She pulled her hand away from his chest. "Do you have any idea who your rival might be? Who would want you dead?"
"No," Joseph said. "Don't know where to find him, either. Unlike some people I know, we don't run around with tracking devices taped to our chests."
Six narrowed her eyes. "And are you certain you know nothing else about the organization that tried to hire you? You seemed knowledgeable enough about Chenglei's circumstances. You could have told the police."
"Who would have believed me? Besides, I had no names, no proof, no locations. No desire to get involved. I didn't think, ever, that they would find someone to take my place. I can't even imagine how they managed it the first time. Discovering what I could do was supposedly an accident."
"I don't believe in accidents," Six said. "Especially those that happen twice in a row. They knew how to find you."
"I agree," Joseph said. "I can only think that the vampires told them."
"And how would they know?"
"They know. I get around. That must be why they infected Chenglei. Because they knew I would answer his request for a meeting. Easy target."
"So you hunt these creatures."
"The ones who aren't careful. You would be amazed at how many of them work in hospitals, around the dying. It's easy for them to siphon off energy there. Patients are already weak. Problem is, with a vampire around, there's no chance of getting stronger."
"And no one notices? No one sees them for what they are?"
"Why would they? They usually look exactly like you and me. Shifting as they have, in front of us and in public, is extremely rare."
"They did it for a reason, then. To make a point."
"That they're not afraid of being caught?"
"No," she said softly, clarity becoming instinct, fear. "Because they are not afraid of people knowing they exist."
Joseph sucked in a quick breath. "They have a reason not to care anymore."
Six imagined the temperature dropped. It was a good reflection of the way she felt—cold, so cold—and she found herself speaking secrets, things she should not say, because in her gut she knew Joseph was the man who would understand.
She leaned close. "We were warned something was going to happen. The government intercepted a message, a death, but it made no sense. Only we knew it was related to terrorist activity in the region, a new cell that we have been unable to track except through remote contacts, like Chenglei."
"It's the holiday," Joseph said urgently, voice dropping into a hush. "There's no better time."
"But what do those creatures receive from the bargain? Freedom? People to feed upon? And where do you come in? Why pass on your name, if that is what happened? Why ally themselves with a group that would hire someone who hunts and murders their own kind?"
"I don't know," Joseph said grimly. "But we don't have much time to find out. A day at the most."
"Why a day?"
Joseph hesitated. "Because after that, you'll start changing."
Six forgot how to breathe. "You said you could help me."
"Yes, but—" Joseph's voice was cut off by the loud wail of a siren. They turned, but Six already knew what she would see. She recognized the sound. And for the first time in a long while, she was not happy to hear it.
A black Audi with military plates pulled to a quick stop beside them. There were two women in the front seat. Familiar faces.
Joseph murmured, "How?"
Six looked at him. "I did not."
The women got out of the car. Slow and easy, as graceful as wolves. Taller than Six, though just as lean. Hard eyes, thin mouths, street clothes that were plain and cheap.
"Ying," Six said to the woman on the left, who had a thin scar tracing the edge of her lip. She glanced right, to her companion, the prettier of the two. "Xiu."
"Six," they said in unison, and she could not help but feel a thread of unease pass through her heart. It startled her, that emotion; she could not understand it, not when she had known these women almost her entire life.
Six found herself edging in front of Joseph. "How did you find me?"
Xiu stopped. "Luck."
"Accident," Ying added.
"Of course, now that we've found you—" Xiu said.
"— we have some questions," Ying finished.
No, Six protested silently. Not yet. Time is running out.
But she said nothing, and listened to Joseph sigh.
Chapter 4
Joseph had never thought much about what it would mean to spend time in a Chinese prison, but now that he was actually in one, he really did not know what all the fuss was about. The cell might not be all that clean, but there was a toilet and a bed—albeit, without a mattress—and while the naked springs were rather tough on his spine, at least he was there alone and not in any danger of becoming a poor man's version of some Brokeback bitch. Although a drink would be nice.
He also wanted to see Six. He worried about her. It surprised him, just how much he worried. Out on the street, at the moment of their separation, he had felt inside her a terrible uncertainty. A lack of faith—not in him, but in the people she worked with. She was afraid of losing something, something no one else would understand, and that uneasiness had filled him, as well—though for a different reason entirely. He had, after all, been the one associating with a known terrorist flunky. That, and they had confiscated a very long dagger which no doubt carried the trace DNA of quite a few individuals. Which, frankly, meant that he might as well assume the firing squad position and start thinking about all the people his vital organs were going to save.
The lights had been turned off in his cell. There were no bars, just walls and a door inlaid with a narrow strip of wire-encased glass. Joseph did not mind the darkness. He lay on his springs with his hands behind his head, eyes closed, and searched the surrounding area with his mind. He found very little of interest. Mostly a keen desire to be home, with family; the occasional bout of despair; lust; in the other prisoners, ungodly fear and resignation.
He looked for Six. He thought about her eyes as he searched, the darkness of them, the hard warmth that had finally, at the end, begun to soften when she looked at him. He thought a smile might be next. Just one smile. He wanted to see that very badly.
This is not the time to be thinking about a woman you can never have. Six is not for you. Even if you want her to be.
But Joseph found her. He caught a hint of her spirit and pulled himself along the line of her heart. He tried to see through her eyes, but could not. Her mind was strong. He settled for listening to the edge of her thoughts, and sensed a defensive posture, anger and worry.
He could not help himself; he whispered her name. He did not expect her to notice his presence, but once again, her ability to perceive his mental voice surprised him. He felt her stillness, and then, quietly: I hear you.
Relief filled him. Are you okay?
I will be fine. You?
Still alive. No one has come to question me.
Soon, she said. I am being… reprimanded… for not bringing you in more quickly. They think it is suspicious.
What have you told them?
Only what I think they will believe. Which is very little. I have tried not to implicate you in anything. Nor do they know who you are. Your lack of identification, or fingerprints in any file, has disconcerted them.
You know my name.
I pretended not to know.
That surprised him. Thank you. Can I ask why?