Search and Devour: Pittsburgh Vampires Vol.14

by B. A. Stretke

  There had been no sign of this young man in months, and there was nowhere to go with the search, so the hope was that Thomas would give them a direction. If they had something, just something, perhaps they would find him and be able to give everyone concerned peace of mind.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sergio hadn’t been back to the Ruby Light since that fateful night that the guilty were brought to account for their crimes, and the innocent were saved. Kash had forced the criminality taking place at the bar to light, and Master Hadden dispatched the guilty in a wild and messy fashion. It had been quite chaotic, but it all worked out in the end except for the dancer who disappeared. Keagan was the loose end that kept this case open and kept people searching.

  Sergio pulled up to the curb out front of the bar and parked. The bar was still going through a renovation and was not open for business. Once inside, they turned their backs as Thomas disrobed and shifted into his jaguar and began going over the entirety of the building, not just Cruise’s office. The workers weren’t there yet, so they had the place to themselves. Both Sergio and Kash stood back and just observed as Thomas continued throughout the building.

  “He is one impressive beast,” Sergio commented softly.

  “Hard to believe someone as small and delicate as Thomas can turn into something so large and lethal.” Kash agreed. They followed until Thomas gave them the signal that he was going to shift back. They brought his clothing to the room then left, allowing him again the privacy to shift and dress.

  “His scent is all around the place, which is understandable, but his scent is different in the office. Out here, it’s like the others tense and uncomfortable, but in the office, he was terrified. His scent was off the charts with fear in there and out the side door and down the alley.” Thomas explained as he slipped his shoes on and came over to stand beside them.

  “So, he left the office alive?” Kash asked.

  “Yes, he was alive, but his scent tracers end at the adjacent roadway,” Thomas said.

  “A car could have picked him up.” Kash offered.

  “Or he was forced into a car,” Sergio responded less hopeful than Kash regarding the possible outcome.

  “Either way, he was alive when he left here,” Kash added, and everyone nodded.

  Sergio was not going to point out that unless he caught a cab at the roadway, his survival was unlikely. Kash wanted to find Keagan alive and be able to bring him back to Kyler and Gage. He understood his friend’s drive and need and would stand with him throughout this search no matter the outcome.

  “I’d contact Jacque and have him do a cleanse on this place before it’s opened again. There’s some pretty bad juju in this building.” Thomas shook his head and blew out a harsh breath. “Some terrible things took place here over the past couple of years, and you don’t want dark shadows or ghosts coming back and causing problems.” With that, Thomas proceeded out of the building, leaving Sergio and Kash just staring at one another and mouthing the word, ghosts.

  “Lando is a good friend of Jacque’s beloved Ian. I’ll ask if he could put in a request for us.” Kash said as they followed Thomas outside.

  “Do you think that Jacque is necessary wouldn’t a Wiccan suffice for a cleansing?” Sergio was speaking to Kash, but it was Thomas who answered.

  “There is no Wiccan who could handle what’s in there. The darkness is too depraved and too deep. You’ll need real power to get rid of it, and Jacque has a lot of power.” Thomas stated casually as he climbed into the backseat.

  “I’ll talk to Lando when I get back to the Center, and my beloveds will not return here until it has been cleansed.” Clearly, Kash was not going to take any chances since his two beloveds were taking over the management of the new Ruby Light.

  Jean Jacque Batiste was a legendary wizard, sorcerer, and man of magic. He was a man who, until he bonded with a vampire guard from the Hadden Coven, had resided nearly exclusively in an alternate realm of his own construction. He was that powerful.

  The next stop was Jason Barton’s apartment. The search team had gone over it very carefully, and his belongings were boxed up for disposal. But, once again, Thomas could ferret out scent where no other could. They didn’t stay long since Thomas found no trace of Keagan and surprisingly very little of Jason himself. “He didn’t spend much time here.” He announced as they headed for the last location, Keagan Hahn’s apartment.

  Unlike the twins, Keagan had his own apartment and had been a resident of Pittsburgh for some time before getting a job as a dancer at the Ruby Light. According to records, he’d danced at several other clubs in town and also worked as a bartender. He was paired with Carlo when he was hired at the Ruby Light, and they danced as partners. The search team had followed every lead, every connection, and spoke with everyone, even casually acquainted with the man but still came up empty.

  Surveillance remained in place around the apartment, but so far, Keagan had not returned. He was also not detected within the area surrounding his apartment building. They had installed cameras covering a three-block area, hoping that he would surface at some point, but he did not, and hope had faded.

  His things were still in his apartment just as he’d left them that last day before he went missing. No one had removed anything, and the place was left as it was apart from searching for clues as to his whereabouts. The building was near downtown in a good neighborhood. His apartment was on the third floor facing the street. Sergio and Kash remained in the hallway while Thomas went inside alone to shift and search for clues.

  “When we’re finished here, let’s drop Thomas back at the Center. Then come back and start at the Ruby Light and walk the main street, to begin with, and see where that takes us.” Kash said, but there was little enthusiasm in his tone. He’d hoped for more or at least something, but it looked as if they weren’t going to do any better than the search team.

  “I’ll need to get his scent,” Sergio stated.

  “The apartment is filled with his scent. He used the same mixture to cloak his scent that Kyler and Gabe had used, but it has dissipated, and his natural scent is throughout the apartment. You’ll get a good read on him once you step inside and take a deep breath.” Kash stated as he leaned his back against the wall and waited.

  Sergio leaned against the opposite wall and crossed his arms over his chest as they both waited for Thomas to finish. When he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, both he and Kash straightened and approached.

  “Has he been back here?” Kash asked.

  Thomas shook his head. “No, he hasn’t been back here. Fresh scent has not been laid down in a long time.”

  “It was worth a try,” Sergio told a disheartened Kash as he followed him into the apartment.

  “I just thought maybe the search team had missed something, rather I had hoped they had missed something,” Kash said as he breathed a heavy sigh and walked over and stared out the living room window, which looked out over the main street.

  Sergio walked further into the main entrance, a small hallway that opened into a kitchen area to the right and a living room dining area forward and to the left. He saw Kash by the window and Thomas leaning on the breakfast bar, but nothing really registered. His mind began to pick apart every square inch of the room. His vampire was surging to the forefront of his mind in search of something striking and urgent. This room was assaulting him.

  He felt his heart rate begin to race, and his eyes bleed out, and laser-focused on everything which was staggering. Sergio wasn’t sure what was happening, but it was important, and he took each step with a watchful concentration. Something important was happening, and he needed to be prepared for whatever it was.

  “What’s wrong with you?” He heard Kash ask as he moved towards him and reached out a hand to steady Sergio on his feet. He hadn’t been aware that he was stumbling, but apparently, he was. Kash helped him to one of the cushioned chairs, and he sat down.

  The moment he sat in the chair, it see
med to envelop him with an aroma so sweet and pure. It was so intoxicating and confusing he shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. “What is that smell?” He strained to speak amid the assault on his senses.

  “Keagan,” Thomas answered as he approached Sergio. “That chair is saturated in his smell. He must have sat there often, probably his favorite chair.” Sergio could feel their eyes upon him, questioning and trying to understand what was plaguing him.

  He stopped fighting the sensations rushing through him and just sat straight and took a deep breath drawing in the essence and holding it. The scent permeated his mind, opening him to the presence that was all around him. It was the smell of warm, sweetgrass. His eyes snapped open, and panic flooded his mind. “This is Keagan?” Both Kash and Thomas nodded as they stood over him and watched.

  ‘Keagan,’ he repeated the name silently several times, and it filled him with a shocking sadness. “Keagan Hahn is my beloved. He is mine.” Sergio barely got the words out between teeth that had clenched on the injustice of it all. He dropped his eyes to his hands that were clenched in his thighs and expelled a long and pain-filled breath leaving him to feel like an empty shell angry and overcome with despair.

  Kash was next to him in an instant, grabbing him by the shoulders and demanding his attention. “Focus, Sergio.” He said and squatted down in front of him. “Control yourself, all is not lost.” That made Sergio look at him with eyes that dared him to prove such a claim.

  “My beloved is dead,” Sergio stated with all the emotion he was feeling forced out in those few clipped words. “Why would Fate bring me here just to torment me with loss?”

  “Yes, why would Fate bring you here just to cause you pain? She brought you here for a reason.” Kash leaned into Sergio and made him look at him. “Your beloved must be alive. Keagan must still be out there.” Sergio heard him, and the possibility began to seep through his pain.

  “There were many deaths that occurred in Cruise’s office, but Keagan did not die there. He did not die in the alley, and he did not die here.” Thomas clearly stated each word to make sure that Sergio was hearing him, and he did hear. The hope that warmed him gave him the energy to breathe once again.

  “He’s out there somewhere hiding,” Sergio stated as he began to stand, and Kash helped him to his feet. “We have to find him before it is too late.”

  “We’ll find him, Sergio,” Kash stated and draped his arm across Sergio’s shoulders. They spent all day and most of the night searching but found no trace of Keagan Hahn.

  Sergio stood looking out the floor to ceiling window of his apartment in the Hadden Center. Dawn was breaking over the city as he stared out across the skyline.

  “I have to find you. You have to be out there somewhere.”

  …

  The next couple of days were filled with Sergio analyzing and investigating every finding of the search team that has been looking for Keagan. He spent every moment out on the streets looking for his beloved. He had nothing to go on, no indication that he stayed in town or that he left, just nothing, and it was pushing Sergio to his limit. Master Hadden stepped up the search and put every available man and woman on the job of locating Keagan Hahn.

  Sergio knew he would spend the rest of his life searching if necessary. He continually referred to the small photo of Keagan that he kept in his pocket. The smiling face with the deep dimples called to him for rescue and tore at Sergio’s heart.

  The attraction that he’d initially felt when looking at the picture made perfect sense to him now. He’d felt himself drawn to the man in the picture even as he doubted that they would ever find him. He still anguished over the fact that it took him so long to care about this man.

  If Kash hadn’t pushed him for help, he would have left it all in the hands of the search team. He cared as he did about any innocent caught up in the evil of the world, but he didn’t believe it was his mission to join the search.

  It was nearing evening, and Sergio was going to visit every shelter in the city in hopes of finding his beloved this night. He’d made the search every evening believing that Keagan would search out a safe place to spend the night, but so far, he’d found nothing. Master Hadden had the tech department following any and all leads regarding where he might go if he left town. They were also monitoring all the bus stations and airports along with train stations around the country.

  Sergio had spent a fair amount of time in Keagan’s apartment so as to soak up his alluring scent of sweet grass and to learn what he could about the guy. He did a lot of reading going by the bookshelf that was filled in his bedroom. The titles were eclectic from romance to mystery and historical writings and biographies with a smattering of spirituality thrown in. His clothing was basic t-shirts and jeans and also what Sergio assumed were some of his dance costumes, all shiny and barely there.

  Having gotten back from a sweep of the city just an hour before, Sergio took a few minutes to grab a bite to eat and change his clothes before heading out once again. His friends and even co-workers, he didn’t know that well had assisted him in searching, and for that, he was grateful. But tonight, he was going alone to check the shelters. He had a feeling that he would find him tonight. A stirring in his heart told him things were about to change. He grabbed his jacket and left his apartment hurrying to the garage where Ellis, a fellow guard, and Master Hadden’s private driver, had a car gassed up and waiting for him.

  “Hey, Sergio.” Ellis came up to him as he was getting into the little compact car. He didn’t like to be obvious or draw attention as he made his way through the city at night. Sergio turned, giving Ellis his attention. “I just got a call from Master Hadden, and he asked for you to come to the penthouse before you leave. He wants to speak with you.”

  “Did he say what about?” Sergio asked. He was in a hurry to get started and hoped that whatever Master Hadden wanted to discuss could be done so quickly.

  “He didn’t say,” Ellis responded with a shrug.

  “Keep it running, and I’ll be right back.” Sergio jogged to the elevator and hit the button for the penthouse.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The moment he entered the room, he felt a dire pressure of sorrow. He was ushered into the main living area of the large apartment by the Master’s personal assistant, Andrew. In the room stood Master Hadden, a wolf shifter, Detective Grant Dorsey, and Kash. This was an odd group to pull together for a meeting, and Sergio feared the worse. The Master, a police officer, and his best friend were there to deliver bad news.

  He walked further into the room when Master Hadden gestured him over to where the four of them stood. Sergio longed to turn around and run back to the garage and take off, not wanting to hear whatever it was they were going to tell him. Kash looked stricken even though he was trying hard to hide it behind a fragile smile. Master Hadden approached him as did Kash while both the Detective hung back.

  Sergio held his breath, waiting for the words that were going to destroy his life. “There is no way to say this that isn’t going to rip your heart out.” The Master began, and Sergio felt his focus slip away as his heart shattered. He couldn’t accept this; no, he wouldn’t hear this. “Detective Dorsey made the discovery.” The Master turned towards the Detective, who stepped forward, looking just as pained as everyone else when he glanced up and held Sergio’s dark gaze.

  “The body of a young man was brought to the hospital morgue this afternoon. He was the victim of an assault. His body was found in an alley off main covered in newspaper and cardboard boxes.” He paused, and Sergio took a deep breath, knowing that from this moment on, his life would never be the same.

  “He carried a wallet, and inside was a driver’s license. It belonged to Keagan Hahn.” He paused again, having difficulty as the news became progressively worse. “He had dark hair, and his perceived age, height and build were similar to that of Keagan Hahn. His facial features are not identifiable due to the condition of the body.

  “How lon
g has he been dead?” Sergio asked, and his voice sounded as if it didn’t come from him but rather somewhere else in the room. A disconnect was growing. He felt Kash come to stand beside him and placed his arm across his shoulders.

  “Approximately five days, maybe a week. We will know more after the coroner completes his report.”

  “How did he die?” Sergio needed to know for some reason he needed to know.

  “Blunt force trauma.” Sergio vaguely heard the Master tell the Detective he could leave. The room was turning dark, and his emotions began to bubble to the surface in the form of anguish blind, agonizing grief tore through him, and he lost himself.

  The sound that came forth was loss and brutality, anger and frustration, unthinkable, unimaginable heartache, and pain. It wrenched and ripped, destroyed, and shredded everything inside of him, everything he knew. This was the insanity of loss and a destitute soul. The dream, the gift, the hope of every paranormal was now lost to him, and he was to walk the earth for centuries alone and isolated within himself, knowing that his beloved had survived for so long only to die at the threshold of their coming together.

  The sounds and sights surrounding him died away, and he felt himself submerged into a darkness that was both comforting and tormenting in equal measures. This was the abyss they spoke of when vampires lost their way or suffered unimaginable hardship. This was his insanity taking him.

  All feelings and thoughts began to bleed away as he fell to his knees. Nothing was registering only the loss and the knowledge that Keagan had been out there struggling and trying to survive for months while Sergio ignored him and lived a blessed life.

  “Hear me.” The voice pierced through his downward spiral and pulled on him. “Hold on, Sergio. Hear my voice.” The sound soothed and supported, and the touch was powerful. The energy surging through him brought him back to the surface of his awareness.

  Opening his eyes, he saw Master Hadden holding him with a hand on either side of his head, and he was speaking, forcing his strength through their connection to pull Sergio back from the abyss. Kash was behind him, holding him up with firm arms around him. Master Hadden was channeling the supernatural connection that existed between members and their Master.