Page 5 (1/2)

"Tell lared at four of the best thugs the Russianhim in the eye Cowards, all of the close to the dental clinic in case Shanna Whelan was hiding nearby These four men had completed their search of nearby alleys and come up empty-handed

Three blocks away, police cars screeched to a halt in front of the ransacked clinic Their flashing lights bounced off nearby buildings, waking the inhabitants Mortals ventured onto the street, hoping to see so Like a dead body

It was a thrill Ivan was usually happy to supply, but tonight, Stesha&039;s thugs had screwed up Incompetent cowards

Ivan strode toward the two black sedans they had moved away from the crime scene before the police could arrive "She couldn&039;t have just disappeared She&039;s only a iant with a square jaw replied, "We didn&039;t see her go out the front or the back"

Ivan breathed in the blond Neanderthal&039;s scent O positive Too bland Too damned stupid "So, you think she did disappear?"

No answer They watched their feet as they shuffled along

"We did see the back door swing open," a thug finally confessed, his face stippled with acne scars

"And?" Ivan waited iht I sao people" Acne Face frowned "But e ran to the door, there was no one there"

"I thought I heard so offered

"A swoosh?" Ivan clenched his fists "Is that all you can tellin on the muscles in his upper spine With a sudden tilt of his head, he snapped his neck and felt a small measure of relief

The four mortals winced

Stesha Bratsk, the local Russian mafia boss, had insisted his owners itched to encircle their thick bull necks and squeeze the life out of theirl would be dead, and he&039;d be receiving the bounty oing to get thatthe interior of the dental clinic No sign of the girl anywhere The only interesting thing he had found was an uneaten pizza with the nareen letters "Where is Carlo&039;s Deli?"

"Little Italy," the blond thug replied "Great pizza"

"I like their lasagna better," Acne Face said

"You idiots!" Ivan glowered at theht? His cousin in Boston is serving a life sentence, all because that little bitch testified against him in court"

They shifted from one foot to another

Ivan took a deep breath He didn&039;t care what happened to Stesha or his fauys worked for them, so they needed to show more loyalty And less stupidity "Fro the day, you watch the deli and the Whelan girl&039;s apartment If you find her, follow her Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they mumbled in unison

Unfortunately, Ivan didn&039;t have much hope for their success His own va Shanna Whelan The only probleht He needed these da the day

A third black sedan pulled up beside the other two cars, and two ot out

"Well? Did you find her?" Ivan asked

A bearded thug with a shaved head careen Honda Two men Pavel thinks he saoman"

"I did," Pavel insisted "They were sticking her in the trunk"

Ivan raised his eyebrows Had soirl before him? Crap Someone else wanted the reward o?"

Pavel cursed and kicked a car tire "We lost them"

Ivan snapped his head oncepressure in his neck "Doesn&039;t anyone train you people? Or does Stesha hire you right off the boat?"

The bald one&039;s face turned red Red and fully flushed with blood Ivan&039;s nostrils flared AB Negative God, he was hungry He had planned to feast on the Whelan girl, but noould have to look elsewhere

"We did get the license plate number," Pavel offered "We&039;ll find out ns the car"

"You do that And report to me in two hours I&039;ll be at my home in Brooklyn"

Pavel&039;s face turned pale "Yes, sir"

No doubt he&039;d heard the rumors Sometiht were never seen again Ivan stepped closer to the six men and stared at each of them in the eye "If you find her, you will not kill her That isthe reward h to enjoy it Understand?"

There was a series of gulps and nods

"Leaveto hear fros climbed into the black sedans and drove away

Ivan strolled toward the criroups while they watched the police A pretty blond in a pink bathrobe caught his eye He stared at her Come to me

She turned and looked hiht she was seducing hiestured toward a dark alley She sauntered toward hi her fluffy pink bathrobe with long pink fingernails

He stepped into the darkness and waited

She sailed into her doo parlor, eager to be adhborhood? I don&039;t recall seeing you before"

Co under that robe?"

She giggled "Shame on you Don&039;t you know the police are just a few feet away?"

"Makes it ain, her voice taking on a huskier tone "You are a bad boy, aren&039;t you?"

He took her by the shoulders "You have no idea" In an instant, his fangs sprang out

She gasped, but before she could react further, his fangs were deep in her neck Blood flooded his mouth¡ªrich, hot, and with the added risk of the nearby police, it was extra spicy

At least the evening had not been a co a delicious irl&039;s dead body would serve to distract the police fro business with pleasure

Shanna paced the kitchen floor She wasn&039;t going to do it No as she sticking a wolf&039;s canine into that man&039;s mouth Laszlo had just left with the inforiven hianesti&039;s house True, he had saved her life Also true, he was generously offering her asylum But she had to wonder why Was he so determined to have an animal tooth implanted in his mouth that he wanted her in his debt?

She paused at the table for another sip of diet cola The turkey sandwich that Connor had made for her was still uneaten She was just too nervous to eat right now She&039;d coin She owed Ro to implant his stupid wolf tooth

Who was this Roanesti, anyway? Sure, he was about the uarantee he was sane He see her, but why? And why did he have a shlanders? Where on earth did a person acquire such an army? Did he place an ad in the paper¡ªWanted: shlanders?

If he needed this much protection, he must have made some bad enemies Could she trust someone like that? Well, h no fault of her own

With a sigh, Shanna stopped at the table for another drink The more she tried to understand Ro to the confusion was the fact that she&039;d co the ?

Well, duh She wasn&039;t thinking at all The car ride had turned her on Escaping the Russians and bouncing into Roive her one powerful adrenaline rush It was a mixture of excitement and lust That was all

The door swooshed open, and Connor rushed in He glanced around the rooht, lass?"

"Yeah Did you tell Roman that I refuse to put that animal tooth in his mouth?"

Connor smiled "Doona worry yerself I&039;anesti how ye feel"

"For all the good that&039;ll do" Shanna sat at the table and dragged the plate holding the sandwich toward her According to Laszlo, Mr Draganesti had insisted on her cooperation, and whatever Mr Draganesti wanted, he was sure to get What arrogance! The e

Romatech That&039;s where he said he worked Romatech Roman "Oh my God" She sat back in her chair

Connor raised his eyebrows

"Roman&039;s the owner of Roht from one foot to another He watched her with a wary look "Aye That he is"

"Then, he&039;s the one who invented the formula for synthetic blood"

"Aye, he did"