Instead of parking in my usual place, where I was bound to get noticed, I found a vacant spot on the side street adjacent to the armory. The plan was to get in and out without getting busted. Unless Tymon had put out a warning, no one would think twice about me being there. That is, until later when they saw what I was doing on the camera feed.
The early-morning timing worked to my advantage because not a soul was in sight. I made it in, got myself kitted out, then left—all without incident. Now, let’s just hope my luck sticks, and I discover a lead to my sister.
I parked a block down from Venom—not too close to be discovered, but close enough to get the hell out if the need arose. I snuck in from the back and hid in some bushes. This gave me a perfect view of the loading dock. Next to the dock was a small staircase leading to a side door. I tagged two cameras: one above the door and the other on the opposite corner beside the bay. Lucky for me, they were motion sensors and not the new cameras that recorded in real time. It wasn’t long before a truck pulled into the back lot and parked in front of the bay. The side door opened, and a man walked out to greet the drivers. They chit-chatted for a while before he made his way down the stairs to unlock the bay door, then continued talking as he rolled it open and the men began unloading crates onto the loading dock. By then, I was ready to strangle all three of them.
Finally, the men said their goodbyes. Both the bay and the door remained open, which meant that it was likely the sensors were disabled. Now was my chance. Bolting from the bushes, I sprinted across the parking lot. I was initially aiming for the side door, but at the last minute decided to go for the bay instead. I’d barely made it through the open doorway when I heard voices coming from the side door. I couldn’t see from where I was hiding, but it sounded like two men. Damn, that was close. Had I chosen door number one, I would have been toast.
The smell of cigarettes wafted through the air. They must be on a break, which meant that I needed to go now. I quickly crept up the stairs. When I reached the top, I drew my gun and quietly entered the building. A long hallway greeted me. To the left was the side-door entrance. Moving to the right, I inched down the hall. After searching the entire main floor and finding nothing, I was on the verge of calling it quits, when I came across a stairwell. The place had a basement. Great. At least this one had lights. The door at the bottom had a small window. Pushing onto my tiptoes, I peered into . . . a dark hallway. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.
Like a dumbass, I chose to ignore the warning bells. Gun in hand, I cracked open the door and eased into the hallway, only to find myself face to face with a giant of a man. I gasped, he screamed, and I almost pulled the freaking trigger and shot him.
“Who the fuck are you?” he growled.
I lowered my gun and quickly swept it behind my back while at the same time dropping my shields. When Bruiser’s glow practically lit up the room, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
In an extra-breathy voice, I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I was looking for Jessie. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.” The glow from the stairwell window spilled across his scowling face. Bruiser wasn’t buying my act.
“You must think I’m stupid.”
Sighing, I gave him an eye roll—not that he could see it. Pointing my gun at him, I said, “A girl can always hope.”
He smiled. It was then that I felt something hit the side of my neck. A sharp sting followed, then a feeling of wooziness. My hand wobbled as I reached for my neck. By the time I discovered the dart, it was too late. As my world faded to black, I heard him say, “Yeah, who’s stupid now, bitch?”
The answer was me.
I woke in total darkness. This time, it wasn’t in a stylish bedroom in a gorgeous beach house owned by a sexy vampire. No, this time, I was in hell—a rancid-smelling, pitch-black, dirty-floored hell. My head hurt, and my mouth was as dry as a salt lick. At least I was still shielding. It took a moment for my body to catch up with my brain. Once I could move my hands, I did a slow assessment of my weapons. The only thing missing was my gun. I smiled. Yeah, who’s stupid now, dick?
Suddenly, the wall split open, and a blinding light infiltrated the room. That’s when I saw the faces—gaunt, emaciated, hopeless-looking faces. There were at least five of them, but only one stood out. Bailey. I didn’t dare call out to her. My eyes shifted from my sister back to the source of the light. It was a door, not in the wall but at the top of some stairs. Two vamps stood in the doorway. I didn’t have to drop my shields to know they were vampires. I could tell from their glowing eyes and glistening fangs. They started down the steps. One of the two was dragging something behind him. It didn’t take long to see that the something was a woman.
“Is the new one awake yet?” the first one asked.
Panic crawled up my throat. If I didn’t get a handle on it, and fast, the gig would be up. I took a deep breath in and slowly let
