Jack stepped closer and pitched his voice low. “You want all the vamps out?”
“Only the ones who don’t look half-starved,” Mike whispered back.
“Will do,” Jack said.
“If there aren’t any more keys, keep watch. We don’t have much time before more Savages arrive.”
“No, we don’t,” Jack agreed before jogging away.
“Doug!” Mike called into the cages.
“Back here!” a voice called from the other side of the barn.
Mike reclaimed Mollie’s arm and led her toward the voice.
“Do you know everyone here?” Mollie demanded as she jogged to keep up with Mike’s brisk pace.
“Jack and Doug are two of my best friends; I briefly met the bartender at the bar we were taken from, but everyone else here is a stranger.”
“Hmm,” Mollie grunted when they stopped outside another cage.
The blond-haired man inside, Doug she assumed, smiled at her. Mollie didn’t smile back.
“Mollie, this is Doug; Doug, this is Mollie,” Mike said.
“Hi,” Doug greeted.
“Hey,” Mollie muttered.
“It’s a good thing you were able to get free.”
“Yeah,” Mollie said.
She shifted her stance as she studied the barn. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact she was standing next to a vampire, while surrounded by cages full of vampires and humans. It was all surreal, yet Mike’s warm body against hers, the jingle of the keys, and the hopeful faces gazing out at them were allveryreal.
If this was what their captors were doing to them, and if they were all monsters from some horror story, then what were they doing with Aida?
Mollie swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away her tears. Shewouldfind Aida and get her free of this mess, and they would deal with the consequences of it all afterward. Together, the two of them could get through anything.
“I’ve got another set of keys!” Jack called from somewhere amid the cages.
“Good!” Mike called back as he swung open the door to Doug’s cage. Doug climbed out and stretched his back as he rose to stand before Mike. “I need you to keep watch for more Savages. They’ve got to be on their way.”
“I will. Should I take Mollie with me?” Doug asked.
Mike contemplated this as Mollie scowled at them. If Mollie were with Doug, she’d be away from the rest of the vampires who were set free. However, he hated the idea of having her out of his sight, and he didn’t trust anyone to protect her as fiercely as he would.
That realization startled him as he trusted Jack and Doug withhislife, just nothers.
“No, she’ll stay with me,” Mike finally said.
Doug looked surprised but hid it when he replied, “I’ll be by the doors.”
Mike watched as Doug weaved through the cages. Vampires and humans reached out to him as he passed while Doug mumbled apologies for no keys and dodged their hands.
Mike kept Mollie close by his side as he set to work freeing the humans and vampires closest to them. He didn’t fully trust any vampire outside his close-knit family, but he had to hope some of them would prove to be allies. No matter what,allof them would be a distraction to the Savages who’d put them here.
He skipped over the vamps who were too thin and unable to control the red of their eyes. Mollie edged closer to him when the livid shouts of those he left behind filled the barn, but he didn’t regret his choice. Getting out of this mess and keeping Mollie safe was what mattered most.
