Vampire in Crisis (15 page)

Jared came to
a shuddering stop outside the tall Victorian-looking house with black window coverings. He had to once again consider the complications of a human and vampire co-existing. Like how the hell did they work through the very basic issues of just the night and daytime shifts? Except with Taz being a doctor, chances were good he worked a lot of night shifts. That would be ideal. Jared pulled out his cell phone to check the address against the numbers showing on the front of the house by the mailbox. This was it.

He glanced around the affluent neighborhood, the large properties, seeing the major upscale houses versus the area where he’d been raised. Must be nice to have money. Then again, he’d seen firsthand how hard the doctor worked. Any money he had, he deserved. The same for Sian; she’d done a lot for the human/vampire communications and treaties.

Besides, he didn’t understand how assets and money worked in the vamp world. It might be completely different from the human system.

Hesitantly, he approached the front door. There didn’t appear to be any activity at the house or on the block. It was late, but not so late as to make him uncomfortable.

At the double front doors, he took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure, then knocked.

The sound echoed gently. He rapped a second time, searching for the doorbell. But there didn’t appear to be one. His gaze landed on a long pull attached to a chain. He grinned and gave it a hard yank.

Bells tolled heavily in the dusky light.

“Whoa.” He took several steps backward as the noise rolled and rolled and rolled.

He spun to look around him. Seeing nothing, he turned back to the front door and stumbled back with a startled cry. Taz stood on the front steps. “Jared?”

“Sorry, Taz, I didn’t mean for the bell to sound like that.” And he felt like an idiot for making the neighborhood ring.

“No problem. That’s a typical vampire doorbell. Helps to wake them when they’re asleep.”

“Yeah, I’d say so.” Jared took a second deep breath, hating that he was still shaking, his voice thin. He held out his phone with Chelsea’s texts. “I got this.”

Taz’s genial air disappeared. He shot Jared a hard look and grabbed the phone out of his hand. He read the series of texts, his features darkening. With a narrowed gaze, he looked at Jared. “Who have you contacted about this?”

“Only Tessa. I just came back from the hospital.” Jared gave him a lopsided grin. “For some reason I figured you’d be there.”

“I mostly am.” Taz smiled. “Come in.” He pushed the door open and backed inside, his attention once again on the cell phone. “What is going on here?”

“I don’t know. But they know me. And they’ve got Chelsea.”

Taz nodded. “And we can guess why they’ve got her and what they are likely to do with her, but where? That’s the question. If we could find her, we’d also likely find yet another of their blood farms.”

“I don’t care about the other blood farms,” Jared burst out. “I have to find Chelsea. She’s in trouble because of me.”

“How do you figure?” Taz stopped to look at him.

“I told her about Tobias.”

The look on Taz’s face was enough to make Jared wince. “She was looking for him. I didn’t know who to tell. Then we came to you. Now look what happened. The only way they’d know who was looking for Tobias is if they’d overheard us at the hospital or maybe the school.”

“You think there are humans at the hospital involved?” But there was no note of incredulity in his tone.

“You already suspect that, don’t you?” Jared accused, his gaze narrowing. “You’ve seen something. Someone.”

“Not anything specific. But there was always that possibility and since the survivors were brought into the hospital, my suspicions have been aroused.”

“Why?” Jared didn’t get it. “What do these people have to gain at this point?”

“I think there is one person, maybe more, making sure that specific individuals aren’t identified. And if they are…that they don’t survive long enough for any legal issues to arise.”

“What? You’re saying that those poor survivors haven’t been through enough?” Jared said in shock. “Someone is hurting them now?”

“No, they are being murdered – again.”

*

Ian hurried down
the hallway, Sian and Wendy on his heels. He had no idea why he was heading to Rhia’s room first; it was an instinctive move on his part. The others appeared to be willing to follow his lead.

At the door of the ancient’s temporary room, he pushed the door open, expecting to see Rhia reclined on the couch like he’d imagined she’d be.

It was empty. He frowned. Walking forward, he searched for anything that would tell him where she’d gone.

From the doorway, Wendy said, “She’s not here. We already checked.”

“I didn’t expect her to come back,” Sian said, sadness filling her voice. “She might have left to join the others.”

Ian cast a dark look at Sian. “She wouldn’t join the others. She’s only doing this for her son’s sake.”

“Oh, I do understand what she’s doing and why,” Sian said in a gentle voice. “Still, how can she find out if she isn’t with them? If she doesn’t have access to their information?”

Wendy gasped. “What if she had access to their computers?”

Ian spun to look at her, hating to see the fatigue showing on her face. She looked damn tired. “What are you thinking?”

“Gloria’s laptop,” she whispered, excitement threading her voice. “She’d know about Gloria’s laptop.”

Sian bolted. She was there one moment and gone the next. Wendy turned to follow.

“Wait,” Ian said urgently. “Are there other laptops here? Other equipment from the blood farm that she might go to? Let’s not all focus on the one place. Rhia is a smart lady – she knows about Gloria’s laptop, wouldn’t she expect you guys to have guessed that’s where she’d go to search?”

Wendy chewed on her bottom lip, thinking about his words. “Many computers were seized in the raids. Potentially any of them could provide her with the information she needs or at least give her a place to start.” She turned and walked out to the hallway. “Let’s go to the tech room. Sian mentioned there are men working on deciphering the data we found.”

“Good. We’ll start there. Let Sian know where we’re going and she can meet up with us.”

Wendy already had her phone out and was texting.

“Did anyone try texting Rhia?” he asked. “Maybe she’s not completely turned to the other side. Maybe she’s looking, hoping for someone to stop her from doing this. Maybe it’s the mind control.” At Wendy’s horrified gasp and worried gaze, he shrugged.

“Anything is possible now.”

*

Rhia leaned against
the back wall of the small room she’d locked herself in, tears in her eyes. Oh Lord, please let her be doing the right thing. She had to save her son. Life wasn’t worth living if she was responsible for his death. She couldn’t have that be the end result. Seth was a good kid, becoming an honorable man. She didn’t know who was ultimately to blame for what happened to him, but she steadfastly believed in his innocence.

She was a prime example of what happened when those bastards got their drugs into someone. And that wasn’t her fault, and neither was it his. The things he’d done while under their control also weren’t his fault, but she’d never be able to prove it to anyone when she’d done some horrible things too. Thankfully she hadn’t been under the drug’s influence for very long. She’d already done major damage in that little while. Imagine if that was years like what Seth had been through. She partly blamed Tyson for this. He’d been the one to get his claws into her son. But in truth, they were all to blame for this sickening situation. She still struggled with not having noticed a change in her son’s behavior.

As his mother, she should have seen it.

Another failure on her part.

They were starting to rack up.

Now what she was doing was going to be considered traitorous by so many. But what choice did she have? She had to help him.

She stared down at the half-full needle in her hand, shuddered once, then squared off her chin. She had no choice.

And she shoved the needle into her arm and pressed down the plunger.

O
nce out of
the elevator, Tessa let Cody lead the way to the security room. The air showed no sign of new energies having arrived or left recently. Weird. Where had everyone gone? They’d sent out several messages asking multiple questions but so far, there’d been no answers.

Cody sidled up to the corner ahead, his hand telling her to stay back. She smiled. She could see energy billowing around the corner up ahead but it was older, stale.

Cody peered around the corner and pulled back. She shifted closer.

Anyone there?

Yes. Approaching.

The feral tone of his voice had her looking at him.
Remember, not everyone here is an enemy.

And not everyone here is a friend.

He jumped forward in front of the newcomer. He pulled a fist back… and damn if a strangled squawk didn’t escape.

“Cody?”

She raced around the corner, worried at what he’d be facing – and stopped.

She stared.

She giggled.

Then she burst out laughing. In between her giggles, she managed to say, “Hi, Bart. I wondered where you got to.”

And damn if the tubby vampire didn’t turn white like the tiles surrounding him. His jaw dropped and he looked frantically around as if searching for a way to escape.

So not happening.

Cody stepped to the side of him, effectively boxing the vamp up against the wall. Tessa brightened her smile. “So tell us, Bart, what are you doing here? And how does this place fit into the blood farms?”

“No, oh no. Not you again.” Bart finally found his voice. He shook his head like a lumbering bear. “Hell no. You have a death wish. I don’t want to be anywhere around you.” He turned to look behind him, but there was a hint of something there…fear, maybe.

What would make Bart afraid? Curious, and feeling it was important, she studied Bart, looking for his reaction intently as she said, “What are you scared of?”

His eyes rounded before he started to shake his head. “Nothing. I’m not scared of anything.” He glared at her. “Except maybe the trouble you bring. A damn trouble magnet you are. Worse – you go looking for it.”

He suddenly stopped talking and leaned forward as if his eyes didn’t understand what they were seeing. “You’re different.” His gaze narrowed. “What happened?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he shook his head rapidly and backed up. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.” He took another step back and Cody stepped in the way, caging him in again. Bart glared at him. “You’re just as bad if you’re with her. I don’t want nuttin’ to do with either of you.”

Tessa laughed. He was a beauty. She’d never met anyone before or since like him. Now if only she knew which side he was on. She asked him.

He just glared at her.

She narrowed her gaze at him this time. “I asked you a question,” she said. “One I’ve asked you before. As I recall, you didn’t answer then either.”

“I don’t know what I might have answered back then, but it wouldn’t have been any different than now,” he said. “I’m not on anyone’s side. I want to be left alone. You go off and live your death wish. The others can go and kill each other. I don’t give a damn. Me…I want to live a life of peace and quiet.”