AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another shrug. “He will heal.”
“So my dad knows where he is.”
“Yes.”
“So why the hell hasn’t he busted him out? It’s been a fucking week.”
“Their security is as good as ours. Better. They allow nobody to see him but a couple of trusted people. If Karoly goes in before he’s ready and fails, they will move Zaquiel—or kill him. They may be waiting for your father to do exactly that. Then we will lose them both.”
I made a disgusted sound. “Gods.”
Logically, my father was probably right to hold off, but my gut burned at the idea of Zaq at the mercy of Slayers, Inc. The people who called us monsters and dedicated their lives to stalking us.
It should be me, damn it, not my big-hearted younger brother. The kid who brought home injured birds and motherless kittens, even when my father sneered that he was too human.
The second group left while I silently cursed my father and his methodical way of working. As the men left the cover of the trees, they faded one by one into the shadow dimension, undetectable by even another vampire, until only me and Tomas were left.
I glanced across the street at the apartment building, anxious to get going. If I couldn’t rescue my own brother, at least I could save Mila’s.
The lieutenant raised a bushy blond brow. “You understand what this means?”
“That the slayers are probably gunning for me, too? That Redbone may even be working with them? Yeah. I understand. Now, let’s get Vittore the fuck away from these bastards.”
I stalked forward, slipping into the shadows as I left the trees. The physical world became soft and slightly out of focus, like walking through a fog at twilight. At my side, Tomas faded into the gray mist. One second he was there, the next he was gone, invisible even to me.
I crossed Fifth Avenue. The humans I passed looked right through me. They couldn’t see me, and yet they moved out of my path, some primitive instinct warning them of the predator walking among them.
Tomas came out of the shadows to enter the building. He wrapped on the heavy walnut door. When the doorman opened it, he elbowed his way inside, barking, “Tell your kapitán that Lieutenant Mraz is here.”
Still in the shadows, I slipped in behind through the door before it closed.
The dhampir’s dark brows shot up. “He’s taking his day sleep, sir.”
Tomas’s smile was icy. “Wake him up.”
“Yes, sir.” The dhampir went behind the curved wood reception desk to pick up a phone. Tomas lunged over the desktop, shoving a silver dagger into his back and up into his heart. The doorman dropped to the marble floor.
While I let the rest of our men inside, Tomas coolly retrieved his dagger, wiping the blade clean on the staked dhampir’s expensive black coat before leaving with his team to search the building for Redbone and the rest of his vampire nest.
Meanwhile, I turned to the basement. The door was solid steel and locked down in three different ways, including a silver band to repel any unwary vampires. Our security expert—another dhampir—was already disabling the security pad.
A minute crawled past.
I released the catch of my switchblade.
“Come on, baby,” the dhampir muttered—and then gave a muted sound of triumph as the door swung open.
I led the way downstairs, followed by Bajoie and two dhampirs. The basement was a concrete-and-steel dungeon. No windows and just a single forty-watt bulb for illumination.
I counted six doors, three of them open. Behind two of the locked doors, I sensed vampires. My gaze locked on the third door, where the scent of human was strong.
I started toward it, then halted, nape tingling. I spun around as a man materialized on the step behind me.
Andre Redbone, gold eyes shining in the gloom.
How the fuck had he found us so quickly? He should’ve been fast asleep.
But there was no time to think about it. Redbone lunged, fangs out.
