While Jean-Luc talked, Angus unbuttoned his jacket and withdrew a pistol from a shoulder holster. He checked to make sure it was fully loaded. "I'm ready for the bastard. Silver bullets."
Roman winced. "Try not to shoot any of my coven, Angus."
The Scotsman lifted a brow. "I'm betting he'll come. After all, he knows ye have the girl. Is she here at Romatech?"
"I don't have her anymore. She escaped."
"What?" Angus jumped to his feet. "Are ye saying she escaped while my Highlanders were on duty?"
Roman exchanged a look with Gregori. "Well, yes. She did."
Jean-Luc chuckled. "She is special, n 'est-ce pas"?
With a muttered curse, Angus stashed his gun back into its holster. He paced across the office. "I canna believe it. A wee mortal lass outsmarting my Highlanders? Who was in charge at the time? I'll flay him alive, the bastard."
"Connor was in charge," Roman answered, "but she was smart enough to avoid him. She picked a guard who didn't know her. She used a disguise and pretended she had come with Simone. Apparently, her French accent is very convincing."
"I like her more all the time," Jean-Luc said.
Angus growled and continued to pace.
Gregori's cell phone rang. "I'll take this outside." He went out the door.
"Speaking of Simone - " Roman frowned at Jean-Luc. "Why did you let her come early? She's been nothing but trouble."
The Frenchman shrugged. "There is your answer, mon ami. She is trouble. I needed a break."
"She destroyed a nightclub the first night she was here. Last night she threatened to murder a few of my.. women."
"But of course. La jalousie. It drives the women mad." Jean-Luc set his cane across his lap. "Luckily, Simone is not in my harem. It is hard enough being her employer. If I were her master, she would drive me to despair. I have enough problems with my harem as it is."
Angus was still pacing back and forth, glowering at the floor. "I'm thinking of getting rid of mine," he grumbled. Slowly he became aware that the other men were staring at him. He stopped and squared his broad shoulders. " 'Tis not that I doona enjoy them. Hell, I enjoy them all the time. The lassies canna keep their hands off of me."
"Ah. Moi, aussi." Jean-Luc nodded and looked at Roman.
"Me, too," Roman repeated the words in English. He wondered if the other men were lying, too.
Angus scratched his chin. " 'Tis hard to keep that many wenches happy. They think I'm supposed to keep them entertained every night. They doona understand I have a business to run."
"Oui, exactement," Jean-Luc murmured. "I wonder sometimes if I am being selfish, keeping so many beautiful women all to myself. There are many lonesome male vampires in the world."
God's blood. Roman couldn't believe it. The other coven masters were just as tired of keeping a harem as he was. Maybe Radinka was right, and it was time to let the old tradition go. After all, he had convinced most of the vampire world to give up biting for the bottle.
Gregori slipped back inside, pocketing his cell phone. "That was Connor. Petrovsky and a few of his followers are on the move. Headed north into New Rochelle. Connor's following them."
"Any sign of Shanna?" Roman asked.
"No, but they're dressed in formal clothing. Black and white." Gregori gave Laszlo a worried look.
God's blood, Roman thought. They were coming to the ball.
"What should I do?" Laszlo asked, his eyes wide. "I can't stay here."
"Doona fret, lad." Angus marched over to Laszlo and gripped his shoulder. "I willna let them harm you. My men will be on red alert."
Roman watched as Angus pulled out his pistol. Jean-Luc twisted the knob on his walking stick and withdrew a long, sharp dagger. Damn. Was this going to be a ball or a bloodbath?
Suddenly the door opened, and Angus pointed his gun at the man entering.
Ian blinked. "Bugger. Not quite the welcome I was expecting."
Angus laughed and slipped the pistol back into his shoulder holster. "Ian, my old friend. How are you?"
"Verra well." Ian exchanged slaps on the shoulder with his boss. "I've just now returned from Washington."
"Well, ye're back in the nick of time. Ivan Petrovsky is on his way. We may have a bit of trouble."
Ian grimaced. "We have a lot more trouble than that." He glanced at Roman. "It's a good thing I went to Langley. At least we have prior warning now."
"What are ye saying, man?" Angus asked.
"I did some investigation on Dr. Whelan's father," Ian explained.
Roman stood. "Is he CIA?"
"Aye." Ian nodded. "Last stationed in Russia, but three months ago he was brought back to Washington to head up a new program. The files were heavily encrypted, but I was able to figure out most of it."
"Go on," Roman urged.
"He's in charge of an operation called Stake-Out."
Angus shrugged. "That's a common term in law enforcement."
"Not in this sense." Ian frowned. "They have a logo to go with the name. A wooden stake struck through a bat."
"Bugger," Angus whispered.
"Aye. They're compiling a list of targets for termination. Petrovsky and a few of his friends are on there." Ian regarded Roman sadly. "Ye're on the list, too."
Roman caught his breath. "Are you saying everyone on the list is a vampire?"
"Aye." Ian grimaced. "I'm sure ye know what this means."
Roman sat heavily in his chair. God's blood, this was terrible. His voice came out as a whisper, "They know about us."
Chapter 15
Ivan Petrovsky checked the address Katya had given him. "This is it, Vlad. Pull over."
Vladimir located a parking space not far from the safe house in New Rochelle. Both sides of the dimly lit street were lined with tall, narrow, wood-framed houses. Covered porches looked out onto tiny front yards. Most of the houses gleamed with light from their windows, but the safe house was dark.
There was no female vampire Ivan respected more than Katya, and once again, she'd proven herself worth her weight in gold. A longtime member of his Russian coven, Katya was every bit as vicious as he. She'd been the one to locate and seduce the U.S. marshal in charge of Shanna Whelan. With the marshal completely under her control, Katya had easily set this trap.
Ivan instructed Vlad to stay with the car, then zipped toward the safe house with vampire speed. He stopped at the back door and waited for Alek and his harem girl Galina to catch up. They slipped inside the house, their superior vision enabling them to see in the dark. They moved across the kitchen and down a narrow hallway. In the front room, Ivan found Katya and her U.S. marshal on the couch. She was straddling the man's lap, her skirt scrunched up to her hips.
"Enjoying yourself?" Ivan asked.
Katya shrugged. "I was bored. It's something to do."
"Do I get a turn?" Galina sat next to the marshal. His eyes were glazed over. Blood trickled from punctures on his neck.
Ivan waved a hand in front of the lawman's face. No reaction. He was tempted to stick a Post-it on the man's forehead. Room for rent. "So, where is the Whelan girl?"
Katya scooted off the marshal's lap and onto her feet. The hem of her slinky black skirt tumbled down to graze the tips of her black sandals. "Do you like?" She struck a pose, designed to highlight the slit that went up one side of her skirt to the square knot on her hip. With this skirt, it was obvious Katya was missing her panties. Her sleeveless white blouse draped in folds down to her waist, exposing much of her br**sts.
"I like. Very much. But where is the Whelan girl?" Ivan glanced at his watch. It was eight-forty. They needed to leave in ten minutes. It would only take a few minutes to kill Shanna Whelan, but he had his heart set on playing with her first.
Katya gave Ivan's lieutenant a sympathetic look. "Poor Alek. Always seeing the boss with his women, but never having a taste for himself." She slipped her hand beneath her skirt and outlined the contour of her naked derriere.
Alek turned away, his fists clenched.
"Enough, Katya." Why was she trying to cause trouble between him and Alek? It was hard to find good help these days - strong male vampires who would follow his orders but leave his harem alone. Over the years, Ivan had executed too many vampires for messing with his women. He couldn't afford to lose any more.