Previous part of Unstoppable.

***

Chapter 31

Speed wasn't surprised when Horatio met him at the airplane. "I wish you were kidding," he said. "Star Island?"

"Star Island," Horatio said. "I've managed to find an excuse for us to go out there and question the owner of the house, Tim, but it's going to be touch and go. We won't be able to bring our swords in with us, and it's possible there will be a lot of vampires there waiting for us."

"I don't suppose we could just go arrest them all and sort it out later, could we?" Speed asked.

Horatio smiled. "We've taken out worse than this on our own, Tim," he said. "Remember that nest in Spain?"

"Yeah, I still have the scars from that," Speed said. "I know we can't take Frank, but I'd feel better having at least one other experienced fighter there with us. Who do we have in the area we could call in?"

"No one that comes instantly to mind," Horatio said. "We have a day to plan out out attack, Tim. It's possible we could have Eric outside with our swords. He's not a trained fighter, not in the old style, but he does know what he's doing."

Speed shut the door to the Hummer and slumped down in his seat. "I just hate to take him into a battle like this," he said. "Eric's more of a scholar and I've always encouraged that. Yeah, I made sure he could fight, but he's not trained for a mob battle, which is what we might be facing."

"It is indeed," Horatio said. "The courts wouldn't be able to get us anyone by tomorrow, not if we want them in good shape, and I can't think of anyone in the states who is good enough to stand along side us in battle, Tim."

"Yeah, I can't either," Speed said. "Why don't you go out and get into the house and I'll wait outside with the swords. They're going to be expecting both of us, H. I don't think there's any way to get around that, and I don't know that having both of us just walk in there is a good idea."

Horatio nodded. "That's an idea," he said. "As I commented to Eric, they expect us to fight with swords, but they don't seem to expect the guns. I could have two back-up weapons with me when I go in. The vampire who was baiting Megan, and he did admit to that, didn't know who I was until I posed the question of what Fire and Ice looks like. I wonder if they do know we're here, Tim."

"After you killed ten of them in the Glades, I think they will have figured it out," Speed said. "You were having fun, weren't you?"

"I was, actually," Horatio said. "I haven't had a chance to fight a worthy opponent in years. None of them were worthy of my time, but they did try to swarm. It gave me a slight challenge."

"People wonder why Vlad's line is so blood-thirsty, you know," Speed commented.

"It's all down to Vlad, just like it's all down to Constantine," Horatio said. "You know better than most that he can fight when he has to."

Speed smirked. "I love watching their faces when Constantine does battle," he said. "All the newer vampires of his line think he's spent his life buried in libraries and don't realize how much fighting he's done in his life. So, one at a time into the house?"

"I think that will work," Horatio said. "Just promise me you'll be close by. I think we have a vampire that thinks he should be king, Tim. It's time to show him that, not only is he wrong, but America is ours."

***

Chapter 32

Horatio cleared everything with the two courts, making sure that all of his actions were authorized and sanctioned, before he sat down with Speed to clean and prepare their weapons for the next day. Horatio planned to carry two guns and would have his sword once Speed joined him. Speed was going for knives and his sword because he thought he would be able to creep around the shadows and take out some of the lower ranking vampires before the battle started. Having Horatio go in on official police business meant that there shouldn't be an immediate battle, but it was risky. There was the possibility that Sam Donner, or whatever his name really was, could figure out who Horatio was and order his people to attack. It was never easy to work out battle plans when they were facing nests, but they'd had practice and knew instinct would take over if they needed it to.

The next morning the pair drove out to Star Island mid-morning and were immediately confronted with a guard at a locked gate. "Business?" he asked.

"I'm Lieutenant Horatio Caine of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab here to speak with Richard Hunter," Horatio replied. "It's an official investigation so I suggest you call him before I make a mess of your nice gate."

Speed bit his lip to keep from laughing. He didn't want the guard to know he was in the back seat hiding. He did love it when his lover got snarky, it made Speed feel so proud that he was rubbing off on the other vampire.

"Go in, you'll be met at the door," the guard said a couple of minutes later.

"Thank you." Horatio pulled forward and drove slowly towards the house. "I think, Tim, we're dealing with more than a nest here. That guard was Vlad's line, but oh so very weak. None of the vampires I've met so far from this nest have been in the bottom five percentile."

"That's way removed," Speed said. "I'm not picking up anyone from Constantine, but it's possible we have another non-royal line in there. Be careful."

Horatio parked, making sure the Hummer was positioned so Speed could slip out without being seen. "Always," he said. "Listen for the screams, love."

Speed snorted and shifted around, getting ready to slip out once Horatio was in the house. Given the level of security, he'd have to find an open door or window to get in and not trigger an alarm, but that shouldn't be too hard. He was going to maim rather than kill at first, but he wanted to keep his presence hidden for as long as possible.

Horatio followed the butler, another weak vampire, into the house and noted details as he walked. There were about twenty-five or thirty vampires total in the house, all of them weak in the bloodline, but that didn't necessarily mean weak bodies or not able to fight. He and Speed had taken out larger and better armed, at least based on what he was seeing, but neither of them were unscathed by those battles. Somehow he wasn't surprised when he was shown into a large open room with two chairs at the other side. It seemed that he'd been right about the vampires trying to set up their own royal court.

"Lieutenant Caine, what can I do for you today?" Richard Hunter asked from one of the chairs.

Dark hair, dark eyes, build very much like Mac and Speed; if the vampire in front of him wasn't Sam Donner, Horatio would be very surprised. "Mr. Hunter," he said. "I'm investigating a prank yesterday that aimed to hurt one of my people, and it linked back to you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Hunter said.

"Let me see if I can refresh your memory a little then," Horatio said. He walked over to the book case built into the wall and started to study it. He could feel vampires behind it, but wasn't sure how it opened. "I was called to a crime scene where there was a dead body with every indication that he was killed by a vampire. The make-up on his neck had melted and run enough that I knew it was a prank and called the man on it. He admitted that I was not the CSI he'd been expecting."

"Vampires, Lieutenant, really?" Hunter asked. "It's not even Halloween."

Horatio smiled and shook his head. "No, it's not, is it?" he asked. "However, one of CSIs is deathly afraid of vampires and she was the one they were hoping to have at the crime scene. Prank or not, it was a stunt that could have led to one of my people being hurt badly." He caught sight of Speed outside the window and turned to look at the weaker vampire sitting in front of him. "So now, I'll ask you the same question I asked the man I arrested yesterday. Have you ever heard the stories of the vampire warriors named Fire and Ice and Wind and Waves?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hunter said.

"Yes you do," Horatio said. "Because your eyes just flicked to the bookcase where you have people hiding. Do you know exactly how much trouble you're in?"

Hunter stood up. "No, Lieutenant, you're the one in trouble," he said, picking up a gun. "Because you walked into the middle of my court." He paused when a blade caught his throat.

Speed grinned. "Drop it, Donner," he said. "Or whatever the hell your name is. You we're not killing yet because we have questions for you. The rest of your nest though, it's history."

Horatio caught his sword and took out his gun. "You messed with the wrong vampires, Donner," he said. "Secure him, Speed, and why don't we see what sort of fighters he's chosen to surround himself with. Hopefully they provide a little more sport than the ones yesterday."

***

Chapter 33

Speed looked around the room and shook his head with a sigh. He hadn't even had to move and was still holding Sam Donner, or whatever the hell his name was, prisoner off to the side. Horatio didn't have a drop of blood on him. "Is it just me, or were those all boys who never saw a hard day's work in their lives?" he asked.

"I think, Speed, that our so-called king here was picking young men who believed in vampires either from video games or movies," Horatio said. He looked at the bodies littering the floor and sighed. "Such a waste."

"We can feed you later," Speed said. "You want to come and cuff our bright boy here? I think it's time got some answers from him."

Horatio put his gun away and walked over to where his lover was standing with Donner. "You do not move," he said softly. "I think you underestimated the rumors in the vampire world, didn't you?"

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Donner said.

"Well then, we'll just have to start at the beginning, won't we?" Horatio asked. He secured the weaker vampire with the special cuffs they had for vampires in custody and then tied him to the chair as well. "Speed, why don't you go take care of the outside staff so we don't have to worry about them coming in and surprising us?"

"Already done," Speed said. "Unless this idiot trusted a vampire from another line to transform vampires for his court, we've got them all."

"I think that he wouldn't take that risk," Horatio said. "He strikes me as the type who would want total control over everyone he saw as beneath him, which means he would have handled all the transformations himself. Being from Vlad's line though, there should be a record of him at the two courts. I wonder why there isn't?"

"Could be his sire never reported him," Speed said. He sat down in the other chair, sword close by and ready in case he needed it. "I think that it's more than likely his sire realized he was insane and ran as fast as he could in the other direction rather than taking responsibility for his child."

Horatio nodded. "Meaning that his sire is responsible for all of this as well," he said. "We'll have to find him, Speed. Now then, I've heard at least two names for you, so which is your real one? Donner or Hunter?"

"Hunter. I used the name Sam Donner when I was in New York trying to establish myself there. I've never been a member of the weak European court."

"Y'know, I just love how they keep calling the two courts weak," Speed said. "Especially given how old some of us are and how long we've been around. I've got news for you, Hunter. You come from one of the royal lines which means that even if you aren't a member of the two courts, it's likely your sire was, which means that he should have been following the laws and taught you the same. What's your sire's name, or do you even know it?"

"Of course I know who my sire is."

"You're not going to tell us, are you?" Speed asked. "You know, I could turn my partner there loose and let him play with you for a little while. He's been spoiling for a fight ever since he was attacked by your people in the Glades yesterday. My best bet is that he could keep you alive for a month. Want to try it?"

Speed noticed the first glimmer of fear in the dark eyes staring back at him. He snorted. "There's a reason the two of us are the most feared vampires in the world, you know. Most of the time Horatio there is the calmest, most in-control vampire you could meet," he said. "Every so often though, something upsets him enough that his blood gets hot and he wants to fight. You wouldn't understand that though, being so far removed from the father of your line."

"I think I'd enjoy making this one scream, Speed," Horatio said with a grin. "Now that I have the time to play."

"If he doesn't tell us what we want to know, Horatio, then I think he's all yours," Speed said.

***

Chapter 34

Speed looked at his watch with a sigh. Horatio was having far too much fun questioning the younger vampire and they were going to have to make some calls pretty soon because they still didn't have all the answers they needed. "Hey Horatio," he said. "It's getting late. What do you think about leaving him here overnight on ice and coming back tomorrow to ask him some more questions. Maybe he'll get smarter overnight and start giving us the answers we need."

"I'd worry about him escaping us again," Horatio said. "I'd be happy to play with him through the night, Speed. I think if you give me a few more hours, I'll be able to make him start talking about the important things."

"All right, I'll go get dinner and come back," Speed said. "Hunter, you'd really be doing yourself a favor if you started talking about yourself and exactly what all you did up in New York. Really though, we just need the name of your sire. You give us that and I'll call Horatio off."

"I'm not going to betray him," Hunter managed.

"Suit yourself," Speed said. "You're an idiot though. Horatio, keep your ears open. I don't like leaving you alone in the middle of a nest like this, but I'm really hungry."

"I smell a human out in the back garden," Horatio said. "You could go see who it is and feed at the same time."

"Yeah, good idea," Speed said. He left his lover in the room where they'd found a place to suspend Hunter from the ceiling and headed out towards the back garden. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find, but one of his co-workers certainly wasn't it. "Megan, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"They told me that my husband is here," Megan said. "That he's hunted me down and has been trying to kill me because I know the truth about him."

Speed sighed. "Megan, you're husband is dead," he said. "Dead and buried up in New York. I don't know who told you to come out here, but they were lying to you. Look, I know you've been having problems, but everything is under control. Just go home and stay inside, okay?"

"No, it's not okay. I'm tired of you all lying to me. He's here and I want to see him so I know I'm not crazy."

"Not a good idea," Speed said. He grabbed her arm when she started past him. "Megan, I'm telling you right now that if you walk into that house, you're going to die, okay? You need to turn around and leave. You're a smart woman and your death would be a shame."

"Are you threatening me?" she demanded.

"Yeah, I am, because I know what's in there and you don't need to see it," Speed said. "Go home now, Megan."

"I can't believe that you'd threaten me. I knew you hated me, but that's beyond anything I could have imagined," she said, breaking away.

"Well, damn," Speed sighed, following her into the house. He hurried behind her, but wasn't in time to stop her from seeing exactly what Horatio was doing in the room just off the so-called throne room. "I tried, Horatio."

Horatio lowered the knife he was working with and sighed. "So we all did, Speed," he said. "What's she doing here?"

"Said she was told to come because her husband was here," Speed said. He caught Megan's hands and cuffed her before she could run off again. "I warned her that she'd die if she came in here."

"Such a waste," Horatio sighed. "Find out who sent her first, Speed."

"I will," Speed said.

***

Chapter 35

"That was a long night," Speed commented, locking the door to the Star Island house behind them. "I wonder how long it'll take before the body parts are found."

Horatio grinned. "Years if not longer," he said. "I'm out of practice. It shouldn't have taken me fourteen hours to get a name out of that weak vampire."

"I think it's less you're out of practice and more that he was insane," Speed said with a stretch. "So, now we've got two more people to track down and Constantine just sent me the location of another ship he wants Eric and me to check out. What do you think, wait a day and then go after our new targets?"

"That sounds like a plan," Horatio said with a smile. "I am sorry that Megan ended up dead like that. It should have been an easier death than she got."

"Yeah, seeing your work and then my fangs, I think she was out cold before I touched her the first time," Speed said. He shut the Hummer door and leaned back in his seat. "I had to dunk her in that damn pool to wake her up to find out who sent her."

"I'm not happy about that one, Tim," Horatio said. "Someone is messing in our business and they're not of either royal line. If I have the chance, I might take care of her today, but we'll see if she's stupid enough to show up at the lab."

Speed glanced over. "It's been years since I've met anyone without a trace of the two courts in them. It makes me wonder how many generations back her line finally lost the traces, if they even had them to start with."

"Constantine thought there were two other vampire lines that were close in age to his, didn't he?" Horatio asked.

"That's what his research showed him, but they weren't as prolific as the two courts are," Speed replied. "One of them was from up in what's now Russia, so that's not a surprise. The other we're not sure where it popped up originally, but Constantine first found vampires from it in Egypt on one of his trips down there. With how the line weakens for every transformation, it's possible that this bitch screwing with us is from one of the royal lines and it's just too dilute now to tell."

"We'll have to take a blood sample to find out, won't we?" Horatio asked with a smile. "You and Eric go out and check the wreck site. If we can find the cross for Constantine, then I'll feel a lot happier, even if we don't know who took it all those years ago. Not to mention it will make him happy, which can only mean he'll get back to his books and life will get back to normal in the two courts."

"As normal as it ever does," he said. "You sure you're okay without us for the day? It'll be just you and Calleigh."

"We can manage," Horatio said. "Anyone wants to ask questions, they can find out exactly how little sleep I've had in the past week."

"I have to miss you being broody and hot to go sit out on a boat in the middle of nowhere?" Speed asked. "How is this my life?"

Horatio glanced over with a smile. "If you're good, Tim, I'll make it very worth your while when you get home."
****

"Hey Horatio, have you seen Megan today?" Calleigh asked as she came into the trace lab. "Not to mention Speed and Eric?"

"Speed and Eric are working on a special project today and won't be in," Horatio said. "I haven't heard from Megan. Is she okay?"

Calleigh leaned against the table with a sigh. "I don't know. I mean, she's scared to death of vampires and always had her cross with her and wouldn't go out in the dark," she said. "But she took off running out of here last night as the sun was setting and I haven't heard from her. I don't know what to think."

"Do you think it's possible she's suffered a break from reality and we need to have patrol on the watch for her?" Horatio asked.

"Horatio, did you really believe her when she said her husband was a vampire?" Calleigh asked in reply.

"I think she believed it, Calleigh, and who am I to say that she is wrong?" Horatio said. "It's entirely possible her husband was drinking blood. Now does that make him a vampire like Megan seemed to believe he was, or was he a sick man who needed help? I don't know, and wouldn't want to guess without talking with him. I do believe that Megan was scared for her life when she came to talk with me, and working with you seems to have calmed her down a little."

"I'm just worried about her. I didn't like her at first, but I've been working with her so closely that I've started to warm up to her," Calleigh said. "I'll go and ask patrol to keep their eyes open for her. I hope she's okay."

Horatio nodded. "I do too, Calleigh," he said. He wondered how long it would be before someone found Megan's body. He and Speed had hidden it pretty well and it would have been hard to explain so much missing blood, except for they'd cut her neck post-mortem to allow the blood to pool under her. It also hid the fang marks. Horatio wished he could regret Megan's death, but she was a risk to his family and that wasn't something he could allow.

***

Chapter 36

"Okay, so what happened last night?" Eric asked as he piloted the boat out to the location they'd been sent. "I haven't seen you or Horatio that pissed off in years."

"Well, we found Sam Donner for one," Speed replied. "Turns out he was an insane bastard whose sire ran rather than raise him right, so we have another bastard to hunt down and question. Megan showed up when Horatio was questioning Donner, or Hunter as it turned out, and saw him slicing off one of Hunter's fingers so we had to kill her too. Someone sent her out to the house, Eric. They wanted her to see what was happening and that really doesn't make me too happy."

"I'm guessing you guys have a name, or a pair of names," Eric said. "Here we go, this is it."

Speed went and looked over the edge. "It's deeper here than you've been diving in. Is that going to be a problem for you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, just can't stay down as long," Eric grinned. "I'll take a net down with me this time and load it with anything I find and we can see if this is at least the right country this time around. How many Spanish ships have we checked now?"

"Ten, so hopefully Constantine is right this time around," Speed said. "I still think we're going to be searching for this wreck for the next hundred years or so."

"Give me a read on what's down there?" Eric asked.

"Like I'd let you dive without checking first," Speed replied. He went over and stuck his hand in the water. "You've got some sharks down there, reef I think. Maybe a tiger or two." He sighed. "You need a spotter on this dive, Eric."

"Seriously?"

"I'm showering as soon as I get home," Speed said. "Come on, let's get this over with."
****

Horatio found Speed and Eric in the large wash room when he got home from the lab that night. "Well, this looks promising," he said. "Tim, why is your skin pink?"

"He went in with me," Eric said. "Even with the dive suit, he spent an hour in the shower with a brush and some soap."

"Tim," Horatio said fondly.

"I'm not going to feel clean for weeks, but there were tiger sharks near the wreck. I wasn't going to let Eric go down there alone," Speed said. He held up a large cross. "The good news is, this is it. Constantine is coming over personally to recover it, and he's going to bring the paperwork appointing us kings of the Americas, Horatio."

"It'll be good to see him again," Horatio said. "We'll need to talk a few points out, like the fact that you and I remain loyal to them even with our own rule."

Speed nodded. "And that we'll remain their hunters if they want us to," he said. "We have the reputation to hunt nests safely. I don't want kids dying because we stopped doing that."

"Then we're on the same page," Horatio said. "Tim, I also got an answer to our question about the possible mystery bloodline today."

"Yeah, what?"

"She's human."

"You're kidding me," Speed said.

"I'm not. She, somehow, is involved in our business and is fully human," Horatio said. "I've got a date with her tomorrow night. Little does she know, it will be her last night alive."

Eric looked between them. "I think I'm glad I don't know," he said. "Speed, how long until Constantine gets here?"

"Day after tomorrow probably just in time for supper," Speed said. "We'll all go out clubbing and then come back here to work on the papers."

"Sweet, I haven't been to the clubs in a while," Eric grinned. "Let me know which one so I'll know how to dress."

***

Chapter 37

"So, do I want to know how you got this date in the first place?" Speed asked when Horatio was out of the show the next night. "Hell, do I even want to know where you're taking her?"

"Getting the date was the easy part, although I think that she believes she has the upper hand on me at the moment," Horatio replied. He pulled on a pair of silk boxers and went to the closet to pick out a suit. "Don't growl at me, Tim, these are for you when I get home. I'm taking her to that nice little place down on the beach if you want to conveniently be at one of the other tables. We'll be able to take her out into the Glades easily enough, and no one will miss her for at least a day."

Speed sighed. "How many people know you're going on this date, H?" he asked. "She dies or vanishes, you know the spotlight is going to be right on you."

"Which is why you are going to call me from the restaurant, I'll put her in a taxi in full view and we'll take her from her home," Horatio said. "I don't like being played with, Tim, and I want to know who is giving her information. It feels like there's another player in the game, one that is pulling all the strings and we don't have any idea where they are."

"Which would also explain why the two courts is so on edge right now," Speed said. "All right, I think you're crazy, but we'll do it. You want me to save you from having to eat?"

"That would be a help," Horatio said. "See you later, Speed."
****

"I suppose it's foolish of me, Horatio, but I'd hoped that you wouldn't be in a suit for this," Rebecca Nevins said when Horatio picked her up at her office. "Do you even own a pair of jeans?"

"I do, somewhere," Horatio said. "However, the schedule was redone a little because we've lost one of our team, and I'm on-call tonight. They know I'm out on a date so they won't call unless they really need me for something."

Rebecca nodded. "Who did you lose? I thought you were up to full strength at the lab."

"Megan Donner has vanished," Horatio said, "and I'm worried about her because she was being stalked by someone from New York." He held the door to the Hummer open for her and picked the conversation back up when he was in the driver's seat. "I've spoken with some people up there and they say that it's been quiet at the stalker's house, so I think that maybe he's here and he's made his move."

"Oh no, that's horrible," Rebecca said. "I hope she's okay. Were there any clues at her place?"

"Nothing that we've been able to find," Horatio said. "Patrol is alerted and we have bolos out for the whole state. I just hope we can find her before she's hurt."

"Megan worked for the lab up in New York, didn't she? Is this related to one of her cases do you think?"

"I'm not sure what to think," Horatio said. "It's possible that the stalker is someone she investigated in the course of her work, but it's equally possible it's someone she dated who didn't know how to take no for an answer. I do know that Megan was married at one point in time and suffered a tragic loss. The stalker could be someone related to the death of her husband. We won't know until we're able to find him and ask him."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed that you find them soon and Megan's okay," Rebecca said. "Where are we going?"

Horatio smiled. "There's a small restaurant on one of the beaches that I thought you might enjoy. I hear their steak is divine."

***

Chapter 38

No matter how many times he saw it over the years, Speed was always amazed at how charming Horatio could be when he put his mind to it. Speed settled in at a table across the sand from Horatio and Rebecca, behind her so he and Horatio could see each other. Of all the stupid plots to get the woman that would likely have the clue to lead them to their next step in the puzzle. Speed would have just stood her up, let her complain about him the next day, and then taken her from her home that next night. It would have been an easier plan, one where they wouldn't have to worry so much about their co-workers getting involved.

He waited until the food order was taken and then sent Horatio a text. "How raw did you get your steak"

Across the patio, if it really could be considered that, Horatio smiled and said something to Rebecca before pulling out his phone. He read the text and shook his head. Speed could tell, watching the body language, that Rebecca wasn't happy that Horatio was being contacted. "Yeah?"

"What's going on, Speed?" Horatio asked.

"Don't want you getting sick on me, I have plans for you in those silk boxers you put on," Speed replied softly.

"Two victims," Horatio said. "Who else is with you?"

"Time to put phase two into action, H."

"Your detective with the ME on the way," Horatio said, playing his part perfectly. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Speed."

Speed hung up, tucked his phone away, left some money on the table and vanished into the darkness. He knew that Horatio would put Rebecca in a taxi, get the information, and join him in the Hummer. It was time to hunt.
****

"I'm sorry, Rebecca, but I'm needed at a double homicide," Horatio said as he tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket. "Will you be all right in a taxi to get home?"

"That's fine, Horatio, I understand how work can be," Rebecca said. "I think I'll stay and have dinner though, if that's okay."

"Of course, here." Horatio slipped some money under his water glass. "I'll give you a call in a day or two, okay?"

"Sounds good, I'll talk to you then," Rebecca said. "Do you want me to have them wrap up your dinner? I could bring it to you at the lab tomorrow."

Horatio smiled. "That would be wonderful, thank you." He kissed the back of her hand and left, stopping to talk with the head waiter on his way out. Horatio made his way to the Hummer and slipped inside. "Tim."

"Seriously, how raw did you order your steak?" Speed asked as they pulled out. "Where's Rebecca anyway?"

"She wanted to finish her dinner, so we'll have to watch for her to leave," Horatio replied. "It's possible she won't go straight home, Tim. This could be a long night."

"We really stand out in this thing," Speed pointed out. "I know why you had to bring it, but it's not that great for hunting."

Horatio nodded. "Which is why I brought one of our cars over earlier in the day," he said. "Eric helped me set it up while you were working in the trace lab. So now we have the advantage, Tim."

"You don't think people will notice the Hummer back here?" Speed asked.

"I don't, because Eric is waiting to take it back to the house for me," Horatio said. "Move our weapons over, Tim. It's time to go and get into position for what is hopefully going to be a fruitful hunt."

Speed grinned. "I can't wait," he said.

***

Chapter 39

"I've been thinking about there being another player involved," Horatio said once they were in position down the street from the restaurant in a place they would be able to see Rebecca from. "I've been trying to work out if it's someone we know or have encountered in the past."

"Whoever it is, they'd have to be powerful," Speed said. "Taking on the two courts isn't for the weak, as we've proven so many times over the years. Whoever this is, they're either after the courts or they're after us, and I don't like either one of those options. We're not as powerful as Constantine and Vlad, but we're not weak and we know how to fight. If this is a challenge, H, then they're either really stupid or they're in a position of power that'll be enough to counter us."

Horatio nodded. "How many vampires do we know who could have worked into such a position?" he asked.

"Not many, at least not here in the states," Speed replied. "I can think of maybe ten off the top of my head, no, eight. We killed two of them with that nest of Nazis during the War. I'm getting old, H."

"No you're not, and I'll prove it to you when we're home again," Horatio said. "So, eight that could have worked into a position of power. Four of those, however, are at court with Vlad and Constantine, and if they have managed such a plot under the kings' noses, then we have more problems than just a possible attack. The other four I don't know their location off the top of my head, but we could find out easily enough."

"There's always a chance this is an unknown, non-court affiliated vampire," Speed pointed out. "Someone we don't know a damn thing about, so we're at the disadvantage."

"Gathering power like this, to make a play against the two courts, or against us, would attract attention if they weren't," Horatio said. "I agree that it's unlikely someone at the courts, but we have four vampires we both can agree would be powerful enough to do this. I think we need to get in touch with England and see if we can't track them down."

Speed looked over. "Do you want to do that before we kidnap Rebecca?" he asked. "She's a link in, yes, but right now she thinks she has the upper hand. It's possible if we try to take her from her place, we're walking right into a trap."

"That's true. So why don't we let her live for now, drive by her place and see what there is to see, and then head home and plan," Horatio said.

"I think that's the smarter move," Speed said. "I'd feel better going into this with a little more information then we have right now. It's possible we're overthinking this, but I don't think we are."

"Then we have a plan," Horatio said. "I would like things taken care of by the time Constantine lands on American soil though. I know he'll have his usual escorts with him, but I still worry."

"Trust me, you're not the only one," Speed said.
****

Horatio was in the home office on the computer when Speed joined him. "So, it turns out that one of our four is here in the states," he said. "The courts have been tracking him, but lost track about four years ago when he vanished out in California."

"California," Horatio said. "Neither of us has spent much time out there, but it is where we were thinking about building one of our courts if we need a second. They're sending us the information they have?"

"It'll be here in an hour," Speed said. "Fortunately they were doing most of their tracking on computer, so there's no books and no paperwork to scan. They did say that he's known to use humans as shields and to be ready for traps if we do go searching for him."

"Like the one we almost walked into tonight," Horatio said.

"Yeah, although I think we would have noticed that one before we were actually in it," Speed said. "It wasn't that original."

"It does tell us that Rebecca isn't living at her apartment," Horatio said. "It makes me wonder if anyone is."

Speed snorted. "Just one more thing to find out. This is why I didn't want rule, Horatio," he said. "Too much crap to deal with."

Horatio smiled up at his lover. "You will be wonderful at ruling, Tim," he said. "If Eric is to be believed, you're already the king of snark."

"Don't try and cheer me up," Speed said, fighting a smile.

"Too late," Horatio said.

***

Chapter 40

"So it seems to me, I was promised silk boxers," Speed said. "You are planning to stay in here all night and work, are you?"

Horatio looked up from the computer with a smile. "Normally I would say business before pleasure, but we can work on this tomorrow," he said. "It is interesting that this vampire out in California has been able to consolidate power around him without us noticing it before this."

"He picked almost the perfect spot for it," Speed said. He pushed Horatio back from the desk and climbed into his lap. "If we hadn't been sent here like we were, I think he might have been able to take over America before the two courts were in a position to move."

"Which was part of his plan," Horatio said, sliding his hands up under Speed's shirt. "He's making a play for a war, Tim, and if he isn't stopped, then he will succeed. This is more than the two of us can take on. We are going to need help."

"Constantine and Vlad will give us whatever we need," Speed said. He nipped at Horatio's neck. "I think sending in the stealth guard is too risky. This is a vampire that knows the courts, knows what we do when we're threatened, and I think he'll be watching for spies. He's also surrounded by humans. We have to take that into consideration."

"I think that Vlad's fighting forces will be a better choice for this," Horatio said. "Feels good, Tim. I'll call him in the morning and see what he can give us."

Speed ground down against Horatio with a growl. "You need a bigger chair," he said.

"I thought you wanted silk boxers," Horatio said.

"I've had to see you in battle mode twice in the past week," Speed said. "You're lucky I didn't throw you down in that pool of blood out on Star Island and take you right there."

"You should have," Horatio said. He wrapped his arms around his lover and stood. "Where?"

"Right here, right now," Speed said.

"Not on the desk," Horatio smiled. "Stand up and strip for me, Tim."

"I miss the days when we could get away with wearing togas," Speed grumbled. He found his feet and started to strip off his clothes. "I wonder how the Vegas guys are finding that dress code. It's something you forgot to mention."

Horatio chuckled. "I'm sure that they're enjoying it as much as we did," he said. "Nick seemed like he would really have the legs for a toga."

"Are you looking at other guys?" Speed growled.

"Looking only," Horatio said. "There's no one else I would rather touch, Tim." To prove his point, he grabbed his lover and pulled him in, hand sliding down and teasing.

"Where's the lube?" Speed managed. "You, in me, now, Horatio."

"I wonder which one of us is more excited from the battles this week," Horatio said. He dug in a drawer of the desk and pulled out the lube. "How ready are you for me, Tim?"

"Very."

"I think I should check."

"If you start teasing me, Horatio, I will not be responsible for my actions," Speed said. He pushed his lover down on the floor and straddled his hips. "You think I've been good while you've been off in battle? We have those toys for a reason you know."

Horatio hissed as the cold lube was spread over his erection. "You could have warmed it up," he said.

"You could have been less of a tease." Speed steadied Horatio and sank down slowly. "Yes."

"Are you okay?" Horatio asked, holding onto Speed's hips.

"Yeah, nothing I can't handle," Speed replied. "Move."

"Wrist again?" Horatio asked, catching one of Speed's arms. "You seemed to like that one last time."

Speed moaned. He wanted to draw things out, but the battle lust was still too hot in both of them. He caught Horatio's hand with his and brought it up to his lips. "How did I not know about this one?" he asked.

"I don't know," Horatio replied, sucking on the pulse point in Speed's wrist, pulling a moan from his lover. "You feel so good around me, Tim."

"It shouldn't be possible to get this close this quick," Speed managed.

"We've been in battle, Tim. I think we've forgotten what it's like," Horatio said, hips snapping up sharply. "I'm close."

"Do it," Speed said, biting down on Horatio's wrist.

The pair climaxed with shared moans. Speed slumped down on Horatio, panting. "Intense," he gasped.

"Love you, Tim," Horatio murmured.

***

Next part of Unstoppable.