Chapter Fourteen

Maddie's Las Vegas Bunker

Monday, 4:00 PM

Quinn and Maddie had taken a little time to put themselves back to social ready. He let his hand linger on her back as they left the bedroom behind and moved out to the main room of the bunker.

"Sorry, this one doesn't have much in the way of amenities. Not even chairs."

"No problem." Maybe he just wanted to show off a little, but he released his power, and a huge burst of pale butterflies swarmed the room for the space of maybe ten seconds. As they disappeared in their place was a whole different setting. It had become a warm inviting living area, with everything from carpet to mantle, faux windows, and chandelier. All of it focused on an elegant seating area with two soft sofas facing each other.

"From dungeon to elegance? Nice job."

Theresa paused on the stairs with a gasp of surprise. "Wow."

"It's been a while since I've seen you decorate." Deven kept his body partially shielding Theresa.

"It's time for some proper introductions." Quinn waved them forward and then settled into one of the two sofas. Before he could invite Maddie to sit beside him, she settled in next to him. Not quite close enough to touch. "Deven, this is Madeline Jacks. She's been like family with Bella for a long while."

His son made him proud by stepping forward and holding a hand out to Maddie without hesitation. "I'm Deven Ochoa. Glad to meet you again even if the moment was a bit poorly timed." When their hands clasped it was obvious he'd sensed Maddie was a wolf. "You're Valàfrn?"

Surprisingly it was Theresa who continued to bristle. "I guess that explains how you can carry Quinn around on your shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Maddie chuckled. "I really hadn't planned on telling him that little bit."

As he imagined her small frame manhandling him, his dignity took a bit of a dive. But more important was keeping their meeting peaceful and explaining the parts that needed explained. "Theresa, please forgive her. Madeline was alone and working with a lot of missing information."

"Hey, I'm not going to hold a grudge if you're fine with it. Though, I might print out the image from the security camera and frame it. Makes a fun memento." She chuckled. "Or black mail. One or the other."

He wasn't sure how but as Theresa flopped onto the sofa next to Deven, he knew something important had changed. The two women had already come to an understanding. Which he supposed mattered more than how they'd reached it.

Maddie leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

The motion pressed her thigh against his. And his mind flashed back to how good she'd felt in his arms. How right. He was a goner. Everything inside him was already addicted to her.

"There might have been better ways to get Quinn's help, but I was in a hurry and couldn't risk him saying no. That said, we are still in the middle of our problem. I'm not going to read you into the situation because Quinn has already made it clear that he doesn't want you pups put in danger."

Deven jumped up. "Fuck that. If the old man needs me, I'm here to help."

Even if he was happy to have Deven offer, he wasn't going to put him in the line of fire. "Settle down. There is nothing for you to do yet."

"Yet? If there is a chance you will need us, isn't it better to read us in now so we can be ready?"

Tessa pulled Deven back down. "Deven's right. And you know how useful I can be. Even if we don't run into the battle with you, we can at least provide support. Don't bother to argue that point because you know I'm right."

He hesitated but wasn't sure he could justify why he wanted them kept out of it. It wasn't just about keeping them safe. There had always been a clear line between his past with Bella and Georgie and his present life with Deven and the others. It's not like he was all that different, but he'd just never wanted to compare the two lives.

"I didn't mean to, but I already had a vision focused on your brother. At the time it hadn't made much sense. One of the ones that is a chaotic assortment of images."

That caught his attention. "What did you see?"

"I don't think he's the killer." She looked worried. But without prompting she continued. "He is Father Time, but if I'm reading the vision correctly, we had it wrong. The ones killing humans have been the fledglings. He's been trying to stop them."

"This Father Time case is the one you've been working on?"

"Yes, for nearly a year now." A part of him that had been twisted with worry, eased. He could trust Theresa's visions. And the certainty in her voice was exactly the comfort he'd needed. He still couldn't help asking, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. There were four different fledglings made at the same time. They are all dead now. But you should know…"

When her words faded, he had a good idea of what she was thinking about. Surely her visions had shown just how unstable Georgie had become. Even if he wasn't the one murdering humans, he'd been responsible for those deaths anyway.

"I'm sorry, Quinn. I don't know how to save him."

He'd been thinking about the options too. "Bella is the only one who can stop him without having to fight him. We need her."

Maddie caught his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Will she help us? I don't think she liked the idea of working together too much. Or do you think she was only worried because you thought he was the killer you were hunting?"

"No, there's more to it than that. I think she might know something about why he is so unstable right now."

"You keep calling it unstable, but he nearly killed you. He may have been a nice guy in the past, but something has changed. I was there. His first reaction was choosing violence."

"Is she right, Quinn?" Deven asked. "Did he attack you? Were you hurt? Are you okay now? No, never mind. We both saw how alright you are."

"I'm fine."

"But it was serious. Don't let him brush it off. His brother is violent, and this could go sideways very easily."

"He's not…"

"Yeah, he is. When was the last time you met up with him? Has it been this decade? The last? Or closer to a hundred years? People, even vampires who are damn near immortal can and do change. Not always for the better."

She was right. He knew she was. But even now, he didn't want to think about his gentle friend having been broken so much as to become any type of villain.

Her fingers threaded through his, forcing him to unlock his fist. "We can maybe still save him, but I'd rather we faced him over-prepared rather than at a disadvantage."

"I was letting my emotions get the better of me." Her words were filled with wisdom. "Let's talk about our options."

The following discussion revealed almost everything they knew to Deven and Theresa. And once everyone was up to speed with the most current intel, then he waited for someone to come up with the perfect plan.

Which did not exist.

"We're right back where we started. We need Bella."

"As annoying as it is to admit, even including everyone from our agency and Bella's family, there is no reason to believe we'd come out of it unscathed."

And he didn't need Theresa's visions to know just how bad their odds were. "We need Bella, but how can we convince her to join us?"

"First, we need to be clear what our goal is. If Georgie isn't the killer, you thought he was, does he need to be taken down at all? Maybe we should all just be working from the sidelines and let Bella talk him down like she intended. Isn't that the best option?"

All their eyes turned his way. Ultimately, they were trusting him to make the call. He'd be the one to decide if they would go in guns blazing or if they'd just walk away. For that he was glad. Not that he wanted to make the decision, but he was the only one with a direct connection to Georgie. The only one in the room that cared whether he lived or died.

He took a slow deep breath, trying to find the right words.

"Thank you. Maybe it's wrong of me to ask this, but if there is even the tiniest chance, I want to save him. Georgie has always been my dear friend and if something has driven him to the point of committing evil, then even I will admit that he needs to be stopped. But as of this moment, we don't have enough answers. I don't know if he's become a monster or not. We can't know the truth until we can force him to calm down enough to see that we are trying to help him."

The other three all responded with quiet agreement. Not that he'd expected anything less. His team always followed his guidance willingly. They just assumed that he would have more experience and be able to make a calm rational plan to get the right outcome.

"I'm sorry I don't have a better plan. Despite my unrealistic desire, Georgie is powerful and out of control."

Maddie squeezed his hand. "He's reactive, responding out of fear and pain. Like a bear with an injury."

"You took out Quinn. Could you do the same thing again?"

"If he let down his guard enough for me to get close, maybe I could. But he isn't likely to do that."

"What was the spray you used on Quinn?"

"My own design. It's a knockout spray specialized for vampires. The range is extremely limited. As soon as it interacts with regular air it turns inert. I couldn't risk it affecting anyone other than the target."

"Sounds like a good precaution."

"If we agree that we need Bella, why not meet her? She knows that we found her, and she knows that we know about Georgie. So, there isn't much reason for her to try and hide."

She was completely right. He pulled out his phone."

"Wait. I think she's more likely to answer if I'm the one calling her."

He nodded. He couldn't be sure she was right, but it didn't matter too much since Bella would know they were probably together. "Go ahead. We'll meet her wherever she wants."

She nodded and dialed the phone. After a few moments she said, "Bella, next time I call, you'd better answer your damn phone. Call me back. I'm waiting and not feeling all that patient right now." She clicked the phone off and briefly looked like she wanted to throw it. "That was actually about what I expected."

"Do you think she'll call back?"

"I do. I went to a lot of trouble training her to carry her damn phone and answer it when I call. She knows I have been letting her slide for the last few days. And now she knows that is over. She'll call."

Deven laughed. "Hope you have better luck with Bella than I've had with Quinn. He doesn't take orders very well from the youngsters."

She joined in the laughter. "Who said I'm the youngster?"

"Oh really? Are we just now learning that Quinn has a thing for older women?"

"So, it seems." He smiled down at her mischievous dark eyes. He had guessed that she was older than the other Valàfrn he knew but this was the first time he'd considered that she might be older than him. The thought was not a turn off.

She was grinning. "He better never refer to me that way."

"I would never." There would be no point in worrying about her age, or his.

Her phone rang. She watched it ring once more before answering. "Bella, are you okay?"

He was very relieved by how easily Maddie fit in with his family. Something about being all together and having the room filled with laughter… it added a whole new element to what he felt for her. She was able to accept his family and that made what they were exploring feel more real and lasting.

"She won't come here but did agree to meet us at her hotel. I told her that two of your pups were here. She said to leave them behind or don't come at all."

"That is not a problem."

"Quinn…"

"I need you to cover another part of the plan anyhow." He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "You and Theresa will set up a very broad perimeter around the motorhome park and keep watch from a distance. "

"That's it?"

"Yes. You will not engage, no matter what. If you see the opportunity to minimize the number of people in the area, please do, but nothing that will draw attention to the area."

"Are there many civilians in the park?"

"Not many. But a few."

"Okay."

"Theresa, if you can safely get more information, please do." He was worried that she'd put herself in danger and regretted the request immediately. "No, pretend you did not hear that. There is nothing we need to learn that can't be found in other ways. You've already done enough."

"Whatever you say."

"I mean it. I'm not willing to have you collapse again. We already know where he is. Once we have Bella on board, we'll be able to solve the whole situation."

Maddie stood and pulled him by the hand. "The sun's down. Let's go."

"I didn't see another vehicle."

He gave Maddie a wink. "We won't need a car. Thanks."

"Oh?"

"You two have the address for the RV park. Use your tech to observe only." Then he pulled Maddie into his arms and released his power. Taking them directly to the hotel room they'd woken up in earlier.

"About time." Bella was sitting at the little table, while staring at her mobile phone. "I was about to die of boredom."

"It's only been ten minutes. Don't be a bitch."

"Says the wolf bitch."

He thought about trying to interrupt them. When Bella jumped up and threw her arms around Maddie. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know he'd be that bad. I just wanted to talk with him, but he's so upset. I couldn't even get him to listen."

Maddie held her close and patted her back. "I know, I know. We'll figure it out together."

Several minutes passed by while they murmured to each other. He settled onto the end of the bed and waited.

Finally, the girls sank onto the chairs and faced him. Maddie was the one to start the conversation. "He at least let you inside. Can you tell us what the situation is like in there?"

"There was a lot of damage. I'm thinking he must be taking out his frustration on the interior. But I think it still runs and it doesn't seem like Jimmy is in any danger."

"Who is Jimmy? Does he have a hostage? Or is it another fledgling?"

"Neither. It's just some kid from one of the murder scenes. Seems like he took the kid to act as chauffeur and maybe a daylight servant."

He didn't like the idea of some human who was probably terrified and trying to survive under such conditions. But if he was alive now, they had a chance of saving him.

"What is the plan then?"

Might as well get to the heart of the plan. "Do you think your hypnosis will work on him?"

Bella shook her head. "I did not get the chance to try."

"Ideally, I'd like to help him calm down, but to do that we'll probably have to physically capture him. If we can distract him, do you think your powers will work?"

"I think so, but I can't be certain. What if we get in there and can't calm him down?" Bella was looking at her folded hands. There was a decided slump to her slender shoulders. "I would love to say that my brother won't hurt us, but I'm really not sure of anything anymore."

"Maddie, you should probably wait outside." Bella leaned in close to Maddie. "He's not the biggest fan of werewolves."

"Too bad. What if you need me?"

"Maddie… You're strong but this is a matter between siblings. If anything happens, I'm going to ask you to please protect my kids. But to do that, you will have to be outside while we go in."

"Even if I say fine…" She grinned at him. "You know I'm not a stay in the car kind of girl, right?"

"Certainly. I'm expecting you to come in and save us too if we need it."

She laughed. "Right, you know I will. But first. I need to get a few things from the car. Are we taking the vehicle or doing the butterfly ghost thing?"

Bella laughed. "Butterfly ghost? What a lovely description."

"I don't see much point in worrying about the car for now. Do you?"

"No, I trust your power to get us there."

"Good, because I might never let you go."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You two seem to be getting along well. I hope you're not bonding over my most embarrassing stories."

"I'm not sure you even have any of those," Maddie said.

He gave her a wink. "I have a few I'll share with you later."

"Oh goodie. I can't wait."

Bella harumphed and stood up. "Ready to go?"

"Shouldn't we have a better plan?"

"Would more details be helpful? He might just let us in to talk. Maybe he's calmed down. Let's just go."

"Is there really much chance of that?"

He shrugged. "I'll get us to the park. If he doesn't let us in, you can take us inside. I'll shield us long enough to get you close. You do your thing. And we all find a place to have dinner." Obviously, it wasn't going to be that easy. Hell, it was more likely to end up bloody. But worrying about this kind of situation wasn't going to make it any easier. Now that he knew Georgie was the source of the problem, they'd have to face him. There just wasn't any point in hedging around the possible danger.

"I thought you ran a government agency. Isn't being over prepared kind of a government thing?"

"That's not our branch. We're more of a go in and make the problem go away kind of group. No one really cares how we do it as long as it gets done and the general public never hears about it."

"Makes your group sound a little shady. I always thought you and your boys were the good guys."

"I like to think we are. But sadly, it's not a very neat and orderly kind of business."

"Well, if that's all the plan we have, we might as well get to it."

Bella caught him in a short hug. "I'll see you there. I think I'll grab a drink from the bar first." She disappeared.

"Will she really show?"

"Yeah. She still thinks she needs to stand between us when we fight even though she hates that place the most in the world." He caught her in his arms and was about to move them when she stopped him.

Pulling him down into a long, heated kiss that left the world spinning around him. She pulled back slowly, her dark eyes glazed with passion. "I'm not one to worry about flags, but this time I didn't want to make any promises about what I'll be telling you afterwards."

"Oh?"

"Quinn, I know this is fast, but I love you. I'd maybe started to fall in love through Bella's stories, but I've known for a while now. My wolf has no doubts and neither do I."

He'd already said it once, but she was right. It was good to be clear about these things. Even more so in the midst of battles. "I don't have a wolf spirit to confirm it, but every cell in my body knows that you are meant to be mine."

"I like the sound of that."

He pulled her even closer in his embrace. "My love comes with a lot of baggage and history."

"As does mine."

Brushing another kiss over her lips, he reveled in the moment. "We barely know each other."

"We know enough."

"I love you, Madeline Jacks."

"I really like the sound of that." She snuggled against his body, sharing her heat with him. "Let's go save that brother of yours and then take some time off to relax together."

How had he ever been so blessed? He moved them to the parking garage.

While she rummaged through her bags for particular supplies, he took the time to check his thirty-eight and make sure it was loaded with special bullets. They probably wouldn't be enough to seriously harm Georgie and honestly, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to draw down on him. Maybe he should just leave it behind.

"I'm ready. How about you?"

"I'm good to go. Are you sure you don't want to take the car? It's probably only twenty minutes away."

"No, leave it." They'd already prepared as much as they could. Now, he just wanted to get it all over with. One way or another. He took her to the same place they'd hidden before. "Stay here. Hopefully this won't take long." He took one step before bumping into Bella. "You're here."

"Yeah." She pulled him back to where Maddie was. "I can't believe you were going to just walk up and knock. What kind of idiot are you?"

"It could work." He shrugged. "It's not as if he won't know we're here."

Maddie couldn't help smiling at how the two old vampires interacted like teenage siblings.

Once Quinn was back behind the RV, he asked, "If you think the plan should change, enlighten us."

"I mentioned leaving Maddie outside, but she really is too skilled to not be involved."

"I was thinking that as well."

"Then I go in with you? Thought you said Georgie doesn't like wolves."

"I figure Quinn and I have about a fifty percent chance of getting close enough to even talk. If that doesn't work, you'll know pretty much right away because that's when it will probably get violent."

"Okay."

"If you come in at that point, it should cause some confusion. Your wolf form should throw him off enough to give one of us a chance to get close."

Since both Bella and Quinn seemed fine hanging around with Valàfrn she was a bit surprised by how they expected Georgie to react. "He's really bothered by wolves that much?"

"Yeah, he had a particularly rough time when we were near Morocco a few centuries back."

Quinn added, "It was rough on all of us, but Georgie took it the hardest. He's never been able to forgive his own weaknesses. That's part of why I've seen so little of him since taking in Deven."

"Let's do this."

The two turned around and calmly walked toward the RV while her whole world spun out of control. "Morocco…" She whispered. All her talk about moving on and leaving behind her revenge… All her thoughts about building a life that included Bella and Quinn… All of her past that had warped her view of the world in such a catastrophic way… all of it crashed together destroying her from the inside out.

Bella had never mentioned an event in Morocco before. But had she been keeping it secret, or had it just mattered so little to her that it hadn't been worth the bother. The Jackel Clan had lived outside Morocco. Until they'd been slaughtered by overwhelmingly strong vampires looking for their next high. Had it been them? They were among the few old enough to have been around seven hundred years ago. They were first generation vampires, strong enough to face down even mature Valàfrn. It was possible.

Had they been the kind to slaughter clans and trade in wolf blood? Had they changed so much since then? Or was everything she knew about them nothing but lies?

Maybe it wasn't on them at all. If it was them, maybe she'd allowed herself to believe the lie. Had she befriended the same assholes who had nearly wiped out her clan?

Befriended… was too weak a word. She loved them both.

Maddie shook free of her shock. It wasn't like her to stand by and do nothing when there was work to be done. She wasn't exactly sure what she should be doing, but did that matter? Action was more valuable than regrets.

Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe these three had nothing to do with the coven full of addicts that had ruined her life. Not many vampires lived as long as they had. It had been a long time ago. Bella had just said ‘a few centuries'. Maybe it wasn't them.

But what if it was?

Her wolf raged inside her, just as stressed by the wild emotions filling them both.

She sorted through the tools that she'd grabbed from the car. Specifically, the pressurized canisters of vampire suppressant. Rather than the thin mist intended to be inhaled, this version was a bit more powerful and mixed with a slight adhesive. She'd nicknamed them the skunk bombs.

All she had to do was wait for their half-assed plan to fail. That much she could do according to the original strategy. Once it backfired and they were all properly distracted… Then it would be her turn, and she was tired of playing nice.

They'd never even see her coming.