Bloody Heretic (13 page)

    “
Yes, I
’
m sure of it. It
’
s probably the reason we got wiped. I talked to Valentin last night. I got him to tell me about where they
’
re keeping the girls.”

    “
Really? How can you be sure it
’
s not just a memory that was planted there? It could be a trap,”
Vic pointed out. Jeanne l
ooked pissed.

    “
It
’
s real. It took me a lot of digging just now to find it. He said that there is a four story compound under the warehouse that the girls stay in with most of the guard. Only the security team, Val and Boris have the pass code. There
’
s
an entrance in their dressing room somewhere and an exit down
by the river. I think if I can get into the compound tonight I can get the girls out. We can split the team up into two groups, one to wrangle the girls and one to take out Boris. The best time
is when they send the humans home but before it gets busy with Vamps. What do you think?”
She asked.

    “
You came up with all of this just now?”
Master Orleans spoke up for the first time. Jeanne glared at him and Dom felt a chill run down his spine.

  
“
I am a master strategist,”
she answered coolly. Adam looked at Dom and Gloria. They nodded in agreement, knowing she was exactly that.

    “
I say yes, but I think we should give it another night. We need more information. More time to plan.”
Adam looked
to Vic.

    “
I agree. I don
’
t want to endanger the women by going in without every bit of Intel we can get.”

    “
No, we go in tonight,”
Jeanne demanded, looking to Dom for the briefest second. “
It has to be tonight. I can
’
t risk getting bespelled again.
”

    “
Jeanne, your fear of being wiped is natural, but we will not rush this mission because of it.”
Adam put his foot down. Jeanne took a step forward towards him.

    “
Would you like to know what it feels like to have whole hour
s
from your lif
e taken fr
om you?”
She actually threatened him. Dom reached out and pulled her back. Adam smiled at her but didn
’
t answer. Jeanne let him hold her back which surprised him more than Adam
’
s lack of response. Everyone watched with rapt expressions. The tensi
on could b
e cut with a knife until
Elliot stepped in to relieve it.

    “
I think you guys should let me go in tonight. One look at all this and the girls would just follow me outside. Voila! Instant victory for Team Monster
Mash.”
No one in the room could keep from
laughing at that, not even Jeanne.

    “
Nice try, Scrappy Doo,”
Claude said.

    “
Pftt. I
’
ll save the day, you guys wait and see. I always do.”
Elliot sat back down.

    “
That you do, kid,”
Gloria reached out and high fived him.

    “
Alright. We go in
again tonight. This time we stay until closing, keep an eye out on each other, make sure no one
’
s getting bespelled, gather as much Intel as possible, and then get the fuck out of there,”
Vic surmised.

    “
If someone can get the pass code from a guard th
an me, you, and your Dad can go in tomorrow afternoon and get the girls out. I think a day time bust is the best idea. The Vamps will all be asleep,”
Alex told Vic.

    “
Absolutely not,”
Ethan shook his head. “
I can
’
t chance that something will go wrong an
d I won
’
t be able to get to you.”

    “
What about that potion you guys have? The daylight potion?”
Vic asked. Adam stiffened up instantly.

    “
What daylight potion
?
”
Orleans asked as
Claude
asked, “
How does she know about that?”
There was mass confusion as every
one
burst into questions instantly. Vic gave Adam an
‘
Oh shit
’
look. He fumed but didn
’
t yell at her. He stood up and whistled loudly.

    “
Yes, King Johnathan invented a daylight serum, no he hasn
’
t sent anymore with us
solely based on the fact that it
’
s a
secret
and it
’
s still in its trial phase.”
He looked down at Vic. She threw her hands up.

    “
I didn
’
t know!”

    “
Why in God
’
s name wouldn
’
t you be using it if he had it made already? We could be doing all of this so
much faster! We lose twelve hours a day just waiting on you all to wake up,”
Orleans vented.

    “
I said, it
’
s experimental. King John doesn
’
t fully understand what long term exposure could do to us. It could be poisoning us for all I know. I
’
ve only used
it for a few days at a time. Now, back to Alex
’
s idea. I don
’
t like it either. Not just because I would be just as worried about Vic if I couldn
’
t be there to help but because we can
’
t guarantee that the guard will be asleep just because it
’
s daylight ou
t
. They probably sleep in shifts.
It
’
s night or not at all. That way we can protect everyone together,”
Adam explained.

    “
Alrigh
t, I just feel like we
’
re wasting
the daylight. It
’
s an advantage that we have that they don
’
t.”

    “
It is a sound plan. If w
e could all go. I
’
ll talk to the King and see what his take on it is. Maybe I can convince him to send more of the serum.”

   “
Okay.”
Alex looked pleased.
“
I
’
m sure he will.”

    “
So, I
’
m sti
ll confused,”
Dom said.
“
We
’
re just going to go back in tonight,
not knowing who, how, or why Jeanne and I were wiped of our memories. Just open ourselves up to suggestion to someone who is powerful enough to wipe Jeanne,”
he motioned to her. She looked guilty but he knew it was just because she thought she had let the
m
down. “
It seems like we
’
re just asking for trouble.”

    “
I
’
ll look out for you, Dominic. I
’
m aware of the danger now. I
’
ll make sure that what happened last night never happens again.”
Why did he get the feeling she wasn
’
t talking about the memory wipe?

    “
See? Everything will be fine. We
’
re on our toes and aware of the danger now. Someone is obviously trying to scare us off.”
Adam stood and addressed the room. “
I
’
m taking a vote. All those in favor of staying to gather some more Intel say
‘
Aye
’.”

   
“
Aye,”
Adam, Ethan, Vic, Claude, Dom and Alex, grudgingly, agreed.

    “
Opposed?”

    “
Nay, God d
amn
it!”
Jeanne exclaimed.

    “
I just want to get this over as quickly as possible,”
Orleans claimed. He looked to Elliot, who hadn
’
t said one way or the o
ther.

    “
What? Like now I get a vote?”
He waved them on. Adam turned back and clapped.

    “
Alright. We stay a bit lo
nger. Sorry Jeanne.”
Adam smiled at her. Dom stepped forward again, in case she tried to punch him. She didn
’
t.

    “
I
’
m going shopping.
”
She turned and marched out of the room.

    “
I wanna come! Wait for me!”
Alex jumped up and followed her. Gloria and Vic looked at each other and got up to follow. Adam opened his mouth to protest but Ethan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

   
“
Best to just let them go. That way we don
’
t have to go with them later,”
he said to Adam.

    “
Yeah, they
’
re probably just gonna get together and bitch about you guys anyways,”
Elliot put in.

    “
Alex doesn
’
t
‘
bitch about me
’
. There
’
s nothing for her to
complain about,”
Ethan said confidently.

    “
Doesn
’
t matter. That
’
s what chicks do. If one of them is mad, the rest will chime in with whatever their boyfriends do that pisses them off. Trust me. If you
’
ve ever pissed her off, she
’
s gonna blab.”
Elliot
picked his feet up and set them on the desk.

    “
How do you know?”
Adam turned to look at him.

    “
I might or might not have followed a bunch of chicks around the mall in my spare time
. I
’
ve heard things that you wouldn
’
t believe,”
he confided. With his hands clasped behind his head he looked the consummate ladies man. Dom snorted.

    “
You think your stalking skills are better than our combined years of experience?”
He challenged the pup.

    “
If
they
’
re not in the plaza right now
bitching about you guys, I
’
ll sit up on the roof for next twelve hours.”
He raised his eyebrows, excepting the challenge.

    “
So, what? We go spy on them and find out?”
Orleans asked.

    “
I don
’
t see why not. I could shield us well enough. They
’
d never k
now we were there.”
Adam looked around at all of them.

    “
I
’
m in,”
Ethan said. “
Let me grab my coat.”
He rushed off. The rest of the guys grabbed there
’
s and hurried out the door.

Chapter Six

    “
Sometimes he snores,”
Alex was saying. “
Have you ever
known a Vampire who snores?!”

    “
I have. He was Italian. Giovanni di Greco, damn that man was hot. But, yeah, he snored. It was unreal.”
Gloria put out there.

    “
Alex, I feel for you, I really do. But snoring isn
’
t quite as irritating as deliberately ignoring sound advise just because it was given to you by a woman,”
Jeanne fumed, glaring at Vic, as if it were her fault.

    “
Oh, come on! He
’
s stubborn as all hell, but he didn
’
t ignore your advice because you
’
re a
woman. He
’
s just worried about rushing this job. I am too,”
Vic tried to explain. Jeanne slammed a rack of tops over on her way through the isle. She was seething mad. At Adam but also at herself. She couldn
’
t believe how easily Dom had believed her lie.
H
e trusted her, and the guilt was excruciating.