The Immortal Hunter (Argeneau #11)

"Goddammit, Decker, what the hell is going on? What do you mean track the SUV? You lost it? How the hell did that happen? And how could you let Nicholas get away?"

Decker grimaced at that roar in his ear as he watched Dani move a little away from the van, and then said, "It all got a little more complicated than expected."

"Explain."

Decker winced at the sound of grinding teeth that came over the line. The man was pissed... to the point that he was in danger of snapping off a fang if he wasn't careful. Clearing his throat, he relayed his conversation with Nicholas and everything that had happened.

A moment of silence followed when he finished speaking, and then his uncle slowly said, "Let me get this straight, Nicholas is still chasing rogues even though he's rogue himself?"

"So he said," Decker answered noncommittally.

"And you two helped with this nest?"

"Yes." Decker's gaze slid to the tarp-covered bodies. "There were six. They had a campsite in the woods and there's a little ravine next to it with two bodies in it. From the quick look I took, they're in a bad way. These guys butchered them... slowly."

"Tell me where it is and I'll have a cleanup crew go out and see if anything needs doing before the authorities can be led to them," Lucian said wearily.

Decker quickly told him the name of the road and gave directions to the ravine. When he finished, Lucian asked, "What about these rogues? Did you catch them?"

"Only four," he admitted grimly. "They had two new girls they'd just snatched and we managed to rescue one of them, but the sixth man got away using the second girl as cover. He-" Decker paused and cleared his throat before admitting, "I'd left the keys in the SUV in case Nicholas made a run for it and we needed to give chase in a hurry. The sixth rogue took advantage of that and stole the SUV for his getaway. Nicholas took off after them in his van while Bricker and I were taking care of the others."

Lucian cursed on the other end of the line and then snapped, "What about the other rogue? You say he got away too?"

"Yes. There were five down when I rushed after Nicholas. When we went back to the clearing, there were only four. Either the fifth one faked being hit, or we got bullets coated with a weak batch of tranquilizer and he recovered enough to get away in the few minutes we were gone."

"What did you do with the four still there?"

"We staked them to be sure they didn't recover and have them with us right now. It seemed better than leaving them for someone to find."

"Good, good," Lucian said, sounding calmer. "Okay, so you now have Nicholas and two other rogues to find?"

"That's why I asked you to track the SUV. If Nicholas is chasing it and we can catch up to the SUV, we can find both Nicholas and at least one other rogue."

"And rescue the second girl," Lucian muttered. "I'll call Bastien and have him track it. I presume you have a vehicle to give pursuit?"

"We took their van."

"What about blood?"

"In the SUV."

"Along with your weapons," Lucian said, sounding testy again.

"Yes," Decker admitted quietly. "We have a couple of guns each, but are low on ammo."

"All right. Sit tight. I'll call Bastien and get things rolling. I'll get back to you when I have coordinates and a plan for how to get a new SUV with blood and weapons to you."

Decker grunted and waited a moment to see if there were further instructions. When the only sound was the click of the phone disconnecting, he flipped his own phone closed with a sigh.

"Is he going to track the SUV and send someone to look after the clearing?" Justin asked as he watched Decker slip it in his pocket.

"Yes. And see about getting us another SUV with blood and weapons."

Justin's gaze moved to the tarp-covered bodies. "It will be nice to be rid of these guys. I keep thinking I catch a glimpse of the tarp moving out of the corner of my eye. I keep looking back, expecting them to sit up and start coming after us."

"You watch too much television," Decker said with disgust. "They've been staked. They aren't going anywhere."

"Yeah, well, I'll still be glad to be rid of them," Justin muttered, and then asked, "Will whoever brings us a new SUV take Dani too?"

Decker stiffened and shook his head. "No. She stays with us. She could be useful in helping to keep Stephanie calm when we get her back," he added, but knew Justin wasn't fooled into believing that was the real reason he wanted to keep Dani with him. They could control Stephanie as Justin had controlled Dani if need be.

Turning away to avoid the other man's eyes, he glanced out the window, looking for the woman in question, and then frowned. "Where is she?"

Justin followed his gaze, and then turned and peered through the windows on the opposite side. "There she is."

Decker twisted around and spotted Dani on the side of the road, a good hundred feet away.

"You don't think she's running away, do you?" Justin asked, sounding more curious than concerned.

"No." Decker opened the van door and slid out.

"I told you, you should let me keep her under my control," Justin said smugly. "She wouldn't even have had to get out of the van if I had."

"No," Decker repeated firmly, turning back to peer through the open door. "No more controlling her. I don't like you being inside her head. Just stay out of her mind."

Justin arched an eyebrow. "And if she really does try to run away?"

"Then I'll stop her." Decker said firmly. He started to slide the door closed and then paused to peer at the kid grimly. "She's mine. Stay out of her head."

"I'm a hundred years old, hardly a kid," Justin said dryly, plucking the thought from his mind.

Decker merely scowled, pulled the door closed, and started around the van to head after Dani.

Justin unrolled the driver's side window and leaned out to call softly, "Don't take too long. I think we should wait in town for the call."

Decker paused and glanced back. His tone was dry when he said, "Let me guess, you're getting hungry."

"I am," Justin admitted, and then added, "But you're also starting to look pale. You're going to need blood soon."

Decker shrugged that away and turned to continue after Dani. He wasn't terribly surprised to hear that he was pale. He had been shot twice, and his body had been working overtime to make repairs. It would be using up blood to do it and would soon need to replenish that blood. If Decker hadn't been distracted with everything going on, he would have long ago noticed the slight cramping in his stomach-his body's way of telling him it wanted more blood. He was certainly noticing it now that Justin had gotten him thinking about it, and it made him hope that Lucian was quick about getting another truck and blood to them.

A cool breeze against his chest brought Decker's attention to the fact that his shirt was still undone. Fortunately, Justin hadn't mentioned-and Dani hadn't gotten a look at his back to see-that he'd actually been shot twice. As he did up his shirt, Decker started to worry over what she must have thought when she tended to the one wound she had seen. It seemed obvious that she'd noticed something amiss when she'd removed the bullet. Decker's guess would be that the healing had been much further along than it would have been if he were a mortal. His kind healed much more quickly. It was why Justin had kept saying he should let her look sooner rather than later. Within twenty-four hours that bullet, along with the one in his back, would have been long pushed out of his body and Decker would have been fully healed.

As a doctor, even seeing it as quickly as she had, Dani would have noticed that the bullet was much closer to the surface than it should be. He had no idea how she'd explained that to herself, but she hadn't commented, and, he hoped, now that she'd done all she could by removing the bullet she would stop fussing over it.

Decker let that concern drop away as he reached Dani. He was about to tap her on the shoulder when she suddenly whirled in his direction. She jumped back with a startled little gasp as she saw him standing there.

"Where were you going?" he asked.

"I was just walking off some worry," she answered, and then moved past him to head in the direction of the van. "So, were they able to track the SUV? Are we ready to go?"

"They're tracking it now. They'll call when they have something," he answered, following.

She nodded. "Shouldn't we start out anyway? Head for town maybe? It might save us some time when they do call."

"Or it might add more time if we head in the wrong direction," he pointed out, and then shook his head. "We're better off waiting to hear back from Lucian."

"I suppose you're right," she said unhappily.

"It shouldn't take too long," Decker assured her gruffly, and then to distract her from her worry, said, "Tell me what happened."

When she paused and looked at him, he added, "It might help us figure out how to approach the situation when we catch up to your sister and the man who has her."

Dani was silent for so long that he thought she wasn't going to answer, but then said, "We came up for a family reunion. My uncle owns a house with several cottages on his property, and once a year has the whole family up for a weekend." She frowned and then admitted, "I'm usually too busy to come, but I managed to get some time off this year."

Decker nodded and didn't mention that he was very glad she had. He doubted very much if she was at the moment.

"We were supposed to leave tonight to avoid the weekend traffic. My idea," Dani added bitterly, no doubt thinking that if they'd left Sunday morning instead of in the evening, none of this would have happened. It was an excuse for her to take the blame for what had taken place, and Decker was searching his mind for something to say to take away that blame when she continued, "Anyway, Stephanie wanted to ride with me rather than crammed into my dad's van with our brothers and sisters."

"How many are there?" he asked curiously.

"Me, Stephanie, who's the youngest, and two brothers and two more sisters in between," Dani answered and smiled wryly as she pointed out, "The van was pretty packed with luggage and people on the way up, and I thought the company would be nice so I said sure."

Decker nodded.

"Stephanie wanted some snacks for the trip home, so I pulled into the grocery store." She let her breath out on an unhappy sigh. "I should have just stopped at the coffee shop or something. I-"

"What happened isn't your fault, Dani," he said quietly.

"Isn't it?" she asked huskily.

He shook his head. "You seem to be using every decision you made as a reason to blame yourself, but it isn't your fault."

Dani shrugged, her gaze on the ground ahead, and Decker knew she wasn't hearing him so he said, "It was your uncle's idea to have the reunion this weekend. If he hadn't, you wouldn't have been here. Do you blame him?"

"No, of course not," she said at once, and he nodded.

"Well, the fact you suggested everyone stay later to avoid traffic, or that you agreed to stop at the grocery store so your sister could get some snacks doesn't make it your fault either. If you want to lay blame, lay it where it belongs... with the men who took you."

Dani let her breath out slowly. "You're right, of course."

"But you're still blaming yourself," Decker guessed dryly.

"Maybe," she admitted wryly. "But I'll try not to."

Knowing that was the best he could expect, Decker let it go and asked, "Did they grab you on the way into the grocery store or on the way out?"

"Out," Dani answered, and then smiled as she admitted, "Stephanie had gone a little wild making her selections. My mother doesn't allow junk food in the house and Stephi went nuts, getting everything she loves but rarely gets. We were both laden down with bags when we came out. The van was parked beside the car when we came back. I didn't think much of it, and then..."

Decker's eyes narrowed on her face, noting the confusion and bewilderment there. "What is it?"

"I-We-The van door slid open and we just-Both Stephanie and I just dropped our bags and climbed into the van. I don't know why, but we just did," she said with bewilderment.

"And then what happened?" Decker asked, not wanting her to think about that too long. It was obvious the rogues had used mind control, but he could hardly explain that to her.

Dani hesitated, obviously still troubled by her own actions, and then continued, "Once we were in the van I suddenly knew we shouldn't be and I grabbed Stephanie's arm and tried to drag her back out. The men just laughed, and one knocked me back while another grabbed Stephanie and pulled her onto his lap and started pawing her. I tried to help her, but just got knocked back again. The man who hit me seemed to be enjoying it," she added angrily, and then her expression clouded with confusion and she said, "And then the one driving told them to stop playing with the foody Decker's mouth tightened, but he merely said, "What happened next?"

"The guy holding Stephanie said something like 'Aw, Dad, we're just having a little fun.'"

This seemed to bewilder her even more. Decker wasn't surprised. All immortals looked to be about twenty-five to thirty. The father would look too young to be called Dad by the others.

"It must have been a nickname," Dani said, shaking her head. "They pretty much left us alone after that. They just kept staring at us with this eager, hungry expression that gave me the creeps. After a few minutes, Stephanie stopped screaming and then we got to the clearing. They dragged us from the van and made us sit on this log while they started a fire and stuff. That's when I found out my phone didn't get any reception there."

Decker nodded, recalling her telling him she hadn't been able to get a signal. That was probably why the men hadn't taken away her phone.

"When the men finished gathering wood and had a fire going, they joined us around the fire and I asked what were they going to do with us. They all started laughing and then one of them dragged me over to the cliff and threw a log from the fire down in the ravine and there were these two women-"

Her voice choked off and Decker caught her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "You don't have to tell me. I saw them."

She nodded and fell silent, and Decker considered what she'd said. The men had obviously controlled her and Stephanie to get them into the van, but then had dropped the control and allowed them to struggle and be terrified for a bit. They hadn't had to. They could have kept them under their control and unaware the entire time they had them, but apparently enjoyed the horror their victims experienced.

"Those poor women," Dani said unhappily, "and their poor families."

"Yes," he said simply, and squeezed her hand again.

She glanced at him and said reluctantly, "I guess I owe you my life."

"You don't owe anyone anything," he said gruffly.

Dani shrugged and asked, "Did you already suspect these men were responsible for those other women going missing? Were you already following them when they kidnapped us?"

"Nicholas was tracking them," he admitted reluctantly.

"The one who went after my sister?" Dani asked.

He nodded.

"Did he see us get taken in the parking lot, or-"

"No. He was at a restaurant a good distance away when it happened," Decker said, and seeing the question in her eyes, explained, "I gather he put a tracking and listening device in the wheel well of the van. He heard when you were taken and used the tracking device to follow."

"And how did you and Justin end up there?" she asked.

"We followed Nicholas," he said shortly.

"Why were you following Nicholas?"

Decker shifted uncomfortably and merely said, "He was rushing out of the restaurant when we got there, so we followed."

The way her eyes narrowed suggested that it wasn't a very satisfactory answer. He wasn't surprised when she asked, "Who exactly is this Nicholas?"

Decker sought his mind for a way to answer and finally said, "He used to work with us."

"Then why hasn't he called you to tell you where he's tracked the SUV to so far?"

"He doesn't have my cell phone number," Decker said, glad to be able to answer at least that question and honestly. There hadn't even been cell phones when Nicholas had gone rogue. Before she could ask, he added, "And I don't know his number either."

"Does your boss know it?" she asked.

"No."

"Oh." Dani's shoulders drooped briefly and they started walking again, but they'd taken only a few more steps when she paused and turned to him excitedly. "The listening device."

"What about it?" he asked.

"Nicholas might still have the receiver on," she pointed out, and suggested, "You could speak into it and tell him your number and ask him to call you."

Decker raised his eyebrows at the suggestion. It was a clever one, or would be if there was any possibility of Nicholas calling. There wasn't, but Dani's words made him realize that he'd completely overlooked the presence of the bug and tracker. Nicholas might very well be listening to them. Justin had put both gizmos in one of the cup holders between the two front seats and they'd promptly forgotten about them. Nicholas had probably heard everything they'd said in the van, including his side of the phone conversation with Lucian, and the tracker would tell him exactly where they were right now. It's what Decker would have done had the situation been reversed and he should have thought of it, but in their rush to get things done and get going, both he and Justin had forgotten all about the two gizmos. At least he knew he had and suspected Justin had, or he would have said something.

"Come on." Dani hurried for the van.

Decker followed more slowly. He was pretty sure Nicholas wouldn't call, and Dani would be disappointed when he didn't. She'd also wonder why he wasn't calling and start asking more questions, which he didn't want or need. On the other hand, trying to dissuade her from her plan would just bring those questions earlier.

Justin was sitting sideways in the front passenger seat, the door open and his legs hanging out. He stepped down as they reached him and let the door swing closed, his eyebrows rising in question.

Dani smiled brilliantly and announced, "It just occurred to me that we don't have to wait for this Lucian person to track the SUV. Nicholas can tell us where it is. He's following it."

"Nicholas?" Justin asked doubtfully, his gaze sliding to Decker.

"Decker told me he doesn't know your cell phone numbers, but what if you were to speak into the bug and tell him your numbers? Then he could call."

"But..." Justin began, and then paused when Decker caught his eye and shook his head.

"What?" Dani asked. When Justin remained silent, his gaze locked on Decker, she sighed and said, "You want to talk. I'll wait in the van."

Both men remained silent as she pulled the back door open and got in. The moment it slid shut, Justin urged Decker a few feet away from the van and then admitted, "I'd forgotten about the bug and tracker."

"Me too," Decker admitted, and then raised an eyebrow when Justin suddenly frowned and glanced back to the van. "What's wrong?"

"Maybe I should get them," Justin suggested. "Just to make sure she doesn't try to get a message to Nicholas."

Decker shook his head. "She doesn't know they're in the cup holder. She'll wait for us to try speaking into it."

Justin nodded, but then pointed out, "He won't call."

"No," Decker agreed. "But it's better to let her try than to have to come up with an explanation to give her for why he won't. I'm hoping Lucian calls quickly and she's sufficiently distracted by chasing after her sister that she doesn't notice when Nicholas doesn't call."

Justin was silent for a moment and then said, "We could let her try... or we could tell her they were broken and save the bug and tracker to set a trap for Nicholas later." When Decker's eyebrows rose, he pointed out, "If he is listening, by now Nicholas probably believes we've forgotten all about the bug and tracker because we've talked in front of them. If he continues to think this we might be able to use it to lay a trap to catch him."

Decker was shaking his head before Justin finished, and once he fell silent, said, "As you pointed out, Nicholas probably heard my phone call to Lucian and knows we're going to track the SUV. He'll know we're on his trail anyway and be on the lookout for us. Nicholas is one of the best. We are not going to sneak up on him without a damned good plan."

Justin paused briefly before suggesting, "After the next call you could tell me that Lucian said Bastien was unable to track the SUV, that the GPS isn't working for some reason. If we did that and deactivated the bug, Nicholas wouldn't know we were coming. Although," he added, "I wouldn't suggest trashing the bug, just trying to remove the battery if there is one. Bastien may be able to use the bug to reverse track Nicholas somehow."

"Could he?" Decker asked with surprise.

"I'm not sure," the younger immortal said. "I watch a lot of sci fi stuff, but I'm not a techie."

Decker stared at him with a frown. The ideas were good ones, and he wished he'd thought of them himself. First Dani had recalled the bug both he and Justin had forgotten about, and now Bricker had come up with a plan to use the bug to trap Nicholas. Where had his brain gone? He was usually the one to come up with these ideas.

"Don't be too tough on yourself," Justin said lightly, slapping a hand on his shoulder. He then added tauntingly, "Finding his life mate made Mortimer an idiot too."

Decker scowled. Finding a life mate had also made Mortimer so scattered that they had easily read his mind, he recalled. Decker decided he didn't like his mind being an open book to others and that he'd have to take greater care to be less distracted and keep his guard up.

"If you can," Justin commented, apparently still reading his thoughts. "Mortimer isn't very good at it anymore. I doubt you will be either."

Decker opened his mouth to tell him where to get off, but Justin forestalled him by asking, "Are you hungry yet?"

He almost said no, but in truth, his stomach cramps were getting worse, and in the end he admitted, "I could do with a bag of blood or four."

"Four, huh?" Justin chuckled. "Unfortunately, we don't have any handy right now. I meant for food."

"Oh. No, I'm not." He frowned at the realization. Aside from not being able to read the mate, and having difficulty keeping your thoughts your own, a reawakened appetite for food and sex and various other things usually came with finding your life mate. That being the case, the fact that he wasn't suddenly hungry was a bit worrying and he asked, "Why aren't I?"

Justin didn't look nearly as concerned. Shrugging, he said, "Maybe it takes longer for that to kick in. Or maybe you have to actually be around food. How long has it been since you ate, anyway?"

"I stopped when I was one hundred and twenty," Decker admitted.

Bricker looked horrified. "That means I'll, only be eating for another twenty years or so." He considered that and then shook his head firmly. "No way... although," he added with concern, "that last burger I had when we stopped at the cafe didn't seem quite as good as usual."

"That cafe was a dive," Decker said dryly. "The burger was probably roadkill."

"Hmm." He fretted over it briefly and then asked, "How old were you when you stopped having sex?"

"Eighty years ago," Decker answered.

Justin grinned. "Took you a little longer to get tired of sex than it did food, huh? I'm not surprised. I still don't understand how it's even possible to get tired of sex. I can't imagine a day when I will. I'm pretty sure I could do it every day, even twice or three times a day for the next millennia and not grow tired of it."

Decker shrugged, thinking the younger immortal would understand in another century or so.

"No., I won't understand in another hundred years or so," Justin said with certainty, still reading his mind. "I'm gonna want sex till I die. Women are incredible. Every one a different shape, size, color, even texture."

"Texture?" Decker asked, eyebrow rising.

"Sure. Some are softer, some harder, some in between, but all are beautiful in their own way."

Decker supposed he'd have to agree with that. His gaze slid to the van and the woman just visible through the glass, and he thought that while all women were beautiful, some were more beautiful than others.

Dani waited until Decker turned back to Justin to continue talking and then reached out and eased the window fully closed. She'd cracked it the moment the men weren't looking so that she could hear what they were saying... and had gotten an earful.

She sat back on her heels and considered what she'd heard. The last part had been worrisome. Decker had stopped eating at one hundred and twenty? And stopped having sex eighty years ago? The man couldn't be more than thirty years old. What nonsense was he spouting out there? And Justin's answer about having twenty more years before he reached one hundred and twenty and stopped eating? Dani didn't need her medical training to realize the two men were completely and utterly delusional.

A rustle of sound drew her gaze to the tarp-covered pile behind her as she shifted and brushed up against it. Dani grimaced. Okay, delusional was too mild a term. It seemed she was, after all, presently in the company of two crazy men. Not a happy thought, she decided, especially since their being crazy didn't change the fact that they were still her best chance of finding her sister.

Unless, Dani thought suddenly, her gaze sliding to the cup holder between the two front seats. It was where she'd heard Decker say the bug and tracker were, and she peered at it silently, her mind churning. According to Decker, he and Justin had followed Nicholas to where she and her sister were being held. So Nicholas was the one who had actually set out to save them, not these two. And Nicholas was the one now chasing after her sister. He was still trying to save her, while these two seemed more interested in catching Nicholas than helping her sister.

Nicholas had also been the one with a crossbow rather than a gun. He'd been holding the unusual weapon as he'd rushed after her sister and the man dragging her away from the clearing. But these two had been popping out from behind their trees firing guns, though she hadn't seen a single gun since waking in the back of the van. She didn't worry overmuch over that, however, and was more concerned with the fact that-as far as she knew-it wasn't legal for citizens to carry handguns in Canada. The only people who usually carried them were cops... and bad guys who bought them on the black market or various unsavory ways. Dani was pretty sure these guys weren't cops. From what she'd just heard, they'd never pass the psych exam... which meant they were probably also bad guys and Nicholas was the only good guy around.

She glanced out the window and-finding the men still deep in conversation-shifted forward until she knelt between the two front seats. She cast another nervous glance out the window and continued to watch them as she spoke close to the cup holder.

"Nicholas? If you can hear me, this is Dani, the other woman you saved tonight." She paused and licked her lips and then continued, "Decker and Bricker are going to set a trap for you using the bug and the tracking device you left in the van. They know you probably think they don't remember the devices are here and are going to try to use them to catch you."

Dani paused again and closed her eyes briefly before continuing, "I'm scared. Decker told me he works for CSIS, but there's no way he could. He's crazy. I overheard them talking and he seems to think he's hundreds of years old.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted. "I'm torn between fleeing for my life and sticking with them because they can track the SUV that Stephanie is in. I have to find my sister, but want to get out alive with her. If you're what I think you are, some kind of bounty hunter or private detective or something, please call me."

Dani rattled off her cell phone number, and then waited a minute and repeated it. She said it once more before finishing with "Call me right away if you can, I'm not sure if they'll leave me on my own again, and I need to know just how dangerous these men are. Hopefully you can tell me that."

Much to her amazement, Dani had barely stopped talking when her cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket.