Page 66 of Dark Lover

How long had they kept him in there?

Had that been Moray’s hand?

And in that single moment, she knew that she’d get Hemmer the page of illusion if pressed. She would not allow Maclean to suffer again.

But they weren’t at that impasse yet.

Sam hurried over to the dead demons. They were beginning to disintegrate and she gathered up her weapons. The dagger went into a thigh strap under her skirt, the disk into a case strapped around her waist beneath her tank top. His office was adjacent to the vault. Maybe she could find the code to get inside, if she were really lucky. She doubted she had a lot of time.

“I told ye to stay away from Hemmer.”

Sam hadn’t even felt his presence. She jerked, looking up. Maclean stood in the media room doorway, as still as a statue, his face unusually pale. “How long have you been there?”

“A moment,” he said harshly.

She stared. She couldn’t tell if he knew what had just happened with the video. She prayed that was not the case. “You know what they say. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Why are you here?”

“Hemmer is dangerous. I said it before and I’m saying it again.”

She stood. “No kidding. In fact, he happens to have some superbad friends who’ve given him some superbad powers. What brings you down to this neck of the woods, Maclean?”

“I knew ye were here.”

She stared sharply. “Were you spying on me?”

He shrugged.

She was grim. If he had the kind of visual telepathy she was coming to believe he had, he could lurk on her at any time. It was unnerving. “I know you didn’t come down here to rescue me.”

“Yer a tough girl. Ye don’t need me to rescue ye.”

“Even tough girls can use a helping hand from time to time,” she snapped. “Anyway, your timing is perfect. Hemmer vanished—into time. Yep, he has the power. Isn’t that great?” She started toward him. He didn’t move. She halted in front of him. “I’m asking you for a big, fat favor. I want to get inside the vault before he returns.”

His gaze held hers. “It’s a trap.”

“He knew I was going to jack his chain and wrap it around his scummy throat. He left because he was afraid.”

“He’s not afraid of ye. It’s a trap.” His stare was unwavering now.

She seized his wrist and said, “Open the vault for me.” But the moment she held on to him, she recalled every heated moment of the night before, much to her dismay.

He stared at her, his eyes changing, too. They became a darker gray, warming.

She dropped her hold. “Let’s go. Time’s a-wasting.”

He seized her hand now. “Who’s afraid…of who?”

Her insides vanished. “Last night was a bad idea.”

He slowly smiled. “Really? Forget the vault.”

Unbelievably, she was tempted. She wet her lips and shook her head. “The vault, Maclean. We can debate the merits of our having sex another time.”

He released her. Whirling, he started toward the vault. She hurried to keep up.

He reached for the lever, pausing. Sam glanced at his face. It was hard and set. He was angry, but she wasn’t sure why. Again, she wondered if he knew about Hemmer’s video.

If he had to put an effort into disarming the security system and the locks, she couldn’t tell. He pushed down hard on the lever and the steel door opened. He then stepped back. “Go ahead, Sam.” He was disapproving.