Dawn's Darkest Hour

"No," Rachael shook her head. "He has a job," she shrugged, "sort of"

"Well, doing what?"

Anxiously, Rachael shifted her eyes. Nobody paid them any attention. She chewed on her bottom lip, not exactly sure how far to trust David. After all, he was a new kid in school. She didn't really know him all that well. "He sells things," she blurted out in a hushed voice.

David leaned in closer. He had her. She was this close to telling him what he needed to hear. "What kinds of things?" He whispered, "I'm just curious is all. Who am I going to blab to? I don't have any friends here, except for you." He heard the sharp intake of her breath. Bingo, the magic words, spoken by a creature far worse than any devil had their desired effect.

"We're friends?" Rachael's heart pounded, sending a furious red flush to her already crimson cheeks. She twisted the ties from her sweatshirt between her furiously working fingers. He was close enough that she could feel his breath caressing her face like fingers. David called her his friend. Laney was the only real friend she'd ever had. And she'd certainly never had a boy as a friend before, let alone a boyfriend. Quickly, she tamped down her wild imagination and waited for his answer.

"We're friends," David answered. He felt like an asshole for manipulating Rachael. But hey, isn't that what vampires did? Manipulated others to meet their own selfish needs. Besides, he really did, or the David he was, would have considered her a friend.

"Pink." There the big secret was out. Rachael held her breath and waited. What would David say?

A growl escaped David's lips. He had his man. Now, all he had to do was take care of business. Gruffly, he asked, "You're sure?"

Rachael nodded. "I know because I bought some off him." Her voice was shaky. Not only did David think she was a freak or would soon enough. He probably thought she was some kind of a seething druggie. "I haven't used it yet," she added.

"Promise me you won't." The thought of Rachael's innocence being stolen from her by O'Sullivan's evil raised his hackles. She was pure and didn't understand life's bigger picture. He didn't ever want her to see that darkness ever in her life.

Rachael nodded and in a fit of overwhelming self-consciousness and embarrassment, began inching back from David. She wanted to promise him, anything. But, she wouldn't make a promise she couldn't keep. Inwardly, her heart sank and she wished she'd never told him about Cole or Pink.

David sensed the new wave of hesitancy and doubt that washed over Rachael's mind. He'd worry about her involvement with pink later. Once he got the drug out of the school. He'd make sure all the loose ends were neatly tied up before he disappeared out of her life. He shrugged off the vampire he was and slid back into his teenager disguise. He needed to know where Rachael lived. He could hate himself for using her at a more convenient time. "Can I give you a ride home after school?"

Rachael thought for a minute. She was already on her mom's radar. How would her mom react if a boy dropped her off from school? "I'd better not. My mom...,"

"Oh." he hadn't stopped to consider that Rachael still had parents to answer to. "How about if I drop you off at the corner instead of at your front door? She'll never know."

The bell rang and students began to shuffle toward the cafeteria doors in small groups. Rachael didn't have any more classes with David for the rest of the day. After school, she might not be able to find him in time. Stifling an eager grin, she nodded, "Ok."

David smiled cockily. Guessing which house was Cole's wouldn't be that difficult. Once he knew which neighborhood to search. "I'll meet you at the front doors after school." Playfully, like a brother would his kid sister, he chucked his index finger underneath her chin. "See you later."

Rachael blushed. A boy had never ever touched her before. "Bye." She gripped her backpack in her fists and dodged out of the cafeteria before she could embarrass herself further.

Cole slipped his vibrating cell phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. Image was everything and even though he spent more than a good chunk of his money on clothes and the car, he willingly paid for his ultimate disguise. Customers needed the reassurance that only a sharp dressed man could provide them. Very few knew of his less than desirable home life. He never invited any of his friends over. The parents and the rundown hovel he was forced to call home were bad for business.

He frowned at the number displayed on the thumbnail sized screen. He didn't recognize the digits, which meant, he knew exactly who the caller was and what he wanted. The call was brief, a few sentences. A time. A place. Tonight, he'd have to push it to get through his busy after school schedule and hoof it to a very bad part of the city just after sundown.

Nora slipped into the Guidance Counselor's office and peeked into the empty office. Predictable as always, the Dean of Boys, not her ex, his replacement, was a smoker and everyday, he snuck out for a quick puff or two after lunch. Just as she'd guessed, her master key fit the lock to his office and his filing cabinets were unlocked. Hurriedly, she flipped through the senior class files until she found the one she was looking for. She could get fired for this if she got caught. She only needed a second, a pen, and a scrap of paper to jot down the information in the file. David Russ was about to be found out.

Chapter 26

Bianca followed the warrior down a long corridor. Her heels made a lightly echoing clack across the smooth concrete beneath them. She'd never been here before, only known of the place's whereabouts and characteristics from Carter. Needless to say, she was impressed. Security was first and foremost, and tighter than a drum. Nobody was getting into this subterranean lair without permission. If this place, as Carter said, had been a series of abandoned tunnels and mineshafts. One certainly couldn't tell it now. The guard drew her to a stop in front of a heavy, ornately carved oak door and pushed it open, beckoning her inside.

Nervously, she clutched the box, noticing the warrior's steely, unyielding disdain at its smell. Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin with determination and stepped through the door. Her eyes roamed the rows of books and plush furnishings before stopping on the man seated behind the desk. His Second sat to his right, eying her with keen alertness. Good watchdog.

"Bianca, welcome." Drew was a man of old customs, despite this modern age. He rose from his chair and gestured for her to take the empty seat across the desk from him. Without word, he met the warrior's gaze and dismissed him with a nod. "I take it you didn't spend hours driving beneath the sun's zenith for a social call." His brows lifted in curiosity as he eyed the box and caught a whiff of its contents. The smell gave the surprise away long before she parked it in the middle of his desk and flipped open the lid with a perfectly shaped dagger like nail.

Bianca watched the reaction spread across the Great Father's face. An expression of disgust tamped across his noble features, marring the perfection of his tanned skin and broad, high cheekbones most often associated with his race. A few silver strands caught the dim lamplight as he ran his fingers through his shoulder length raven hair in disbelief. His eyes betrayed the thoughts he was too shocked to mask from her careful observation. The sting of betrayal burned in their coal black depths. She took her time, giving the effect she desired ample opportunity to soak in. "Carter is now our enemy."

Dane was no politician, but he wasn't one to jump to conclusions. As Second to the Great Father and his closest friend, he was commander of the Sons and in his very long time as their leader he'd learned long ago to give benefit of the doubt before judgment was served. "We don't know this for certain." He crossed his arms over his broad chest, refusing to believe the proof of what his eyes saw.

"I am quite certain. That's," she motioned to the proof on the desk, "quite a resignation letter, don't you think?" Bianca slid the lid onto the box and thrust it into Dane's hands dismissing him. "Get rid of this, would you." She hadn't worked this hard and this long, patiently biding her time for the perfect opportunity to let his Second cause trouble for her now.

Dane glared at Bianca and snatched the box out of her fingers. If ever there was a walking definition for femme fatale, she was definitely it. Bianca was dark as a secret, glittering as a pristine crystal shard in sunlight, and deadly as an adder. She'd probably have a nervous breakdown if she so much as broke a nail or got one speck of dust on her designer power suit. But, she'd get dirty, very dirty, if the need called for it. She was bad news and he knew it.

Drew knew his old friend and Second too well to doubt his instincts. Dane was doing a very good job at keeping his suspicions of the woman in check. "What do you propose?" he asked coolly.

"As you know, the Guardians are still in their infancy. We must have a leader to take Carter's place. Someone they know and respect. As his Second, I've been filling the void. Doing my best within my capacity." She sighed a deeply feminine breath, "Unfortunately, I'm a tiger without any teeth. We're not like you. For us, everyday is a struggle. We've no higher power and no one to answer to or believe in except for ourselves. Carter was the cornerstone, but now, that rock has crumbled. I fear without my hands at the wheel. We may all do the same."

"You've come here seeking my blessing," Drew nodded in understanding. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin on the tips of his templed fingers.

Bianca was losing patience. Men. Get them out from behind their positions of power. Strip them down to their innermost core and they were as breakable as spun glass beneath the sharp point of her stiletto heel. They were suspicious of her. The fragile, harried female act that she'd been playing for them hadn't fooled them a bit. They wanted a bad ass. She could do bad ass. "I don't need your blessing. In case you've forgotten, the Guardians are a sovereign entity," she hissed.

"Then why are you here?" Drew asked, patiently eying her. Ambition was Bianca's downfall. She was too eager to take command. The responsibilities that came along with it hadn't even begun to sink into her power clouded mind yet. The city was in danger. They all knew it. Acquiring his endorsement would take her father than if she declined the backing of the Sons.

Bianca didn't back down one bit. "I came here as a courtesy, to advise you in the change of leadership. The Guardians are under my command now." She leaned heavily on the desk. "I don't want us to be enemies, Drew. We are both in an unfortunate position, one of necessity. We need each other, for the time being." Taking a deep breath, she righted her posture and straightened an invisible crease in her form fitting pencil skirt.

"So here we are, bound by the fragile threads of friendship." Drew rocked back in his chair and met her narrowed, untrusting gaze. "What of Carter?"

Bianca peeled her eyes away from Drew's piercing stare. "I don't know." Despite his many flaws and all his self-destructive, self-damning behaviors, she loved him as a brother. "I fear he's lost to us. Living has exhausted him." Idly, she toyed with a shiny silver buckle on her clutch. For all her ambitions and dreams, she didn't want him to get caught in the crossfire. "I think he's looking for a way out."

"If he looks hard enough, he'll find it." Drew said his innermost fears aloud. Taking down Carter wasn't a thought he relished. No matter how hard he tried though, he couldn't stop Carter from killing himself bit by bit. "Can you do what needs to be done if the time comes?"

Bianca brought her eyes up to meet Drew and Dane's. "I'm still hoping he'll find his salvation. But, if he doesn't, the Guardians will deliver him to it, if needs be."

"Agreed." Personally, Drew didn't care for this woman. She lusted for position and influence. She was finally getting what she wanted. What means she'd used to acquire her new standing, he could only guess. At least, when it came to Carter, she was telling the truth. He didn't relish sending a friend to his death. But, if he had to and there was no other way to pull Carter back from the brink, his Sons would act. The lives of the many meant far more than the life of just one man. "I have warriors posted in the city. If you require their assistance, feel free to ask."

"I shall." Bianca wrapped her fingers around her clutch. "This is an internal matter. We'll do our best to handle it ourselves. So far, no infraction has been committed. None that we've found any evidence of at any rate, although, Carter and his present company are very good at covering their tracks."

"You suspect..." Dane bristled when she cut him off with a hard glare. According to their operatives in the field the drug problem was growing. If she knew who was behind it and didn't share her information. He'd string her up by her designer pantyhose himself.

"I suspect a lot of things. But, have no proof. The Guardians don't let things slide. If Carter is involved, we'll handle him." Bianca collected herself and took a few steps toward the door. The men were good. But, she had the upper hand and she was going to keep it that way. She knew who was behind the recent infiltration of pink in her city. All she had to do was watch and wait. She'd get her man and along with his apprehension the respect she deserved. Let the Sons dispose of him for once and for all. As far as she was concerned, they could have at it. Once she got the credit for flushing out this little bird of prey, of course. "I'll keep you informed of our progress. But, for now, the city isn't growing any safer. I must get back to her."

"As you wish." Dane brushed past her and opened the door to the study. The warriors posted on the other side stood at ready alert. "Will, John Mark, please see Bianca to her car."

Bianca tipped her head to Drew and cast Dane a watery smile on her way out. "Thank you."

Once the female was gone in a wave of expensive perfume, Dane turned and stared at The Great Father through narrowed eyes. "I don't trust her."

"Neither do I," Drew agreed. "Alert Marcus and Sam to the change in leadership. Gather up a small team of volunteers and ready them for the city. I think we should include a few of our wolf brothers. I hate to throw our ace on the table so early. But, they might prove to be our biggest asset yet."

"Carter is a liability. He knows too much."

"Yes. That fact is what I'm counting on to flush him out. If there's even a chance at saving him, we have to take it."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Dane shot Drew a grin and headed out to gather up his mission team. The Sons had never left a man behind. Maybe the Guardians needed to understand that simple principle. Although Carter wasn't one of the Sons, he was a brother. And if they could drag him back from the edge all vampires teeter upon, if there was even a remote possibility of saving him before he fell, they needed to risk it.

Chapter 27

The school was a bustle of activity. After a very, very long day of tedium, at the sounding of the end of the school day, the students came to life. A steady flow of teens made a mass exodus from the classrooms. Headed for cars and busses in a clatter of noisy chatter and rustling clothing. David lounged against a concrete post at the foot of the stairs, waiting for Rachael to emerge from a herd of underclassmen. He had plenty of time. In fact, time was the only thing he had more than enough of. So, he didn't mind wasting a few minutes of it, here and there.

He returned the nods aimed at him and gave an occasional high five to a passing student. Finally, he was beginning to fit in. There was only one who could blow his cover. He was that good. Nora. What to do about her? She had shit on him, except for her ever-growing suspicions. And they weren't proof enough to do her any good. The forgeries he'd presented when he'd enrolled made sure that she'd never be able to dig up enough to expose him. Even if somehow she could, who'd believe her? David Russell was dead and buried. Let him rest in peace.

Seeing her again had stirred something in him he thought he no longer possessed. He was a lethal killer, not a high school boy with a crush. Still, setting eyes on her, looking past the bad dye job and unflattering makeup she wore. He could see the Nora that had filled his dreams every night back then. Back in the day, she had been the only reason he'd enrolled in that English Comp class to begin with. Just so he could sit next to her. A smile crept across his lips as he remembered her how she was back then, before time had taken the first of many bites out of her. She was youth and bubble gum sweetness, sugar pop dreams, and damned unforgettable. He turned, watching her watch him through the grungy window of her classroom. How close was she to figuring it out?

Rachael wound her fingers through the straps of her overloaded backpack and took a deep breath. Carefully taking the steps one at a time to avoid tripping over them like the clumsy oaf she was. David had a rock star quality to him. Leaning against the concrete post with a dark pair of sunglasses shielding his eyes. Despite the warm fall day, he wore a battered black leather jacket that added to his I don't give a damn look. Faded, well-worn jeans rode low on his hips, highlighting his washboard abs. An utterly feminine sigh escaped her lips as she took him in.

He was so hot. And giving her...out of all the other girls he could have asked...a ride home. A wave of panic shot through her, stilling her pounding heart. She'd never ridden in a car with a boy alone. What would they talk about? Would he try to kiss her? What would she do if he did? Nervously, she gave her breath a quick check and ran her free hand through her hair. Her cheeks flamed crimson at the thought of his lips on hers, edging the panic up another ten notches. Maybe she should make a quick get away and catch the bus instead. She could always make up an excuse. Lie and tell him she forgot. It was too late for that though. He'd spotted her in the crowd. Stupidly, her fingers waggled in an utterly dumb assed gesture of a wave in return.

Through the din of tromping feet and endless voices David heard Rachael's heart pound inside of her chest like the fluttering of a caged bird determined to free itself from its prison. At her age, he would have given his left nut to have this kind of effect on a girl. He could smell her nervousness radiating out of every pore in her teenage body. He pushed himself off from his concrete perch with the sole of his battered Converse and ambled toward her, cutting through the swarm of kids that blocked his path. "Hi."

Rachael bit her lip and forced a nervous smile. "Hi." The heat of his palm as he guided her toward a beat up Mazda burned through the thickness of her hoodie. "This is your car?" Inwardly she kicked herself for the stupid comment while he wrestled the passenger side door open and ushered her inside.

"Yup, this is Betty," David answered. Pumping the gas pedal a few times before he bothered cranking over the aged engine. Where the Guardians found this rusted hunk of junk, he had no idea. The scrap heap reject definitely aided his cover as a broke high school student. A triumphant grin spread across his lips as the decrepit motor sputtered to life. "That's my girl." Gently, he crunched the clutch, shifting in to reverse beneath the protest of worn gears on their last breaths of life, and coaxed the rattling POS car out of the parking space.