"It doesn't matter," Sean insisted. "Those damned Scotsmen inside will know where she is."
Emma sighed. What if Angus was in there? What if he greeted her by name? She watched as Garrett approached the front door. "They have a camera there. They'll see him."
"Stop whining. It's bad enough Alyssa already left town. Now I'm stuck with just you."
Sean motioned her to follow, then darted across the street. He stopped behind a tan SUV parked in front of the black Lexus.
Emma joined him. "They probably have us outnumbered."
Sean glanced over his shoulder at her. "I detect a lack of enthusiasm on your part."
"I'm fine. All revved up." Should she confess that she knew Angus before it was too late?
"You have the silver?"
"Yes, handcuffs and chains in my backpack." Only two handcuffs since Angus had broken the third, but Emma doubted this mission would succeed to the point they even needed the silver.
Sean reached behind his back for his revolver. "I'm going to enjoy shooting them full of holes."
A loud bang echoed as Garrett swung the battering ram into the front door.
Emma gasped. A body had suddenly appeared on the front steps behind Garrett. A youthful-looking vampire in a red and navy plaid kilt. He clobbered Garrett with the hilt of his sword, and their teammate crumpled onto the porch. The battering ram fell by the door.
"Dammit!" Sean dashed across the back end of the SUV. Emma followed, but screeched to a halt when the blunt end of a claymore crashed down on Sean's head. Another Scotsman had been waiting on the other side of the SUV for them to pass by. Sean's unconscious body fell to the sidewalk in front of her, and the Scotsman flipped his claymore so the sharp end now pointed at her.
She stepped back. An arm seized her from behind and yanked her back against a hard body.
"Umph." Her head snapped back against a man's shoulder.
A deep voice whispered softly in her ear. "Do we need to knock ye out, too, Emma?"
"Angus." His voice tickled the hairs on her neck and sent gooseflesh down her arms. She didn't know whether to melt against him or elbow him in the ribs.
"Ah, lass." His chin nestled against her temple. "What are ye doing here?"
"What will you do with them?" Emma noted the youthful-looking vampire binding Garrett's wrists and ankles with duct tape. "Please don't hurt them."
"Bugger," Angus growled. He took Emma by the shoulders and turned her to face him.
"How many times must I say that we doona wish to harm ye?"
She searched his deep green eyes and could detect only frustration. "You knocked them out."
"Self-protection," muttered the Scotsman who was wrapping duct tape around Sean's ankles. "Why were ye attacking us?"
"Sean just found out about his daughter's pregnancy. Surely you can understand how upset that made him."
The Scotsman straightened and gave Angus a questioning look.
"Call Shanna," Angus ordered. "See if she wants to talk to him."
The Scotsman nodded. Stepping away, he pulled a cell phone from his sporran.
"Who is he?" Emma whispered.
"Connor Buchanan." Angus gestured toward Garrett. "The young-looking one is Ian MacPhie. They know who ye are."
Angus reached behind her back and confiscated her weapon. "Shame on ye, Emma." He dropped her pistol into his sporran. "I thought we were friends."
Heat rushed to her face, and she shoved the memory of his kiss away. "When I'm working with the Stake-Out team, I'm the enemy."
She instantly regretted her words. The tinge of pain in his eyes meant she had hurt him. His large hand curled around her arm, just above the elbow, and she swallowed hard. What was he going to do with her?
Connor walked toward them, dropping his cell phone in his sporran. "Shanna wants to see her father. She can be at Romatech in five minutes. Dougal's already there."
"Teleport Whelan there while he's still unconscious," Angus ordered. "Keep him bound, and doona take yer eyes off him."
Connor nodded. "I can handle him." He leaned over and swooshed Sean's limp body onto his shoulder with an ease that made Emma's mouth drop open. Were female vampires that strong, too? Connor vanished, taking Sean Whelan with him. Emma blinked at the blank space. "How does he know where he's going?"
"Connor teleports to Romatech every night." Angus ushered her onto the sidewalk. "The journey is embedded in his psychic memory."
Emma allowed Angus to escort her toward the townhouse. What else could she do? If she ran away, he'd catch up with her in a second. But the scariest part of this wasn't him. It was a growing desire inside her to surrender completely. "What will you do with Garrett?"
Ian was examining Garrett's wallet and pulled out his driver's license. "I could just take him home."
Angus nodded. "Fair enough. If I remember correctly, this one has verra little psychic power. Erase his memory of us."
"Will do." Ian scooped up Garrett's body and strode toward the black sedan.
"Why erase his memory?" Emma winced as she watched Garrett getting tossed like a sack of potatoes into the backseat of the Lexus. "Sean will just retrain him."
"And that will keep him busy for a while." Angus released her and climbed the stairs to the front door. "We have bigger problems than the CIA to deal with right now."
"Like what?" She glanced back to see Ian driving off with Garrett.
Angus picked up the battering ram and examined it. "I suppose we could use this, though teleporting is much easier." He punched some numbers on the keypad by the front door, then opened it. He set the battering ram inside, then turned toward Emma with a questioning look.
She wondered what to do. She could walk away and hope to never see him again. That would be safe… and painful. Or she could venture inside and be alone with Angus MacKay.
A sad, resigned look settled on his face. "I understand if ye wish to leave. 'Tis for the best, most likely."
Since when had she done what was best for her? Ever since her parents' murders, she'd taken one risk after another. But somehow, Angus MacKay didn't seem like a risk. At least not a physical one. With him, it was her heart that was in danger.
She went up one step. Then another.
His sad expression took on a look of wonder. She felt it, too, as if she and Angus were alone in the world with a mysterious force drawing them together.
Her heart pounded in her ears. What was she doing? The heat between them would be too hard to resist. She'd end up in his arms again. Did she really want that? She paused at the doorway, giving him a wary look.
He arched a brow. "Is this another date?"
With a lift of her chin, she entered the townhouse. "I'm only here for the information I can learn." She winced when the door banged shut behind her. She turned in time to see him flipping the locks. "I reserve the right to leave whenever I wish."
"Of course ye do." A corner of his mouth tilted up. "Would ye like something to eat or drink? I'm feeling a bit peckish myself."
The minute Sean Whelan regained consciousness, he focused on self-control. No movement whatsoever to indicate he was awake. He kept his eyes shut, his body relaxed, his head slumped forward, but his senses alert. He appeared to be tied to a chair, a hard wooden one, he guessed by the slats pressing into the small of his back. The slight whir of air conditioning proved he was indoors. Footsteps paced behind him, steps made on a hard floor. Heavy steps, most probably made by one of those damned Scottish vampires. Sean didn't dare send out psychic probes to read his captor's mind. A vampire would feel it and know his victim was awake. Sean listened to the pacing till he had a feel for the rhythm. Then he waited for the pacer to reach his farthest point to the left, a time when the pacer would have his back turned. Then Sean strained at the bindings on his wrists. No luck. Too tight. His ankles, too. He leaned forward as if his unconscious body was about to tumble on the floor, but ropes across his chest restrained him. The Scottish bastard had tied him to the chair.