Dead and Damaged (The Endangered Series Book 2)

by S. L. Eaves

  I’m not sure I believed that at the time, but I goddamn well believe it now.

  “I respected Marcus and I’m sorry to see things turn ugly between us. But I will never turn on my clan. And all I can tell you about our fall-out is that it’s not about the vampires at the compound. It’s not about some supposed video of me staking vampires. It’s about something else entirely. Vega and I share the same distrust for him, it just took me longer to come around.

  “Despite that, I want to keep the focus on taking out Brixton and her killing-for-profit organization. Their demise is all I care about.”

  “Now that’s something I can sink my teeth into,” Rex grins.

  I offer a weary smile.

  “So what would you recommend as our next play?” I ask, knowing what I want to do next, but sincerely wanting his opinion. “Did the others find anything at any of those labs?”

  “Didn’t go inside, just monitored activity going in and out. We have to kill the security cameras if we go inside, and so far there’s not enough evidence to justify the risk.”

  I pull Abrams’s file from my bag and hand it to Rex.

  “I think I have your evidence. I want to go inside.”

  He stares at the closed manila folder, but does not move to open it.

  “What’s up?” I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but I know it doesn’t have to do with the file.

  “There’s another reason I’m here.”

  Thinking he might be alluding to another romp in the sack, I try to think of something witty to say, come up short, and opt for a raised eyebrow instead.

  “Oh?”

  “You know Javier?”

  “Javier?” It takes me a minute to recall where I just heard that name. “Oh right, yeah, met him briefly at Vega’s. Hey, there’s a thought; maybe he could help convince the others his boyfriend wasn’t working with Trion voluntarily?!”

  “Doubtful. He was with us. He disappeared.”

  “Like into a pile of ashes or took off?”

  “The latter.”

  “Okay, well, any idea where he’s gone?” I realize the answer as I’m asking.

  Rex sighs, “Yeah, we’ve got a pretty good one.”

  “After his boyfriend’s killer?”

  “…yeah.”

  “So, compound? Or is he waiting outside my room?”

  Rex forces a smile. “He stole Quinn’s tablet. It contains everything we have on Brixton and the compound.”

  Well, it’s nice to have one more vampire on my side.

  “Why’d he go it alone?”

  “He’s a bit…impulsive. He’s been on a warpath since Nicholas’s capture. At the news of his death…he just lost it.”

  “Yeah, he wasn’t taking the news well. Not that there’s a good way to handle learning that your lover’s been dusted…”

  “Right. And coming back to San Francisco didn’t help with the grieving process. Too soon, I suppose…I don’t blame him for wanting revenge. I just don’t agree with the way he’s going about it. He’s not the type to sit around and plan, he’s a heart-over-head type.”

  “Thought that was just a human infliction,” I smile. “There are days I certainly wish it was.”

  “Same.”

  “He a fighter?”

  Rex shakes his head. “I’ve never known him to be. He’s a drink-wine-and-write-poetry type, a scholar, a teacher in his past life. I’ve never seen him pick up a gun.”

  “And his boyfriend? Nicholas? How’d he get captured? You said it happened here?”

  “He and Malik were on a blood run. Way Malik tells it, they got jumped at a blood bank by a bunch of mercenary types. They weren’t prepared for an assault, so they made a run for it and got separated. Malik came back full of bullets, but he brought an incapacitated mercenary with him. The human told us where to find Nicholas. The rest is history.”

  “So, it’s back to Alaska?” I can’t say it without cringing.

  Rex nods, “Vega wants to go with me and Malik. I know what you’ve been through—well, I don’t know, but let’s just say I can imagine you aren’t in a hurry to go back. Especially with your former clan taking up residence there as well.”

  “Vega didn’t send you to talk me into going with?”

  Rex shakes his head.

  “You guys have a plan?”

  “Vega and Malik are trying to figure one out as we speak.”

  “Good.” I brush my hair back, pull it into a ponytail, then realize I don’t have a hair tie and let it fall to my shoulders. “Rex, it’s like I said—I just don’t want all of this to be for nothing. When I go back, I want to make it count.”

  “I get that, and we will. I’m confident we can take out Brixton. Thanks for the bag of weapons and gear, by the way; that will help.” Rex smirks, “Maybe I can even get her to admit she killed the vampires, clear your name.”

  “Good luck with that.” I try to sound encouraging.

  “Hey, have some faith.” Rex looks insulted.

  “Sorry…What would you do in my shoes?”

  Rex starts to say something, stops himself, and locks eyes with me.

  I cock my head. “What?”

  “Is it true about you having visions?”

  “Oh,” I sigh. Word does spread. “As they say, lies spread faster than the truth.”

  “So it’s bogus?”

  “On rare occasions I’ve been known to see events transpire. Usually triggered by heightened senses; something equivalent to the effect of adrenaline on humans. It typically involves someone close to me physically, as though I’m picking up their energy or thoughts. They hit me in waves. It hits me in waves so infrequently that I don’t even trust them. Half the time, I think it’s just my imagination playing tricks on me.”

  “So, like, you haven’t seen anything when you’re with me?”

  “I haven’t, no. Is there something you’re hiding?…Or something you want me to see?”

  Rex waves his hand dismissively. “No, I didn’t mean to imply there is anything to see, I was just curious if you can—”

  “Get into your head the way Vega can?”

  He raises his eyebrows. “So you know?”

  “He’s spoken to me through telepathy, but that’s the extent of it, I hope.”

  Rex gives a nervous smile. “Yeah, same; I hope he can’t read minds or control us, but I don’t know how deep his reach goes. It’s unnerving.”

  “Yes, it is. He told me he can’t read minds, but he’s a Pureblood. I’m sure telepathy’s just scratching the surface.”

  Rex extends his arm. “Okay, well, you sure of your limitations? You ever test them?”

  “Test how?”

  “Grab my arm. I’ll concentrate on something, you see if it transfers to you.”

  I give him a look that says: “Are you serious?” The sincerity in his eyes tells me he is.

  I shrug, get up, and go to him. Perched on the edge of the coffee table, I take his arm in my hand and grip his forearm, Roman-handshake style. I close my eyes and try to clear my head.

  Nothing.

  “I’m picturing a playing card. Can you see it?”

  “Seven of hearts.”

  “No. Don’t just guess. Concentrate.”

  After a moment I open my eyes. “Nothing, sorry, can’t force it.”

  “Maybe I needed to be holding an actual card.” Rex tries to hide his disappointment. “Maybe it’s the lack of adrenaline. Think it’d help if I threw you across the room?”

  We both laugh.

  “I’m going to go with, ‘no’ but thanks for trying to help. It’s more of a burden than a privilege, though, seriously.”

  “If you say so.” Rex watches as I go to the mini bar and take out a couple microscopic bottles.

  “They have to be joking with this selection.” I sigh and return the bottles.

  “Want me to call and order a bottle? I’m sure they’ll still deliver at five am,” Rex grins.

  “Nah, not
worth the trouble.”

  Rex holds up the file. “So, this file points toward a facility here?”

  I nod. “And it’s still standing. Which means they screwed up.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “If there’s one thing Striden did right, it was destroy all the evidence. He set fire to, or outright blew up, all his labs when he was done using them. Brixton left this one intact, which tells me it’s still operational, or at the very least, being used for storage. I’m betting there’s something to find there.”

  “Good.” He gives me a warm smile. “Then let us handle Brixton. Dade and Quinn will stay back to help you. As Quinn puts it—she wants to be present for round two of Family Feud.”

  I laugh at that.

  “Regardless, I have a feeling I’ll be joining you at the compound in due time. And they should go with you; they’re valuable in the field. When do you leave?”

  “Shortly after sundown tonight.”

  “How much of a head start does Javier have?”

  Rex shakes his head. “We doubt he has much of one. Commercial flight wouldn’t be an option. Can’t drive a car during the day; maybe a train or below deck on a ship. We figure it’ll take him at least two days if not longer to reach the compound. It’s not easy to find on our intel alone.”

  “Well that’s good, at least.”

  “Yeah, we’ll take the breaks where we can get them.”

  Chapter 20

  Xan and Crina join Brixton in an elaborate shooting range. The room’s white walls are tarnished with copper stains; the room smells of blood and ammonia. A line of blue tape runs across the floor, indicating a divider between the narrow stretch they’re standing in and the rest of the room.

  “Marcus tell you our plan?”

  “He did.” Brixton slips her arm into a partial exoskeleton, plays with its settings.

  “Your man inside the DIA know her whereabouts? Last we saw her, she was with them.”

  Brixton nods, seemingly half listening as she pulls a computer screen from the wall and taps the display with her long, expertly-manicured nails.

  “You can’t go after her while she’s inside. I mean, you can. I won’t tell you what to do. It’s just foolish.” She turns away from the screen, eyes Crina and Xan. “Even for your kind. Going up against that agency would not heed good results.”

  “…And generate unnecessary attention, we agree, that’s why we want to draw her out.”

  Brixton gives an amused chuckle as she returns her attention to the computer. “Good, then we’re on the same page. I am already drawing her out.”

  Crina folds her arms in annoyance. “Care to fill us in?”

  “In due time. Right now I am about to start a demonstration. It will be in your best interest to pay attention.”

  Crina and Xan exchange skeptical glances.

  Brixton finishes programming the computer and activates a button on the exoskeleton. She notices Xan standing on the blue tape.

  “Don’t cross the line.”

  Xan looks down at his foot and steps off the tape.

  “This,” Brixton holds up her arm, “is an exosleeve.”

  She points at the tiny cylinders above the knuckles and at buttons along the index finger. “It’s armed with retractable spikes that also double as climbing hooks, a fifty-watt laser that can cut through glass, and it fires thirty-eight caliber rounds. Semi-automatic, fairly accurate, though we’re still tweaking the mechanics.

  “It is waterproof, bulletproof, and defends itself pretty handily against blades. Oh, and it’s equipped with an electroshock device. Think of it as a built-in stun gun across the palm. The new models will have more fully developed energy-directing capabilities, but this edition emits fifty thousand volts, strong enough to incapacitate a werewolf. Additionally, it can transmit vital signs and location information; one of the two may be of interest.”

  Brixton grins, flexes her hand as the computer behind them beeps.

  “Stand back,” she orders.

  They oblige as the room goes dark and suddenly a series of moving targets emerge from the other side of the tape. The targets—all of which appear to be glowing in the dark—are various shapes and sizes, but all move quickly in erratic patterns around the room.

  Brixton interchanges between bullets and the laser as she strikes one target after the next.

  The session only lasts a couple minutes, and when the lights go up, Brixton doesn’t try to hide her satisfaction; she smiles boastfully.

  Xan has to pick his jaw up off the floor.

  “This place is like some twisted carnival funhouse. I mean, I thought the office of monitors reminded me of a house of mirrors, but this really takes the cake.”

  “Normally I turn off the neon lights to demonstrate the night vision sights.” Brixton pulls an eyepiece down from the shelf behind them and holds it out for them to examine. “But I’m told your kind can see just fine in the dark. Still, it’s an option if you want it.”

  She turns and taps a button on the computer. All the targets spring into view, riddled with bullets.

  “Wanted to make sure you knew this wasn’t an illusion. This is no carnival.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.” Crina eyes the targets and looks back at Brixton with a sly smile. “How long does it take to reset?”

  ***

  The cell block feels warmer somehow and is free of blood. I’m suspended from the wall by chains this time, but the cell is otherwise identical to the one in the compound. I see it clear as day. Yet strangely I’m not entirely unhappy about my situation. In fact, I feel a strangely optimistic, as if something is going right for once. It’s as though I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

  Dusk sets on the city and I remove my extra layer of curtains as Rex dresses.

  “I think I had a vision,” I whisper, still processing. “That or a really bizarre nightmare.”

  “Oh?”

  “Just an image and an intuition, a snapshot of something I can’t quite wrap my head around.”

  “Care to share?”

  “I was in the compound, but I was…happy about it.”

  “Like you were there to kill Brixton?”

  “Yea…but, well, I don’t know…something wasn’t right about it.”

  Rex laces his combat boots.

  “Come back with me to Vega’s,” he suggests.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Dade and Quinn will be there, or out pursuing leads. Either way, be good to touch base.”

  “It’s the first place Marcus and the others will look for me.”

  “Right, right, hide here.”

  “That’s not fair, Rex. This isn’t just about me. I put everyone else in danger, too.”

  “I had a thought last night. When I said I wasn’t here to bring you back, I meant it, but if you’re going to break into the lab anyways, why not make a lot of noise doing it? If you can draw their attention down here, it might not be a bad thing.”

  I think about Striden and how he dispersed packs of werewolves in cities to keep us busy and distracted while he worked on his virus. Maybe we should take a page out of his playbook and draw Brixton and Marcus away from the compound. For the second time in a day I find myself referencing Striden’s strategies. Things must be grim.

  “Divide and conquer?”

  “Something like that.” Rex stands. “Or you can join us, see how your vision plays out. Either way,” he says as places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, “you’re not alone in this.”

  ***

  The lights go up and Xan steps back from the blue line.

  “Your kind’s reflexes are most impressive. And I’m not easily impressed,” Brixton muses.

  “I need to build a range like this in the mansion.” Xan fiddles with the settings on the sleeve. “How do you store so many rounds of ammo in here?”

  Brixton points at a strip of metal along the forearm and winks. “Now Xan, I’m not going to give awa
y all my secrets in a day.”

  Crina sets down the gun she’s been examining. There are several rows of rifles and handguns bordering the wall on their side of the tape and not one has gone unappreciated by her.

  “So tell us how you plan to draw out Lori?” she asks.

  “As you may know, I own a research facility in San Francisco. I expect that’s why she was there in the first place. Anyways, I’m sending a team of men down there to disband its contents, staff and all. That should get her attention. You can go and retrieve her if you want. I think my men are capable, but it wouldn’t hurt to have…more formidable opposition. And, should they prove inferior, if you can keep her from killing my men that would be a plus, too. Then again,” she muses, “if they fail I probably shouldn’t keep them on the payroll.”

  “Protection is part of our deal.”

  “Right, well, then you should know there’s also a scientist working down there that developed your synthetic blood. That facility is primarily used for our more…abstruse projects. So it would be beneficial to all of us that he remains healthy. He’s the only one still working there who I still view as indispensable.”

  “Bring back the scientist and Lori, no problem,” Xan affirms, still fidgeting with the exosleeve.

  “Actually, Xan, I’m working on some new technology I could use your insight on. I am hoping Crina—with the multitude of resources at her disposal—will go solo on this one.”

  Xan starts to protest and Crina places a hand on his shoulder.

  “How about you leave the messier field work to me, okay?”

  Xan sighs, gives a begrudging shrug, trying to hide his relief.

  Crina leans in and whispers, “It will give you a chance to analyze that security footage.”

  He nods, hands Crina the exosleeve. She turns to Brixton.

  “Give me all the intel on the location and I’ll head out tonight.”

  Chapter 21

  Rex and I exit our cab a few houses down from Vega’s. The street is quiet and we spot Malik out front loading an SUV with duffle bags. He stops when he sees us approaching.