Argeneau Family - The Immortal Hunter Part 7

"Something like that," Justin said evasively. "Their special liquid with lots of protein and-"

"Bricker," Decker snarled now.

"Well, you do," the man said, unrepentant, and then told Dani, "He claims it's too much fuss and bother to eat real food and sticks to a purely liquid diet as a rule."

"G.o.ddammit, Bricker." Decker was nearly rabid with anger now, but the sound of a cell phone ringing made him forget about the man's teasing and start searching his pockets for his phone. His h.e.l.lo when he found and snapped it open was less than welcoming.

Dani watched curiously as he listened, and then he grunted what might have been a good-bye and put the phone away. "We stay on here until Vaughan. They're going to meet us in the parking lot at Outdoor World."

Justin nodded as he swallowed the cheeseburger in his mouth, she suspected without even bothering to chew it. "I know where that is."

"We're stopping?" Dani asked with alarm. Stopping meant Stephanie and the man who had her would just get farther ahead of them.

"Just a quick stop to switch this van for an SUV," Decker a.s.sured her.Dani frowned, but then glanced to the back of the van and muttered, "I suppose it's better than driving around with five dead guys."

"Four," Justin corrected.

"Five," Dani repeated. "There were six in the clearing, and one got away with Stephanie."

The men exchanged a glance, and then Decker admitted, "One was missing from the clearing when we got back. We only managed to get four of them."

"Oh." Dani frowned. She'd thought there were five when she'd looked, but the light had been bad and the bodies were piled on top of each other. There might be only four.

"And don't worry, this won't slow us down much," Justin a.s.sured her. "We'll be able to go faster with the SUV. This old van doesn't get above one hundred and thirty kilometers an hour, but our SUVs are juiced up. They really move."

When Dani remained silent, Justin asked Decker, "Who's meeting us at Outdoor World?"

"Eshe," was the answer. "She's bringing a new SUV with supplies. Lucian and Leigh are on their way there too. It sounds like they're a bit behind us, though I don't know how they managed that."

Justin nodded again. "They really should have got there first, but his having to make phone calls probably held them up."

"Who are these people?" Dani asked curiously, twisting in her seat to glance at Decker. "Lucian is your boss, right? But who are Eshe and Leigh?"

"Eshe's another... er... agent like us," Decker answered, avoiding her eyes.

"She's one of the best. Eshe kicks a.s.s," Justin said with a grin.

"Oh? Eshe is a woman then?" Dani asked, glancing at him curiously. She had a lot of patients with interesting and exotic names, but Eshe was one she'd never come across before this.

Justin nodded and said with admiration, "A whole lotta woman. Six feet tall, lean and mean and moves like a panther. I wouldn't want to go up against her. She's enough to scare a guy straight if he's even considering going rogue."

"Rogue?" Dani peered at him with bewilderment.

"Ignore Justin," Decker said grimly. "He's gone into his comic book fantasy mode. Tell me if he starts drooling and I'll find the napkins."

Dani managed a smile at Decker's words.

"Whatever," Justin said dryly, and then informed her, "Eshe is cool, and Leigh is nice."

"Is she an agent too?" Dani asked, just barely catching herself from saying enforcer.

"No. She's Lucian's life mate, though I hear she wants to help out on cases," Justin told her. "I guess it turns out she knows some of that martial arts stuff and can kick a.s.s too."

"Life mate?" Dani asked. It was a term she'd never heard before.

"They aren't married yet," Decker put in."Oh."

"Leigh's nice. You'll like her," Justin said suddenly. "But Lucian's a bit of a hard-a.s.s."

Dani shrugged that aside. "It doesn't matter. This is hardly a social occasion. We're just meeting up to switch vehicles."

"True, but I thought I'd better warn you," Justin said. "He can seem a bit harsh at times."

Dani didn't comment; her thoughts were on what she'd learned. Eshe was an agent too, or a Council enforcer as Nicholas had called them. Their boss, Lucian, was a hard-a.s.s, and Leigh was his life mate. She shook her head, suspecting there was a lot about these people that she didn't know and should. Dani was less concerned with that, however, than with worry about her sister. She didn't understand why they had to switch vehicles at all. Did it really matter if they continued on in the van rather than switching for the SUV? While it would be nice not to be driving around with bodies in the back of the vehicle, the stop was going to slow them down, and the man who was holding Stephanie was already an hour ahead of them.

She didn't understand why those bodies were back there, anyway. Why hadn't they left them in the clearing for the police to find as they had the victims in the ravine? That was a question that should have occurred to her at the start, but somehow hadn't. There was a lot that hadn't occurred to her that should have, though. It was almost as if a veil had been drawn over her brain, making her thoughts fuzzy and slow. Perhaps she'd been drugged, she thought suddenly. Perhaps that was why she'd slept and didn't recall dropping off to sleep. Perhaps Justin or Decker, or both, had drugged her.

The possibility made her wonder once again if she shouldn't be trying to get away from these men, but the fact still remained that they were her only link to her sister at the moment. They could track the SUV Stephanie had been taken in, something she didn't think the police could do without more information than she had to give them.

Dani sat fretting over these thoughts as they raced along the highway. Justin was driving much more quickly than was legally allowed, not to mention much more swiftly than was safe, but she didn't comment. The faster they went, the faster they'd catch up to Stephanie, so she merely checked that her seat belt was securely fastened and prayed they didn't get pulled over.

She'd barely had the thought when Justin announced, "We've picked up a cop."

Dani peered into the side mirror to see a police car approaching at speed, lights flashing.

"I've got it," Decker a.s.sured him, and barely a heartbeat later, the flashing lights shut off and the police cruiser slowed and began to fall behind. She stared at the disappearing vehicle in the mirror with confusion, not sure what had just taken place. It was just something else for her to fret over as they rushed along the highway. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that time seemed to fly by, and it was a bit of a shock when she spotted the sign that read Vaughan Mills.

"Here we are," Justin announced as he took an off ramp a few minutes later. "You'll get to meet Eshe and Lucian now."

Chapter Five.

Outdoor World was long closed and the parking lot virtually empty as they pulled in. Decker eyed V the lone silver SUV there, noting the three people inside. He could make out the distinctive shape of Eshe in the driver's seat, but there were also the bigger, bulkier forms of two men-one in the front pa.s.senger seat and one on the back bench seat. It brought a frown to Decker's lips. Lucian hadn't mentioned the woman would have company.

"Eshe's not alone," Justin commented as he turned the steering wheel to park two spots away on the driver's side of the other vehicle.

"Who are the men with her?" Dani asked curiously.

Decker glanced her way to see she was squinting out her window at the neighboring vehicle.

"I don't know," Justin admitted. "I've never seen them before."

When he and Dani then turned to peer back at Decker in question, he merely shook his head. He'd never seen the pair before either.

"Probably just more enforcers," Justin decided aloud, and Decker turned sharply on him for the slip, but neither he nor Dani appeared to have caught it. Shaking his head, he eased closer to the van's side door and opened it. He got out, grateful not to be on his knees anymore, and then turned to open the door for Dani, noting that Eshe and the men were getting out of the other vehicle as well.

"Thank you," Dani murmured, dropping to the ground in front of him.

Decker nodded and closed the door, then took her arm to lead her toward the approaching trio.

"Jeez," Dani breathed as they neared, and he smiled wryly to himself at the impression she must be getting. Eshe, by herself, was pretty amazing. She was six feet tall as Justin had said, and presently wearing a tight, black leather bodysuit that showed just what he'd meant by lean and mean, but that's not where Decker's attention was. Eshe often sported interesting and unusual hairstyles, always short and often fitting her mood of the moment. Judging by her hair tonight, she'd had a rough week. The tight black curls that usually lay close to her head were standing up in short, kinky waves that had been dyed intermittently blond and red so that it looked almost like fire. Her large, intelligent eyes were flashing gold and black, and the smile of greeting she offered was hard and sharklike, revealing pearly white teeth that contrasted sharply with her lovely mahogany skin. The woman was beautiful and-Decker had noticed-intimidating as h.e.l.l to most people who met her, both mortal and immortal alike. It seemed Dani was no different.

Either that or it was the men who had her eyes going so wide, he thought, his gaze now moving to the mirror images on either side of Eshe. Paler-skinned and obviously twins, the men too were dressed in leather, but tall as Eshe was, they had a good four to six inches on her. They both had long dark hair; one wore it pulled back in a ponytail, while the other was wearing it loose around his face. However, it was their build that was most startling; the men were a pair of powerhouses, wide and bulky with muscle.

Individually, each of the three people approaching would attract attention; together it was impossible not to gawk, Decker thought, and then noted that each man carried a small black case by its strap. He eyed them curiously, suspecting they held computers, though he wasn't sure for what purpose.

"Did you run into any trouble on the way?" Eshe greeted them when they reached each other.

Decker left Justin to answer the question, sorry he had when the younger immortal seemed to forget Dani's presence and said, "Nah. We had a cop jump on our tail at one point, but Decker did the mind-control thing and sent him on his way."

Eshe nodded and then gestured a bit irritably to the two mountains on either side of her. "This is Dante and Toma.s.so. They were in the office when Bastien called me, and they insisted on accompanying me."

The one with the ponytail that Eshe had introduced as Toma.s.so shrugged. "We were bored."

The other, Dante, nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Christian is always off with Marguerite and Julius, and we've had nothing to do but hang around the office bugging Bastien."

Decker's eyebrows rose at the mention of his aunt Marguerite, her husband, Julius, and their son Christian. It suddenly clicked in his mind who these men were.

"You're Nottes," Justin said with realization even as he thought it. "You're Christian's cousins from Italy. The twins."

The two men nodded, and Dante said, "And you're Justin Bricker and"-his gaze shifted to Decker-"Martine's son, Decker.

You weren't at the family gathering."

"I was on a job when Marguerite got everyone together," Decker said quietly.

"She said as much," Toma.s.so a.s.sured him, offering his hand. Decker accepted it, and as they shook in greeting, Toma.s.so admitted, "That's part of the reason we came out with Eshe. To meet you."

"Yeah," Dante said as he next shook hands with him, and then, sparkling eyes darting to Eshe, he added, "Besides, we couldn't allow the little lady to drive all the way out here by herself in the middle of the night."

He received an elbow in the stomach from Eshe for his effort. It was no playful jab, but a blow that made him double over in surprised pain. She glared at Toma.s.so when he started laughing, and snapped, "If the two of you boys don't stop talking like that, I'm going to show you what this little lady can do."

This didn't seem to curb their amus.e.m.e.nt any. Decker had worked with Eshe several times and knew the woman well. He could have warned the men that they were playing with fire, but then decided to let them learn the hard way. It wouldn't be a lesson soon forgotten and would make for one h.e.l.l of a show.

"What's in the cases?" Justin asked Dante and Toma.s.so curiously.

"Portable computers set up to track the stolen SUV," Eshe explained. "One is for Lucian and one is for Mortimer. We're to wait for both men here to hand them over. There's a third one in the SUV for you guys."

"Nice," Justin commented.

"Better than hunting blind," Eshe said with a shrug. "Though, if you two hadn't let your ride get stolen-"

"Their eyes," Dani said suddenly, distracting Decker from the irritation that Eshe had managed to stir with the start of her comment. Turning, he peered down at her as she swiveled to frown at him with confusion. "Their eyes shine like a cat's in this darkness. They..." She paused, eyes widening, and then said with amazement, "So do yours. They look all silver-blue."

Decker caught the way Eshe's eyebrows rose, but muttered, "It must be a trick of the light."

"This is the woman we're supposed to take back, then?" Eshe asked. "Why aren't one of you controlling her?"

"I would, but Decker won't let me," Justin announced, and then added significantly, "And he can 7."

"No one controls me," Dani said grimly. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Catching the way Eshe's eyes flashed a deep gold with black flecks, Decker caught Dani's arm and hurried her away from the group, managing to get her a good distance past the SUV before she began to struggle. Deciding it was far enough, he turned her to face him.

"It might be better if you waited here and let me handle this," he suggested quietly before she could get out the words that were trembling on her tongue.

Dani hesitated, her eyes sliding back to the group by the vehicles. Decker glanced back as well to find that everyone was watching them with curiosity as Justin said something. Suspecting he didn't want to know what that was, Decker sighed and turned back to Dani, reclaiming her attention by saying, "I'll talk to them. I won't leave you behind."Dani eyes narrowed rebelliously, and he wasn't terribly surprised when she said, "You'd better not. I know you've been lying to me and aren't with CSIS, and the only reason I'm not at a police station right now screaming b.l.o.o.d.y murder is because you can track the SUV. You're my only link with my sister at present, Decker, but if you leave without me, I'll go straight to the police and tell them everything I know."

"I understand," he said with a solemn nod, not bothering to mention that she wouldn't get the chance to call anyone. Eshe would take control of her mind and see to that if he didn't convince the woman to leave Dani with him. He was hoping that wouldn't come to pa.s.s, however. He really didn't have any intention of leaving her behind or letting anyone else sift through her thoughts and control her actions, so he added, "But please stay here and let me handle it. All right?"

Dani crossed her arms angrily, but gave a stiff nod.

Just as he turned away, she pleaded, "Just hurry. The more time we waste here, the further away Stephanie gets."

Decker merely nodded as he made his way across the parking lot to the group.

"You've found your life mate," Dante said quietly as he rejoined them. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Decker muttered, and then glanced to Eshe.

"My orders were to bring her in," the woman said, voice hard.

Decker shook his head. "She stays with me."

"Then you'd better call Lucian, because I do what I'm told and I was told to bring her in."

Decker snorted. He was about to point out that she only did what she was told when she felt like it when Dante said, "No need to call him. Lucian is here."

Turning, Decker glanced in the direction Dante was looking and watched a second SUV park, this one on the other side of the van.

Decker scowled. He would have fought Eshe if necessary to keep Dani with him, but you just didn't argue with Lucian. Or, at least, you did your best to avoid it. Decker feared in this case he was going to have to argue the point. No one, not even Lucian, was getting between him and Dani.

"Lucian's found his own life mate now," Eshe commented as they watched him get out and walk around the vehicle. As Lucian opened the pa.s.senger door for Leigh, she added, "He may understand and let you keep her with you."

Decker frowned at the comment. He'd heard a few say the man had softened since finding Leigh. But he hadn't seen anything to suggest that was true. His uncle was still a hard-boiled rock as far as he could tell.

"Why is everyone standing around?" Lucian growled as he reached them. His eyes skated over the group before coming to rest sharply on Decker. "Where are the rogues?"

"In the van," he said at once, following when his uncle abruptly turned and ushered Leigh to the back of the vehicle. Once there, Lucian grasped the door and then paused and turned to glare at Decker. "It isn't closed."

"What?" Decker moved up beside him and saw that it was true, the door wasn't shut tight.