Anger bubbled to the surface, and I clenched my jaw. “I think I can handle a human.” The operative word wasthinkbecause the thought of being close to Layla was sending heat to grip my balls.
He pierced me with his dagger-like gaze. “Son, you have no clue the power of a human woman with blood so fucking sweet. She will drive you so insane you won’t be able to stop yourself.”
“Sounds to me like you speak from experience.”
“Samuel, I’m warning you.”
As I walked out, the hairs on the back of my neck shot to attention, and not from my father’s warning.
9
LAYLA
Bile sloshed in my throat, and nerves poked my skin like a thousand tiny blades as a badass female Navy SEAL by the name of Brock, as indicated on her uniform, frisked me for weapons just inside the main gate of the naval base. She was pretty too, with her dark hair braided and twisted in a bun on the back of her head. Her brown eyes were bright and had a glint of eagerness floating in them. I hadn’t been aware of a woman Navy SEAL before. Then again, she was a vampire, and they had their own rules and regulations.
I raised my arms over my head, eyeing the daggers strapped to her legs and the gun holstered to her hip. Thoughts of snagging one came to mind, but I quickly discarded it. If I wanted Sam’s help, I had to play nice.
“Turn,” she ordered in a tone that sent a chill down my spine.
I obeyed, glancing at Rianne, who was watching me intently from the backseat of the car.
When Brock finished patting me down, she spoke into the radio tacked to her shoulder. “Sir, coming in now.” Then she flicked her chin at my car. “Follow me.” She jumped into the Hummer that was parked behind the guard shack.
I slid behind the wheel as knots formed in my stomach. “Here we go.” I pressed the gas pedal as I checked on Rianne. “We’ll get you out of that trance soon.”
She smiled, seemingly alert, but still unable to speak. I imagined she was thinking of all the ways to chop Sam Mason into a gazillion pieces. I knew I was.
The windshield wipers squeaked as they cleared the big fat snowflakes. The announcer on the radio indicated that it would snow for the next several days. I was surprised I’d gotten as far as I had in this old piece of junk.
Still, all that snow didn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. With our luck, Rianne and I would be stranded on base. My plan was to get in and out as fast as I could, provided I could confirm that the vampire military was protecting a little girl by the name of Abbey. I was sick to my stomach that I had to involve a child in my desperation to save Jordyn. But if Roman was right that Abbey was under the protection of the vampire military, then nothing could happen to her. Roman would have a difficult time getting his hands on her.
I focused on the road, gripping the steering wheel and taking in deep breaths. My stomach was knotted into one big ball of nerves. Dad or my uncles would think I’d lost my mind. None of them would enter into a deal with a vampire, but I didn’t have any backup. Maybe I should put my pride aside and reach out to Uncle Jack. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure he or Uncle Ray would come to my rescue.
I loosened my grip on the steering wheel as we passed camouflage-painted buildings that looked like small homes tucked away among the assortment of snow-covered evergreens and deciduous trees that towered over them.
As I rounded the last curve, a four-story brick building emerged, looking ominous against the sunless sky. To hell with trying to relax. Strong tension snapped my spine into a perfectly straight line, and grew tauter when I spotted guards on the rooftops of not just the main building but also the brick ones flanking it.
The Hummer stopped under the portico, and I debated whether to follow suit or gun the engine and get the hell out.
I had to keep telling myself I could do this. The problem was I felt naked without my dagger or any weapon.
I pumped the brakes with a shaky foot, my courage nonexistent. No sooner than I threw the Nissan in park, my phone rang. A number I didn’t recognize flashed across the screen. Roman was probably checking up on me. His final words to me before he and Sasquatch dragged Jordyn out of the house kicking and fighting were that he would be in touch. He hadn’t given me a time limit, but I knew I didn’t have long if I wanted Jordyn to remain unharmed.
“What?” I answered in a harsh tone, ready to scream at Roman.
“Where’s my package?” The man, who wasn’t Roman, sounded angry.
It took me a second to realize the person on the other line was our benefactor. “I can’t talk.”
“You were supposed to check in an hour ago.” His tone was full of anger.
Brock got out of the Hummer and waved at me.
I raised my finger then pointed to my phone, hoping she would give me a second.
“I have to call you later. I’m right in the middle of something.” I should come clean and tell him what I was up against. He might be able to help.
He knew every detail about the Mason family, and Sam in particular. Which meant he probably knew about Abbey, but I didn’t have time to pepper him with questions. Brock was staring me down from the tail end of her vehicle.
