“Baby doll. Please call me.”
Clutching my cell, I tempered my rage as much as I could and went in search of my vampire huntress. She had to be here. I searched high and low, in and around pipes, industrial equipment, and remnants of the falling pieces of ceiling and other piles of rubble. I listened. No heartbeats. I sniffed. Not a whiff of Layla’s sweet cherry fragrance or even Jordyn’s vanilla scent.
I was about to punch an electrical panel when my phone rang. My fucking heart sputtered like a cold engine in freezing temperatures until I saw Olivia’s name. Not that I wasn’t fond of my SEAL team comrade, but the only person I wanted to hear from was Layla.
“Hey, Olivia.”
“Shit. You’re alive. Thank God.” Her voice cracked. “After that explosion, I was worried.”
I gripped the phone, almost crushing it. “Lane didn’t make it.”
“I know,” she said. “I was coming to look for you and found his head in the middle of the fucking road. I put his remains in the back of your Jeep.”
That was one image I wouldn’t be able to erase. “Have you seen Layla or Jordyn?” During my last conversation with Layla, she’d told me Jordyn was bleeding. I was assuming they were together.
“Sorry, man. No sign of them out here. Where are you now?” she asked.
“At ground zero. Electrical area where the boiler blew up. But I’m on the move. I have to find Layla. Some dude saw her entering the laundry room. He also saw a blond vamp, which I’m sure was Roman. Do you have him in custody? Tell me you do.” My gut knew otherwise. Luck wasn’t on my side as of late.
“Negative,” she said as other voices in the background grew louder. “Look, it’s chaos out here.” She raised her voice. “Media everywhere. People telling reporters their stories of seeing vampires, particularly a cop who described you and told some bullshit story about how you killed his partner. Whatever you do, don’t show your face. Ben and I will do another sweep around the outside of the hospital.”
“Did you get Fred Emery, the human who’d been chasing Jordyn?” I wound my way deeper into the bowels of the hospital, leaving the explosion area behind me.
“We have him in custody,” she said.
Thank fuck. Maybe my luck is changing.
Someone called to Olivia, sounding like Tripp. “I have to go,” she said. “Your Jeep is in the alley still. Duck out and head back to base. Ben and the rest of the SEAL team can handle this. In fact, your father is trying to put out fires with the reporters here.”
I couldn’t give a fuck about the media. “I’m not leaving until I find Layla.” I entered what looked to be a storage area.
Blue-and-white fifty-five-gallon drums of chemicals lined the wall to my right, along with pallets of rock salt and stacks of boxes that contained other supplies. The explosion hadn’t affected this part of the hospital. Maybe Layla was fine.
“Sam, please. The cops are seconds away from hunting you down,” she pleaded.
“Give me the phone,” I heard Tripp say to Olivia. “Sam, get your ass back to base. That’s an order. If you disobey me, I’ll throw you in the brig. Are we clear?”
I knew they were saying this because they cared, but I growled my annoyance. “The fuck we are. Have you forgotten Layla is pregnant?” This wasn’t the time to share the news that she was having four babies. The number wasn’t essential anyway. “So, no. I’m not doing as I’m told.”
I’d never been one to listen well, although I was a soldier trained to take orders. But this was life and death, for fuck’s sake. Drastic measures were necessary to save Layla. No one, including the Council of Elders or anyone else within my government, would order me around, including my old man. He was also an elder and our version of the Secretary of the Navy, so he had all the power with the Vampire Navy SEAL team. But I would rip off my uniform and go rogue if I had to. No one was tying me down or locking me up—not even my father.
“Look, Sam,” Tripp said. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. We’ve already cleared out the hospital except for the basement. Do a sweep. Then head back to base.” His tone was less commanding, sounding as though he thought Layla was a lost cause.
I refused to believe Layla wasn’t nearby. “Are you saying Layla is gone?”
Heart-stopping silence stretched over the line.
“Tripp!” I shouted. “Tell me.”
“We can’t confirm it, but we have a witness who saw two men in black gear. One was carrying a woman in his arms. The description fits Layla’s. They also saw a blond-haired man talking to them outside the hospital’s laundry area right before both vehicles sped off.”
One of my fangs punctured my lower lip. “Are you sure it was Layla?” Maybe it was Jordyn.
“Auburn hair and pregnant was what the witness told us.”
“Fuuuuuck!” I fisted my free hand at my side as my heart practically pushed its way out of my chest. “What about Jordyn?”
“Don’t know,” Tripp returned. “We’ll sweep the basement for Jordyn. Just get your ass in your Jeep and leave.” Then he hung up.
