Darnell clapped Sam on the back and chucked Phoebe under the chin. "So tha.s.s all she wrote, folks. I"m all for gettin" on outta here now, if y"all don"t mind. Don"t like the killin" t"all." His huge brown eyes held sorrow-remorse for what had to be.
Nina"s eyes gleamed, mirroring Wanda"s. "You guys go. We"ll handle this s.h.i.t."
Phoebe looked to Sam in confusion.
He pressed another kiss to her lips. "The evidence, honey. We have to be sure no one gets their hands on the formula-and clean up the mess." His eyes went to the man in the corner of the room, his gurney haphazardly smashed against a file cabinet.
"You go, too, Sammy. You had one s.h.i.tty night. You both need to feed and rest. Go. Go fast before I hand you a broom and a dustpan," Nina teased.
Phoebe grabbed Nina"s hand, her chest tight with grat.i.tude. "Nina-"
"Don"t even, Sentimental Barbie. I don"t do sappy, teary bulls.h.i.t. It"s over. Now get the f.u.c.k out before you start with the c.r.a.p about how I like you. Because I don"t." Yet her harsh words were tempered with a smile. One that was genuine. Honest.
Phoebe stuck her tongue out at her. "Do so. I heard you, Nina, when ... when I was-"
"Spewing body parts all over the floor?" Nina joked on a snicker.
Phoebe nodded, smiling. "And I"m never going to forget it. Never." She gave a strand of Nina"s hair, covered in dust and debris, a tug. "Never."
She pinched Phoebe"s cheek. "Yeah, yeah. Now get out. You two have some s.h.i.t to talk about. Hoo-boy, do you have some s.h.i.t to talk about."
Wanda gave a hesitant look to Nina, then ran a finger across her throat. "Not now, bloodsucker."
Sam gave them each a worried glance. "Talk about?"
Nina gave him a hard punch to his arm. "If I was you, Sammy, I"d fight for the right to pick out the china. You should have at least one f.u.c.king thing that"s all yours and yours alone."
Marty flicked a finger at Nina. "Shut up, Mouthy McMouth."
Nina flipped Marty the bird. "f.u.c.k you, Marty. They"re gonna find out anyway. Might as well be now."
"Find out what?" Phoebe asked.
Nina clucked her tongue. "First-way to problem solve under so much f.u.c.king pressure, kiddo. Having Sam bite you was genius. I just wish we"d considered that as an alternative when that lady Meredith and Raymond were kicking the bucket. Second, you know that genius problem-solving thing you did to save Sam?"
Phoebe tilted her head. "You mean let him bite me?"
"Yeahhhh," Nina crowed. "Know what that means in the world of vampire?"
"Is this the equivalent of me giving her my letter jacket?" Sam asked, his eyebrow raised.
"No, dummy. It"s the equivalent of you giving her your b.a.l.l.s. You two"-Nina pointed at them-"are officially mated-for life. So go celebrate. But hurry the f.u.c.k up and get it over with before I get back. I"m G.o.dd.a.m.n tired, and the last thing I wanna hear is the two of you screaming *Give it to me, baby" while I f.u.c.king get some shut-eye."
And then she cackled in true Nina form.
PHOEBE curled against Sam on his bed. Okay, it wasn"t his bed. It was the FBI"s, but for now it would do. Her stretch was content-sated. Penny was sleeping peacefully at Highland Hills, where no one even knew she"d been gone, while Darnell hovered over her like a mother hen, with strict instructions from Archibald to keep her safe until he was there to orchestrate her discharge.
Nina, Marty, Wanda, and Darnell had all returned safely from O-Tech after cleaning up and taking the man, who"d turned out to be homeless, to a place where he"d be given a proper burial with the respect he was due for his suffering.
Greg, Nina"s mate, had taken on the task of making sure every last piece of evidence, every last traceable bit of the formula, and anything relating to Terrence"s madness was destroyed. But he"d only done that after meeting Phoebe and giving Nina the kind of h.e.l.l that left her mumbling words about divorce by rope of garlic beating and big trees in their backyard with limbs that would make nice sharp wooden stakes.
"Well ..." Sam drawled in a s.e.xy coo.
She closed her eyes, pressing her nose to his chest, savoring the scent of him-still here-with her. "Well, what?"
"Do I call you Mrs. McLean?"
Straddling him, Phoebe chuckled when she wrapped her legs around his waist, rolling her hips against the rigid flesh of his c.o.c.k. "I prefer Mrs. 007 or even Mrs. FBI, but I"m okay with McLean, too," she teased, running her tongue over his lips.
He sipped at her mouth, sending hot shafts of heat to the place between her legs. "I really didn"t want to lie to you, Phoebe."
She grasped his c.o.c.k between her hands and lifted her leg to slide down on it for the second time since they"d consummated the strangest union ever. Sam groaned his pleasure. "I know. I know. Ditto for me. I get that you were trying to protect me-us. So let"s not rehash. We have other things to do. Like figure out where we"re going to live, how we"re going to make a living, and whether you leave the toothpaste cap on or off."
Sam"s fingers slipped between them, cupping her s.e.x, he used his thumb to part her folds and swirl her c.l.i.t in tight circles. "I most certainly do not leave anything off."
Phoebe fell forward on him with a gasp of delight. "That"s so good ... to know," she purred as he took her stiff nipple between his lips and licked it.
He slipped his hand from between their bodies and wrapped it around her hip. "I hate doing laundry," he said from around her nipple.
The slow storm Sam created in her every time he was inside her began to stir, stretching her, teasing her, filling her. "Me, too. Let"s just throw the dirty stuff away and buy new."
"Sounds like an excuse to shop."
"You"d rather me naked?"
"Duh." He growled the word, thrusting upward, making Phoebe jam her hands into his thick hair.
"What about dirty dishes?" she hissed, the spiral of electricity dragging her down. "Do we throw those away, too? Ohhhh ..." she purred when he touched that spot that never failed to bring her instantly to o.r.g.a.s.m.
Sam wrapped his arms around her back and drove into her a final time, capturing her lips and slipping his tongue between them. Their groans mingled in satisfaction before Phoebe collapsed against him.
"Where were we?" he asked in his husky afterglow voice. "I got distracted."
"I can"t remember."
"Then it couldn"t have been that important."
"Right now, nothing"s important but the fact that Penny is safe, and we"re still not breathing."
Sam chuckled, caressing her cheek. "You were really something in there, lady. Talk about thinking on your feet. I never would have considered biting you as a way to save me."
"There but for the grace of a Manolo Blahnik," she muttered against his neck. "It just seemed like simple math. And forget me. h.e.l.lo. You gave up that antidote for me. Now that was true chivalry. Thank you. Thank you," she whispered, her throat tight.
Tucking her closer, Sam snuggled down under the blankets with her. "Geeks so rule."
"No argument here. No argument here," she muttered, drifting off into vampire sleep.
Happy. Safe.
SAM gave Phoebe a look of wonder from smoldering brown eyes.
Phoebe shook her head as they both sat on the bench by the window in Sam"s bedroom.
After they"d gone to discharge Penny from Highland Hills for good, he"d decided they couldn"t stay in his FBI cover apartment for much longer before someone came looking. A good long talk with the others and they decided, for the time being, he and Phoebe should get out of Manhattan for a little while until things cooled off. Nina had volunteered to take Penny and also allow them time to get to know one another.
Phoebe, an organized planner by nature, had taken to gathering the few things that really were Sam"s to pack while Penny napped, and waited to meet the rest of her family members.
It was then Sam found the stray DVD he"d forgotten after his phone call with Harlan. When he"d popped it into his laptop, both he and Phoebe had gasped.
The DVD was from Meredith Villanueva-beautiful even battered, and in obvious agony as she fought the pain tearing her body apart to leave Sam a message. The clue that would have solved this whole thing had been right here with them all the time.
"My name is Meredith Villanueva, and I"m an undercover agent for the CIA," she spat through teeth elongating even as she spoke. Her dark hair was matted and surrounded her pale face in clumps. Each word she spoke was an obvious effort-one she appeared determined to get through. "I leave you this message in a rare moment of clarity so defined I"m almost afraid I won"t finish in time to tell you everything."
Phoebe"s hands shook right along with Meredith"s when the CIA agent steadied Sam"s laptop screen. "After attending a Halloween party at O-Tech in order to gain after-hour access to a laboratory hidden beneath the building where I was hired to help research a test study t.i.tled Project Eternal, I did something horrible tonight to you, Sam McLean." She paused then, letting her head fall to her chest. There was a hissing noise, one that made Sam cringe, for it was surely the attempt to quell the scream that agonizing burn taking over her body would accompany.
Her glazed eyes focused in on the camera again, red rimmed and wide with such obvious horror Phoebe put her head on Sam"s shoulder and scrunched her eyes shut. "In my rush to help a woman escape the madman who"d injected us with a centuries-old virus located via the black market, I mistakenly chose you as an escape. I used you, Mr. McLean, to get me out of O-Tech, unaware of your intentions due to the side effects of the virus. My antenna for subtleties was, quite simply put, dulled by the effects of the virus, and thus I apologize for any misunderstanding. Upon reaching our destination, the pain I was experiencing was grave indeed. I never meant to bite you, Mr. McLean. It was an absolute accident and a result of my artificially induced uncontrollable urges for which I take the fullest responsibility. To my utter horror, you"re now infected, too."
Sam"s head had dropped low then as Meredith continued. "My attempts to rouse you were to no avail, but I couldn"t leave you to"-she choked on the next words, then straightened her spine like any well-trained CIA agent would-"like the others. To awaken alone and frightened in this new state of suspended life. Things become quite blurry for me after we met and I realized what I had done. During this strange haze, I somehow lost track of you. Yet, my next memory is of finding your identification. I located your home via your driver"s license and your place of work via your O-Tech badge, I shall continue to make every attempt to find you and any pertinent information regarding your location until I can no longer ... search. Forgive that I"ve rifled through your things as I searched for clues in order to determine if there was someone you might contact in this dire time of need. Please, please know, Mr. McLean, had there been any other way, had my senses been on full alert, I would never have caused you so much irreversible pain. There is, as of now, no turning back for you. If you"re seeing this, then you know I speak the truth. I pray you get this message, Mr. McLean. I pray there is an answer for you, as there is none for me. I will continue, for as long as I"m able, to search for you-help you. If you find this message and you"re still among the living, find one Terrence Douglas Bradford. Find him. His name leads to all roads ..."
There was a scuffle as Meredith clamped her hands on her head and knocked the screen of Sam"s laptop and then there was silence. Dead and black on the screen in front of them.
Her loyalty to the job was something to be celebrated. Yet, no one would ever know what she"d sacrificed to try to stop Terrence. "So she found out where I worked and put herself at further risk by getting back into O-Tech to try and leave me a note. That explains why she had my memo pad. She, even in her state of undoing, was trying to cover as many bases as possible to get the information to me," Sam said, his tone solemn with admiration.
Phoebe"s lower lip trembled, but she was unable to move. This woman"s incredible act of n.o.ble bravery left her humbled. "I can"t believe she was still coherent enough to make that, let alone find you. She looked like she was in incredible pain. She was one tough lady. So brave."
Sam ran a hand over his chin, still shocked. "I couldn"t figure out how I got to OOPS in the first place. I guess I"ll have to chalk this up to fate... But if Wanda and Marty hadn"t found me ..."
Fear spiked along Phoebe"s spine. "Maybe Meredith actually knew about OOPS? And technically, according to Wanda who"d intervened during their argument, Phoebe had allowed another vampire to drink her blood. Even though Sam had been a dying vampire at the time, the sharing of blood still left them mated-unofficially anyway. The only thing missing had been someone to officiate their bloodletting. Which, also according to Wanda, was an easy fix. Do you really think it just some crazy coincidence that you ended up there?" The idea that even one person in the CIA knew about her sister and the others and might take it seriously made Phoebe"s legs tremble.
Sam shook his dark head. "My gut tells me if she did know, she had far more important things on her mind than investigating three women who run a supposed paranormal crisis hotline. If she was at all suspicious about or thought it was an organization to take seriously, she didn"t have time to think about investigating it anyway due to the state she was in. I think I"ll call coincidence. OOPS isn"t far from O-Tech. Whatever happened between the time I was bitten and when I arrived at OOPS might just have to remain a mystery."
Phoebe wasn"t sure if Sam was just attempting to soothe her fears by placating her or he really didn"t believe Meredith knew about OOPS. She couldn"t let herself go there. Instead, she asked, "Why do you suppose she didn"t contact the CIA for help?"
"I have to think it was partially that she wasn"t thinking clearly. Terrence obviously had her phone. He taunted us with the fact that he"d texted with her handler. But then I wonder if it wasn"t for the same reasons I didn"t contact the FBI," he offered, his eyes haunted with the endless variations that could have ended this all so much differently.
Pulling him down to her lap, Phoebe didn"t say another word. She didn"t pry. Instead, she stroked his head and closed her eyes.
And he was grateful. So grateful.
NINA knelt in front of Penny"s wheelchair and tilted her chin up to gaze at her sweet round face. "Well, look at you. You look just like me, you know?"
Penny reached a finely boned hand out and lifted a strand of Nina"s hair, twirling it around her finger. "Like you," she repeated in her soft childlike voice.
Phoebe hovered behind Nina, worried Nina would reject the one person in the world she loved unconditionally. She wanted to be at the ready if that was going to happen. Penny would cry for days if someone took something of hers-something as simple as a hair band or a toy.
To be unwanted by Nina would crush her gentle soul, and in turn, crush Phoebe. "She doesn"t talk very often, and it"s usually just in fragments," Phoebe rambled. "But she understands everything you say. What goes on behind those eyes when she listens amazes me."
Nina whispered conspiratorially in Penny"s ear. "Whaddya say we tell Phoebe to take a hike and we go sit over there by that big window of Sam"s? We can watch the snow; it"s pretty, right? Oh, and I dig a coloring book. Bet you do, too." Nina pointed to the table that held coloring books and crayons Sam had purchased that morning. "That cool with you?"
Penny gave her an awkward, lopsided smile due to her partial facial paralysis. "Cool."
Nina held out her hand to Penny, who shyly offered hers in return. Nina pulled it to her lips and gummed Penny"s knuckles, making her giggle the same giggle that hadn"t changed since her accident when she was ten. "You think they have any Dora the Explorer coloring books? She"s my total favorite, little dude. I like her backpack."
Penny smiled again-sweet-trusting. "Backpack, backpack," she chimed.
How Nina had known Dora was one of Penny"s favorites might always be a mystery. Maybe she"d read her mind. Maybe she"d asked the staff when they"d checked her out for good this morning.
It didn"t matter to Phoebe. It was the effort she made that did. The gentle tone that wasn"t at all belittling her little sister"s condition struck the place where Phoebe"s heart once beat, clenching it.
As Nina pushed her wheelchair to the table, she poked her head over top of Penny"s and said, "I"m sorry I haven"t visited you before this, munchkin, but you know what our dad the truck driver used to say, Penny? Family is family together or away. Family is family ..."
"Forever and a day," Phoebe whispered, finishing Nina"s sentence, her throat tight.
Sam pulled her to his chest, nuzzling her neck. "I win this round."
She snuggled back against him, still in awe of this new set of emotions she was experiencing. "Which round is that? There"ve been so many."
He brushed his knuckles along the side of her face. "The Nina-nator-is-a-hard-sh.e.l.l-with-a-gooey-soft-center round. I never doubted for a minute she"d love Penny and Penny would love her back."
"She wants to bring Penny back to the castle to live-for good until we"re safe, and I can take her full time. It was Greg who suggested it. On top of everything else, they"re rich. They can afford to help me look after Penny." It was the biggest miracle in all of this.
Sam caressed her hand. "How do you feel about that?"
"I feel like it"s right-and having family with her can only be good for Penny, right?"
"What about having us as a family. Would that be good for her?"
Phoebe turned and lifted her eyes to his, smiling. "What exactly is it you"re asking me, Sam the Bug guy? We"re kind of already hitched, if you know what I mean. Your Hustler days are all over but the cryin"."
"But you heard what Nina said. That just means we can"t mate with anyone else. We could still go our separate ways and remain celibate forever."
"And miss out on all this fabulous? Surely you jest, Secret Agent Man," she teased. Phoebe knew where he was going-she was so ready to go with him.
"Here"s what I propose. Let"s let Penny get to know Nina and Lou. While they do that and we lay low until the coast is clear, let"s take a chance on an eternity and get to know each other. So you can get to know Sam the FBI guy and I can learn how to help you take care of Penny properly. I meant what I said last night, Phoebe. That wasn"t just me talking you up after awesome vampire s.e.x. I"m not always easy to get along with. Switching personas to the affable, bug-loving Sam was always a way for me to hide from some pretty s.h.i.tty stuff. It was my cover within a cover-I"m not sure you"re going to like the Sam whose job demanded some hard choices."
"Did you make those job choices out of necessity, FBI Sam? Or did you make them because you"re a total p.r.i.c.k who likes to see people suffer?"
"I"d like to say they were mostly out of necessity, but there were one or two that were made simply because the bad guy deserved to suffer."
It saddened her to think Sam had seen things that left him with regret. But that he regretted anything at all was enough to convince her the circ.u.mstances had to have been grim. "Then I think I can live with that. Maybe someday you"ll talk about some of that with me? I promise to tell you my most heinous ever personal styling job with a D-list celebrity. It"s my favorite in-the-fashion-trenches tale," she teased.
Sam chuckled. "Deal. So we give this a go, then? Maybe do all the stuff I talked about before you knew who I was. Stuff I really meant, by the way."
She gave him a c.o.c.ky grin. "Will there be cruel jokes about Tom Jones?"
"Only if you tear your panties off and throw them at the sound system."