Page 72 of Addicted in Blood
It was disappointing, but not unexpected for the first floor.They worked their way upstairs.I checked the clock.Ten minutes had elapsed.
“Sergi.Status.”
There was silence, and I tapped my foot.I kept my eyes on Trudy’s cam when she entered a second bedroom while Harlow took the master.The spare room was filled with storage boxes and a single desk.She went through the desk quickly, finding nothing.
“I’m here.”I’d been so focused on Trudy, I jumped when Sergi’s voice came through.“We lost the mark for a moment but have eyes again.He had some words with another vampire.Lucas thinks he’s getting ready to leave.”
The club was twenty minutes away by car, which was what Gheata used to get there.Their first distraction was an easy one.They slashed a tire.To make it look good, they slashed a couple others along the row.It was an inconvenience for the other customers, but it was believable for the area of town they were in.
I nodded to Roxie.
“Hummingbird.The target might be on the move.”
“Roger.”They picked up their pace.
When they came up empty, they worked their way downstairs, where Harlow stopped in front of the hall closet.He flashed his light to the floor, then bent to pick something up.
“What is that?”I asked.
“Don’t know,” he responded.He ran the light along the seams of the door before opening it.It looked like a closet.A few coats hung neatly next to a shelf partially filled with light bulbs, stacks of batteries, and a couple umbrellas.Nothing of significance.He trained his light on the floor, the camera picking up the scratches on the hardwood.He handed the light to Trudy, who trained it on the wall as he ran his hands over it, pushing and pulling as he went.A click came over the mic.
“Bingo.”Trudy’s voice became excited, and I felt it myself.It was always thrilling to find a secret door.
“Be careful.”Devon’s voice was patient and calm.
Harlow took the flashlight and checked the door more thoroughly before opening it.It scraped the floor then revealed a staircase leading down.He checked it twice.This had to be it.
They were halfway down the staircase when the static from Sergi’s radio made everyone in the van jump—except for Devon.
“He’s at the car, apparently in a hurry to leave.Once he saw the tire, he checked the cars around him.He’s changing it, maybe five minutes.Eight at the most.”
I shook my head at Roxie, not wanting her to tell the crew yet.They had plenty of time to run.I didn’t want them to rush.When they got to the basement, it wasn’t as large as the upper floor.It appeared to be the size of the living room.Maybe someone’s idea of a panic room.
Harlow ran his flashlight around the room.There were two metal shelves in the middle of the room filled with dusty jars and cans.Against the far wall, a compact refrigerator sat next to a desk topped with two stacks of folders, and above it, a corkboard overflowing with pictures, maps, and several pieces of paper with text impossible to read from where Harlow stood.The wall to the right housed tall storage cabinets.
Without wasting time, Trudy started on the storage cabinet while Harlow went to the fridge.When he opened it, my mouth dropped open.There were dozens of vials of blood.Harlow immediately started snapping pictures.He pulled out trays, one at a time, snapping pictures of the sides of the vials where coded labels had been printed.He was finishing up when Trudy called from the far side of the desk.
“Over here.You should see all of this.”She flipped open files, taking pictures of the first couple of pages before moving to the next.“There’s a file on Devon.”She spread out the pages and took more pictures before shoving them back in the file and moving to the next one.She kept working while Harlow started on the second stack.
He was on his third file when he whistled.“Underwood, Christopher.Isn’t that your father, Cressa?”
I was stunned, and it took me a minute to realize someone was yelling my name.“Cressa, he’s on his way.Bella set up a traffic accident, but it won’t hold him long.Get out.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the image of Harlow shooting page after page from Christopher’s file.Then he folded one of the pages and stuck it in his pocket.
“Tell them to get out,” I yelled.“Gheata’s on his way back.”I couldn’t seem to control my emotions, and I felt Devon’s hand on my shoulder.He’d crept closer when Harlow started snapping pictures.
The crew put everything back in place, straightened the files, and turned back to the stairs.
Trudy stopped.
“Harlow?”Her voice was a whisper.“Did you hear that?”
“What is it?”I asked.
Roxie shook her head, and Harlow knelt by Trudy’s feet.
“Oh god, I stepped on something.It’s an explosive, isn’t it?”
