Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Scottie
I fall into step between Zane and Huntley as we exit the old stone building and emerge from DonorWatch into the night, feeling lighter than I have in days. “That went very well.”
Zane grunts. “It’s amazing what a bottle of five-hundred-year-old blood-infused wine can do to make new friends.”
Huntley chuckles, meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Nothing says ‘sorry we were assholes’ like a priceless and irreplaceable vintage.”
I make a face at Huntley and then cast Zane a sideways glance. “Don’t even pretend to be mad. It was a great idea, and you know it. And it’s absolutely something Francesco would do to smooth over past grievances.”
He knows I’m right, and he’s not mad. He’s just being Zane.
Tucker pushes off the side of the truck and straightens when he sees us coming. He’s right where we left him, but his jaw’s tight and his shoulders are tense. Something is off.
I reach for his hand. “Everything okay?”
He squeezes my fingers but shakes his head. “Pack politics back home. I’ll fill you in later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. There’s nothing to be done about it right now and we have more immediate concerns.” He forces a smile and opens the passenger door for me. “How did it go for you? Did you get anywhere?”
I wait until we’re all shut into the cab of the vehicle before getting into it. “Cassiane wouldn’t name names and out her clients, but she showed us a map and the paperwork that tracks her restocking schedules and let us take it from there. There are three clinics that serve a section of midtown that have ordered almost six-times their usual supply of blood for the past six months.”
Huntley starts the engine. “Assuming Lazarus Kaza believes in shopping local, that gives us an area to focus on.”
“And how do we narrow that down?” Tucker asks.
Zane pulls his phone out and taps the screen to dial. “Brandon, I need you and Tripp to cross-reference the shell companies behind the push for the alternate exchange with property holdings that could house an army of turned mutts. The area of focus runs from Forest Hill to Sherwood Park to Davisville and back to Casa Loma. Look for large buildings like abandoned nursing homes, hospitals, hotels. Consider anything in midtown that fits and then call me back.”
He hangs up, his emerald gaze alight, a predatory smile playing at his lips. “We’re getting close. I feel it.”
My stomach growls. “Are you guys hungry?”
“No. I’m good,” Huntley says.
“Me too,” Zane agrees.
“Well, I didn’t partake in the blood-enriched bevvies, and I am. Any chance we can grab something to eat while we wait for Brandon’s intel?”
“Sounds good to me, beautiful,” Tucker says. “I could definitely eat.”
I laugh. “Have you ever said no to food?”
Tucker winks. “It takes a lot of calories to fuel this machine.”
I bite my bottom lip. “Oh, baby. Don’t I know it.”
Huntley groans. “Z, please make her stop.”
Huntley
Something monumental shifted in Scottie over the past couple of days. Something that cracked the foundation of her wall of anger. And through the cracks of that shattered shielding, the old Scottie is shining through.
She wasn’t always salty—she used to be fun.
And when she looks at me now, I see flashes of that mischievous girl once again. It does my heart good. I’ve missed her.
I pull the SUV into a shadowy spot between two streetlights and then kill the engine. The abandoned psychiatric hospital Brandon told us to check out is one block over—the last property on a dead-end street. We did a quick and casual drive-by just now but won’t learn much until we can get closer.
“It is definitely the kind of place where vampires would hole up.” I pull the keys and get out of the truck. “Plenty of space and access to the mayhem of the city, but still with minimal foot traffic and visibility.”
The four of us slip out of the vehicle and work our way over to the next block. A deep cloak of shadows allows us the advantage of stealthy travel—the moon and stars blocked by the thick cloud cover.
We move in single file, sticking to the shadows, our tactical form precise and exacting. Bran choosing Scotland over someone else to be Zane’s Sacred Squire has the upside that we grew up and trained together.
We know each other…strengths and weaknesses… habits and instincts.
Tucker is the wildcard. He seems surprisingly solid despite being a late arrival. But he is Jack’s son and has been working out with the old man for two years now, so that could have something to do with it.
We move as a unit, closing the distance to the property we hope is being used by the seethe of turned vampires sired by Lazarus Kaza. The surrounding buildings are mostly commercial, dotted with a few old homes which have been renovated into businesses.
There shouldn’t be anyone to notice us.
Or, if they do, hopefully they won’t care enough to get involved.
“There are security cameras on the northeast corner of the property wall.” Tucker gestures to the stone column in the distance to our right. Holy shit, his heightened sight is better than a vampire’s because Zane and I hadn’t even picked up on that yet.
Zane nods. “Any lights on them to determine if they’re active?”
Tucker squints and shakes his head. “No. There are wires hanging loose. They’re long forgotten.”
“Or made to look that way,” Scottie offers. “Nothing Lazarus Kaza has done suggests he overlooks details. The loose wires might be a decoy, so people don’t consider the camera a threat.”
Good point.
Zane considers her comment and nods. “All right. Let’s assume any cameras we find are live and avoid getting caught by their line of sight.”
We circle back in the other direction and creep close to examine a section of crumbling stone wall. Zane waves off any attempt to use it to access the property within. “If I were Kaza, I’d leave this here as an invitation for a breach point. I’d have guards and security cameras watching it.”
Agreed. I scan the area and find an alternative. “There’s a grouping of trees in the backyard of that Gothic house up ahead. I say we climb those and use the shadowed canopy to peek over the wall before committing ourselves.”
Everyone agrees on that, so I lead the way.
Minutes later, we’ve accessed the backyard of the neighboring house, climbed the trees, and eliminated any risk of foot patrol or cameras catching us coming over the wall.
The property is laid out with a main hospital building plus a half-dozen smaller outbuildings. The layout provides plenty of hiding spots but also means countless points where we’ll need to watch ourselves or risk being discovered.
“Check this out.” Scottie points to a path of worn grass along the inside of the stone wall. “Someone is walking the perimeter.”
Zane kneels beside her to examine the path.
“Without knowing how frequently the guards make their rounds, it’s impossible to know how much time we have.” I study the landscape, frowning at all the blind spots those buildings create. “We should split up. Two move that way and watch the main entrance while two circle the buildings.”
Scottie nods and checks her watch. “We’ll work to verify there are mutts here and then we’ll call Link to bring the royal guards for backup.”
“Agreed.” Zane glances between us. “Scottie and I will make our way to the trees in view of the entrance. You and Tucker check the perimeter.”
The way he claimed Scottie as his stakeout partner doesn’t escape my notice. Neither does the quick look that passes between her and Tucker. But now isn’t the time for relationship drama or getting possessive.
“Keep your comms open,” I tell them, tapping my earpiece. “If you see anything suspicious, don’t engage. We’re just here to confirm the location.”
Tucker falls into step beside me as we peel away from the others, both of us moving with practiced stealth toward the eastern wing of the building.
Tucker and I stick to the shadows, following the crumbling stone wall that defines the property line. The silence between us stretches, broken only by our careful footsteps on bits of brick and dead leaves.
“So,” I keep my voice a low whisper, “what happened that had you looking like someone pissed in your Cheerios earlier? You mentioned getting a call?”
Tucker shoots me a sideways glance. “It was pack drama from up north.”
“Yeah, you said that. But here’s the thing—” I pause to scan the tree line before continuing. “If you’re with Scottie, and we’re with Scottie, that makes us a unit. Your problems become our problems.”
Tucker stops walking and stares. “So what…we’re all one big happy family now? I’ve seen the way you look at me, vampire. You don’t want me here.”
“I never said I did, but you care for Scottie and Zane, and I do as well. So, if shit is hitting your fan, it’s musketeer time. All for one and one for all.”
He makes a low, grumbling sound deep in his chest and walks off.
Rude. Doesn’t he recognize an olive branch when he sees one? I should’ve cracked him over the head with it.
We get back to the stealth of surveying the land and stop when we get to the edge of the first brick building. I peer around the corner to check for cameras, line of sight, and mutt sentries. There’s nothing.
I tap my earpiece. “First building, clear. Moving on.”
I gesture toward the next building. From there, we might see the back of the main building. That will give us the angle we need to confirm if this place is a vampire nest or just a place where the local kids come to party and hang out.
“My pack brother called from up north. He may have found a lead to who murdered my mother.”
The words hang in the still silence of the night, and I turn back to meet the man’s stony gaze. “Shit. That’s one heavy phone call.”
“Apparently, there was more going on in the pack than just prejudice about me being a half-blood. Someone was threatening my mom. The last letter came two days before she was killed.”
I study a broken window before moving on. “I’m sorry. I know how that feels.”
He scoffs. “You know how it feels to find your mother bleeding and left to die?”
I stiffen. “I do. My whole family was slaughtered when I was fourteen. That’s when Bran brought me to Toronto and Francesco welcomed me into Clan Vasari.”
That seems to take a bit of the fight out of him and he has the good sense to look abashed. “What happened?”
“From what Bran found out, it was a rival seethe with a territory grudge. It was unprovoked and utterly senseless and everyone I knew was dead.”
He exhales and shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. It taught me life happens and how we roll with it makes all the difference.”
“Well, I’m glad they took you in and gave you a second chance at a family. Is that why you became Zane’s guard?”
“One of the reasons, yeah. I owed them a lot and loved Francesco and Bran for everything they did for me. Plus, Zane and I were always tight.”
“And the other reason?”
He shrugs. “When Bran found me, I was a kid. I didn’t know how to defend myself or the people I loved. Bran promised that if he trained me, I’d never have to feel helpless again.”
And I haven’t.
Sudden movement catches my attention, and I throw my arm out, stopping Tucker. “There, by the loading dock.”
Tucker turns and the two of us watch a man prop himself against the wall. He lights a cigarette and crosses his arms, settling in for a smoke. “Is he a turned vampire?”
I lift one shoulder. “I can’t say from here. We’d need to get closer without him raising the alarm.”
Tucker smiles at me. “I have an idea.”