by Helen Bell
“There’s something else you should know. Brad really had the hots for her, but she had a boyfriend, Philippe or something. I was surprised she didn’t dump his ass for Brad, though. The dude is a babe magnet. I can’t name a single chick who’s said no to him, and here comes this super-hot babe and she turns him down. It drove him nuts. He became obsessed with her, then one day, poof. She was gone.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, could be related.”
Yeah, it could be. Had Brad taken her? Was he working with his brother, who ran a human trafficking ring? The royal demon must be in the thick of it, but what was her role? Gideon brought up the same questions when we left Jupiter’s frat house, then reminded me about the phone calls I’d gotten.
Pulling the cell out of my pocket, I looked at the display. Four missed calls, all from Kelly. What gives? I dialed her number.
One ring. Two rings. “Oh my God, Sydney. Zoey was kidnapped, and I know who did it!” she shouted.
My eyes popped wide open. “Who?”
“Not on the phone. Where are you? We gotta meet—now.” Her voice was urgent. I gave her Gideon’s address before she hung up. After I filled Gideon in, we headed to his house.
There, I prowled around the living room. “Come on, come on, where is she?” I said, checking the time. Forty minutes had passed since I’d spoken with her.
“She just arrived,” Gideon said, probably relying on his super hearing, and walked to the foyer. I did too. He opened the door as Kelly was about to knock on it.
She followed us into the living room and glanced around. “Where is the rest of the furniture? Are you moving out?”
“Kelly, is my sister safe? Who took her?” I asked when she sat down on the couch.
“Right, sorry. I don’t know where he’s keeping her. He wouldn’t say.”
“Who is ‘he’? Brad? Noah?” I couldn’t help the quiver of fear in my voice.
“It’s Brad.” She raised her eyebrows. “Wait, how do you know him?”
“What’s your relationship with Brad?” Gideon interjected.
“A while back, Zoey introduced him to Izzy and me. He already knew, by the way, about the vampire world, and also that I was one. He was always by her side, so into her. It was totally obvious. I didn’t like him. Yeah, he’s incredibly hot, charismatic, and loaded, but my gut feeling told me something was off about him. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly. Zoey thought I was being overly suspicious, so I let it go.
“Anyway, a few hours ago, he called me, wanted to talk in person. I agreed, and he came over to my cousin’s house, where I’m staying at the moment.” Her stare slid to me. “He asked me about you. He knows you’re Zoey’s sister and that you’ve been looking for her.”
My brows drew together. “How?”
“He didn’t say. Maybe the people who work for him tipped him off. Anyway, he offered me a grand if I bring you with me alone—emphasizing the alone part—to a party he’s having at his father’s mansion. I refused, so he tried a different approach. He admitted to having Zoey and then threatened to kill her and the other girls with her if I didn’t do it, or if I go to the cops.”
Other girls? So Thomas’s theory was right; they had been kidnapped and forced to call their parents. Brad was behind it, but what about the girls who had gone missing thirty years ago? Was it his brother’s doing? Or his father’s?
“Why does he want me there? To abduct me too?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “He wouldn’t explain his reasons, just warned me not to say anything to you about Zoey. I had to, though. I called you the minute he was out of the house.”
“Did he mention the name Kyla?” Gideon asked, and she shook her head.
“Or say what he was going to do to Zoey and the girls?” Dread dripped from my words. Another shake of her head.
I turned to Gideon. “He’s probably working with his brother to sell them on the black market.” My stomach churned at the thought of it.
“Sell them on the black market? Whoa, we’re way over our heads here. We need to go to the cops,” she said.
“No, we can’t involve the police,” I said firmly. “It’s too risky; we don’t know what Brad might do to the girls if he feels cornered. I can’t gamble with their lives.”
She looked as if she pondered my words for a moment before saying, “Yeah, you’re right. He’s crazy and unpredictable. So how are we going to save Zoey?”
“We do as he asked,” I told her. “Go to the party in his father’s mansion, just the two of us. If he—”
Gideon shot me a disapproving frown. “No. Absolutely not. It’s dangerous. We don’t have enough information about how Brad is connected to the royal demon. Maura may be there too. You’re not doing this alone.”
“It’s not as if we have better options,” I pointed out. “Zoey, and maybe Kyla too, are dead unless I show up—alone. If he means to kidnap me, because maybe sisters are worth twice more on the black market, then I can find where he keeps her and the other girls and save them. Gideon, there’s no other way.”
“You don’t have to let him take you; we’ll force their location out of him,” he insisted.
“No, because the minute he spots you with me, he may order whoever is guarding the girls to kill them. I’m not risking Zoey’s life,” I told him.
His expression turned cold and grim. “And I am not risking yours. Going over there alone is dangerous. You’ll be unprotected.”
“I don’t remember asking for permission. I’m going to the party and that’s final,” I said.
The room grew silent. “All right,” he finally said. “If you insist on doing it alone, we’re putting a tracker on you. I need to know where you are at all times. If he abducts you, Kelly will send me a text message. I’ll come for you, and we’ll rescue the girls together.” To this, I nodded. “Good,” he said and asked Kelly, “When is the party?”
The phone in her hand chimed, alerting her to a text. She glanced down at it, then stood and walked to the French doors. “Next week, on Saturday night,” she answered, then said, “Sorry, but I gotta jet. My cousin needs me.”
“Yeah, sure. We’ll be in touch and meet up on Saturday. Call me if there are any new developments,” I told her.
After she walked out, Gideon informed me that during the next week I’d be honing my fighting skills, and by that, he’d apparently meant having my ass kicked more times than I could count. His strength was equal to an Ancient’s, and he was an expert in martial arts— having about one hundred years of practice under his belt. Knowing who took Zoey and doing nothing about it for a week was hard too, but I had to sit tight and be patient if I wanted to save her.
When Saturday night finally came, I was ready to face whatever was waiting for me at Brad’s party, including demons. I opened the closet door in my bedroom and pulled out a knee-length, black dress with a touch of peacock blue. Under it, I wore a thigh holster strapped around my leg. Next, I twisted my hair into a knot, slid into a pair of black heels, swallowed a BFB pill, took a jacket, and stepped out of the bedroom, the watch with the tracker already around my wrist.
In the living room, I found Gideon sitting on the couch. His gaze met mine. He was anxious about tonight; it was written all over his face.
“I’ll be fine. I have a GPS chip in the watch you bought me and a silver dagger under my dress. No need to worry.”
Expression stern, he padded to me. He reached for the jacket in my hand and helped me into it.
“Remember the plan,” he finally said. “You call me, or text, in case he doesn’t abduct you, so I’ll know you’re okay. If he does take you to Zoey, after abducting you, Kelly will send me a text and I’ll follow your tracker’s signal. Then, we both save Zoey, Kyla, and the girls. If I don’t hear from you or Kelly by midnight, I’m going to the mansion to look for you. Don’t lose the watch.”
“I won’t,” I said. Then I remembered I still had to deliver on my end of our deal. “Listen, I know
you need my blood only after you kill Djar, but I think you should draw it now and keep it in the fridge. You know, in case I don’t make—”
His eyes wavered between blue and gold, and a muscle in his jaw ticked. “Don’t.” His voice was rough, stopping me from finishing the sentence.
The room was quiet until the cell in my purse rang. I fished it out and spoke with Kelly. She was waiting for me at her cousin’s house. Gideon ordered me a cab and checked the tracker in my watch before reminding me to text him as soon as we got there. When I slipped into the cab, I waved goodbye and prayed that everything would go as planned.
Chapter 19
In a lavender dress and black stilettos with rhinestones, Kelly was waiting outside her cousin’s house when the cab pulled up. Her hair hung down over her shoulders. She slid into the car, and I gave the driver the address of Brad’s father’s mansion. Worry registered on her features as she asked me if I remembered to drink a BFB pill and bring weapons with me. I calmed her down, but when we were a few minutes away from the mansion, her nervousness came back.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” I told her as a cluster of security men stopped the car at an ornate gate.
One of them approached and bent over to glance inside, pointing a flashlight at us. We were waved on through. As we drove down the long, tree-lined driveway, I texted Gideon, updating him about our arrival. When the driver pulled in front of a huge house, we paid him and got out. The mansion was massive and surrounded by lush gardens and illuminated fountains. We climbed five steps leading up to a wide porch framed by four tall, white columns. There was lighting behind each pillar. At the big front doors, Kelly pulled out her cell, putting it to her ear.
“Calling Brad?” I asked.
She nodded and said into her phone, “Brad? Yeah it’s m—hello? Brad? Can you hear me? Yeah … it’s Kelly … hello? Oh, okay.” There was a short pause, then, “Yeah, now it’s much quieter. Okay, uh, so, I’m here at the front door with Zoey’s sister.” The last two words dropped to a whisper. “With Zoey’s sister,” she repeated louder and ended the call with, “Fine, I’ll wait.”
She put her phone back into her bag and told me Brad had sent his friend to come and get us.
The front doors opened a few moments later, and a shirtless, barefoot guy with short pants and damp hair told us to follow him. We passed a bunch of orchids and lilies sitting gracefully on a round glass table in the center of the foyer. As we crossed the marble floor toward the west wing of the mansion, I took in the wealth oozing everywhere. A wide staircase with gold balustrades wound its way to the upper floors. We also passed an enormous living room, two libraries, and a dining room with a long mahogany table and thirty chairs.
The house was empty. Where was the party? I received an answer when Brad’s friend opened the door to a brightly lit hallway. At its end, there was an elegant spiral staircase leading downward. The muffled music turned to a full blare. As we stepped down the stairs, the smell of chlorine reached my nose, and the air became heavy with moisture.
At the bottom of the stairs, I was welcomed with yet another room, but in this one, there was a rectangular, indoor pool with a cascading waterfall. Two separate hot tubs were located in the corners. The room wasn’t packed, but by the look of it, the party was in full swing. Bikini-clad girls splashed in the pool. Those without swimsuits enjoyed themselves outside the pool, some drinking, some dancing, some doing both. Brad’s friend led us toward the bar tucked in the back of the room. My dress adhered to my sweaty skin as we moved forward. I shook off my jacket.
“Sit at the bar. I’ll go look for Brad,” the guy said and walked away. After we hoisted ourselves onto barstools, I placed my jacket on the bar top.
“Gosh, I’m so nervous,” Kelly said.
“Don’t be. Our plan won’t fall through. Just contact Gideon if Brad takes me.” I calmed her down, but she was right to be on edge. I had no idea what he was up to. What if he didn’t abduct me? I had to—
“Get you anything, girls? Maybe two cherry cocktails?” the bartender asked over the music. Vampires didn’t get drunk on alcohol; nonetheless, Kelly ordered a martini, and I said yes to the cherry cocktail. He returned with our drinks after a short moment. I sipped from it so that I’d have the smell of alcohol on my breath. I needed Brad to think I was drunk. Easy prey.
With the glass in my hand, I scanned the room until my gaze fell on a gorgeous guy, in a magazine-model type of way, relaxing with his friends against the hot tub jets. A blonde girl in a blue bikini cuddled up to him in the hot tub, her body molded to his while everybody’s focus was on him. He was the center of attention. As he laughed at something someone had said, our eyes met.
He observed me before his eyes went to Kelly. His mouth moved close to the blonde’s ear. He seemed to excuse himself then got out of the water. After grabbing a towel from a nearby chair and draping it around his neck, he strutted in our direction, carrying himself with ease and confidence. By the way he moved, looked, and behaved, I guessed his identity even before Kelly whispered it to me. Brad Lauridsen, a narcissistic egomaniac who liked to kidnap girls in his spare time.
When he reached the bar, he stood in front of me, wearing just a pair of longish black swim trunks. He smoothed his sandy-blond hair behind his ears and got rid of the towel around his neck, tossing it on the chair next to me. He grinned at me, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. On the outside, he was lovely; on the inside, hideous.
“Hi, I’m Brad.”
“Sydney,” I said, giggling while pretending to be wasted. I put a hand on his chest. “Wow, you’re working out a lot, aren’t you? Dig the abs.” I forced my fingers to trail down his six-pack as I tittered some more.
“Glad you like the results,” he said.
I dropped my hand and glanced up at him. “I love your,” a giggle, “your house too. Why don’t youuuuuu take me someplace more,” another chuckle, “private?” I slurred.
His lips curled into a satisfied smile. Oh, he liked the idea of having a helpless drunk girl alone with him. Attaboy. Now, be the little psychopath that you are and kidnap me.
He took the glass from my hand and set it on the bar top behind me, then threaded his fingers through mine and brought my hand to his lips for a soft kiss. I almost recoiled from his touch. Luckily, I was able to feign excitement as I slid off the barstool. With my hand in his, he steered me toward the stairs leading to the main floor.
I heard Kelly’s voice saying behind me, “I’ll stay here.” I glanced back, nodding to her purse to remind her to text Gideon, and weaved through the crowd with Brad. We went upstairs as I deliberately staggered, wondering where he was taking me while we crossed the living room, turned left, then right to a long hallway. When he came to a halt, he unlocked a door, and we stepped inside a dark room.
He turned on the light, and I surveyed an office with cherry wood paneling and a coffered ceiling. An Aubusson rug covered the floor, and bookshelves stuffed with old books lined one wall. Everything was tidy, no paper scattered across the antique oak English desk facing a leather chair and built-in window seat, nor on the burled walnut desk in the corner. He closed the door, hand still holding mine, guiding me to two wingback chairs situated against the wall across from the bookshelves.
“Sit,” he said, and I obeyed. A loose strand of hair tickled my cheek. I twirled it around my index finger until I spotted a long lock of dark hair poking out from behind the desk near my chair. Oh my God, I sucked in a gulp of air and shot to my feet. An unconscious girl in a miniskirt and heels was tucked behind the table, the modesty panel partly concealing her.
“Did you kill her, you bastard?” Crouching next to her sprawled body, I checked for a pulse and sighed with relief when I felt it under my fingers.
He barked out a laugh. “Not so falling-down drunk anymore, huh? I had a feeling Kelly wouldn’t keep her mouth shut. She told you everything, didn’t she?”
I straightened and looked over at him. My concern fo
r my sister’s well-being must have been evident on my face since he said next, “Zoey’s safe. Kelly defied me, but your sister is still alive. For now. So long as you play ball, she’ll live, and you may be reunited with her.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Yes, of course. Anything.” Just take me to Zoey already!
A vampire opened the door, holding Kelly by her upper arm. She squirmed to get out of his grasp, but his big body was too much for her to overpower.
“I did what Brad wanted, he’s with Sydney. Let me go!” she yelled at him.
“But you had to blab everything to her, didn’t you?” Brad sounded angry.
Her head whipped to him. Surprise showed on her face, as if just noticing we were in the room.
“Candace and Jenny are next,” Brad told his vampire. “They should arrive at the mansion soon. Tell Jacob to drug them before they get into the party.” His employee nodded as he took out his cell phone and dialed.
“What about me? You gonna sell me too?” Kelly asked in an alarmed voice.
“Shut up,” Brad said to her and stepped to me. His blue eyes scrutinized me from head to toe. “So you’re Zoey’s sister …” A mean smile tugged at his lips. “Not nearly as hot as her, but you’re still worth a fuck.”
He turned and walked to the desk facing the window, opened a drawer, and pulled out a piece of fabric and a small glass medicine bottle. The label on it read: Chloroform. I watched as he saturated the cloth with the liquid in the bottle. He then came closer to me with the drenched fabric. The sweet odor of ether reached my nose.
I backed up until my legs hit a chair. “You don’t need to do this. I already said I won’t fight you. I’ll do whatever you want.” I tried to reason with him, my voice calm even though I was on the verge of shouting at him.
He kept advancing toward me. “Prove it.” I was about to argue before he added, “You wish to see your sister again, don’t you?”
