by Tina Folsom
“How do you know about it?”
“I designed it.”
Her chin dropped. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“But I don’t understand. Did you dig it so you could escape?”
Luther shook his head. “I was the original engineer when the council decided to build vampire-proof prison facilities. My blueprints became the basis for all current prisons the council operates, even though I left the project to join Scanguards before the first stone was laid.”
She still stared at him in surprise. “How can you be so sure they didn’t change the design after you left?”
“Because the council didn’t want to spend any more money on plans.” He paused. “And because my design was genius.”
“But if you knew of a way out, why would you stay for twenty years?”
He blew out a breath of air. “I didn’t say I knew of a way out.”
“But you said you can get us in.” A panicked tone snuck into her voice.
Luther nodded. “I can. But it’s only accessible from the outside. A fail-safe in case of a prison riot. Nobody can get out in case of a lockdown, but reinforcements will have a way in to help the guards on the inside.”
“And you’re only mentioning this now?” Katie braced her hands on her hips, an action which involuntarily made his gaze drop to her heaving chest. This wasn’t the first time he noticed her perfect proportions, her well-formed breasts, her slim waist, and her shapely hips. A perfect hourglass figure.
He shrugged, finally tearing his eyes away from her. “You didn’t ask.”
“Well, that’s just great,” she grumbled. “What else have you not told me?”
Her demanding tone riled him up. “A bunch of stuff that’s none of your fucking business.” When her lips tightened to a thin line and her eyes narrowed, he couldn’t help himself, and continued, “Or did you wanna know about the hookers the guards ferried in from time to time and pimped out to those V-CONs who could afford to pay for them? Would you like to know the sordid details about that?”
Christ, he didn’t know why she was riling him up, or why he was fighting back by provoking her. But he just couldn’t stop himself.
Katie thrust her chin up. “I don’t give a damn who you fucked in prison, or who the guards or the other prisoners fucked. All I care about is getting into that damn building and finding out who kidnapped Isabelle. Can you get that into your thick skull?”
“As long as you can get it into your thick skull that I’m the one giving the orders here.” He turned and walked toward the wall. “You coming, or what?”
With satisfaction he heard her stomp after him.
For now he had the upper hand. And it was absolutely necessary for it to remain that way. She needed to listen to him to survive inside the prison walls. Katie knew that. But once they had what they’d come for, he couldn’t wait until they went their separate ways. Because a woman like Katie could get under a man’s skin, in more ways than one. And that was another thing she knew only too well. Or why else would she swing her hips in that enticing way, and dangle her boobs in front of him as if she were offering them?
Luther suppressed another curse. Maybe Katie had already gotten under his skin, because as much as he wanted to regret the kiss he’d stolen from her, he couldn’t. For the first time in over twenty years he’d felt alive. And the thought of never again feeling like that drove him half insane. It took all his self control to restrain himself and not pull her back into his arms and bring that kiss to a much more satisfying conclusion. One that he could guarantee would be satisfying for both of them.
18
The hidden entry was exactly how he’d designed it. The mechanism was opened by a sequence that was easily deciphered if one understood the system behind it. It was a combination that changed daily and depended on a number of factors including the longitude and latitude of the prison location, and the time and date. Simple but effective.
Luther wasn’t surprised that they’d never changed the system to a random code controlled by the guards inside; he understood the reasoning behind it. In case of a prison riot, reinforcements had to assume that all the guards were dead or unable to communicate, which would delay access to the building if they had to be given the code from somebody on the inside.
When the heavy steel-and-concrete door fell shut behind them, Luther didn’t look back. He knew there were no indentations, no ridges, no grooves on this side that would even indicate that it was a door. There was no way out. Even trying to blast a hole with C4 would be an exercise in futility. A deadly one: the force of the blast had nowhere to go but down the long tunnel leading away from the door. Anybody standing in its deadly path would be incinerated.
The tunnel was equipped with low level lighting strips running along the floor, the same type of strips that guided passengers on a plane to the emergency exits.
Luther looked over his shoulder. Katie’s emerald eyes sparkled in the dark like a beacon. It wasn’t hard to guess why she’d gotten movie roles. Even he could tell that the camera loved eyes like hers, expressive and full of mystery. With those eyes she could capture her audience and make them forget everything around them.
“What is it?” she suddenly asked and stared past him.
Luther forced himself to look toward the end of the tunnel, motioning to it. “Once we’re out of the tunnel, you need to do exactly as I say. Your life will depend on it.”
She nodded, her jaw tight.
“Can you see well enough?”
“I’ll manage.”
He reached for her elbow and noticed her jolt at the contact. “I’ll guide you until we’re out of the tunnel.”
“I don’t need—”
He started walking, not giving her a chance to complete her protest. “Just accept my damn help when I offer it. Next time I might not be offering.”
He’d never heard a woman grunt, but by God, his ears were not fooling him.
“You’re welcome,” he ground out and continued marching toward the end of the tunnel.
Her arm felt rigid under his grip. As if she was disgusted by his touch. Less than twenty-four hours earlier she’d sung an entirely different tune. She’d yielded to his touch. None of that submissiveness was evident now. Well, it appeared kissing Katie against her will had been a stupid move. One he wasn’t going to repeat.
“Where does this corridor lead to?” she suddenly said into the silence.
“We’ll emerge in cold storage.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “What’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
He slowed as they came to the end of the tunnel.
“There’s no door!” Katie’s voice was laced with panic.
Luther squeezed her arm. “There is. It’s just not evident. Trust me.” He let go of her and ran his hands along the left side of the wall. He felt the indentations almost instantly. His fingers slid into the grooves. With only the lightest of pressure he pushed against the indentations.
A small number pad appeared, and he typed in the same combination as before. A series of clicks confirmed that the code was correct.
“Step back.”
The wall moved toward them, swinging to the side. Blue light flooded into the corridor, making him adjust his focus. Cold air blasted him and the low humming sound of a motor reached his ears.
“Stay close behind me,” he ordered and stepped forward. A cloud of fog built in front of his face as he exhaled.
“It’s a refrigerator,” Katie said in surprise.
“I hope you’re not squeamish.”
“Why would I—” She stopped and let her eyes wander around the large refrigerated storage room. “Oh.”
Luther motioned to the bags of blood that were stacked neatly on stainless steel racks, sorted by blood type and age. “They can’t let the prisoners starve.” Even though some of the guards had surely tried.
“How many prisoners do they keep here?”
&n
bsp; He shrugged without looking at her. “The facility is built to hold 480 prisoners.”
“That’s not a lot of blood for that many prisoners.”
Curious, Luther turned to look at her. “Trust me, it’s enough.”
Katie pointed at the bags of blood. “Maybe for one day. Haven says—”
“Whatever your brother told you doesn’t apply here. There are different rules in prison. The daily rations… they are…” He hesitated, not knowing why he even bothered explaining and decided to say no more.
“They’re what?”
The honest curiosity in her gaze made him reconsider. He couldn’t brush her off now, not when she showed concern about men she didn’t even know, convicts, prisoners, vampires.
He reached for a one-pint bag and held it up. “This will feed one prisoner for four days.”
Katie’s chin dropped slowly and her bottom lips quivered from the cold. “That can’t be. I know how much Haven and his mate consume. No adult vampire can survive on so little.”
“It’s a prison, not a country club.” He turned toward the door. “Let’s go, you’re cold.”
Her trembling lips and chattering teeth weren’t the only indication of her sensitivity to the cold environment. Underneath her cardigan, her nipples were hard. And as much as the sight enticed him, this wasn’t the time or the place to act upon it. Nor did he expect a warm reception from Katie should he be so stupid as to touch her again.
Why he’d let his baser instincts rule him twenty-four hours earlier, he didn’t understand. If prison had taught him one thing, it was how to control his emotions and his needs. But then, even the best had the occasional relapse. Didn’t mean it had to happen again.
Luther walked up to the door. A small window was cut into it, allowing him to look into the anteroom, which was equipped with carts and trays used to distribute the blood every day. He knew the schedule well. It never changed. In an hour, four guards would enter the cold storage and divvy up the rations, then distribute them to the ravenous prisoners.
At the thought of the blood, he felt an acute pang of hunger roil through his stomach. He’d gorged himself on a street person just before he’d been arrested by Scanguards, and considering the amount of blood he’d taken—more than he’d had at any one time during his twenty years in prison—he should be thoroughly sated, but he wasn’t.
Katie stood next to him now. Too damn close. He could smell her blood, hear it even as it was rushing through her veins. He could feel the low drum of her heartbeat, the tap-tap-tap of her pulse. Temptation gripped him. He wrenched himself away from it and turned the doorknob.
Luther stepped into the empty prep room. “Close the door to cold storage,” he said over his shoulder as Katie followed him. “If the temperature rises in there, the guards will get an alert and show up.”
Katie pulled the door closed. “Where to now?”
“Just follow me. And stay quiet. A vampire’s hearing is ten times more sensitive than that of a human. Even if you whisper, they’ll hear you.”
“I know that.” And her facial expression told him she didn’t appreciate the lecture.
He decided not to comment and opened the door to the corridor just a sliver. Enough so he could listen for sounds.
Footsteps. Coming closer, not retreating.
Luther put a finger to his lips and focused his ears on the sounds coming closer.
“…could take the time off.” The voice he heard belonged to Dobbs.
“What, and go where?” MacKay replied.
“To some cool place.”
“You mean like Norris? Did he tell you where he was heading?”
“Nope. He was all cryptic about it. He only said that he would leave everybody in his wake.”
“Whatever!” MacKay said.
Both vampires’ voices echoed in the empty corridor. They were almost at the door now.
“So what would you do on your vacation?” MacKay asked.
A chuckle broke from Dobbs’s mouth. “New York City or Chicago. With all those dark alleys at night, hey, that’s the ideal hunting grounds. Lots of chicks and junkies who don’t even see you coming. That’s what I call a vacation!”
Dobbs and MacKay were right outside the door now.
“Cool.” MacKay grunted. “Want a snack?”
Shit! Luther suppressed a curse. That’s just what he needed now: two heavily armed vampire guards raiding the fridge. His fingers automatically lengthened, and sharp barbs emerged from his fingertips, readying themselves for a bloody battle.
“You know they count that stuff,” Dobbs cautioned.
“We can always blame Summerland,” MacKay suggested.
“Don’t be stupid. That jerk’s gonna be up your ass so quickly, you won’t even see him coming.”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of Summerland.” MacKay laughed.
A growl came from Dobbs. “Do whatever you need to do, but don’t expect me to cover for you.”
Footsteps moved away.
“Hey, wait up, Dobbs.”
A second set of footsteps followed the first.
Luther waited until the sounds grew fainter, before he released a breath. Then he looked back at Katie.
Her eyes were glued to his hands. His gaze shot to them. They had turned fully into claws. Deadly instruments. Luther lifted his eyes, meeting Katie’s. There was no fear in them, but something he could only interpret as fascination.
19
Katie held Luther’s gaze. The orange-red rim around his irises slowly disappeared, turning his eye color back to a rich brown. She’d watched him closely when he’d listened to the guards passing in the corridor outside and seen the tension harden his entire body, readying himself for a fight.
Maybe she wasn’t scared of that side of Luther because he reminded her so much of her brother Haven at that moment, of how he’d used his vampire side to protect her. To save her from a human who’d meant her harm. Perhaps that was the reason why she associated glaring red eyes, piercing fangs and hands that took on the form of claws with safety rather than danger.
Katie reached for his hand, but before she could clasp it, Luther turned his back to her and opened the door.
“Come,” he said quietly and walked into the corridor.
She followed him, her eyes darting up and down the corridor. She couldn’t hear anything. It was eerily quiet. She’d always assumed that it would be noisy in a prison. But maybe that was only the case for a human prison.
The corridor was lined with doors. As she walked past them, keeping close to Luther, she read the signs on them. It appeared that they weren’t cells, but rather supply rooms, mechanical and electrical areas, and most likely administrative offices. This had to be the area of the prison the V-CONs had no access to.
Luther guided her through a maze of corridors, turned left, then right, again and again. Within minutes, she had lost all sense of orientation. But Luther seemed to know exactly where he was heading.
At the next corner, he ducked into one of the many niches that held closets. He ripped open one of the doors and jerked her to him, shoving her behind the open closet door. Her mouth was already opening to voice a protest at the rough treatment, when he pressed a hand over her mouth and shielded her with his body. His eyes told her what he couldn’t express with his voice: to keep quiet.
She blinked in acquiescence and he removed his hand from her mouth, yet continued to hold her tightly to his broad frame. A few seconds later she heard it: several people came marching down the corridor. Involuntarily she held her breath. But her heart began to pound so loudly in her ears that she was sure every vampire in the entire prison could hear it.
Beneath her fingers, which she realized were suddenly clawing into Luther’s shirt, Luther’s chest muscles were flexing. Despite the fear of discovery that gripped her, she couldn’t help but marvel at the strength that pulsed beneath her trembling fingers. If she were strong like him, she would never again have to be afrai
d. A yearning went through her and made her aware of her own shortcomings: she was a witch without powers, and right now she hated her mother for having robbed her of the magic she’d been given at birth. If only…
Luther released her.
The corridor was empty again. The guards had passed without noticing them.
“Why didn’t they smell me?” she murmured to Luther.
He motioned to the open closet.
She stared at the shelves and noticed the bottles of bleach, soaps, sponges, and rags used for cleaning.
“You really know your way around here.”
He put a finger to her lips, before taking her hand to lead her away wordlessly. The spot where his finger had been for such a brief moment tingled, and she wanted to rub her hand over it, not because she didn’t like the feeling, but because she wanted it to spread to the rest of her body.
That’s crazy, she cursed herself silently, when Luther suddenly stopped and looked at his watch. She cast him a curious look then assessed her surroundings. There were three doors on one side of the corridor, and one on the opposite side. REC-1 was stenciled in black letters next to the door, right above a keypad.
Katie exchanged a look with Luther, who now turned away from the door and opened the middle door of the three on the opposite wall. He pulled her with him, stepping into the dark room, then pulled the door toward him, leaving it slightly open. In the dim light of the room, which, from the little she could tell, was some sort of storage area, she noticed him looking at his watch again.
She was about to ask him what he was waiting for, when she heard a door opening. She peered past Luther to try to glance through the tiny sliver between door and frame and saw a man, clad in heavy Kevlar gear, emerge from the room opposite, REC-1.
A recreation room? It didn’t appear so. The vampire wasn’t dressed as if he’d just come from a gym.
As soon as the vampire disappeared Luther sprang into action. He flung the door open, charged toward the door with the keypad and typed in a six-digit number. When a click sounded, he pushed the door open and marched inside, waving Katie to follow him.
