Lucas (43 page)

“Like I said, it’s mostly for show on
Klemens’s
part. His vamps are all there, but they’re out of sight, mostly in the basement.”

“So they just hang out in the basement for a few hours?”

“A vampire’s basement is not what you think, Agent Hunter.
Especially not in the headquarters of a vampire lord.
It will be fully built out, with every comfort. But it’s still a basement, and it puts the majority of his guards in one place when we attack.”

“I see. What about this house?” she asked, pointing to
Klemens’s
nearest neighbor,
near
being a relative term in this case, given the size of the lots.
Klemens’s
house was huge, with a lot size to match. His neighbor’s house was just as big, but it had one big advantage from Kathryn’s point of view—it was three stories, where
Klemens’s
was two and a dormer attic. That put the neighbor’s roof at least ten feet above
Klemens
, and that was ten feet Kathryn could use to her
advantage .
 . . assuming she could get there.

“That’s where you’ll be,” Nick confirmed. “The owners are in
Florida
. They leave every year after Thanksgiving and don’t return until late April.”

“Every year?”
Kathryn asked. “How long have you had this guy under surveillance?”

Nicholas shot another glance at Lucas, who was sitting next to her.

“Vampires live a long time,” Lucas commented cryptically.

“Whatever that means,” she muttered. “Okay, so the owners are in
Florida
, but a place this big, they must have housekeeping staff, gardeners, even guards. What about them?”

“The housekeeper only stops by twice a week. They do have a security system and a drive-by patrol that follows a regular schedule. Their company policy is to vary their patrols for obvious reasons, but they don’t. Also, they literally
drive by
, so unless you’re planning on standing on the roof and waving, there won’t be anything for them to see.”

“So, I’ll have the place to myself, then.”

Nick jerked his head in agreement. “As soon as we hit the ground in
Chicago
, you’ll be going directly to
Klemens’s
estate. One of my guys will drive you and help you get set up inside the house. Lucas and the rest of us will proceed more cautiously, but I need you up and ready to go by the time we get there. Once Lucas arrives at the estate, there won’t be any time to climb over walls and sneak into houses. We’ll have to attack immediately.”

“You do realize, Kathryn,” Lucas drawled, “that you’ll be breaking and entering the neighbor’s house in order to get up on the roof. You being an FBI agent and
all .
 . . ”

Kathryn scowled. She hadn’t even considered that aspect of the night’s activities, but Lucas was right, damn him. She was breaking the law just by walking into that house. She glanced up and saw the laughter in his eyes at her predicament.

“Smart ass,” she muttered. “Okay, what am I doing there?”

“Just what you suggested,” Nick said simply.
“
Overwatch
.
Klemens’s
estate is too big for us to cover every possible angle. But if you find the right spot, you should be able to see all but the side farthest from your position. If you see anything wonky, you let me know, and I’ll direct the response.”

Kathryn nodded. This was good, and she could do it with a clear conscience since it wouldn’t involve killing anyone.
Hopefully.

Nick shifted his attention to Lucas. “How do you want us to
proceed
with the assault, my lord?”

“How many warriors do we have
total
?” Lucas asked pensively, studying the satellite image of
Klemens’s
house.

“
Minneapolis
is fielding almost their full contingent. They’re on the ground in
Chicago
by now. I also brought in fighters from
Kansas
and
Missouri
. They both left last night and arrived during daylight earlier today. With your guard, that gives you at least fifty seasoned warriors.”

“And
Klemens
?”

“Because of his visitor, his visible numbers are limited. No more than ten in evidence, including his personal guard and the team on the gate. But he’ll have
at least another ten close by,
most likely out of sight in the basement. It’s possible that with the recent hostilities, he’ll have upped that number, but I’ve got eyes on the compound and expect to have a more accurate count by the time we land.”

“What about the human guards?” Kathryn interjected.

Nicholas gave her a blank look, as if he wasn’t used to counting the humans as part of the threat.
Which he probably wasn’t.
Lucas’s earlier demonstration had stung—in more ways than one—but it had driven home very explicitly just how outclassed humans would be against even a small force of vampires.

“You said the mob guy would have his own guards?”

A look of comprehension crossed Nick’s face, and he nodded. “I expect no more than seven humans, including
McKinney
.”

Kathryn nodded. At least some of the human guards would probably remain outside to keep an eye on the gate, because they wouldn’t trust the vamps to do it for them. So, they’d be her first targets when Lucas gave the word. She frowned. What was the word anyway? She drew a breath to ask, but listened instead as Lucas began to detail the attack plan for the night.

“There are only two main entries,” he began, “so we’ll go in front and back. You’ll take out the gate guards
first,
Nick, but I don’t want them dead. I don’t want
Klemens
to know exactly what we’re doing until we hit the house. Once we’re through the gate, we’ll have a small roving force around the house, but most of you will concentrate on the two major points of entry. You take one, and let Zelma take the other. As soon as you’re set, I’ll start projecting, and you hit the doors. I’ll handle
Klemens
and whoever tries to block my path. The rest is up to you.”

“Sire,” Nicholas acknowledged with a sharp nod. “I’ll tell the others.”

Lucas nodded his permission, and Nicholas made his way down the aisle and began conferring with the rest of the vampire force.

“What did you mean, when you said you’d ‘start projecting’?” Kathryn asked.

Lucas had been studying the house schematic, but now he looked up at her with a smile that melted her heart. She wanted to resist him, but her face seemed to have a will of its own. She smiled back at him.

He took her hand, playing idly with her fingers as he answered her question. “Vampire lords have unusual talents, some of which are unique to the individual. One of
my
most useful talents is the ability to connect with other vampires on what I think of as a visceral level. It’s not telepathy—it’s both more and less than that. For example, in battle, I can share my far greater strength with my warriors, boosting them both physically and psychologically. But the other side of this particular talent is that I can also drain away the strength and courage of my
enemies,
can make them believe their worst nightmare is upon them.”

“Are there limits?” Kathryn asked, somewhat amazed by what she was hearing. “I mean, why do you need any warriors at all? Why not just zap
Klemens
and his troops from the get-go?”

“Because
Klemens
is also a vampire lord.
And once he realizes what I’m doing, he’ll eventually be able to block me from affecting his people. That will take time—not
much
time, no more than a few minutes—but it will be enough to give us a head start, because
Klemens
won’t be able to block the initial assault, and the shock effect will be considerable.
Especially for the newer or weaker among his vampires.
They will be hit harder and recover more slowly, leaving them vulnerable when we crash the house.

“But, in the end, it will come down to a brutal, bloody war of vampire on vampire. At least until I destroy
Klemens
.”

Kathryn gave him a worried look. “But you
can
do that, right? I mean, you’re stronger than he is.”

Lucas shrugged. “Obviously, I believe I can. I’m not suicidal. Why? Are you worried about me?”

She
was
worried about him. But she wasn’t going to admit it. Wasn’t going to admit that he was important to her, that maybe she cared more about him than was
healthy .
 . . for her anyway. Instead, she changed the subject by asking, “What about my brother?”

Lucas frowned, as if he knew she had feelings for him and was irritated that she wouldn’t admit it. But then he couldn’t possibly
know
that. So maybe it was just his considerable ego wanting to be stroked.

“I told you, Kathryn. I don’t think
Klemens
has your brother.”

“So you’ve said, but what if he does?”

Lucas sighed. “If he does, he’s probably locked up somewhere.
Probably the basement, which is the safest place for him.”

“Make sure Nicholas tells—”

“Nick has already briefed everyone on the possibility. We’re not looking to kill any humans tonight, and certainly not anyone being held prisoner by
Klemens
.”

He stroked an absent hand over Kathryn’s tightly bound hair, tugging gently on her braid.

“The rifle meets your standards?” he asked.

Kathryn nodded. Nick had managed to round up the rifle and scope she wanted before they left
Minneapolis
. While Nick and Lucas had gone straight to the airport to confer with the various groups of vampires heading out for the battle, she’d gone to a gun range with the
Minneapolis
security chief to calibrate the weapon and adjust it to her specific requirements. But she didn’t think Lucas was asking the question because he doubted the weaponry. He was trying to gauge her mood. He was concerned about how she’d react once the killing started. He hadn’t come right out and said anything, but he’d hinted around on the subject all the way to the airport. She would have liked to reassure him, but she still wasn’t certain how she felt about it herself. Nothing about tonight’s engagement was legal, not according to human law. And her job was to represent that law, a job she took very seriously.

“The weapon’s fine,” she assured him. “Your guy had already calibrated it to a hundred yards. I just did some fine-tuning. When I look through that scope, it’ll be like I’m standing right next to you.”

“Well, don’t shoot me.”

Kathryn gave a breathy laugh and nudged his thigh next to hers. “I won’t. I’m very clear about my targets before I pull the trigger.”

“You’ll be warm enough?”

That made her turn
her head and smile at him, erasing the somber note that had flavored their interaction since leaving
Minneapolis
. “I’m wearing two of your long-sleeved T-shirts over my own sweater, plus this nice, warm jacket Nick found for me. The leggings are mine, and they’re winter-weight so perfectly adequate. I’d rather have my tactical boots, but the running shoes and socks are warm enough, and at least they’re black. Do I pass inspection?”

Lucas tugged her braid again, harder this time.
“Smart ass.
I’m sending Mason with you to the neighbor’s.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he kept talking. “He’s not going to stay. He’ll just get you through the house and set up on the roof. The house is supposed to be empty, but there’s no sense taking chances.”

She nodded, businesslike.

“Try not to shoot any of my guys, okay?”

That was greeted with a sideways scowl. “I told you, the scope is good, and I’m very careful. Besides, according to you, my little gun won’t do much damage to a vampire anyway.”

“Hey, it hurts to get shot, even if it doesn’t kill you.”

“So I’ve heard. I’ll do my best.”

Kathryn started to say more, wanting reassurance in triplicate that her brother wouldn’t be hurt accidentally. But Nicholas rejoined them just as the plane angled left and entered a sweeping turn. She looked out the window and saw the lights of
Chicago
in the distance.

“Buckle up, Kathryn,” Lucas advised her. “This war is about to start.”