"You didn't see his eyes. I swear he's just on the edge of proclaiming himself king of the world. He thinks he owns us, Luk."

"You know he doesn't."

"Yeah, well, he wouldn't agree. And I do worry about you, every day. He knew exactly where to hurt me. You and my father are the only family I have. He knows me, Luka, like no one should. I can't decide how to proceed from here."

"Let's talk to the captain."

"No, not yet. Not until I figure some things out. Please don't go to him, Luka. Give me time to investigate this guy."

"We have to let the department know what happened to you."

"We will. Just follow my lead. After we're finished, you can take me to the station and we'll check in with the captain."

Luka shook his head. "Okay, you can drive this thing, but if I suspect that you're pulling all of this just to protect me, I'm going to speak up. I have to protect you as much as you feel you have to protect me. Let me call in and see if I can find out anything about your girl."

"d.a.m.n, I hope I'm wrong." Mal looked out of the window at the burgeoning traffic as people headed to work. It all seemed so normal. Looking back into Luka's eyes, she sighed. "But I don't think I am."

Mal took a long sip from her second cup of coffee, hot and steaming, as she watched Luka. His face was stern through the entire conversation on his cell phone, his expression unchanging as he thanked someone, then turned it off and laid it on the tabletop.

"f.u.c.k," he swore softly.

Shaking her head, Mal dropped her eyes and stared at the bubbles on top of the slick black liquid.

"How?"

"Hit and run. Two nights ago. No one saw the vehicle. G.o.d, Mal, I'm sorry. She was just trying to do the right thing."

Mal stood, downed her coffee and dropped her cup back onto the table with a bang. "We both know that usually doesn't turn out right. I'm ready, Luka, take me in. And just back me up. You don't know any details anyway, so you'll be in compliance. You didn't see who hit you, did you?"

"No. One minute I was chomping on that hot dog, and the next thing I knew, you were gone and I was freaking out. I was worried to death, Mal, that I'd lost you. I gotta say that last night was one of the worst nights of my life."

"Ah, that's sweet, don't make me hurt you." But she could see by his expression that Luka really was terrified and was barely past the fear of potentially losing her. She got it, she felt the same way about him, but neither one of them had ever really verbalized how much they cared about the other.

"I'm really okay, Luka. And I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to get that motherf.u.c.ker."

Luka nodded and stood. "Let's go, then."

The Captain was relieved, but he tried not to show how much. The second he saw Luka leading Mal to his office, he laid the cell phone in his hand on his desk, and breathed a sigh of relief. G.o.d, he hated the thought of losing an officer. Any officer. But Mal was special. He'd known her father most of his career and she was like a second daughter (she didn't know that.) He watched her greeting other detectives as she made her way past them, stoic, a tight smile, hurried.

It made him grin. The girl was an excellent detective, but she just couldn't connect with people on a personal level. The girl had always played everything close to the vest.

All he cared about right now was that she was alive and seemed to be okay. As she entered his office, he nodded and tried to remain professional.

"Detective. I'm grateful to see you back. Are you all right?"

"Yes, sir, I'm fine."

"Please, have a seat and fill me in on what happened."

"Yes, sir."

Mal sat in the chair to the Captain's right, and Luka stayed close, taking the one to the left. They were attached at the hip, so that didn't surprise him.

"You don't need to be checked out?"

"No, I'm okay. Whoever this was, they didn't hurt me, sir."

"Do you know who kidnapped you?"

"No. All I know is that at the end of our surveillance last night, Luka and I were attacked. We were both knocked out. I didn't see who attacked us and Luka didn't either. I woke up this morning on Pigeon Beach. They must have kept me knocked out and just dumped me. That's all, sir. I really have no idea who did this or what they wanted. Well, other than to stop the surveillance, I think that's obvious."

"You do?" Captain Kordalis looked from Mal to Luka and back to Mal. "That's all you know?"

Mal shrugged her shoulders and lifted her eyebrows. "Yeah, that's it. I guess my job's cut out for me now. If you'll let Luka take me home to clean up and get into proper work attire, I'll be back to begin the investigation."

"You were unconscious the entire time?"

"Yes, sir, I was."

Nodding, the Captain stood. "Then Luka, you'll take her to Mercy to have her checked over. No complaints, detective. You've been unconscious in the hands of G.o.d knows who. They could have done anything they wanted to you. You're getting a physical. Luka, take her right now. That's an order."

Luka stood and opened the door. "Mal? Let's go."

Mal stayed in front of the Captain's desk for several long seconds. She had a lot to say and knew not one word would make a difference. So she turned and followed Luka from the office.

Back out in the morning sunshine, she whispered, "f.u.c.k." The only thing she hated worse than blind dates and lame bars was the hospital.

The department was hustling, as usual for a Friday afternoon, the noise level was such that Mal looked around at all of the noisemakers and tried to figure out how to shut them all the f.u.c.k up so she could hear herself think. Nothing came to mind.

She was used to the caterwauling, but today her attention and efforts were on ten things at once and she was succeeding at none of them.

Looking up at Luka, his face buried in his computer screen, she sighed. "Let's get out of here. I'm not finding anything helpful."

"I may have. Look, this guy, Lawrence Canzone, he's one of the two guys you mentioned on Berenstein's list. I finally found a photo. Take a look."

Mal had been searching for photos of Canzone for two days now since her abduction and she surged out of her chair to join Luka in front of his monitor. Freezing in her steps, her eyes locked on the screen, she nodded.

"f.u.c.k, Luka. That's him." For the next thirty seconds, she just stared at the face that seemed to be staring back at her. Then her eyes bounced back to Luka's.

"He looks so nice. Bright smile, clean shaven, expensive business suit, like your favorite uncle. Only he kidnaps kids and sells them overseas. And sells drugs to the ones he leaves behind. And, oh yeah, feels comfortable with abducting an L.A. police officer and threatening her with rape and murder. Yeah, nice guy."

"L.A.'s Businessman of the Year," Luka chided. "There's an address."

He just let that comment lay there, and watched as Mal walked back to her desk and dropped into her seat. Her head downcast, her hands clutched in fists at her side, Mal was lost in contemplation. Eventually, Luka cleared his throat.

"What do you think? Do we confront him?"

Mal didn't answer at first, then finally raised her eyes.

"I don't know. He's too dangerous. At the same time, I can't be responsible for something happening to you or my father."

"d.a.m.n it, Mal, you aren't responsible for either of us. I say we go and let him know he has no power and that we're watching him. He'll have the entire L.A. police force to deal with, not just you and me. If nothing else, the abduction of an L.A. detective, and the a.s.sault on another one should keep him behind bars for a while until we can find other avenues."

"There's no evidence."

"There will be. Mal, if you decide to do this, we need to read the Captain in."

"I know." Mal's mind reeled. She'd been over and over this scenario since she woke that morning on the beach and realized the scope of the concern. She meant it when she told Luka that she believed, without doubt, that this man would follow through on his threats. He'd smiled charmingly at her, and praised her, with stone cold eyes.

Yet, she was certain that a man of that caliber, with the possibilities of his past, current, and future transgressions, should not be allowed to continue. He needed to be stopped, h.e.l.l be d.a.m.ned! She would just have to find a way to protect her own.

"Okay. Let's go see him."

"Detective Kalani, you are riding on thin rails. I can't believe you didn't fully disclose this abduction. I don't give a f.u.c.k what your reasons are, they are irrelevant. Your choices affect everyone in this department, officer. You've endangered yourself and your partner."

"Sir, I was a.s.sessing the situation and trying to find a viable solution..."

"You were managing the situation, and that isn't your job. That's mine!"

Mal started to open her mouth, looked at Luka, who gave her the round-eyed what-the-f.u.c.k look, and she closed it again. The captain was right.

"I'm sorry, sir, you're completely right. I apologize. The entire thing left me feeling responsible for everyone, especially my C.I."

"That wasn't your fault, you know that? I know a little about this man. He's been on the radar for years, but nothing has ever stuck. The fact that Berenstein does work for him might have helped us to track something, but that isn't happening now. You screwed up, Mal."

"I did, sir."

"Okay. Now we just have to fix this. I'll put a team on Canzone, but you and Luka, you're out of this."

"Sir..."

"You are out of this. Both of you." He paused. "Don't you both have some vacation time you need to take?"

"We do, sir," Luka answered, before Mal could cut him off.

"Fine. You're out of here. I have a beach house in Tremont. It's a small town just south of the city, and the house is right on the ocean. It isn't too big but it's really nice. My father left it to me and my brothers. You're both going to go there, tonight, and stay out of contact. Let me find out what kind of threat this man really is."

"He's a serious threat, Captain. I really need to be..."

"Detective, you are going to be lounging in a chair by the ocean. Any more concerns, write them down in a note and send them to me. If you want to use perfume, I like the scent of Gardenias. Here's the address and the key. Luka, make sure she complies. If she doesn't, let me know."

"I promise, sir. We can use the break, anyway."

"Good." Captain Kordalis's eyes went to Mal's. "I mean that, Mal. Have a good time."

With a sharp nod, Mal pushed Luka out of the room ahead of her. The Captain watched her smack him on the arm as they retreated through the office. He smiled, but then turned away and picked up the phone. This was much more serious than Mal had any idea. Canzone was on the top of his list. Had been for over ten years. He was brutal and, so far, untouchable.

Mal was right. Canzone would move h.e.l.l and earth to get her if he was inclined. And it seemed like he was. f.u.c.k!

Chapter 5.

What affected Ahmose the most was the quiet. Yes, the ocean rolled outside of the house, and when the surf was up, it could be quite loud, but it was a whisper compared to the roar of the waterfalls that surrounded the village back home. Add to that the constant chatter of his beloved friends and family, and it made solitude almost impossible. Here, he could hear his thoughts without the ceaseless interruptions of daily living. It was exactly what he needed before the next child arrived.

He treasured his life and those he loved. He had been blessed beyond measure by the universe and Mother Earth. His family, his people, happy and well. Starla was nearly the perfect woman, except that she'd chosen Jacob over him, and that was okay too, because Ahmose admitted...he loved the man, too.

But these moments in this isolated place, where he could sink into himself, be perfectly self-aware, self-serving, for just these few days, these he would treasure too. This time alone provided better healing than all of the first blood magics in the world. It was just that, with lives so long, there were moments when one just needed an escape. This, then, now, unexpected grace...was his moment of escape. It didn't mean he did not love his life...it meant he loved it enough to, finally, take a moment to take care of himself.

Lying on a long chair made of some type of ingenious plastic that was incredibly comfortable, Ahmose watched huge white clouds slowly sail past as the sun dropped low enough for a child of the moon to step outside. His limited tolerance of ultraviolet allowed these moments that were dangerous for the children of the sun. In Zambia, because of the errant and lush forest they lived inside, this openness was rare, and he scanned from right to left in appreciation for the wide vistas and visible sh.o.r.eline. A bottle of local wine sat, half empty, on the gla.s.s-topped table beside him.

A breeze picked up his hair, which he'd left unbound. Even clothing was too oppressive, so he wore nothing at all as he stood and watched the distant waterline eat up the sun. Draining a gla.s.s of wine, he set the fragile stemware on the railing of the balcony and leaned into the breeze that had been increasing all evening.

"I should feel guilty," Ahmose said out loud suddenly.

He didn't. He had always been there for his people, always would be, but one thing that he had learned from his new brother, Koen, was that you must make time to be happy. This, this strange vacation from his life...made him happy.

The night was as perfect as any back home, but the open vista of sky and sea beckoned, and he set the wine gla.s.s back on the table. A long leisurely swim was what he needed right now, so he hurled over the side of the balcony, the 20 foot drop nothing for a vampire, and enjoyed every footfall in the soft sand as he walked from the house into the warm Pacific waters. The movement of the waves against his skin felt like soft fingers caressing him, and he closed his eyes to imagine a sensuous woman attached to those fingers. s.e.x was essential to vampires, and particularly to one as powerful and masculine as Ahmose, but he had found little satisfaction since his destiny had manifested by making him a father but not a mate.

He was creating the beautiful first blood children that his destiny had promised, but not with the mate he had expected. He had hoped to find the mother of his children and a woman to love.

Watching Starla's pa.s.sion with Jacob made it more difficult to accept this odd turn of fate, but one cannot question the universe. It gives its gifts as it sees fit and he knew that there was order in the events. Now, what he needed was the solitude he had found here. He would ask nothing else of the universe at this moment.

With the stars and the moon above, warm buoyant waters beneath him, Ahmose felt at one with the Mother, a sacred relationship that meant everything to him. Yet it had been strained for some time now, and he had been terrified he may never get it back. The relationship with the living planet was the tie that bound everything in his life together and if it had become irreparably broken, he would not be able to be ruler of the children of the moon. The Mother only knew what would happen with the children's destiny if that were to occur. He could not let it be so.

Now, though, calm, content, he felt the tethers reconnecting to his history, to the Mother, to the moon, and thought that mayhap he need not worry...it would all be good in the end.

The swim finished, he felt incredibly energized. As he walked from the sea, his c.o.c.k began to fill. After all, he was vampire and the thing had a mind of its own. Perhaps he would visit one of the local establishments for socialization and seek a companion for the night. He had in mind a lovely blonde with a full, luscious figure. It had been too long. He slid his hand down the insistent organ.

"All right, all right, perhaps tonight," he promised it and himself.

After he finished this time of self-indulgence, he needed to check in at home, and then he wanted to continue to search for Lamont and Claude. Their organization had to be destroyed, quickly and to a devastating degree, so that it could not rise again. He would not stop until the threat to his family and friends was eliminated.

An oversized thick towel lay over a strangely shaped chair and he grabbed it to dry off. His eyes moved to the magnificent body of water, and watched the moon bounce its light in millions of fractures, sparkling off of the undulating waves. Nothing more than the sounds of the waves rolling onto the sh.o.r.e interrupted his serenity.

G.o.d, this was heaven.

Once he'd stopped the worst of the dripping, he threw the towel back onto the chair to dry and started back up to the house. Realizing he was hungry, he would get something before he headed out to find his company. His hand lingering on his c.o.c.k, which was serious about its attention, his eyes were drawn to the road, where an odd sound and some movement caught his eye. It was prudent to make sure he was secure, so he headed towards it to check it out before he went back to the beach house. He was still naked, but nudity did not concern him.

Behind a row of low bushes, Cheeto smacked Moonpie in the mouth.

"What the f.u.c.k?" Moonpie yelled as loud as possible while trying to whisper.

"Look, he heard you. I told you not to answer your f.u.c.king cell. Now, he's coming."