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Balancing his weight, carefully positioning his feet, arms, torso, and legs, Nick managed to hold the other vamp nearly motionless to the door. The other vampire struggled, but stopped when Nick pressed the spear deeper into his chest, widening the hole still more.

It must have gotten too close to the doppelganger’s heart.

He stopped struggled, going totally still as his red-soaked eyes glared at Nick’s.

“That’s right,” Nick growled. “Move again and you’re dead, asshole.”

Nick felt some part of him relax, mentally at least. The other vampire didn’t seem to have the know-how to get himself free of Nick’s wrestler’s hold.

That wassomething,anyway.

Nick didn’t look over at Morley.

He didn’t stop squeezing with his hands, legs, side, elbows, shoulder, and muscles, holding the other vamp completely still. He didn’t stop gripping the spear tightly where it pierced the other vamp’s torso right about the area of the solar plexus.

Nick wondered now why he hadn’t driven it right through the fucker’s heart.

Why the hell hadn’t he killed him when he had that open shot?

He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to that question, either.

He didn’t turn his head.

His eyes remained on the doppelganger as he shouted to his human boss.

“RUN!” he snarled. “TAKE THE CAR AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. DON’T CALL FOR BACKUP UNTIL YOU’RE OUT!”

“But Jordan––”

“I’LL TAKE CARE OF JORDAN! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!”

Morley hesitated for only another instant.

Nick felt the old man’s stare as he watched him struggle to hold the other Nick.

Then Nick’s words seemed to really penetrate.

The older human looked to his right.

There, in the bone-white wall near the desk covered in books and papers and a giant liquid and virtual monitor, Nick had already noted the presence of a second door. Unfortunately, it led in the opposite direction of the staircase, but it should get him back to the corridor.

They were damned lucky it was there. If it hadn’t been Nick would have cut off their only way out. Morley must have realized the same.

After that half-heartbeat of pause… he bolted.

He ran all-out for that second door.

For a relatively old man, he moved damned fast.

Impressively fast.

Nick felt the barest ripple of relief as he continued to squeeze and hold the vampire against the door with all his weight and strength. If Morley could get out, it wouldn’t be too late. If Morley got free of the house, free of Long Island, this bastard wouldn’t get what he wanted. Morley could save Wynter. He could warn the others out of harm’s way.

The doppelganger’s words still echoed in Nick’s mind.

His firm belief that he was Nick and Nick was he.

Nick could barely make sense of it.