Hold Their Peace (Vampire Assassin League) by Jackie Ivie

possibly reach the same young male.
    Could they?
    “Look. I’m sorry. You can’t get through already. You really need to stop trying, okay?”
    “Who are you?”
    Darcy almost got the question out before the screen went black. She’d been wrong. They could all connect her to the same young male. But it wasn’t a computerized voice, so that meant it was a real guy. And a real guy should have real answers. She moved to the fourth computer down. This one was a desktop, with a large, laser-guided mouse. That was almost funny. It got unfunny fast since it took more than a minute to boot up. She’d forgotten how slow these things used to be.
    And the same asshole answered. This time he was in a monotone, however, as if she was a recalcitrant child with a bent toward delinquency.
    “I’m sorry. You can’t get a connection—”
    “Bullshit! I’m connected to you, aren’t I?” Darcy interrupted him with rapid-fire words.
    “Oh. Well...yeah. I guess. But only for forty-two seconds. Max.”
    “What happens then?”
    “Tracings finish bouncing and start homing in.”
    “Fair enough. So, tell me. Who the hell are you? And what the hell is going on?”
    “You must be Thanos’ babe, Darcy. And I have to tell you. Nice haircut. Do you have to work it or does it spike naturally?”
    “I’m getting annoyed!”
    “You don’t have to shout. Geez. Women. Fine. I’m Nigel. With the Vampire Assassin League. What else did you ask?”
    “The vampire what?”
    “Assassin League.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    “No. We’re all vampires. And we’re all assassins. Or didn’t you notice that when Thanos was busy hacking heads off at that archeological site? That was a sanctioned hit. On the professor.”
    “He didn’t kill the professor.”
    “No? Well, he killed someone.”
    “Yes. Everyone else. He saved us.”
    “Great. He did the hero thing, too. Figures. No wonder the ladies never look at me. So...hey. Did he ever finish with that gargoyle-head embossed shield? That was the most amazing design. I’m hoping he’ll sell it to me.”
    “Are you for real?”
    “Look. I was told not to let you connect with anyone. I wasn’t told not to talk to you. We got about eleven seconds. What do you want to talk about?”
    “I need a rescue.”
    “Right. Look. Akron is already rescuing your BFF. As soon as he’s done there, he’ll be coming in your direction. I think he’s delivering your archeology friend to Thanos.”
    “No! Wait! She can’t come here!”
    “Why not? I think you two make a great start on a harem...if she shuts up long enough. Signing off now.”
    He hit the power switch before she reacted. With the way she tossed the monitor at one of the flat screens, and the resultant chunks of debris that fell, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
    The next station had an even older desktop. But, for some reason, this one already had the power on. Good thing. She was way too ticked to wait for it to power up. Darcy had to consciously force her own hands to work the mouse carefully, ignoring what felt like rage. She’d never felt so angry and unsettled...and jealous. Jealous? No way. Not her. It just couldn’t be. But something was happening; something odd. Almost as if she looked through a red haze or something. Which was ridiculous. She couldn’t possibly be jealous. Because she wasn’t in love. She wasn’t possessive because she didn’t care who he bedded, or how many times, or in what chamber...
    The mouse shattered into pieces. She narrowed her eyes as she considered the myriad of cuts in her palm that started healing before her eyes. Well. That answered that. She more than cared. She wasn’t sharing that gorgeous male specimen with anyone. He was hers.
    All hers.
    “Hey. You’re not supposed to be on this one!”
    This time the young male voice had a hint of panic in it.
    “Why not?” she asked.
    “This is the secure link. The boss is probably having it monitored. Oh hell. He’s going to