Scorned by Venom (Argentium Vampire Hunters Trilogy #2)

15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Winnie

The alarms were still sounding as we hastily went down the hall. A few people ran past us in a panic, none of them even making eye contact. Naomi’s plan worked exactly like she said it would. Now we could roam the building for a few minutes without being noticed.

After rounding a corner, we stopped at a door and Naomi placed her fingerprint on the scanner. Even though she planned everything to make sure the room was empty, she peeked her head in to check before stepping inside.

It felt like Christmas when I entered the room and fixed my eyes on the row of computer monitors lining the back wall. Each of them running programs like access control, intruder alert, and a couple I didn’t recognize, but could easily figure out their function. The left wall held over a dozen screens with CCTV monitoring, which seemed to cover almost every square inch of the compound. To my right more screens displayed maps with hundreds of flickering dots, each pinpointing the whereabouts of every Venom member, some of them in residential neighborhoods. Below the screens was one of the biggest server racks I had ever seen.

Naomi tapped her tablet again and the alarm quieted before a man’s voice came over her watch. “What’s the status?”

She held her wrist up and clicked the button on the side. “I had the Ultra Mech Program I designed running when I wasn’t here. I’m trying to work out these kinks and hit a snag. Sorry.”

“That’s the third time this week, Naomi. You need to get those bugs fixed asap before President Argent gets pissed.”

“I will, Daniel.”

“The ceremony is about to start. Hurry up and get down here.”

“Copy. Over.”

Naomi turned toward us with an arrogant smile on her face. “The other times were also on purpose. Just making sure my lies are solid.”

“Can we talk in here?” I asked in a hushed voice.

“Yep. I activated a blocker that will scramble the audio in the building for the next fifteen minutes, so when it’s played back, you’ll only hear static. They’ll assume it’s a glitch from my fake failed program.”

I narrowed my eyes on Naomi. “I don’t understand how you can do all of this amazing shit, but can’t get through a few security steps.”

“I’m trained on this equipment. I know how it works and what messes it up. I’m not good with things I don’t know. I’m a security specialist, not a hacker.” She took a deep breath, a small bit of self disappointment lining her face. “We have to hurry. Follow me.”

She headed to the back right of the room and went to the last computer in the row. “This is the one. I’ll grab the other things while you set up.”

After removing my hood and mask, I pulled out some USBs from my pocket, then took a seat.

While there is frequent discussion about addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, and sex, people rarely acknowledge the addictive qualities of hacking. The self-gratification of being able to break into an almost impenetrable security system was immeasurable. But the keyword was almost. I hadn’t once found something I couldn’t penetrate and hopefully today wouldn’t ruin my winning streak.

After quickly finding the USB port, I slid the first one inside, my hands itching to feel the tap of the keys. I cracked my knuckles and stretched my fingers, ready to annihilate any security blocking my digital path.

The keys were cold from not being used when I laid my fingers on the keyboard. “Don’t worry, girl. Daddy Winston is gonna warm you right up.”

“Who the hell are you talking to?”

I glanced up at Erik who had his mask on his head, allowing me to see his confused face. “The computer. Hacking isn’t about luck. You have to bond with the equipment. Let it know who’s in charge. Once good and primed, you penetrate it with force and it’ll open right up.”

“You’re such a weird nerd.”

I grinned with pride. “I know.”

Turning back toward the monitor, I pulled up the command-line interface and worked as fast as I could.

Ten minutes later, I had copies of some files, passwords, and any programs Venom had ever used.

“Done.”

“Did you plant a virus in their system?” Erik asked.

“Hacking isn’t really about planting viruses or typing out a bunch of shit like you see in the movies. It’s about identifying weaknesses in the system. In this case, it was easier to get the info I needed by stealing it. It would’ve been a lot harder if I had attempted this from my computer.”

“You’re a damn genius.”

I snickered at Erik’s remark. “Nah, bro. I’m just highly trained.”

“We gotta go.” Naomi headed toward the door and stopped. “When we’re done getting the info we need, can I join you guys?”

My brows rose as I nervously twisted the gauge in my right ear. I had no idea how Sage or anyone else felt about bringing on another person. Especially another Venom member who could possibly have an ulterior motive.

“Um, we’d have to discuss it with everyone at the . . . with everyone.” I almost said at the camp, but I didn’t want to give her any information.

I might be trusting Naomi to get me in and out of this building alive, but I wasn’t sure how much I actually trusted her with the lives of others.

She nodded with a slight look of disappointment on her face. “Fair enough.”

I stuck my shit back in my pocket and slid my mask back on before Naomi opened the door.

Back in the hallway again, the plan this time was to try and get through without an alarm since everyone would be down at the meeting. We were almost to the elevators when an odd smell got my attention.

The aroma that lingered in the air was an intriguing mix, not quite like any single creature, but a fusion of wolven, vampire, and witch. A paranormal trifecta. I clenched my teeth and flared my nostrils, desperately trying to locate the source of the overpowering smell.

We made up signals on the ride to the compound, so I rubbed the nose of my mask, letting Naomi know something alerted me. She pushed her hair behind her ear, a sign that she acknowledged.

Once we rounded a corner, there stood a bulky man in a dark green cloak, holding his mask in his hand. When Naomi saw him, her heart sped up, causing her to slow her steps. Erik and I took that as a sign and did the same.

The man’s head seemed mechanical when it slowly turned in our direction, like he could feel our presence. For a moment, his eyes narrowed like he was figuring something out before he looked at Naomi and grinned with pure confidence. “Are you headed down to the meeting?”

“Yeah,” she said with a smile as fake as his.

“Good. We can catch up. I haven’t seen you in months.” The man took a deep breath through his nose and his nostrils flared before he tilted his head toward me, his face deadpan. Even if I was unfamiliar with the species he was, I could tell he knew I was a vampire. “What’s up, Alex?”

Not knowing what Alex’s voice sounded like, I gave the dude a nod of my head.

The elevator beeped, then the doors opened, breaking the suspicious eye contact he had on me. When he stepped on and his back was to us, Naomi took the split second opportunity and hit a button on her tablet, causing the alarms to sound again.

“Damn it!” she yelled over the screeching sirens. “This stupid new program is going to get me in trouble. I have to go fix it. We’ll be right down.”

The guy nodded, but the look on his face said he didn’t believe her. After pushing the button for his desired floor, he locked his hazel eyes on me again and they stayed there until the doors closed. The scent grew weaker, leaving no doubt it emanated from him.

Naomi turned the alarms off again, and a man’s voice came over her watch.

“Damn it, Naomi!”

“I’m so sorry, Daniel. I may not make it to the meeting after all.”

“Stop messing around. End that program and get down here.”

“Copy. Over.” Naomi pushed the button on the elevator, and we waited for it to return. After we entered, she hit the button for the parking garage, and one for the floor she was going to. “You two go ahead and grab those boxes from the van. I’ll head to the hall. Meet me there when you’re done.”

That was our signal that she was abandoning us, and we had to get out on our own, which was going to be tricky since we couldn’t take the van, but Erik assured me he had a plan.

Once off the elevator, he led me through a dark parking garage. We weaved in and out of the black vans before coming out a door in the back. The air outside was crisp but warmer than it had been this week.

We headed across the compound and the layout and spacing of the large brick buildings reminded me of a college campus. We stayed as close to them as possible, hiding in the shadows instead of walking the streets. With perfect night vision, I was able to see numerous cameras and floodlights Naomi had disabled.

When we were close to the back fence, Erik stopped next to a manhole. “Help me with this,” he muttered low.

Even though I wouldn’t need his strength, I assisted him in removing the cover off a sewer drain. He nodded his head toward the hole, telling me to enter. I shook my head no. He repeated his actions, and I once again shook my head.

“There could be snakes down there,” I whispered.

Erik’s eyes bulged under his mask before he let out an exasperated sigh, lowering himself into the hole. “Close the lid on your way down.”

After a few seconds of wondering if I could jump an electrified fence with barbed wire on top—which sounded much safer than snakes in a sewer—I followed him into the hole, pulling the lid on behind me.

Once my feet landed in a half a foot of standing water, my skin crawled. “Seriously, bro. There better not be snakes.”

“You’re a damn vampire. How are you scared of snakes?” Erik asked as I eyed the water for creepy crawlers. “Wait, don’t you have a snake tattooed on your arm?”

“I got that because it was cool. And I’m not scared, I just don’t like them.”

“Sure, Winnie.” He trudged through the sewer, and I hoped he knew where he was going as I followed.

“Who was that dude by the elevator?” I asked, wondering why he smelled the way he did.

“That was Benjamin Argent. Sage’s uncle. Why?”

“Fuck,” I whispered, and Erik came to a stop, causing me to almost run into him.

“What’s the problem?”

I lifted my mask to the top of my head. “There was something weird about him. He knew I was a vampire, he could smell me. And his scent was weird. Like a mix of different species or something. I don’t know, dude, but something is definitely up.”

“He’s an asshole, but as far as I know he’s human.” Erik continued walking, rounding the corner to the left.

“Believe me, he wasn’t.”

When we finally reached the end of the drainage system, we stopped at a ladder and I went up first, pushing the cover off. Once I emerged, the entire area looked desolate. Nothing but land beneath my feet, trees, and empty spaces as far as my vampire eyes could see. I turned around to see how far we were from the Venom base and . . . it was gone.

“What the fuck,” I mumbled as Erik crawled out of the hole. “Where did the headquarters go?”

“What are you talking about, Winnie?” Erik got to his feet and scanned the area. “It’s too dark, so we probably can’t see it.”

“Bro, I can see much further than you. It’s gone.”

Erik removed his mask before his gaze swept the darkness once more. “That’s weird. I can’t even see the lights from the windows.”

An odd feeling came upon me and I realized why. “Shit. Because it’s cloaked.” I yanked my cell from my pocket, dialed Drag’s number, and put it on speaker.

“You guys okay?” he asked after only one ring.

“We need to be picked up and taken back to our van. We’re sitting ducks out here. I’m sending you the location now.” I shared our GPS coordinates to his phone. “We need to get as far away from this place as possible, so we’ll start walking until we find a road.”

“Did you get the info we needed?”

“I got more than that, Drag.” I looked back toward the direction where the compound should be standing and a creepy feeling went down my spine again. “The entire Venom headquarters disappeared after we left the property without the person allowed to enter. So, you know what that means.”

“Venom’s base is cloaked?”

“Yep. Those fuckers are working with witches. Now we know why no one has ever found any of their locations. Which means VRC is probably cloaked too. There’s more, but I wanna talk to you and some of the older vamps about it when we get back.”

“Alright, I’m on my way.” Drag hung up.

“I can’t see anything out here, Winnie.”

“It’s Winston.” I pocketed my phone and turned toward Erik. “Use your phone light, but keep it low to the ground. I can hear vehicles, so we need to go this way.”

Erik flipped his flashlight on and we headed for the highway. “You said Venom’s cloaked. Is that the same as the wards we have around the camp?”

“We have both. The cloaking spell conceals a place and keeps anyone from seeing it even exists. The wards are the invisible line surrounding it. The two different spells can be used separately or in unison.” I pointed to the right of me. “Look at where the Venom base was, do you feel that creepy feeling?”

Erik turned his head toward where the base should be. “I do. Feels like the land is haunted or something.”

“That’s the wards. Certain warding spells can make people feel uncomfortable, so they won’t go near them, and others can be used to keep supernaturals out. Since I was able to cross, I’m surprised Venom didn’t use one of those.”

Erik’s forehead tightened. “If Venom has magical wards like the camp does, how did we get in at all?”

“When a resident permitted inside of the wards allows someone in, it appears visible to the newcomers. So, when Naomi guided us across the barrier, the wards considered us safe.”

“So, anyone inside our camp could bring enemies in?”

I stopped walking, bad thoughts filling me. “Technically, yes.”

“Maybe we should consider who we keep there.”

We started walking again and I began to wonder about the wards. I knew neither the shifters nor vampires would do anything to harm our community. The humans were the only ones I was unsure of.

Lyric and Sage were both safe in my book. And after spending some time with them, I was sure Erik and Jimmy were trustworthy. But Nellie and Randi were frequently on my watch list. Even more now.