Free Why These Two by Jackie Ivie

operation…if they can eliminate any pining he might be experiencing for you. That’s exactly what the late Lord Beethan would have done. And he trained his grandson.”
    “So…you do know where he is?”
    “Not exactly, but I have some very good guesses. We’re going to use Invaris’s replacement to narrow them down. Excuse me a moment.”
    Nothing moved on the screen, but a moment later she could hear him calling for Nigel from somewhere off camera.
    “Nigel! Front and center. Link up. This is your mess. You can just help fix it.”
    “Yes Sir. Hi again, Reika.”
    Her screen split into two parts; Nigel’s electric signature on the left, Akron’s vacant-looking alcove on the right. Reika nodded.
    “Last location fix on Beethan and his group again?”
    “Warsaw.”
    “That’s right. Warsaw. I don’t supposed either of you have heard of Die Glocke ?”
    “No.”
    It was said in unison.
    “ Die Glocke means bell. It was a secret Nazi program, something to do with time travel and aliens, if you can believe that. They built a series of military installations to protect one site. Called the complex Der Riese, or The Giant. And then, after the war, the entire place was abandoned to time and the environment. It’s a bunch of old, decrepit buildings. Miles of underground tunnels. Still pretty secret.”
    “You think he’s there?”
    “I’m saying it needs investigating. I’m sending the twins to assist.”
    “No.”
    “They’re already on their way, Reika. They’ll beat you there. Why do you think I extended this conversation? I’d give you Len as a contact, but he’s recuperating from Texas. Or so he says. That’s why he’s booked to our place in Bora Bora for a week. On my dime. I believe I’ll bring in Roger. Can you see to that, Nigel?”
    “On it Sir.”
    “One more thing, Reika.”
    “Yes?”
    She was on her feet, looking down at the monitor.
    “Don’t force him. Darryl. No force.”
    “Why not?”
    “It’s my rule. Humans get a choice. They accept this mating thing of their own accord. Anything else will reap punishment. From me.”
    “That’s unfair.”
    “Unfair or not, it’s the rule. No turning a resisting human. You can’t imagine the hell that creates. You think a scorned spouse in divorce court is bad. It’s nothing in comparison to a newly turned vampire with a hate mission. You should have been here in 1227 when…”
    He was still talking when she hit the off button.

 
    CHAPTER NINE
    Ah. Poland in February. The cold. Wind. Dark. Snow. Darryl was guessing on the last two since the vehicle didn’t have windows. All it had was a low-watt fluorescent tube mounted down the middle of the roof. Heck. The only thing worse was spending six months in the Amazon, fighting the heat and humidity, and the never-ending onslaught of insects.
    If he had the choice, he’d be on his way to the states, not riding blindly atop a road that needed grooming, in a vehicle that could use more insulation, a heat source, and a good bit of rust removal and putty before repainting. To heaven knew where. Some hidden base. Some secret hide-out. Didn’t matter. He was just playing along. He had that decided when two of them nailed him with some weird kind of stunners – hooks that latched into his pecs, dripping more of that fluid that felt more like acid than Holy Water. Every portion of his body had gone into lockdown while Felicia Trent screamed behind him. He couldn’t turn around to see how they’d silenced her. Nothing obeyed his command. He stood shuddering, but docile, while they’d divested him of his weapons. One guy even latched onto Darryl’s prize; that Italian seventeenth century dagger from Reika.
    The ability to move didn’t return until they turned off the continual stream of water and pulled the hooks out. And then mobility came in stages. They’d used the time to shove his arms through his jacket sleeves, prior to tying his hands with some silver-colored cord interlaced