Hunter's Rise (14 page)

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“You sure that’s the right look?” he asked, studying the dress. “You’re looking for information on a sex ring, not the good girls ring.”

Angel lifted a brow. “You trust me to do this or not?”

“Yes.” Rafe sighed.

“Then let me do it.” She skimmed a hand through her hair and then waggled her fingers, showcasing the rings that sparkled there. “I’m not taking off my wedding ring. It’s unusual enough that it doesn’t
look
like a wedding ring and I don’t have an engagement ring. I figured if I paired it with a bunch of rings, it wouldn’t look weird.”

Rafe stared at her hand and then back at her face. “Please tell me you’re not asking my opinion about your jewelry.”

“I’m not.” With a wide grin on her face, she pointed out, “I’m just letting you know that I’m not taking off my wedding ring.” She rubbed the tip of one finger over the gold
band inlaid with Australian opal and continued to watch him, amused. “Although, now that you’ve let me see how much the idea terrifies you, I’ll be sure to ask for your advice at some point in the future.”

“Shit, you’re a brat. No wonder Sheila likes you so much.” He shook his head and settled behind his desk, reaching for a file there. It held a number of illegal, forged documents. False transcripts, a false birth certificate, Social Security card, the works— everything Angel would need to get into high school. “So, you think you’ll have any trouble with playing a student?”

“Academically or socially?”

“Either,” Rafe said bluntly. “I need you to pass as a student on all accounts. The teachers have to buy it, the students,
everybody
. Teachers, probably administrative staff are involved in this. If even
one
wrong person gets suspicious—”

“They’ll start thinking that maybe I’m a cop or something.” With a dramatic sigh, she said, “They’ll shut things down, or move things, or something else. We’ll have a hard time tracking them down, which means you all can’t go and do terrible, bloody atrocities to them and make them pay for using kids.” She sat in the seat across from him, her blue eyes level. “Rafe, I don’t think you get just how easily I can pick up a thought.”

She cocked her head and then said, “Somebody just came inside. You probably know who it is, just by their scent. I can tell you it’s Lindsey, and I can also tell you that she is going to go upstairs— she doesn’t want to see anybody, talk to anybody, look at anybody. She’s upset… angry.”

Rafe frowned. He knew that— he’d caught the subtle variation in the scent, but the werewolf wasn’t hurt. He also had a weird ability to tell when things were of a personal level, or something that would affect the Enclave— the small group of Hunters he ran. This was personal. Therefore, none of his concern.

“I don’t need to know why she’s angry,” Rafe said softly.

“No. You don’t.” Angel smiled sadly and shrugged. “Neither do I. And I shut the door. But the
doors
, so to speak, are
just
open
for me. I have to close to them, or the thoughts are there for me to read.”

“Are mine?”

Angel just stared at him.

Narrowing his eyes, Rafe asked again.

Resting an elbow on the arm of her chair, she propped her chin in her hand. “You know, that brooding glare bit tends to lose its impact after a few years of living with brooding males. You do it. Dom did it. Kel does it— and I sleep with him. It’s nowhere near as intimidating when you’re sleeping with a brooder.”

“How in the hell can you read my mind?” he demanded. He was a Master vampire, coming up on a hundred and fifty years. Angel was just barely above human, she was just barely
thirty
.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s probably because of what happened to me. I’d say if it wasn’t for that— if I hadn’t had vampire blood forced down my throat— it wouldn’t be possible. But my blood isn’t the same—
I
am not the same. I heal faster, I’m stronger than I should be. We already know this. Only makes sense that my gifts changed as well.”

Shit. Rafe knew all of that. He’d just never made the leap to thinking she might be able to read
his
mind. “How long have you been able to read the minds of vampires?”

“You mean other than Kel’s?” With an unblinking stare, she studied him. “I’ve always been able to read his. Even when we were kids. The rest of you… it was just vague murmurs, at first; about two years ago, I guess. You were first. Your voice is the loudest— I guess because you’re the strongest.”

“I— no. Shit.” Shoving back from the desk, he stood up and turned away, staring out the window. This wasn’t a concern. It couldn’t be. Hell, it
might
even come in useful.

“It very well could. Especially if I need to speak to you.”

“If you can shut the damn door, Angel… do it,” he growled.

“Yes, sir.”

He didn’t have to look at her to know she was smirking. Damn it, he really needed to do something with her. He
didn’t know
what
but he needed to do something. “Okay. Let’s get back on target.”

There was a knock at the door and Rafe turned. “Come on in, Kel.” He watched as the younger vamp prowled into the room. Suddenly, the phrase
This will not end well
kept circling through his mind. He pushed it aside.

This would end
fine
. Angel was the one most suited for the task. Okay, out of the men and women he had? Angel was the
only
one truly suited. Kel looked young, but he couldn’t go out in the daylight without developing third-degree burns all over his body within moments of seeing sunlight. Lindsey looked fairly young, but she had about as much subtlety in her as a bull in a china shop. She was a great Hunter. As an investigator? Not so much.

Angel was it.

Besides, although Kel didn’t see it yet, he might even get to play, too, probably. But they’d worry about that later.

“You get how this has to play out, right? You’re looking for leads, information. If something sets your mental alarm off, I want to know. You do
not
place yourself in danger.”

Angel rolled her eyes, toying with the strap of her backpack, slung over one slim shoulder. “Yeah, Rafe. I got it. One of your pet humans is coming by to pick me up— she’s going to act like my mom. She’s in sales and she travels a lot. An absentee sort of mom, and my dad’s
way
out of the picture. We’ve got all the forged crap, fake transcripts from my last so-called school.” She paused and sent Kel a flirtatious look, fluttering her lashes. “And you gave me permission to mention a boyfriend, although we don’t know if he’ll show up much.”

“Boyfriend?” Kel muttered, combing his fingers through her hair. “I’m back to being a boyfriend?”

“Well, she can’t be married. She’s a high school senior,” Rafe pointed out. Then he glanced back at Angel. “One of my pet humans?”

She grinned at him. “What else do you call them? You snap your fingers, they all come running.”

“You act like there is a platoon of them. And I’ll have you know… this is a local witch, thank you.”

From the doorway, Sheila said, “He had to leave behind the platoon of human pets when we married. And only one or two have ever figured out what he is. He doesn’t keep a bunch around here to feed on, and there aren’t enough vamps in the house that he needs to do that, anyway.”

Kel turned around, his eyes burning hot, his mouth a harsh, narrow line. “You’re sending my
wife
off to someplace where there’s a suspected sex-slave ring and you all are talking about human
pets
. She’s teasing me about being allowed to have a
boyfriend
. What’s wrong with this picture?”

“Kel… I’m going to a
high school
. Filled with a bunch of mortals.” Angel moved closer to her husband, her moves graceful and easy— sinuous.

She didn’t move like a mortal anymore, Rafe thought. He’d already pointed that out to her and he hoped she’d remember to watch it. She would, though. That was Angel. She didn’t forget the small details, the big details,
any
details. Another reason why she was perfect for this.

“A school,” she said again, leaning in and pressing her lips to his. “I can handle a bunch of schoolkids.”

Kel sighed, skimming a hand back over her hair. “It’s not just the kids I’m worried about. But they can be mean sons of bitches nowadays.”

“They’ve always had the capability to be mean,” Angel said. She brought up her hand, resting it on Kel’s chest. “Listen, I’m not some tough vamp who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, and I may not grow fur once a month, but I’m not exactly helpless. You
know
that.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s Superman who leaps tall buildings, Angel.” Kel closed his eyes, lowering his head to press his brow to hers. “I know. Shit, if you
were
helpless, I’d find a way to keep you from going, even if I had to tie you up while you slept.”

Angel laughed. “Baby, if I was
helpless
, you never would have fallen for me anyway.”

“Hmmm. There is that.”

Across the room, Rafe eyed them, debated on interrupting, but then Sheila caught his eye, nodding subtly toward the door. Rolling his eyes, he slipped out of the office along
with his wife. “I still need to talk to her,” he muttered. “And they are in there cuddling.”

“You’re just jealous. You still have all those big, bad boss things you need to do and I’m going to have to hit the sack soon. You wish you could be cuddling right now.” Sheila smiled, hooking her arm through his.

He stopped and spun her around with enough speed that she crashed into his chest. “Who says I can’t cuddle?” he murmured, dipping his head and slanting his mouth over hers. He pulled her close and whispered against her lips, “I love you, Belle.” She was his belle… his southern belle, his lady… his only love.

“Hmmm.” She hummed under her breath and opened for him. “You better be careful. If you go getting all mushy on me, I’m going to drag you to our room and you won’t finish that talk with Angel… and you’ll feel better if you do your hovering.”

He stiffened, slowly lifting his head to glare at her. “Hovering?”

“Yeah.” She patted his cheek, an impish smile on her lips. “It’s cute, though. Big, broody, bad Rafe. Worrying about sending his people out.”

Behind him the door opened. Still glaring at his wife, he stepped back. “You’re a brat,” he said, keeping his voice pitched low.

“Yeah. I know. Go on. Finish your… you know.” She made a shooing motion at him.

Resisting the urge to grin, he turned back and saw Kel standing with his hand on Angel’s shoulder and a grim look in his eyes. He met his vampire’s gaze first. “She can handle this, you know,” he said quietly.

“Shit, I know that.” Kel skimmed a hand back over his short, dark hair and then glanced at his wife, his thumb stroking over her flesh. “She can probably handle it better than I can.”

“Probably?” Rafe and Angel said it at the same time.

Kel grimaced.

Shifting his focus to Angel, Rafe said, “We’ve gone over everything.” Angel didn’t sleep much— he thought she
might need even less sleep than he did— and they’d spent most of the night getting her ready. They were doing this in a rush, even calling in tech support— the computer geniuses back at Excelsior had hacked into the school system’s computer records to get the transfer in. Everything looked all nice, legal, official. Another hacker with serious skill might be able to uncover the deception, but it would take some doing. The Hunters had some of the best tech, and the best minds, around.

Rafe wasn’t waiting to do this the slow way. Not if there was any shred of truth in what Tor had heard.

“Stop worrying, Rafe.” Angel tapped her brow. “I got it all up here.”

He’d been able to let her use her psychic gift to connect their minds, and what he wanted her to know, she
knew
. It was locked in her mind. No forgetting it, and no need for notes or anything else.