Memory Zero (Spook Squad 1)

She hesitated, for some reason reluctant to mention her visitor. “He was talking very strangely at the end. It was almost as if he wasn’t used to speaking.”

“He probably wasn’t. Clones who are accelerated rarely have the time or the chance to learn to speak fluently.”

The doors slid open, revealing the SIU foyer. Finley was waiting at reception for them.

“Next time she wants to go to the restroom, have someone escort her.” Though Gabriel’s voice was even, a hint of censure ran through it.

Finley flinched. “I’ve posted security at the lab doors.”

Gabriel nodded. She met his gaze and saw the anger burning bright in the intense depths of his eyes. He might not have said anything about her running off, but he would eventually. She smiled grimly. If he’d read her file, and he probably had, he’d know that following orders had never been a strong suit of hers, even though she had the rep for being a by-the-book cop. Given the slightest chance, she’d be out of here.

“I have a ten-thirty meeting I have to get to.” Though he was talking to Finley, his gaze was still on her.

She shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the clock. He was really going to have to fly if he was going to get to Carlton on time. Though the suburb was only a few minutes from the Central Business District, the traffic at this hour was hell.

“Watch her until I get back.”

Finley nodded, and Gabriel turned and walked away. As much as she wanted to go with him, she knew it was pointless to ask. He wanted her here, in Finley’s hands, to find out why she could see the kite-monsters when no one else could. And what Assistant Director Gabriel Stern wanted, he apparently got.

A situation that was about to end, she thought grimly.

Finley cleared his throat and then nervously motioned her up the hall, toward the labs. She knew she could get past Finley; once the doctor got his nose into his computers, his attention would wander. Security was another problem altogether.

Not to mention the fact that she had to get out before Gabriel got back. The man seemed to know the workings of her mind far too well. With him around, there would be no escape.

She had, at best, a couple of hours. And once she was free, Suzy Kazdan was the first port of call. That lying bitch would tell her exactly what was going on … or there’d be hell to pay.

GABRIEL GLANCED AT HIS WATCH as he ran across Rathdown Street. Ten-twenty. He was cutting it close. Whoever was waiting for the two men would probably be there by now.

But there had been nowhere else to shift shape except the park. Any closer and he could have run the risk of being sensed by those waiting inside the warehouse. He bent his arm back and forth, trying to ease the slight ache. It had been a long time since he’d flown so hard, or so fast. He was out of shape—something Stephan had warned might happen.

Still, given his work, and SIU’s policy of not flaunting your abilities in public, he’d had little chance to get in any significant flight time. And by the look of things, it was a situation not likely to change in a hurry.

>

He dodged a car trying to do an illegal right-hand turn and headed toward the warehouse. In reality, it was an old redbrick factory that somewhere along the line had been converted into apartments. Now, though, it was abandoned and waiting for a new owner to refurbish it. Given the scarcity of housing this close to the city, it was surprising that hadn’t happened already.

The light breeze whistled through the smashed windows on the upper floors and rattled the loose roofing atop the front veranda. It was a forlorn sound that jarred uneasily against the noise and rush of the morning traffic.

He took the front steps two at a time and stopped when he reached a wrought-iron gate. Beyond it, there was a long tunnel that opened out into an expanse of sunshine and grass. From where he stood, the courtyard seemed—and felt—empty. He twisted the handle and pushed the gate open. Then he studied the redbrick walls on either side of the tunnel, making sure there were no alcoves or doors. After determining there weren’t, he moved down cautiously.

No one waited in the courtyard. The sun shone on the pond that dominated the center, making the water sparkle like diamonds. In the surrounding patch of lawn, weeds had overtaken the grass. Surprisingly, there was very little litter, just the occasional glitter of glass shards.

He lifted his gaze, studying what remained of the windows that looked out onto the courtyard. The place looked, and felt, uninhabited. But if he went out into that sunshine, he’d be a sitting duck for anyone who might be hiding within the buildings. And unless he did, he’d never know if there was anyone up there to worry about.

He swept his gaze across the silent apartments, and then sprinted across to the nearest set of stairs. Silence greeted him. Anyone who was here obviously didn’t care about, or hadn’t yet noticed, his presence.

He searched the entire first floor and found nothing but debris and dust. Stopping near the stairs, he stared down at the pond and wondered what sort of trap he might be walking into. Thralls—humans who were shackled to the life of their vampire masters, but not actually vampires themselves—generally didn’t give up information on their masters so easily, and the mere fact that they had suggested they’d been ordered to do so. But it was now ten forty-five and there was absolutely no sign of life, let alone trouble.

Unless, of course, the men who were supposed to be here were stuck in traffic.

He pushed away from the railing. There were only a half dozen apartments on the second floor, so he might as well take a look. He headed up the stairs to the next floor. In the third apartment, he found a body.

After checking the remainder of the apartment to ensure no one else was around, he squatted beside the remains and felt for a pulse. Nothing. Not that he’d expected one. The smell of death was beginning to permeate the still apartment air.

He rolled the corpse over. It was a male, probably in his mid-fifties, and his bloated face was somewhat familiar, though where Gabriel had seen him he couldn’t remember. Frowning slightly, he patted down the man’s body. No identification card, no wallet, nothing that might even hint at who he was. So why had this body been dumped here? It wasn’t exactly the best of hiding spaces, especially when the gates were unlocked and these apartments were so accessible. Maybe—

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as the stale air stirred. He dropped and swung around. Two men approached, one carrying a large club that already arced toward his head. He raised his arm and blocked the blow, but the force of the impact sent a shudder through the rest of his body. Ignoring the resulting pain, he surged upward and struck out with a clenched fist. The blow smashed into the stranger’s face, and bone and cartilage gave way. No vampire, then, he thought as the man staggered back, blood pouring from his shattered nose. Either that, or he was an extremely new one. Most seasoned vampires would have been fast enough to avoid such damage.