Danger Calls (18 page)

Melissa fought back a shiver of revulsion. “That's a long time to be friends.” But apparently not long enough if he could sacrifice both her father and mother for his own gain.

“Ah, friends. Yes, we were friends. Your father and I. Your mother. She was quite a woman.” There was a mix of emotions in his tone. He'd obviously cared for her mother, possibly more than he should have. Had that been one of his reasons for getting rid of her father? She decided to push him just a little to see if he pushed back.

“I never really knew Mother. She was always distant, except in the last few months when she was doing so much better. She and my father seemed so in love. Had you noticed?”

“Who could fail to see their affection for one another?” His voice was gruff. He moved his hands nervously on his legs, then stilled them suddenly. “They lived only for each other.”

His response gave her the perfect opportunity. “And never for me. It must have been difficult for you, as well, being their friend and all. But Mother seemed so much better toward the end. I've wondered if it was because of what my father was working on?”

Edward again shifted his hands anxiously. “I understood the way they were. After all, your mother was very sick, but she
was
better at the end. I suspect that your father had—”

“Are you ready for me?” Sara asked. She barrelled into Melissa's office, but stopped short at the sight of Melissa and Edward sitting together on the sofa. “Sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here. Evening, Dr. Sloan.”

“Nurse Martinez,” he said with an imperious tone and haughty nod. “Is it your habit to barge into private offices?”

“I'm sorry, Dr. Sloan, only—”

Melissa stepped up to Sara's defense, rising from the couch to stand next to her friend. “It's okay, Edward. I had asked Sara to come in just before you visited.”

Edward grunted and slowly eased himself to the edge of the sofa. Once there, he used the coffee table for leverage to stand. His movements were again slow and clearly painful. Melissa wondered why she hadn't noticed before.

“I need to be going anyway. Just remember I'm here to help you should you find any information,” he said.

Melissa faked a smile and escorted the older man to the door. “I'll see if there's anything I've overlooked amongst my father's things and give you a call. In the meantime, maybe you can put me in touch with who I can contact about a lab room?”

Edward paused as he entered the hallway. “Yes. Yes, of course I will. I'll have a name for you in the morning.”

Melissa closed the door behind him.

“And again I say he's a weird bird. What's he want this time?” Sara asked as she plopped down on the couch.

“He seems to think I have information about my father's experiments,” Melissa replied without hesitation.

“But you don't. Right?”

“Right. So I was thinking of asking you if you knew where my father had his samples and things. Notes, stuff like that.”

“Actually, no. I assume he kept them close by on account of running into him with those tubes. You normally wouldn't be going far with samples.”

Examining her friend as she spoke, Melissa decided that Sara was either a very good liar or totally innocent. Melissa held to the belief that it was the latter. “What's up with you? You said you had a favor to ask?”

“My mom…” Sara paused as her voice cracked. Tears shimmered in her eyes, but the odd thing was, they didn't seem like tears of sadness.

Melissa sat on the edge of the coffee table and laid a hand on Sara's scrub-covered knee. “She's not worse, is she?”

“That's why I need a favor. I can't take
Mami
to her oncologists. They'd just start poking and prodding if they thought she'd suddenly gotten way better.” Sara motioned to her. “But you know there are things that happen that don't have explanations.”

Confused by her friend's statement, she asked, “Why's that?”

“Your
mami
. The way she was all of a sudden not so sick anymore. I know you always wished she'd be better. Maybe you got your wish.”

She'd wished her mother and father had loved her more, but that wish hadn't materialized until it was too late. The old adage of be careful what you wish for came to mind. “I think my father had a new treatment for her, but I'm not sure what it was.”

“I so totally understand,” Sara said with a wave of her hand. “This
santero
did his little
brujeria
on
Mami
. Three times she went over there with the blood he wanted.”

“Why so many?” Melissa questioned, wondering what scam he'd been running.

“He said he could only heal so much at a time. He also said he wouldn't be able to do anything else for now. That we needed to wait and see what happened.” Sara let out a frustrated sigh and brushed the long strands of her caramel-colored hair from her face.

“Do you think it's a con to get you to offer him money?” Melissa asked.

Sara shook her head. “I don't know. All I do know is that
Mami
seems better. But maybe he just cast some spell—”

“Come on, Sara. You don't really believe in that mumbo jumbo crap,” Melissa admonished.

“Your problem is that you're too skeptical, Melissa. Too by the book. There's all kinds of things out there that you won't let yourself believe in, but that doesn't change the fact that they're still there.”

Didn't she know it. Who believed in vampires? Which suddenly had her wondering if maybe there was more to this
santero
than he was letting on. “He didn't bite your mom, did he?”

When Sara spoke, it was nearly a screech before she calmed down a little. “Are you crazy,
chica?
He only laid his hands on her. Told her if her faith was strong enough, it would help her heal. Not much different than what you see on Sunday morning television, huh?”

Melissa nodded. “Faith is faith. You either believe or you don't. So you want me to run some tests? See if she really is better?”

“And if she is, I want to leave it at that, Melissa. No needles or other tests to see why.”

Melissa understood completely. Sara wanted her mother to enjoy what time she had left. Melissa only hoped that this
santero
hadn't been faking. She didn't want to be the one to disappoint her friend with any bad news.

Giving Sara's hand a gentle squeeze, she said, “I promise. Nothing else. You can trust me.”

“I know I can, same as you can trust me,
amiga
.”

And in that moment, just as she had known she couldn't believe Edward, Melissa knew she could trust Sara with her life.

T
he lab her father had used was no longer available, but there was another one, smaller, which required a bit of organization and cleaning. Given that her purpose in needing the space was only a ruse, it was just right.

Although very messy, she thought as she walked in through the door, Sebastian trailing behind her. “Could use a
Mission: Big Sweep
, couldn't it?”

Sebastian arched a brow as he stood in the small free space in the center of the room and examined the three tables littered with a variety of beakers, columns and tubes. “Possibly even a bulldozer. Do you need all this?” he asked as he walked to one table and ran his finger over a thick layer of dust on one beaker.

Melissa laid her files on another less cluttered table and took stock of the equipment the previous occupant had left behind. Definitely more than she needed for the experiment from the medical journal or even for an experiment similar to her father's. From what she deduced from her father's notes, his needs had been minimal, mostly the laboratory rats and their requirements. “We can return what we don't need to the equipment room. I've already put in an order for some lab rats.”

Sebastian leaned against the table and smiled. “I don't remember the article in the medical journal mentioning any animals.”

She gave the edges of his black leather duster a playful tug. “No, it didn't. If Edward is the one, he'll know it, too.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “How secure is this place?”

“Unless you have a key card to get in, there's the basic security check at the main door. Video in the hallways and elevators. Plain old lock and key for this room. That's it.”

Pursing his lips, he replied, “Then I'm on you like beans on rice. When do we get started?”

Melissa ran her hand through the strands of his dark brown hair. Then with a puzzled look, she touched the slight stubble coming in around his lips and his chin. “What's this?”

He rubbed the fuzz across the side of her face before kissing the edges of her lips. “You said you liked disreputable.”

She could deny it, but it would be a huge lie. For days he'd been back to the old Sebastian. He was dressed again in a T-shirt and black jeans, and had slipped his silver hoop back in one ear. As he'd helped her slip on her own jacket, she'd noticed the thumb ring and silver bracelet on one hand. Sexy, she'd thought, wondering what it was about his whole bad-boy thing that appealed to her.

“Hmm,” she replied, rubbing her lips over the fuzz, liking the feel of the newborn goatee. She moved her face a fraction of an inch and slipped her lips over his. “Nice.”

Sebastian opened his mouth against hers. “Very, very nice.”

She returned the kiss, leaning into him. He brought his hand between their bodies and was moving it upward when a loud cough at the door jolted them apart.

Hot color flooded her cheeks as she whirled toward the sound. Edward stood at the door, an amused look on his face.

“I knocked, but no one heard. I'm sorry.”

“No, not at all, Edward. You know Sebastian.” She motioned to Sebastian, his arm still around her waist as if to announce his intentions.

“Yes. I believe we've met before.” Edward strolled into the lab and made a face of annoyance as he ran a finger across the grime on the surface of one table. “This is quite a mess.”

“Sebastian and I were just going to tackle it,” she said.

Again Edward made a face to show his displeasure, but this time it was directed exclusively at Sebastian. “Yes, well. If you need someone who knows their way around a lab, let me know.”

Sebastian stiffened. Giving him a reassuring squeeze, Melissa shook her head. “Sebastian and I can handle things just fine. We're going to clean and get some sterile equipment before I get started.”

“Well, then. I can see I'm not needed, but first…” He walked out of the lab and came back with a small brown paper shopping bag. “I thought if you were anything like your father, you might need this.”

He held out the bag and Melissa placed it on a table. Inside there was a small box covered in deep maroon wrapping paper. She undid the wrap to reveal a brass Seth Thomas clock. She held it up so Sebastian could see it. “Isn't this beautiful?”

“Yes. Very thoughtful,” he said, a forced smile on his face.

Edward chimed in with, “Your father always lost track of time. I hope this might help keep you from the same mistake.”

“Thank you,” she replied, thinking she wouldn't make the same mistake her father had made in trusting his old friend. Despite that, she gave him a hug. She suspected the clock was bugged, much like the frame in her office.

After Edward left, Melissa closed the door and turned to face Sebastian, holding out the clock for his inspection. “What do you think?”

Sebastian accepted the clock and examined it carefully. Sure enough, there was a hint of something in the small hole that was supposed to mimic the look of a winding mechanism. “Beautiful. Let's put it somewhere special.”

He placed the clock on a table, but in a position that left him and Melissa free to move about a large portion of the lab. Grabbing his knapsack, he extracted his laptop and sat down in a metal folding chair at the far end of one table. After powering up, he quickly searched the various frequencies until he got a hit. “This one has the transmitter hidden inside,” he said as he tapped into the signal coming from the clock.

While staying out of camera range, Sebastian checked beneath all the tables. “It's a strong signal so the receiver doesn't have to be in this room. He may have it stowed somewhere nearby.”

Melissa glanced over his shoulder at his screen where the video from the lab was displayed. It was a much sharper picture than the one from the camera in her office. “The old prick. It is him. What do we do now?”

“It's illegal to video someone without their knowledge, but that's a minor charge. So we sucker him into something more.” He turned the laptop until the screen was visible from the rest of the room.

“Sounding all law enforcement, aren't we?” she teased.

He took hold of her hand and led her back into the line of sight of the camera. Leaning on the edge of the table, he drew her close, all the time keeping a guarded eye on what was visible on his laptop screen.

“Sebastian?” Melissa asked as he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She, too, shot a quick glance at the computer. “What are we doing?”

“Giving him the show he expects,” he said, nuzzling the side of her face. “We need to act normal and dear Edward probably expects us to get back to what he interrupted.”

There was something a little odd about being on exhibition, even if at their current position the camera only had a view of them from about their hips to their shoulders. Still, Sebastian's suggestion made sense and was, of course, highly pleasurable. She opened her mouth to his kiss. Enjoyed the slow, almost drugging way he made love to her with his mouth. Pulling at her lips with his. Dancing his tongue inside to tease hers to play. Which she did until she was shaking and breathless.

She grabbed hold of his shoulders, but he wisely kept his hands at her waist. No sense giving Edward too much of a show and feeling uncomfortable about what they were doing.

When Sebastian finally broke away from her, he brushed a hand over her hair. “I guess we should get to work.”

Melissa looked at the mess in the lab once again. With a grimace and then a smile, she said, “It would serve Edward right if we took him up on his offer of assistance.”

Sebastian slipped his hands around her waist. “Nah. Wait until we get the lab rats and
then
drive the old guy crazy.”

Melissa's grin broadened. Sebastian was probably right. “Yes, let's wait.”

 

The little bitch was playing games with him. He'd gone by the equipment room and seen her requests. Lab rats. There was only one reason for them—she was going to recreate Frederick's experiments. Which meant she knew the source of the unusual cells.

As he walked down the hall, he opened his PDA and quickly executed the remote camera's program. On came the picture from the lab. Very distinct and revealing. They were at it again. A bitch in heat. The possibilities excited him since, at his age, the options for recreational sex were rather limited.

Only nothing happened. He experienced only a slight sense of disappointment, which vanished quickly as he realized that they were cleaning and organizing the lab. Considering its sad state, it might take them a day or two to get it ready.

When they finished with their work, he'd be ready, as well.

 

“I've got news,” Diana said.

The four of them had met in Ryder's kitchen after Melissa's return from her late-night shift at the hospital.

Diana and Ryder had presumably shared a night together since both were still in robes, Sebastian thought. He had spent the night working, then he'd picked up Melissa at the hospital. Although he'd finished scanning the journals, he knew he wasn't going anywhere. Except maybe Melissa's bed, he thought as she slipped her hand into his.

He smiled and twined his fingers with hers.

“Peter Daly called a few minutes ago,” Diana said. “The tail he had on Sloan didn't produce any results, except for this—Sloan visited an oncologist in the hospital yesterday afternoon.”

Ryder shrugged. “One doctor consulting with another.”

Diana shook her head and joined Ryder by sitting on his lap. “That's what the detective thought at first, but he decided to confirm it. The receptionist wouldn't say much. Claimed that doctors couldn't reveal information about a patient.”

Melissa's hand stiffened in his. “Edward was in some pain the other day when he visited me. Claimed it was a touch of arthritis. Maybe he's sick.”

“Which gives him a personal investment in your father's work. He saw how your mother had improved and assumed whatever helped her might be able to do the same for him,” Sebastian said.

Diana nodded at her brother. “That would explain why he was so over the top at the NSA. It wasn't just about ‘supersoldiers.' It was about finding a cure for himself, as well.”

“Desperation makes him even more dangerous.” The concern in Ryder's voice was apparent, so it came as no surprise to anyone what he said next. “We can't expose you to that kind of risk, Melissa. We'll have to rethink the lab decoy.”

“No way. It's the only thing that's worked so far. Thanks to that, we know it's Edward spying on me,” Melissa said, her voice growing more tense with every word.

Sebastian rubbed her back. “We need to pressure Sloan into making a mistake so Diana has enough probable cause to have her friend ask for a warrant. Without the lab, we're back to square one.”

“I can't protect her at the lab. I'm not strong enough to be out in the sun,” Ryder said, clearly uneasy.

Sebastian didn't know much about vampire physiology. But he did know one thing. “No one said you were the one who was going to protect her.”

He met his sister's concerned gaze, waiting for her to contradict him. Instead she nodded and laid a hand on Ryder's shoulder. “I know you want to help her,
amor.
But your control of your vamp traits has been unreliable lately. If you were hanging around and slipped up while Sloan was watching…”

“I can stay with her and make sure she's safe,” Sebastian confirmed.

A myriad emotions passed over Ryder's face as he glanced from Sebastian to Melissa. Finally, with a long slow nod, he acquiesced, but quickly raised his finger and pointed it at Sebastian. “But remember, I'll be close by.”

“That brings me great comfort,” Sebastian replied facetiously. In reality, knowing Ryder was nearby did bring a bit of relief.

Melissa rose from the table and tugged on Sebastian's hand. “Now that that's settled, I'd like to get some sleep so I can return to the lab late this afternoon.”

Diana likewise rose and took a quick look at her watch. “And I should be back at the office to see what else I can find out about Sloan, or if Daly's people get any more info today.”

Ryder warned Melissa, “If Sloan is keeping tabs on you, he'll know what you're up to in the lab.”

“The rats arrive this afternoon. I've got a feeling he already knows about them.”

“And if he does, he's bound to make his move soon, so please be careful.” Diana gave both Melissa and Sebastian a hug.

“
Hermanita,
don't worry. Between Ryder and me, everything will be all right.”

“And me. Remember me? I'm still here,” Melissa added, waving her hand in the air, clearly a little annoyed at being left out.

“How could I forget you,
mi amor?
” he replied teasingly and embraced her tightly. “Let's go to bed. We need to get some rest.”