Dead Heat (Taz Bell Book 1) Read online

  The girl had kept her voice soft during her fairly long speech, but that doesn't mean Eric wasn't affected. He sat in his chair looking really disturbed, obviously having trouble figuring out what to say, and oddly enough George wore almost the same expression. Stranger still was the look of serious compassion on Freemont's face, all of which made it clear that if anyone was going to say something, the anyone had to be me.

  "Eric is one of the good guys, which is why he resigned from the task force," I commented, looking straight at the girl Lauren. "If you don't know what your precious task force is like, you must be a very slow learner."

  The girl hesitated before switching her attention to me, her reluctance to turn away from Eric perfectly clear. The pitiful expression on her face didn't really change, but there was a distant hint of something else in her light blue eyes.

  "Of course I know what the task force is like," she said, her voice as soft as velvet. "We're all dedicated to making the world a better place to live in, a safer place for all those people who can't defend themselves against true evil. Isn't that why you became a rogue hunter?"

  "Well, of course it is!" I said with a smile for the way she'd tried to mousetrap me into saying something else. I'd become a rogue hunter because that was the only place in life that had been left open to me, but saying so would have been pathetic - and off-putting for someone who had just joined the team.

  "But for folks who are so dedicated to eradicating evil, they're oddly casual about the lives of their own people," I continued. "They brought Eric in without hesitation when they were told they needed him, and then they just cut him loose to survive or die on his own."

  "That isn't true!" Lauren protested, back to almost wringing her hands. "They really had no idea that Eric would be in danger, otherwise they would have made sure he was protected."

  "Is that so?" I countered at once, pouncing as my own trap closed. "If they were so much in the dark, how is it they had time enough to call the police while that vampire attacked Eric and me, but not enough time to send down some help? If I'd been even a minute later getting the vamp off Eric, there might not have been anything left of him to save."

  That look in Lauren's eyes flared furious for an instant, proof that she knew exactly how serious a blow I'd struck her act. And it was an act she was pulling, one that seemed to affect every male in her vicinity. Too bad for her that I wasn't male.

  "Eric, please," she tried again, turning back to her designated victim, but her victim had pulled out of the spell or whatever it was she'd used to affect him.

  "Thanks for coming to find me, Lauren, but my mind is made up," Eric said, the words cool and distant. "You'd better get back to your meeting now."

  The girl actually reached a hand out toward his arm, but Eric wasn't stupid enough to let her touch him. When he moved his arm out of her reach she straightened again, then shook her head.

  "When you realize what a mistake you've made, please come back to us," she said, weary defeat now in her voice. "You'll always be welcome…"

  She let her words trail off in a pitiful way, and then she turned and left the restaurant with her head down. She was probably trying to suggest that she was crying, but my guess was she was most likely cursing under her breath. Her act should have gotten Eric back for the task force, and if I hadn't reminded him why he'd left in the first place she probably would have succeeded.

  "She's really powerful, isn't she?" Freemont said after a good ten seconds worth of silence. "Is that what they usually use her for, dragging back people who try to escape their clutches?"

  "Until now, I had no idea what they used her for," Eric answered after taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Thanks for helping with that, Taz. I wasn't having any luck refusing her on my own, and if you hadn't been here I'd probably have gone back with her."

  "Which brings us to the reason why I'd rather stick with the Saturn and not trade it in for the Jeep," I said, nodding an acknowledgment of what he'd said. "It was the task force that supplied the Jeep, wasn't it? Do you know for an absolute certainty that they won't do something like having the vehicle reported stolen, getting us arrested or at the very least stranded? It would be nice to have the extra room, but - "

  "But it'll be nicer not to have to worry about what they may decide to do to us," Eric finished before I could say the same in different words. "Your point is made, Taz, and it's a good enough point to convince me to switch sides. If we need more room we can trade in the Saturn for another vehicle once we get to Atlanta."

  Freemont did nothing more than nod to show he felt the same way, and George's faint smile made it unanimous. We could live with being crowded more easily than give the task force an easy in where our lives were concerned. There was no guarantee they hadn't done something to bug the Saturn when we weren't looking, but for everything else our own vehicle was a safer bet. After we finished the job in Atlanta we would definitely get ourselves another ride.

  A couple of minutes later the waiter came back with our food and drink, and we wasted no time digging in. The sandwich was really good, even Freemont saying so, but we didn't linger over the last of the soda. We left the table and paid our bill, used our various rest rooms, then went out to the parking lot to get going. I had enough gas in the Saturn to get us into Georgia, and then we would stop to fill up. For some reason gas is cheaper in Georgia than it is in Tennessee, and I meant to take advantage of that.

  Two of Eric's bags fit into the trunk, leaving only one that had to be brought into the car. For a minute I thought that Eric really would have to ride with the bag in his lap, but George took care of the problem. Somehow George managed to narrow himself enough that there was room for the bag next to Eric, so once Freemont was behind the wheel with me next to him we left the parking lot for the last time.

  As we took 24E to 75S, I thought about asking Eric to explain what he'd done during the press conference. I'd suddenly become very aware of him when I shouldn't have, and then he'd turned off whatever it was he'd turned on. I did want the explanation, but I also wanted to leave sleeping werewolves lie, as it were. I'd promised myself that I'd do some research on my … condition, but the fact was I still didn't completely trust Eric.

  The seatbelt didn't let me move around much, which I suppose was a lucky thing. I didn't want anyone to ask what was bothering me, not when I'd have to lie rather than tell the truth. Grail and Jaril knew exactly how I felt about their task force, so expecting me to counter one of their people wasn't much of a stretch. If they really were behind Eric's joining us, letting me "rescue" him from an attempted retrieval would only make Eric's position with us more secure. After all, would the task force have tried to get Eric back if they were the ones who'd assigned him to work with us?

  The highway we'd turned onto was wider than 24, the traffic at least as heavy if not heavier. Route 75S was a major road, the series of signs announcing motels, gas stations, and restaurants before the exits showing just how major. I gave most of my attention to the signs and the traffic, in no mood to go deeper into the problem Eric represented. If Eric really had left the task force, the visit Lauren made would be designed to make me suspicious of his true intentions. If he hadn't left the task force, the visit would be designed to lull suspicions. I didn't know which was the truth, asking would definitely not help, so all I could do was push the question away until a time came that I could get an answer.

  When we stopped for gas we also got soft drinks, so the two hour ride to Atlanta wasn't a thirsty-making one. Freemont took 75 to 85, 85 to 285, and it was necessary to immediately cross from the left lane to the right on 285 to reach the first exit we came to. Freemont took the exit even before I noticed what it was, and a couple of minutes later we were pulling into the parking lot of a hotel called The Zealin House.

  "Well, this is it," Freemont said as he slowed to move into a parking space near the hotel's doors. And it was a hotel rather than a motel, from the looks of it a hotel that didn't cater much t
o the average tourist. The place seemed to be quietly opulent, more so on the inside once we got our luggage and went in.

  "Nice," Freemont commented as he looked around. "Even nicer than the Jordan Suites. This lobby is a lot bigger, which gives me high hopes for the rooms. The woman said there would be a reservation here in our names, so I'll go and get our keys."

  Eric and I put our luggage down when Freemont did, but Eric made no effort to go along with Freemont. Which was a point in Eric's favor. Suggesting that Freemont needed backup for registering in a hotel would have upset my partner, most especially since it wasn't true. Freemont was a lot more organized than I would ever be, so having him handle everything that didn't require strength or deadly skill was anything but a sop to his ego.

  The lobby wasn't empty and there was even someone else at the registration desk, but Freemont came back to us faster than was usual.

  "They didn't even ask for a credit card," Freemont told us as he handed Eric and me small, odd-looking keys. "Everything was taken care of, they said, so all we have to do is move in."

  "Then let's move in," George said, interest in his expression as he looked around. "Once we're in the room Freemont can call that woman and find out more about the job… Is that bellman heading over here?"

  The bellman in question was pushing a luggage cart, and he certainly was heading for us. He calmly loaded the cart with our luggage, then led the way to the elevators. Our room was on the eleventh floor, but when Freemont used his odd key to open the door we discovered that we didn't have a room but a true suite. There were three bedrooms, each with its own bath, a small dining room to the right with a table that seated six, and the living area was large enough for a party. Once the luggage was put in the various bedrooms Freemont tried to tip the bellman, but the man just smiled, said the matter had already been taken care of, and then he left.

  "Even the tips are taken care of?" Eric said once the door was closed. "These people are really thorough and anything but tight-fisted."

  "Which either means they value us, or they intend to use us up if the occasion arises," George put in before I could say the same. "The last time we were treated this well it was using up that our employers had in mind."

  "Someone had raised a bunch of zombies and had taken over a town with them," I amplified when Eric looked a question at me. "Our employers were from the next town over, the place that was next on the list for being taken, and their plan was to throw us to the zombies while they and their friends attacked the zombies from behind. Their police department had tried to report the problem to the state cops, but no one believed there were walking dead people on a rampage. The one who had raised the zombies hid them when the state police came out to take a look."

  "So what happened?" Eric asked, looking around at George, Freemont and me. "Obviously you weren't used up, but how did you get around the problem?"

  "To begin with, Freemont had demanded payment up front for us," I said with a smile for my smaller partner. "He knew those people were up to something, and he wasn't about to let it happen. Then he warned George and me about what our part of the plan was supposed to be, so we made plans of our own. Instead of going after the zombies Freemont found where the zombie raiser was hiding, George watched him until he was alone, then I broke in and shot him. He was definitely a rogue and had even killed a couple of people to add to his … work force, so no murder charges were ever considered."

  "All the zombies dropped where they stood once he was dead," George added. "When the state police were dragged to the scene they were very put out over having been fooled. But we never did find out the name of the man who had raised the zombies. He had no identification on him, and he wasn't in any data base the police checked. He apparently came out of nowhere, and once he was dead he returned to the same oblivion."

  "Unlike the people we're dealing with now," Freemont said while Eric shook his head over the story he'd heard. "These people are very official, but it isn't as if we've never had trouble with officials. That's why I asked for payment up front again, to be handed over before we do anything at all for them. And now I can call Ms. French and tell her we're here."

  "It's a good thing I didn't decide to go out on my own again," Eric said as Freemont pulled out his cell phone. "I guess I was lucky the first time around and didn't run into anything that wasn't straightforward, but that kind of luck doesn't - "

  A knock on the door interrupted Eric, and since Freemont was busy with his phone I was the one who went to answer the knock. I opened the door to find a woman standing there, a blond woman dressed in a navy blue business suit. Her skirt wasn't too short, her white blouse wasn't too feminine, and the heels on her navy blue pumps weren't too high. She was definitely pretty in a toned-down, mid-thirties sort of way, her blond hair in an intricate knot at the back of her head.

  "Ms. Bell, glad to see that you and your partners made it right on time," she said with a smile that emphasized the tastefully restrained makeup she wore. She also had nothing of a Southern drawl, which actually sounded odd rather than usual. "I'm Allison French, and I've brought your fee and can now give you some information on the job we need you for."

  "Come right in, Ms. French," I said with my own smile, stepping back to give her room to walk inside. "My partner was just trying to call you to say that we were here."

  "My people and I have our own rooms in the hotel, so I made arrangements to be told when you checked in," she said, speaking now to everyone. "But before we begin, I'd like to be introduced to the newest member of your team. I need the information for my report, you understand."

  "And for the purpose of doing a background check," Eric said, his smile showing that he was "just joking." "I'm Eric Wellman, and my last employment was with the Federal Rogue Task Force."

  "You left them to work with a private group?" Allison French asked, her shapely brows high. "That's rather unusual, isn't it, Mr. Wellman? Isn't it supposed to work the other way around?"

  "It usually does work the other way around, Ms. French, but this is an unusual situation," Eric answered, his expression and words bland. "I met Ms. Bell not long ago and fell in love with her, so I left the task force and coerced this team into hiring me. It's easier to court someone when you're working with them."

  "I see," Allison replied, glancing around to see that we all wore the same kind of expression. Eric had chosen not to go into detail about what the task force had done to make him leave, but I didn't much care for the idea he'd used to avoid the topic. I'd been able to keep my expression from showing anything, but later, when we were alone, I'd have a few words to say to Mr. Wellman.

  "Well, that is rather unusual, but I suppose it isn't important," Allison went on after touching the back of her hair the way people do when they're uncomfortable. "Here's the check I promised, and if you'll join me in sitting down I can explain what I need your team for."

  "If you don't mind, I'd like to call room service for a pot of coffee first," Freemont said, taking Allison's attention as soon as she'd handed me the check. A cashier's check, I was happy to see. "I know I'm going into caffeine withdrawal, and I suspect that Taz and Eric are feeling the same way."

  "Coffee, what a good idea," Allison said, and this time her smile looked a lot more real. "I've been too busy myself the last few hours to take a caffeine break, so do please include me in on that."

  Freemont nodded and turned toward the phone sitting on a table next to one of the couches. I folded the check and put it in my pocket, then went to a chair near the couch Allison chose to sit down on. Eric sat on the other end of Allison's couch, and George chose to stand to the right of my chair. A minute later Freemont was finished with ordering our coffee, and when he sat in the chair to my left Allison smiled, but not happily.

  "Now I get to tell you about our problem," she said, and if she didn't sigh it was only because she had self control. "We're hosting a scientific conference here in Atlanta, and the best minds from all over the world will be in attend
ance. Security will be as tight as we can make it, but that's security in general. We can't possibly put people on every one of the hundreds of attendees, not that we expect we'll have to. A number of those scientists coming from other countries will have security of their own."

  "But the man you're worried about is one of ours," Freemont said, his gaze showing its usual distraction. "I can see that much, but not why he's such a large problem for you. There's something about threats, ones he's very well aware of, so shouldn't he be cooperating fully?"

  "He should be, but he's not," Allison said with an annoyed shake of her head. "He's arrogant beyond belief, and he'll only let us give him a single bodyguard. That's why I was so pleased to hear about Mr. Wellman joining your team. He'll be the single bodyguard we provide for Dr. Boughton, and Ms. Bell will be the lady he escorts to the reception tonight. He casually mentioned that he wants a lady on his arm, and we're expected to provide him with one."

  "He sounds like a real charmer," I couldn't help commenting. "What a surprise that he doesn't have some woman of his own. I take it I'm going to be the secret weapon, kept under cover until the action starts. Who do you expect to start all that action?"

  "Dr. Zachary Boughton is a leading name in genetics research and a number of related fields," Allison said slowly, obviously choosing her words with care. "His work has attracted the attention of a group of fanatics, people who have decided that Dr. Boughton is 'working against the will of God.' We've discovered that many of the members of the group are true fanatics, willing to die for their cause as long as they take the 'anti-Christ' with them. They're the ones you'll need to protect Dr. Boughton from."

  "Do these fanatics always go one on one, or is there a chance they'll strike from a distance using something like explosives?" George asked, a worried look in his dark eyes. "If explosives are involved, anyone who happens to be with your scientist will die with him no matter how capable they are."