Keystone (Crossbreed #1)(97)

“Thanks, Niko. You didn’t have to.”

He laughed. “Women.”

I rubbed my hand over the healed skin. “Why were they all armed with guns instead of stunners?”

“Guns work on everyone,” Niko said. “It’s a quick weapon that will either immobilize a man or slow him down. Then they can figure out what Breed they’re dealing with and how to capture or kill them.”

With the loud motor going and everyone half-asleep, I looked up at Niko and lowered my voice. “I think it’s pretty shitty that they put the best warrior on roof patrol.”

A smile touched his lips, and he inclined his head.

Maybe Viktor chose the best man to guard the roof in case Darius or his men fled the scene, but I couldn’t help but think how spectacular Niko would have been, hunting and fighting those men in the dark hallways.

My body jerked when something heavy crashed on top of the van.

Gem looked up. “Why do you always have to do that?”

The back door swung open, Christian hanging on the edge. He reached for the roof and slung my duffel bag onto the floor. “I tripped over this in a hallway,” he said, casually stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “You shouldn’t leave behind things at the scene of the crime… like evidence.”

“What took you so long?” she asked.

He waggled his brows. “I never turn down a free drink. What’s wrong with Spooky?”

Gem glanced over at Wyatt, who was fast asleep on the bench across from us, his head practically in Shepherd’s lap. “He almost got a vasectomy.”

“Shame I missed that.” Christian tossed me my dagger, and I almost shot out of my seat. “You left that upstairs.”

“I had another in the basement.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Shepherd said, arms folded. “Viktor’s guy returns weapons left behind.”

I glanced up at Niko, who had his eyes closed. Since the bench was long enough to lie on, I stood up and told him to rest. He curled up on his side, utterly exhausted, with one foot on the floor to keep him from rolling off the bench.

I moved toward the back doors, stepped over Christian’s legs, and sat on the edge of the bench, putting Niko’s other foot in my lap. It was a roomy van, absent of any windows.

I leaned against the door. “If your group gets any bigger, you’re going to need a boat.”

Christian wiped a smudge of blood off his wrist. “We’ll just strap them on the front like a hood ornament.”

He groomed his beard, acting as if we’d just left a fancy restaurant instead of a bloodbath. I wanted to ask him what he did to the Mage, but something told me I didn’t want to know all the details. The look of gratification on his face was answer enough. Christian was a paradox—on one hand making remarks about my unethical behavior and knowing myself, and yet he relished his own kills.

Which just reaffirmed my belief that you can’t trust a Vampire.

Sirens wailed behind us, and the van slowed to a stop.

“Oh for feck’s sake,” Christian spat. “I hope you have an extra set of plates for the van; he’s going to call it in.”

Claude rolled the window down, and I had to laugh at how ridiculously suspicious this looked.

“Is there a problem, Officer?”

Shepherd snorted.

A flashlight shone on Claude’s face. Viktor roused from his sleep and sat up but didn’t speak. Perhaps he thought someone with a Russian accent would appear suspicious to a cop.

“Your taillight’s out,” the human said.

Claude rested his arm on the van door. “Is that illegal?”

“I need to see your license and registration.”

“This is bullshit,” Shepherd muttered quietly.

Gem made a facial gesture that told him to shut up. The cop hadn’t aimed his light in the back and didn’t seem to know there was a vanload of immortals.

“Step out of the van,” the cop said.

When Claude got out, Christian turned around, facing the rear.

The back doors popped open, and the officer shone his light in Christian’s face. Then he aimed it to the left, and Wyatt lifted his head from Shepherd’s lap, wiping the drool from the side of his mouth. His cropped shirt exposed his belly, and I barked out a laugh at the cop’s bewildered expression.

His light beamed in my face and I winced, holding up my bloodstained arm to shield my eyes.

Christian leaned to the side, blocking the cop’s line of vision. “Guard, let’s you and I take a long walk.” He slowly got out, keeping his eyes on the officer, who looked entranced.

Gem took a seat across from me. “This should be interesting.”

“Is he going to kill him?”

Wyatt laughed. “If he’s lucky. The last time Christian took a cop for a walk, the poor guy came back believing that we were fairy godmothers on our way to a ball. I bet they locked him up in a padded room.”

Claude returned to the driver’s seat and started up the engine.

After a brief minute or two, Shepherd got up and slammed the rear doors. “Nobody’s got time for that. Let’s go.” He knocked on the door twice, and Claude hit the gas.





Chapter 27