As expected, the woman has stayed behind. Her hand is on a remote control and, as she presses it, there’s the sound of clanking machinery. The far door begins to trundle closed. I watch her but I also count; I need to know how long it takes the garage door to close. It’s not quick. A full eight seconds pass by until it finally judders shut.
‘Did she get out?’ someone calls.
‘No, she’s still in here.’
‘Turn on the freaking lights! She’s under one of the cars.’
Almost immediately, the place is illuminated by fluorescent strip lights hanging from the ceiling. Shadows flicker and move as my captors start ducking down and checking. I adjust my position slightly. Unless they look directly under this vehicle, they won’t spot me. I’m going to smell of engine oil, though. That’s irritating. Still, the last time I tried this was on a moving vehicle which was heading into a well-guarded army outpost. This is far easier.
The goons skitter around making too much noise. I train my gaze on the woman. She doesn’t look anything more than irritated. She might know my name but she still doesn’t have a clue who she’s dealing with.
I wait until the others are far enough away then drop silently to the ground and roll my body towards her. I can’t afford the movement to catch her peripheral vision so I take things easy and it’s a good opportunity to rest a bit. The longer the Magix cuffs are on, the more sluggish I feel. I need to conserve as much energy as I can.
There’s a shout from the other side of the garage and her head jerks towards it. It provides me with all the time I need to get past her. Now I’m two cars – and less than ten feet ‒ away.
‘It’s just a bloody cat!’
There’s a harsh curse in response. The woman tuts to herself and taps her foot impatiently. I ease out from under the car, taking care not to let the cuffs scrape the ground. With precise movements, and holding my breath, I get to my feet. I can’t let her make a sound. Without the use of my hands, this is going to be difficult.
I sneak up, using her body to block me from view should one of the others turn round and look this way. I’m only inches away from her when I stop. I smile to myself then blow gently onto the nape of her neck. Her hand rises and she looks round as I launch myself towards her, aiming for her head. She falls backwards with one sharp yelp which is almost instantly muffled because my shoulder is wedged in her mouth. I wrest the remote from her and shuffle round slightly until I’m the right position. She writhes underneath me. I’m not going to be able to hold her for much longer but I don’t need to. I move my shoulder from her face at the same time as my head swings round and slams into hers, knocking her out instantly.
As I hear pounding feet racing back towards me, I leave her where she is and roll again, this time to my right.
‘Shit!’
‘What’s happened?’
‘Lane is out cold.’
I pray that they won’t notice the absence of the remote but they have other things on their minds.
‘She’s separating us, then taking us out one by one. We need to stick together.’
I grin. Yeah, you do that, you’ll be easier to avoid if you stay in a group. I didn’t imagine the tremble of fear in the goon’s voice. Let them think I’m the perfect predator rather than their helpless prey. If it helps me get out of this, it’s all to the good.
They abandon their companion and start looking under the nearest cars, heading back towards the wall rather than towards the door. They’re not the brightest sparks but then again, they do work for the government. As their group edges back, I roll forward. The unfortunate thing is that all this exertion is really beginning to take its toll. It feels as if the handcuffs are tightening round me and I have to keep shaking my head to avoid blacking out.
I heave a sigh of relief when I’m scant feet away from the closed exit. I take a moment to recoup my strength as best as I can and ignore the shouts of frustration from behind me. Blood is roaring in my ears. Come on, Bo. You can do this.
I daren’t wait too long. At some point, one of these idiots will call for back-up and the last thing I need is a swarm of goons searching for me. I breathe deeply, press the button on the remote and haul myself back, making sure I’m still out of sight.
There’s a shriek. ‘The door! The door! She’s escaping!’
Booted feet hammer towards me. I don’t move a muscle, I just watch the oblong of daylight get wider and wider. One. Two. Three. Four. At five seconds, the first man passes me. He ducks under and out of the door, the other three hot on his heels. Six. Seven. Eight.
‘Which way did she go?’
‘I don’t know! I didn’t see!’
‘Straight ahead is clear. You two, take the left. We’ll go right. We’ll find her. She’s not going far with those anti-guzzler cuffs.’
I grimace. Ain’t that the truth?
I remain where I am, poised to move as the four of them vanish from sight. I wait six beats then roll out and stagger up. I glance in the window of the car I hid under. The keys are in the lock. Excellent.
I twist round, awkwardly opening the door with my fingers before clambering in. I ignore the sweat dripping from my brow and duck down to turn the key with my teeth. The engine revs, thank goodness. I only have seconds.
I lean in the other direction, trying to knock the car into gear. It’s not as easy as it sounds and, with one foot on the clutch, I’m forced to move my body into positions it’s not been in for years. I manage it though and yank myself upright. It’s time to get the hell out of Dodge.
‘You broke my nose, bitch.’
I turn just in time to see the woman glaring at me. She’s holding something shiny in her hands. I barely manage to register it as a vamp taser before she squeezes the trigger and pain explodes in my chest. Again.
Bugger.
Chapter Thirteen: Reunions
I’m barely conscious as I’m dragged inside. My vision is blurry and I can’t make out much. It doesn’t help that I receive several sharp kicks to my ribs and, at one point, someone takes my arm and bends it back until I hear the snap of breaking bone. But if they think they’re going to keep me subdued by inducing mind-numbing pain, they’ve got the wrong Bo Blackman. Physical pain won’t stop me; it’s emotional pain that’s my nemesis.
After what seems like an eternity, we make our way into a narrow corridor. I vaguely hear a lock being turned. There’s a sharp cry, I’m flung forward and the door closes behind me. But all is not lost.
‘Bo!’
I blink and groan. That voice. A face swims towards me with perfect features and worried eyes. ‘Beth?’ I whisper.
Cool fingers brush against my cheek. ‘It’s me,’ she answers. ‘I’m here.’
There’s another voice. Gruffer. ‘Her arm is broken.’
A hand clasps mine. ‘Hold on, Bo. We’ve got this.’
There’s a sharp yank. Pain flares up stronger than before then ebbs away until I’m left gasping ragged sobs. I touch my head; it’s still there. I wiggle my toes and my fingers. Alright. Things could be worse.
I’m helped into a sitting position and I swallow hard and look around. There are at least twenty other vampires, including Beth. As far as I can tell, only three are former Montserrat; the rest are from the other Families. There’s only one Medici minion and he’s sporting a rather impressive black eye which looks recent. I point at it. ‘Your handiwork, Beth?’
‘Mine.’ A male vampire wearing a tunic emblazoned with Bancroft colours steps forward. ‘He deserved it.’
I nod distractedly and keep my attention on my old friend. ‘I thought you were dead. How did you get out?’
‘I was lucky,’ she says softly. ‘I was in the garden.’
‘Matt?’
She looks down. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t see where he was.’
I close my eyes briefly. ‘You’re here,’ I say eventually. ‘That’s enough.’
She kneels down beside me. ‘I went looking for you. I looked e
verywhere I could think of.’
‘You went to Rogu3’s house.’ It’s not a question.
She nods. ‘It was one of the places I thought you might be. I knew you could help us. I knew you were the only one who could unite us.’
I laugh harshly. ‘I can’t even stand up, Beth.’
Her expression doesn’t change. ‘You left the Families. You survived on the outside without them. You know the way forward.’
I sigh. I’m no one’s saviour. I can’t even stay on the streets long enough to help Alice Goldman. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know anything. Where were you picked up?’
‘Outside New Order. I went there.’ She gestures at the others. ‘All of us went there. It was the only other place we knew of where we might be safe.’
An ache blossoms in my chest and it’s not from the taser. ‘They were there waiting for you?’
‘Yes.’
‘And Arzo? Peter? The others?’
This time she doesn’t look away. ‘I’m sorry. They weren’t there. I guess they were killed too.’
I ball up my fists. ‘Arzo and Peter weren’t even fucking vampires.’
‘They were Sanguine. That was enough.’
I press the base of my palms against my temples. With Michael’s safety to focus on, I’d not allowed myself to think about everyone else. I knew there would be time for that later. Now, confronted with so many deaths, I can’t pretend to ignore them all. Hatred for X sparks up inside me once again. He deserves to pay.
I look round what can only be described as a large cell. I can’t do much about anything from here. ‘Is there any way out?’
‘Not that we can tell. The whole place is proofed against bloodguzzlers. All you have to do is touch the door and you’ll get a shock strong enough to lay you flat.’
I curse and look at the door, a huge steel thing with a tiny sliding window to look through. ‘How long have you all been here?’
A petite woman steps forward. She’s pale and shaking and I’m guessing she’s not drunk blood for days. Much longer and she’ll waste away to nothing. ‘I’ve been here the longest. I was picked up hours after the bombs went off.’
My jaw sets. ‘Vince Hale certainly adapts quickly.’
Beth is surprised. ‘The politician? He’s the one who’s doing this?’
‘I guess he’s not been round to say hello then.’
The window slides across with a thunk and a smarmy, smiling face appears. ‘I was waiting for you, Ms Blackman.’
***
I’m taken to a small interrogation room fitted out with only a table and two chairs. There’s not even a two-way mirror or a camera; I guess Hale wants to make sure there are no witnesses. That way he can do away with us all and make up any bloody story he likes.
I sit down and cradle my arm. A blank-faced man chains me up and leaves as Hale takes the chair opposite. ‘Would you like something to drink? I can get you some blood.’ He smiles disarmingly. ‘I know it’ll help you heal more quickly.’
Even if I could be sure that it wasn’t tainted, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me accept something from him. I’d rather starve. ‘You can’t keep me here,’ I tell him. ‘It’s against the law.’
He throws back his head and laughs. I didn’t know I was such a comedian. ‘The law’s been changed.’ He chuckles again. ‘It’s quite extraordinary what you can get away with when you force people into a panic. Besides, you’re here for your own protection. There’s no telling how many Tov V’ra members are still out there trying to kill you.’
‘You’re all heart.’
‘My ex-wife would probably disagree. But thank you.’ I stare at him. He shrugs. ‘For future reference, Ms Blackman, I don’t believe in sarcasm.’ He pauses. ‘Oh wait. You don’t have a future.’
I narrow my eyes. ‘You’re being very brave sitting next to me, considering that last time we met you told me that I was a freak. An affront to God.’ I cross my legs. ‘That’s quite a statement given that I’m not sure that God takes too well to genocide.’
He leans back in his chair and knits his hands behind his head. ‘Do you know where the word genocide comes from?’ he enquires. ‘Cide derives from the Latin caedere meaning to kill. And geno comes from the Greek meaning people. You’re a bloodguzzler. You’re not people.’
It’s my turn to laugh. ‘And here was me thinking you were well educated. Geno means race. Last time I checked, that covered vampires.’
His expression sours. ‘You tribers are all the same,’ he hisses. ‘You don’t belong here in our country.’
‘Oh, Vinnie, you still don’t get it, do you? You think that you pulled the strings and made all this to happen but you were being manipulated by tribers from the very start.’
‘Medici wasn’t manipulating me. I was the one who—’
‘No,’ I interrupt. ‘You weren’t. The Kakos daemons were the ones in charge. They’re the puppet masters. Not you.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You heard me,’ I say softly. ‘Tribers got inside your mind, Vinnie. Tribers played you like a violin and got you do to their bidding. And you’re still too stupid to see it. You think you’re running this country? It’s not you and it’s not your cronies. The Kakos daemons are the ones in charge.’
Something flickers in his expression. ‘That’s not true.’
I cock my head. ‘What? You don’t believe me?’
‘Funnily enough, no.’
Despite his fine words, I can hear the doubt creeping in. ‘Look into it,’ I tell him. ‘You’ll find out that I’m telling the truth.’
I have a feeling that Vince Hale doesn’t like being played any more than I do. With any luck, he’ll do some investigating of his own and X will get pissed off and eat his heart out. It’ll be small compensation but it’s better than nothing.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he dismisses. ‘Now that you’re here, I can put the rest of my plan into action. You’re the famous face, Ms Blackman. You’re the one everyone knows. Once you’re out of the picture, the other rats will leave.’
‘I’m not leaving.’
He smiles. ‘Yes, you are. You and all your buddies are going to be transported to a facility outside the city.’ He scratches his chin. ‘There’s going to be a little accident along the way. An exploding petrol tank will do the trick. Bloodguzzlers don’t do well with fire. The smoking remains of five Family mansions prove that.’ He eyes me with amusement. ‘Do you know, if you walk past each one you can still smell barbecued vampire in the air? I’ve taken to going there each morning before breakfast. It does wonders for my appetite.’
I can’t help myself, I lunge towards him with sharp, vicious anger. The chain is strong, however, and it jerks me back.
Hale laughs. ‘You see? You’re nothing more than an animal. And not even a well-trained one at that.’
‘Last time we met, you said you wouldn’t reveal your plans to me. Why are you doing it this time?’
‘Because,’ he replies, ‘I want to see the look on your face when it finally dawns on you that your kind are going to be extinct. Nothing more than ash. When other countries see what’s happened here, they’ll follow suit.’
‘You have to let me go, Hale. I’m on the trail of a lot of missing children. Alice Goldman is one of them. These children—’
‘You expect me to fall for that?’
‘It’s true. You remember Alice, don’t you? She went missing five years ago. I think she’s still alive. If you let me go, I can find her.’
‘You’re mine now, Ms Blackman. You’re not going anywhere.’
I jerk at the chain in desperation. ‘Then at least look into her disappearance. I can give you all the information and you can do something about it. She’s not the only one, there could be hundreds of these missing kids. Something’s happening to them. Their minds are being wiped or something. You can find them, you—’
‘I couldn’t give a rat’s arse about Alice Go
odman.’
‘Goldman. Her name is Alice Goldman.’
He shrugs. ‘Whatever. What’s one more child? There are plenty of them to go round. If she’s not a triber, she’s not my concern.’
‘But—’
‘I’m bored with you now. I thought you’d be more entertaining than this, Ms Blackman. Instead you’re coming up with silly excuses for why I should spare your life. It’s all terribly mundane.’ He stands up. ‘You did well to escape me once. It won’t happen a second time.’ He walks to the door. ‘Be content that you were one of the last British vampires that ever lived. Maybe someone will write a song about you one day.’ He doffs an imaginary hat and departs.
I tug frantically at the chain and yell after him, ‘Alice Goldman! You need to do something, Hale! She’s just a kid! Listen to me!’
He’s not listening, though. No one is. The only thing that answers me back is silence.
****
I’m not taken back to the cell; instead I’m led straight back to the garage. This time it’s clear that Hale’s goons aren’t taking any chances. Even if I still had the energy to fight them, there are too many of them. I sag against my bonds. I refuse to quit just yet but I can’t help feeling an encroaching sense of resignation.
I’m pushed into a vehicle, a prisoner transportation bus with blackened windows which Hale must have appropriated specially for this event. When I get in, I see that the others are there too. Three guards press me down onto a bench which faces away from the side of the bus. I end up seated between two defeated looking Stuart vampires while the guards attach my cuffs to a chain. There’s another bench opposite and the vampires sitting on it watch fearfully.
‘Don’t do this,’ I say, keeping my voice calm. ‘Do you really want to be responsible for more deaths?’ The guards ignore me. I try again. ‘Have you heard of Alice Goldman? She went missing years ago. I’m on her trail. I think she’s still alive. What you need to do is look around Westminster. I think Alice was abducted and her mind has been wiped. Her hair is short and dark now but…’
The three men walk out without so much as a flicker in their eyes to show that they heard me. My words are swallowed up as the bus doors are slammed shut.