Part 2
"Where the hell is she?" Sharlene looked over her shoulder at the flaming building. How anyone could make it out of there alive was unknown to her, hence the whole point of blowing it up.
"I thought she was with you." Ricco snapped from the passenger seat, straining to look out the window of their getaway car.
"No." Sharlene cursed under her breath as she manoeuvred her car through the stilling traffic in the busy city centre. This was a disaster.
"Do we even know if she made it out the building?" Ricco turned around, shoulders slumping.
Sharlene shrugged. "I don't know. I did my part, we separated from her so she could do hers."
"If Xalaria is dead, then so are we, you know."
"Shut up! It wasn't our fault. We don't know she's dead," Sharlene snapped. How could this have happened? She wanted to prove herself to the council, show them she had what it takes to be an assassin.
The new council head of the Redferns, oldest vampire on record after Hunter Redfern had died seemed distrustful of new recruits.
Sharlene was irritated, but guessed she understood. After all, Hunter's ticket to control to ruling the human world after the millennium battle had turned on him and destroyed him.
So the new Redfern leader had decided to pair her up with Ricco, a made vampire, and his favourite assassin Xalaria Redfern. The task itself was completed successfully, the required targets dead. Only Xalaria was missing.
And if they didn't find her, or have a decent explanation for what had happened to her, then they might as well sat sayonara to any hopes of power.
"How could you let this happen?" Ricco grumbled angrily.
"How could *I*?" Sharlene found herself glaring furiously at the heavy San Francisco traffic. "You're just as responsible as I am." She sighed, coming to a halt in a traffic jam. "Look, for all we know, Xalaria made it out fine. She could have had something else to do afterwards." Though a gnawing at her insides was telling her that was highly unlikely. "Call her cell phone."
Ricco shrugged, and did. After a few minutes he shook his dark head. "Nothing. She's not answering." He left a quick message and hung up.
Sharlene frowned, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. "We have to meet with one of Unas's contacts in an hour." She knew going back to the building so soon after blowing it up would be stupid. The place would be crawling with cops and TV media circuses by now.
She was too tense to want to be sitting still in a traffic jam that wasn't moving an inch right now. The longer she kept still, the more she kept thinking about what would happen to them if Xalaria was really dead.
"Things could brighten up," Ricco said reasonably.
Sharlene snorted, wishing she could share his optimism.
* * *
Neve just couldn't believe her good fortune. It was hard to keep a blank expression and not dance around with wicked joy. Oh, this was good. This was better than good. Xalaria Redfern with amnesia.
"Pinch me, I'm dreaming," she said gleefully, eyes closed. She stood on one of the upper balconies, over looking the pool area of the mansion where most of the Daybreakers staying there were hanging around below, soaking up the desert sun.
"I don't see why you're so thrilled about this."
"Oh don't be a spoil sport." Neve pouted at her partner and co-conspirator Linus Blackthorn, head tilted.
Linus just eyed her critically. "So she has amnesia. What's the big deal here?"
Neve's eyes rolled. Linus was cute, but very dim. He had that blond haired blue eyed All American thing working for him, enhanced with vampiric beauty. He could draw you into him with a simple look, and you'd be hopelessly under his spell. He'd wormed his way into the Night World, as had Neve, both working as spies rather than assassins.
Their task was supposed to be trying to figure out how to bring Circle Daybreak down from within. So far they had come up with very little. Normally, when there were problems with Daybreakers, before Neve could do anything about it, that bitch Xalaria beat her to it.
How was she supposed to claim power if that slut kept getting in the way? So desperate for her name to be known, she'd found herself working for an anonymous figure on the side of her regular job who claimed she was more powerful than the Council or Circle Daybreak together. Now with Xalaria out of the way, it was her ticket to being top for both parties.
Of course, she couldn't tell Linus about her other contact, without breaking privacy agreements. ~Crap~ she thought, knowing she had to tone down her glee.
"I have issues with her," she said finally, watching him for a reaction.
Linus's eyes rolled and he shrugged carelessly. "Whatever." There was a noticeable curling of contempt to his upper lip, and a roll of his eyes. Neve wondered what he meant, but didn't question him. "According to Rashel, she's supposed to be meeting with Thierry later."
"What?" Xalaria was already known and an established threat to the Daybreakers. Once she was recognised, she would be killed. Killed or locked up. Not wandering around where she'd be free to meet with Thierry himself.
"Thierry's supposed to be assessing her mental condition, then coming up with a solution."
Neve shook her head, fury boiling inside her. She had to control herself not to break something, not with all those people down there, where anyone could look up and see her. "That's insane!"
"Rashel's no happier than you are, apparently." Linus was grinning oddly.
"What's so fucking funny?" Neve snapped, glaring at him.
"It's not worth explaining," he said with a snicker. And left her alone.
Neve stared after him in disbelief, not sure what was going on. Her good mood was completely dampened. She scowled, heading down to the gym to work off some of her anger. She just had to think of plan.
* * *
"Where the hell is she?" Sharlene looked over her shoulder at the flaming building. How anyone could make it out of there alive was unknown to her, hence the whole point of blowing it up.
"I thought she was with you." Ricco snapped from the passenger seat, straining to look out the window of their getaway car.
"No." Sharlene cursed under her breath as she manoeuvred her car through the stilling traffic in the busy city centre. This was a disaster.
"Do we even know if she made it out the building?" Ricco turned around, shoulders slumping.
Sharlene shrugged. "I don't know. I did my part, we separated from her so she could do hers."
"If Xalaria is dead, then so are we, you know."
"Shut up! It wasn't our fault. We don't know she's dead," Sharlene snapped. How could this have happened? She wanted to prove herself to the council, show them she had what it takes to be an assassin.
The new council head of the Redferns, oldest vampire on record after Hunter Redfern had died seemed distrustful of new recruits.
Sharlene was irritated, but guessed she understood. After all, Hunter's ticket to control to ruling the human world after the millennium battle had turned on him and destroyed him.
So the new Redfern leader had decided to pair her up with Ricco, a made vampire, and his favourite assassin Xalaria Redfern. The task itself was completed successfully, the required targets dead. Only Xalaria was missing.
And if they didn't find her, or have a decent explanation for what had happened to her, then they might as well sat sayonara to any hopes of power.
"How could you let this happen?" Ricco grumbled angrily.
"How could *I*?" Sharlene found herself glaring furiously at the heavy San Francisco traffic. "You're just as responsible as I am." She sighed, coming to a halt in a traffic jam. "Look, for all we know, Xalaria made it out fine. She could have had something else to do afterwards." Though a gnawing at her insides was telling her that was highly unlikely. "Call her cell phone."
Ricco shrugged, and did. After a few minutes he shook his dark head. "Nothing. She's not answering." He left a quick message and hung up.
Sharlene frowned, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. "We have to meet with one of Unas's contacts in an hour." She knew going back to the building so soon after blowing it up would be stupid. The place would be crawling with cops and TV media circuses by now.
She was too tense to want to be sitting still in a traffic jam that wasn't moving an inch right now. The longer she kept still, the more she kept thinking about what would happen to them if Xalaria was really dead.
"Things could brighten up," Ricco said reasonably.
Sharlene snorted, wishing she could share his optimism.
* * *
Neve just couldn't believe her good fortune. It was hard to keep a blank expression and not dance around with wicked joy. Oh, this was good. This was better than good. Xalaria Redfern with amnesia.
"Pinch me, I'm dreaming," she said gleefully, eyes closed. She stood on one of the upper balconies, over looking the pool area of the mansion where most of the Daybreakers staying there were hanging around below, soaking up the desert sun.
"I don't see why you're so thrilled about this."
"Oh don't be a spoil sport." Neve pouted at her partner and co-conspirator Linus Blackthorn, head tilted.
Linus just eyed her critically. "So she has amnesia. What's the big deal here?"
Neve's eyes rolled. Linus was cute, but very dim. He had that blond haired blue eyed All American thing working for him, enhanced with vampiric beauty. He could draw you into him with a simple look, and you'd be hopelessly under his spell. He'd wormed his way into the Night World, as had Neve, both working as spies rather than assassins.
Their task was supposed to be trying to figure out how to bring Circle Daybreak down from within. So far they had come up with very little. Normally, when there were problems with Daybreakers, before Neve could do anything about it, that bitch Xalaria beat her to it.
How was she supposed to claim power if that slut kept getting in the way? So desperate for her name to be known, she'd found herself working for an anonymous figure on the side of her regular job who claimed she was more powerful than the Council or Circle Daybreak together. Now with Xalaria out of the way, it was her ticket to being top for both parties.
Of course, she couldn't tell Linus about her other contact, without breaking privacy agreements. ~Crap~ she thought, knowing she had to tone down her glee.
"I have issues with her," she said finally, watching him for a reaction.
Linus's eyes rolled and he shrugged carelessly. "Whatever." There was a noticeable curling of contempt to his upper lip, and a roll of his eyes. Neve wondered what he meant, but didn't question him. "According to Rashel, she's supposed to be meeting with Thierry later."
"What?" Xalaria was already known and an established threat to the Daybreakers. Once she was recognised, she would be killed. Killed or locked up. Not wandering around where she'd be free to meet with Thierry himself.
"Thierry's supposed to be assessing her mental condition, then coming up with a solution."
Neve shook her head, fury boiling inside her. She had to control herself not to break something, not with all those people down there, where anyone could look up and see her. "That's insane!"
"Rashel's no happier than you are, apparently." Linus was grinning oddly.
"What's so fucking funny?" Neve snapped, glaring at him.
"It's not worth explaining," he said with a snicker. And left her alone.
Neve stared after him in disbelief, not sure what was going on. Her good mood was completely dampened. She scowled, heading down to the gym to work off some of her anger. She just had to think of plan.
* * *