I nodded, my gut tightening at the emphasis on that last bit. I was guessing that meant Adara hadn’t been as fortunate.
“Think you could lead me to the place?”
“Yes,” she said. “I memorized the turns here to make sure I could.”
“Good,” I said, reaching out to set my hand over the trembling one she had on the counter. “We’re going to get Adara out. Then we’ll get you back safely to your parents. That’s a promise.”
She nodded, squaring her shoulders and looking up at me and then Jacob. “Okay,” she said. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Adara… she’s getting weaker. They’ve been draining her nonstop since they got her here,” she explained, her eyes pained.
“Draining her?” I asked sharply, though I was worried I knew exactly what she meant.
She nodded. “Drawing her blood,” she explained. “I don’t know what for or why they need so much.”
My stomach tightened. I’d been worried that this was why they’d taken her: because of what she was, not just because of her connection to me.
It wasn’t a surprise. But it wasn’t great news either.
“Okay. Tell us everything you know,” I ordered in a low voice.
She did. She’d been paying very close attention.
Chapter Nineteen
“I don’t think—”
“I didn’t ask you what you think—just do it!” Eli ordered, his tone harsh.
Fearson’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue with him anymore.
She took another vial, drawing a bit more of my blood.
I could feel that she’d taken more than she usually did, which already felt like it was at my limit. Beyond my limit, really. The fact that even she was hesitating at this point told me how bad of an idea this actually was.
Eli was throwing a full hissy fit at having one of his prisoner’s escape from right under his nose. I was a convenient target.
Eli walked over to the door of the lab and barked at Kal. “Did they find her?” he asked.
“No,” Kal said. “No word yet.”
“Idiots,” Eli muttered to himself, turning back to me.
“Done,” Fearson said firmly, taping the cotton to my arm.
“You can—”
“If I take any more that will be all I’ll ever take,” Fearson interrupted with a glare. “We’re already cutting it too close.”
Eli glared at her but didn’t argue anymore, looking out the door and jerking his head in a wordless command. Kal and Pele came in and lifted me from the seat.
I was beyond walking on my own steam at this point.
Nausea turned my stomach as they dragged me down the hall. Even lifting my head was getting to be too much. Then I was right back in that same damn room.
“You shouldn’t have tried anything,” Eli called out after me. “And you won’t be taking any more trips out to the sun either,” he growled.
Well. Eli’s own idiocy might actually get me killed before anything else did.
The guards dropped me down onto the floor near the bed rather than on it. Petty.
I was grateful all over again that I’d gotten Siro out. If I didn’t make it, at least I could hold on to that knowledge that she most likely had.
“Stupid bitch,” Kal muttered, nudging at me with a hard hand. “They should just drain her dry.”
“How the hell did that girl get out?” Pele wondered aloud.
“This bitch here picked my pocket and got a hole of the keys,” Kal said. “Camille said the smaller door out was not bolted. She must have snuck out that way when this prize here faked that seizure.”
Pele grunted. “Don’t tell Eli that,” he said.
“I’m not an idiot,” Kal snapped. “Better he focus his anger where it belongs.”
I felt the air move a little and let out a grunt as someone kicked me. Curling around my vulnerable midsection was all I had the energy to do.
What a brave guy.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Kal. “Someone needs to teach you a lesson,” he spit at me.
He reared back as if to hit me again, but the other guard distracted him.
“If we don’t find Siro soon...” Pele trailed off, his face tense.
“We’re going to have to move,” Kal confirmed, stepping away from me. “I don’t even want to think about what kind of tantrum Eli will throw…”
They both left the room mid conversation, making sure they locked the door behind them. At least I was alone now.
I took a few deep breaths, the throbbing of the kick slowly subsiding to an ache. Letting out a groan, I slowly, painfully pulled myself onto the bed with gritted teeth—and immediately regretted the expenditure of energy I didn’t have.
Oh no.
I leaned over the side of the bed so I could throw up on the floor and not the sheets.
The guards would adore me for this.
When I was done retching, I wiped my face with the edge of the sheet and rolled back on top of the bed. I took some more deep breaths, my skin cold and clammy. I didn’t know how much longer I was going to be able to hold on. Especially if Eli continued to react emotionally and not logically.
My death would ensure one thing, at least. The last known supply of blood from the Original Bloodline would be gone, hopefully before Eli could accomplish whatever he was trying to accomplish.
Thumbing my nose at him one last time like that would be almost worth it.
I passed out with a slight smile on my face at that thought.
Chapter Twenty
Sven
“There is a catwalk up here,” Siro explained, pointing at the drawing she’d made of the floor plan as she remembered it. “There are two hallways here with the finished off rooms. The lab is over here. The cars are parked in this section. There some boxes over here too, but I don’t think they’re theirs.”
Jacob and I both stared at the drawing of the warehouse.
Siro had painstakingly sketched it out for us, including pertinent details down to the windows and the doors.
“How certain are you this layout is accurate?” Jacob asked.
“Maybe like ninety-five percent?” Siro said with a questioning tone. “I didn’t have much else to think about while I was there,” she added, her expression pensive.
I squeezed her shoulder and she looked over at me in surprise. “You did an excellent job.”
She smiled slightly as Jacob nodded.
This was more information than I’d been expecting, and it was very useful. There wasn’t going to be a better way to get a good look at the inside. I was willing to base our plan on Siro’s memory and adjust if needed on the fly.
Not that I thought we would have to. Siro had a good head on her shoulders. I trusted her.
I sat back on the surprisingly comfortable couch. I didn’t know why I would find it surprising that Jacob had a comfortable couch, but there it was.
After we’d grabbed Siro, Jacob took us back to his place. I’d pointed out that I had a place here as well—a had a few different places scattered across city domes now, some from before and some I’d inherited as the Phoenix King—but he’d shaken his head, saying they weren’t as secure as his apartment.
After going through all of the various locks to get inside it, I had to admit that he was right, though I could understand his paranoia given the line of work that he was in.
“These are amazing. Where did you get them from?” Siro asked as she took another bite of the dense brownie that Jacob had given her.
“I made them,” Jacob said absently, tapping his fingers on the table.
“Seriously?” she asked, incredulous. She looked him over. I completely shared her surprise. “These are the best brownies I’ve ever had!”
She wasn’t exaggerating.
“Thanks,” Jacob said smiling slightly. “You’re welcome at my bakery anytime.”
“You have a bakery?” I asked, unsure I’d heard him correctly.
He nodded.
“I’m not really in this line of work anymore. Not unless there is some kind of personal involvement,” he said with a steady look. “I own a bakery now. Keeps me busy.”
Well. Unexpected.
“Okay,” Jacob said, rubbing his hands together like he was closing the subject. “Is there any reason why we should leave anyone there alive?” he asked, looking over at me.
Maybe this wasn’t a conversation to have in front of Siro...
I looked over at her, but she rolled her eyes. “I’ve been through a civil war and I’ve escaped from kidnappers while among humans that might execute me if they found out what I actually am. I think I can handle this.”
Sadly, she had a point.
“All right. I think I have enough evidence to mete out swift justice,” I said. “We aren’t going to be adjudicating this in a human court of law,” I added grimly.
Jacob nodded, not looking at all surprised.
“Makes things simpler,” he commented. “And as far as I’m concerned, anyone willing to do something like this, willing to involve a child… they doesn’t deserve to live.”
On that we could agree.
Jacob glanced at the time. “We had better get going now,” he said.
I nodded. Even waiting while we debriefed Siro had me itching to run out to the address. Honestly, if we didn’t have to stash Siro in a safe location, I would have gone straight to the warehouse and figured everything out there. That was the smartest way to go about this, so maybe it was for the best that we had to stop here first.
“Come with me,” Jacob said, interrupting my thoughts. “You need to be armed, too.”
I followed Jacob into a room lined with various armoires. I blinked at them. It looked like he was really into clothes.
When he opened the first one, I realized they were actually reinforced weapon safes.
“Let’s see. Bow, knives, a sword—you do know how to use a sword, right?” he asked looking back at me.
“Yes.” One of the first weapons I’d learned to use was the sword. The very first was a knife.
I took the knives Jacob held out to me, my eyebrows rising at the quality of the steel. The sword was no different.
“These are some pricey items,” I remarked to Jacob’s turned back. “Your bakery must be thriving,” I added dryly.
Jacob grunted. “This line of overwork is lucrative,” he remarked. He wasn’t referring to the baking. “I worked as long as I needed to to be stable for my lifetime. Then I stopped.” He turned back to me. “But I do have a soft spot for good weaponry, even though I’m largely out of the game now. I still add to my collection from time to time.”
I could understand that.
Once we were loaded up, everything strapped down securely, we stepped back out into the living area.
“Why can’t I go with you?” Siro asked once again.
“Because it’s not safe,” I said firmly. “We’ve been over this.”
“And if shit hits the fan, you have to call in the cavalry,” Jacob added. “That’s an important job. Trust me.”
This was also true.
“Better you stay safe here,” I said, softening my tone. “There’s enough locks here to even allay your parents worry.”
She sighed, nodding her acceptance. Then she frowned. “When can I call my parents?” she asked. “They must be so worried.”
“Once we have Adara safe, we’ll call everybody,” I reassured her. “I just don’t want this information getting in the wrong hands. They could move her and then we’ll have no idea where they are.”
“But we know it’s Eli,” she argued. “As long as you don’t tell his flock—”
“We know Eli is involved. But we have no idea if others are involved too. Not for sure.”
She sat back at that, looking unsettled. Good. She understood.
Taking a deep breath, she jumped up as we started walking to the door and opened it for us.
“Okay. Good luck,” she murmured.
I squeezed her shoulder and nodded, stepping onto the hall.
Jacob gave her a fist bump. “There’s food in the fridge,” he reminded her. “Have anything you want.”
She grinned. “I have my eye on those cookies,” she admitted.
He chuckled. “Have at it.”
Once the door was closed and locked, we headed down the hall.
This time, Jacob drove.
The warehouse district wasn’t that far, though distance was somewhat relative. Yes, I lived in a city, but I also flew over the open terrain. Everything in the city dome felt as though it was close when compared to that.
When we arrived, the place made the bad neighborhoods we’d been visiting pale in comparison.
It looked like a deserted ghost town, although it didn’t feel like it.
“There are a lot of eyes watching us,” Jacob remarked quietly. “Stay sharp. They’ll be looking for a weakness.”
I nodded. The prickle at the back of my neck told me that already.
We parked a few blocks off from the warehouse that was our intended target. Jacob said the best way to get there undetected was through the buildings on the other side, rather than down the street. Now that I saw the area, I understood what he was saying. There was nothing to hide behind here, nothing to distract sentries from us. Anybody watching the street would know we were coming if we took the straight shot.
I followed Jacob’s lead as he walked us through alleyways that made that space between my shoulder blades itch. I turned to look behind us a couple of times, but always found nothing. I would not want to be out here after dark.
Jacob kept us moving at a fast clip that wasn’t quite a run, his eyes scanning constantly as he cut through the small spaces. Once we were to the building right before the one we were aiming for, Jacob stopped me.
“We’re going to have to go into this warehouse to get to the top,” he said. I had noticed that all the fire escapes had been removed from the buildings in this part of town, possibly to prevent people from breaking in. What a joke.
I nodded.
Jacob went first, opening the rusted, dented door and sliding in quickly and silently. I followed just as fast.
As soon as we were inside, I felt the air change around us.
A hulk of a man attacked Jacob silently. I couldn’t discern much detail beyond his size and the giant hammer in his hand. Jacob wasn’t there when the weapon swung through the space he had previously occupied, the whistle harsh in the silence.
The next instant, it seemed as though the man was tripping over his own feet. When he fell, he revealed Jacob behind him. Leaning down, he dealt a hard below to the back of the man’s head, knocking him unconscious.
“Stay close,” Jacob ordered, glancing at the numerous shadows lurking among the boxes in the large space. “We might hit a few more on our way up.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice.
The building had clearly started as a warehouse, but someone had attempted to convert it into an apartment building of sorts, though it was only half-finished. This meant a mostly intact staircase and lots of places to hide. I didn’t know if anyone could walk through it without developing a severe case of paranoia.
The third floor yielded a group of five, who watched us with dead eyes as we reached the landing. They were a motley crew, dressed in patched up clothing and armed with a wide array of weapons, ranging from butcher knives to chains and rolling pins.
They should have looked a little ridiculous with those weapons, but more than a few had rust-colored stains on them.
One of them took a step forward, but a look from Jacob had him freezing.
Jacob kept moving, so I followed, keeping a wary eye behind us as the staircase turned. I couldn’t see around the corner, but I heard one of the steps creak behind us as we reached the door leading out to the roof.
The sunlight was a welcome sight, even through the dome that muted it. Not that we were any safe
r really.
“Hold on,” Jacob said. “We don’t want any unexpected company.”
I completely agreed on that.
He pulled out a metal rod from somewhere on his body and stuck it through the door handle and the bracket on the other side of the wall that looked like it was built for that purpose. Why there would be a way to lock the door from the outside, I didn’t know, but this whole place felt like something out of a fevered nightmare.
“That should hold it, short of a battering ram,” he muttered.
As Jacob moved across the roof to get to the side closest to the warehouse that was our target, keeping low in case somebody was watching out on the roof, I heard the bar rattle a little.
Someone was trying to open the door behind us. Quietly. When it didn’t give way immediately, there was a harder thump that rattled the bar.
The bar held. Silence descended.
Ignoring the chill down my spine, I crouched down behind the low wall at the edge of the roof next to Jacob.
I’d already updated Mia and Ashur on everything that had happened just in case we needed help. When I’d asked Jacob if the backup would be helpful, he’d shaken his head.
“We have to assume they know Siro is gone by now. Waiting for backup to arrive before we head over isn’t a good idea. It gives them even more of a chance to move their operation. And judging by the numbers Siro’s given us, we should be able to get through this with the element of surprise. Actually, fewer people might be better in that case.”
Since I had no desire to wait at all to extricate Adara, I was completely in agreement with this assessment. The goal was take out as many of the people as possible before everyone was alerted of our presence.
Siro hadn’t really had much opportunity to focus on the outside of the warehouse, so she was only really sure of the guards inside. We watched the warehouse for a bit make sure there weren’t guards around the exterior.
When we had waited there for about three minutes and there had been no movement, Jacob said, “Looks like there’s nobody on the roof. Sloppy and stupid. And good for us.”
I made a sound of agreement. I expected that to be the case if Siro was able to get away like she did. Eli wasn’t known for his expertise in the field when it came to battle or defense of any kind. He was more like the kind to hang back but also arrogant enough to give orders even when he didn’t have the expertise.
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