by Mary Abshire
“There’s nothing here,” Zale said before he lowered to the floor.
“How are you going to get it out then?”
Zale rested his back against the cool wall. “I’ll have to dig it out myself. I can’t leave it in me. The poison from the powder will sicken me.”
“I’d help you if I could.”
Zale took a slow and achy breath. Thoughts of Anna surfaced. He wondered if she made it back to the DS headquarters.
“Did you see the helicopter leave with Anna?” Zale asked.
“Yeah, and she is a firecracker.”
Zale grinned. “She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”
“She tried to tell me your death would be on my hands if I didn’t let her go.”
He swallowed hard, disliking having to send her away the way he had. But he had to ensure her safety. “She was captured a few days ago. I couldn’t let them get to her again.”
“Is she your mate?”
“Yes.”
“A vampire?”
“She’s a good one. The best of the best.”
“Well, she was pretty pissed off. She scratched and punched me while I was carrying her. If we make it out of here, you’re going to have to deal with her temper.”
He scrubbed his arm over his forehead, clearing the perspiration. If they made it out, he’d beg her for forgiveness. First, he had to find a way to escape. Given the conditions, he had few options.
“Do you think someone will look for us?” Trevor asked in a soft voice.
“I’m sure both agencies will send teams.” He presumed Anna would insist on it.
“I don’t think we traveled far from the hotel. I woke up in the van and pretended to be unconscious. They put Derek and I in a large bin of some sort, put a cover on top, and then wheeled us in. I couldn’t see anything, but I’m pretty sure we were in an elevator. The sounds reminded me of a freight elevator.”
“Have we been here long?”
“Maybe an hour.”
Zale gazed at the small and large pipes in the high ceiling. He followed them to the walls. Holes in the concrete allowed the tubes to pass from one room to another. The building had to be at least fifty years old. Modern ones often had insulation to fill the gaps. Aside from the heartbeats far away and the flow of water in the plumbing, silence dominated outside his prison.
“I’m guessing we’re in the basement of an old building,” Zale said.
“I think we are too. It’s too quiet and there are too many pipes for us to be in a house.”
Zale held little hope of Anna or anyone finding them. The demons had changed their strategies. Before, they’d used warehouses and buildings either abandoned or under renovations. He’d never found a corpse in a basement. Given the alteration, he doubted Anna would search buildings with basements.
Still, he suspected love would drive her to comb the city for him. He believed she would do everything in her power and use all resources available to find him, just as he’d done to locate her. His big concern revolved around time. Derek’s health sounded poor and Trevor admitted he was weak. Both men could die in a matter of two days, maybe three for Trevor. As for Zale, he could last a little longer after removing the bullet. But then he feared the demons would torture them for information. If they survived, would Rodney send demons to possess them?
The answer soured his stomach. He didn’t want to end up dead like the rest of his family, nor did he want to become a spy for the master. But his biggest fear was becoming possessed and then Anna exorcising the demon. He’d rather die than live with evil memories in his head.
“What’s the plan?” Trevor asked.
“Plan?”
“We can’t sit here and wait. I’m sure they’re going to torture us at some point since they’re doing the same to vampires.”
Zale looked at the other door. He couldn’t break down a steel one in his condition. Well, maybe he could, but he’d make too much noise and it would take time.
“The only way to escape is to wait for them to come. I can try to knock several down and fight if there are three or less,” Zale said.
“Is there a Plan B? What if they show up with weapons?”
“I still fight.”
Trevor sighed heavily. “It’s very risky. But if that’s it, then you better get that bullet out and shift soon.”
Zale silently agreed with his assessment. If the demons had taken Derek fifteen minutes ago, they could return at any time. Zale couldn’t waste more minutes trying to conjure options when no others existed.
He took a slow breath and straightened his spine. Although he’d removed bullets from others, he’d never had attempted to take one from himself, and never with his fingers. Extracting anything within a body caused pain. He hoped he could suffer through without passing out.
“Zale?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to do it? Take it out?”
“I’m about to.”
“Try not to yell or bite your tongue off.”
“Thanks for the advice,” he mumbled.
More moisture coated Zale’s head and ran down his chest. He scrubbed his forearm above his brows. If he didn’t get the bullet out, the poison will enter his blood stream and make him sick. No matter how much it hurt, he had to succeed.
He swallowed hard and then filled his lungs with air. Pressing his fingers near the wound, he felt around the area. The hole seemed small compared to one of his digits. Without any doubt, his efforts to remove the bullet were going to cause great pain.
He bit his lip and slowly inserted a finger. In an instant, his surrounding flesh burned. Warm fluid slickened his digit and aided his effort to move inside, but his fat finger tore the inner flesh. Blood spilled down his body. Feeling as if a hot poker had jabbed him, he began to sweat more. He slipped deeper until he couldn’t go any further. But he had to.
He sucked in his gut and pressed his hand to his abdomen. Pure agony surged through him and he groaned. Perspiration ran down the sides of his face. The light headache he had throbbed fiercer. His heartbeat rapped faster. The pain consumed his entire body and his thoughts. He wanted it to end, but he couldn’t stop. This was his one and only chance to extract the bullet. If he failed, he knew he wouldn’t try again.
Clenching his jaw and grunting, he forced his finger deeper. When the tip of it hit something solid, he released the breath he’d been holding. Now, he had to dig the damn bullet out.
He blinked several times to clear the moisture spilling into his eyes. His head continued to pound. Following a long breath, he wedged the tip of his digit to the side of the bullet. His stiff spine and ribs ached. He felt a small groove on the casing. Body tense, he used the tip of his fingernail to pull the slug. Blazing pain overwhelmed him and his thoughts began to cloud. His head felt light, but he didn’t stop. When his nail slipped, he had to force his finger deeper on the side of the bullet. The hammer to his skull created a ringing in his ears. Sweat poured from him. He began moving the slug again and ground his teeth so hard he feared he would crack them at any second. Hot fluid streamed down his side from the injury. The casing made a soft clank when it hit the concrete floor.
“Did you do it? Was that it?” Trevor asked.
The violent thumping in his head along with the agony pulsing within him became too much. A dark cloud surrounded as he fell sideways. Unable to stop himself, he hit the floor and let the darkness swallow him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Anna’s boots smacked the sidewalk as she ran, heading to the DS headquarters. Her sore body ached, but she refused to slow down. Every minute away from Zale gave the demons time to hurt him.
The nearest heliport was located on the opposite side of town, about five miles outside downtown Indy due to all the museums and stadiums. By the time she’d finished arguing with Colin, the helicopter had started to land, leaving her without a minute to spare to con
tact headquarters. She didn’t bother calling at that point since she could run to the office in the same amount time it would’ve taken her to explain everything. Before the helicopter had touched the ground, she’d jumped out. The streets had little traffic, so she’d crossed several to cut down her distance. She held little doubt the demons would capture Zale and then move him. Once they did, she might have difficulty locating him in the hours left before dawn.
She rounded a corner a block from the State Capital. Lights illuminated the historic building. Businesses across the street had closed for the night. Oddly, many cars were parked on both sides of the street, but she didn’t detect any heartbeats in the area. The city seemed quiet, except for the clacks of her boots.
She shot across another street and slowed her pace. Scanning her surroundings, she listened for moving cars and signs of humans. The few vehicles and heartbeats she heard were several blocks away. Satisfied no one would see her, she strode up to the security box for the garage. After she typed in the code, the green light flashed.
Anna ducked under the steel door as it lifted. She darted to the nearest stairs and then descended them. As soon as she reached the lowest level, she ran toward the back of the packed garage.
A group of four male vampires strode from the entrance leading to the office. The tall one with light-brown locks reaching his shoulders stopped and stared at her as she approached. He’d dressed in dark slacks and a long-sleeved gray sweater. For a change, she was glad to see Victor and gave him half a smile.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said as she slowed from a jog to a stride.
“Yeah, well, I am. Stick around for a bit. I could use your help,” she said as she passed him.
She swung the door open and then preceded to the entrance to the office. After typing her code, she pushed open the steel door. She paused and glanced behind her to see if Victor was coming. Hearing him talk, she decided not to wait for him.
Chattering voices filled her ears as she headed into headquarters. Men and women sat at desks. Many were on phones. Several gazes turned her way as she headed for Aziel’s office.
“Anna?” Rachel called out.
Anna stopped a few feet from Aziel’s closed door and shifted her attention to Rachel, standing at a desk in the center. Dressed in dark blue slacks and a light blue blouse, the thin woman approached her.
“I thought you were staying with Zale to rest,” Rachel said in a soft voice.
Aziel’s door opened. He strode out, wearing a long-sleeved white button-down shirt and dark blue pants. He frowned at Anna.
Anna turned to Rachel. “Can you get me two glasses of blood please? I had to run five miles to get here.”
Rachel gave a jittery nod before she strode away.
Anna headed toward Aziel. “I have to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
Aziel gestured for her to enter his office. She passed him and then came to a halt in front of his desk.
He closed the door. “You should not be here.”
Her hands shook while her body trembled. With her high level of nervousness, she couldn’t sit. She had too much to say and too much to do. Zale’s life was at stake.
“Zale’s been captured,” she blurted out.
“What?” He stopped beside her.
“I went to the meeting with him and demons showed up, at least fifteen. Two other UoJ agents were there and notified us. Zale had one escort the leaders to the helicopter on the roof. I wanted to stay and fight, but he ordered the other werewolf to carry me to the helicopter. You need to have surveillance go back at least twenty minutes to see if they can spot any vans leaving the hotel.” The words flew from her mouth. “We have to find him before dawn. They’ll torture him for information. You know they will. And if he’s weakened too much, he will be susceptible to possession.”
The thought of demons hurting him tore her heart to pieces. She wanted to beat anyone who dared harm him. And she dreaded thinking about a demon possessing him. On the bright side, she could exorcise the demon. Sometimes they took longer to extract, but she could do it.
Aziel strode around his desk. He pushed a button, activating the speaker, and then dialed a number. The phone rang for two seconds.
“This is Jack,” the man on the other end of the connection said.
“I need you to have all the footage of the hotel from the last half hour reviewed. Let me know if you see any vans leaving. Track them and get back to me as soon as possible,” Aziel said.
“Will do,” Jack said, and then Aziel ended the call.
A knock from the door captured Anna’s attention. She opened it. Rachel stood outside with two glasses of red fluid.
“Thank you,” Anna said as she claimed her drinks.
“Do you need anything else?” Rachel asked.
“Arm yourself and get ready to hit the field. Wait close by for me.”
Anna began drinking from one of the glasses as she turned away from Rachel. The door shut behind her. She’d consumed three bags before she’d left Zale’s house and had felt better until she’d started running. The soreness in her body had returned along with her thirst. At least all her blisters had disappeared and her skin looked normal again.
Aziel sat in his chair. “You need to take it easy.”
She set one glass on his desk while she finished drinking the other.
“Has Gordon been notified?” Aziel asked.
She gave a single shake of her head as she swallowed the last bit of blood. “No, I haven’t had time. The helicopter dropped me off five miles from here. I ran as fast as I could. I don’t even know where the leaders were heading and I don’t care. Zale gave his life for me and the leaders. We have to find him and the other agents if they’re alive.”
“We will. I promise. I’ll call Gordon, but tell me about the meeting first. Did they agree to anything?”
She stared at him with wide eyes. How could he care about the meeting when UoJ agents had been captured, maybe killed? The werewolves should be the priority. The rest could wait.
“I think we should focus on putting together teams and preparing to search for Zale as soon as information comes in from the surveillance department,” she said.
“And we will. Now, have a seat. While they’re reviewing the feeds, you can tell me about the meeting,” he said in a stronger tone.
Annoyed she shook her head.
“Have a seat and drink, Anna. You need to calm down and tell me what happened,” he said.
His tone frustrated her, but she no options but to obey. She needed his support to gather teams to search for Zale. She sat in one of the chairs facing his desk.
“The leaders are a joke. Half of them admitted they haven’t been telling others to call the hotline and work with the UoJ. And thanks for not telling me nineteen vampires had been found destroyed early this morning. That detail would’ve been helpful to us prior to the meeting,” she said in a sarcastic tone.
“Gordon informed me a little before sunrise. He said his agents were investigating the sites and he’d give me more information later. We both agreed not to tell you or Zale because you two needed a break, especially you. You were supposed to rest for one night. One night, Anna. We have others in the field handling matters.”
“Well, the leaders started the meeting telling us what had happened and they were upset. Zale and I calmed them, but two of the four seem to think vampires should kill demons. We had to remind them about the AoA law.”
“Losing so many in one night has outraged many. I can’t help but think demons destroyed such a large amount in retaliation for Zale freeing you or from missing their chance to get DS agents the prior night at the gathering.”
The last part of his statement made sense. Reggie was pure evil. It wouldn’t surprise her to learn he’d orchestrated such a mass destruction. Still, she couldn’t help feeling livid about the leaders. They’d rushed to get away from the demons instead of trying to fight. She
considered telling Aziel, but she doubted he’d appreciate her commentary.
“The leaders wanted ultimatums. I told them we need a week to locate the masters and exorcise them, and at least a month to decrease the demon population. We told them they have to tell others to help us. The only reason they agreed is because Zale promised to get them to the roof where the helicopter was.”
“Can you find the masters in a week?”
“After we find Zale, yes. Give me more UoJ agents. We need to break into their homes, or have the werewolves do it. They can track the masters from the scent on clothes. We can work from tip offs and hit the clubs. There are demons out there who are hiding the masters. The UoJ can take shifts, some search during the day and others with us at night.”
“Gordon is stretched thin with all the recent corpse discoveries.”
“Let the bodies go to the morgue. The priority is saving Zale and finding the masters.” Why bother investigating corpses when they needed to find those responsible to stop the destruction? “Call Gordon and tell him to send men into the homes now. Zale told me agents are monitoring the properties. Someone can break in, grab a few articles of clothing, and then go to the UoJ to pass the items around. We can meet in an hour to start searching for Zale. Call him.”
Feeling jittery from overanxious nerves, she grabbed the last glass of blood. The longer they waited to take action to look for Zale, the more suffering he’d have to endure. After what she’d seen and been through, she didn’t want him to undergo the same treatment. He’d given his life for her and vampires who cared little about cooperating to prevent an outbreak. She refused to sit around and do nothing while he was being tortured.
Aziel activated the speakerphone again. He hit several buttons on the phone while she drank the red fluid.
“Once we receive confirmation vans left the hotel, we need to send a team to check for any bodies,” he said.
Her stomach churned as she finished the last of her drink. If she or anyone found Zale’s body, she’d spend every minute of her existence searching for demons and sending them all back to Hell.
