Midnight's Master (Midnight 3)

Niol headed for the door.

"Don't hurt an innocent, Niol."

Glancing back over his shoulder, he forced a smile. "Love, there aren't any of those left anymore."

Not true.

He was staring straight into the soul of an innocent right then. One who'd never touched evil, well, not until she'd touched him.

Sleeping wasn't an option for her. After Niol left, Holly paced the floor of his house. Upstairs, downstairs, as she went crazy.

She called the hospital to check on Kim. Of course, they told her nothing. Not that she blamed the staff, really. She knew Kim was being protected and information on her had to be kept close to the vest.

Before she and Niol had left the hospital, they'd stopped with Brooks to check on Kim.

Still unconscious and the doctors had no idea when or if she'd wake up.

Holly rubbed her eyes. They were so grainy at this point that they hurt, but she couldn't stop thinking about Niol or about the bastard who'd attacked her.

A man. Tall, broad-shouldered.

But she'd heard a woman's voice calling for help, and Kim had been attacked by a woman.

Holly didn't think for even a moment that the two incidents weren't related. Coincidence-hell, no, she wasn't buying that anymore. So that meant-

Either the woman had hired another guy to do her dirty work for her, a distinct possibility…

Or maybe…just maybe she wasn't looking at a single killer.

Her breath hitched.

A team. She'd seen this before. In her last big murder case, a woman had been helping the killer lure in his victims. They'd been a bloodthirsty team, right until the end-when the male had decided it was time to ditch his partner in crime.

He'd ditched her the nice, old-fashioned way. He'd left her broken body for the police to find.

A team. The more she thought about the idea, the harder her heart pounded.

The shrill ring of her cell phone had Holly jumping. She whirled around and saw her bag on the nearby countertop.

Holly answered on the fifth ring.

"Dammit, Storm, where the hell are you?" Mac's voice.

Her blood chilled. She didn't trust him, not anymore. "I'm resting because it's the middle of the night. Where the hell are you?"

"At Kent Towers downtown. We've got a bomb threat and I need your ass down here to get this story! The idiots from Channel Seven are already on the scene. Ben's on his way but I need you here, Holly."

"Get someone else." Don't trust him. He'd sent her to the house on Nemoy. He'd warned her.

Okay, she was pretty sure he'd threatened her, too.

" There is nobody else. You're the best damned reporter at the station and you know it! Christ, look, I'm sorry for stepping on your toes, earlier, okay? You wanna date the king of all demons-

fine, date the king of all demons. Just get your ass down here!" The scream of a siren sounded in the background. "Fuck, bomb squad is here. I need you. "

He sounded just like the old Mac. Not dark and threatening. Just…Mac.

This is my job.

"They're gonna scoop me, Holly. Come on…"

But I can't take a chance with my life . "I'll be there, but I'm not coming alone." She'd take the guards and they'd better stay close this time.

"Fine-bring a damn entourage, I don't care! Just get your ass over here!"

Click.

Sure didn't sound like a man bent on her death.

Holly grabbed her keys and rushed for the door.

"This is Holly Storm, reporting live from Kent Towers, where bomb squad members have just wrapped up an intensive four-hour search of the building. No bombs were found…" A good thing in her mind. "But investigators aren't closing the case yet. Now their attention will turn to tracking the person who made the false claim." And throwing his ass in jail. "I'll be back with more live news later in the day." When most of the folks would actually be awake . "Back to you in the newsroom, Steve…"

She waited a beat until she got the clear from Ben, then her shoulders dropped.

For the last two hours, she'd been running on fumes. Those fumes were gone now and she'd be crashing in the next half hour.

Where was Niol?

Maybe he'd be back home when she got there.

As long as he's safe.

Mac was gone. He'd cleared out when word had first come down about the hoax. The guy had been assured that he wouldn't be scooped, and, satisfied, he'd taken off.

And left her and Ben to carry the story.

Poor Ben looked like he'd been beat, hard.

But, then again, he had.

"Get some sleep, Holly," he said and she realized she probably looked the same way.

Her side throbbed.

"I'll see you tonight at the station." He dragged his camera away.

Her guards stepped forward.

"Holly!"

She winced at the call, recognizing the voice instantly. Not what I need.

She turned and caught sight of Zack. His face was flushed as he hurried toward her.

"Your mother called and told me what happened-"

Her mother had done what?

"When I found out you were here, I had to come-"

"Give me a minute," she told the guards. Just seeing the man made her head throb.

Some of the other reporters were still around and she sure didn't want them hearing this conversation. The entrance to a parking garage was just a few feet away. She maneuvered Zack that way. The guards could still see her there, but the reporters wouldn't be able to overhear this little talk.

The sun had just begun its ascent and the pink colors from the sky spilled a few steps inside the cavelike entrance of the garage.

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. "You could have been killed."

"But I wasn't." She pushed him away. "Zack, stop doing this, okay? I am not your concern anymore."

A muscle flexed in his jaw. "I want you to be."

The guy was thick. "I'm with someone else now, Zack, and I'm happy with him." True, and that realization stopped her. They were neck-high in trouble, but when she was with Niol, she was…happy.

Well, damn.

"I've met your 'someone else.' He's not right for you." His lips thinned. "He's dead wrong."

"Not your call to make." Holly took a deep breath. "You came. You saw that I was all right.

There's no reason for you to stay here anymore."

"Holly, I-"

"We're over, Zack." Couldn't get clearer than that. Her voice was calm as she said, "Stay away from now on, okay?"

He stared at her. Eyes so intense. "If that's what you really want…"

It was.

"I'm sorry for what happened. Sorrier than I can ever say." He swallowed. "I f**ked up, but I guess-I guess there are some things that can't ever be changed, huh?"