“You know anything else?” Rikuto asked.

  “You mean like the fact that this whole lab is a front for the sheriff and some sort of top secret work?”

  “We knew that,” Williams scoffed. “Even I knew that, and I’m the new guy.”

  “Your uncle was brought here, Matsuoka boy. He’s your brother’s lapdog and keeper all at the same time,” Javier interjected. “Hell, Mr. Sugar was sent here, and that means that something big must be happening soon. Of course, in all of this craziness with werewolves and manhunts, I noticed that there was an even more sinister experiment going on. You were so kind to cause such a beautiful distraction that I learned the other experiment going on right under our noses, the one that the sheriff really wants to keep quiet.”

  “And what was that?” Rikuto asked.

  “Señor Williams has an idea, no?”

  Williams and Javier stared right at Gail. She shook her head.

  “Project Lethe,” Javier said.

  Rikuto shook his head now. “Come on, it’s normal. Vampires have been making people forget since the dawn of time—”

  “Now that is true, but this is different. I don’t think they are just trying to make someone forget. They are trying to make damn sure that something is never remembered.”

  “Um, how is that any different?” Gail asked.

  “Oh, god,” Rikuto muttered.

  “You’re starting to get the idea. Osculum oblivio is the sheriff’s one big weapon she can use to fix any messes. I’ll tell you, it used to be pretty bad when you broke the second law and people found out you were a vampire. Well, it was pretty bad for the humans who found out. She would have them killed without batting an eye. Simple miasma has its limits. It can warp the memory, blur the lines, but if a human actually sees a vampire—”

  “So, she needs a test subject to make sure that the ‘Steve effect” is permanent,” Rikuto said, giving Gail a sad look. “Expose the subject to trauma, make them forget, and then see if they—”

  Gail’s lip quivered. “You mean?”

  “Gail—” Javier started.

  “Just don’t. Don’t say anything,” she said as she polished off the rest of her beer. She got to her feet and ran straight to the bathroom. The moment she breathed in she ended up vomiting into the disgusting toilet. Three more rounds of gagging and a bit of water on her face, and she finally dared to face the stunned crew.

  “I have nightmares of being thrown against a wall, but I can never remember anything but that. I have whole days of my life that are just gone, and now you’re telling me that vampires are just torturing me, making me forget it, and then trying to see if anything can make me remember all the horrible things they have done? Is that what you are really telling me?”

  “I just found out bits and pieces, Foster—” Williams started.

  She looked pointedly at Javier. He gave her a sad nod. “Do you really want to know more?” he asked.

  “I’m a lab rat . . . an actual lab rat,” she said slowly. “Were you a part of it, Javier?”

  “Only in stealing the information. The sheriff has some very nasty dogs, but I am not one of them. It started in Boston, and there hasn’t been an entry since early June. Everything stopped when the ball fiasco happened, because she no longer has access to her precious Stefano. There were certain triggers mentioned – bars, salsa, vampires, and old women.”

  “All the things that give me panic attacks. And my doctor, Doctor Isang—”

  Rikuto choked for a moment. “Did you say your doctor’s name is Dr. Isang?”

  “What’s so damn funny?”

  “Isang is strange in Korean. Your psychiatrist was Doctor Strange. Lame vampire humor at its finest.”

  “Korean woman, about your height, looks barely thirty?” Javier said.

  Gail nodded.

  “Your psychiatrist is a deputy brought over from the Jiangshi and an incredibly gifted torturer. I might suggest getting a referral for someone else, mi amor.”

  “More bloodsuckers,” Billy said disgustedly.

  “You are in a sheriff’s protectorate, my hairy amigos. The whole Austin area is her playground. You also have one of her personal test subjects so she may very well be on her way, and as scary as you think bloodsuckers are, she is the reason your kind is nearly extinto.”

  “There is more here,” Rikuto said. “I was very close to getting the last experiment out of this lab. Now Tom said there was a body, a mummified body brought to the lab, and my mom managed to get a sliver of the abstract. She managed to get the phrase ‘to save Lord Pendragon.’ That’s why I am here. That is why we are all still here.”

  “You care about saving Lord Pendragon? You do realize that Lorcan is no longer Lord Pendragon—” Javier started.

  “I know,” Rikuto snapped. “The new Lord Pendragon is Arthur, and if they are trying to find a way to save him, then we have to stop them.”

  19

  Gail scrubbed her hands until the water burned and her palms were bright pink. She kept her eyes lowered, avoiding the haggard mess in the mirror. Instead, she rubbed the scars on her collar until she winced.

  She kicked at the mess until she made it to the kitchen, where a breakfast spread of sausage biscuits and beer awaited them all. She gave a quick glance to the healing Javier, who had been granted a sippy cup of something viscous and red.

  “Um, Foster?” William asked meekly, barely extending a paper wrapped parcel her way. “I’m sorry.”

  “You didn’t do anything, Tom.”

  “You’re right. I found out they were fucking with you and I just ran, ’cause I was afraid they were about to mess with me, too. I was weak.”

  “We’re all weak. My name isn’t Foster anyways. It’s Filipovic, Gail Filipovic. You guys have blathered on about all your secrets. I might as well tell you mine, Tom.”

  Rikuto walked over and handed Gail a cup of coffee. “You have to be connected to all this, Gail. Everything started in Boston. You disappeared. My brother, he said he was going to leave the country with some girl, but then everything changed. He said he was getting an emergency infusion—”

  “He has the same condition as you, and I used to do infusions. If I was his nurse, I might have seen something in his chart.”

  “It turns out my brother became a bondsman. That means he drank vampire blood rather than getting his IVg.”

  “Does that even work?” Gail asked.

  “Sí, many humans with blood and immunity disorders use vampire blood to stay alive. Problem is, once you start, you really can’t stop,” Javier added from the peanut gallery.

  “I think he was trying to get away, and you found out more than you bargained for. Gail, whether we like it or not, we’re connected.”

  “You mean that it might be because of your brother that I lost my whole life? That god knows what happened to me? Apparently I’m a vampire whore, and I only remember it once, so really, why should I help you? Why should I help any of you?”

  “There is more to your file, mi amor. That much I know. I couldn’t get to it because the security got suddenly tight. We might at least be able to find out what happened to you.”

  “I don’t think I want to know. Would you want to know? Ignorance is bliss and all that shit. I have to get away from here, away from all of this.”

  “And where will you go? The sheriff will just hunt you down. At least if you find out the truth, you might have some sort of leverage, and if you help out these werewolves and the Matsuoka, you will have powerful friends,” Javier said. “I will help you, too.”

  Gail looked back at Williams and Rikuto. “Where are the other two?”

  “Getting us a car. We can’t stay here any longer. We’ve got maybe one more chance to break into Biogenesys Labs before they will be damn sure my mother is helping us, and then hopefully we have enough info to make a move. I promised these guys I’d help them find their pack in exchange for them helping me save my brother. If you help us too, Gail, I’ll try to get you beyond the sheriff’s reach. I have friends in Japan who can help you get to Okinawa. My mom says it’s like a no vampires allowed zone.”

  “Oh, using the treaty, very good idea. Mi amor, as much as it saddens me, I would get on a plane as soon as you can and never look back.”

  “I am not just running off to Okinawa, for Pete’s sake! Look, Riku, Williams, is there any way I can have like five minutes to talk to Javier, please? Alone?”

  “Sam said not to let the bloodsucker out of our sight,” Tom said quickly.

  Gail marched over and picked up Javier’s leg still perched by the lamp. She shoved it into Tom’s greasy hand.

  “I suppose we could go out and check the porch for a few,” Tom said as he stared at the prosthetic.

  Once the others were gone, Gail sat on the edge of the sofa. Javier blinked a few times innocently between sips of his breakfast. Finally, he motioned to the crumb-covered cushion next to him. “I won’t bite.”

  “Do all vampires say that?”

  “I cannot say.”

  She eased down onto the cushion, but kept a respectable distance. Javier set down his cup and reached for her hand even though his wrists were still bound by zip ties. Most of his blisters had already faded, but the skin still peeled on his nose and chin. Slowly, she set her hand in his, paying close attention to how the AC in the apartment had cooled him down, too. He ran his fingers along her wrist and over the tiny little rose she had tattooed under her bracelets.

  “You must despise me,” he said softly. “And I do not blame you.”

  “No, not despise. I’m too numb to really feel anything.”

  Javier nodded. “I do like you, but I couldn’t just tell you that you were . . .”

  “A vampire whore?”

  “We usually call them vamp tramps, just so you know.”

  “Oh, that is so much better. You fed off of me? I didn’t even—”

  “I always try to be gentle, mi amor.” He lifted her wrist and held it to his lips. She trembled but didn’t pull away. “I just slip inside, right here, and sip while you sleep. You have blissful dreams while I taste every drop of your passion and your joy. It is truly magical, no?”

  “But you never asked me, and you never told me,” she said coldly, as she finally pulled her hand away.

  “Vampires are not real, remember? What could I say?”

  “I don’t know. Just tell me, were you using me, or keeping an eye on me, or what?”

  “Well, I did want to keep an eye on you. I really like you.”

  “How can I ever trust you?”

  “You shouldn’t, mi amor. You should stay far, far away from me and never look back.” He stared deep into her eyes.

  Gail’s lip trembled as she leaned in ever so slightly. “Why can’t I stop thinking about you though? Is this some vampire power?”

  “If you want it to be,” he whispered before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Maybe we just share a connection. One can care for one’s work, can they not?”

  “It’s all too much,” she said softly.

  “What would the heroines in all your stories do, Gail? Would they run away or would they embrace the insanity? You have been given an amazing chance, a chance to live your dream, and let this real world be just a fantasy. It doesn’t have to be terrible.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” she said as she leaned against him.

  “Nothing wonderful is ever easy, mi amor.” He kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes and listened to the strange whooshing sound in his chest where a heartbeat should have been. “It will all be fine in the end. Trust me.”

  “OK,” she whispered. “But if you ever lie to me again, I’m putting you back in the sun room and staking you myself.”

  “Point taken. Just don’t ask me too many questions. I am a spy, and I value my life.”

  She bolted upright as she heard the door open. This time all four of the guys poured into the apartment. Sam tossed Javier’s leg on the sofa. A second later and he sliced through the zip ties with his claws.

  “Bloodsucker, you behave, and I’ll behave,” Sam growled. “We cool?”

  “I never argue with men who can rip off my face and turn it into a taco,” Javier said as he began reattaching his limb.

  “So, what are we doing?” Gail asked.

  “We are getting in a brand-new Winnebago borrowed from a lovely retiree who thought my brother was a gift from heaven. We won’t speak of all the things he had to do to get us this fine vehicle, because I don’t think they are legal in Texas,” Billy said as he grabbed a handful of breakfast sandwiches.

  Javier gave a little salute to Sam. “You truly know how to take one for the team, señor.”

  “I told Billy that I wouldn’t break your spine today. I made no promises about tomorrow.”

  “Um, Mr. Bloodsucking Janitor?” Williams asked meekly.

  “My name is Javier, Hah-vee-air,” the vampire corrected.

  “Um, Javier, was anyone else at work a vampire?”

  “No, but all of the doctors are all bondsmen. They all need blood now to survive. The baby Dean brother, too. He stinks like a Jaeger perra half the time.”

  “My mother?” Rikuto asked. “Are you saying that my mother—”

  “I’m afraid so,” Javier said, as he stretched and steadied himself on two feet once more. “It’s probably something she doesn’t want to talk about, especially considering the source.”

  “We have to get her out of there.”

  “Now come on, a brilliant woman like your madre isn’t taking shit from those weak-minded fools because she wants to, or she needs saving. She’s doing it so her two bambinos have some sort of chance.”

  “How can you possibly—?”

  “No one notices the cleaning guy, but the cleaning guy always notices you. She talks rather loudly on the phone and sí, I do hablar japones very well. Now, you must have some sort of cunning plan, no? Something that will get us in and out before an army of vampiros is upon us?”

  “We were supposed to get help from someone called the Fox, but that fell through,” Rikuto said softly. “I guess I never can be Ren, no matter how hard I try.”

  “A fox, eh? How did you get the contact? Your madre?”

  Rikuto nodded.

  “It’s nice to know that the Matsuoka are doing a little side business with the Azarola, very cosmopolitan of them. I wonder which of the bastards is in town and what she had to pay to get them to help. Hmm.”

  “Aren’t you an Azarola?” Rikuto asked, raising a brow.

  “It is more complicated than you might think. While everyone is fawning and following the every word of the Pendragons and the Jaegers and all their petty squabbles with the Lung Clan, my family is split in two and doing its very best to rip itself apart. Did she really think you could scare some local gringo Azarola . . . Oh no, she was going to send you to Charlie, no bueno. Bad idea, very bad. Hmm, now can I fix this?”

  “Um, Javier, did you say a Dean brother—?” Gail started to ask.

  “Not yours, the tall one,” Javier muttered pacing furiously.

  All of them watched Javier walk to and fro, muttering furiously in a mix of Spanish and some languages no one recognized. Sam motioned to the door. “Any time now.”

  “Tell me, just how big are your fur-covered cojones, mis amigos?”

  20

  “Ever planned a heist in a camper, mi amor?” Javier asked Gail as she stared out of the window.

  She smiled and kept patiently twirling her hair into pincurls. “I’m just amazed that truck stops have showers for women,” she muttered. “Thanks for the shampoo, Billy. It’s nicer than mine.”

  Billy flipped his damp braid over his shoulder. “What can I say? When you have this much hair, you learn to care for it.”

  Williams snored loudly as he flopped in the back, while Rikuto stared intently at his tablet and kept squinting at figures. Sam remained stoic and silent in the front, taking the camper to whatever exciting destination was in store.

  “So many cameras, so many defenses,” Rikuto kept muttering. “Mom can only keep them distracted for so long.”

  “What I wouldn’t do for Morgan or Bernard right now. Kayleigh, too. She could put all of us to shame when it came to breaking into networks,” Billy said. “And this is a vampire system. Somehow I think they have more than anti-viruses and firewalls to stop us.”

  “True, but I have often found that vampires are very, very confident in their superiority. If you can just bullshit your way past that, it can be surprisingly easy. Of course, it helps if you are the kind of person that no one notices,” Javier explained. “The only problem is getting to the second floor and the restricted access.”

  “We steal my mother’s keycard for that,” Rikuto muttered. “I just need to figure out the door system.”

  “You can’t risk going into a biohazard lab,” Gail piped in. “You don’t have an immune system.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “You also stick out like a sore thumb,” Javier pointed out. “It would be best if we had an inside man to just walk in for us.”

  “What about an inside woman?” Gail offered. “I called out on Friday, and for all anyone knows I had a one night stand last night.”

  “You can’t just waltz in there. They will immediately all be questioning you . . .” Rikuto trailed off his train of thought. “No one would be crazy enough to just walk right in, would they?”

  “Especially not a helpless, hopeless human test subject,” Gail said. “I just have to distract them long enough for Javier to steal whatever he can and then we all run away, and you do whatever computer thing you do. Hopefully we will spread everyone so thin that they don’t know what hit them. Hell, even if they ask me what’s going on, I won’t know. Just plan your thing around me, and all I need to do is run when I have to.”

  “That has to be the most brilliantly simple diversion I’ve ever heard of. I think that our sweet señorita has the biggest cojones of them all. We just do our thing and hope.”

 

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