Luther's Return
Page 12
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When a low growl came from Luther, Katie’s gaze instantly shot to him, but already Zane and Amaury were dragging him away.
“Can’t you try, Wes?” Delilah insisted, giving Wesley a pleading look. “Please can’t you find my baby?”
Wes closed his eyes for a moment. “I wish I could help. But there are limits to my craft.”
“Oh no! As a baby she was telepathic, but it went away when she started to speak. I wish she could still communicate with me. Oh, Isabelle, where are you?” A sob tore from Delilah and she buried her head in her son’s chest.
Grayson exchanged a look with his father. “What now, Dad?”
Samson turned to Blake. “I want every one of our men out there looking for Isabelle. Call in anybody who’s on leave. I want every corner of this city searched. Tap into every surveillance camera, every traffic camera, every video feed. I want my daughter found.”
“I’m on it.” Blake nodded, a look of confident determination on his face. He looked at Delilah. “We’ll find her. We’ll get her back. I promise you.”
Then he waved at John, a vampire who’d joined the ranks of Scanguards two years earlier after leaving New Orleans and Cain, the king he’d served for almost two decades. He’d needed a new environment after a tragedy had befallen him, and Samson had provided him with a new home and a new purpose at Scanguards.
“What do you want me to do?” John asked, his southern accent still pronounced.
“Take a couple of men and interrogate the audience and the student actors. I also want all the stage hands and any of the University employees who were on site looked at.”
“You’ve got it,” John answered and walked away.
While Blake issued more orders, Katie squeezed her brother’s hand before releasing it and approaching Samson.
“Samson, I want to help. Please tell me how I can help.”
He glanced at her, giving her only the briefest of looks. “There’s nothing you can do. Scanguards will take care of it.” He turned toward his son and wife. “Where’s Patrick?”
“He’s with Damian and Benjamin.”
Samson nodded. “Join them and make sure everybody gets home safely.”
Katie felt somebody tug at her sleeve and pivoted.
“You should go home, too,” Wesley suggested.
“I can’t, Wes. It’s my fault. I changed roles with Isabelle. I didn’t tell Blake.”
“Go home, Katie,” Samson snapped behind her.
She whirled around and stared into his furious eyes.
“I don’t want to see you right now. Can’t you understand that?” he gritted from between clenched teeth.
Oh God, yes, she understood it. He knew it was her fault, and he was trying hard not to let his anger out on her. She had broken protocol by not telling Blake about the role change so he could adjust his security detail accordingly. It was her fault that there’d been moments where Isabelle hadn’t been guarded.
“I’m so sorry.”
“You heard my father,” Grayson interrupted, a protective arm around his mother’s back. “Leave!”
“Let’s go.” Wesley put his arm around her. “I’ll take you home.”
Reluctantly Katie allowed her brother to lead her toward her dressing room. Out of earshot of the vampires, she stopped and turned toward him.
“Wes, please, I want to help. I feel responsible. If I hadn’t changed roles with Isabelle, she would have been on stage, and maybe this would have never happened.”
“You can’t know that. Whoever took her probably just waited for the right moment.”
“But one of Blake’s men would have been there had he known Isabelle was going to be on her own backstage. I should have told him.” She felt tears well up in her eyes. But she couldn’t cry. Crying meant admitting defeat.
Wes opened the door for her and motioned to the interior. “Get changed. I’ll wait here for you, and then I’ll take you home.”
When the door closed behind her, silence suddenly greeted her. The voices and sounds from the corridor were muffled in the small room. She reached behind her back, trying to find the zipper, but the fabric tightened across her chest, making it impossible for her to reach far enough back to open the dress.
A sob tore from her chest. “Damn dress!” she cursed.
Frustrated, she ripped the door open. “I can’t get this stupid dress off,” she wailed at Wes who stood there.
“Oh, Katie,” he murmured, reaching his arms out to her.
“Can’t you try, Wes?” Delilah insisted, giving Wesley a pleading look. “Please can’t you find my baby?”
Wes closed his eyes for a moment. “I wish I could help. But there are limits to my craft.”
“Oh no! As a baby she was telepathic, but it went away when she started to speak. I wish she could still communicate with me. Oh, Isabelle, where are you?” A sob tore from Delilah and she buried her head in her son’s chest.
Grayson exchanged a look with his father. “What now, Dad?”
Samson turned to Blake. “I want every one of our men out there looking for Isabelle. Call in anybody who’s on leave. I want every corner of this city searched. Tap into every surveillance camera, every traffic camera, every video feed. I want my daughter found.”
“I’m on it.” Blake nodded, a look of confident determination on his face. He looked at Delilah. “We’ll find her. We’ll get her back. I promise you.”
Then he waved at John, a vampire who’d joined the ranks of Scanguards two years earlier after leaving New Orleans and Cain, the king he’d served for almost two decades. He’d needed a new environment after a tragedy had befallen him, and Samson had provided him with a new home and a new purpose at Scanguards.
“What do you want me to do?” John asked, his southern accent still pronounced.
“Take a couple of men and interrogate the audience and the student actors. I also want all the stage hands and any of the University employees who were on site looked at.”
“You’ve got it,” John answered and walked away.
While Blake issued more orders, Katie squeezed her brother’s hand before releasing it and approaching Samson.
“Samson, I want to help. Please tell me how I can help.”
He glanced at her, giving her only the briefest of looks. “There’s nothing you can do. Scanguards will take care of it.” He turned toward his son and wife. “Where’s Patrick?”
“He’s with Damian and Benjamin.”
Samson nodded. “Join them and make sure everybody gets home safely.”
Katie felt somebody tug at her sleeve and pivoted.
“You should go home, too,” Wesley suggested.
“I can’t, Wes. It’s my fault. I changed roles with Isabelle. I didn’t tell Blake.”
“Go home, Katie,” Samson snapped behind her.
She whirled around and stared into his furious eyes.
“I don’t want to see you right now. Can’t you understand that?” he gritted from between clenched teeth.
Oh God, yes, she understood it. He knew it was her fault, and he was trying hard not to let his anger out on her. She had broken protocol by not telling Blake about the role change so he could adjust his security detail accordingly. It was her fault that there’d been moments where Isabelle hadn’t been guarded.
“I’m so sorry.”
“You heard my father,” Grayson interrupted, a protective arm around his mother’s back. “Leave!”
“Let’s go.” Wesley put his arm around her. “I’ll take you home.”
Reluctantly Katie allowed her brother to lead her toward her dressing room. Out of earshot of the vampires, she stopped and turned toward him.
“Wes, please, I want to help. I feel responsible. If I hadn’t changed roles with Isabelle, she would have been on stage, and maybe this would have never happened.”
“You can’t know that. Whoever took her probably just waited for the right moment.”
“But one of Blake’s men would have been there had he known Isabelle was going to be on her own backstage. I should have told him.” She felt tears well up in her eyes. But she couldn’t cry. Crying meant admitting defeat.
Wes opened the door for her and motioned to the interior. “Get changed. I’ll wait here for you, and then I’ll take you home.”
When the door closed behind her, silence suddenly greeted her. The voices and sounds from the corridor were muffled in the small room. She reached behind her back, trying to find the zipper, but the fabric tightened across her chest, making it impossible for her to reach far enough back to open the dress.
A sob tore from her chest. “Damn dress!” she cursed.
Frustrated, she ripped the door open. “I can’t get this stupid dress off,” she wailed at Wes who stood there.
“Oh, Katie,” he murmured, reaching his arms out to her.
