Page 64 of High Noon

Chapter Thirteen

Enoch

Yarrow’s fingersraced over the keys. She’d just fed and was completely fueled for the moment. “They know you have humans here, but more than that, they have specifics. House numbers, street names… a census of the living, as well as a census of known vampires and their locations. Victor compiled the vamp information, but the census from the Haven is Kael’s.”

I was surprised by this revelation. “How has he gathered specifics?”

Her brow furrowed as she continued to search through the data. “He didn’t hack into anything, or else there would be a trail.” Screens popped up. She minimized others, typed in manual commands, highlighted words, copied, pasted, and worked her way through a maze of incomprehensible data. “I have no idea,” she said in wonder.

“Someone is leaking information,” I suggested grimly.

“Who?” she asked. “No one leaves once they arrive. That’s the rule, right?”

“It is.” There must be something we’re missing. The only ones allowed to leave the Haven are Asa, Terah, and myself... "There's nothing on surveillance to indicate that one of my siblings is involved, is there?"

Yarrow began sifting through hundreds of images captured by cameras situated all over the city. She wasn't lying when she said she was a tech wizard. Adding her rapid reflexes as a vampire only made her faster and more accurate while hacking.

Some people were born to be turned, I'd found. Not those with diluted venom. They were weak and decayed fast after turning. Even if they kept themselves fed, they weakened over time and were easy targets for the humans to stake. I supposed they served their purpose, though. They gave Victor the confidence he needed to lead people against them. By slaying the weaker sires, he asserted his strength.

It was why any army I made would have to be sired directly by me. They would be stronger, faster, and able to walk in sunlight as long as they covered their skin. They could face any human army Victor or Kael might send and tear it to shreds.

“Any signal from Maru?” I asked.

She shook her head. “He hasn’t linked to them yet, and Titus and Eve remain separate. The pull time hasn’t changed. Neither has their targets.”

“Are you confident that you can override Kael’s command to pull them back to him?”

She nodded, pushing her glasses up. “Yes.”

“And you can bring Maru back?”

“Yep,” she said, popping her p. “I’ve got this.”

Satisfied for the moment about Eve’s location, I decided to focus on the more immediate concern. “Can you tell me what’s going on at the Compound?”

“Well,” she began as her fingers raced across the keyboard, “Victor is having a tantrum at the moment. He had General Ticher executed for treason.”

“How original of him,” I teased, watching the show from over her shoulder.

“Kael is gone; he’s at the Complex now. I hacked into the computer feed his tech team uses, and the signals show that everything originates outside the city to the south. I can’t see much more than that, but I have video proof that when he left the Compound, he took Abram with him.” She motioned to the small bud in her ear. “Victor’s wondering where all the vampires are, and he’s so pissed at Kael he can’t see straight.”

She pushed a few buttons, and a video with sound began to play. Victor was livid, pacing back and forth in one of his meeting rooms. His direct reports hovered around a long table, lips pursed as they listened to his rant.

“I want him found, now,” he fumed. “I want Abram and Kael brought to me. Immediately. Use whatever ammunition, whatever extraction methods it takes, but I want them both alive. And I want Kael brought to me first so I can kill him myself. After that, I want the Complex demolished. Reduce it to dust.”

“We’ve been able to hack into the Complex’s security system, which was no easy task, and captured a recording of a conversation that occurred between Frost and Abram. I think you need to watch it,” a gruff man offered.

Yarrow looked to me. “Well, this is interesting…” she grinned.

Victor snapped, “Everyone is dismissed except you, Colonel.” Men and women filed out of the room, relieved expressions on their faces.

The Colonel raised the lid of a laptop and tilted the screen so Victor could see from over his shoulder. He hit play and a video began.

“I can hack the video if you want to see it,” Yarrow offered, waiting on me to agree or decline.

“Do it.”

A few clicks later, and Kael and Abram filled the screen. Abram sat with his legs crossed beneath him in a glass cell that was barely wide enough for a man to lay down, while Kael sat in a metal chair just outside.

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