“Half sister.” He flipped the letter opener in the air, catching the sharp point in his other hand. “In fact, truth be told, I doubt good old Grandpappy was even related to you. Mom was quite the whore.”
Sarah kept her face placid. Angering Andrew wouldn’t help her get out of the lab.
The door slid open.
Her biggest nightmare stomped inside.
Fear overcame the headache. Giving a small cry, Sarah bounded up, rushing around the desk.
Andrew laughed. “Sarah, I believe you’ve already met Erik.”
The freak smiled yellowed fangs. “Yes. You moved rather quickly last time, didn’t you? Impressive feat with the elevator. Loved the website, too.” He glanced at Andrew. “Dusk has finally fallen. We’ll be able to leave soon.”
She clutched both hands until they went numb. “Andrew, you can’t sell the stock to these monsters.”
“Oh, Sarah.” Andrew stood and shoved a stack of papers in front of her. “You’re selling the stock. I’m making a shitload of money. For the stock, and well, you.”
“Me?” she gasped.
Erik sniffed the air. His eyes morphed from purple to red. “Yes, I was right. You are a potential mate. Good. You’ll be coming with me.” Then he frowned and a low snarl escaped his wide chest. “Whoever your future mate is, he won’t appreciate that you have fucked a vampire.”
Holy crap. The bastard smelled Max on her?
Andrew grimaced. “Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.” He shrugged. “Sign the papers, Sarah. Or Erik will persuade you.”
The papers didn’t matter. She’d already sold to Jase.
“Oh.” Andrew grabbed a folded piece of paper from inside his jacket. “Here’s the one you signed earlier. My men grabbed it from the second guy we killed. The shot through the neck did the trick.” He ripped the paper into small pieces, throwing them at Sarah.
Pain whipped through her. No. Jase wasn’t dead. Neither was Max.
Erik smiled. “I wish I could’ve seen the hearing. But, well, we needed the Kayrs bastards distracted while we got into the lab. Good distraction, huh?”
Sarah shook her head. Too bad she hadn’t learned to fight. Max could’ve taught her. Though she appreciated what he did teach her. Even scared beyond belief, she could smile.
Andrew grimaced. “Sign the paper, Sarah. I would very much like to own the company.”
Sarah frowned. “Why you? I mean, why don’t the Kurjans buy the lab or just take the lab results?”
Erik scratched his white nose. “We need more labs for our research and can’t exactly run a company out in the open. We’ll make fine partners with Andrew here. He can be our front man, on this and other endeavors.”
Her brother had made a deal with the devils. God help him.
Sarah turned her mind to escape. “You’re such a jerk, Andrew.”
Erik tsked and shook his head. “Be nice. If it wasn’t for your brother, we would’ve fetched you from Brancrest, and you’d be mated to one of my people right now. Making little Kurjan babies.”
Bile rose from her stomach.
Andrew shrugged. “I convinced them to wait the three months until I obtained the stock. Of course, now they can have you.”
She swallowed hard, shoving the hurt down. No more feeling sorry for him. He’d chosen his path. “I’ll never give you another thought.” Grabbing the pen, she paused and then signed bold, big letters. She stood. “We’re done, Andrew.”
Erik’s pants rang the anthem to Monster Mash. He grabbed a cell phone, flipping it open. “What?” He listened, blood-red lips twisting. “Well, use the dynamite and blow the door open. I’ll be right here.” Clicking it shut, he glared at Andrew. “We can’t get past the last locked door to the private records lab.”
Andrew shrugged. “I told you where to find the samples and results. Getting through the security is your problem.”
Erik growled, much like a Great Dane. Nowhere near as sexy as Max’s growl. The Kurjan stomped out of the room.
Sarah slid her hand across the smooth desk, reaching the letter opener. Vibrations from Andrew’s anger cascaded up her arm. Clasping the handle, she grabbed the papers and threw them at Andrew. “You know at some time they’re going to kill you, right?” She angled around the desk, closer to the door.
Andrew snatched the papers out of the air. “Like I said, Plan B. I have contingencies, Sarah.”
Nausea swirled in her stomach. She didn’t want to hurt him. Even after everything, the idea of plunging the sharp end into his flesh made her pause. But she had to get back to Max. No way he wasn’t looking for her right now, wounded if not dead. That much she knew.
Andrew glanced at the papers and sighed. “Fuck you? Really Sarah? You signed the papers with a big fuck you.”
Her smile felt nasty. “Meant both words, asshole.” She lunged for the door.
Andrew seized her around the waist, throwing her to the floor. She caught herself with her palms. Pain shot up her arms to settle in both shoulders. Quick as she could, she bounded up, stabbing the letter opener into his knee.
A roar bellowed out of Andrew. He swept a palm out, striking her in the temple. Stars exploded behind her eyes. She fell sideways, smacking her head on the wall. More stars. Anger burned away the hurt. So many years of not understanding why he disliked her, why he picked on her, shot her into a tackle. She hit him around the knees, taking him down to the hard tile.
Andrew’s head bounced twice and he went limp.
Panic caught the breath in her throat. She scrambled off him, breath panting and ears ringing. Holy crap. She’d knocked out Andrew.
Run. She needed to run.
She grabbed the doorknob and hauled herself up. The door yanked open with a quick tug, and she stumbled into strong, male arms.
She opened her mouth to scream.
Chapter 9
A broad hand covered her lips. “Sarah. It’s me.”
“Max!” She threw both arms around him, holding tight. The coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils, and she stepped back. “Oh my God.”
Bullet holes dotted his ripped shirt. Blood trickled out. A wide scrape marred his forehead and left cheek. “I’m fine.”
Conn stood behind him. “Where’s the records lab, Sarah?” He gestured down the wide hallway with his arm, showcasing two large puncture marks in his right wrist.
Her eyes widened.
Conn followed her gaze. “Your man has sharp teeth. Get used to it.”
Thoughts swirled through her cloudy mind. Oh. Conn had fed Max. “Um. Thanks.... Jase?” she asked quietly.
“Recovering at the hotel,” Max muttered. He’d taken out the contacts he’d worn for court, and his eyes shone pissed and bright. “Let’s get the data and get the hell out of here.” He peered over her head. “What happened?”
“I knocked him out.” She shrugged, trying not to smile. “Kicked his ass, actually.”
“Good girl.” Max dragged a gun out of his back pocket, handing the cool metal to her. “Aim for the chest if you need to shoot.” He tapped his ear communicator, listening to something while nodding at Conn.
“I will.” She gestured toward the end of the hallway. “The lab you want is to the left, through several security measures the Kurjans have already taken care of.”
Male laughter echoed in the hallway. Conn slid back around the corner, out of sight. Shadows settled into place around him. More soldiers? Then even the shadows went still. Max shoved Sarah back inside the office, turning to shield her.