by Beth Alvarez
NINETEEN
* * *
THE CABIN LIGHTS came on as Kade stopped the SUV. “You ready?”
Felicity nodded. She wasn’t, but there was no helping that.
The trip to William’s Woe had been productive. It couldn’t have gone better, now that she thought about it. They’d gone on foot, hiding in the grass and brush that polluted the overgrown ranch, photographing men and vehicles and trailers full of stolen cattle. They didn’t stay to find out if the chupacabra was there; at this point, Kade thought it better to wait. Killing the monster at William’s Woe would be a red flag. Now, the real target was the vampire.
Afterward, they’d been awake until well past sunrise, forwarding photos to Thaddeus using a laptop left in a bag outside their hotel room’s door. She didn’t pretend to understand how Keepers did their work, but it wasn’t hard to tell their network was larger than she first imagined. At this point, she wouldn’t have been surprised to discover someone in Holly Hill was part of that network. It’d be Gertie, she guessed; the old woman liked to have a finger in every pie, and she was well-liked by everyone in town.
The thought made Felicity ill. Was this her future? Suspecting everyone they passed of being either a criminal or an accomplice to an invisible legion of undead?
Kade slid into the back, getting his pistol cases out from under the seats. He ignored the guns for the moment, taking the extra magazines from the cases and pulling a small black box from elsewhere in the bag. “I’ll need you to load these.”
“Me? How come?” She took the box when he held it out, though the weight of it startled her. She opened the top, her brow furrowing. The box was full of ammunition for his .45s, but not brass. “Are these . . . is this silver?”
“Silver plated. Almost as effective, but cheaper and a whole lot more reliable. Silver’s a soft metal. Doesn’t take too kindly to being fired out of a gun.” Kade busied himself filling the other magazines with regular bullets.
She stared at the gleaming ammo in wide-eyed disbelief, shaking her head before doing as he’d asked. There were stranger things to worry about tonight. “Is the chupacabra weakened by this?”
“Regular bullets will work fine on that sucker. These are for du Coudray.” He paused, his eyes darkening. “And for me. If you need them.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What?”
Bowing his head, he turned a full magazine over in his hands. “I try to be honest with you, Filly, you know that. And—well, this is my first time goin’ up against one of my own kind without backup from . . . one of my own kind. I did all right before, but I don’t know what to expect from Drake. I don’t know if he’s followin’ the rules. If he’s not, and I spill his blood, then . . .” Clearing his throat, he picked a gun, snapped a magazine into it and holstered it at his side. “Let’s just say that resisting that wasn’t part of my conditioning.”
Fear turned everything inside her to ice. “What do you mean, following rules? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Don’t worry ’bout it,” Kade murmured, passing her a gun. “Our rules are for my kind, not yours. Just keep your silver handy.”
Wrapping her fingers around the pistol, she held it to her chest as if its presence alone would protect her. “Kade?”
He stuffed so many extra magazines into his pockets, she stopped trying to count. “Hmm?”
The tightness in her throat made it difficult to swallow and harder to speak. “When we were talking before, you said something about changing people in an emergency. What kind of an emergency means doing that?”
He glanced up, studying her face for a long moment. He put aside his bag of supplies. “Impending death, usually. Severe injury.”
“Do you know how to do it?”
Kade shrugged. “Sort of. Only seen it done once, when it was done to me. I’ve never tried it, myself.”
Nodding slowly, Felicity flexed her hand around her pistol’s grip. No matter how familiar with firearms her country life made her, the weapon in her hands was anything but comfortable. “If it happens to me . . . will you try?”
His expression softened and he went back to preparations. “Nothin’ is gonna happen to you, Filly. Not while I’m alive.”
“But you’re not alive.”
Snorting, he dropped a stack of loaded magazines in her lap. “You know what I mean.”
She did, but it was no comfort. Filling her pockets with the ammunition, she tried not to think about his non-committal response. “So how are we going to get to du Coudray? Sneak in?”
“I was thinkin’ I’d ring the doorbell.”
Felicity stifled a laugh.
“I ain’t kiddin’.” His face was deadpan, sobering. “I can’t get in there unless he invites me. Goin’ in the front door is my only option.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Vampire, remember?” He shoved the empty bag and gun cases under the seat. “I can’t enter uninvited. I’ve tried before, ended up standin’ on the doorstep lookin’ like a fool.”
“Wait, really? That didn’t stop you from coming into my house.”
“Your house is a bed and breakfast. And a front for your bakery, besides. It’s a business, open to the public.” He poked her forehead, grinning. “Not that it would have been too hard to get you to let me in. Never did see a pair of doe eyes so big.”
Stuffing the pistol in the waistband of her jeans, she huffed. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“No shame in it, honey. I know you like what you see.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s go.”
Felicity rolled her eyes, climbing out after him. It would have been easier to drive, if they really were just going to the door, but there was also the risk that someone might recognize the SUV from their mishap at William’s Woe. “Sweet as you are, you sure have an ego.”
“I ain’t got much goin’ for me, sweetheart, I like to bask in the few blessings I have.” Kade locked the SUV behind them, leading the way back to the road.
They didn’t need to stay hidden this time, though she wasn’t sure how he thought they were going to get past the gate. The stone walls weren’t high enough to keep anyone out, maybe three feet high, but who knew what sort of security system the place was rigged with. Keeping that in mind, Felicity thought going to the front door might be the best course of action after all.
They crossed the road together, Kade positioning himself between her and the pavement. He kept hold of her arm, helping her keep her footing in the loose gravel of the shoulder.
“Now, unless we run into somebody we know, let me do the talking. You might be able to sweet-talk somebody from Holly Hill, but if they don’t know you, we’re gonna have to bluff our way in.” Though they weren’t keeping their presence a secret, he kept his voice low. “You answer questions if they ask, but defer to me if you can, all right?”
“What do I say if they talk to me?” She couldn’t fault him for wanting to take charge. She wasn’t good at lying, though she’d gained a little practice in recent days. It was one more aspect of her connection to him she didn’t like.
“Follow my lead. It’ll be easy enough. I’ve talked my way into dirtier operations than this.” He rested his hand on her back a moment, smiling. For all that they might have been walking into death, he was so calm, so confident.
She wished she felt the same.
They walked until they reached the gate. It was locked, but the low wall beside it was easy to climb over, even for her. Felicity looked at the back side of the wall as if expecting cameras or something, but there didn’t appear to be anything there. It wasn’t even an automatic gate; it was locked with a chain and padlock and mounted on regular hinges. Archaic, but reliable.
“There.” Kade pointed ahead. “Let’s find Grant. He’s gonna get us in. Looks like you’ll be doin’ some chattin’ after all.”
She squinted against the dark. A familiar silver truck sat in the drive on the far side of the mansion. “How do yo
u see these things?”
“Creatures of the night always see well in the dark. Put me in a department store with all them fluorescent lights, though, and I need sunglasses.” He chuckled.
Felicity didn’t find it funny.
Once they were halfway down the drive, she could make out people working. More trucks than just Grant’s waited behind the house, a handful of people cleaning out a long metal trailer. Preparing for the night’s run, from the look of things. It was too early for them to be coming back from a theft.
“There he is,” Kade whispered. “Call him.”
“Me?” She touched her chest with a finger.
He nodded, nudging her forward.
Her heart threatened to run away without her. Rubbing her hands together to keep them from shaking, she raised her voice. “Grant?”
Every head shot up, a chorus of profanity and harsh whispers following.
One shadowy figure cut toward her, circling the nose of his silver truck. “Felicity?” Grant paused to get a look at her, surprise and sweet relief dawning on his face. He ran to close the space between them, holding his hat on his head. “Oh, Lord. You’re alive! Who-” He stopped dead in his tracks a few feet away, blanching when he saw Kade.
“I’m alive too, funny enough.” Kade crossed his arms, lifting his chin.
“Colton?” Grant retreated a half step, raising his hands to his face. “Mother of . . . they . . . they shot you, didn’t they?”
Kade snorted. “They sure tried. Whoever it was, you can tell ’em they need better aim. Clipped my thigh, kept me grounded a couple days. Don’t matter, though. Didn’t think I’d see you here. You been holding out on me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Grant moved back another step. Felicity fought the urge to reach out and stop him, but his eyes turned to her anyway. “What are you doing here?”
“Heard a rumor this was where the money was at. Took us a bit to find it, though.” Kade shrugged, standing stiff. “I was plannin’ on comin’ out here alone to talk business, but . . .”
Felicity gulped, catching Grant’s gaze. “We got a foreclosure notice on the Hilltop House, Grant. If there was any other way I thought we could get the money, I . . .” She trailed off, blinking back real tears. They still stung her eyes every time she thought of how her father had tried to keep her from knowing.
Grant’s brows knit. “So you ran away from home? Felicity, Emmett’s been worried sick! The whole of Holly Hill is in a tizzy over you being missing!”
“I had to do something!” She clenched her hands to fists at her sides. “I can’t just stay home and be helpless anymore. I don’t like doing this, but I’ve done everything else I can think of and it hasn’t been enough. I just need a little money, Grant. Just a couple thousand dollars, that’ll fix everything. If there’s anything I can do, even if it’s just helping cover tracks . . .”
Uneasy, Grant shifted on his feet. “I . . . I don’t know. All I do is help move cattle. I don’t know what else is going on, but . . .” He hesitated, catching his lower lip with his teeth.
“What’s the deal, Greenwood? Got a problem?” someone called from beside the trailer. The other rustlers had gathered there, hiding in the shadows so Felicity couldn’t see them clearly. She expected they were armed, but none of them appeared to be holding weaponry yet.
Grant made a sour face. “Fine,” he called back. “They’re here for Drake.”
Felicity’s mouth twitched. He had no idea how right he was.
“C’mon,” Grant murmured, tilting his head toward the massive log house beside them. “If there’s work, he’s the one you’ll need to talk to, anyway.”
Kade nudged her back and Felicity trudged ahead, posting herself at Grant’s side. She tried to look comfortable, though she was anything but. She walked stiffly, but maybe that was better. She shouldn’t be comfortable, even if she really were there to ask for a job.
“I never thought I’d see someone like you out here.” Grant walked with an easy stride, in spite of the worry on his face. “I didn’t realize things had gotten so bad for you, Felicity. I’m sorry.”
“Desperate times,” was all she said.
They stopped in front of the double doors. Made of polished wood, they were carved with the swirls, flowers and leaves commonly seen in leather work, inset with panes of glass. Felicity marveled at the craftsmanship, then marveled at the ornate wood and marble foyer on the other side. The whole house was brightly lit, chasing away the gloom of the cold night.
Grant cleared his throat, edging to an intercom system mounted beside the door. He ran his tongue over his lips, then pressed the buzzer.
A long moment passed before the speaker clicked on. “What?” The voice on the other end was sharp and annoyed, but smooth as silk.
“It’s Greenwood. Got some visitors, sir,” Grant said into the speaker. “They’re looking for work.”
“And?”
Felicity wrung her hands. If they couldn’t get Kade in, what was she supposed to do alone?
Grant hesitated before pressing the button again. “One’s a wrangler. I’ve worked with him before, he’s got skills. The other’s . . .” He paused, looking at Felicity. “A friend.”
Her heart twisted. He wouldn’t think of her that way anymore, once the night was over. She wasn’t sure if she felt that way about him now. After all the time they’d spent together, the person in front of her seemed a stranger.
The intercom was silent for so long she was sure they’d lost their chance. Then the electric locks on the doors snapped open, echoing in the night.
“Bring them in,” Drake said.
Kade closed his eyes for a moment of silent relief as Grant opened the door and ushered Felicity in first. She stepped into the foyer, swallowing hard and looking around.
The glimpse she’d gotten through the panes of glass hadn’t done the mansion justice. Every inch gleamed with polish, every edge trimmed with gilt. A crystal chandelier soared overhead. Before them, a wide open staircase with banisters of gnarled natural wood led to a high walkway on the second floor. The foyer held nothing aside from the stairs, though Felicity saw a sitting area with luxurious furniture through the railing.
“This way,” Grant said, leading them to the right, past the staircase. The vast lounge on the other side bore bright red carpet and held couches, pool tables, and widescreen televisions. A bar lined the far wall, rows of bottles and glasses gleaming in front of expensive canvases of modern art.
With an employer exhibiting that kind of wealth, it was easier to see how people might be drawn in. Even someone like Grant.
“This place is so big.” Felicity tried not to look around, fearful of what she might see. Their host was a vampire, after all. She wasn’t sure those bottles behind the bar were wine. “How do you know where he is?”
Shrugging, Grant stuffed his hands into his pockets. He led them to the back corner of the room, where a stairway to a lower floor sat nestled behind a pair of couches. “We were just about to make a run. He’s always down here, so he can move the, uh . . . livestock . . . to the trailer.”
“Cows?” She knew what he was talking about, but she doubted she was supposed to. Playing dumb was a safer bet.
“No. The thing that eats them.”
“It ain’t a wolf, is it, Grant?” Kade kept his voice down, leaving a gap between himself and the two of them. Felicity wished he’d stay closer.
“No, it ain’t,” Grant agreed. “And after seeing it, you’re lucky to be alive. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
The metallic click-click of Kade cocking his gun sent a chill down Felicity’s spine.
“I did.” He leveled the gun with Grant’s back. “But thank you for lettin’ us in.”
Grant stiffened, slowly raising his hands. “Guess I was right when I told Felicity you weren’t honest.”
“Makes two of us, I suppose.”
“Kade,” Felicity started, her eyes da
rting between the men as she edged away.
He didn’t look at her. “I got on well with all McCullough’s cowboys. Shootin’ one in the back just wouldn’t be nice.” He didn’t move, his weapon as still and his hand as steady as if he’d been carved of stone. “So I’ll give him that. If he runs, I ain’t gonna stop him.”
Grant twitched as if ready to take off, looking over his shoulder. “If I set foot out that door, the others will be in here and have you pumped full of lead long before you make it to Drake.”
Kade chuckled. “Willin’ to bet on that?”
Grant stared at him for a long time. His hands dropped to his sides and he bolted for the door.
“Go,” Kade snapped, shoving Felicity toward the stairs.
She didn’t need to be told twice, rushing ahead, afraid she’d hear gunshots behind them at any second.
Instead, the keen of police sirens rose into the night.
Bewildered, Felicity spun at the foot of the stairs to look back. Blue lights flashed against the walls of the lounge.
“Go,” Kade repeated, grabbing her arm and turning her back around.
“But the police-”
“Birch sent ’em. I sent him a text as soon as I saw the trailer was here, but we gotta be done and out of here before they find us.” He dragged her with him as he jogged ahead.
Unlike the mansion above, the corridor they were in was cold and utilitarian, white with stainless steel doors. Most of the rooms were open and empty, the rest comprised of storage and setups that looked oddly like classrooms. It wasn’t just a basement; it was a compound.
Felicity pushed past him, hurrying ahead. Another plain hallway branched to the left, its reinforced door open wide. She ran for it without hesitation.
“Where do you think you’re goin’?” Kade demanded, sprinting after her.
“Miss something, hunter?” She pointed at the floor. Deep gouges marred the tile at random intervals, the only visible difference between this and any of the other dozen junctions they’d passed.
