Kar looked at Lavos. “Um…”

Lavos took control of the situation. He wasn’t sure how to respond either. No way would they ever allow that to happen but he needed the humans to relax. “Maybe. We might be able to work out a deal. Vampire hunting can be expensive.” Humans liked greed. They understood it.

Mark smiled. “Jadee will pay.”

“Excuse me?” Jadee gasped.

Mark glared at her. “Your father is dead and he funded our trips. That means you’re in control of the money now. I know he has you on all his accounts and listed as half owner of everything. Pay them whatever they want for that Vampire. Do you know how important this is?”

“Yes.” Jadee didn’t look happy. “I do.” She glanced at Lavos. “But he needs to talk to you first. You know, about the other Vampire on the loose and what happened here.”

That was his cue. “I’ll talk to them one at a time,” he hinted. “So I can get each of their stories. It will help us track the missing one if we get as many details as possible.”

“Good plan.” Jadee nodded.

Mitch struggled in Kar’s hold. “We already broke free from them once. I’ll do it again!”

“Shut up,” Kar muttered. “You’re an idiot.”

Lavos hid a smile. He shouldn’t be so amused with the situation but he couldn’t help it. He watched as the human team collected their belongings. Jadee walked to the back of the trailer and he realized she planned to climb down. He advanced and reached up, holding her gaze.

“Let me.”

She only hesitated for a second before she leaned over, placing her hands on his shoulders. He gripped her hips, easily lifting her and placing her on her feet. She didn’t seem afraid of him anymore.

“They’re all yours,” she whispered. “Please don’t hurt them. I’m trusting you.” She backed away, letting him go.

He waited until the older woman tried to leave the trailer. It stood a good four feet from the ground. He stepped forward, offering to help her out too. She smiled at him and allowed it.

“You’re a strong one.” She blushed a little when he set her on her feet after lifting her down. “I have a hundred questions to ask you.”

“Okay.”

“Is it like a family business or did something happen to make you hunt Vampires?”

He hesitated. “Family business.”

She looked excited. “How many generations?”

“A few.”

“You’re like the books!” She grinned. “I want to interview you at length. Can we do that?”

“Sure,” he lied. “Do you mind moving so I’m not staring at those bright lights? They’re giving me a headache after tracking Vampires in the dark for the past few hours.”

“Sure.” She stepped around so she faced the trailer instead of him. He turned with her, putting his back to the two humans still moving around inside it. He held her gaze, allowing his power to surge. Her eyes widened in surprise as she watched the blue of his eyes begin to glow.

“Shush,” he murmured. “Relax.” He was going to have to kill her if he couldn’t get inside her mind.

Her features slackened and she didn’t make a sound.

“You’re safe,” he assured her. “Repeat that and speak in a very soft tone.”

“I’m safe,” she whispered.

Someone stepped closer and he inhaled Jadee’s scent. She surprised him when she spoke.

“Is it working on her?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll watch them and give a warning when they’re ready to leave.”

She kept close to him, making it appear the three of them were having a discussion. He appreciated it. He needed to focus on Peggy. Kar had his hands full with the soldier.

“You came here to look for Vampires, right?”

“Yes.” Peggy suddenly looked frightened. “There were four of them.”

He executed a little more force and deepened his voice. “No, there weren’t. You arrived here and didn’t find anything.” He held his breath, waiting to see how she’d respond.

The fear vanished. “We didn’t.”

“You saw a few bears. A storm came and you parked too close to the river. That’s the most frightening thing that happened. The water started to rise and you couldn’t get your vehicles out in time.” He paused, needing to build a memory for her that would make sense. He’d take care of the trailer and any other evidence in the area.

Jadee put her hand on his arm. “There is a tow car and a rig around here that pulled the trailer, plus the two smaller RVs and the larger one that belonged to my dad. They were all messed with. Maybe you could say she caught a cold and slept a lot. It’s best if she thinks she was out of it most of the time from a high fever.”

He nodded, letting her know he heard what she’d said.

Not only did Jadee help him do his job but she gave him helpful suggestions about what to put in the human’s mind. His admiration for her grew.

Chapter Six

It amazed Jadee how easily Lavos manipulated Peggy. His eyes glowed that neon blue and Peggy ate up everything he said as if it were gospel. It left her feeling a little uneasy but it would save the team’s lives. She could live with Lavos messing with their memories.

So far he’d kept his word. He said he’d wipe their minds and that’s what he was doing. He wouldn’t waste his time if he planned to just kill them after all. She gave him more details to help him fill in any gaps she could think of. He was good, coming up with a story to explain how they’d lost their vehicles and the trailer. She cringed a little on the inside. All that money her father had spent would end up at the bottom of the river.

She watched Mark and Brent making extra copies of the videos they must have taken. They put the USB flash drives into their pockets. She’d have to tell Lavos about that. Her father would be disappointed in her for not helping to protect his research, but it had gotten him killed. She didn’t want to see that happen to the rest of his team.

“Can you do me a favor?” She leaned closer to Lavos.

He paused in talking to Peggy. “What?”

“Can you tell her this fiasco was an eye opener and she’s ready to retire? I don’t want them chasing after anything again. She’s talked about buying a cabin in Tennessee forever. Brent is her brother. He wouldn’t do this without her. There’s no changing Mark, since this is who he is, but Peggy loves him. Tell her she’s tired of his bullshit. He doesn’t deserve her anyway. He hasn’t married her in twenty-five years. Can you implant the idea that she’s fed up enough to leave him finally?”