Page 8 of High Stakes

“Maru!” I screamed. “He’s still alive. Get a medic!”

I put my hand on the wound on the side of the guard’s neck. “Shhh. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. I’m getting help.”

“Vamp–” he tried to say.

“I know. He’s dead. We heard the alarm,” I added, trying to stay calm for him. “You saved a lot of people by raising the alarm.”

“Vam–” he choked, trying to lift his head up.

“It’s okay. He’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore. He can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

A tear spilled from the corner of his left eye, running into his dark hair. His dark skin was ashen. He lay in a puddle of his own blood, his hands and feet jerking uncontrollably. “Stay still,” I choked.

The guard’s teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. More tears leaked onto his skin.

Just then, the two-person medic team burst into the room. I waved them over and they bustled across the floor carrying a bright orange gurney between them, each with a bag of medical supplies slung over their shoulders. I squeezed the man’s shaking hand before stepping out of their way.

The medics quickly assessed him and then wrapped his neck as best they could. He groaned when they rolled him onto his side and slid the gurney underneath. When they placed him flat on his back, his lashes were wet with tears. His eyes met mine for a fleeting moment before they picked him up and carried him into the compound. They would take him to the best surgeons still alive.

Maru came to my side.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” I asked.

Maru was quiet for a moment. “Time will tell. His wound was pretty severe and he lost a lot of blood, but you got him help quickly. I think he has a chance.”

“I hope.”

Chapter Four

My communicator made a pinging noise. Maru and I locked eyes, but we knew who was calling. I looked at the slim, silver device clipped to my suit. A message from Victor lit up the dark screen. “Situation Room. Now.”

Shit. “Remember what I said,” warned Maru. “And say a prayer that I’ll be able to talk him into keeping you in the program.”

The Situation Room was on the sixth floor, the second tallest of the compound. I’d sat in the leather rolling swivel chairs more times than I could count, but I’d never dreaded sitting in them until now.

Maru was pissed.

He had every right to be. I was mad at myself. I couldn’t blame him.

“I’m sorry,” I choked, knowing it wouldn’t help matters, but unable to think of anything else to say.

Not only did I let the damn vamp disarm me, I put Maru’s position at stake.

Maru ignored my apology and opened the door for me. I woodenly walked into the room where Victor was sitting at the head of a long, rectangular table with his fingers knitted tightly together. He watched as we entered the room and took the seats to his left, me between him and Maru. An uncomfortable tension thickened in the air.

Victor was fuming. Finally, he uncoiled his hands and began to rub the shadow of a mustache over his lip. When he finally found words, he only used two. “Explain yourself.”

I blinked at the harshness in his voice. It wasn’t that I’d never heard it. I’d heard that tone plenty of times. But this time, I deserved it. Victor hated victims. He respected those who took responsibility for their actions. So, I had no other choice but to fall on my sword.

“I let him disarm me.”

Victor’s dark brows rose. “You let him disarm you.”

“Bad word choice,” I admitted. “He disarmed me. I shouldn’t have let him.”

“Should I let you travel? Can I trust that you will never let that happen again? Because if you aren’t sure, if you even think for one second it might, there’s no point in me wasting any more time, resources, or energy on you. Enoch is a thousand times stronger than the vampire you just faced. A thousand times. Let that sink in a moment.”

His face was bright red as he stared me down unflinchingly.

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