Awakening the Fire (Guardian Witch #1)

Ryan chose the seat next to Ari, back against the wall, forcing the vampires to sit with their backs to the door. She hid a smile at Ryan’s maneuvering.

Andreas introduced the young vamp and encouraged him to speak freely. “Just tell them in your own words what happened after you left Rita’s place.”

Gordon took a deep breath. “I was running home. It was late, almost daybreak. This black van drove by, twice. Wolf dudes inside. Offered me a ride, but I could get home faster on my own, so I blew them off. Next thing I knew, a couple of them were running beside me, asking if I knew some chick I never heard of named Sherry. Told ’em no. Figured they’d leave then, but they kept at it. ‘Get in the van. Help us find her.’ When I said no again, they jumped on my back, and I felt a prick in my neck. That’s it, till I woke in the cellar.”

“And then?” Andreas prompted.

“I couldn’t see, because of a hood. I smelled wolves and a vampire. My hands and legs were chained. After awhile, a she-wolf made them take the hood off. She gave me a packet of blood, said if I answered questions they’d let me go. She left, and another wolf asked a bunch of really bizarro questions. I asked if I could go now, but they laughed and put the hood back on. They beat me with silver clubs.” He stopped talking, his shoulders hunched.

Andreas put a hand on his shoulder. “Take your time.”

When the young vamp had composed himself, Ari jumped in before he finished his story. “These questions—what did they ask?”

Gordon looked at her for the first time. “Stupid stuff. What foods I used to like or hate. Movie ratings. Stuff about girls. Sex. Music groups. Like they were taking a poll. They wouldn’t tell me why.”

“Did they seem to be looking for a particular answer? Like they wanted you to say you liked red-haired girls, for example?”

“Not then, that came later.”

“What do you mean?”

Andreas intervened before Gordon answered. “This might make more sense, if you let him tell it in order.”

Ari shrugged. “I can wait. Tell us what happened after the hood went back on.”

“Somebody stuck a needle in my arm. The next time I woke up my skin felt like it was on fire. I was wrapped like a mummy with the ropes and silver chains. My head hurt.” He touched his forehead, as if remembering the pain. “Everyone was gone. I still smelled the vampire, so I tried to talk to him. He never answered. Another wolf came, or maybe the same one, I don’t know. Jabbed me with a needle again.” Gordon stopped. “That’s all I remember clearly. After that…just little bits.” His voice faltered. Gordon’s left hand trembled, and he hid it under the table.

“What kind of bits? Did you learn what they wanted?”

“Nothing made sense. Voices. Needle pricks. Funky smells. Everything was hazy. Inside my head, I mean. Couldn’t get it clear.” Gordon frowned. “Questions. Over and over. I finally started trying to give the answer I thought they wanted. Sometimes I wasn’t sure the voices I heard were real. Maybe just inside my head. Music. Smells, like flowers and cologne. And cooked cabbage. Smelled rotten.” He wrinkled his nose. “Someone told me I liked cabbage. I gagged and got hit with the club.”

“Are those the same questions the first wolf asked?” Ari probed.

Gordon looked surprised. “Maybe. Yeah, now I think about it. Only now they’d hit me if I didn’t answer right. I think.” His face pinched in confusion.

“Tell them about the second packet of blood,” Andreas said.

“I hadn’t fed since I came. Had the belly cramps. The she-wolf came that last night. Held a packet to my nose, put a drop on my lips. Then she left.”

“I’m sorry.” Ari didn’t know what else to say. She imagined how bad that had been for a starving vampire. “Anything else you remember?”

Gordon frowned, concentrating. “Laughing, joking about me.” Gordon showed the first sign of anger over his captivity. “Something about rats. Some dude named Pavlov. Remembered his name so I could tell someone. If…well, so you could find him.” Gordon heaved a big sigh. “Can I go now?”

“Enough?” Andreas asked, looking at Ari and Ryan. “I don’t think further questioning will be helpful.”

Ari nodded. Gordon had given them plenty to talk about.

Andreas rose, placing a hand on Gordon’s shoulder again. “Friends are waiting to take him home. As soon as they’re on the way, we can discuss this.” He glanced at Ryan but didn’t wait for a response before ushering Gordon out the door.

Ryan had maintained an ominous silence throughout the interview. As soon as the vampires were gone, he leaned back and crossed his arms. “What do you make of his story? Presuming it’s true.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sounds pretty bogus. Polls, music, cabbage, for God’s sake. I wonder if he was deliberately vague. Maybe the vampires have a reason for not wanting us to know what happened.”

“What reason? You walked in here mad at the world, and now this. These conspiracy theories are starting to sound crazy. You think they’re making it up? Sure didn’t look that way to me.” Ari shoved her chair back and stalked around the table. She leaned across it to fire another comment when she felt Andreas walk in behind her.

“Am I interrupting?” he said, looking from one angry face to the other.

“No,” Ari said.

“Yes,” Ryan said.

Andreas’s lips tightened for an instant. He pulled up a chair and sat. “So,” he drawled. “What next, partners?”

Andreas emphasized the final word, and Ari thought Ryan would jump across the table. She choked down a startled laugh at the vampire’s audacity. She wanted to treat it as nothing, diffuse the situation, but knew it was too late for that. Still, she had to try.

“We were talking about what the wolves did to Gordon,” Ari said, returning to her seat.

“Pardon me for contradicting you, Arianna, but I don’t think so.” Andreas’s eyes locked on Ryan. “That was not your last discussion.”

“Andreas, don’t go there,” Ari began, but Ryan interrupted.

“No, he’s right. Let’s get this out on the table.”

“Fine,” she snapped, fed up with both of them. “We don’t have time to squabble among ourselves, but by all means, get it over with.” Ari sat back and put her elbows on the arms of her chair. The testosterone levels in the room were too damn high. If they wanted to fight, she wasn’t getting in the middle.

“Since I’m the one with the problem, I’ll start,” Ryan said. “This story of Gordon’s has holes big enough to drive a tank through. It smells phony. As if you made it up.”

“Interesting.” Andreas was at his most arrogant. “Why would we invent such a tale?”

“To throw us off the track. To cover what’s really going on.”

“Which is what?” Andreas’s brows lowered. “What do you believe is going on?”

Ryan gritted his teeth. “You and Molyneux are hiding something.”

“So,” the vampire leaned forward, “you think I’m conspiring with the Canadians. What gave you that ridiculous notion?”

“Is it so ridiculous? I know and trust everyone who participated in that bungled raid. Except you and your friends. Somebody warned Molyneux’s pack that we were on the way.”

“I agree. They were most certainly warned. But not by me.” Andreas focused on Ryan’s face. “Nor am I working with or for the wolves. And Gordon’s story is his own. Tell me, Lieutenant, if your wild accusations had any truth to them, why would I help Arianna to confirm Rita’s story? And why wait until the last minute to warn the Canadians? After all, I had all night. They could have safely dispersed, taking or disposing of Marcus and Gordon, and you would know nothing. If you want to ignore those discrepancies, prove I did this. And tell me what I would gain.” Andreas’s voice was controlled, but the muscles across his shoulders were strung tight.

“If I had the answers, you’d be safely behind bars.”

“And that is exactly what you want, is it not?” Andreas emphasized the last three words in a voice grown soft and cold.

“I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.”

Ari tensed. If they kept on like this, the joint investigation would be down the tubes and somebody might get hurt.

Andreas placed his forearms on the table and leaned toward the cop. “Is this about me, Lieutenant? Or a bias against vampires? You closed the case from the bar without solving it. It makes no sense that two previously inoffensive vampires turned murderous. But perhaps the truth doesn’t matter when it comes to vampires.”

“Wrong on both counts,” Ryan fired back, leaping to his feet. “I don’t trust you.”

Chapter Twenty

Deadly silence. The two men stared at one another, and Ari held her breath. Trust was the heart of the matter.

“At least that is honest. Personal animosity, I can handle.” Andreas spoke in a normal voice and leaned back, lowering the tension.

Ryan ran a hand through his hair and sat down. “I don’t have to explain anything to you. But just to set the record straight, I was opposed to closing the Second Chance case. I was overruled by my superiors.” He took a deep breath before he went on. “I’m just trying to do my job, Andreas. Right now, I want to know who helped the wolves get away. I admit some of what you say makes sense. But if it wasn’t you, then who? We have a leak somewhere.”

“Indeed. That would appear to be the case. I am making inquiries on my end of this. Rechecking every staff member that could have known. I trust you are doing the same.”

Ryan’s face flushed, then he acknowledged the logic. He gave a reluctant nod. “I will, but I know my men. It wasn’t my side.”

Sides? Uh-uh, Ari had had enough. “Is this about over? There are other possibilities neither of you mentioned. Steffan doesn’t think his wolves were seen, but maybe they were. Or it was police scanners. An intercepted cell phone call. We don’t know what kind of sophisticated surveillance equipment they might have. Or maybe someone was watching the PD and followed us. I know someone’s been tailing me. Until we—”