Full Moon Rising

“So call,” he said, as he escorted me to the door

But before I could escape, he pulled me close and kissed me. There was nothing gentle about it—it was a possession, an affirmation of right, and left me both shaken and stirred

Yet relief was all I felt as I drove out the gates, and the sheer depth of it made me determined that I was never coming back to his house. And maybe, just maybe, it was a sign that after the current moon phase, Talon and I should part ways

I glanced at the time, saw it was close to nine, and dug around in my bag to find the phone so I could call Misha and tell him I had to stop by work. There were several voice messages waiting

I hit the replay button, and Misha’s rich tones filled the air. “Hate to do this, Riley, but it looks like I won’t be able to keep our date tonight. My sister’s had a car accident, and I’ve been called home. I could be gone for over a week. Keep the car until I get back. I’ll call you.”

The message had been recorded just after six—which wouldn’t have been that long after I’d blanked out after drinking Talon’s fine champagne. I hoped Misha was okay. Hoped his sister was okay. Wished he’d left me a number so I could get in touch with him

I hit delete, then moved on to the next message

“Riley, it’s Qui

“I’m not sure why you’re ru

He paused, and I could hear music in the background. It sounded like Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation,” which probably meant he’d been at the Rocker when he called

“Meet me on the Casino steps at eleven.” He hesitated again, then added, “There’s more going on than what you think. Meet with me. Please.”

The call intrigued me, that was for sure. But until I’d talked to Jack, there was no way in hell I was about to risk going anywhere near Qui

I drove to work. Jack looked up from the computer screen as I entered, and his gaze widened

“Darlin’, you look like shit.”

“Thanks, boss. That’s always nice to hear.”

He rose, grabbed my arm, and pushed me into the chair. “No, I mean it.” He caught my face in his large hands, and stared at me. “Your irises are the size of footballs. Have you taken something?”

“Champagne that didn’t agree with me.”

“This is more than that.” He grabbed the phone and ordered a medical team down to our floor, pronto. “I’ll get them to take a blood sample, because I think you’ve been drugged.”

Only one person really had the chance to drug me, and really, why would he bother? He was getting what he wanted. Yet I remembered the memory loss, and, as much as I didn’t want to, I wondered

“It’s just a bad reaction to champagne.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince—myself or Jack. “It’s happened before.”

In fact, this was the second time in as many months, though on the other occasion it hadn’t happened so quickly. But I’d lost several hours, at least. I was going to have to stop drinking Talon’s fine champagne, because it definitely didn’t agree with me

The medical team came in, took what looked like enough blood to supply the guardians downstairs for several days, said they’d analyze it straightaway, and left

Jack sat on the edge of the desk. “You asked me earlier if I’d ever done a check on Gautier. Was it only to see if he had a brother or did you want more information?”

I leaned back in the chair and studied him for a moment. “This is another of your lures, isn’t it?”

He gri

I shook my head. “It’s not going to happen. I’m not a killer.”

He just raised an eyebrow. “Then you don’t want to know any more about Gautier?”

I sighed and rubbed my aching head. “Of course I do.”

“You knew he joined the Directorate about eight years ago?”

I nodded. He’d apparently arrived a year before Jack and two years before me. “And?”

“It appears that up until nine and a half years ago, Gautier didn’t even exist.”

I stared at him. “Impossible. I’ve seen his file. He has birth certificates, passports, citizenship cards, the lot, and everything was checked.”

“Forgeries, one and all.” His computer screen beeped. He rose and walked over to it

“How can you be sure?” I asked

“Because we have a very sophisticated system ru

And Jack obviously had the access. Interesting. As the head of the guardian division, he’d naturally have access to more files than most, but his words suggested there was no place he couldn’t go. Which, in turn, meant he either knew how to get around the system monitoring or that he had carte blanche when it came to access from the director herself

Which begged the question—why Jack and not the other directors? Because the others didn’t have it—they always came to Jack when they wanted information about particular aspects in the guardian division

I studied him a minute longer, then said, “But the same system would have checked his credentials when he first joined.”

“Actually, no. His acceptance was handled higher up, then rubber-stamped down to us.”

“How far up?”

He glanced at me. “Alan Brown.”

Who was Director Hunter’s second-in-command, and yet another vampire I didn’t like. “You think he was pressured into accepting Gautier?”

Jack glanced at the screen again. “They’ve found no matches for recreational drugs,” he said, then added, “Right now, I’m not sure what to think.”

Somehow, I doubted that. I’m sure he had lots of thoughts about what was going on—he just had no intention of sharing them with me just yet. I tapped my fingers against his desk. “What would anyone have to gain by getting Gautier accepted here? He’s an utter bastard, but he’s also our best guardian, and has hardly set a foot wrong work-wise.”

“Everyone knows Gautier wants my job, and eventually, the director’s job. Maybe that’s the plan.” The computer screen beeped again. “No response to known prescription drugs.”

Geez, the lab boys weren’t kidding when they said they’d get on it straightaway. Either they’d cleared all the analysis machines just for this, or they’d had nothing else to do

“I told you, it was just a reaction to the champagne.”

“Maybe.” He didn’t sound convinced. “They’re going to run through listed experimental drugs. Could take a while, though.”

I shrugged, then added, “I doubt if Gautier would get the director’s job. I think the old cow has plans of being in that seat for several centuries.”

Amusement creased the corners of his eyes. “I know for a fact she has. Which leaves my job.”

“But for all intents and purposes, you only oversee the guardian division. You’re not the true power here, she is.”

“True, but I have control over missions, and that alone might be all Gautier wants. The power to go after whom he pleases.”

That thought sent a shiver down my spine. “Don’t you dare leave, Jack.”

“Believe me, I have no plans to do so.”

“Good.” I hesitated again, half-wondering if by even asking any more questions I was dragging myself further into Jack’s world. “Did you ever discover if he has any kin?”

“No. He apparently came from Perth, but nobody there seems to remember him.”

“And no one here thought that odd?”

“Apparently not.”

But Jack had—and had done nothing except watch and wait. I wondered who else he was watching. “What about the shooter?”