Phineas was shaking. "Oh my God, man, I think I killed her."
"What?"
Phineas's face crumpled. "I didn't mean to. She was just so hot. And I lost control. I'm not used to being like this—"
Angus shook him. "What did ye do?"
Tears ran down Phineas's face. "I know it's the number one rule, but I lost control."
A chill skittered through Angus. "Ye bit her?"
"I didn't mean to! God, I'm afraid I killed her."
Angus slammed him against the wall. "Ye killed Emma?"
Phineas blinked. "No, man. I think I killed Tina."
CHAPTER 18
Angus stared at his new employee as relief washed through him. Phineas hadn't bitten Emma. She wasn't dead. At least, not yet. "Where is Emma? She should be with you."
A door nearby opened. "Woo-hoo, Dr. Phang!" A blonde dressed in a lacy black teddy leaned against the doorframe. "When do I get my turn?"
Angus recognized her as one of the silly mortal women he'd met a few nights ago. Either Lindsey or Tina, he couldn't remember which.
Her eyes widened. "Oh, I remember you. You're the gay Irish guy. If you're still looking for Austin, you're out of luck. There's some kind of foreign princess hiding out in his place."
"Get back inside and shut the door," Angus ordered.
The blonde huffed. "You are so rude. And you're like totally wasting your time with Dr. Phang. He's a ladies' man. In fact, he was so good with Tina, she's still unconscious."
"Inside!" Angus shouted.
"Creep!" She slammed the door.
It was all becoming clear to Angus. His new employee had been busy tupping Tina when Emma decided to leave. Angus grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him against the wall.
"Ye left yer post."
"I—" Phineas winced. "It was just for a few minutes. Emma was okay with it." He glanced at Austin's apartment. "Ask her. She'll tell you. Everything's cool. Except for Tina. She's looking kinda bad."
Angus stepped closer and gritted his teeth. His fist twisted Phineas's shirt. "Ye left yer post. I've seen soldiers killed for that."
Phineas gulped. "I'm sorry, man. It won't happen again."
"What's up?" Gregori sauntered down the hall toward them.
Angus released Phineas and turned toward Gregori. "Where the hell have ye been? Have ye seen Emma?"
"No, she's with—" Gregori gave Phineas a worried look. "I was parking the car. What happened?"
"Emma is gone." Angus bit out the words.
"What?" Phineas glanced at Austin's apartment. "She was just here a few minutes ago.
How'd she get away?"
Angus seized him by the neck. "She got away because ye left yer post!"
"Whoa!" Gregori grabbed Angus's arm. "Easy, Mongo. Relax! We'll find her."
Angus released Phineas and took a deep breath. "I'll deal with this later. I have to find her. She's headed to Hudson River Park."
"Great! You know where she's going." Gregori gave him an encouraging smile. "It'll be fine. I'll drive you."
"Nay. I'll call her and teleport." Angus reached in his sporran for his cell phone.
"Gregori, I need ye to clean up the mess Phineas made." He glared at his rookie employee.
Phineas winced and rubbed his throat. "I'm really sorry, man. Tina was just so hot. I didn't mean to hurt her."
Gregori frowned at Phineas. "You hurt her? Where is she?"
"In here." Phineas shoved open the door to Tina's apartment.
Lindsey squealed and jumped back. Phineas led Gregori inside while Angus remained in the hall, calling Emma on his cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Emma!" Relief flooded him so strongly, he stumbled back a step. "Keep talking. I'll teleport to you."
"Not now," she whispered. "I'm in a taxi."
"Ye think I care?"
"I care. I don't want to be in a wreck. I'll call you as soon as I get to the park. Give me your number."
He did. "The devil take it, Emma. I told ye to stay hidden."
"I'll be fine. I'll call you soon." She hung up.
Stubborn woman. Muttering a curse, he punched in Robby's number.
"Aye?"
"Robby, I want ye and Jack to go to Hudson River Park, to the area around the heliport."
"What's going on?" Robby asked. "Connor called and said something was wrong, but he dinna know what."
"The Malcontents may have murdered some mortals. Emma's on her way there." Angus gritted his teeth. "Alone."
"We're on our way." Robby rang off.
Cursing some more, Angus strode into Tina's apartment. Lindsey was hovering by a doorway, trembling.
"Excuse me." He slipped past her.
She jumped back with a squeal. "There's blood on her neck!"
Tina was sprawled on the bed. Phineas was tugging a sheet up to her chin.
"Good news," Gregori said. "She's alive."
"Aye." Angus frowned at the twin punctures on her neck. "I can still hear her heart beating."
"You can?" Phineas gazed at Tina, confused.
Angus gave his rookie an irritated look. "Ye have a lot to learn, lad." He turned to Gregori. "Teleport her to Romatech for a transfusion, then bring her back."
"I'm on it," Gregori assured him. "Were you able to reach Emma?"
"Aye—" Angus stopped talking when Lindsey leaped into the room, waving a foot-long, plaster Celtic cross in front of her.
"Begone, you demons!" She aimed the cross at each of them. "Go back to hell where you belong!"
Angus sighed. "And when ye're done," he continued to talk to Gregori, "be sure to erase their memory."
"What?" Lindsey shook her cross like it might be broken. "Why didn't it work? Aren't you guys like vampires or something?"
Gregori motioned for Phineas to pick Tina up. "Let's get going."
"Where are you taking her?" Lindsey dropped the cross and fell to her knees. "Oh my God. You're going to change her into a vampire, too. She'll be young and hot forever."
Her face brightened, and she jumped to her feet. "Sign me up!"
Angus shook his head as he left the room. "The vampire world could never survive you two."
The police had cordoned off the entrance to the heliport, so Emma asked the cabbie to drop her off nearby. She wove through the noisy crowd, headed for the nearest police officer. She fished in her tote bag for her ID badge. Her hand grazed her cell phone, and she considered calling Angus, but there were too many people jammed together for him to teleport there safely or unnoticed. She located her ID and showed it to those who remained stubbornly in her way.
"Excuse me. Homeland Security." That usually got people out of the way. She finally made it to the crime scene tape and a police officer. She flashed her badge and shouted to be heard over the noise. "I need to see the bodies!"
"You'll have to talk to the captain first." The officer pointed at a man in a trench coat about a hundred yards away, next to an ambulance. Two medics were loading a gurney with a body bag. Emma ducked under the tape and strode toward the captain. She'd gotten about ten yards when another officer yelled at her to stop.
She raised her badge. "Homeland Security."
After another fifty yards, she passed by a police car. She narrowed her eyes against the glare of its flashing lights.
A uniformed officer stepped away from the car to block her path. "This is a crime scene."
She lifted her badge. "Homeland—" She gasped when he seized her upper arms. "This will be a very bad crime scene."
A Russian accent. She'd caught it too late. Stunned, she gazed into Alek's face. The flashing red and yellow lights made his smile look evil.
"Do you like my costume? The officer no longer needs it." He tilted his head toward the car. It was difficult to see with the strobe lights flashing in her eyes, but Emma spotted a man in the front seat, his head twisted at a bizarre angle. Without warning, she rammed her knee into Alek's groin.