Page 83 of Obsessed in Blood
“What’s the plan?” Devon asked.
“I have a couple of thoughts. But we’ll need more than vampires to succeed. As well as several diversions,” Simone said. “I’ve secured six invitations to the party. Getting in will be easy; getting out is a different story.”
“With Cressa’s intel on the island, we have a decent floor plan of the manor.” Sergi tapped a few buttons on his tablet, and the LCD screen above the hearth came alive with the image of Shadow Island. “She had limited access outside of the manor, but the details she provided match fairly well with the satellite images we were able to obtain. But it was Ginger’s idea of a drone and the assistance of Harlow’s team that gave us details on the island’s defenses we haven’t had before.” He pushed another button, and the image zoomed in. “Based on previous surveillance we’ve performed, Simone and I have identified various security teams which are marked with circles. The red, blue, and yellow lines are what we believe their current routes to be. We assume security will increase for the day and evening of the ball; however, there are several landmarks we feel our inside teams should be aware of.”
“We could use help from the shifters if The Wolf is so inclined,” Simone added. “Decker has a couple rogues that could prove useful. If The Wolf can provide access to the buildings he owns around the marina’s dock, it would assist with our exit strategy.”
“I have a meeting with Remus tomorrow night. I think we’ll be able to secure additional resources.” Devon stood and approached the screen. “What’s this area here?” He tapped the screen. The island was mostly cliffs with a small bay where the dock was located. On the opposite side of the island was a cove with what appeared to be a narrow stretch of sand.
“It’s a beach.” Cressa seemed surprised. “I never heard anyone talk about it. Do you think there’s access to it from the manor?”
“Is there any other place on the island to dock or beach a boat besides the main dock?” Devon asked.
“I haven’t seen anything on the images from the drone,” Simone answered.
Sergi nodded in agreement. “I’ve reviewed all the recordings. The drone did an amazing job, and this small stretch of sand is the only other place to land a small craft. I also searched for possible cave entrances, but the terrain only allows limited views. That doesn’t mean something isn’t there. As we know, the island is a jut of land from the mainland that remains well above tide levels year-round. These pictures were taken close to low tide.”
The group quieted as they stared at the monitor. The island told them part of the story, but the vampire that owned it shouldn’t be discounted.
He smiled at Sergi. “Have you ever known Lorenzo not to have an exit strategy?”
Sergi met his smile with one of his own. “He would never own a piece of land that didn’t have more than one exit.”
“You think there’s a cave that leads to the beach?” Simone asked.
“We’d be foolish to ignore the possibility.” Devon stared at the image. “We have a couple of days yet. Let’s see if we can get more footage around this area.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t studied the island before,” Cressa said.
He considered her comment. The cadre had gathered general information, and they had cruised as close to the island as they could get without stirring the island’s defenses. But that had been several years ago when Devon had first planned his long-term mission to remove his censure from the Council. His focus hadn’t been specifically on the island but on Lorenzo’s defenses.
He shook his head and stared at the island on the screen. “It’s a waste of time to learn too much about an opposing House. Like us, they change their defenses frequently. Other than keeping track of his schedule, anything more can become an obsession.”
“That makes sense. What’s next?”
“The same as any other mission. We continue to gather intel and double the training hours to include practice drills. I also want repeated reviews of the manor inside and out until everyone knows it as if they lived there.” His focus turned to Lyra. “You need to work with Colantha and continue your dreamwalks with Hamilton. We need him strong enough to walk off that island.”
“Again.”Sergi paced along the rubber mat in front of the wall. Ginger gave him her best evil eye before she shook out her arms and began her climb.
I watched her, amazed at how quickly she’d picked up her climbing skills, but I could see she was weakening. Her timing was slower, and her moves less coordinated.
“What are you waiting for, sunshine?”
I glared at Sergi and leaped up to my favorite handhold, scurrying to the other side of the wall where a rope hung from the top. My legs burned, and my arms shook. I was faster than Ginger, but I’d been climbing for years. I grabbed the rope, gripping tightly so I wouldn’t let go too soon. My arms had a different thought, and when I swung around to grab the other rope, my fingers locked up and the rope slipped from my grasp.
Sergi had his eye on Ginger, who was slowly crossing the top of the wall to the other set of ropes. It was unfortunate for him because when I let go, I used what momentum I had to fly toward him. He looked up, but it was too late. I was like one of those cat memes—arms and legs spread wide as I landed on him.
I heard his grunt, and I returned one of my own when his elbow dug into my kidney. He rolled me, trying to pin me to the floor, but I intertwined my legs with his and held on, forcing the roll to continue.
A loud scream, high-pitched and sounding eerily like a blend of hell cat and Tarzan. We both looked up in time to see Ginger flying at us, her hand raised with her wooden dagger. Now it was Sergi’s turn to try to keep our roll going, but we’d lost momentum, and I ducked my head, waiting for the impact.
Ginger landed on us and began stabbing with the dagger. Fortunately, she kept stabbing Sergi rather than me, but I let my guard down, thinking the drill was over. When Sergi gave the signal he’d been defeated, Ginger turned on me and began slamming the dagger down. Thankfully, the dagger was on its side, but it still hurt.
A whistle blew and we fell back, sprawling in different directions.
“That’s enough for one day.” Devon strode over and stared down at us.
Simone stood next to him, her fangs peeking out of her wide smile. “Never would I have believed that Ginger, a mere slip of a woman, could shame the two of you so well.”
