Generation 18 (Spook Squad 2)

There was a thud, then Rose’s body fell past him, landing in a broken pile at the base of the stairs.

He looked up. Stephan, still in his Byrne disguise, appeared out of the darkness, a laser by his side.

“And the lesson from tonight is never to attack my brother without first looking over your shoulder for me.” He squatted next to Gabriel, eyes grim despite his half-smile. “The bitch didn’t deserve to die so quickly, of course. How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. Help me up.”

“I don’t think that’s a—”

“Damn it, Stephan, don’t argue. Sam needs help.”

“Then let me and Jessie handle it.”

“The way you let the SIU handle this? This is not a responsibility the director should be handling.”

“I’m not here in my capacity as the director.”

“I realize that. Now help me up.”

Stephan gripped his arm and steadied him as he rose. Pain tore across his back. For a minute, it felt as if someone was shoving red-hot pokers into his backbone, clear through to his gut. He hissed and blinked the sweat out of his eyes.

“Brother, you’re useless to everyone like this. Let us handle it.”

“Would you, if it were Lyssa?”

Stephan regarded him steadily. “Lyssa’s my wife. We’re talking about your partner—a woman you’ve been trying to get rid of.”

A woman who was dead if he didn’t get moving. “Yeah. So just shut up and help me down the stairs.”

—

Orrin stepped onto the landing. Sam couldn’t see him; the night hid him as surely as it had hidden her earlier. But she could feel him, feel the stink of his evil.

“I knew you were one of us.” His voice jarred the night, edgy and somehow out of tune with the power that flowed through the darkness.

She backed away from the door. If she could get to the deeper shadows, maybe he’d lose her…

“I can see you, you know. I can see you as clear as day. It’s one of the advantages of our gift.”

“What gift is that, Orrin?” If he could see her, why couldn’t she see him? Why could she only sense him?

“The gift of darkness. The ability to ghost, to become one with the night.”

No mention of the power within the storm. No mention of the firefly dance of energy that could shatter locks as easily as she breathed.

Perhaps Orrin thought to keep it a surprise. Perhaps he didn’t even know about it. There was no way of knowing if her apparent ability to disappear into shadows was in any way linked to his. They might not even be talking about the same type of ability.

But Orrin had come from Hopeworth. The more she delved into her past, the more obvious it was that the military base was her birthplace. The gifts Orrin spoke of were a cousin to her own; of that she was sure.

“Vampires ghost, Orrin, and you’re no vampire.”

The giant walked down the stairs and she backed away, her gaze sweeping the large room, searching desperately for some sort of weapon. It was no use running. Orrin was almost twice her height and would catch her in no time.

“No,” he replied. “But their DNA runs through me. And I will taste your blood before this night is out.”

Like hell he would. Damn it, how close were Briggs and the others? Or Stephan? She still had the earphone on—maybe she should just shout for help. But that would warn Orrin and Rose that the others were out there, and if Orrin’s behavior was anything to go by, that was something they weren’t aware of yet. For Gabriel’s sake, she had to play this solo.

Besides, there was no guarantee that even with the help of Briggs and the others, they’d be able to take the giant out. Not when he had the night as his ally. To be able to shoot someone, you had to be able to see him.