“Help! Help!” White begins to scream.
Fuck. I clamp a hand over his mouth and he rams into me, throwing me back.
The police couldn’t have found me this quickly, could they? Fuck.
I drag him up, careful to keep my face out of the screen, and press the gun against his head. He quiets down as he turns to look at me. “I will fucking end you,” he hisses.
I hear another noise and quickly smack tape over his mouth as he tries to yell again. Suddenly my computer screen flashes, and I glance over at it as I’m told my live feed has been cut by someone on their end.
Fuck. Could they be here already?
I don’t care that he didn’t confess everything live. He doesn’t need to say it live because whether or not he said it, those assholes know what they’ve done. They know I’m coming for them and I will not stop until I’ve ruined them all.
I step up to him and get close enough I can whisper. “If you do not confess everything you’ve done to the police, you will die. I will not give you a second chance. And tell the others. Tell all your twisted and fucked-up friends that I’m coming for them.”
I hurry to gather all my stuff and make sure I left nothing behind besides the paper I’d insisted White read from. Since he’s not willing to read it aloud, the police can read it when they arrive. I should be safe to leave because if I did forget something in the room, it should be okay since I’d cleaned everything thoroughly beforehand so nothing had fingerprints. When I reach the door and look back at the man who’s lying on the ground, eyes locked on mine, he smiles.
“I can’t wait until we catch you. And then we’re going to tear you apart until there’s nothing left.”
Ah, clearly this man doesn’t know how far I’m willing to go to destroy him. Sometimes, I wonder if all vampires just need to die.
I make sure my mask is pulled on tightly before slipping through the door. Still not sure what was making the noise, I slowly start moving toward the exit. Footsteps behind me push me into a faster pace as I cautiously look behind myself.
About ten feet from the storage unit stands a vampire watching me closely. His eyes catch mine and he smiles, like he knows what I’ve done.
Without hesitation, I turn and run. I can feel him following me, but by the time I reach my car, he hasn’t stopped me. Quickly, I get in and throw the car in drive.
Why is he here? What does he want with me?
Chapter Three
BENTLEY
I pull up outside the self-storage and park my car next to Marcus’s. We’re all in our casual clothes as we walk up since it’s eight o’clock at night and I’d been headed for a shower when the video went live. The streaming service cut the channel before we could stop them since we wanted to get a read on it. It was up and down too quickly for any of our guys to break through it, but maybe they’ll be able to pinpoint something on it.
Not long after the video was deleted, Brooks was sent another address and sure enough, as I walk inside, Briar is helping Governor White to his feet.
He gives her a kind smile. “Thank you all so much for your hard work. I was terrified of what that human wanted from me, but your quick actions scared him off. I can’t thank you enough,” he says as he grabs Briar’s hand and shakes it multiple times before turning to Marcus who just grunts at him.
“You all will be rewarded for your bravery, I’ll see to it!” the governor says.
He’s always been seen as a kind man who seems very just. He’s big on charity runs and visits schools to help promote education. So why is he being targeted? Just because he’s the governor, one of the highest-ranking vampires in the state? Or is there more to it?
I notice Finn staring down at a second chair that’d been knocked over. “We have to assume the man wrote another note; it seemed like Governor White was reading off it momentarily,” Finn says as Marcus and Briar take White out of the room.
“It did seem like that.”
“So why didn’t he leave the paper? Clearly, there was something on it he wanted White to read to everyone, so it makes no sense he’d take it,” Finn says. “I guess maybe he was afraid there were fingerprints on it?”
“Where was White when you got here?” I ask.
“Near it. So it’s possible he did something with it.”
“Beyond eating it, what could he have done with it? We can search his body and ask him,” I say.
“This whole thing is strange, but we have an abductor who claimed that if they didn’t turn themselves in, he’d start killing them. No one’s turned themselves in and no one’s died. His threats are starting to get a whole lot less threatening,” Finn says.
“Both vampires claim he’s human and he’s clearly threatening some high-class vampires. He’s going to end up dead before he knows it.”
“But why?” Finn says. “Why go to this extent?”
“We get vampire haters all the time,” Marcus says as he walks back in. “They’re lowlife humans who think vampires need to go because they make them feel weak or some shit. You haven’t been here long, but you’ll see it more and more. No matter how equal we try to pretend the footing is between vampires and humans, there will always be prejudices against both sides. If this man really had something against them, he’d be making sure everyone saw it, not alluding to it.”
Finn watches Marcus for a moment and I question if he doesn’t like the idea of humans being blamed for something like this. Sadly, though, Marcus is right. I’ve seen many vampires killed by humans just for existing and I’ve seen many humans killed by vampires because they see humans as weak or a food source.
“But why all this?” Finn asks as he waves around him.
“Attention,” Marcus says, telling me he’s set on the idea of the human being in the wrong. Marcus is a good detective, but he does have a bit of a superiority complex at times. Since being with Finn, he’s gotten much better, but he still has moments like this where he pulls out his stubborn face.
“My god, your detective work is astounding, McFangy,” Finn says. “You just automatically solved the case by using the power of prejudice!”
Marcus lets out a grumble as he folds his arms over his chest. “I am not being prejudiced. I’m just saying I’ve seen this type of case many times.”
“Uh-huh. And every single one of those cases were the exact same, right? Like super same?”
“Correct,” Marcus says stubbornly.
Finn shakes his head while looking amused. “I’m going to go discuss the case with open-minded beings while you brood over in the corner,” he says as he turns his back on Marcus and looks at me. “I think we need to ask White about the paper. I think he’s hiding something.”
“I agree.”
“Hear that, Marcus? DeGray agrees,” Finn says.
Alexei, who just walked into the area, folds his arms over his chest. “The relationship you two share is just beautiful.”
“Thanks, sweetie,” Finn says, which makes Alexei’s nose wrinkle. “You can join our Marcus-is-not-allowed discussion.”