Zane pinned him with a glare. "Insubordination. Withholding of evidence. Refusal to follow orders . . . "

"You're repeating yourself. Insubordination and refusal to follow orders I believe are the same thing." Oliver knew he was treading on thin ice, but he couldn't help himself. Zane needed to be cut down from his high horse.

"Oh, you think you're so smart! What happened to you, Oliver? What happened to the nice young guy who couldn't do any wrong? Who looked up to us?"

Oliver fisted his hands at his hips. "That guy became one of you and realized you're all made out of flesh and bone, just like the rest of us. You're not any better than me! You're just a bigger a.s.shole! So, go ahead, be yourself! Behave like an a.s.shole like you always do, and let's get this over with. You wanna dress me down? Take a swing! See if I care."

The standoff took several seconds, then Zane sighed. "You haven't changed at all. You're still a hothead, just like when you were human. Only then, you still had some respect for us. Or maybe you were afraid of us."

"I was never afraid of you," Oliver hissed.

"Well then it's time to make sure you're afraid of us now. So let me tell you this: you can kiss your job and your a.s.sociation with Scanguards goodbye if you don't fall in line now. Orders issued by a Scanguards superior are to be followed. That goes for everybody, including you!"

Oliver crossed his arms over his chest. "That's funny coming from you. Considering that not too long ago you defied direct orders from Gabriel and Samson to be with Portia."

Zane's chest rose. "Keep Portia out of this."

Satisfied that he'd hit a nerve, Oliver continued, "It's the same thing, so don't make it sound like I'm the first one in this company who's ever defied an order when he knew it was wrong. You of all people should understand. But no, you've suddenly turned into the establishment. When did you stop using your gut to figure out what's right or wrong?"

"Don't tell me who you think I am!" Zane thundered. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not working. I won't tell you where she is. No discussion. You're in no condition to be around her. Her blood will destroy you. And we alla"all of us at Scanguardsa"care too much about you to let that happen."

"You have a funny way of showing that!" Oliver grumbled and tuned on his heels.

Before Zane could stop him, he was out the door, slamming it even louder than Zane had only moments earlier.

29.

A persistent ringing sound penetrated his sleep. Blindly, Oliver reached for his alarm clock and slapped his hand over it, hitting the snooze b.u.t.ton. But the ringing didn't stop. He forced open one eyelid and glanced at the clock. It was just past three in the afternoon. Who had set his alarm clock to three p.m. and why the h.e.l.l didn't it stop?

He shot up to sit and glanced around the dark room, with every second more awake, until he finally realized that the ringing wasn't coming from the alarm clock but from the heap where he'd tossed his clothes when he'd come home shortly before sunrise.

He lunged for it, and pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket. "Yes?" he answered it without even checking caller ID.

"Hey Oliver," a female voice cooed.

"Huh? Who's this?"

A chuckle on the other end of the line. "Karen, of course. Don't tell me you were sleeping."

"Hey, Karen," he answered quickly. She was one of Vera's girlsa"probably the chattiest of thema"and she had no idea that he was a vampire. n.o.body who knew what he was dared calling him during daytime hours. "I had a late night. What's up?"

Did she want him to come over to Vera's tonight? While he was a regular at Vera's establishment, all the girls there knew that he never came for s.e.x. He simply loved hanging out with Vera and flirting with the women in her employ. Even though he'd gotten plenty of offers from several of the womena"freebies so to speaka"he'd never taken any of them up on it. He wouldn't start now.

"We haven't seen you all week. Are you cheating on us?"

"Would I do that to you?" He forced a chuckle, even though he wanted to get back to sleep so he would be refreshed by sunset to continue searching for Ursula. The night before, he'd stopped by Amaury's place, finding only Nina at home. He'd eliminated their home as Ursula's hiding place after his visit and driven to Zane's house. The dog had been the only one at home. n.o.body had answered the doorbell, and after climbing a fire escape and peeking into the windows on the upper floor, he'd determined that there was no trace of Ursula. Besides, Zane would never leave her alone in his house, knowing that she would probably try to escape.

" . . . so I figured I'd call you." Karen's voice drifted to him.

s.h.i.t, he'd missed half the conversation!

"Mmm," he answered, wondering what she'd been telling him.

"So what's the deal? Why doesn't she like you?"

Confused, Oliver scratched his head. "Who?"

"That girl of course. Have you even been listening?"

"Of course I have. What girl?" If this was one of her long-winded stories that could go on forever, then he had to make up an excuse to get out of this pointless conversation. "Listen, I've gotta go."

"Come on, just tell me. Did she come onto you and get p.i.s.sed off because you're not into Chinese girls?"

Oliver was instantly alert. "Chinese? What's she look like?"

"Well, Chinese of course. Long black hair. Pretty."

Could he be so lucky? Was Karen talking about Ursula? "What did she say to you?"

"Well, she didn't say it to me, but I overheard her. She said you betrayed her the first chance you got. Sounded pretty p.i.s.sed off to me."

He wasn't surprised at that, but he cursed nevertheless. "Ah, s.h.i.t! You wouldn't know where she is now, would you?"

"She's staying up in room 407."

Shock made him catapult from his bed. "In the brothel?"

An annoyed huff came from Karen. "We don't call it that!"

Oliver backpedaled. "I meant, at Vera's . . . uh . . . establishment?" But he didn't listen to Karen's next comment, because all he could think of was that he knew where Ursula was. Of all places, Zane had hidden her in a brothel. Did that big oaf have no concern for Ursula's feelings? To hide her in a brothel, when she'd been imprisoned in one for three years!

"Thanks Karen, you're a sweetheart. Please, may I ask you for a favor?"

" 'Course you may, hon."

"Don't tell anybody you told me about her. I've gotta keep a low profile on this. Promise?"

"What do I get for it?" she negotiated.

Oliver thought about it for a moment, wondering what would pacify her. "Flowers? Tickets to a show?"

"The best seats?"

"Only the best for you."

When he disconnected the call, he was ready for action. He went into the bathroom and jumped in the shower. It was no surprise to him that his c.o.c.k was already fully erect the moment he soaped up. No wondera"he was imagining Ursula's hands touching him. Of course, before that could happen, he had to first explain to her that he hadn't betrayed her secret. Considering her current opinion of him, he doubted she'd let him hold her hand, let alone make love to her.

For the remaining hours until sunset, he paced in his room, practicing in his mind what he would say to her, how he would start his explanation to make sure she believed him.

The time seemed to stretch forever, but finally, the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. On his way out, Oliver stopped in the library and unlocked the supply cabinet where Quinn kept spare electronic gadgets. He grabbed a cell phone and headed out the door. He left the car behind, wanting to be as inconspicuous as possible. Just in case anybody from Scanguards showed up at Vera's, he didn't want them noticing his car parked in the area. Besides, Vera's was in n.o.b Hill, which lay adjacent to Russian Hill and was therefore only a short walk away.

Since it was still early evening, it would be quiet at Vera's. Most clients would show up later as the evening progressed. Therefore, he had to be extra quiet. Knowing he couldn't simply march into the place, he walked around to the small alley that framed one side of the building, where a fire escape was located. Room 407 overlooked this alley, but there was no fire escape leading down from it. Instead it had a tiny balcony.

Oliver quickly a.s.sessed the situation. The closest fire escape led to the room next to it, but since it was an anteroom to Vera's office, he could not enter that room to get into Ursula's room from the inside. He had to get to Ursula's balcony.

The fire escape only reached to the second floor where a quick release lever allowed anybody escaping from the building to bring the remainder of the ladder down to the ground. But from his position in the alley he couldn't reach up high enough to grab onto any part of the fire escape. Testing how high he could jump, Oliver took a few steps back, then ran and leapt upwards, stretching his arms, but his fingers didn't quite reach the metal fire escape. He tried again for good measure, but his second try didn't prove any more fruitful than his first. He was out of shape. Maybe if he ran from farther back and got up to a higher speed, he could reach the ladder.

His eyes roamed the alley. A large dumpster stood less than twelve feet from the fire escape. He walked to it and inspected it. There were no rollers underneath it, and while he could have moved the heavy thing with his vampire strength to shift it closer to the fire escape, the noise of the metal scratching against the concrete underneath would wake the entire neighborhood.

Oliver climbed the dumpster, pushing the lid closed with his foot, then stepped onto it. He was almost eyelevel with the ladder now. He a.s.sessed the distance quickly and decided it was worth a try. Taking one step back, he lunged forward, jumping toward the fire escape, his arms reaching upward and forward. His fingers connected with the metal platform, instantly tightening around a rod as his body continued to swing.

"Gotcha!" he murmured under his breath and swung his legs up. Helped by his strong stomach muscles, he was able to lift himself onto the platform and stand up.

He looked up and took the two flights of the metal ladder up to the fourth floor, then stopped there. He pressed himself against the wall, making sure that he couldn't be seen from the window of Vera's anteroom. As he looked across to the small balcony in front of room 407, he realized that he had underestimated its distance to the platform he now stood on. There was no way he could jump from his current position and land on the balcony.

Looking for another solution, he glanced up. If he could get to the roof, he could jump straight down to the balcony. He focused his eyes and noticed several short metal rods sticking out from the wall, where at some point another ladder leading to the roof must have been affixed. For some reason it had been removed, but some of the metal rods that were anch.o.r.ed in the brick facadea"and were no longer than three inchesa"had been left.

Oliver ducked to pa.s.s by the window and get to the other side of it, then lifted himself up onto the railing that surrounded the fire escape. From there, he stepped onto the first rod, gripping a higher one with his hand. Like a cat burglar, he worked his way up, careful not to lose his grip and fall and draw attention to himself.

Within seconds, he reached the roof and pulled himself onto it. Trying not to make too much noise, he treaded lightly and walked over to where the window to Ursula's room was. He looked down. He was right above the slim balcony.

Oliver jumped, bending his knees all the way into a crouch to absorb the shock and sound as he landed squarely in the middle of the balcony. He quickly tossed a look toward the fire escape, but n.o.body had seen or heard him. The curtains were drawn in Ursula's room, and the windows were closed. However, Oliver knew from experience, that the building was old and that many of the windows didn't lock, since the old sash windows had warped over the years.

Praying that this was the case with this window, he gripped the frame and pushed upwards. It moved. As fast as he could, he lifted it and squeezed inside, knowing that Ursula would have already heard the noise. He couldn't allow her to scream.

Frantically he parted the curtains. The light in the room was muted. Only a small bedside lamp was lit, the TV was running. Ursula had jumped up from the bed, the remote control lifted over her head as if she wanted to strike him with it.

"Ursula, it's me. Oliver," he announced himself.

She gasped and opened her mouth wider as if she wanted to scream. Out of instinct, he leapt and grabbed her, bringing them both down onto the bed, while he simultaneously pressed his hand over her mouth.

She struggled against him, beating her small fists against his chest.

"Shh! Ursula, stop, I'm not here to hurt you."

She glared at him, fury blazing in her eyes. A second later, her teeth dug into his palm. She was biting him!

"Ouch! What are you doing that for?" He didn't release her mouth though. "Are you promising not to scream if I take my hand off your mouth?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, then her leg suddenly wedged itself between his thighs and kicked up. But he was faster, shifting his weight and imprisoning her legs so she couldn't try again to kick him in the b.a.l.l.s.

"What was that for?" He let go of her mouth.

"You jerk! You betrayed me! You told them about my blood!" she spat.

"It wasn't me! I never told them a syllable of what you confided in me."

"Bulls.h.i.t!" She hit him with a defiant glare. "Now get off me or I'll scream for Vera."

"You try to scream, I'll kiss you! And trust me, I'm faster than you." He was, and he wasn't bluffing.

Ursula stilled under him. Slowly he shifted his weight onto his knees and elbows, making sure he wasn't crushing her. But he had no intention of releasing her until he could be certain that she wouldn't scream or escape him.

Ursula seemed to realize that he meant what he said and pressed her lips into a thin line. It appeared that he would be subjected to the silent treatment.

"Listen, baby, I was called to Samson'sa""

"I'm not your baby!" she griped.

"You were when you slept in my arms."

She turned her face away to avoid him. But with his fingers on her chin he made her look at him. "I can see that you're angry with me."

"No s.h.i.t, Sherlock!"

He had to smile despite himself. "You're a wild cat, Ursula. Maybe we'll take advantage of that later when we make love. I wouldn't mind those sharp claws of yours digging into me when I'm inside you."

She sucked in an outraged breath. "If you think I'm going to sleep with you after all you've done, you're wrong!"

"Am I?" he murmured and lowered his head, allowing his lips to hover over hers. "I bet if I kissed you now, you would kiss me back." Then he pulled his head back again. "But I won't kiss you, because you need to know what really happened."

He sat back on his haunches, allowing her more freedom of movement. Instantly, she shuffled backwards, pulling herself up into a sitting position.

"I was called to Samson's housea"it was a ruse to get me out of the house and away from you. Do you remember when Zane and the others were called away the night we checked out the building in Hunter's Point?"

She nodded reluctantly, her eyes watching his every move.

"They were called to a nightclub. Apparently some vampires were causing trouble. Turns out that they were two of your clients. Leeches."

Her eyes widened with interest.

"They were both feeding off Chinese girls. My colleagues had to do a lot of damage control, wipe memories, clean up. One of the leeches killed a girl. Cain staked him."

A gasp escaped from Ursula's throat. "Oh G.o.d no!"

Oliver gave her a sad look. "I'm afraid my colleagues couldn't save her. She was already dead when they got there. But they saved the other girl. And they captured that crazy vampire. They took him back to HQ and questioned him. He told them everything: that he wanted special blood, blood that drugged, that the blood brothel in Hunter's Point he'd been going to was gone. He was an addict, Ursula. He was suffering from withdrawala"that's why he was so crazy. When Zane and the others realized what was going on, they knew instantly that you had to have special blood too."

He looked into her eyes and saw realization there. She knew he was telling the truth. "That's why Zane came for me."

Oliver nodded. "After seeing what the blood does to vampires, they wanted to make sure I wasn't anywhere near you. That's why they took you. They were afraid that I would bite you and end up like those crazy drugged-out vampires."