"All right. Good luck, Carlos. I hope you find your mate."
"So do I." Carlos hung up. He rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the pain. Think positive. He'd soon be trekking through the mountains of northern Thailand, hunting for were-panthers. And this time he'd find them. He'd find his mate, and she would be all he'd ever hoped for. Everything he'd ever imagined.
The vision that filled his mind was Caitlyn Whelan.
"No!" He jumped to his feet and paced across the office. No, no, no. She wasn't the one.
The alarm sounded on the desk. He always set it to go off at sunset. Down in the basement, Angus and Emma would be wakening. Phineas, too. Other Vamps, like Jack and Robby, had opted to stay at the townhouse on the Upper East Side. Their mortal wives were with them, guarding them during the day.
Carlos strode to the desk to turn off the alarm. He straightened the papers that described his travel plans. He paced back to the wall of surveillance monitors. Soon, he would see the Vamps exiting their rooms in the basement.
His attention was snagged by a monitor that showed the front gate and driveway. A car was arriving. That was unusual. It was too early for the Vamp employees at Romatech to show up for the night shift.
The phone rang, the sound grating against his headache. He rushed to the desk to answer it.
"Front gate," the guard identified himself. "Caitlyn Whelan has arrived."
Carlos's heart lurched in his chest. "All right. Thanks." He hung up.
He strode back to the monitors and spotted her pulling into the parking lot. The front door at Romatech was locked. The last of the mortal employees had left an hour ago. He'd have to let Caitlyn in. He'd have to see her.
He noted Angus and Emma on another monitor. They were entering the elevator. Phineas ran to join them.
Meanwhile, Caitlyn had parked her car. The front door opened and a pair of long bare legs stretched out. He sucked in a deep breath. Holy Mary, Mother of God. How short was her skirt? He leaned closer and his breath fogged up the monitor.
"Damn." He pulled the hem of his polo shirt up to his chest to wipe the monitor.
On another monitor, Angus, Emma, and Phineas exited the elevator. Carlos dashed over to the desk phone and called Phineas on his cell.
"Yo, Catman, what's up?" Phineas asked.
"Caitlyn Whelan is approaching the front door," Carlos reported.
"Shanna's sister? Man, I missed meeting her last night." There was a pause, then Phineas continued, "Emma says she'll let her in."
"Good." Carlos exhaled in relief as he hung up the phone. He would avoid seeing her tonight, then he would leave for Thailand tomorrow. The throbbing in his head eased.
He opened the door to let Angus and Phineas inside.
"Anything happen during the day?" Angus asked.
"No." Carlos grabbed his report off the desk. "I was able to complete an itinerary for the trip. As you can see, there's a flight tomorrow night."
Angus shook his head, frowning. "I'm sorry, lad, but we canna let ye leave just yet."
Carlos swallowed hard. "I thought we agreed that I could go as soon as possible."
"Aye, we did. But there are a few matters we have to take care of first. We need to find a replacement for you, and we - "
"Man, that chick is hot!" Phineas stood in front of the monitors, watching Caitlyn and Emma in the foyer.
Carlos's hands fisted around his papers.
Angus glanced at the young vampire from the Bronx. "I hope ye're no' referring to my wife."
Phineas snorted. "I don't have a death wish. No, I'm talking about the blonde. She's bootie-licious. Grade A smoking hot female."
Carlos felt a strange compulsion to rip Phineas's throat out. Which was odd, 'cause he really liked Phineas.
Angus chuckled. "Och, I'm sure Shanna will be pleased to hear yer description of her sister." He turned to Carlos. "Back to business."
Carlos glanced down at his papers. Merda! They were scored with slashes, half shredded. He thought he'd only clenched his fists, but somehow his claws were extended. Normally, they only did that if he was in danger. Or if someone he loved was in danger.
Dammit, no. He didn't want to think about that. He mentally forced his claws back in and slipped the mangled papers into a folder.
"We may have an assignment for you to complete before you go," Angus continued, watching him curiously. "A new employee who will require training in self-defense. You're the best we have in martial arts, so we'd like you to teach her."
Her? Carlos's headache returned full force. He glanced at the monitor that showed Emma and Caitlyn walking toward the security office. "You want me to teach her?"
"Aye." Angus nodded. "If we can convince Caitlyn Whelan to work for us, ye'll be her trainer."
Chapter Six
In the parking lot at Romatech Industries, Caitlyn climbed out of her rental car and winced when she saw how far her skirt had ridden up during the drive from Manhattan. She tugged the hem down to its proper length just above the knees, then buttoned her jacket. She checked the interior of her leather portfolio again to make sure her resume and referrals were inside.
She'd decided a few hours ago to take the job at MacKay Security & Investigation. An interview with her father had helped her make up her mind. Sean had asked her to meet him at the Federal Building, and there in his office, he'd revealed the shocking news. Vampires were real, and by joining his Stake-Out team, she could help him wipe the hideous bloodsuckers off the planet.
At first she pretended to be shocked, but there'd been no need to feign a reaction. Her dad seemed to forget she was in the room. He paced about, waving his arms wildly, shouting and cursing. In the end her shock had been real. Sean was so consumed with hatred for vampires, she feared he was no longer rational. He clearly wanted them dead. All of them.
Her chest had tightened with a terrible fear that somehow he would convince himself that Shanna's beautiful children were spawned by the devil and therefore needed to be destroyed. After ten minutes of listening to her father's virulent rant, she stood up and announced her regret that she couldn't accept his job offer.
"What?" he shouted. "You can't refuse. You have a moral obligation to help me fight these monsters."
"I - I can't. I'm sorry."
He muttered another curse as he paced across the room. "I don't blame you if you're scared. Those damned parasites are scary."
So are you. "I'm sorry, Dad." She'd left in a hurry and taken a taxi to Central Park. She'd walked down the paths, barely noticing the bright patches of daffodils as she wrestled with all the recent twists and turns in her life. She'd grown up trusting her father and believing Shanna had abandoned her. Now everything was upside down. Vampires. Shape shifters. Malcontents. A father obsessed with killing them all.
And in the midst of all the confusion, the innocent faces of Constantine and Sofia invaded her mind and filled her heart with warmth. She remembered the tearful joy of being reunited with her sister. She recalled the feel of Carlos's arms around her, the touch of his lips against hers. And she remembered the way Coco and Raquel had needed her. She had felt such a strong sense of purpose and completion, as if she'd been given a sacred mission to protect them.
Her dad promised a life motivated by hate, while her sister's world offered a life filled with love. In the end the decision was easy.
Caitlyn had driven to Romatech, ready to accept the job with MacKay Security & Investigation. She wore her most expensive suit and high heels. She'd twisted her long hair into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. Instead of her red silk embroidered bag from Singapore, she brought a black leather handbag.
As much as she wanted this job, she was still wary about entering the world of vampires. Just in case it was dangerous to display a bare neck in their presence, she'd knotted a silk scarf around her throat.
As she strode toward the entrance, her heart began to pound. Was Carlos inside? Had he thought about her at all?
The door opened and Emma MacKay greeted her. "Come in."
"Thank you." Caitlyn stepped into the foyer, her stiletto heels clicking on the marble floor. Maybe she'd overdressed. Her new boss was dressed simply in jeans and a green sweater. Hard to believe she was a vampire. Emma looked and acted so normal.
Emma locked the door and pressed some buttons on a security panel. "We have to be careful at night because that's when the Malcontents might attack."
"Shanna told me a little about them," Caitlyn said. "They hate the synthetic blood that's manufactured here."
"Yes. They adhere to an archaic belief that vampires are superior and have the right to use and abuse mortals however they like. The truth is they were a bunch of thugs when they were alive and becoming Undead has only made them worse. They're a bunch of vicious killers, and we're doing our best to defeat them."
Caitlyn suppressed a shudder. Shanna had made the job sound like an exciting adventure - traveling around the world, making it a safer place for mortals - but now she wondered just how dangerous this job could be. "What kind of powers do the Malcontents have?"
"Levitation, teleportation, mind control, super-speed, and enhanced senses," Emma explained as she led Caitlyn down a hallway on the left. "But don't worry. We have some excellent Vamp warriors on our side with the same powers. And we have employees with all kinds of talents and abilities. Shape shifters, mortals - in fact, we recently hired a mortal who can detect lies. Robby's wife, Olivia MacKay. You may have met her."
"I did. When I moved into the townhouse this morning, I met Olivia and Lara."
Emma smiled. "Aren't they lovely?"
"Yes." Caitlyn had taken an instant liking to them both. She realized that Olivia had been the woman in the gazebo the night before. Of course she didn't meet the man who had made Olivia squeal. He was dead during the day.
"I'm a bit concerned that I don't have the right credentials for this job," Caitlyn admitted. "Lara told me she used to be a police officer. And Olivia worked for the FBI."
Emma stopped her with a touch on the shoulder. "They have their own talents, but yours is truly unique. You can learn a new language in a few hours, right?"
Caitlyn nodded. "And I can understand any language that's spoken."
Emma's eyes widened. "That's amazing. Good heavens, we could have used you a month ago. We were hunting for Casimir in Bulgaria, and none of us knew the language."
"Who is Casimir?"
"The leader of the Malcontents." Emma gestured to the right. "This is the nursery for Shanna's children, and next door is her dental office. They should be arriving soon."
The top half of the nursery door was open. Caitlyn peered inside and saw shelves full of toys, books, and stuffed animals. A rocking chair sat in the corner. The carpet was printed to look like a town with streets and buildings.
She smiled to herself. Her sister might have given birth to half-vampire children, but she was managing to give them a fairly normal childhood.
Emma sighed. "I have to be honest with you. We have no plans to ever put you in a dangerous situation, but we're dealing with a dangerous enemy so it could still happen. Every MacKay employee undergoes some self-defense training just to be safe. Are you all right with that?"
Caitlyn swallowed hard. There was no avoiding the potential danger. Even if she had joined her father's Stake-Out team, she would have needed to be prepared for a possible confrontation with a Malcontent. At least by working for MacKay S & I, she'd be surrounded by Vamps who possessed the same powers as the Malcontents. And she'd be able to see her sister, niece, and nephew. "I understand the danger."
Emma nodded. "We'll do our best to keep you safe." She snorted. "Shanna would probably stake me in my sleep if I let anything happen to you."
A door opened down the hall, and a big man in a kilt stepped out. Caitlyn recognized him as the redheaded man who'd played basketball the night before.
"Angus." Emma strode toward him, smiling. "This is Caitlyn Whelan."
He extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you, lass."
Caitlyn shook hands with him. "Thank you."
Angus wrapped an arm around Emma. "Have ye convinced Miss Whelan to work for us yet?"
When Emma hesitated, Caitlyn spoke up. "Yes, she has. I would be delighted to work for you."
Emma's face lit up with a big grin. "That's super!" She hugged Caitlyn. "Thank you, dear."
Angus chuckled. "Excellent."
"Yo, dudette." A tall male filled the doorway, grinning at Caitlyn. He was dressed in khaki pants and a navy polo shirt. "Welcome to the hood. I'm Phineas McKinney, aka Dr. Phang."
Caitlyn remembered him from the basketball game, too. "You're a vampire doctor?"
"I'm the Love Doctor." He winked. "Available every night for consultation regarding your romantic queries."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
"I'm sure you've noticed all the happily married couples around here." Phineas flipped up the collar on his polo shirt. "Is it a coincidence that all this conjugal bliss abounds while the Love Doctor's in the house? I think not."
Angus snorted. "Doona let his jesting fool you, Miss Whelan. Phineas is a fierce warrior on the battlefield, and the enemy has learned to fear him."
"Oh yeah, I'm bad." Phineas moonwalked back. "Bad to the bone, baby." He spun in a circle, then went up on his toes. "Ow!"
