Page 60 of Damian’s Conquest

“But she saw it?” Damian asked, suddenly sounding excited.

“Yes, but that doesn’t help us if she can’t remember or describe it. And she didn’t write the license plate down either.”

“Don’t worry. I think I have an idea how we can make her remember.”

Naomi swallowed hard. “You’re not gonna torture her, are you?”

“Torture? Of course not, but I know how we can figure out what she saw. And if I’m right, we might be able to catch two birds with one stone: find whom Mick sold vampire blood to, and find the thief who stole the bottled blood. Come.”

27

The sun had already set when a black BMW M760i pulled into the alley behind Mrs. Zhang’s apartment building, and stopped where Damian and Naomi were waiting. A man got out of the car, dressed in black pants, and a white shirt, his long leather coat open in the front. His hair was tied into a low ponytail, and his brown eyes were vigilant. He was an imposing figure not just because of his size, but because the scar that reached from his eye to his chin made him look like a hitman for the Mafia.

Naomi sucked in a nervous breath as the vampire walked toward them, and Damian squeezed her hand in reassurance. “A teddy bear, just like my dad,” he murmured. Then, louder, he addressed the vampire, “Thanks for coming, Gabriel.”

“Of course. This is serious. We’ve gotta get a handle on it quickly.” He stopped in front of them and looked at her. “I’m Gabriel Giles. You must be Naomi. Nice to meet you.” He stretched his hand out, and she had no choice but to shake it if she didn’t want to come across as impolite.

“Nice to meet you too,” she managed to reply, though her throat was still dry. “Damian said you could help us find out what else Mrs. Zhang remembers?”

Gabriel cast a look at Damian. “You haven’t told her what I do?”

At the question, a cold shiver ran down Naomi’s back. So it was torture after all.

“It’s your gift,” Damian said cryptically. “I didn’t know how much you wanted her to know.”

Gabriel nodded. “I had a word with Amaury earlier. He filled me in. So, it’s all right.” He turned his face to her. “I have a psychic gift. I can delve into people’s memories, see what they’ve seen. So even though Mrs. Zhang doesn’t remember the make and model or the license plate of the thief’s car, I’ll be able to see it, as long as she did.”

She’d never heard of such a skill. It stunned her, but at the same time, concern rose up inside her. “Does it hurt?”

“No. She won’t even know what I’m doing.”

“What are we gonna say why we’re there? I mean, she’ll get suspicious…” She hated having to point this out, but it was true. And she couldn’t even blame the woman. If Damian didn’t vouch for Gabriel, Naomi wouldn’t let him into her home either. “And… no offense… uhm, I’m not sure she’ll want to invite you into her flat.”

“None taken. That’s why she’ll never remember that we were there. I’ll wipe her memory when it’s over.”

Naomi’s chin dropped. “You can do that?”

Gabriel nodded. “Every vampire can.”

Her gaze shot to Damian. “Hybrids too?”

“Sure, why?” Damian replied.

Something struck her immediately. Damian could have easily wiped her memory so she wouldn’t even remember that she’d found the broken bottle of blood and the vial, yet he’d chosen not to. He’d chosen to allow her to keep her memories.

“Nothing,” she said, and they walked around to the entrance of the building. At the door, Naomi pressed the doorbell and waited.

“Yes, who is this?”

“Mrs. Zhang, it’s Naomi Sutton again from the Chronicle. I have news, and I thought you might want to hear it right away.”

“Yes, yes, come up, please.”

The buzzer sounded, and Damian opened the door. She heard Damian and Gabriel exchange a few words she couldn’t hear. When they stood in front of the apartment door, which Mrs. Zhang had already opened, she noticed that Gabriel was staying back on the staircase where he couldn’t be seen by Mrs. Zhang.

“Mrs. Zhang,” Naomi started, but realized that the woman wasn’t looking at her. She stared at a fixed point in the distance. Was she having a stroke?

“She’s all right,” Damian said. “Gabriel, you can come out now. She’s under mind control.”