The Quest (15 page)

“He’s gone. He took off right before the cops arrived.”

“He saved your life and left again?” Boss said, as if he were confused. “How do you know it was him?”

“I asked the vampire before he left, and he told me.”

“This doesn’t make sense. Don’t go anywhere. I’m leaving now to come get you.”

“Instead of coming here, why don’t you go to the hospital, find out where Jonas is and send me a text. I can meet you when I get off work.”

“You’re not safe,” he grumbled. “You should leave.”

“I’m fine. Jackson is here with me now. He offered some extra security 24/7. I think we should consider it.”

“I’m not opposed to having extra guards during the day, but I would like to meet them first.”

His quick acceptance of Jackson’s offer surprised me, but gave me a sense of relief. “I’ll let him know.”

“Will he escort you to the hospital?”

“No, Jonas gave me his keys. I’m sure I can find his car and get directions to the hospital.”

“No!” Boss snapped. “I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself. I will come get you.”

“Fine,” I said flatly, feeling as if he was scolding me like a child. “I have to go. I’ll see you at midnight.”

I ended the call without waiting for a response, then returned to the front of the warehouse. Lizzy sat in front of the computer, alone.

“Where’s Jackson?” I asked while I snatched the key for the file cabinet.

“He’s in the back, looking for a document,” she replied while typing.

Once I returned the phone and relocked the drawer, I placed the key back into the drawer. The soft clicks of the keyboard stopped. Lizzy spun on the stool to face me.

“How well do you know Jackson?”

“Oh, we’re pretty good friends,” I said casually, and wondered why she had asked.

“He seemed angry at you yesterday.”

“We worked everything out.” I shrugged. “What did the vampire want earlier in the demon records?” I quickly changed the subject.

“He asked about a petition filed in 2006. I forget what he called it. Anyway, I searched the database and couldn’t find a record for it. Then he asked about a birth record from the 1960s. Again, I couldn’t find any record.”

Unusual
.
“Did he give you a name?”

“I’m sure he did.” She tapped her fingertips on the counter and lowered her gaze as if she were in deep thought. “But I don’t remember it. It’s been busy tonight. I can’t remember who requested what.”

An odd feeling crawled down my spine. Why would the vamp that cleared out my memories be interested in a demon petition from 2006 and a birth record from the sixties? Better yet, why couldn’t Lizzy remember? Sure, plenty of clients had come in with requests, but the girl seemed bright, not the forgetful type. Did the vamp tinker with her mind? It would explain why she hadn’t acknowledged me on my way out to meet Jonas.

“I only have an hour and a half left on my shift. Do you want to file those while I finish making entries in the system?” Lizzy asked.

“Sure.” Opportunity knocked, and I opened the door. “I actually don’t mind the leg work.”

She lightly chuckled. “I’m glad you don’t mind. It’s my least favorite part of the job.” She swiveled on the stool to face the computer.

Papers in hand, I headed back into the warehouse. The heartbeat of one person pumped strongly from somewhere in the mid section. I listened intently to the beat while I returned crumbling and torn documents to their homes. When I’d shrunk my pile by half, I went in search of Jackson.

“Find anything?” I asked as I drew near him.

He stood on a ladder with a box leaning off the shelf. “No, not a damn thing.” Frustration laced his voice. He shoved the box back on the shelf and climbed down.

A miniscule of disappointment flowed through me. I’d hoped he would find a clue or something worthwhile. Maybe I expected too much.

“That vampire that saved me earlier–he came here looking for documents.”

“What?”

“He was here when I left to meet Jonas. He didn’t act unusual or look at me as if he knew me. Since I don’t have any memories of him, I didn’t suspect anything.”

Jackson shook his head. “This is bad news. You know what this means?”

I lowered the stack of papers to my side and felt a touch of heat rise within me. “He knew I worked here. He’s been following me.” Motherfucker
.

“I think it is a real possibility. How do you know he didn’t stab Jonas before he decided to make an appearance in the basement?”

I stared at Jackson, feeling foolish and angry with myself for not considering the possibility. Maybe the vamp had injured Jonas. Maybe the bloodsucker wanted to draw me outside and show himself to me. Maybe he wanted to make sure I still didn’t have memories. How could I have overlooked the possibilities? Because I’m focused on finding evidence against Galluzzi.

“What type of records did he come here for?” Jackson asked.

“Lizzy said he inquired about a birth record from the 1960 and a petition from the demon records filed in 2006.”

Jackson rubbed his fingers along the lower side of his cheek. “That’s unusual. Did Lizzy remember the name–”

“No,” I said with a little too much enthusiasm. “I think the vamp might have slipped into her head. She said she didn’t remember.”

Jackson pressed his lips together and gave me a knowing gaze.

“Shelley?” Lizzy called out.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds and wished I didn’t have to answer.

“We’ll talk more later,” Jackson said.

I gave him a quick nod and then raced down the rows with the papers in my one hand. I reached the front and found Lizzy clasping her purse.

“I’m leaving early. Can you monitor for people until Zachary arrives?”

“All right.” Since I didn’t have much of a choice, I planted my rear on the stool.

She hit the button, sounding the buzzer. “Tell Zachary I said hello when you see him.” She waved her hand in the air like a royal princess as she reached the door.

“Sure thing.”

She disappeared around the corner. While her departure put a slight smile on my face, frustration filled my mind and I silently cursed. For the rest of my shift I had to sit at the desk and wait for customers instead of digging for evidence.

I hit the space bar on the keyboard and the screen lit up. The green block in the search field blinked slowly, tempting me to enter a word and hypnotizing me into lethargy at the same time. What could I search for?

I recalled the findings thus far. I’d found documents about a Project E with Galluzzi’s initials. The one detail seemed like a good place to start. I typed in the search line Project E. The results came back with a big fat zero. I tried variations of dates with the project. Still nothing. For fifteen minutes, I played around trying to find one record that tied in with the project.

“Lizzy gone?” Jackson asked.

I spun around on the stool to face him. “Yep, and I can’t find a single document in the database that mentions Project E.”

“And you saw it on a document?” He stopped next to me and looked at the screen.

“Yeah. Tom even made a copy where one document showed the project as a success.”

“That’s weird. If it’s in the records, it should be in the database.”

“Well, it’s not.” A sprinkle of annoyance flattened my tone.

Jackson pulled the keyboard closer to him.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He typed my name in the search bar along with the word birth, then pressed the return key. Zero records appeared.

“This is strange,” Jackson said, staring at the screen.

“What does that mean? I’m not listed in the database?”

Jackson typed my name again. Just my name and hit return. Again, the system returned no records.

“According to the system, you don’t exist,” he said as he typed in his name. After hit the key, rows of records appeared on the screen.

“You certainly do exist.” I snickered.

He shook his head and typed in another name.

“Who is that?”

“My Alpha, the one presumed dead.”

Again, a multitude of records appeared.

“Try Galluzzi’s name,” I said.

He did and included the word birth. The system responded with zero records.

“Oh, come on,” I said, laughing in frustration.

Jackson straightened and took a step back. “This database has been altered. Someone has removed her birth record and yours.”

“Maybe we weren’t born here.”

“Galluzzi was born here. She’s always claimed to be a Hoosier.”

“Who would remove our birth records and why?”

“I don’t know, but it concerns me. You found a document with Project E and Tom made a copy?”

“Yes.”

“Then I believe there are records here in the warehouse that are not listed in the database.”

My heart picked up extra beats as a rush of excitement zinged through me. “This is good. We have a chance of finding something.”

“That’s one way of looking at it.”

“The vampire that came in here was looking for a birth record from the 1960s. It couldn’t have been mine,” I said. “If I had to guess, I was born in the late eighties or early nineties.” Which I mentally noted was also around the time of Project E. Coincidence?

“A person born in the sixties would be in his or her forties, possibly early fifties.”

“Any ideas?” I asked.

“Several. My late Alpha, the late demon clan leader and Galluzzi.”

“And all but one is dead.”

Jackson back stepped. “I’m not sure what that vamp came looking for, but I am curious to find out.”

Sounded like he had a plan to go digging in the sixties. A shame I couldn’t go with him. My curiosity level had reached a new high.

“I thought you wanted to search for other records we could use against Galluzzi,” I said
.

“I am, and I’ll get back to it, after I follow up on this lead.” Code meaning he wanted to find what happened in the sixties first. I gathered he had the same question burning in his head.

“Good luck. I’d help you, but I’m stuck here until Zachary shows up at midnight.”

“I’ll be fine. Yell if someone gives you any trouble.”

I chuckled as he disappeared around the corner. With his sensitive hearing, I didn’t need to yell. A whisper would suffice.

While Jackson searched in the back, I stayed busy looking up general information in the database. I found Boss and Jonas listed as investigators and even found their investigation findings listed. The database didn’t show their birth records on file, but I didn’t know if they’d been born in Indiana or not, anyway. I searched under Billy Rodriquez and found his birth record and some eight charges from various courts, all dismissed. I blew out a frustrated breath. How did he manage to escape the law that many times?

During my searches, a few customers came in, and I managed to assist them. Time passed fast, thankfully. Thoughts of Jonas continued to pop into my head as I worried about his progress. I trusted he was in good care, but I needed to know he was all right.

The sound of shoes scraping over the concrete floor alerted me to Zachary’s arrival. Wearing a thin striped button-down shirt, tucked into his beige pants, he stepped through the door. Similar to the night before, the old man carried a grocery bag in one hand and a six-pack of plastic Dr. Pepper bottles in the other. When he reached the gate, I hit the button to grant him entrance.

He set the bag and drinks on the counter. “Busy night?” He’d parted his white hair on one side. A strand of it strayed near one eye.

“Yes, it was very busy. I didn’t get all the filing done.”

Zachary patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine.”

My mouth hung open as I stared at the old man. I thought about his words and tried to gain understanding until Boss walked in through the door.

I rose from the stool with my heart jumping, excited and surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to pick you up.”

“Better get going, miss.” Zachary removed the cap from one of the Dr. Pepper bottles, then sat on the stool.

Eager to leave, I didn’t argue with the old man.

“There’s a man named Jackson in the back, looking through the records. Will you tell him to call me later?” I asked Zachary as I headed for the gate. “He’s a–”

“I know what he is. I’ll tell him.”

I paused for a moment, wondering if he had read my thoughts somehow. Before I pondered the thought for long, the buzz sounded for the gate. I opened it and strode toward Boss.

“Good night, Zachary,” I said as I walked out of the cage.

“Be well, Ms. Baxter.”

Boss and I walked side by side through the tunnel. “Are we going to the hospital to visit Jonas?” I asked.

“Yes, Tabby is with him now. After we found Jonas’s car, she dropped me off and went on ahead.”

We drew near the room from my memory, and I slowed my gait, keeping my eyes on the closed door.

“Is this the room?” Boss asked as we passed by.

I gave him a nod, and he stopped. Not wanting the security cameras to suspect anything, I gripped his arm and tugged. “Come on, we don’t want to keep Jonas and Tabby waiting.”

He reluctantly agreed, then we continued down the hall.

“I have a few interesting details to share when we get outside,” I said, coiling my arm around his.

“Anything promising?”

“Potentially.” I grinned.

He slid my hand down to his where he threaded his fingers between mine. “You’ll have to share.” He squeezed my hand.

We stopped at the elevators and waited only seconds for one to arrive. I strolled inside and stopped in the middle, letting go of Boss’s hand while he pressed the button for our floor.

The doors shut, leaving us alone in silence. I opened my mouth to say something, but Boss took me by complete surprise, halting the words I planned to speak. He wrapped one arm around me and smashed his body to mine. His free hand found the nape of my neck, then he kissed me deeply and intently. He slid his tongue into my mouth and sucked on mine with such zeal that my body warmed instantly and my sex slickened with moisture. Passion flamed between us, urgent and full of longing. His hard cock pressed against me, and my body zinged with an intense craving to have him inside me.