Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
As we drove, the air in the car hung heavy with unspoken tension, broken finally by Connor.
“You know, I got really mad at Sam for not telling me about the ambush at the show,” he confessed, momentarily turning his gaze from the road to look at me.
I didn’t meet his eyes; I couldn’t let him see the emotions I was struggling to hide on my face.
“We got into a huge argument. I’m actually surprised he called me today. ”
“What was the argument about?” I asked.
“It was about you.” His words made my chest feel tight. “I got really angry that he didn’t tell me because you could have been hurt …” His last few words trailed off.
“I don’t need you to protect me,” I told him sternly, turning to face him.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I understand, but it’s hard not to worry,” Connor replied, his voice tinged with frustration.
“It wasn’t just about you. There were other people there—my friends from town, other humans.
I even stupidly invited Jet Phoenix. Thank God he didn’t show up.
” He ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit of his.
“I like to be prepared for situations like that. Not only did we ambush the Vampires, but I felt like I was being ambushed, too. And I was really in the zone with my music, you know? It’s all complicated, but I ended up lashing out at Sam. ”
“What did he say?”
Connor sighed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.
“Sam was pissed. He felt like I was questioning his judgment and didn’t appreciate me going off on him, especially since Ivy was around.
We both said things we probably shouldn’t have.
I just wish he would’ve trusted me enough to clue me in. ”
As we neared the house, Connor glanced at me with a softened expression. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted you to know what was going on.”
“I appreciate it,” I told him. Neither of us brought up what he told me in his bed, though his words kept replaying over and over in my mind.
We pulled up to the house. Vail was already standing on the sidewalk, waiting, wearing a long blue puffy coat. She opened the door to the van.
“It’s not that cold out,” I said, pointing to her coat.
Vail got in and sat next to me. “What’s he doing here?” she asked.
“He insisted on coming with us.”
“He can speak for himself,” Connor said. Our legs touched, and I pressed mine tightly together, shifting closer to Vail. “Hi, Vail. Thanks for saving me the other night.”
“I expect you to return the favour if I ever need it,” she said, pulling the seatbelt across her.
“Of course,” Connor replied, pulling away from the curb and toward Sam’s house.
“Did something happen?” Vail motioned toward us with her finger. “It feels really tense in here.”
“No, everything’s fine,” I told her, giving her a small smile. I didn’t feel like getting into this with Vail. Not now, anyway.
“No, actually, everything is not fine,” Connor told Vail. “Rose tried to break up with me.”
“Tried?” Vail’s voice was skeptical.
“First of all, we’re not even dating, so there’s nothing to break up. And yes, I tried to end things with Connor … he just wouldn’t stop talking,” I said, crossing my arms.
“So, I guess you could say that we are in the middle of a breakup,” Connor said. I could sense the small smile in his voice, seeing just a hint of his dimples forming.
“You know what?” Vail said. “I shouldn’t have asked.” She placed her hand on my lap and squeezed my leg.
Connor changed the subject. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked Vail.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with us,” she said.
“Why not? If you think Sam is up to something, I need to see it for myself … especially if you suspect he’s practising witchcraft.”
“Fine. My plan is to break into his house, explore, and see what we can find. Although we need to be careful not to disturb anything too much,” Vail said. “He might have protective wards, but I can cast a search spell as we go to check for any hidden enchantments.”
We pulled up to Sam’s house, and I hesitated for a moment, uncertainty gnawing at me. Was this really a good idea? But when I caught a glimpse of the determination in Vail’s and Connor’s eyes, I pushed my unease aside and followed them toward the front door. Connor strode confidently ahead.
“What are you doing?” Vail asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice.
“Well, it’s a good thing I came,” Connor replied, pulling a key from his pocket and dangling it in front of us. “Because I have a key.” With that, he unlocked the front door, and I glanced at Vail, noticing her disappointment at not being able to use her magic to get us in.
Connor stepped inside, and a faint beep from an alarm system echoed in the silence. He quickly punched in the code and pushed the door wide open, gesturing for us to enter.
Sam’s house felt different without him; every creak of the floorboard under my feet heightened my awareness, and I couldn’t help but feel like we were being watched. I rifled through cupboards and drawers, searching for any clue that might shed light on Sam’s true intentions.
Vail cast spells as we searched each area of the house. A momentary glimmer of hope flickered when Vail’s purple butterfly detected a charm on a trunk in the living room. But upon closer inspection, we found expensive audio equipment, nothing incriminating.
The layout of the house struck me as bizarre. Despite walking up stairs in the front of the house to get to this level, I hadn’t seen a staircase that led to a basement.
“Connor, does this house have a basement?” I asked him, scanning the area for any hidden doors or entrances.
“I dunno, I’ve never seen one,” Connor replied, distracted as he rifled through a junk drawer in the kitchen.
I looked past him to a door next to the kitchen at the back of the house. I went over to it and tried opening it, but it was locked. “What’s in here?” I gestured to the door.
“That’s Sam’s bedroom,” Connor replied, joining me.
I found the placement of the bedroom at the back of the house rather odd. Connor attempted to jiggle the lock, but it remained shut. I shot him a look that said, I already tried that.
Vail approached the doorknob, murmuring incantations under her breath.
As she turned the knob, the door swung open, revealing Sam’s bedroom in disarray, clothes scattered everywhere.
Vail cast a spell on the floor, and bright green footprints emerged, crisscrossing the room.
Most formed a trail leading to the closet, but there were a few pairs of footprints that didn’t match Sam’s. They clearly belonged to someone else.
I pushed the clothes aside and uncovered a door at the back of the closet. Vail unlocked it, and the door swung open. Beyond it lay a dark hallway that descended into a flight of stairs.
“Guess this place does have a basement,” I said, peering into the shadows below. Unease settled in my stomach as we walked down, Vail casting a witch’s light above us to pierce the darkness.
As we descended, the air grew noticeably colder.
The walls were bare concrete, devoid of any windows.
Connor pulled a chain hanging from the ceiling, and harsh fluorescent lights flickered to life, illuminating the space.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I took in the scene before me.
Metal equipment gleamed on cluttered tables, and tubes and vials were scattered across the surfaces, their murky contents casting eerie shadows.
The air was thick with the acrid scents of chemicals and something more metallic.
Blood bags and tubes lined the walls, and dark stains marred the concrete floor.
The sight in the corner made my blood run cold.
A corpse, desiccated and shriveled, was chained to the wall, resembling a mummy.
A stained trail of blood led from him to the drain in the centre of the room.
Vail gasped. Horror washed over me as I realized he was a Vampire.
He was alive but had been deprived of blood for who knows how long.
“Oh my god,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat.
The sight was horrifying, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away.
Vail ran over to him. The corpse turned his head, his pale eyes staring at me, a silent plea.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
“He’s alive,” she confirmed, her voice filled with both relief and distress.
“This is so horrible. What has Sam been doing to him?”
I looked over at Connor, who was pale, and his jaw was tight.
“I think they are using him to experiment the drug on. I’m surprised that he’s still alive,” Vail said.
“I’m sure he’s not the first one.” I felt rage burn inside me as I watched him and imagined the horrors that he faced.
“We need to help him. Get him out of here,” Vail said.
“Agreed,” I said.
“We need to keep investigating,” Connor said. Surprised, I turned around to face him. “We can get him on the way out,” he added. “But we’ve come all the way here, I need more answers.”
“He’s right,” Vail said and took a vial out of her purse to give to the Vampire on the wall. He drank it, and colour started to come back to his complexion. “We will be back soon,” she told him.
Vail took a deep breath, composing herself before she waved her hands in the air, and more footsteps lit up on the ground.
They led to a wall on the far side. Nothing was there except for concrete.
I approached and ran my hand over the rough surface, noticing a faint draft emanating from a crack.
I pressed my hands against it, and to my surprise, the wall shifted, and I pushed harder, revealing a hidden ladder descending into darkness.
“Shall we?” Vail asked, walking past me and descending the ladder. Her light followed her as we descended.
“Why does Sam have a tunnel under his house?” I asked once I got to the end and entered the narrow and low-ceilinged space.
“It’s probably from the prohibition; lots of buildings in Lakeview have them. They lead to the river,” Connor said, his voice echoing slightly.
I tried not to look down at my feet as I felt the earth, squishy and damp, beneath my boots. I could just picture rats crawling around, and I shivered at the thought.
As we ventured farther, we entered a large cave-like section, and bats fluttered around us. “I hate bats,” Connor muttered, and I exchanged a glance with Vail.
After walking for a while, we reached the end of the tunnel, where another ladder awaited, this time leading up.
Tension simmered between Vail and Connor as they debated who should ascend the ladder first. Connor, eager to take the lead, asserted his position, only to be met with Vail’s determination.
“Absolutely not,” Vail declared, her voice firm. “I am a witch, so I’ll be going first.”
Vail started to climb without waiting for Connor’s response, then I followed, my hand gripping the cold metal rungs tightly. But as I began to climb, my foot slipped on the wet metal. Connor’s hands were on my waist, steadying me. “I’ve got you,” he said, his breath warm against my neck.
“Thanks.” I resettled my footing and continued to climb ahead of him, distracted now from his lingering touch.
Vail pushed open the hatch at the top of the ladder, and we crawled out into the open. Emerging from the tunnel, we found ourselves in a dimly lit warehouse. I scanned our surroundings, taking in the sight of towering crates and stacked pallets.
Hiding behind crates for cover, we peered around, our senses on high alert. Connor's expression was tense, his jaw tight as he surveyed the warehouse. It looked like a packing facility for Sam’s distribution of the Vampire-killing drugs.
The bay door started to roll open, and we ducked down. Two cars drove into the warehouse, and the bay door closed again. Sam emerged and greeted people with handshakes and hugs from the other car.
“That motherfucker, he told me he was out of town,” Connor muttered under his breath, his frustration palpable.
Connor braced to confront them, but I grabbed his arm. “Not now,” I whispered. “We can’t let them know we’re here. We’ll come back another day.” I glanced at Vail; she was already nodding.
I turned my gaze back to Connor, meeting his eyes.
I could sense the pain he harboured from Sam’s deception, and I understood his desire to confront him.
However, we had come too far to risk tipping our hand and letting Sam know we were onto him.
I reached out and touched Connor’s arm, momentarily snapping him out of his swirling thoughts.
“Let’s go,” I whispered.
He took a final glance at the warehouse and retreated back into the tunnel.
We got back to the basement lab. The Vampire looked a little better. His eyes blazed with rage, and when we walked in, he let out a long hiss and shook his chains.
“I’ll help him. You guys get out of here,” Vail said.
“Are you crazy?” Connor said, “He’s going to kill you. He hasn’t had blood in who knows how long.”
“I will be okay; I will use my magic to restrain him until I get him somewhere safe. Just leave so he doesn’t attack you,” she told both of us, but I knew that Vail and I were safe, and she was only talking about Connor, being the only human.
“Vail, he’s a Vampire. He’s dangerous. I’m not going to leave you here,” Connor stated.
“He’s a person, Connor. He’s been chained up and harmed, and I don’t care what you believe in, but I can’t let him die here.”
“She’ll be okay,” I reassured Connor, giving him a small smile. “I’ll see you tonight, okay? Back at home, we can talk about what to do next?” I said to Vail.
She gave me a smile, and even in the dim fluorescent-lit basement, she was so beautiful. “Sounds like a plan,” she agreed.
“Be safe,” I called out to her as we made our way out.
“I always am,” Vail replied confidently. For some reason, I couldn’t resist glancing back at her one last time before leaving.