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“This had better be good.” He opened an eye and glared blearily at the time. Six in the morning. Couldn’t he have even one day off without someone contacting him?
“You should try getting an early night for a change.” Stephan’s voice sounded altogether too cheerful.
Something must have happened. Gabriel rose on his elbows and looked at the vid-screen. His own image stared back at him. Stephan had to be at the Stern compound, and not at his home or at the office. It was the only place he ever used his true form.
“You should try calling at a decent time.” Gabriel yawned and dropped back down to the pillow. “What’s up?”
“Hopeworth tried to assassinate Wetherton last night.”
The last vestiges of sleep skittered away and Gabriel jerked upright again. “Is Sam okay?” Even as he asked the question, he knew the answer. Given their growing bond, he’d have known if she weren’t.
“Yeah, though she shouldn’t have even been there. According to her report, the assassin was one of Hopeworth’s creations. We can’t ID him. Hopeworth is currently denying all knowledge, but I tend to agree with her.”
Why would Hopeworth risk the life of one of their specialist killers on a man who was supposedly one of their own? It didn’t make any sense.
Gabriel rubbed a hand across his eyes. “What about your vampire? Did he come through?”
Stephan frowned. “There was no sign of him. It looks like he may have taken the opportunity to run.”
“You knew it was a possibility.”
“A ten percent chance. And worth the risk, given what’s at stake.”
To draw out a man who was little more than a name, they’d let a killer back on the streets. Was it worth the risk? They wouldn’t really know until Sethanon took the bait—if he took the bait.
“A warrant been issued?”
“Yeah. Thornhill and Edmonds are turning over his known haunts.”
If the kid had any sense, he’d avoid known haunts like the plague. But then, young vampires were inclined to think they were invincible, which tended to be their downfall. “Anything else? Or did you call at this ungodly hour just to piss me off?”
Stephan grinned, and Gabriel wondered if his brother had been drinking. The last time he’d seen him like this was when they’d gone on a weeklong twenty-first birthday bender. And that was years and years ago.
“Lyssa’s gone into labor.”
“Hey, congrats.” At least that explained why he was at the compound. He must have taken Lys there so she’d have someone close while he was at work. It also explained why he was grinning like a drunken fool. “How’s she doing?”
“Fine. I called O’Hearn down, just to check things out. She reckons it’ll be a good five or six hours before anything major happens.”
Changer births tended to be a lot longer than human births. He hoped Lyssa was strong enough. “You want me down there?”
“No point until something actually happens. Come down when he’s born, and we’ll get drunk together.”
“Are Mom and Dad hovering?”
Stephan snorted. “Half the bloody clan is hovering. The rest are on their way.”
“Well, your son is the first male grandchild.” Gabriel grinned. The Sterns didn’t get together that often, but when they did, they made the most of it. There’d be a hell of a party at the compound tonight. “Give me a call the minute anything happens.”
“Will do.”
The vid-screen went black and Gabriel scrubbed a hand across his eyes again. Though he couldn’t have been happier for Stephan, this birth came at an awkward time. As much as he wanted to be with his brother, he also needed to ensure that Sam was safe. Hopeworth was after her, of that he had no doubt—even though, as yet, there was no real evidence to back that up. He stared out the window for several seconds, listening to the starlings in the trees outside his window squabble, then reached for the vid-phone and quickly dialed Karl’s number.
His friend answered on the s
econd ring, looking as if he’d been up for several hours. His wild brown hair was tied back in its customary bandana, and dirt caked his weather-lined face.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You eating mud for breakfast these days?”
