Chapter Twenty-Seven
Viktor could smell the blood the moment the doors opened to Ant's office. He wasn't surprised that Ant immediately fell to his knees and was glad that Able had stopped barking, immediately providing support to Ant the way he’d been trained to do. It was clear the dog had been triggered by the scent of blood the same as Viktor had been. But if that blood was Bridget’s and Viktor could only assume it was, they had to move fast.
Keeping a cautious eye on his mate, Viktor zapped around the reception area, searching for the source of the blood he could smell. There was a patch on the carpet. It was so tiny, most normal eyes would miss it. But Viktor knelt down, hoping his presence wasn't distorting Ant's vision.
Reaching out with a single little finger he dabbed on the slightly damp patch, and then raised his finger to his nose. He couldn’t taste it. Now he was claimed, even a drop of somebody else's blood would make him violently ill, and clearly they didn't have time for that nonsense. Besides, Viktor didn't want to take Bridget's blood, he wanted to be able to smell it. If he could smell it, he could track it – that’s what vampires were famous, or infamous for depending on opinion. Regardless that was what he needed to do now.
There was anger and desperation lingering in the air as well. Although Viktor’s ability to be attuned into energies was nowhere near Ant's, it was still a vital skill of his, and he sensed that she had been captured completely unaware. As he straightened up other details came into focus - the discarded briefcase, a high-heeled shoe kicked off to the side of the room, and that patch of blood. None of that boded well for Bridget.
Viktor had no idea what Ant was seeing, and he didn't dare try and tap into their bond to see. He wasn't sure if Ant's visions could be projected across their mate bond, but they were going to have to act fast. That was obvious. Clearly Ant thought so too, because within a mere minute he was up on his feet, using Able for balance as he stood up, and without a word he turned and was running out the door. Viktor quickly followed.
“Where do you think you're going?”
“I've got to catch that Uber before it leaves,” Ant said as he clattered down the stairs. Able following behind.
“We've got to go. I’m still connected to the vision-scape but only just. If I just keep tracking, if I can just keep hold of her energy...”
“Ant, you don't even know where they went. You don’t know where the abductor took her.”
“I think I do…I think I can…this is my sister…just get me a car… I need a damn car. I’m hanging on to the vision by a thread and this is not something I can usually do. I have to focus.”
Viktor snapped his mouth shut, grabbing Ant's hand and keeping him steady as they went down the stairs. They kept up the same fast pace through the lobby. Ant was still clearly focusing and Viktor just growled at anybody that looked like they'd get in their way. The foyer was still busy, but Ant didn’t appear to notice. He just kept moving toward the doors with Viktor running interference for him.
Bursting through the main doors, Viktor immediately started scanning the street.
Of course the Uber was gone. Viktor reasoned the driver had to make a living and was probably already picking up his next fare, but just as he was thinking about whether or not he could get away with stealing somebody else's car in broad daylight, a police cruiser crawled to a stop beside them, Officer Mike was in the driving seat. “Mr. Viktor, Dr. Channon, great, you’re here. I was just coming to see you.”
“We haven't got time for any of your police nonsense,” Viktor said, keeping a steadying hand on Ant as he moved him toward the back of the cruiser. Opening the door he encouraged Ant inside, let Able jump in and then climbed in after them. “Just go where Ant tells you to. Move it, move it, move it.”
He slammed their door shut after making sure that he didn't catch Able's tail. Mike pulled into traffic. “I don't understand what's happening. What the hell are you doing? Is Ant all right?”
“Shut up and drive. Ant’s reading a vision as we're moving.”
“What the fuck?” Mike yelled. “I don’t want that shit in my car. I mean, I didn't even think that was possible.”
“It's probably not, now pay attention.”
“Turn left here,” Ant said.
Mike spun the wheel, cutting across traffic as he hit the intersection Ant directed. The mood in the car was tense. Mike clearly realized that Ant was trying to direct him somewhere and was probably regretting his “don’t want that shit in my car” comment. Viktor was terrified for his mate who had just the day before expended more energy than any man should and was now chasing across the city before he’d even had breakfast. Viktor was fine, he’d had blood the night before, so yes, he was focusing his worry on Ant.
“Turn right.” Then barely a minute later Ant said, “Turn right,” again.
They were heading out of town, the industrial area quickly giving way to more and more open spaces. Ant had stopped speaking but he had a glazed look in his eye. His head position suggested he was looking out the windshield, but Viktor doubted he was seeing the scenery. Able was on the floor, his head on Ant’s knee and Ant’s hand was resting on his head.
Viktor had no idea where they were or where they were going and there was a part of him that felt really proud that Ant was trusting him with keeping him safe. Viktor didn’t doubt that Ant would’ve taken off on his own, even if he hadn’t been mated, with only his dog for company, and while Viktor had a soft spot for Ant’s furry companion, he wasn’t sure of Able’s ability to stop Ant from running into traffic. If Viktor hadn’t been steering him, there would’ve been a good chance Ant would’ve been killed on the street outside his office building.
They traveled for miles, the buildings dropping away to bushland, patches of trees, and open paddocks. Mike was still hanging grimly onto the steering wheel. Viktor noticed he had a tick in his lower jaw.
Just when Viktor wondered if they were going to cross state lines, Ant yelled, “Stop.”
Mike slammed on the brakes, and Viktor put out his hand to stop them from flying over the front seat. Looking around – Viktor could see nothing but trees. “Ant,” he said cautiously, “What can you see? What’s happening?”
“There’s a turn, by the tree.”
That wasn’t helpful. There were about a hundred trees on either side of the road. “Do we need to get out of the car?” he asked.
“You need to turn by the tree. Hurry.”
Viktor met Mike’s eyes. He clearly didn’t see a trail either, but then Mike said, “No, wait, there is a small driveway there. Gods, my cruiser’s going to get scratched up if I drive down there.”
“Follow that trail, I'll pay for your new paint job,” Viktor snapped.
The car crawled along, bellying on potholes one second and causing Viktor to bang his head on the roof of the car the next. But as they moved along what looked like a deserted trail, Viktor’s sharp eyes picked up that another vehicle had been down that route recently because there was broken branches on the edge of the trail.
Ant suddenly said, “Stop. She’s here.”
Viktor scanned the area, expecting something from a horror movie, but the reality was very different. A smart, recently painted house sat in a wide clearing, surrounded by a wide lawn. There was a pink swing set on one corner of the lawn, and a couple of discarded bikes on the driveway. Under the shade of a tree, someone had set up a wading pool, mostly likely for infants. It was like the toys were all just waiting for the little ones to finish their snack before coming back outside to play.
“Are you sure you’ve got the right place, Doctor Channon?” Mike said. “Only this is very clearly someone’s private residence. If you step foot on that lawn, you’ll be trespassing.”
“Ant is a police consultant, and he has reason to believe that a crime is taking place on the property. Why can’t I open this damn door?” Viktor banged at the door latch, but the car door stayed shut.
“Oh, shoots. Sorry. Our doors are wired for criminals.” Mike chuckled. “The child locks are on. I’ll just get out and…”
“Forget it.” Viktor leaned his shoulder into the door and popped it off its hinges. “Job done. Ant? You okay?”
Ant's face was so pale, but there was a dark fury in those pale gray eyes. Viktor knew that whatever Ant was seeing was not good. Getting out of the car, he kept a firm hand on Ant's elbow. Able stood on the other side of him, his ears perked up, and his tail still. Now they were outside, Viktor couldn’t hear the sound of another person at all.
Viktor popped his head back into the car. “Stay here. We’ll call you if we find anything.”
“Er…that’s a no. In my head, you’re still trespassing. You need me there to witness.” Mike clambered out of the vehicle, taking his own sweet time about it. “We should do a walk around the outside of the premises first – see if we have probable cause for entry.”
Ant was already heading for the front door. He didn't even knock, but immediately tried turning the old-fashioned door handle. When it wouldn’t turn, Viktor took over and crushed the mechanism in his hand.
“I'll pay for it,” he said to Mike who opened his mouth, clearly to object.
Viktor followed Ant inside. Again, the interior looked like any other residential home with clear signs that a family lived there. There were books left open on the coffee table, various sized shoes in the little tiled area by the doorway, a couple of coffee cups on a kitchen counter that Viktor could see through an open living space,
Ant wasn't focused on any of the living areas. He headed straight for a hallway across the entry way that ran through to the back of the house. “There's a door somewhere around here,” Ant said, still in that weird robotic voice of his. “It’s hidden. It’s like he just disappeared into the wall. She’s being taken to a basement.”
“We should’ve gone around the outside,” Mike insisted. “You could probably access a basement that way, without wrecking a person’s front door.”
Ignoring the officer, who was becoming more annoying by the second, Viktor scanned the walls. They were white panels, dozens of them aligned in two rows that ran from ceiling to floor and from one end of the hall to the other.
“I’m losing the connection,” Ant said, his voice rising. “There's a basement here. We have to find it.”
“Basements in this part of the state are usually accessed through the kitchen pantry or from…” Mike started to say, but Viktor interrupted him.
“Go and find it then. Just shut up and let me think.”
Mike scuttled off. There didn't appear to be anybody else in the house. Viktor was almost sure they were the only people there. But in the silence, broken only by Able's panting, Viktor thought he could hear something.
“Am I heading in the right direction?” He checked with his mate as he moved down the hallway. Five feet one way, he then turned back. “Somewhere here?”
Ant nodded, his eyes wide, his mouth twisted with pain.
Viktor tapped on the walls on either side of where Ant indicated, searching for a hollow sound, but they all sounded the same.
“We’re running out of time.” Ant’s voice caught in a sob. “I can barely feel her.”
You’re probably running out of juice. With no other option available to him, Viktor knelt on the floor and punched downward, ignoring the shards of pain running through his knuckles. The fake hardwood panels broke instantly, but there was no light underneath. “Damn it.” Viktor punched into his existing hole again, and then when he still couldn’t see any opening below, he did it again – this time his fist went through.
“Can you see her?” The fist-sized hole suddenly got crowded. Ant was on his hands and knees looking and so was Able. “She’s definitely down there, I just can’t see anything.”
“Move out of the way a moment.” Viktor glanced at his battered knuckles. They were going to bruise, but he’d heal. Then he looked at his boots. They’d work better. “I need to make the hole bigger so I can get down there.”
It didn't take long. Five minutes at most. It probably would have gone quicker, except Ant didn't seem to want to move too far away from the hole. When Viktor finally thought he had made a hole big enough to accommodate his shoulders, he sat down and dangled his legs down before just dropping down, landing with his knees bent.
Dust. Mold. Oil. Blood. The room was dimly lit with only one tiny window set up by the ceiling of the wide space. There were cluttered shelves everywhere – steel ones like those found in a warehouse filled with random boxes and plastic storage containers. No obvious sign of another person, but the blood scent in the basement was the same as the one in the office.
“Come on, Bridget girl,” Viktor muttered as he started prowling the racks. “You’ve always got something to say. I need a sound. I’d settle for you yelling at me, but make some noise, sister-in-law. I need to know where you’re hiding.”
He strained his ears, his head tilted as he listened to the piercing silence. And then, just when he was ready to tear the room apart, he heard a scuffle, almost like the sound of a mouse in the wall lining. But it wasn’t the scuttle of tiny mouse feet, it was a rhythmic tapping of what sounded like a tiny thud on something hard.
“That's good Bridget. Thank you. I hope you realize you’re buying us breakfast after this. Your poor brother is running on fumes.” Viktor moved to the corner of the room farthest from the window. On the bottom shelf was a large steel box. It looked like the sort of thing someone might have kept mechanical equipment in, or maybe it was an old storage trunk.
Viktor really didn't care about the box’s original use. What was ominous was that it was big enough to squish a body in. Yanking it off the shelf - it was far too heavy to be an empty trunk - Viktor tore at the lid, at the straps holding it down, crushing the new padlocks that were keeping the lid strapped down in his bare hands, before he ripped the whole lid off its hinges.
“Oh, my good gods,” Viktor muttered. Bridget was there, but she looked totally different from the well put together woman Viktor and Ant had eaten with just a few days before. There was a large graze down her face and both of her eyes were bruised. More concerning, there was masking tape over her mouth and the skin above it was turning blue.
Praying she didn’t have any internal injuries, Viktor reached down, hoisting her up and out of the box, cradling her with one arm and sliding another under her knees. He noticed how her hands and ankles were tied together with the same tape as was over her mouth. “I've got her,” he yelled in the direction of the hole because he knew Ant would be desperate to see her and the last thing he wanted was his mate jumping down from the roof above. Angling his arm and hand around he ripped the tape off Bridget’s mouth and winced. That would have to hurt but she didn’t even blink. “I've got her, She’s still breathing. I've just got to find a way out of here.”
He jumped as there was the sound of a gun going off, Ant’s frantic yell, a yelp from Able and then silence.
What the fuck? “Ant!” Viktor yelled frantically. “Ant. Answer me.” He looked deep inside, searching for their link. It was there, although stuttering as something was blocking him. “I’ve got to get out of this place,” he muttered, his heart racing as he worried about his mate.
Going over to the nearest wall, Viktor kicked at it – listening at each panel for a sound indicating the wall was hollow behind it before moving to the next one. He was almost at the corner when he was startled by a familiar voice behind him.
“You two made this so easy for me. Were you looking for the door by any chance?”
Whirling around, Viktor’s eyes narrowed. Officer Mike was there, and so was fucking Colin Banks. They were holding a limp Ant between them and both of them had guns pointed in his direction.
“Where’s Able?” He growled.
“Who cares?” Mike scoffed. “If he’s not dead yet, he soon will be. I’d be worried about your own mortality, vampire.”