Until either Jo or my father read his mind, I wouldn’t trust him.
I started for the door. “I’ll be in my apartment.”
Webb caught my arm. “Not so fast.” He stuck his head into the hall, then closed us into the men’s barracks.
I laughed. “Are you about to read me my rights?”
I wouldn’t mind tangoing with him. He was powerful in his own right. Most of the Vampire Navy SEALs could wield at least two of the elements. At one time, the elders had mandated that any vampire who wanted to become a Navy SEAL had to have elemental powers. It was rare for a vampire to have anything more than normal strength, sharp senses, and compelling abilities. So, three years ago, the elders lifted that requirement, since our population was dwindling, and those with special powers were hard to find.
Regardless, Webb could manipulate water, earth, and fire. The only people in my world who had the power to control those three plus air were Jo, my father, and me. No one could read minds except Jo and my father, and no one could compel like me. Which was why members of the Mason family were considered the most powerful vampires around, and with more Masons on the way, my kids could reinforce that truism. Even over someone like Abbey, who was becoming quite powerful as she aged into becoming a vampire.
Webb waved a hand in front of me. “Dude, you’re losing your shit.”
Understatement of the century.
I dropped down onto the bed, drowning in heartache as I thought of Layla. “I might never see my babies born.” The fucking tears were ready to spill.
He joined me. “You can’t think like that, man.”
“How did we not know Roman was in the city?” I asked. Even though I knew Roman was masterful at hiding, I had to throw the question out there. “Don’t answer that. I know. I’m pissed as fuck I wasn’t more attentive.”
“Stop blaming yourself, Sam. We will pull out all the stops to find her, I promise you. But we have to be smart about it. Otherwise, we won’t succeed.”
He was absolutely right. But I couldn’t wait for him or my father to pack us into the war room and hash shit out. Time was of the essence, and I had to find Layla—like,now. Otherwise, she wouldn’t make it, and not because of her grandmother. She needed blood for those babies to survive.
A plan was forming in my mind, but neither Webb nor my old man would like it.
3
SAM
At one point in my life, I would’ve gone off half-cocked. I’d never listened to anyone. Growing up in foster homes shaped me into an untrusting, hard-core individual who would react without thought. I had no choice. I was forced to protect myself and my sister. Otherwise, we would both be dead today. Of that, I had no doubt.
I felt like I was right back in hell, only now I wasn’t human. I had powers that could decimate a city, burn a person alive, create the perfect storm with water, air, earth, and fire. I had yet to unleash all four at once, but with the fury burning through my veins, I was a ticking time bomb.
Taking in a slow and steady breath, I swiped a hand over Layla’s pillow, basking in her cherry fragrance that lingered in the bedding. “I will find you, baby doll. If I have to die to bring you and our little ones home, then so be it.” I plucked my phone off the mattress where I’d placed it near me.
During the last hour, I’d showered, packed the essentials for the road, and thought through my plan.
Earlier that day, Layla had set Carly Aberdeen’s number on the coffee table. Apparently, the piece of paper had been in the cargo pants I’d had on while I was a prisoner at Intech. Junior’s wife had to have slipped it into my pocket when I was passed out. Why? I had no idea. I’d called her that morning, but she hadn’t answered. Junior thought Carly might have perished in the fire when she’d run back into her lab to retrieve her notes on DNA mapping sequence, but I wasn’t a believer in that theory. Junior and his father, Jack, had spotted Harriet, Rianne, and Noah, another of Jack’s sons, coming out of Carly and Junior’s house in Chicago with Carly’s clothes and her computer bag. That told me she wasn’t dead.
What I was about to do was suicide—but I didn’t give a fuck. I valued Layla’s life and those of my unborn babies more than mine. The only way I knew how to rescue her was to walk into the enemy’s lair. Harriet, Carly, and Adam wanted me as much as Harriet wanted her granddaughter, and sitting around, meeting, planning, and waiting for a lead to fall into our laps wouldn’t save Layla. I had a better chance of finding her if I was in the hands of my enemy. My plan was weak at best. They would want to pump me with drugs and keep me sedated while Carly used me as a lab specimen. But I wouldn’t agree to anything until I laid eyes on Layla.
I called Carly first on the off chance she would answer. I could convince her quicker than I could Roman if he still had Layla’s phone for me to call him on. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe I would hand myself over without a way out. Sadly, I couldn’t devise an escape route until I knew the layout of their hiding place. But I was getting ahead of myself.
Carly’s voice mail kicked in. I didn’t bother leaving a message. Then I called Layla. Again, Roman had probably dumped her phone since he knew we would trace it.
The line rang twice before it connected, and my pulse went haywire. Maybe my luck was turning. Maybe I’d given Roman too much credit. Or maybe he held true to his nature and was about to fuck with me once again.
“Hello.” While I waited for a response, I stared at the picture hanging on my wall. The ocean scene outside my sister’s house in Maine brought back memories of Layla and me standing on the sand that early morning a couple of months ago. That was the day I’d told her I loved her. “Is anyone there?” I checked the screen. The call had dropped.
I tried again, and that time, a giggle blasted in my ear.
“Who the fuck is this?” I asked through a growl.
“Sierra. It says on the phone your name is Sam.” Sierra sounded young—a teenager, if I had to guess. “Roman Brown gave me the phone. He told me to answer it if you called.” Her tone gave me the impression she knew Roman.
“Is that so? And did he give you a message for me?” I couldn’t wait to hear this.
