1
SAM
Iwinced, feeling a sharp pain in my lower back that vanished when I thought of Layla. Fuck! I held my breath as I crawled to my feet and listed to one side. I oriented my vision and sharpened my vampire senses.
Mangled metal, smoke, fire, dust, and debris created a dystopian scene in the hospital’s boiler and electrical rooms. The wall between the two areas had crumbled.
The last thing I heard from Layla was her screaming my name. I growled low, yanking a piece of metal from my leg and another from my back.
“Layla!” I shouted.
Sirens trilled. Or maybe the blaring noise was the loud ringing in my ears. After all, the fucking boiler had practically blown up in my face several minutes ago.
Roman Brown would be a dead vampire when I got my hands around his throat. The bastard was the head of a blood cartel and on the most wanted list by my government. Roman was also one of many on our growing list of enemies.
How the fuck did Roman know we were at the hospital? Layla and I didn’t even know we would be in the ER until she’d found blood on her panties. I’d never been so fucking scared in my life, and truth be told, not much frightened my immortal ass. Hellfire would rain down if anyone laid a hand on Layla or did anything to hurt our unborn babies.Oh fuck.We were having four little ones. Four freaking kids. I couldn’t process that right now. I had to find Layla.
I shouted her name again, then listened. That damn ringing was masking everything. Maybe my sharp senses were off. I’d only heard two fetal heartbeats last night when I’d been drifting off to sleep. I hadn’t heard four. Maybe the aftermath of the chip malfunctioning had compromised my hearing. Throw in the explosion…
Regardless, if she was dead, I would die right beside her. My life had no meaning without her.
I navigated through the mess, feverishly retracing my steps from the parking garage to the electrical room. I checked my watch. Only minutes had passed since the explosion. But that did nothing to ease the gut-wrenching pain in my stomach. Layla could be under a pile of burning metal.
Think, man.That was the problem. I couldn’t wade through the fear overpowering my senses.
I stopped in the middle of the room, took in a huge breath, and concentrated.
Before the explosion, I’d run into a hairnet dude toking on a cigarette as he’d waltzed out of the laundry area. He’d seen two men with short blond hair and fangs and a bald dude with a scar on his face. Scarface had been chasing Layla. And my comrade Lane had been chasing Scarface.
Lane! Oh man.I’d found his head on the road behind the hospital. I would put money down that Scarface was responsible. I clenched my fists, my heart hurting. Lane had been a good soldier and Layla’s bodyguard. But I was to blame for Layla getting away. I was the one who fucked up.
Layla and I were sprinting toward the waiting room when two men bulldozed out from radiology.
A blond giant tackled me to the ground. “Get her,” he said to his scar-faced comrade.
“Run, Layla!” I shouted as I pushed my attacker off me. Before he could react, I lifted my hands, the electricity sizzling in my palms, and swung one fireball at him.
He squealed like a pig, the scent of burning flesh permeating the air. Then he stumbled, swatting at his face to put out the fire.
“Sam!” Layla shouted in a petrified tone.
I bolted, my palms out, my head down, primed to burn the fuck out of the bald, scar-faced moron on Layla’s tail until Hawk crashed into me. Then I lost sight of Layla.
I pushed the memory from my mind and refocused on the hairnet guy. He’d seen two women run through the laundry area. Hope hit me upside the head. Maybe Layla and Jordyn were in that part of the hospital.
I checked the pockets on my cargo pants for my cell and came up empty. When the boiler exploded, I had it in my hand. I spun around and backtracked, searching the debris-covered floor as I went over to the massive water pump I’d landed against.
Bingo.My phone had slid under a collection of pipes. I picked it up and tapped the cracked screen. My niece’s picture came into view. Abbey was standing outside the science museum in Boston. I grinned at the sight of her winning smile, her deep, sparkling blue eyes, and her mane of black hair—until a gruesome thought gripped me with tension. I would bet Roman was in town for Abbey.No fucking way.I ground my teeth together. The two most important people in my life in the hands of my enemy! My gut cinched in fury.
Roman was probably casing out the naval base, biding his time to see if he could snatch my ten-year-old niece. She was on his most wanted list—a special human with magical powers, who was worth millions to the right buyer. He’d tried once before, unsuccessfully, but the criminal vampire wasn’t giving up.
Then I thought of something Layla’s cousin Junior mentioned to us in my apartment that morning. Layla’s grandmother, Harriet Aberdeen, was quite excited to meet Abbey. She’d probably sent Roman to snag Layla, her sister Jordyn, and Abbey. The Aberdeen matriarch was itching to lock up Layla and Jordyn until she could brainwash them away from people like me. Plus, Harriet had recently learned that Layla and her sisters had vampire blood running through their lineage. Armed with that newfound information, Harriet believed the Aberdeen sisters would be prime candidates for genetic engineering and to lead her army of supernatural creatures.
As far as what Harriet had in mind for Abbey, I wasn’t sure. But Junior had also relayed that Harriet thought Abbey could be the key to Intech’s success. I would bet my vamp ass she would have to fight Roman to death for my niece. Both of them would have to tango with me first. Not to mention Abbey’s adoptive parents—my sister, Jo, and her husband, Webb.
I shook all that off and called Layla, holding my breath. The line rang several times until her voice mail kicked in. “You know what to do.” Her siren voice did nothing to ease the panic gripping my throat. I struggled for air, feeling like someone was squeezing the life out of me.
Death was imminent. Not for me but for any fucker who dared to lay a hand on Layla.
