All the strongholds tried to keep their privacy as protected as possible, but they monitored the common areas in case something went wrong and the other strongholds needed to figure out what happened.
One of the computer screens was black.
“This is San Francisco,” Roland said and pointed at the blank screen.
“Maybe their security feed is down,” Nathan suggested. “It’s happened before, during an earthquake.”
“It has, but we’ve still been able to communicate with them either through radio, cell phone, or satellite phone.” Roland rested his hand on the shortwave radio on the desk beside him. “I’m getting nothing now, and the stronghold in Ciudad Juárez hasn’t been able to contact them either.” Roland placed his finger on the screen and over the red dot of the Mexican stronghold. “They’re sending their jet and a group of hunters to check it out.”
“Is there any other reason why we wouldn’t be able to contact San Fran?” Nathan asked.
“They could have pulled out of the network. I don’t think that’s likely, but I can’t think of any reason why this would happen,” Roland said. “Other than they’ve all vanished or they’re dead.”
An increasingly sick feeling curdled in Nathan’s stomach. “When did this happen?” he asked.
“About an hour ago.”
Nathan leaned closer to the blank screen, as if he could somehow pierce through the blackness to see the stronghold beyond. “Do you have footage from San Fran before it went dark?”
“Twenty-four-hour’s worth,” Roland answered.
“Let’s start with their last minutes and work our way back from there.” Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Nathan dialed Alejandro’s number.
“Nathan,” Alejandro, the leader of the Mexican stronghold, greeted in an accented voice.
Alejandro’s tone was more subdued than Nathan was accustomed to from the typically boisterous man. But between Nathan telling the strongholds about his alliance with the vamps and whatever was happening in San Francisco, most hunters were probably ready to toss him out or hang him.
Alejandro was more on board with his alliance than the other strongholds, but at fifty-three, Alejandro was the closest in age to Nathan, and out of all the leaders, he was most open to change.
“Alejandro,” he replied. “Are your men already on their way to San Fran?”
“They left ten minutes ago.”
“They’re not to enter that stronghold on foot. When they get there, they’re to find a helicopter and rent or buy it, whatever it takes. They’ll inspect the stronghold from the sky and report to us before any further decisions are made. No one is to enter the stronghold until we have a better idea what we’re dealing with.”
Alejandro digested Nathan’s commands. Never before had he told another stronghold leader how to handle their hunters, but if those men went into the stronghold on foot, Nathan suspected they might not come out alive.
“What is going on?” Alejandro inquired, intrigued rather than annoyed by Nathan’s order.
“I’m not sure,” Nathan said. “I’d like to say it’s a fluke, some anomaly, an earthquake, or something else, but I don’t think it is, and I’m not taking a chance with any hunters until we know more.”
“I’ll tell my men.”
“Also tell them to video whatever they see down there. Call me when your men are overhead.”
“Will do.”
“Do you know where all of your hunters are?”
“I have two who called yesterday to tell me they’d run into some problems and were hiding out together. I haven’t heard from them since. I planned to send out a search party tonight.”
“Don’t.”
Alejandro hesitated, and this time when he spoke, Nathan detected the annoyance in his voice. “They are my men; I’m not leaving them out there.”
“You might end up losing more of your men if you send them out. Hold off on the search until we know more about San Francisco.”
“It could cost them their lives.”
“That’s a risk they agreed to take.” It sounded callous, and he hated saying it, but they couldn’t risk more men when they didn’t know what was happening. “Keep your men in tonight.”
“Should the women and children go to the mission?”
The mission was a bunker in every stronghold. It had been the first thing they’d constructed on this property. Not only did the mission house the hunter history for every stronghold, but it was also a safe place where the women and children could hide and survive for at least a month. Nathan feared it could also become a place where they could be cornered.
“No,” Nathan answered. “You might have to prepare your hunters to relocate, but not until we know more about San Fran.”
“What are you thinking, Nathan?” Alejandro asked.
“Nothing good, but I’m probably being overly cautious.” At least, he hoped he was.
Nathan hung up and focused on the screen as Roland slowly rewound the camera footage from San Fran. Leaning closer, Nathan studied the few hunters who were awake during the early morning hours. They all walked backward as the footage continued to rewind.
While he watched, he started calling the leader of every stronghold to prepare them that they might have to move.
Few of the leaders were as courteous as Alejandro. New Delhi, Prague, and Cairo pretty much told him to go fuck himself, and Marat in Moscow refused to answer. He’d risked losing their loyalty when he revealed the alliance, but they had to know not all vampires were monsters, and working with them would save lives.
He hung up after his third try of calling Marat. Blood roared in Nathan’s ears, and he almost crushed his phone. He could feel everything his family had worked thousands of years for crumbling in less than a year of his leadership. His father must be rolling in his grave, and his ancestors howling to the heavens about their failure of a legacy.
“Pull up footage of Moscow,” he commanded.
Roland rolled over to another computer. The keys clicked as he typed, and then the central common area of Moscow appeared on the screen. The clock at the bottom revealed it was seven P.M. there. Few hunters were outside, but everything looked normal.
“You said San Fran could have unplugged themselves from the network,” he said to Roland.
“Yes, but I don’t think it’s likely.”
Remain in control. Think. Figure this out. Losing himself in despair or rage wouldn’t solve a thing.
Clear head, clear mind; it’s what his father taught him and the motto he lived by.
“Even if they chose to separate from us,” Logan said, “they wouldn’t shut themselves off from the other strongholds.”
Nathan didn’t respond. They might not shut themselves from the others, but if they hadn’t unplugged themselves, then the alternative could be far worse.
“Asher, Logan,” he said. “Go out and take a count of everyone.”
The count would alert the others Jordan was missing, but he had no choice.
CHAPTER 32
Two hours later, a low beeping sound drew Nathan’s attention. He lifted his head to discover the Moscow screen had gone black. He blinked at the screen, uncertain if what he was seeing was real. When he realized it was, he rose so abruptly from his chair that it rolled away and crashed into the wall.
“What the fu…?” Roland’s question trailed off as he wheeled his chair over to the Moscow monitor.
The hair on Nathan’s nape rose when he glanced from the blank screen of San Fran to Moscow and back again. Marat hadn’t answered his phone, but Nathan suspected something more sinister than antagonism behind this newest event.
“Roland, put this stronghold on lockdown. No one in or out,” Nathan commanded. He looked to Asher, Logan, and the handful of other hunters he’d ordered to join them. “Every hunter is to prepare to leave here.”
“And go where?” Asher asked.
“I’ll figure that out.”
“We have h
unters still out there,” Logan said.
Not only was Jordan not present, but four others hadn’t returned yet either. It wasn’t unusual, sometimes the men let off steam with women and drink at the end of the night, but Nathan wasn’t taking any chances.
“They’re not coming back in here unless I approve it,” Nathan told him.
“Do you want the women and children moved into the mission?” Asher asked.
“No. We can’t risk them becoming trapped in there. Put every hunter on high alert and group them in the clearing with the trailers. Place a quarter of the men on guard duty with them and order the rest to station themselves on the wall. Tell them to keep watch for anything unusual.”
“Nathan,” Logan said. Nathan turned to look at his friend. “The elders planned to do the engagement ceremony tonight.”
“Since when?” he demanded.
Logan shrugged. “Since they got bored and decided to play matchmaker again.”
“It will have to wait,” Nathan said.
“They’re not going to like that.”
Now that a possible threat loomed on the horizon, Logan seemed to be moving beyond his grief over Kadence and returning to his old self. On his features, Nathan saw only concern and none of the bitterness that settled over Logan months ago.
“Right now, we have something more important going on than ceremonies,” Nathan said. “They’ll have to accept that.”
“Yeah, cause they’re so accepting,” Roland muttered.
Two years ago, when Roland turned two-hundred, his age made him an elder, but content amongst his computers and running security, he rarely became involved in the politics and infighting often plaguing the elders. Roland’s reluctance, and sometimes downright refusal to get involved, annoyed the other elders, because often he could be the vote that broke their stalemates, but he usually abstained.
“They have no other choice,” Nathan said, and Roland snorted. “Did you know they planned to do the ceremony tonight?” Nathan asked him.
“Nope and don’t care,” Roland replied.
Nathan wished he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about it too.
“Go and get everyone prepared to move out if it becomes necessary,” Nathan said. Asher and Logan hurried from the room with a couple of the other hunters. “Roland, can we move all this equipment out of here if it becomes necessary to leave?”
“We could, but we don’t have to. I’ve set my trailer up as a mobile command post. After we left the last stronghold behind, I vowed never to have to scramble to stay linked to the others again.”
“Good thinking.” Nathan clasped his shoulder and squeezed it. “I owe you a night of drinking when this is over.”
“Make it two nights.”
“Two nights will put me in the poorhouse.”
“That’s the plan.”
Nathan smiled grimly. He continued to watch the footage of San Fran as he instructed two of the other hunters to start replaying the footage of Moscow before it went black. Removing his phone from his pocket, he intended to start calling the other strongholds again, but Roland held up a finger to stop him.
“Tell them to get online,” Roland said. “I’ll hook up a conference call through the computers.”
Nathan called the stronghold leaders again. He told them to go on high alert and to get to a computer. When he finished, and while Roland worked on getting the leaders together, he called Ronan.
“We have a problem,” he said when Ronan answered.
“What is it?”
“Do you have a property I can move the stronghold to?”
“What’s going on?”
“We’re having some issues with some of the strongholds.”
There was a pause during which Nathan realized Ronan was walking somewhere when he heard a door open and close. Kadence must have been nearby when Ronan answered the phone.
“Are the hunters turning against you?” Ronan asked.
“I’m not sure. It’s a possibility, but I have a feeling there’s something more going on, and I need a place to stay if we have to leave here.”
“You remember how to get to the hotel where we held our first meeting, the place in Falmouth?” Ronan asked.
“Yes.”
“It’s still empty. You can go there.”
“Good.”
“Do you need help with whatever this is?”
“As of right now, it’s a hunter issue, but I’ll let you know if that changes. I’ll alert you if we leave here.” Nathan hung up before Ronan could reply.
He had no reason to call Vicky, but he had to hear her voice and make sure she was safe. “I’ll be right back,” he said to the others and walked out of the room.
He ran down the winding staircase and hurried outside to the patio where he watched the rain falling from beneath the shelter of the overhang. He dialed Vicky’s number and waited as the phone rang repeatedly.
Convinced voice mail was about to answer, he was surprised when she said hello in a voice he didn’t quite recognize. Gone was the husky, flirtatious tone she’d often used with him; instead, she sounded exhausted. She should be here with him, where he could hold her and watch out for her.
Unfortunately, that couldn’t be.
“I wasn’t sure you’d answer,” he said.
The silence extended until he didn’t know if she was still there or not.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fantastic,” she replied.
“Your injuries—”
“All better. Now, I’m doing some pampering; my nails are destroyed. The manicurist is muttering curses at me as we speak. I won’t be able to meet with you tonight; I’ve booked some spa time instead.”
“Vicky—”
“I have to go, Nathan. I’m getting my hair done soon. I’m considering a new color.”
“Wait!” he said more harshly than he’d intended, but the events of the past twenty-four hours and her growing distance were pushing him toward a breaking point. “Just wait.”
“For what?” she asked.
“I think you should go to Ronan’s.”
“I’m happy where I am.”
“Something is wrong, Vicky. I’m not sure what it is yet, but you might not be safe, and I think it would be best—”
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”
Vicky sank onto the edge of her bed and glanced around the lonely hotel room. She stared at her jagged nails as she struggled against the tears burning her eyes. Old Vicky actually would be sitting in the salon right now, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. However, she didn’t have to tell Nathan that.
“I’m worried about you,” he said.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. It’s not good though. We may have to leave the stronghold. I’ve spoken with Ronan, he’s agreed to let us use the hotel in Falmouth if it becomes necessary, but you’re out there alone—”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Victoria, listen to me! This is something I’ve never seen before. You being out there alone isn’t safe.”
“Are you in danger?” Her chest tightened at the possibility as she rose from the bed. She had no idea where he was. By the time Brian returned from Maine, it might be too late to find Nathan if something went wrong.
Her melancholy over deciding to end it with him was pushed aside by the burgeoning fury filling her gut. If the hunters did something to him, she would make them pay for it. She’d vowed never to take another life unless it was necessary, but if they hurt him, she would destroy as many of them as she could before they took her down.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but contact Ronan and have him come get you,” he commanded. “I have to go, but I’ll talk to you later. If you need me at all, call me.”
“I don’t think your people would like that much.”
“I care too much about you to give a fuck what they like.”
Before she could respond, he hu
ng up and left her gawking at her phone. She didn’t know if he realized what he’d said or not, but his words ran on a loop in her head.
Pop that hope bubble, dumbass. He’s still a hunter and the leader of a group who would prefer to see you toe up.
Vicky set her phone down and sank onto the edge of the mattress again. She had no intention of calling Ronan. If there were threats out there to her or her family, she’d return, but this sounded more hunter related.
If she went back, Ronan might not let her out again if something did happen with the hunters, and she wasn’t willing to take that chance. She would also sit there and go insane waiting to hear from Nathan. When she finished waiting to learn if he was safe, she would start waiting for the announcement of his engagement.
Rising, she paced from one side of the room to the other. She had no idea what to do with herself until she heard from Nathan. She couldn’t join Duncan tonight; she wouldn’t take the risk of Ronan finding out and punishing Brian because of it.
But if she stayed here, she’d go crazy.
CHAPTER 33
On one of the computer screens, Nathan watched as Alejandro appeared, followed by twelve other hunter leaders. Most of them were in their offices, but Jaroslav in Prague and Abasi in Cairo were both outside on their phones as they inspected the perimeter of their strongholds. He was acutely aware of the small, black squares where the leaders of Moscow and San Fran should be.
“What do you think this is?” Jaroslav asked in heavily accented English.
Nathan was raised to speak the languages of them all, but they often held their conversations in English.
“I don’t know,” Nathan said, his gaze still on the footage of San Fran. He’d watched it all the way through once and replayed the last ten minutes multiple times; it had revealed nothing, but until Alejandro’s men arrived at the stronghold, there was little else to do. “Do any of you have men who have been missing even for a day?”
“We had five go out three days ago who haven’t returned,” Bhavin answered from Madurai, India.
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