Once Bitten, Twice Dead Read online

  O’Hara stared him down for a long moment. Finally, the old man nodded and leaned back in his padded leather office chair.

  “Special Forces, eh?” The chief nodded toward the row of ribbons pinned to Xavier’s chest with knowing eyes. “I was in Nam—82nd Airborne. So I have a great deal of respect for the uniform, son, but I don’t know you. I’m willing to give you a lot of leeway based on Uncle Sam’s recognition of your skills and honor. Don’t abuse my trust.”

  “You have my word, sir.” Xavier read knowledge in the older man’s eyes. He wasn’t surprised to hear that the chief of police was a vet who had seen action abroad. The old guy seemed as tough as they came. No doubt he’d learned those people skills during his time in the service.

  O’Hara held Xavier’s gaze for a moment longer, his jaw like iron. He nodded once and turned to Sarah. “Anything you need, Officer Petit, you just call. We’re on the federal dime, so we can afford all kinds of overtime to assist you, if necessary. More than that, you know I’d never leave one of my officers out in the cold. You may be on loan to the feds, but you still work for me. You need anything, you let me know.”

  “Will do, sir. Thanks.”

  They left the chief of police after only a little more small talk, and headed back to Sarah’s desk. She was a patrol officer, so she shared a workstation. A guy named Officer Riley, according to the plaque on the desk, who, Sarah informed him, was out on patrol. He wouldn’t be back for hours, so they had the desk and the small area around it all to themselves for the time being.

  There were only a few other people in the office at this hour. Most of the other officers were out on patrol or going about their various clerical tasks for the day. After a few greetings and introductions, they left Sarah and Xavier alone to work.

  He understood her caution about slipping this potentially dangerous disc into her home system, but he didn’t like doing his investigation in public. Still, a police station was about as secure as you could get in the civilian world.

  He could’ve just booted up the disc in his laptop, but he’d wanted to see where Sarah worked. He also wanted her to feel like she was contributing to the mission. She was a vital player on the team he’d put together for this. The only woman. He’d never had a female on his team before in the field. It was a novel experience.

  Not only that, but Sarah herself was a special lady. Skilled and brave, she’d proven her mettle. She was going through a rough patch right now. It was up to Xavier to help her through it so that she could continue the career she so obviously loved. He needed her help on this, and she needed a helping hand through the aftereffects of the attack and the changes it had made in her life.

  He’d been there. He knew something about how she felt. A combat veteran, he’d been better prepared to deal with the emotional storm after his own first rude introduction to the nightmare creatures. The zombie attack had shaken him to his core. He could only imagine what a police officer who normally didn’t see anything worse than the occasional drug-related shooting would feel when faced with being savaged by two zombies and left for dead.

  Sarah booted up the computer while he snagged a chair and brought it around to sit next to her.

  Her shared desk was toward the back of the large room, which suited Xavier fine. He had a good view of the others and none of them could easily see what might come up on the computer screen. After getting her permission to make a cursory inspection of the system, he was satisfied that it had good encryption and other protections. He handed over the disc and Sarah stuck it into the drive. Both of them leaned forward, watching the screen eagerly as the disc spun up.

  Xavier reached for the keyboard, then pulled back. “Sorry. Do you mind if I do it?”

  Sarah handed him the keyboard. “Go for it.”

  Typing in a few commands, Xavier quickly searched the directory of the disc. “There are some video files on here in addition to text files. I can’t see a lot of coherence. This could be a partial backup of something.”

  “Play one of the videos. Let’s see what they are.”

  “Here’s an interesting date. The day you were attacked.” He brought up the video file. The picture was dark at first, but he figured it out quick enough. “It’s a surveillance camera. See the angle from above this doorway?” He pointed to the screen. “Do you recognize anything about the setting?”

  “There’s not much to see. Just a door. Could be anywhere.” A little frown line appeared between her eyebrows as she concentrated. Xavier had to force himself to focus on the screen rather than watch her. She really was the most distracting little thing. Cute as a button and tough, too.

  She’d probably deck him—or at least try to—if he ever told her she was cute. In his experience, officers of the law didn’t appreciate that sort of description. But she was. Cute, sexy and very distracting. It was a potent mix.

  “Wait.” She touched his forearm where it rested on the desk between them, her eyes focused on the computer screen. “That’s me.”

  Xavier paused the playback, going back a few frames. Sure enough, that was Sarah, entering a doorway.

  “This has got to be the building on Wheeler Road. Surveillance caught you going in.”

  “Play the rest of it. Let’s see what else they thought important enough to back up to disc.”

  Her eyes narrowed and he could tell she was angry now. Good. That was a healthy reaction to realizing she’d been spied upon and observed by use of hidden cameras. He hit the button to let the video resume.

  The camera angle switched. It showed her walking into a new frame, somewhere within the old building. Her small flashlight was a flare of brilliance on an otherwise dim scene.

  “They were using infrared. There’s the heat signature of your flashlight. There’s you in red, orange and yellow. See this green and blue shape in the corner?” He kept his voice low and pointed to a human-shaped object that was stationary in the far corner. “This is probably the guy who came up behind you. The creatures don’t register as hot to an infrared, but they do hold some warmth. The science team explained it’s the kinetic energy of the cells which make up their bodies. They don’t live like you and me anymore. They’ve been reanimated on a cellular level. That requires some energy and that’s what you’re seeing on the infrared. It’s cold compared to us, but it’s not ice-cold.”

  “Son of a…” She was focused on the screen as the creature began to move up behind her. It was shadowing her movements as the camera angles switched again and showed her walking down the hall toward another blue-green being.

  Xavier covered her hand with his as they watched the blue-green shapes converge on her glowing form. The attack played out before their very eyes. Xavier saw firsthand how she’d fought back, how she had tried her damnedest. That initial blow to the head had been her undoing.

  She fought like a wildcat. The action caught by the infrared surveillance footage revealed the scenario just as she had described it. Even with her police training, she hadn’t stood a chance against the creatures in the darkness that was their domain.

  In the end, she had succeeded in saving herself. Xavier had to hand it to her. She had grit and skills to back it up. She’d gotten herself out of the situation, badly injured and in serious need of help, but she definitely had rescued herself.

  The surveillance cameras followed her out into the sunshine, zooming in on her, using regular film once there was enough light. Xavier saw the pain on her face, the disoriented focus of her eyes, the blood pouring from her wounds. She held out until the last possible moment, propping her battered body against the tire of her patrol car. A minute later, a second patrol car pulled up and her fellow officer called the rest of the cavalry.

  Xavier stopped the replay. She was breathing hard, her free hand fisted on her thigh, the hand he held gripping his tightly. She stared at her image on the screen and swallowed hard, anger and dismay warring on her lovely, pale face.

  “I know that was hard to watch,” he said
in a soft voice. He bent close to her ear, wanting to offer comfort. They were in her office, with others about, or he would have dragged her into his arms for a hug. She looked like she really needed a hug.

  “You have no idea.”

  She took a deep breath and straightened her spine. Damn, the girl was a trouper.

  “Did you see the way the cameras were zooming in and out?” she asked him. “Someone was watching this live. They were controlling the cameras, following my progress.”

  He had noticed it and was pleased she had, too. The woman was smart, brave and intelligent. A lethal combination.

  “You acquitted yourself well, Sarah. That initial fall scrambled your brains, but you fought back and managed to save yourself. You deserve a lot of credit.”

  “For letting that bastard shadow me all over the damn building? I should’ve realized I wasn’t alone. I should’ve known someone was following me. That was a rookie mistake. I let him catch me from behind.”

  “Sarah, these things are better at stealth than anything I’ve ever seen before. They don’t breathe. They don’t make a sound until you confront them. I’m not surprised you didn’t know it was there. You were expecting living, breathing human beings. Not them. You did better than most would have in such a situation. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Thanks for being nice, but I expect better of myself.” She squeezed his hand and let go, turning back to the computer.

  “Nice, eh? Can’t say anyone’s ever called me that before.” He felt the moment needed a little levity. He wanted to see her smile. “My unit would laugh their asses off if they heard anyone call me ‘nice.’ They’d say I was slipping.”

  She laughed, and he felt a small victory at seeing the light of humor in her eyes. She was tough on herself, but then, she probably hadn’t gotten where she was by going easy. She was a fighter and she demanded a lot of herself. He actually liked that about her.

  “Your secret is safe with me, Captain. You’re nice and there’s little you can do to convince me otherwise.”

  “Just you wait, Sarah.” He gave her a sly look filled with sensual promise. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to really know her.

  He wanted her. He wanted to be inside her and drink in her light. He wanted to hear her scream his name as she came. And he wanted to come inside her sexy body, claiming her as his own.

  Chapter Five

  As they looked through the rest of the disc a disturbing picture emerged. Since the attack, someone had been compiling information about Sarah. They had some of her medical records, her work history, even some of her school records. It was a blatant invasion of privacy that went above and beyond any normal background investigation.

  “This is bad.” Sarah sat back in her chair and stared at the screen.

  Xavier looked like he wanted to say something, but he reached out and blanked the screen as a uniformed courier made his way toward Sarah’s desk. He had a thick envelope in one hand.

  “Captain Beauvoir? Your team said I could find you here. I have a special delivery from the commander.”

  The guy looked skeptical and Sarah just watched as Xavier stood and produced ID, which the courier checked carefully.

  “Thank you, sir. You’ll have to sign.” The courier proffered a clipboard bearing official insignias.

  Xavier signed and the man saluted before leaving. He had to be army, though he wasn’t dressed in anything remotely official looking. He looked more like a postman or special messenger than a military courier, but Sarah supposed that was the idea.

  The file was marked TOP SECRET in red letters. Despite herself, Sarah was impressed. This was the real thing, not some prop in a movie.

  “I was waiting for this,” Xavier said as he sat again, pulling a file from the envelope. “I’m willing to bet one of these guys…” On the desk in front of her, he arranged a few ID photos that had been blown up to 8 x 10s. “One of them is probably the mysterious doctor who was in your hospital room when you woke up. Do you recognize any of them?”

  Sarah took a look at the photos. There he was. The third one down. Bingo.

  “This one. He was the one all hyper about getting a blood sample from me before the nurse showed up.” Sarah lifted up the photo and handed it to Xavier.

  “Sellars.” He said the name contemplatively. “Makes sense. He was one of the senior scientists on the initial project. Looks like he’s started up his own illicit project right here on Long Island, despite the prohibitions against pursuing this research any further.” Xavier paged through the file until he came to a sheet with the name Sellars at the top. “Last known place of employment is the university medical center here in Stony Brook. This is our guy.”

  “Do you want to put out an APB or handle this some other way?”

  “No APBs. We’ll do this quietly for now. That’s proven to be the best way.”

  “So this has happened before?”

  Xavier looked uncomfortable as he stowed the remaining pictures back in the envelope. “I’ll fill you in, but not here.”

  She could accept that. No matter that this was a police station, there were still too many potential eavesdroppers in the office. She began to shut down the computer, popping the disc out of the drive. She handed it to Xavier, and he put it into the large envelope with the photos and some other papers.

  “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

  Xavier waited for her to precede him out of the office. He helped her into the Humvee, then slid behind the wheel, stowing the big envelope in a secure pocket behind his seat.

  When they got to her house, Xavier parked the Humvee in her driveway. He grabbed a duffel bag out of the back of the huge vehicle and followed her up the walk to her front door.

  “What’s this?” She looked from him to the big gear bag and back. She’d thought he was just going to drop her off, but it sure looked like he thought he was staying.

  “I’m with you for the duration, Sarah. After what we learned tonight, coupled with the visit Sellars paid you in the hospital, you’ve got to realize you’re a target. He wants to talk to you. He wants to observe you. Study you. Maybe even abduct you. If we can catch him, we can end this a lot sooner. So I’m moving in.”

  “Just like that?” She leaned back against her doorjamb, bone weary…and unwilling to concede his very valid points.

  “Just like that,” he agreed. “Come on, you have to see it. If I’m miles away at a hotel with the cleanup team, I can’t help you if Sellars finds out where you live. Hell, even if I’m parked outside on a stakeout of your house, I’d be of little use while you’re behind closed doors. I’d have to sweep through your yard every few minutes to be sure nobody has gained entry from the back and I’d never sleep. Do you want that?” He gave her his most hangdog look, and despite herself, she was charmed. “It’ll be easier for all of us if I’m camped out on your couch. It’ll also save time when we’re ready to work. I have an expense account and will gladly pay for any expense having me around might incur. Scout’s honor.”

  Damn, he really was charming when he tried. He also had made some good points, and she was now willing to admit it. It didn’t make sense for him to run back and forth to the hotel—miles away—every day. She also knew it would take manpower her department didn’t have to put a watch on her house on the off chance that Sellars would come here. Xavier didn’t have that kind of manpower at his disposal, either. Despite the army’s support in sending him here to solve the zombie problem, they’d sent only him and a small team of techs to clean up the kill sites, and a few other Green Berets.

  So far, Xavier had seemed unwilling to put the other soldiers in direct contact with the zombies. They weren’t immune like he and Sarah were. So their roles were more in a support capacity, running interference with the locals and keeping the work sites secure. They couldn’t be spared to babysit her.

  Sellars didn’t appear to have her address or phone number. Both were unlisted and protected since she
was an officer of the law. Still, there were ways he might be able to find out. She felt safe enough to stay in her home for now, but she admitted to herself that she’d feel a lot safer with backup on the premises.

  The fact that she wanted to jump Xavier’s bones didn’t help her internal debate, though. Having him in her house would be a huge temptation. Of course, they were both adults and capable of refraining from acting on their impulses.

  She hoped.

  “You can have the guest room,” she relented reluctantly. “It isn’t much, and you’ll have to clean up after yourself. I’m not the maid.”

  “I promise to be the perfect houseguest.” He solemnly crossed his heart, a twinkle of devilry in his eyes.

  She pushed open the front door, muttering, “I know I’m going to regret this.”

  She entered and he followed obediently behind. The obedience was all an act, she knew, but she didn’t really fear him. He wouldn’t try to push too far beyond her boundaries. Having worked with him over the past day, she’d already made up her mind that she liked him. More than that, she trusted him.

  It wasn’t normal for her to trust someone on such short acquaintance, but there was something about Xavier that invited that kind of confidence. He was so sure of every move he made, so nonchalantly observant of everything around him, so careful of her—both physically and emotionally.

  He’d been a rock of support when she’d had to face the scene where she’d been attacked. He’d prepared her to go over the details with his team, never letting on how he was rehearsing her to deaden the pain of having to relive those horrific moments. He’d also been a solid pillar of strength when they’d faced that creature in the basement. She had faced the enemy with him now and knew he could be counted on to back her up as well as let her do her job.

  A lot of her fellow cops tried to protect her from the hazards of their line of work because she was female. They didn’t even do it consciously. It was an instinct in them to protect the female, but they had to overcome it if they wanted to work with her. Normally, she avoided those guys who couldn’t overcome their chivalrous instincts to make life easier for both herself and for them. She couldn’t fault them for being gentlemen. It was actually kind of nice—when they weren’t on duty.