I actually didn’t know until today about Nicole and Pam having contact, but I was there when Pam called. She asked Nicole to go to her apartment to find a vial. It was a quick call. Nicole is supposed to meet her with the vial.”

  “Where?” Damon demanded impatiently taking his phone out.

  “Are you going to apologize?” Tessa crossed her arms; she could play stubborn with the best of them.

  A loud sigh escaped his lips. “Sid’s right. Women will drive you nuts,” Damon growled. “Yes, I will apologize.”

  “Good, ‘cause you were being an ass.”

  As Damon’s growling grew louder, Jared wrapped his arms around Tessa. “Tell him where, Tessa. The faster he calls Duncan, the faster he can apologize to Nicole.”

  Tessa glared back at Damon in warning before rattling off what she knew and where Nicole was to meet Pam.

  Damon punched in a number on his cell. After a second of silence, his voice echoed in the small room. “We found her.”

  Chapter 3

  Newport, Kentucky, was Pam’s stomping grounds. She grew up here, along the Ohio River. For a brisk November night, Newport on the Levee was bustling with activity. Restaurants were overflowing as well as the shops that had sprouted up overnight. Flipping the hood up on her lightweight jacket, Pam scanned the crowd looking for trouble. In every face, she expected to see Kenny scowling back at her. She spooked herself so much, she was afraid to look at anyone, but she had to be prepared. He was out there, and she knew, without a doubt, he was looking for her.

  Two women walked close by talking and laughing, reminding Pam of better times when she and Nicole would walk the Levee. They would talk about their day as they headed toward their favorite place to eat, Dewey’s Pizza, then go to Club Zero for a beer and some dancing. Shaking the memories away, she hurried her pace. She didn’t have time for memories.

  Seeing the spot she was to meet Nicole, Pam headed toward the bench and sat, huddling into her jacket. It wasn’t overly cold for November, but the weather in Kentucky was never what it was supposed to be. Her eyes focused on the strong current of the water; the Cincinnati skyline across the river reflected in the rippling water as pieces of driftwood skirted past. Her eyes lifted to stare across the water; her stomach fluttered. Duncan Roark was there somewhere. He might as well be a million miles away rather than a short drive across the river. There wasn’t a second that went by that she didn’t think of the Warrior. He probably hated her now. Not liking the thought, she stood, nerves and aggravation radiating off her. Even though she had talked to Nicole, she never let the conversation become personal.

  A feeling of being watched shivered through her body. Slowly, she turned, scanning the area. “Come on, Nicole,” she whispered, shuffling from foot-to-foot and feeling more nervous than usual. Something didn’t feel right, and lately her instincts were dead on.

  Checking her phone again, she looked back up, spotting a tall man with long hair. She only knew one man who towered over people with hair like that. “Dammit!” She turned to head in the opposite direction, but stopped. She should have known Nicole wouldn’t keep her big mouth shut. Damon DeMasters was at her back and Jared Kincaid was at her front. With nowhere else to go, unless she wanted to take a cold swim, she turned again to walk between the two Warriors before they got any closer.

  Before she could take two steps, her eyes found his golden gaze staring intently at
her as his long legs ate the distance up between them. Feeling cornered and panicked, Pam glanced quickly for an escape, but she knew it was useless. Her heart and body took over, sending her moving toward Duncan, but her head screamed for her to run.

  As if in a daze, her body kept moving toward what she wanted more than anything in the world, but seeing the look on his face stopped her. His mouth opened in warning, his hand shooting out toward her. Snapping out of her dazed state, Pam let her eyes roam the area. She and the Warriors were surrounded by more uniformed police officers than she could count, all pointing their guns on her.

  A tall man walked toward her, flashing his badge. “Pam Braxton.” He put his badge back in his coat pocket, nodding toward an officer who proceeded to handcuff her. “I’m Detective Ferguson. You are being brought in for questioning on the murder of Sheriff Bowman.”

  “This is bullshit. You get off handcuffing women?” Jared growled, moving closer to Pam. “She is no threat.”

  “This time you have no jurisdiction.” Detective Ferguson smirked. “I suggest you Warriors go on with your business before you’re arrested and taken in with her.”

  Duncan looked at both Jared and Damon. “Call Sloan.” Before anyone could question why, Duncan punched the detective square in the face.

  *****

  As Pam was led away to a police car, Duncan followed, pulling the officer who handcuffed him along with him. After they carefully placed Pam in the backseat, the officer closed the door.

  “Uh, sir.” The officer holding onto Duncan’s arm nervously cleared his throat. “You need to come to my car.”

  Duncan looked down at the man and frowned. “I’m riding in this car.” He nodded to where Pam sat.

  “But, I don’t think Detective Ferguson will be happy with that decision.” He shook his head, trying not to seem too terrified. “Please, I don’t want any trouble. I’m just doing my job.”

  His face softening slightly, Duncan looked over to where Detective Ferguson stood with his head held back, trying to stop his bleeding nose. The bastard was lucky he still had a nose. “I don’t think he cares who goes in what car at the moment.”