Free 5 - Together To Join by Jackie Ivie Page B

gift.”
    “Gift?”
    Angelique whispered it with a breathless tone. It wasn’t an act. The man was taller than she expected, even with her six-inch platforms on, and he exuded some sort of mesmerizing force. It was self-confidence combined with assurance, dosed with sex appeal. The seat this Lucida moved from was on a couch. Right next to him. The unpleasant sensation deepened as he poured her a flute of champagne she ignored.
    “Come. You must make a toast with me. It is not every day heaven opens up and sends one of its own down here. Come. A toast. To your beauty.”
    Angelique lifted her eyes to his and widened them just slightly. “But I do not drink.”
    He grinned, and then lifted her hand to his lips. The kiss was even worse contact. That’s exactly when she decided not to take any of his blood. The others could have him.
    “Where on earth could you have been hiding? Or perhaps it’s not the earth. Even the real Miss Universe could not be as you are.”
    “Uh…it’s really Miss University.”
    “I know. I financed the real one. But come. Enough of that. You have come to me for a reason, and I am all ears. We all are.”
    “I’d rather be alone.” The words were barely uttered. They felt like sacrilege against her lips.
    “Good thing I was warned. Not sufficiently, but I’ll deal with that in time.”
    Something about his smile changed. The strangest odor of burning filtered through the air system as well. From his open-collared shirt he pulled an enormous crucifix. Angelique barely had time to cry a warning before he slammed it against her forehead. It was Len saving her, pegging their target with a chest shot before disappearing. Pedro fell onto the floor. The cross didn’t. As if it got burned into position on her skin. Her last conscious thought was at least Akron wouldn’t have to refund anything.
    o0o
    The code didn’t work.
    Garrick punched it in twice before moving rapidly to the corner of the house, sticking to the shadows, every bit of him alert. Nothing. Everything about the house looked derelict, exactly as intended. He’d helped set it up that way. There was one generator, and he’d secured it in the center of the basement. It sent power to the heart of the place, all of it hidden behind the fireplace. No smell. No lights. No sound. Nobody knew about the weak latch on the second floor window, except him. Or if they had found and fixed it, the knife he’d filched would make quick work of it. Once inside, he slid along the interior walls, always keeping his back to a surface until he reached the false wall, and discovered more emptiness.
    The small fridge was gone. Desk and chairs. Cots. Closets full of clothing. Everything. Even the underground storage vault he’d designed and dug was empty. It had been recent, though. Two nubs from electrical cords stunted the wall leading to the generator shaft, and if he squatted and checked, there were marks on the floor. No dust. They’d deserted the place and closed it down in a hurry. It now felt sad. And lonely.
    Garrick shook the fleeting emotions aside. Lonely was his life story. He left the same way he got in. No trace. Silent and deadly. Exactly as he’d been taught. The only thing that could prompt such a clean-up was a betrayal. In the highest of ranks. He wondered who it was and then shelved that thought, as well. He was getting hungry, it was a long hike to the next haven, and it wasn’t getting any nearer.
    He hitched a ride to the next site from a commuter who took one look at him and must’ve felt sorry. She even offered him an energy bar. Sweet woman. He thought of asking for her number to send payment, but cancelled the impulse. She might put another inference on it, and he was having enough woman trouble lately.
    He had to cease thinking of Miss Angelique. Every time he put down his guard, it felt like she was with him, speaking her sweet words, and pressing those incredible lips to him. Hell . He had to exorcise her somehow.