Page 13 of Sergi
He grinned when he remembered the foolish raids he and Devon performed on their own. Those times had brought the most joy in his life. The raids were spontaneous, often after too many mugs of ale or wine, yet they rarely got caught and, even then, managed to escape. Back then, they thought they owned the world.
The minute he’d read the wordsCarpathian Mountainsin Jasper’s journal, he’d anticipated this day. He took the assignment, volunteering before Devon ordered him. If he didn’t return, he didn’t want it to be on Devon’s shoulders. His friend would still consider it his fault, but with time, Devon would come to realize this mission had been his choice. No one had a better chance. Even then, his gut told him this mission would be different. Regardless of how well he knew Romania, the Carpathian Mountains, or Venizi—his greatest adversary—if he found the lab and walked away, he wouldn’t be the same vampire.
If he walked away.
The knock at the door broke his reverie, and he looked through the peephole to find a male with his room service order. After the attendant placed the trays on the table, Sergi handed him a tip. Rafael and Carlos would be there soon, but he didn’t wait to open the bottle of Scotch.
He’d finished his first drink when the second anticipated knock came.
Rafael strode in and immediately went to the bar before grabbing a vegetarian sandwich. “I walked the perimeter of the hotel and spent an hour in the bar. If there are any vampires close, they’re in a car, though I didn’t see anything suspicious.”
Sergi wasn’t surprised. “There aren’t many strong Houses in Romania. Not anymore. The few that are left support Venizi, butI doubt they have the numbers to patrol all the transportation sites.”
“That will most likely change the closer we get to our target.” Rafael finished the sandwich and swallowed it down with Scotch.
Before Sergi could agree with Rafael’s statement, the last expected knock came.
Carlos’s hair was still damp from a shower, and he followed Rafael’s path to the bar and then the food, selecting two roast beef sandwiches. “The SUV is clean of tracking devices. I expect we’ll have more eyes on us once we get to Brasov.”
“We should pick up the supplies we need before leaving Bucharest.” Sergi wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. Even a store run could be noticeable in Brasov.
“Agreed.” Carlos devoured the sandwiches. Then he attacked the potato salad while Rafael picked at the chips. “According to the barmaid, there’s a mountain supply store next to a supermarket on the edge of town. It’s in the opposite direction of where we need to go, but that’s probably a good thing.”
Sergi strode to his backpack and pulled out several items. One was a map of Romania. They continued to eat, storing up energy as they reviewed the map.
Carlos tapped a spot. “This is the last place Remus heard from his teams before they went silent.”
They all knew this. The mission had been reviewed multiple times before leaving Santiga Bay, but they went through the plan again. Then, they turned their attention to the printed satellite maps of their specific region of interest. These maps reflected roads not found on the commercial ones.
“A lab facility would require at least one road for supplies and general access for staff.” Rafael ran his finger along one such road. “Most of the area is heavily forested, and there could be roads hidden beneath the dense foliage, unseen by any satellite.”
Their job would be to find that single road that led to the spot where the shifters had disappeared. They would be hiking through miles of rugged terrain. It was the beginning of fall, and while the snow would be in the higher elevations, it would be cold. They would be fine, but Carlos would feel it the most.
Sergi glanced at the spot where the shifters had disappeared. He tapped the map. “There are a handful of villages around this area. We’ll focus on the roads from these three hamlets and see if any lead toward the general area of the missing shifters.”
When the other two nodded, they fell into general conversation, more eating, and even more drinking.
After they finished off the Scotch, Carlos and Rafael left for their rooms. When Sergi dropped into bed, that earlier doubt wouldn’t go away. Instead of fighting it, he let it sink in and become part of him. It was better to know your enemy before a battle, even the internal ones.
Once they collectedsupplies in Bucharest, they packed into a dark, older model, nondescript SUV. The drive to Brasov took three hours, where they had agreed to stop for lunch. They drove another two hours to a remote site in a forested hillside, not too far from one of the villages. Carlos parked the SUV behind a stand of trees to keep it hidden.
Sergi laid their map on the hood of the SUV, and the three studied it and compared it to their current GPS position.
Carlos pointed to the same spot on the map he’d pointed to the day before. “This is where we received the last message from the team. Several of the teams disappeared in this area, but this location is at the base of one of the higher ridges.”
“A good place to find caves.” Rafael scratched his chin and shook his head. “And a good place for a trap.”
“I agree.” Sergi hated the position they were facing. He’d expected it. Thick forest on one side, tall cliffs on the other, and what appeared to be a single road running along the mountainside. It was one thing to be in this predicament with proper surveillance equipment and extensive intelligence.
In this instance, they were going in blind. The forest provided cover, but it also hid the enemy.
He rubbed his elbow and shrugged off the light ache. If this were any other time, he’d end the mission until he had more intel. But this wasn’t any other time. It was critical they locate the lab. They weren’t there to engage or infiltrate. They only required confirmation.
“You don’t like this.” Rafael’s tone was soft but firm.
“The conditions are in their favor.” Sergi smiled at him, but it was a grin of someone preparing for a battle they were likely to lose. “Let’s remember the goal of this mission. Locating the lab. If we run into interference, at least one of us must return to report in.” He glanced up at the sky before returning to study the map. “It’s late. Let’s get to this lower ridge.” He tapped the spot and looked at the other males, who nodded their agreement. “We’ll spend the night and then go in before dawn. It’s our only advantage.”
They took off with Sergi in the lead, Carlos behind him, and Rafael watching their backs. They walked single file, making as little noise as they could, moving slow and steady. Eight miles and four hours later, within the hilly, forested terrain, they made camp.
