Blood Drive

But right now, I have a problem. I can't let Ryan go home and I can't keep him with me. That leaves one alternative.

The cab picks us up in front of Belmont Park. Ryan looks surprised when I tell the driver where we want to go, but once again, he doesn't ask questions. His faith in me touches my heart.

When we approach the door to Frey's magical headquarters, I touch Ryan's arm. "Follow me," I say. "You might feel something funny, like passing through damp spider webs, but it's okay."

His eyes widen. He's looking past me to the garden. "There isn't anything back there. Where are we going?"

I answer by stepping through the barrier. His expression stills and he holds out a hand toward the invisible curtain, unable to believe what has happened. At the feel of the curtain on his skin, he yanks his hand away. I hear his voice as if from a great distance. "Anna?"

I step back through.

"What happened? Where did you go?"

I smile. "It's all right, Ryan. I can't explain it. I don't know how it works. But I'm taking you to Trish. You just have to trust me."

His eyes dart over my shoulder. "Trish is in there?"

I nod.

He looks around at the people passing by on the sidewalk and leans toward me. "And they won't see us?"

"No." I remember how Frey explained it to Trish. "It's a secret government facility."

Ryan's expression brightens. "Wow. This is really cool."

And this time, he doesn't wait for me to go first.

* * * *

Trish and Ryan have their heads together, talking in excited whispers, while Frey and I stand outside the little office.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring him here?" Frey asks, watching.

I shake my head. "I'm not sure of anything except that Ryan needs to be protected."

He motions for me to follow him and I do. We end up in Williams's office down the hall. When he hears about everything that happened in the hours since he left me, he frowns.

"I should have stayed with you. I'm sorry."

I shrug. "You can make it up to me. I'm going after Bradley and Darryl. I need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

I shoot him a hard look. "I want you to turn yourself into a panther."

He lets a growl escape his throat. A very convincing growl. "No problem. What else?"

"Garlic. You're not affected by it, are you?"

* * * *

I ask Frey to borrow a car from one of the psychics on duty. Preferably, I tell him, an old one. I can't be sure what condition it will be in when we return it.

He has no trouble securing one, which I take as a good sign. After all, a psychic should know whether lending her car to a stranger is a good idea or not.

Once we're on the road, Frey asks about the plan.

"Plan?"

His lips pucker with annoyance. "You don't have one?"

"Oh, you bet I do," I snap. "We go in, tear Darryl's heart out, and destroy the computer and anything else we find that has any link to Trish. Then we burn down the scumbag's house and go after Bradley."

He grins. "Works for me."

I glance over at him. "You know I never suspected Darryl to be a part of this. He's different on his home turf. Either that or he's a damn good actor. Is he the reason you came to San Diego? You suspected he was taking over his dad's business?"

Frey shakes his head. "I never met Darryl in Boston. If I had, I damn sure would have recognized him the other day. His last name is different from his father's, too. Probably changed it when he moved here."

I wait a moment. "Things become uncomfortable for you in Boston? Darryl mentioned something about your coming under suspicion there because you seemed to know too much."

He sniffs. "That was Bradley's doing, I'm sure. But yes, a rumor went around that I had made a deal to extricate myself by turning on Darryl's father. The truth was, I learned about him the same way I learned about Trish. One of his victims was a student at my school. She attempted suicide. Her best friend came to me and told me why. I did some investigating, contacted the Feds and they got him."

The same story I heard from Darryl. I glance at Frey. His expression is harsh. "But you left Boston."

"Our school board was very conservative. I didn't have much of a future there once the rumors started flying. It didn't matter that they were unsubstantiated. But the one concession they made was to let me resign with the promise of a good recommendation. It's how I got my job here."

He lapses into silence, but after a moment, he adds softly. "You know this is not going to be the end of it for Trish. Her videos are already out there."

I know it. I just don't want to hear myself say that I know it. I shrug. "I just hope Darryl kept good records. I'll track every scumbag customer if it takes the rest of my life."

The absurdity of that remark makes Frey laugh. And I know why.

Sometimes I forget what I am.

We're approaching Darryl's street. Frey starts to undress, pulling his shirt over his head, skimming out of his slacks. He sees me watching and grins.

"It's easier on my wardrobe to do this now. And I'll need something to change into later, right?"

Last night I didn't really pay attention to Frey's body, I was too busy wondering if I was about to become dinner. Today, it's different. I take a quick, involuntary appraisal. Frey's chest and shoulders are broad, powerful looking, his arms and thighs well muscled and firm.

"Damn, Frey. I'm impressed."

He slips Gucci loafers off his feet and flips them into the back seat. The only thing he has on now is a pair of very brief briefs. When he looks at me, an intense physical awareness prickles my skin.

I arch an eyebrow and wait.

"This is as far as I go on a first date," he says.

I blow out a puff of air and wait for my heartbeat to return to normal and the heat to dissipate from my skin.

What the hell am I thinking?

I pull over at the corner of Darryl's block, dragging my thoughts back from the abyss, and tell Frey which house is his. "I'll go in through the front, get him to come outside so you can sneak in the back."

If he caught my momentary lapse into sexual fantasyland, he doesn't show it. He simply nods and looks around. "I won't make the change until I get into his yard. It's pretty quiet around here. I shouldn't have any trouble."

"You can get over these fences?"

"Like a cat."

He steps out of the car and disappears faster than I would have anticipated. In a moment, I hear the frantic barking of a dog a few door down. Then a yelp of pain and silence. I don't want to know what made it stop.