Bones snorted, the brief puff of air landing in the sensitive valley between my breasts. “Clever sod knew it would. I doubt it was an accident that he gave you this information while I was out.”
Now that concern for my friends wasn’t foremost in my mind, I doubted it was an accident, too. Don had been by my house enough to know that Bones left for a couple hours every few days to feed. I didn’t go with him since my nutritional needs lay elsewhere. Inwardly, I cursed. Finding out if my friends were okay was still of paramount importance, but so was discovering what Don knew about Madigan. It must be monumental for my uncle to keep it under wraps even when we didn’t speak for months as a result. After all, I wasn’t just the only family Don had left—as a vampire, I was also one of the few people who could see him in his new ghostly state.
“We’ll deal with my uncle later,” I said, pushing Bones away with a sigh. “Right now, we need to find a way into my old compound that doesn’t involve both of us ending up in a vampire jail cell.”
Two
Back when I used to work for the government, I designed the security system that protected our team’s base of operations. It wasn’t enough that the building was an old CIA bomb shelter with four out of its five levels belowground. It also had sensors monitoring the area for a mile in every direction, and I do mean every. If a pack of rats tunneled too close to one of the underground levels, it would set off several alarms.
And Madigan was even more paranoid than I. That’s why Bones and I were four miles away, looking at the base through binoculars from our perch high up in a tree. From the outside, it looked like a nondescript private airport that was on the verge of closing down. Inside, it contained one of the toughest tactical teams in the country, not to mention tons of classified information. The average person had no idea that they shared the planet with the undead, and that’s how our government intended to keep it.
Most days, I was in agreement with this ignorance is bliss policy. Today, however, it made things more complicated.
“Let’s face it, we only have one play,” I said, setting my binoculars down. “Don said Madigan wasn’t coming out anytime soon, we can’t storm the place without killing innocent people, and there’s no way we can sneak in without getting caught.”
Bones let out a snort. “Fancy ringing the bell, then?”
I gave him a level look. “That’s exactly what I intend to do.”
Dark brows rose for an instant, then he shrugged. “Gives us the element of surprise, at least.”
Then he dropped his binoculars and pulled out his cell, texting something too quickly for me to read.
“What’s that?”
“Insurance,” he replied. “If I don’t send Mencheres another text in six hours, he’s to come for us.”
I glanced back at the building with an inner shiver. So much for my concern about innocent bystanders. Mencheres wasn’t only the vampiric version of Bones’s grandsire and the co-ruler of their two enormous lines—he was also the most powerful vampire I’d ever met. Nothing would be left standing if he came here to pull us out.
“Let’s hope Madigan is feeling cooperative,” I said, trying to make my voice light.
Bones wedged his cell phone between two branches and jumped down, landing on his feet with more grace than a jaguar.
“I doubt it, but wonders never cease.”
“She’s here?”
It was almost funny to hear the shocked tone on the other end of the line. I couldn’t see the guard’s face through his darkly tinted visor, but his voice also held a distinct note of surprise.
“Yes, sir. She and the other vampire.”
Bones smiled, unperturbed by all the weapons aimed in his direction. I had just as many pointed at me. Kudos to the guards for not being sexist.
A long silence, then Madigan’s voice came back on the line, sounding terse this time.
“Let them in.”
Bones and I went through the next five checkpoints without incident before we finally reached the main building. When the wide metal doors of the compound closed behind us, I hoped the locking sound was a new security feature and not Madigan trying to trap us. That wouldn’t bode well for the fate of my friends, let alone the employees inside.
More helmeted guards escorted us to Madigan’s office, not that it was necessary. I could find my way blindfolded since it used to be my uncle’s office. Madigan had wasted no time setting himself up here once he took over.
The man whose past was so murky that my uncle refused to divulge what he knew about it rose from his seat when we entered. Madigan wasn’t being polite—it was to add force to the daggers he glared in our direction.
“You have astounding nerve.”
I shrugged. “I’d say we were in the neighborhood, but . . .”
I let the sentence dangle. Bones picked it up immediately.