Deathtrap (Crossbreed #3)(59)

The expression on his face was so comical that I pushed my finger against a fang to snap him out of his trance. “If you’re hungry, we can stop by the blood bank,” I teased.

“Shhh.”

Then I noticed the angle of his head and realized he was listening in on a conversation. Claude and I exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Christian turned slowly, like a predator, and glared over his shoulder. “She’s going to meet up with him. I just overheard their phone call. He said he needs her to watch the baby for two hours while he finishes up a business deal.”

The adrenaline in my blood spiked.

Claude stood up and swiped the keys to the van. “I’ll drive.”

We discreetly followed Amber out the door, staying a good ten paces behind her. She wouldn’t recognize us, so it wasn’t likely she was going to speed off. We took our time getting into the van and watched her cross the parking lot and unlock the door to a silver car.

Since Christian had claimed the passenger seat, I was forced to sit in the back. Claude’s red car would stand out like a sore thumb trailing behind her. Aside from that, it was always better to stick together on a job.

“We have a lead,” Claude said into his phone. “Right into the lion’s den. Let me talk to Viktor.”

I gripped the bench when Claude backed over something and then hit the gas.

“Viktor, I wanted to let you know we’ve got a strong lead. She’s taking us to the Mage.”

“Cristo. That’s his name,” Christian added.

Claude looked at him, phone still to his ear. “His name is Cristo. We might be able to take him by surprise. He’s handing over the baby to the woman, so we’re going to sit tight. I’m not putting the child in danger. … I agree. … Okay, I’ll let them know.” When he hung up the phone, he relayed the message. “Viktor doesn’t want us going after Cristo. We follow the woman, sit tight, and wait until she has the baby. When Cristo or his man is gone, we move in. Viktor thinks Cristo will keep the auction going even if we steal the child. At least then we won’t have to worry about the baby getting hurt and we can focus on hunting him down.”

“I’m on board with that plan,” Christian agreed. “Fall back another car length. She won’t recognize me, but I don’t want her getting spooked because of a black van on her bumper.”

The streets weren’t busy, so Claude slowed down. Snow between Amber’s car and ours obscured visibility. The treacherous roads made it easy to keep up with her since she was driving carefully.

Christian turned in his seat and gave me a pensive stare. “It looks like we’re heading back to the Bricks.”

I concealed my light so Cristo couldn’t detect me. As much as I wanted to drain the bastard, this was a better plan. Save the baby first, and then set a trap. Otherwise, we could put the baby’s life in danger by gunning after Cristo.

Christian turned on the radio and said something to Claude. While there weren’t windows I could see out of, I had a feeling we’d reached the Bricks since Christian was trying to cloak his conversation with obnoxious music.

“Slow down,” he said to Claude. “Park right here.”

I made sure the laces on my black boots were tight in case we had to get out and run. What the heck are we going to do with a baby? Our van wasn’t exactly equipped with child seats.

“Here he comes,” Claude said.

The suspense was killing me. I wanted to peer between them, but Christian turned off the radio and began texting someone. He was probably trying to listen to their conversation, but I wasn’t certain he could hear anything at this distance unless they were talking loudly.

The engine rumbled, and the van began moving again.

“She’s turning,” Christian said. “She’ll probably make a left up ahead. That road leads out.”

I peered around Christian’s seat and watched the car in front of us make a right turn.

“Where the feck is she going?” Christian asked, not expecting an answer.

A cold feeling of dread washed over me when we turned down another empty street. “Something’s not right,” I said. “Claude, turn around.”

“She’s got the baby,” he growled. “I’m not letting her go.”

My heart raced at a wicked beat.

Christian suddenly grabbed the wheel. “She’s right. Stop the van!”

Claude hit the brakes, and we watched Amber’s taillights flash as her car came to a stop. I looked ahead of her and realized we’d reached a dead end.

“Turn around!” I shouted. “Quick!”

Instead, Claude put the van in park and got out.

I rushed between the seats to look. “What the hell’s he doing?”

Claude ran Chitah speed toward the car and pried open the door. He reached in, and when he stood up, he was holding a doll in his hand.

His gaze drifted upward to the buildings above the van, and in a flash, he disappeared.

Gunfire erupted.

Christian dove into the back and threw himself on top of me. Each bullet pierced through the metal wall and roof with a sharp explosion. He cradled my head with both arms while gunfire rained upon us like a hailstorm. A bullet ripped through my calf, and another grazed my arm. I quickly pulled my limbs in tight so that Christian became my shield, but his body provided no relief from the unmitigated pain where the bullets had struck.