Blood Assassin (The Sentinels #2)(18)

“I’ve been alive a very long time, dear Serra,” Bas drawled. “The toxin remains until Molly is back in the bed she was stolen from.”

It’s what Serra expected, but that didn’t prevent the sharp chill of fear that pierced her heart.

She’d thought about death in a vague, far-in-the-distant-future sort of way.

Now she could measure her potential lifespan in every tick of the clock.

It was . . . horrifying.

“Who has her?” Fane rasped.

“First things first.” Bas calmly adjusted his cuff, pretending he was indifferent to the furious Sentinel waiting for the opportunity to rip off his head. Literally. “Call Valhalla and assure them that you’re with Serra and all is well.”

Fane stood perfectly still, his lack of emotion a threat in itself. When Fane struck it would be without warning and with ruthless intent.

A killer with no mercy.

“They’ll suspect I’m being coerced unless we return.”

Bas gave a short laugh. “Oh, I have every faith you’ll manage to convince them. You are, after all, the infamous Fane.”

Fane shrugged. “I can’t perform miracles.”

Bas turned to send Serra a warning glare, clearly realizing Fane wasn’t in the mood to be reasonable.

“Convince him,” he commanded, heading back into his office. “I have a phone call to make.”

A silence filled the small lobby as the door closed behind Bas and Serra fought back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

It wasn’t like pounding her fists against the walls and screaming at the top of her lungs was going to change anything.

She would still be humiliated, trapped, and staring in the face of death.

Instead she turned to glance at the silent man standing in the center of the room.

The very last man in the world she would want to see her in such a vulnerable position.

“How did you find me?”

Fane frowned, clearly baffled why she was asking. “Callie came to me when you missed your dinner date. She was concerned.”

Ah. She smiled. She adored Callie for loving her enough to be concerned, but Serra wished to God she’d chosen someone else to rush to the rescue.

“And?” she prompted.

“I watched the surveillance tapes and knew which vehicle you’d taken,” Fane continued.

“You used the GPS to follow me.”

“Yes.”

That explained how he had found her. But not why. She impatiently brushed a stray curl behind her ear.

“Why you?”

“What?”

“I thought you were leaving for Tibet?”

His frown became a threatening scowl. “When you were in danger?”

Her gaze lowered to her fingers that were clenched together, her knuckles white as she struggled to hold her shit together.

“You couldn’t have known I was in danger.”

“I knew.”

The soft, ruthless certainty in his voice sent a prickle of awareness over her skin. Dammit.

How did he do that?

“There are other Sentinels,” she pointed out.

He hissed out an impatient breath. “Serra, it doesn’t matter why I’m here.”

With a grimace, she lifted her head to meet his unwavering gaze. There was no way in hell she was going to admit just how much it mattered. Not now.

“No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

Something moved in the back of his dark eyes. A glimpse of a powerful emotion that was swiftly masked.

“What do you know about the child that’s been kidnapped?”

Serra sucked in a deep breath, wishing she possessed Fane’s ability to crush her emotions so easily.

“She’s a four-year-old norm,” she said, proud when her voice came out steady. “And whatever the kidnapper is demanding from Bas it’s more than he’s willing to pay.”

“Not money?”

“No.”

Fane planted his fists on his hips, his brow furrowed as he considered the possibilities. “He’s an assassin. It could be a demand for a hit.”

“I can’t see him hesitating over a death or two,” Serra muttered. “His morals are obviously flexible.”

“True.” Fane glanced toward the inner office. “He didn’t say anything about the kidnapper?”

She shivered. “No.”

He stepped toward her, his fingers cupping the side of her neck in a gesture of comfort. “It’s going to be okay, Serra.”

She could count on one hand how many times Fane had deliberately touched her. She sucked in a sharp breath as the heat of his palm seared her skin.

“How is it going to be okay?” She licked her dry lips, nearly overwhelmed by the impulse to lean into his touch. “If I don’t find Molly then I die.”

His thumb stroked the tight line of her jaw. “Then we find her.”

“We?”

“You aren’t alone. I’m going to be with you every step of the way.”

For a vulnerable second, Serra allowed herself to become lost in the dark promise of his gaze. Fane was a master at making everyone around him feel safe. As if nothing bad could ever happen when he was near.

No doubt it came with the job of guardian.