The Immortal Plague, page 11
Samantha sidestepped Bear but waited until he granted her entry. “All who are waiting for me. It’s a friend’s birthday.”
He blocked the stairway with his enormous frame. “So I’ve been told.”
“If Lexie finds out I was here and you didn’t let me in, you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Bear stepped aside. “A cruel threat, Samantha. Like a sucker-punch in the gut.”
She patted his arm as she passed. “I’m sorry to have to bring out the big guns, but if one of us was going down, it wasn’t going to be me.”
“Keep your head down. Don’t want nobody thinking I’m letting Council members in here.”
Samantha flipped him off and continued down the stairs and through the winding tunnel until her heart beat in time with the thunderous bass of the music.
The black and red themed club was packed; lines at the bar stretched five bodies deep. A sea of them swayed on the dance floor to a familiar song. Samantha bypassed the commotion and headed for the back where the VIP tables were located. The bouncer opened the rope without question; they were regulars in the section—Lexie wouldn’t have it any other way.
She found her friends as expected, in their usual corner booth, girls on their feet with drinks in hand, dancing and gossiping. The guys were spread out around the half-circle booth, taking shots and cutting it up—all except for Tom, who sulked. She hated to see his baby-face all scrunched and sad. Even his usually flawless sandy-blond hair was unkempt as if he’d been running his hands through it.
“Sam!” Lexie’s ear-piercing voice carried over the music as she hauled Samantha into a tight hug. “You made it!” There was no mention of being late—no irritation at all—which could only mean she’d been hitting the booze hard.
Samantha wiggled out of the suffocating embrace. “I’m going to wish Tom a happy birthday.”
“Ugh!” Lexie gestured towards her fiancé. “He’s just been sitting there, moping. I don’t get it. This evening was his idea.”
“Don’t worry,” Samantha shouted over the music. “I’ll talk to him.”
Before Samantha could reach the table, a familiar, yet annoying male stepped in her way. “Hey, cutie.”
“Chad.” She should have expected him, they’d always run with the same crowd. “I need to wish Tom a happy birthday.”
“I just wanted to apologize again.”
Samantha groaned. She was sick of his half-ass apologies. “Yeah. You’ve told me how sorry you are half a dozen times in the past few weeks.”
“Listen, it’s not about our parents or the Council. I feel bad about how I’ve treated you, used you the past few decades. I want to make amends; put our whole messy past behind us. See if there’s anything…”
His breath reeked of whiskey—more than she could ever remember; he wasn’t much of a drinker. “Chad, you’re drunk. If you’re truly sorry, tell me when you’re sober.”
She side-stepped Chad and slid into the booth next to Tom; his shaggy hair bounced as he scooted over to make room.
“Hey.” Tom didn’t bother with a forced smile.
She snatched a shot from the middle of the table and threw it back. “Happy birthday. Having fun yet?”
He snorted.
“Then why did you choose this place?”
His brow furrowed. “You know what’s crazy? I’m not sure.”
Samantha held her second shot to her lips, frozen at the comment. With a shaky hand, she set the glass back on the table. “What do you mean?”
“I remember telling Lex I wanted to go here but I don’t know why I suggested it.” He blew out a breath. “Makes no sense, right?”
“No.” Samantha shook her head, ponytail swishing down her back. “It doesn’t.”
Tom kneaded his fingers across his forehead and eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know.”
“Well, it’s an experience,” Samantha scanned the room, “if nothing else.”
“That it is.” Tom drained a shot and passed Samantha another. “Jolly Rancher, just for you.”
Tom knew her too well. Samantha drained it and shuddered; it had an unexpected bitterness. “Think the bartender screwed this one up.”
“How are things with you?”
Samantha ignored his question, fixated on a familiar face—a human face—at the bar. She rose from her seat, transfixed. There was no doubt in her mind he was Evie’s brother. The similarities—jet black hair and blue eyes—were unmistakable.
The human turned as the bartender pointed in her direction.
It was at that moment the bullets began to fly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Neither of the two bouncers questioned Ethan and Tony about their intent prior to entering the bar. They were handed a candle-lit lantern and directed down a steep stairwell and into the ominous tunnel below.
It didn’t take long before the rumble of music penetrated Ethan’s bones. With a deep whiff, he inhaled a lungful of smoke mixed with sexual tension, which reminded him of another reason he hated these kinds of places.
Tony deposited his lantern in one of the few open cubby holes. “Should we split up?”
“Sure.” Ethan wasn’t sure how big the place was or how many people it employed, but if Tony wanted to split up, he wasn’t going to argue.
“You hit up the bartenders; I’ll see if I can find a free table and chat it up with the cocktail waitresses.”
The corner of Ethan’s mouth twitched. “All right.”
“What’s with the face?” Tony snarled.
Ethan lifted his hands in surrender. “Nothing.”
“Women flock towards me. Something to do with the tattoos and bald head. You, on the other hand,” he gave Ethan a quick once over, “look like you’re…”
“What?” Ethan didn’t think there was anything wrong with his attire of a black t-shirt and jeans.
“I’m mean, you’re a good-looking kid and all, but sometimes you can be a bit of a downer.”
Ethan pushed open the door to the club. “My sister calls it brooding.”
“That’s the word!” Tony shoved him through the door. “Girls hate that shit.”
Ethan hovered close to the entrance and took a quick survey of the place. It wasn’t unlike any of the other clubs he’d been to with its dance floor surrounded by high top tables and patrons acting like sex-crazed teenagers on crack. The biggest difference was the entertainment: half-naked people of both sexes—of which species he couldn’t tell—gyrated in cages, some with fake teeth and blood galore.
“I’ll be at the bar,” Ethan said, not caring if Tony was still behind him.
He stood in line for close to twenty minutes before he reached the bar. There were two bartenders; both ran around, neither stopping to chat with customers except to take their order.
“What can I get you?” one bartender shouted above the music.
“A beer and I have a few questions.”
The slender bartender with a five o’clock shadow snorted and set a beer in front of him. “Does it look like I have time for questions?”
“Is Sam here?”
The bartender hurried off to take other orders. Either he didn’t hear Ethan or chose to ignore the question.
The people behind Ethan pushed forward. When the bartender came back around, he shook his head. “There are people waiting.”
“I just need to talk to Sam.”
“Who the hell is Sam?”
“He works here.”
“Sorry, we don’t have a Sam here.” The bartender glanced behind Ethan and lifted his chin. “What can I get you?”
“Whiskey neat.”
Ethan wasn’t going to back down; not when he was so close. “Hey, man. I’m not done with the questions.”
The bartender poured the whiskey, passed it along, and moved over to a different customer.
The next man in line attempted to shove past. “Move the hell out of the way.”
Ethan stood his ground. “Listen, I’ll buy your drink, okay? I just need to get some goddamn answers.”
The man took a step back. “Johnny Walker Blue Label.”
“Whatever.”
“The bottle.”
Ethan clenched his teeth. “Fine.”
The bartender returned. “Shit. You’re still here. I told you there is no Sam working here.”
“This could have been a few months back. Come on, you’ve got to give me something.”
He looked over as another bartender came out from the back. “Clint, take over for a second.” Then he gestured to Ethan to follow him to the end of the bar. “Okay, I don’t know where you’re getting your info from but I own the damn place. Never have I employed a Sam.”
Ethan retrieved his wallet and showed him a picture of his sister—the one he cut from a paper when she founded Sanguines and Humans United. “You recognize her?”
“Yeah. Evie’s a regular. Though I haven't seen her around for weeks. Saw on the news she’s holed up in the Immortal Realm.”
“She’s my sister.”
The bartender shrugged like he didn’t understand the big deal. “Your point?”
“I found some papers in her office. Said she was talking to someone—a vampire here named Sam.”
“She did spend a lot of time talking to the Sanguines. One in particular,” he tapped his fingers on the bar, “if only I could remember a face…a name.”
Ethan snorted. The bastard was looking for a damn payout. He pulled a twenty from his wallet, careful to hide the larger bills, and slid it over to him.
“I’m missing a shitload of tips talking to you right now.”
Ethan slid over an additional ten. “Who was it?”
The bartender pointed towards the VIP section. “The blond staring this way. Her name is Samantha. Her and Evie were tight, as far as I could tell.”
Ethan rotated and caught the vampire’s—Samantha’s—topaz eyes. She was watching him, head tilted to the side, blond hair spilling down her back, like she recognized him. Her beauty was undeniable, as was the softness of her lips as she opened her mouth to speak.
As Ethan lifted a hand to wave her over, the glass behind the bar shattered. Bullets ricocheted off every surface. Ethan dropped to the floor, as did the bartender and the others around the room—though most fell from the wounds they’d sustained.
Chaos erupted as people realized what was happening. Ethan stayed low and searched for Samantha. He caught sight of her still in the VIP section, on the floor. She didn’t move, did not attempt to shield herself. She was dead or knocked unconscious; either way, he had to get to her and find out for sure. There was no doubt in his mind she was Evie’s source. The nickname Sam was a ploy to hide her identity.
Ethan crawled, keeping hidden by furniture and the fallen the best he could. He still couldn't tell where the bullets were coming from—the humans or the vampires.
As he passed overturned tables, he found Tony on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling, a puddle of blood oozing from under his lifeless body. Ethan quickly checked his pulse but found no sign of life. With a heavy heart, he kept moving.
Blood soaked the floor, and Ethan’s hands stuck to it as he inched forward.
He reached Samantha and watched the rise and fall of her chest for a second. Alive but unconscious thanks to the nasty bump on her left temple. She must have fallen and hit her head when the raid started.
As quickly as they began, the bullets stopped. In any other situation, he might have been relieved, but in the moment he feared the worst was yet to come. They’d be searching the building next, looking for survivors.
“Hey.” he shook her with as much strength as he could muster. He knew he couldn’t hurt her—they were immortal after all—or so the humans were made to believe. But by the look of all the bodies scattered about, that wasn’t the case. There was no way the bullets only hit humans.
Samantha didn’t move. He considered leaving her behind, finding another who might have run into his sister here, but who knew how long this place would be shut down? Or whether any of its regulars would return…had they survived.
“Check all the bodies,” a voice ordered as a group of men entered. “No one is to leave here alive.”
Screams echoed throughout the room. Ethan and Samantha were far enough away from where the voice had come from; he had some time, but where to go? His eyes fell on a door not twenty feet away labeled “Stage”. If he could get there, maybe it would lead to the exit.
He grabbed the female vampire under her arms. On his knees, he dragged her towards the door. Footsteps drew close, but he didn’t stop. Whether they were found trying to escape or hiding, they were dead.
Ethan reached the door, paused, and rose enough to look over the rail that separated the two areas. No one paid any mind to the VIP section. As quickly and quietly as he could, he opened the door and eased them both through.
For a full minute he waited, his breath ragged, heart pounding, but he held still, listening for any sound that told him they approached; that someone had seen where they had gone.
Once he was sure they hadn’t been spotted, Ethan surveyed the area in search of another way out. On the opposite side of the room, an exit sign flickered. He lifted the still unconscious Sam into his arms and hurried towards their freedom.
Before chancing an escape, he stuck his ear against the door and listened. No sound came from the other side. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. They could be waiting, guns ready for someone to walk through the door. It was a chance he was willing to take. It wouldn't be long before they made their way in here; there was no way they’d leave this room unsearched.
Ethan eased opened the door and again paused and listened. It was a tunnel of some sort—that much he could tell from the darkness. There were no lanterns like the entrance from the human side. He would be going in blind, which only ramped up his adrenaline.
If the damn vampire would wake, she could lead the way, no doubt with her superior eyesight.
He stumbled down the hall as fast as he could until his shins met the bottom of a staircase. He bit his lip to keep from cursing as the pain shot up his legs.
The stairs were tricky in the dark, but the further he climbed the easier it became as a tiny bit of light filtered through the door which waited wide open at the top.
Ethan took a few cautionary steps outside and nearly collapsed when he found himself faced with an empty field.
Where next?
He was an intruder in a foreign land with no car and no freaking clue where he was headed. On the upside, he had a few thousand stashed in his wallet, which would come in handy if anyone accepted human money. There were many things he hadn’t considered when planning this mission. He was an idiot, and if he ever found Evie, she would tell him as much.
“Hey!” A guy shouted from behind him. “What are you doing with her?”
Ethan turned. A massive man – no vampire (a human wouldn’t dare be caught on this side of the wall) – rushed towards him. “The bar was raided. I found her unconscious.”
“Give her to me,” the vampire shouted.
“No.” Ethan stepped out of his reach. “She has information about my sister. I need to talk to her when she wakes up.”
“No fucking way I’m letting a human into our realm. Shit.” He ducked behind a tree, out of sight. “Get over here!
Ethan followed. He didn’t like the idea of standing in the open any more than the male did. “Looks like I’m already here and I'm not going back down that way. They’ll kill me.”
The male focused on the vampire he still held in his arms. “Do you know what they did?”
The vampire’s eyes hardened. “I have a pretty good idea. Saw them enter. I tried to call her, warn her, but she didn't answer.”
The ones Ethan saw had come from the human side. “Some entered from here as well?”
“Yeah, about ten of them.”
Ethan scanned the surrounding area. “Where are their vehicles?”
“Hell if I know, but mine’s not far; hidden in the woods. Now give me the girl so we can get out of here.”
“Like I told you, I'm not leaving until I talk to her. Evie Calaway is my sister and the bartender said she and this one used to hang out and talk.”
Again, the guy reached for Samantha. “I don’t give a damn who you are or what the hell you want. Just give me the female!”
“No!”
The man grinded his teeth. “Fine. Will you at least bring her to my car?”
Ethan hesitated, unsure. “You’ll let me come with you?”
The male stalked off.
“Hey, man.” Ethan followed. “I just watched the whole damn place get shot up. A friend of mine was killed. My sister is being held against her will in this god-forsaken place you call home. I need to find out what this…vampire knows.”
He opened the door of his black car. “We’re not vampires, you prick. Now put the girl in the back.”
Ethan hesitated. “And you’re not going to stop me from getting in?”
The man glared. “I…I…this is so fucking stupid! You are a human and not allowed to be here. If someone finds out—”
“No one will find out,” Ethan assured him. “I won’t tell a soul.”
“After you speak with her then what? You got a plan for getting out of here? Not like there’s an exit.”
Ethan hadn't thought that far ahead. “I’m not leaving until I find my sister.”
“Your sister is with the Council under her own freewill. No way you’re getting within a hundred feet of her.”
“What I do after I get the information from Samantha is none of your concern.”
“The hell it is! I should be on the phone reporting your ass right now.”
“Please!” Ethan didn’t want to beg, didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but he would for his sister’s sake. “She’s the only family I have left.”
The male closed his eyes and took a few breaths. “Fine. Put the female in the car.”
Ethan laid Samantha on the backseat and moved to get in.
“Wait.” The male placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder.
