“We’re sorry, but this number has been disconnected …”
Okay, what the hell? Now I was really starting to freak out.
“What is it?” Finn asked in concern.
“His phone’s been disconnected. I just tried to call it.”
He ran a hand over his five o’clock shadow, his expression perturbed, and helped me into the van. We sat in quiet for a minute or two, and my eyes grew watery. Dad had always been a solid and supportive presence in my life. He wasn’t the kind of person to just up and leave town at the spur of the moment, not unless something very bad was happening.
Not unless he was running away from something or someone, my brain added, which didn’t help my anxiety.
He certainly wouldn’t go anywhere without letting me know first. Not to mention he’d lived here for such a long time. He was a creature of habit; he didn’t like change. No, something was amiss, and I felt ill thinking that I’d somehow brought trouble to his door.
“It was the vampires, wasn’t it?” I whispered. Antonia or one of her cronies might’ve told someone about my blood before they’d died. There were no magical people on the island that night besides Rita and Gabriel, and I knew they wouldn’t reveal my secret. No, it made sense that some vampire had decided to come after my dad to find out where I was hiding. Dad must’ve gotten the jump on them and left before they could get to him. Unless they had gotten to him in time …
Finn put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “She said he sold the house and left town. Perhaps he got away before they could catch up with him,” he said, echoing my hopes.
“How could I have left him here so vulnerable? I’m such a selfish bitch.” A tear fell down my cheek. Finn wiped it away with his thumb.
“Hey now, you can’t think that way. You’re one person, and you were scared. No one would blame you for running away.”
Shifting away from Finn, I tried to pull myself together. I was already getting far too close to him, and it had barely been two days. “I’ll call his work in the morning and see if they know anything. There’s also my friend, Nicki. She might know where he went.”
Finn nodded. “It might not even be anything bad, Tegan. Maybe he just wanted to get away from it all, sell the house and use the money to retire somewhere hot and sunny.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, but I scarcely believed it. It just wasn’t something my dad would do—not without telling me.
As Finn pulled away from the house, I glanced up to the window of my old bedroom. I wished I could just go in, sit there for a while and feel the comfort of the place. I doubted the new owners would let me though. I’d planned on checking in with Florence, but it was late and I was way too stressed about Dad. I’d come see her in two weeks on my way back out of Tribane instead.
The journey to the city was too short, and soon the familiar skyline came into view as we drove over Macken’s Bridge.
“So, do you have any idea how you’re going to get back in touch with Cristescu?” Finn asked.
“I’ll probably just go to Crimson to look for him. I’m sure he’ll be around somewhere.”
“Actually, funny you should say that. I have it on good authority that they’re throwing an exclusive event at the club tomorrow night. All the most powerful vamps in the city are going to be there. It would be the perfect time for you to gather information about Rebecca.”
Tension filled my body. I wasn’t sure I was ready to see Ethan, but I only had two weeks. I needed to bite the bullet. “Sounds like as good a plan as any,” I replied, while a hundred butterflies flitted around inside my stomach. Tomorrow night. That was so close. I was going to see Ethan tomorrow night. The prospect was both exhilarating and vomit-inducing.
When we arrived at Finn’s house, I asked him about his friend, Noel. Finn grew quiet and shook his head, informing me that Noel died in one of the battles with the vampires. He’d named Finn as his next of kin, since he didn’t have any kids himself, which meant the house went to him.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I whispered just as his dog, Wolf, came barrelling down the hallway. I still hadn’t lost my fear of big dogs, so I stood as far away from Wolf as I could manage. Seriously, I’d never seen a German Shepherd this large, and I wondered if one of his parents was an actual wolf.
He prowled around me, sniffing at my shoes before doing the doggy version of a shrug and going to greet Finn, who gave an amused chuckle when I followed Wolf into the kitchen, continuing to give him a wide berth.
“He’s a teddy bear, Tegan. Seriously, you don’t need to look so terrified.”
“Who took care of him while you were away?” I asked.
“The next-door neighbour,” Finn replied, taking two bottles of water from the fridge and offering one to me. I took it and swallowed a large mouthful.
“So, where’s my room?” I asked tiredly.
Finn waggled his brows. “You can stay in my bed if you like.”
“What were those conditions I set down before coming here again?” I reminded him.
“But I’ve got you here now so …” Finn drifted off, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
“True, but I can leave whenever I want.”
“Ah, calm down. I’m just teasing. You need to have more of a sense of humour. Come on, I’ll show you the guest room.”
The room Finn showed me was clean and sparse, containing only a bed and a wardrobe. He placed my bag at the end of the bed and told me he’d see me in the morning. I stripped off and climbed under the covers, but sleep evaded me. I couldn’t stop worrying about my dad. I may have come back to help rescue Rebecca, but his disappearance made things a hundred times more complicated.
I wasn’t just going to the vampires to find information about the little girl anymore. Now I needed to find out what happened to my father as well. And so help me, if they’d done anything to hurt him I’d find a way to make each and every one of them pay.
***
In the morning I went downstairs in search of breakfast and found Finn already up and dressed. He told me I had an hour to get ready before we had to go meet with Governor Pamphrock.
I nodded and shut myself in the living room with my phone to call my dad’s work. A friendly secretary answered. When I asked her about my dad, she put me on hold for five minutes before returning to say that he resigned out of the blue several months ago and left no forwarding information. Dismayed, I hung up and tried to call Nicki next. Her phone rang, but nobody answered. I dragged a hand through my hair in frustration.
After eating a slice of toast, I dressed and joined Finn in the front yard where he was chatting with the woman who lived next door. She was telling him how much she enjoyed taking care of Wolf while he was away and that it was an absolute pleasure to care for such a well-mannered dog. Despite this, I was still wary of the animal. There was something in his eyes. They seemed almost … human.
Finn and I climbed into his van, and he drove us to a large warehouse. I peered out at the massive brick building. “What is this place?”
“This is the main DOH training compound,” Finn answered. “With all the recent deaths, there’s been a big need for new recruits, so you’ll see a lot of newbies inside.”