She frowned. "I'll be wearing a tracking device. I'm getting it tomorrow."
"Tracking devices can be lost."
"The FBI is aware of that. They have something special planned." She gave him a stern look. "This is going to happen, Jack."
"No, it's not. I can't let you do it, so I have an alternative plan. When Apollo shows up for the seminar, Robby and I will grab him and teleport him to Romatech. We'll hold him prisoner in the silver room there."
Her frown deepened. "What about the other girls? We have to know where he's keeping them."
"We'll make him tell us."
She winced. "How?"
"Depriving him of blood might do the trick. Or we can try taking over his mind."
She was silent for a while, thinking it over. "Your plan might work, but how do we explain it to the police and FBI?"
"We don't. We erase their memories." When she started to object, he continued, "We have no choice. Whether we teleport Apollo away, or he teleports you away, that's still more than we can let any mortals see. We sure can't allow them to discover Apollo's resort. If we find the girls, we'll send them home with their memories altered. We have to protect the secret of vampire existence."
Lara scooted off the bed and paced toward the door. She spun around and shot him an angry look. "If you have your way, no one will remember anything. What about making Apollo pay for his crimes?"
"Believe me, he will pay."
She planted her hands on her hips. "What about all my hard work? It would all be for nothing."
"You'll be alive. I wouldn't call that nothing."
She glowered at him. "I trained a month for this assignment. I can handle it."
"I will not let that bastard kidnap you. I'll do anything to protect you."
Her eyes narrowed. "It sounds to me like you're more concerned with protecting the precious vampire secret."
He clenched his jaw. "That is important, but nothing is more important to me than protecting you." My life would be meaningless without you. I love you too damned much.
She gasped. "Don't say that."
He stood. "Did you hear my thoughts?"
"Oh my gosh." She touched her forehead.
I want to throw you on the bed and strip your clothes off.
"Stop that." She glared at him.
He smiled. "You are hearing me."
"Uh, maybe." She rubbed her brow. "Just a little."
I'm going to nibble on your little toes, then kiss my way up your long, luscious legs until I reach-
"Enough!" Her cheeks blushed pink.
"But I was just getting to the good part."
She shook her head. "I'm trying to have a decent argument with you, and you're describing an X-rated movie in my head."
Jack glanced at her bed. "We could make it real."
"I have a headache." She folded her arms across her chest. "I think you should go."
"Lara-"
"And I don't need to see you till after it's all over. We can call the lessons a big success. Thanks to you, I'll be able to hear Apollo's every little perverted thought."
Jack frowned at her. He had to try one more thing, just to be sure. He hurtled a wave of cold psychic energy at her, and she stumbled back. I am your master, and you will obey. Take off your clothes now.
She snorted. "In your dreams."
He stepped toward her, ratcheting up the power. You are under my control. You will make love to me.
Her eyes flashed with anger. "Get out, now!"
He took a deep breath and let the power fade away. "Brava, bellissima. You can hear, but you can still resist vampire control. That is very good news."
She eyed him warily. "That was just a test?"
He nodded. "I needed to make sure."
She looked away, but not before Jack noted the tears in her eyes. "You told me once that you would never use your powers to get me in bed. I thought you had betrayed your promise."
"Lara, I would never force you or manipulate you. It is true that I... long to have you in my bed, but more than anything, I want to have your love. Given freely."
"I can't do that," she whispered.
He paced toward the desk with despair settling heavily in his chest. What if he could never win her heart? He couldn't make her love him. But no matter what, he would keep her safe. "I will not let Apollo kidnap you."
She was still turned away from him, her arms crossed and her shoulders hunched over.
Merda, this was hurting her as much as him. "Goodbye, Lara." He teleported away.
"There's no point in meeting tonight," she told Jack when he called her Thursday night. "I appreciate you helping me, but it's done, and don't you dare teleport here while I'm talking."
Merda. She knew him too well. "Our plan is on for Saturday night. We're kidnapping Apollo."
"No, you're not! Jack, I'm serious. You will stay out of this."
"Have you seen a flyer yet? Is Apollo coming to Syracuse?"
"I'm not discussing this with you. I swear, if I see you or any of your friends here, I'll have you arrested."
"Lara-" The long beep indicated that she'd hung up on him. Stubborn woman. Well, he could be just as stubborn.
He spent the next few hours with Phineas, investigating a compound in Colorado that a wolf pack had reported. It turned out to be a survivalist training camp. When they returned to Romatech, Robby had arrived from Europe. Jack called a meeting to discuss their plans for Saturday night.
At three-thirty in the morning, he teleported into Lara's dorm room. Since he'd teleported there before, the location was embedded in his psychic memory. With his superior vision, he spotted her in the dark room. She was in bed, sound asleep, just as he had hoped.
He moved silently toward the door. He hadn't come to see her, but to check if Apollo had posted his flyer downstairs in the lounge.
A high-pitched beep sounded in his ears, very faint. He waited, and it beeped again. It was strange. He almost sensed it more than heard it. It was a repeating pulse of energy. He glanced at the bed.
It was coming from Lara.
He eased toward her. The FBI must have put the tracer on her. Merda. If he could hear the damned thing, Apollo would, too. He would know the mortal authorities were after him. He'd be tempted to kill Lara immediately.
Jack leaned over, trying to zero in on the homing device. She wasn't wearing a necklace. No earrings. Was it under her skin?
She moaned and turned on her side, facing the wall. Her hair spilled across the white pillowcase-thick, wavy, and...beeping. He gently touched the strands. Soft and silky. Wait. This felt different. Harsh and foreign. He stroked her hair again to be sure. He'd have to cut the fake hair off before Saturday.
"Mmm." She moaned and turned onto her back.
He stifled a groan. Her thin T-shirt left little to the imagination. He could see the round fullness of her breasts, the plump nipples begging to be coaxed into hardened tips. It would be so easy to slip into her mind and give her a round of vampire sex she'd never forget. She'd enjoy it so much, she'd beg him for the real thing.
But he'd promised not to use his vampire powers to get into her bed. Merda. Life would be easier if he could be a scoundrel like his father.
"Jack," she murmured.
He caught his breath. The heaviness in his heart lifted slightly. Maybe there was still a chance. Don't give up on me, Lara. I will always love you.
He slipped into the hall and zoomed toward the elevator. On the first floor, he located the bulletin board, and there it was. A pink flyer. Do you want to stay young and beautiful forever?
He phoned the security office at Romatech. "We've got him."
CHAPTER 21
Lara couldn't shake the feeling that she was a lamb going to slaughter. The two special agents assured her she was perfectly safe. They claimed the electronic tracking device in her hair weave was absolutely foolproof.
Could fools possibly work for the government? Somehow, Lara didn't feel so secure. It would be just her luck if Apollo decided all of a sudden that bald women were hot and had her head completely shaved.
Besides, how could she be safe with a vampire abductor? All her martial-arts training wouldn't help her against his superior vampire strength and speed. If he tried to rape her or kill her, would she be able to stop him?
As Saturday night arrived, her stomach clenched into knots. The two FBI guys were the only ones who were going to be at the student services building. They didn't want a big police presence there in case it scared Apollo off.
She paced in her dorm room. She glanced at the clock. Eight p.m. The FBI guys would be at the student services building soon. She was supposed to stroll in on her own, pretending not to know them. She was supposed to walk right into Room 102 and get herself kidnapped.
Not a problem, they'd said. The device in her hair weave could be picked up by satellite. They could find her anywhere in the world. She stopped pacing, with a chilling thought. They'd be able to track her even if she was dead.
"Hello, Lara."
With a gasp, she whirled around. "Dammit, Jack. What did I tell you about sneaking up on people?"
He smiled. "Feeling a little tense, bellissima?"
"This isn't funny, Jack." She didn't know whether to strangle the handsome rascal or throw herself into his arms. She'd told him not to come by till it was all over, but she was so glad to see him. He, at least, truly cared about her. With the FBI, she was starting to feel like an expendable crew member.
He looked her over. "Are you all right?"
"I'm great," she lied. "What are you doing here?" And how dare you look so sexy, all dressed in black?
"We're going ahead with our plans tonight."
She decided to go ahead and strangle him. "I told you to stay out of this."
"We have no choice, Lara. We thought we would find Apollo before tonight, but we didn't. Tonight, we know exactly where he'll be, so we have to do it. It's the best solution all around."
He must have seen the pink flyers. She frowned at him. "You just want to keep your vampire secret safe."
"And you safe. No one is more important to me than you."
She didn't want to admit how much she loved hearing him say that. And she wasn't really opposed to staying safe. She just found it irritating the way he breezed in and announced he was taking over. "I don't see how your plan can work. Too many people know about this case."
"It's already working. Connor and Robby are at the twenty-sixth precinct right now. Between the two of them, they can easily take over a hundred minds at once. They'll erase every thought of Apollo and every trace of him on paper or computer."
This irritated her even more. Vampires found human minds so easy to manipulate that they could do a hundred at a time? "The FBI knows, too."
"Connor is headed there next." Jack shrugged one shoulder. "We've done this sort of thing many times over the centuries. We know what we're doing."
Lara had no doubt that his vampire friends could pull it off. She'd seen how well Jack had erased all signs of the party at the Plaza hotel.
"Before we take Apollo, there's one loose end I need to take care of." He stepped toward her.
She moved back, bumping against the desk. "Don't you dare erase my memories."
He paused. "I wouldn't even try. I want you to remember Venice, and remember us."
Her heart squeezed in her chest. She didn't want to forget, either.
He removed a pair of scissors from his jacket pocket. "The problem is your hair. Or rather, the hair that isn't yours."
"What?" How could he tell? The expert from the FBI had matched her color perfectly.
Jack stepped closer. "I'll feel much better once the fake hair is removed. Just to be safe."
She smoothed her hand over the false lock of hair. "It's my only link to the FBI."
"You don't need it, Lara. You're not going anywhere. And once we're done with the FBI, they won't know they're supposed to track you. They won't remember who you are."
She winced. "You're completely taking over, whether I like it or not. I thought you were my friend."
He frowned. "I am your friend. I can hear the device, Lara. I can sense the electronic pulses. And if I can feel it, Apollo can, too."
Her skin chilled. My God, how close had she come to walking into a death trap?
"I would have cut it off earlier, but I didn't want to alert the FBI." Jack grabbed the lock of synthetic hair and snipped it off. He tossed it on the bed along with the scissors, then pulled her into his arms.
She stiffened. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure I got it all." He nuzzled his face in her hair. "Your heart is racing."
"You... you surprised me."
He grazed a hand over her hair. "I know you're angry. I hope you can forgive me someday."
A part of her wanted to melt against him and thank him for rescuing her from a dangerous assignment, but another part was still annoyed that he'd taken control against her wishes. "You had better find those missing girls."
"We will." He kissed her brow. "Tell your roommate not to speak to anyone about this. You're the only two who will remember."
Lara exhaled with relief. They would leave LaToya alone.
Jack released her and stepped back. "It's over for you now, bellissima. You can go home." He vanished.