by Rayna Vause
“Can I get you anything?” Alex asked as she approached him.
“No, thanks. I’m waiting on McCade to get here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“He’s expecting me.”
She raised a brow at him, but then her eyes went wide and she claimed a seat. “Do you have information about my brother?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t been able to get back in to check on him. But I do have some information that may help get him out of there. I’ll wait for Kieran and go through it all once.”
“Let me call him.” Alex pulled out her phone. Just as she tapped Kier’s speed dial number, all hell broke loose.
“WHEN WE get inside, I want you to head straight to my office and lie down on the couch,” Kier growled at Danny as they hurried down the street toward the bar.
“Kier, I’m fine.”
Kier snorted and shot a sideways look at Danny.
Danny’s hand slipped into his, squeezed. “Okay, then let’s just say I’m going to be fine.” He bumped his shoulder against Kier’s arm.
“You woke up a bit weak and out of sorts. We just barely kept food in you, and you look pale as death. Now please just go to my office and rest.”
Danny squeezed his hand and nodded in agreement. Kier took a long, slow breath, and a small knot of tension loosened. “Were you always this stubborn?”
“Yes. Yes, I was. It’s part of my charm.”
Kier snorted again.
Danny tugged his hand, pulling him to a stop. Kier turned to face him. Danny cupped his face and kissed him, short and soft. Kier touched his forehead to Danny’s for a long moment, then pulled back and kissed it. “Let’s getting moving.” They continued down the street, rounding the corner to the front entrance of the bar. Danny stepped forward to open the door. Before he could grip the handle, his hand slapped at his neck, and then with a gasp he dropped to the ground.
“Danny?” Kier’s heart leapt into his throat as he rushed toward him. He crouched next to Danny, then rolled him to his back. His hands rushed over him as he checked his breathing. He placed a finger on his neck to check his pulse and noticed a small dart imbedded in Danny’s neck.
“What the hell?” He scowled, tossed the small projectile on the ground, and whipped his gaze up to search the area.
He needed to move. Needed to get both of them to safety. Just as he pushed to his feet, a sharp flare of pain flashed through his neck as a dart struck him.
“Shit.” He yanked out the dart, tossing it aside and bending down to grab Danny. When he did his vision blurred, but he needed to move before the drug knocked him out cold. Just a few steps and they’d be inside. He tried to lift Danny’s limp body, but weakness spread through him. Damn, this shit is strong. His mind started to go foggy. He collapsed and his hand reached out to grip Danny’s arm to pull him close. The bar door opened and someone shouted for help. People started pouring out of the bar, and an explosion of gunfire rang out.
“Help us get inside,” he rasped out, but no one heard him. Bullets pinged off concrete and brick, and chaos erupted. People panicked and ran, even if that led them into the line of fire. We’re going to get trampled flitted across his mind even as the crowd of people scattered like pool balls. For one split second, his vision cleared. A man and woman both clad in black approached them. The man crouched over Danny as though intending to offer aid. The woman stared down at Kier with more hate in her eyes than he’d ever had thrown at him in his life. The man hefted Danny over his shoulder. In his mind Kier screamed and cursed, and he commanded his body to move, to fight, but the tranquilizer kept his body from responding. As the pair disappeared into the darkness with Danny, Kier slipped into oblivion.
“KIER? CAN you hear me?”
Kier furrowed his brow. He wanted to sink back into the darkness and hide away from the buzzing and pounding in his head, but fought his way back to consciousness instead. He swatted at the annoyance that kept shaking him and calling his name. He knew that voice. He followed it out from underneath the drug-induced haze and back into reality.
“Kier? You back with me?”
He croaked out his friend’s name as he eased open an eye and squinted at the room. Alex studied his face with worried eyes; Rogan’s expression remained stoic. He scanned the room. His office. Alex had managed to drag him in here and laid him on the couch. He pushed himself on his elbows.
“Easy.” Alex moved to help him. “Take your time. How do you feel? Headache?”
“I’m fine.” He squinted against the hammering in his head. “What the hell did they shoot me with? Tranquilizers don’t usually affect me that fast, but this dropped me almost as soon as I was hit.”
“That’s Purity R&D at work. I told you, they’ve got an arsenal full of weapons like you’ve never seen before. Looks like their new sedative dart is very effective. Now that they’ve learned a bit more about vampire metabolism, they’ve been tinkering with the dosage so that it takes effect faster.”
“Shit.” Kier eased himself into a sitting position, looked around the room again, and froze. His body tensed, breath dammed in his lungs. “Where’s Danny? How long was I out?” He shot to his feet, then dropped back down onto the chair when the room spun.
“The sedative put you down for about two hours. It’s about nine o’clock.”
“Danny?”
Alex and Rogan glanced at each other, then back at Kier. Rogan crossed his arms and stared down at his feet. “I’m sorry, Kier. They took him. Melissa and her minions. They’ve got him inside Purity’s compound as we speak.”
Kier roared out the rage, desperation, and fear that rampaged through him, but it was Alex who grabbed Rogan’s black T-shirt in her fist, lifted him, then got in his face. She shook him as she growled at him. “What did you do? Did you betray us to Purity?” She looked over at Kier. “I told you we couldn’t trust his ass.”
Rogan clutched at her wrist, struggling to be freed. “It’s not what you think. If you’ll put me down, I’ll explain.”
She glanced at Kier again, and he nodded. She dropped Rogan, crossed her arms, and glared at him.
Rogan rubbed at his neck and cleared his throat. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. “I got caught by Lydecker as I was leaving his lab with this. This drive contains all of his notes on his computer. I don’t know what is what because nothing was labeled. There’s no file called ‘the cure for vampirism.’ Hopefully, there is something on here that can help Reynolds. After we get him back, of course.”
“You got caught. What does that mean? Did they send you in here after Danny?” With a burst of speed, Kier stood toe to toe with Rogan, glaring into cool blue eyes.
He eased back from Kier. “No. I didn’t betray your trust… entirely.”
“Explain!”
Rogan held up his hands to protect himself when Kier lunged. “Not the throat again. I can’t talk if you keep strangling me.”
“Then start fucking talking. Fast.”
“Lydecker walked in as I was trying to leave his lab. The only way I could get out of there clean was to tell him I’d come to report progress. I told him we’d found Reynolds and would be bringing him in soon.”
“Could he have sent his own soldiers and not waited for you? Before I passed out, I saw two armed, black-clad people approaching us. One man, one woman.”
“No. I never gave him a location.”
“So how did he find us?”
“I don’t think he did. I think Melissa tracked me here. She was desperate to get to Reynolds. It’s just like her to grab him like this.”
“Fuck! Will she kill him?” A wave of cold washed over Kier, and a queasy sensation settled into his stomach at the thought of Danny being tortured and killed while Kier fought to get to him. He wiped a hand over his mouth.
“She will, yes. How quickly I can’t say. I know she planned to lock him in with Aiden, but beyond that I don’t know. So we need to move fast. You’re g
oing to need my help to get into the compound.” He nodded at the computer on Kier’s desk. “May I?” He pulled another flash drive out of his pocket. “I’ve got the building schematics on this.”
Kier studied him. “How do I trust you?”
When the silence stretched, Rogan rolled his eyes and spoke. “Accept the fact that you’re going to have to trust me because I’m your only way in and out of the Purity compound.”
Kier hesitated for a long moment. “Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Rogan crossed to the desk, claiming the chair. “I’m hoping Melissa hasn’t revoked my clearances yet, but even if she has, it doesn’t matter. She’s not the only one who knows how to put a backup plan in place.” Rogan loaded up the plans. “Okay, Lydecker’s lab is here. Melissa’s lab is here. Aiden’s cell is at the far end near a secondary exit that only opens with a retinal scan. So, once you get him out, you’ll have to backtrack up the stairs to get out of the building.”
Alex leaned closer to see the screen. “There’s nothing there but a corridor and utility pipes.”
“That’s because Melissa somehow managed to alter the plans. I assure you the lab and an alternate exit out of the building are located in that space. On the main level, exits are here, here, and here. There are stairwells here and here.” Rogan tapped the screen as he pointed to the various locations. “Once you’re inside, we’re going to have to move fast and cover a lot of ground.”
“How do we know which lab Danny’s in?”
“I’ll try and confirm, but while you were still out cold, I called in to the guards on shift and let them know to make Lydecker aware that Reynolds was en route. I’m gambling that Reynolds’s chances are better with the good doctor than the crazy bitch. If all went to plan, he’ll be in this lab here on the top floor.” Rogan stabbed at another room on the map.
“Okay, we know where we need to go once we get in the building. How do we get onto the property?” Alex asked.
“This means we’ll have to divide and conquer. I’ll head in so that I can clear you through the gates. Once you’re in, I’ll shut down the cameras and the electric locking system. If you get caught while you’re in there…. Just don’t get caught. Understood?”
Kier nodded.
“The guard schedules are usually lightest around two in the morning. That gives us a few hours to get ourselves together and for me to get in place. I’ll text you if anything changes or Danny’s or Aiden’s… status changes.”
“You mean if they get killed before we get there,” Alex snapped, but worry shined in her eyes.
Rogan rose from the desk chair, lifted his hand, hesitated, then laid it on Kier’s shoulder. “Good luck to all of us.” He strode out of the office.
Kier collapsed into his desk chair, his legs unable to hold him up anymore. His head dropped into his hands. He didn’t want to imagine Danny’s treatment at the hands of Purity’s zealots.
Alex rubbed his shoulders. “He’s going to be all right. We’ll get him out of there.”
“He could already be dead. If that woman wants him dead….”
“But if Rogan is right and this Lydecker guy gets his hands on Danny, he’s got a fighting chance. Let’s agree to assume that, until we hear otherwise from Rogan, Danny and Aiden are still alive. I need your head in this, Kier. Danny needs your head in this.”
Kier dragged his hands through his hair. He closed his eyes and gathered all the fear and worry and wrapped it in the thick layer of cold, focused anger. Damn right Kier would bring Danny out alive. He’d tear the limbs off anyone who got in his way. “We’ll get them both out. One way or another.”
Alex hugged him. Kier squeezed her tight in return. They would all get through this. He couldn’t think otherwise.
The tight knot of dread that sat heavy in Kier’s stomach since he’d awakened to find Danny gone, eased. Hang in there, love. I’m coming to get you.
THE DULL, unrelenting throbbing in his head pulled Danny out of the darkness and back into consciousness. He took internal stock of his body. No pain anywhere else—that was a good sign. The fact that he’d had another episode was a bad sign. He eased his eyes open and rolled his head to the side since lifting it took a level of energy he didn’t have at the moment.
“Oh God, where am I? How did I get here?” He whispered the words, praying he didn’t get an answer. Dim light came from a single source. It illuminated a high-tech science lab that outshined Dr. Sharon’s lab by a mile. All manner of machines filled the large room. Little red and green glowing lights decorated their surfaces, making Danny think of creatures watching him from the darkness. Creatures that might be able to do unspeakable things to him. He shuddered and his stomach clenched as a coil of sickness wound its way through him, leaving a bitter taste in the back of his throat. The sudden pain in his neck when he stood outside of the Haven came back to him. Oh God, he hadn’t had another episode. He’d been kidnapped.
He jerked his head in the other direction, wanting a full view of his surroundings, and froze. Everything in him iced over. His breath clogged his lungs. On the table next to him lay a selection of needles, scalpels, and implements of pain and destruction. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Purity. Somehow they’d found him. Oh damn, I am in so much trouble.
Danny jerked. Kier! Blood rushed through his body, the roar in his ears deafening. He tried to rise but found himself restrained. He lifted his head and searched the room as best he could, squinting to see into the shadows. “Kier?” Silence. Please, God, let him be all right. Purity could have only gotten to him if Kier were unconscious or…. He couldn’t think it. If those bastards laid a finger on Kier…. A sob escaped him as panic screamed in his head. He struggled against the leather four-point restraints to no avail.
“Mr. Reynolds, please settle yourself.”
Cold spread along Danny’s extremities at the sound of the soft words. The owner probably meant for it to be soothing, but he failed miserably. A tall, lanky man in green scrubs emerged from the darkness. Light glinted off the metal rim of his glasses, hiding his eyes behind the glare.
“Who are you? I demand you release me right now.” Danny tried to keep his tone neutral but couldn’t stop the slight break in his voice.
The man smiled at his words, but it held no warmth. Danny clenched his body, fighting back the urge to tremble.
“Now as I was saying, it’s so nice of you to join me, Mr. Reynolds. I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take the effects of the drug to wear off as you were given a full vampire dose of the tranquilizer. I’ve been very anxious to meet you. In fact, I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting for a few days.” The man walked to the side of the table. He stood, staring down at Danny, his hands shoved into the pockets of his lab coat.
“You’re the one who sent men to my apartment to kidnap me. Who the hell are you? What gives you the right?”
“My name is Dr. Thomas Lydecker, chief scientist and cofounder of Purity. It’s a great pleasure to meet you finally. I was so excited to hear that Rogan had located you and even more so when I learned that you were being brought in.”
Danny clenched his jaw. “Yeah, yeah, nice to meet you. Get to the point. What the fuck do you want?”
Lydecker tsked. “Such language.” He shook his head and crossed to a plexiglass wall mount that held boxes of nitrile gloves. He extracted two and slid them on his hands. “You, sir, are going to aid me in the completion of my research. All of those lovely little cells running through your veins hold the answers that I’ve been seeking for years.”
“So, all I need to do is give you a few vials of blood and I can be on my way?”
Lydecker barked out a humorless laugh. “I’m afraid I need more than that.” Lydecker walked in slow circles around the table, hands clasped behind his back, his tone calm and cold.
“See, I recently lost my test subject, but you should know that. After all, you were the source of his demise. That vampire you killed was my son, Jared.” Lydecker
uttered the last few words low and menacing. When Lydecker spoke again, he once again used that cordial, measured tone. “Thank you, by the way, for leaving a sample of your blood behind so that we could identify you.”
The man stood at the foot of the table studying Danny like the experiment he’d become. Oh God, I need to get the hell out of here. Now! Danny struggled, pulling against his restraints, knowing he couldn’t loosen them, but unwilling to lie there and let the crazy man start extracting bits and pieces of him to make slides.
“While my heart breaks from the loss, my son isn’t gone. He lives on in you. His blood cells flow through your veins, have merged with your cells. Together you have brought me that much closer to a cure.”
Bile burned its way up Danny’s throat. “You experimented on your own child? What kind of monster does that?”
Lydecker shifted his gaze to the floor, and for a moment he appeared lost in his own thoughts. His voice was soft when he spoke again. “As distasteful as it may have seemed, it was a necessary evil. I had to run tests. Had to know if my drug worked, and what a crowning achievement it would have been to have my own son be the very first cured vampire. Saved from that horrid existence. Saved from his own poor decisions.”
“Poor decisions?”
Lydecker nodded. “My Jared had a bit of a rebellious streak that we never could manage to rein in. He let himself be turned. Allowed himself to be violated and tainted. I had to save him from himself.” He met Danny’s eyes again, the look in them a bit manic. “Together Jared and I would have spearheaded the movement to cure the poor, unfortunate creatures afflicted with this terrible disease. Forced to drink blood, live a life without morals, without thought or care for other beings.” His lip curled up into a sneer.
Danny’s breathing got loud, his chest heaving. He couldn’t stop the words that spewed from his mouth. “Necessary evil, my ass. You did it for your own glorification. Your own bigotry. Did you ever stop to think that vampires are happy the way they are? They don’t want to be cured, don’t need it. Have you ever met a vampire outside of your son? Most are just like everyone else. They just want to live their lives. You, Purity, the whole lot of you. You have no right to decide how anyone should live, and you certainly don’t have the right to force your opinions, or your so-called cures, on others.” Again he tugged at the unbreakable restraints.