Chapter 15
They spent Sunday morning being deliciously lazy, rolling around in bed and talking about their work.
Raze could say little about what he did, but he told her he traveled a lot and occasionally worked in teams. He told her about Vash and Syre, Torque and Salem, smudging details as necessary to get the gist across.
It was easier than he would have thought to talk so much.
Kim made it easy by listening attentively and refraining from asking questions he couldn’t answer.
In return, he strove to be as honest as possible under the circumstances.
Eventually, he’d tell her everything—after he discussed it with Syre and Vashti.
Kim talked about her job as a medical laboratory scientist. He listened raptly, amazed that of all the people he could’ve found this depth of connection with, he’d found one who spent her days looking at blood. In her own way, she was as drawn to the vital substance as he was. What were the odds?
She was a trust fund baby, which allowed her to do what she loved for a living.
Most of her friends were her coworkers, and Janelle had been her best friend since grade school.
As he’d expected, Kim had been engaged once, shortly after graduating from college.
Still, she’d broken it off when she realized she wasn’t ready to settle down.
Shortly after ten, she went into the kitchen to grab breakfast, and he returned a call from Vashti that he’d missed while indulging in Kim.
“Vash.” He kept the video off and held the phone to his ear. “News?”
“The team of six I sent arrived this morning, and they’re already sweeping through what’s left of your list of known Grimm haunts. They have orders to gather what intel they can and pass it along to you. You’re primary, so stay available.”
“Of course.”
She snorted. “You could’ve been hunting last night.”
“Yes. And probably should’ve been. But it’s my time now, Vashti.
After all these years, it’s finally my time.
I’m not wasting it hunting down a crazy bitch who won’t be found until she’s ready.
” He heard the doorbell ring and pulled on his jeans.
“I rattled her cage yesterday. She’ll be crawling out soon because she wants to deal with this on her turf, and I’ve threatened to leave.
I bet she makes a move by tomorrow, and I’ll be out today making myself as easy a target as possible. ”
“I’ve emailed the cell numbers of your team. Touch bases with them and—”
Raze killed the call when Kim entered the room with a dozen Black Beauty roses. There was laughter in her eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips.
“I guess this is a hint,” she teased. “I’m glad you approve of my oral skills since I certainly enjoy—”
Shoving his phone into his jeans’ pocket, he brushed past her on his way to the front door. “Did those just arrive?”
“Yes. Raze, are you—”
“Lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone except me.
” He was gone in a flash, taking the stairs at the end of the hall, his heart racing with a sick panic.
He raced down the single flight of steps to the first floor and skidded into the apartment complex lobby in his bare feet.
The lone elevator car was empty, and the doors sat open, but when he turned his head, he saw the logo on the back of the delivery person disappearing out the revolving glass door.
A female. Blond hair tucked up under her ball cap.
Bloodlust hazed his vision. Her ladyship hadn’t expected him to be there when she went after Kim, and she was arrogant enough to forgo the quick kill. She wanted to play like she had with the Cubs fan.
He pursued, uncaring of his bare feet and chest. She was climbing into the back of an unmarked van when her driver—Lake—saw him.
The vampress hit the gas, and Francesca leapt into the interior.
Raze dove into the open doorway, tackling the baroness as the van jerked back into the traffic flow to the blaring of horns and squealing tires.
She fought, her claws raking into his flesh, her fangs bared as she hissed like a wild creature.
A gun went off, the bullet whistling by his head.
Raze crushed her to his chest and rolled, using her body as a shield against the shooter in the passenger seat.
Her ribs cracked in the vise of his grip.
Her scream pierced his ears. As Lake skidded around a corner, they nearly fell out of the open van door.
Gaining his knees, Raze threw Francesca backward into the passenger, startling the man into firing.
The bullet lodged in her back, her eyes widening with agony.
Horrified by what he’d done, the man dropped his gun, sliding it on the metal floorboard into Raze’s waiting hand.
He took out the minion with a shot to the head and grabbed Francesca by the wrist, yanking her into him so he could pierce her throat with his fangs.
As her blood pumped down his throat, he caught everything she knew—every plan she’d made, every minion she’d told about those plans.
He learned the identity of the traitor who’d been providing her with Fallen blood, and he knew how to find the names of those he needed to hunt.
Not so many, but that wasn’t what disturbed him.
He released her before the silver poisoning from the bullet tainted the blood he drank. She slumped to the floor. Lake screamed and hit the brakes, sending him crashing back into the bench seat. She shoved the transmission into park and threw the door open.
“Take another step,” he warned, straightening, “and I’ll kill you slow instead of fast.”
She paused, sobbing, standing in the apex of the open door and the vehicle’s body.
Raze gestured her back into the van with a jerk of the pistol. He directed her to drive to Baron’s safe house when she returned to the driver’s seat.