The Immortal Hunter(45)

"Dani wants to get a battery for her phone," Decker explained wearily. "She thinks if her phone was working, Nicholas would call her. She thinks if he's still following her sister, he might be able to tell us where they are."

Dani said firmly, "He would call me. He knows I will be worried."

"Dani," Justin said pityingly. "Nicholas is a rogue. He can't afford to call again. He only got away with it the first time because we didn't know you had the phone."

She ignored him and stared at Lucian as she said, "He promised he'd get her back for me."

Lucian considered her silently and then asked, "And you believe him?"

The question was not sarcastic or dubious, simply curious, and Dani didn't hesitate to nod.

"Why?" he asked at once.

"I don't know," she said, and then sighed and admitted, "Maybe I just want to believe him because he's Stephanie's best hope." When Lucian continued to stare at her without speaking, Dani added, "I know he's what you guys call a rogue and that he's killed someone. He told me that, but-"

"Afraid," Lucian murmured.

Dani paused and tilted her head uncertainly. "I don't understand. Afraid what?"

"Nothing," he said at once, and then added, "Well, if he was trying to call, I'm sure he's given up by now. There's no use-"

"My phone has call display and he didn't block his number."

"What?" Decker almost gasped the word, he was so shocked.

Everyone in the room appeared to be, they'd all frozen on the spot, their eyes locked on her, but Dani ignored everyone else but Lucian. "His number will be in my phone memory."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" Decker asked, stalking toward her, anger clear on his face. "You knew we were hunting him. Why the hell wouldn't you tell me that you could give me his number? Bastien could have used that to track him down."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you," Dani said at once. "The man is trying to save Stephanie. There's no way I'm going to repay that by turning him over to you."

"He's not a man, he's a vampire and a rogue one at that," Decker said harshly, and then added, "And you have no idea if he's trying to find Stephanie or not. He's rogue, Dani. Why would he risk his life for some girl he doesn't even know?"

"I don't know," she admitted, and then asked, "Why did you take a bullet for me before we'd even met? And why did he put himself in jeopardy to save us the first time?"

"We don't know that he did try to save you the first time," Decker said, ignoring the comment about himself. "Maybe he was running with that group, and lied to save his own hide when we got the drop on him. Maybe he just put us on to those guys hoping we'd be distracted and he could escape... as he did," he added bitterly.

"Or maybe he's not the man you think he is," Dani countered.

"Give me the phone," Lucian said.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Give me the phone, woman!" he snapped.

Dani hesitated, but then reluctantly handed it over. She didn't really have much choice. The man could have controlled her and taken it anyway.

Lucian grunted what might have been approval when she held it out. He then took it and immediately handed it off to Justin. "Take it to Bastien and have him see if one of his people can fix it. Tell him to send it back to Dani at once if they do."

Dani's eyes widened. She'd expected that would be the last she'd see of her phone, that they'd take it and use it to catch Nicholas and that would be that.

Lucian saw her expression and merely shrugged. "It's you he'll be calling. He might hang up and toss his phone if anyone but you answers."

Dani scowled at the words.

"Now, I am returning to my bed. I suggest the rest of you do the same. Decker, keep an eye on her," he ordered, and then turned to Dani and added, "And you will remain right here waiting for your phone to be returned."

"Of course," she said calmly, and then just so he didn't think it was because he'd said so, added, "I wouldn't want to be stuck in traffic an hour away from here when the phone starts ringing."

Much to her surprise, Lucian Argeneau looked amused. He turned to Decker and said, "I like her. You have my blessing. But I suggest you stop thinking with your dick and use your brain before you lose her. Explain the situation. I know you don't like talking about Nicholas, but it's the only way she'll understand and see that she can trust you and perhaps not Nicholas."

Dani frowned at the words. She didn't care if she had his blessing and-despite her body's rather alarming response to Decker in the SUV last night-had no interest in being his vamp ho. She did, however, want-no, need-to trust in Nicholas. Right now Dani was pretty sure that he was her only hope of seeing Stephanie alive again.

"Dani," Decker said quietly as the other men left the room.

She cast a resentful glare in his direction, not really wanting to talk to him at all, but said, "You shouldn't have had Justin put me to sleep."

"He didn't. You fainted. I just-When you started to stir, I had him help you to keep sleeping. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry I did," he added quickly when she opened her mouth to speak. Decker then shrugged helplessly and tried to explain, "I wanted to save you some worry. I was hoping we'd find her before you woke and-"