“Who…” She pulled away and reached into her backpack. Giovanni tensed when he heard the panicked voice on the other end, even before she put it to her ear.

“Danny? What—” she frowned. “Slow down, what’s going on? A what?” The color drained from her face. “What kind of accident?”

Chapter Six

Los Angeles, California

December 2009

Beatrice didn’t remember much about the ride to the hospital in Long Beach except for the familiar smell of leather and smoke that filled Giovanni’s old Mustang. She remembered the first night she’d ridden in it, the night she had learned about vampires and blue fire and men who lived forever.

Men who wouldn’t be in the hospital after a freak diving accident.

“It was the weirdest thing,” Danny said after he’d calmed down. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It looked like he was being attacked down there, but there was nothing around him. Then, it was like his mask was just sucked off of his face like the water was pulling on it.”

“I’m heading over there right now. What did the doctors say?”

“I got him to the surface and got him resuscitated. Thank God we weren’t that far from the marina. They’re going to keep him overnight and release him in the morning if everything looks okay.”

Giovanni wouldn’t let her ride her bike to the hospital, much as he had refused to let her drive home the night six years before. She had never felt more confused in her life.

“Danny said it looked like the water was pulling on him.”

“Pulling on him?”

She nodded. “Like he was being attacked, but there was nothing around.”

She glanced over, and his face was grim. They drove in silence for a few more minutes.

“It’s him, isn’t it? It’s Lorenzo. He’s back.”

He frowned. “The last time I had information on Lorenzo was a year ago; he was lurking around Northern Africa. None of my contacts have reported any movement from him.” He shook his head. “He’s very recognizable. It’s more likely an associate of some sort, or someone he hired.”

Someone Lorenzo hired to kill a man she loved. A combination of guilt and fury began to churn in her gut.

“Did I ever tell you Mano was a diver in the Navy?” she said. “He’s really good. Danny says Mano’s the best diver he’s ever worked with, and Danny was a Master Diver before he retired.”

“Beatrice—”

“Two and a half years we’ve been together,” she whispered, “and he’s never had an accident. I used to worry so much about him, especially at night, I worried…but nothing ever happened. Everything was fine. Mano was always so careful.”

I did this, her mind kept repeating. This is my fault. She suddenly had more sympathy for her missing father and the complicated mess he’d inadvertently drawn her into years before.

Giovanni started to say something but paused and reached over to squeeze her limp hand. “I’ll find out who it was.”

“Who controls L.A.?” she asked in a whisper.

She could see his face harden in the passing streetlights.

“Are you sure you want to know? Sure you want back into this world? Into my world?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Yes,” he hissed. “You have a choice! That’s what all of this was about, giving you a choice.”

Beatrice shrugged, fighting back the tears in her eyes. She didn’t feel like there was a choice. She felt like she’d been hiding her head in the sand and others would be the ones to pay the price. She didn’t know what to do, and all she could think about was seeing Mano.

She forced Giovanni to go home to Ben after he dropped her off at the emergency room. Beatrice walked in and found Danny in the lobby, waiting to take her upstairs.

When she walked in, Mano was sleeping, and the quiet words of his doctor assured her that a week of rest and a break from diving were the only things needed for him to make a full recovery. Danny finally left them, and she curled up in the bed, squeezing herself into his side and laying her head on his chest as she listened to the steady beat of his heart.

Beatrice spent hours watching Mano sleep, seeing his steady chest rise and fall and listening to the faint murmurs as he dreamed. He had always looked so peaceful when he slept, his huge body relaxed and still in marked contrast to his waking vitality.

She called in to work and took some of her vacation time to be with him, though she knew he didn’t really need her there the whole time.

“Hey, Mano, what do you want for lunch?”

“How about a break from hovering?”

She snickered and looked over at him. “I’m serious. There’s some soup left, or I could make you a—”

“I’m serious, too.” He gave her a slight frown. “Why are you being like this? You’re not a hoverer.”

“You…scared me.” She frowned. “That’s all. You’ve never had an accident and—”

“Accidents happen, baby. It was a weird one, but…”

“What?”

He tried to smile but could only shrug. “You don’t seem like yourself lately.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine. You’re the one who needs—”

“What’s going on?”

Beatrice walked over and straddled his lap, pulling his arms around her. She put her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat as his strong arms held her. What could she say?