Quinn went very still. He had no doubt that Malcolm would do it if he made one wrong move. Said one wrong thing.
"Don't hurt her," he said evenly. "What do you want me to do?"
Malcolm grinned. "I knew you'd see logic eventually. I think you'll be pleased with the next step in my plans."
"Killing vampires?"
He shook his head. "This time it shall be the hunters. I have plans to take care of a great many in one fell swoop."
"Sounds like you have it all worked out."
"I've been planning this particular event for some time. Just waiting for the right opportunity and the right place. And I will share this victory with you in a forum we both know all too well."
Quinn's gaze flicked to the gun again. "What's the plan?"
Malcolm paused, and the alarm continued to ring. Quinn was surprised that the police hadn't shown up yet. What was taking them so long? What would they make of this little showdown in the middle of a downtown museum?
"The annual vampire hunter convention is inLas Vegas as we speak. That is where I will begin putting my master plan into action."
Quinn's mouth went dry. "The hunter convention."
"Yes. It is being held this year at the El Diablo casino—a fitting name for such self-involved devils. I look forward to watching them all burn."
Quinn let out a long breath as he worked through how best to handle this delicate situation without getting Janie shot.
"I appreciate the second chance," he finally said and then looked over at Janie. "Bring the Eye to me."
"Forget it," she managed, clutching the artifact tightly to her chest.
"Don't be stupid. Bring it to me, or Malcolm will kill you."
"And how long do you think it'll be before security runs in here with the alarm going off?"
"Probably a long time," Malcolm said. "I killed the sole employee. No one is here except for us. I also disconnected the alarm from its connection to the police station. It's a mildly irritating noise, but no one will be coming to check it out for a very long while."
Quinn felt a chill go through him. "Janie." He beckoned to her.
She approached slowly, warily. "Don't do this, Quinn. Please."
"Why? Either he has it or you have it. And at least he's willing to share with me."
"But my sister—"
"Janie… please."
When she got close enough, he snatched the golden wand out of her hand.
A smile spread across Malcolm's wrinkled face as he regarded the Eye. "Very good." Then he turned to look at Janie, who was literally shaking with anger. "Quinn, please wait for me outside, and I will finish her—"
Quinn swung the Eye, clobbering Malcolm on the back of his head. Another swing made contact and the gun clattered to the ground, followed by Malcolm's body. Unconscious.
Again.
Quinn frowned as he saw something slip out of Malcolm's pocket and roll toward his feet. It was the ruby-like stone that he and Janie had dug up in Malcolm's back yard. He quickly bent over to snatch it from the ground and slipped it into his pocket.
Janie didn't notice this. She had her stake out in a flash, and she fell down to her knees, pushing Malcolm onto his back. She gritted her teeth and raised the stake above her head.
"Wait!" Quinn held up his hand to stop her. "Don't do it."
"He was going to kill me."
"Just…just don't do it." He let out a shuddery breath and looked down at the old man, who had been be so nice and kind and understanding once upon a time.
"I know he's no good, but I don't want him to die. Not like this."
Her eyes narrowed. "That makes one of us."
"Come on." He grabbed her arm to help her to her feet. "We have to get out of here."
Without another word, they ran out of the museum and into the sunshine. Quinn wondered how long it would be before the victim inside would be found or the alarm was noticed. What would they do with
Malcolm?
It didn't matter. The old man was in his past now.
Distracted with thoughts of Malcolm, he didn't notice Janie grab the Eye out of his hand until it was gone.
"You dented it." She inspected it, turning it over in her hands.
"It's fine."
Or was it? He frowned. He'd seen sketches of the Eye that his father had collected over the years. He could have sworn that it was not just gold, that it had a jewel in it. In fact, if he thought about it hard enough, he would swear it was a red jewel.
Just like the one in his pocket. He glanced at the wand and saw where the stone was missing. An empty slot where the stone in his pocket would fit perfectly.
Well, Malcolm, he thought.You didn't tell me everything, did you ?
Luckily, Janie didn't seem to notice any discrepancy. Shebeelined to the first pay phone she saw.
"I need to call Lenny," she told him.
He nodded. "Tell him we're going to be staying at the El Diablo when we get to Vegas."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure about that?"
He nodded and didn't offer any more information on the subject. Malcolm said he had plans to kill many hunters at the annual convention. The last thing Quinn wanted to do was to be there, but he couldn't exactly sit back and mind his own business.