Vampire Trouble (26 page)

“Time to face the past and the future.” Maya looked at the two daggers in her left hand. “No more running and no more hiding.”

The sterling-silver throwing weapons glinted at her like a beacon calling her home, and Maya knew what she had to do. She had to prove to Shane, and to herself, that she could indeed take care of herself.

She stripped her sundress off and tossed it aside before making quick work of pulling on the sentry uniform. Zipping it up over her necklace, Maya did exactly what Shane had shown her. She tugged on the gloves and lined the leather coat with a slew of weaponry before putting on the belt, heavy with two semiautomatic guns and the liquid silver ammunition from Xavier. The final touch was slipping the daggers into the compartments on the back of her sentry suit.

Maya pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and donned the weapon-laden coat. Glancing out the window, she saw that she had very little time until the sun would rise. It was just enough to get her where she needed to go.

Maya landed silently in the alley next to Bayou Escape while an orange glow began to burn along the horizon. She rubbed absently at her chest. The dull ache throbbed, warning her of the impending sunrise. Peering around the corner of the building, she noted that the ache was weaker than it had been in the past.

A smile played at her lips. Perhaps that meant she and Shane would become daywalkers after all. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, she glanced at the brightening horizon, knowing that being able to walk in the sun would be meaningless without Shane by her side.

He was pushing her away because he was scared of losing her. For a moment, Maya allowed herself to entertain one other possibility.

Perhaps Shane really wasn't in love with her.

“That's bullshit,” Maya growled with frustration.

She knew he loved her and that he was pushing her away because of some stupid macho notion. Maya decided that if she could fix this mess with the werewolves on her own, then she could show Shane, Olivia, and everyone else that she wasn't just some silly, flirty airhead. Maybe if she could make it right, then Shane would see her as an equal and perhaps the idea of being her bloodmate wouldn't seem so wrong.

Sebastian and Diego had been living in New Orleans for years, and she knew they would be able to direct her to the underground tunnels that led out of the city. She had to get a head start back to New York so she could deal with Horace herself. The last thing Maya wanted was for anyone else she loved to get hurt. Olivia and Doug would want to be involved, but they were parents now and that baby girl needed them.

The early morning streets of the Quarter were quiet, but she could still hear the subtle fluttering heartbeats of humans in the buildings nearby. Maya moved swiftly along the sidewalk, keeping her senses alert for any sign of wolves or other vampires, but so far she seemed to be alone. She trotted up the steps and grasped the doorknob to the club, letting out a sigh of relief when it turned easily in her hand.

Pushing the door open without a sound, Maya slipped inside and reached out with her senses. Eyes closed, she picked up the distinct vibration of movement toward the back of the club. Steeling her courage and with her hands clenched in tight fists at her sides, Maya strode down the long hallway toward the source. Before she could reach the end, Sebastian and Diego appeared in the hall so quickly that they seemed to have materialized out of thin air.

Fangs bared and eyes wild, they looked poised and ready to attack, but once they recognized Maya, they retracted their fangs and grinned. Sebastian stepped ahead of his brother and greeted Maya with a kiss on the cheek before leaning back and looking her up and down.

“That's quite a different ensemble from the delightful sundress you were wearing earlier, Ms. Maya,” Sebastian cooed. “Speaking of sun, aren't you up past a good little vampire's bedtime? We were just about to retire ourselves.”

“You are more than welcome to bunk in with us,” Diego added before kissing Maya's hand gallantly.

“Thank you but I have some important business to attend to,” Maya said, looking from one brother to the other. “I'm sorry to bother you at this hour but it really couldn't wait.”

“Where's Quesada?” Sebastian asked, looking past Maya.

“Shane is recuperating and needs to sleep.” Maya straightened her back. “I'll be heading up north ahead of him and handling this mission on my own.”

“Recuperating?” Sebastian asked with concern. “What on earth from? He seemed fine when the two of you left earlier.”

“Shane and I were attacked by a pack of werewolves tonight.”

Maya kept her attention on the two vampires, curious to see what their reaction would be. To her relief, both seemed genuinely surprised and appalled. She worried that they might be involved, though given their friendship with Shane, it was unlikely.

“What?” Diego's fangs erupted and his voice was tight with anger. “When?”

“Right after we got back to Lottie's house.” Maya fought to keep her voice even. “There were three of them and Shane was bitten, but we were able to use their blood to help him heal.”

“Why on earth would you and Quesada be attacked by a pack of werewolves?” Sebastian folded his arms over his chest and looked Maya up and down. “And two sentries for the Presidium, no less. What would make them break the truce and risk all-out war?”

“Well,” Diego scoffed, “I hope you had the decency to kill them.”

“They're no longer a threat,” Maya said with a tight smile. While she wanted to be truthful with her new friends, she'd be keeping information about the anti-werewolf whammy to herself. Besides, once she returned the necklace to the wolves, it would be a moot point and she'd be a regular vampire again. “They've been
neutralized
.”

“Maya?” Sebastian narrowed his eyes and waggled a finger at her. “You are a crafty little girl and artfully avoided answering my question. Why did they come after you?”

“I have something they want.”

“Honey, you have something a lot of men want.” Diego waggled his blond brows at her playfully. “Like Shane, for example.”

“Yes, well, I can't get into specifics.” Maya's hand fluttered to her throat. “But I can tell you that Otto is the one who sent them after us.”

“Otto?” Diego said furiously. “That furry fucker is involved in this? I should drain him dry. I'll tell you this much, at the very least he's never eating here again. I don't care how much money he has.”

“Thank you.” Maya's brow furrowed. “I'm still not sure how they figured out where we were staying, but that's really beside the point.”

“Honey, this is New Orleans.” Sebastian flashed his fangs and grinned. “There are eyes everywhere, but if you do figure out who spilled the beans, please let us know. If there's a traitor in our midst, they will be dealt with promptly.”

“If you came here looking for Otto, I hate to disappoint you because he's long gone.” Diego rolled his eyes. “He's probably at home sleeping off the booze.”

“It's urgent that I speak with him.” Maya nodded her head adamantly. “Otto is only a middleman, and I'm well aware of who he's working for. I need to speak with him so that he can pass along a message for me. Do you know how I can reach him?”

“Who is he working for?” Sebastian asked.

Maya stilled and looked back and forth between the two men. She wasn't sure how much to tell them and decided that the less information they had, the better off they'd be. She just hoped like hell they would accept no for an answer.

“I'm sorry but it's best if I don't share that with you. It's for your own safety,” she added quickly. “Can you help me get in touch with Otto?”

“Can we
help
you?” Sebastian asked incredulously as he elbowed his brother. “That is our business, baby.”

“My brother is correct.” Diego slipped a cell phone out of his pocket and touched the screen a few times. “We keep our regular clients on speed dial, and up until today, Otto was a regular.” His eyes narrowed when handed the phone to Maya. “But not anymore.”

“Thank you,” Maya whispered. She took the phone and pressed it to her ear. It rang five times, and for a second she thought it would go to voice mail, but on the sixth ring, a sleepy and irritated man answered the phone.

“What the fuck do you want?” Otto growled. “It's five thirty in the fucking morning and I'm still drunk.”

“Well,” Maya purred, “isn't that a charming way to answer the phone? My, my, my, aren't you a cranky wolf.”

Silence filled the line and Maya's confidence grew. She winked at Sebastian and Diego, a smile covering her face.

“Who the hell is this?” Otto barked. Maya could hear the sleepy voice of a woman in the background. “Shut up, Tiffany. Go back to sleep.” He lowered his voice to a rough whisper. “Answer me. Who is this?”

“I'm sure you're surprised to hear from me,” she sang, putting on her most playful, seductive voice. “And I can't say that I blame you, Otto. I guess your wolf boys weren't up to the task, and sadly, they will no longer be able to run your errands for you—or do anything else, for that matter.”

“I—I don't know what you're talking about, lady,” he sputtered nervously. “Wait a minute. I know this number.”

“Yes, you do. Sebastian and Diego are rather upset by your behavior, so I think it's safe to say that you should find somewhere else to hang out,” Maya hissed. Her fangs erupted as she fought to keep her anger under control. “I know we weren't formally introduced earlier but my name is Maya, and if I'm not mistaken, I have something that you want.”

“I don't want it. It's not me,” he sputtered. “It's that crazy little bastard Horace. Look, I didn't want to have any part of it, okay? He's blackmailing me, and unless I wanted my dirty laundry aired in public, I had to help him. He could destroy my entire business. Get it? He's the one you want, okay? He believes that stupid story about some gypsy necklace, and the little shit thinks it's going to give him absolute power. I think he wants to overthrow his old man. He's nuts.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.” Maya's eyebrows flew up with surprise to hear Otto throw Horace right under the proverbial bus. She didn't think he'd roll over that easily, but she was relieved to have her suspicions confirmed. At least she knew exactly who she was dealing with. “I want you to give your boss a message for me.”

“He's not my boss,” Otto hissed.

“Maybe not, but you're his bitch.” Maya rolled her eyes. She turned her back on the brothers and walked away, keeping her voice low. “Tell Horace to meet me at midnight on the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park. I'll give him what he's after.”

“Gapstow Bridge at midnight. Got it.”

“And tell him to come alone,” Maya added quickly.

Turning around, she ended the call and passed the phone back to Diego. She was relatively sure that Horace wouldn't show up alone, but then again, he wasn't expecting her to be armed to the fangs, either. As far as Horace was concerned, Maya was just a silly little girl who flirted too much, not a sentry-trained vampire with a werewolf whammy.

“Not bad.” Sebastian nodded his approval. “You're a feisty little youngling, aren't you? No wonder Quesada chose you.”

“He's trained a bunch of vampires,” Maya said. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she adjusted her ponytail. “I'm not special.”

“I wasn't talking about being a sentry, and believe me, my dear girl, you are most definitely special.” Sebastian winked. “We've known Shane for two hundred years, and through all of that time, I've never seen him with a woman. Oh, don't get me wrong, I knew where his bread was buttered but—”

“What my dear brother is trying to say,” Diego interjected, “is that it's quite clear why Shane chose you as his woman.”

“I'm not his woman.” Maya straightened her back, and guilt tugged at her when she saw the look on their faces. “I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I've got more pressing matters to deal with. Can you direct me to the underground tunnels so that I can start heading back to New York? I'd like to cover some ground before sundown.”

“Of course,” Sebastian murmured. Linking his arm in hers, he guided her to the elevator. “But shouldn't you wait for Quesada? I realize that he may not be at his best at the moment, but if memory serves, you are still a trainee, are you not?”

“Trainee?” Diego laughed and waved off Sebastian's concerns. “The girl is packing enough silver in that coat to take down a stampede of vampires or werewolves. My nostrils are burning just from being near it.” He winked at Maya. “See? That's why I could never be a sentry. I'd never get used to the constant stench of silver.”

“Speaking of Shane,” Maya said evenly as she cast a wide smile. “If he comes looking for me, please don't tell him that I was here.” Sensing their apprehension, she added quickly, “Part of my final test to become a sentry is to handle a mission on my own. I'm sure you can understand how eager I am to reach the next level,” Maya said, praying they'd believe her lie.

“Of course.” Diego tilted his head in deference. “As you wish.”

“Thank you.” Maya smiled politely and stepped into the elevator with Diego's comment lingering in the air. She hadn't realized it until he mentioned it, but Maya barely even smelled the silver anymore.

Diego slammed the gate shut, and the gentle hum of the machine surrounded them. Maya kept her attention straight ahead, not wanting to give any hint that she shouldn't be doing what she was doing. It was probably a foolish move to confront Horace on her own, but she had no intention of putting the people she cared about in harm's way.

“I'm finished with training,” Maya murmured when the elevator came to a halt. “It's game time.”

***

Shane awoke abruptly from the deep, healing slumber and instantly noticed the glaring absence of Maya's soft, curvy body. He had slept alone for four hundred years—until he'd found Maya—and that was exactly the way he liked it. Solitary. Focused. However, being with her had turned everything upside down, and not having her with him felt
wrong.
He resented the hell out of it. He missed the scent of Ivory soap, the weight of her body against him, and the silky feel of her hair as it drifted over his shoulder.

Shane cursed under his breath, swung his feet over the side of the bed, and ran his fingers through his hair. Growling with frustration, he rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. This entire situation was his damn fault. If he hadn't gotten close and allowed himself to feel something for her, then he wouldn't be feeling so shitty now.

And he wouldn't have hurt Maya.