The Immortal Hunter(65)

Decker grunted. He hadn't noticed, but he'd been preoccupied with navigating the dark, bumpy lane without headlights. The rogue who had disappeared from the clearing might very well have stolen a vehicle and followed them. He'd certainly had the time to do it. It had taken a while for them to clean up things at the clearing and then they'd waited on the road to find out where they should be headed. Decker felt his heart sink as he accepted this, but then rallied. If the rogue hoped to trade Dani for the other rogues, it meant there was still hope for her, and that they would receive a call soon.

"There's no use staying here. The men have searched and Dani isn't in the mall," he said, moving to Sam's car. She'd left it for him so that Dani could find it if she was just lost. Sam herself had caught a ride home at least half an hour ago with one of the men. The appliances and clothes had gone with her. The groceries had never gotten purchased.

"Decker is right. Leave two men to wait here in an SUV until the mall closes just in case Dani is lost in there and we missed her," Lucian ordered as Decker unlocked the car and got in. "Have the rest return to looking for the rogue and Stephanie."

Decker pulled his door closed and stuck the key in the ignition. He was starting the engine when the passenger door opened and Lucian slid in to settle beside him.

When Decker raised an eyebrow, he said, "I am riding with you. Justin drives like a horse's arse."

Decker's mouth twitched at the acerbic comment, mostly because it wasn't true. Justin didn't hesitate to use speed when necessary, but was really a very good driver. However, that wasn't the real reason his uncle had chosen to ride with him. Decker suspected it was because he was worried about how Decker was taking all of this.

"I never worry," Lucian growled, doing up his seat belt.

Decker gave a harsh laugh of disbelief. "Yeah, I know. You're a coldhearted bastard... and you're still reading my thoughts."

Lucian didn't respond.

"Wake up."

Dani blinked her eyes open to find herself sitting slumped in the front passenger seat of the pickup. She felt weak, a little nauseous, and there was a terrible pounding in her head. Wincing, she sat up, closing her eyes quickly when the interior of the vehicle began to swim in a rather alarming manner.

"Yes, I know. I hit you too hard and now you feel nasty," came the impatient comment from her right side. "But we all have our trials to bear. Now, come on. Rouse yourself and get out. We're here."

"Where's here?" Dani asked fuzzily, forcing her eyes open again. Much to her relief, the world didn't move around her this time. Turning cautiously then, she peered at the man standing outside the vehicle, holding the door open. "Who are you?"

He raised his eyebrows at the question, and then clucked his tongue with feigned dismay. "I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? That was most remiss of me. Leonius Livius the Second at your service." He gave a sweeping bow that reminded her of movies of Renaissance times and then straightened and gave her a wink as he added, "You can call me Leo."

"Let me guess," she said wearily. "You were born and raised during the Renaissance?"

"A very good guess, but no. Alas, I was born much earlier," he assured her. "I did enjoy that era though. The long ball gowns were very elegant and helped to hide any cuts I made in search of food. I could keep a woman for months before having to find a replacement if I was careful not to take too much blood."

Dani recalled the shape of the bodies in the ravine and wondered if that was what had happened to them, kept alive for months, their blood being drained, their life slipping away while this man and the others abused and taunted them. It could be what was happening to Stephanie right now.

"Of course, with the skimpy clothes you girls wear nowadays, that isn't possible."

Dani glanced down at her stretched-out top and shorts and supposed he was right. Thinking back to the brief, shadowed glimpse she had of them, she thought there had been cuts at all the major arteries on the women in the ravine.

"To keep a woman any length of time now, one has to either keep them hidden or dress both them and yourself as punks. My sons don't seem to mind, but I find it a rather rough and distasteful style." He shrugged, and then added, "But one does what one must."

"The men in the clearing were all your sons?"

"Yes they are." He emphasized the present tense.

Dani ignored that. "And the one who took my sister too?"

"Ah yes, sweet Stephanie. She's prettier than you," he commented, glancing her over. "And quite the screamer as well. Twenty-one took a real shine to her. I could tell."

"Twenty-one?" she echoed, confusion and worry for her sister tumbling through her.

"Leonius the Twenty-first," he explained. "Twenty-one for short."

"You named all your sons Leonius?" Dani asked slowly, struggling to understand.

"Of course. I was named after my father and it only seemed right to continue the tradition, so my first son was Leonius the Third, and so on."

"Yes, but-"

"But, but, but," he interrupted impatiently. "We were talking about the sweet, screaming, Stephanie."

Dani closed her mouth.

"Aren't you going to ask me if she's all right?"