“Did you leave a note?” River asked when they were crossing through the living for the front door.
Wyatt nodded. “A short one. In the lab.”
“What’s it say?”
“We’re sorry. Stay safe.”
River grunted. It was probably better to keep it short. If River tried to write down all the things in his heart, he’d probably be trapped in the house for another few months composing that tome.
Wyatt stopped at the front door and glared at it for several seconds. River looked around his wide body and frowned. Why the hell was he stopping? Second thoughts? River hated the spark of hope that flared in his chest. They were doing the right thing. They couldn’t stop now.
“What’s wrong?” River demanded in a sharp whisper.
“It’s daylight.”
Yeah, they’d slept later than they’d planned, but they were still getting on the road before noon. “So?”
“The metal shutters are in place, sealing the house.”
“Oh.”
River stared at the door, then turned to look at the windows. They were all covered in thick shades, but he knew from earlier inspection that there was a thick metal plate that descended over all the windows on the outside. The door also had a metal plate running through the center and additional locks that slid into place during the day.
He’d never thought about trying to get around the special locks because he’d never wanted to be away from Bel during the day. The best way to protect him had never been outside of the house. But now they needed to get out.
“Isn’t there some kind of release switch? Or some panel by the door for a code?”
Wyatt looked over his shoulder at River and lifted both eyebrows. “Even if there was a keypad, I can’t even guess at what the code would be. And there’s no release switch that I can see.”
“How are we supposed to get out? It’s not like we can go wake up Bel and ask him to let us outside.”
Well, now this was starting to feel fucking ridiculous. Of all the things that had run through his head to worry about and plan for, actually getting out of the house had never been one of them. And judging by the low growl coming from Wyatt, he hadn’t given it much thought either.
“The code is one-eight-four-three, but it won’t do you much good without my hand.”
Both River and Wyatt jumped at Bel’s low, irritated voice. They turned to find him standing in the hallway, wearing only a pair of sleep pants. His black hair was wild about his head, and his arms were folded across his chest.
“Bel…” River started, but he didn’t know what to say to the anger blazing in the man’s eyes. Anger and betrayal.
“All the locks and security measures in the house are set to biometric controls. I had planned to add you both to the systems so your hands would unlock the doors, but something in me kept holding back. It was as if I knew you’d try to sneak out one day. If you wanted away from me, I thought you’d at least have the decency to say it to my face.”
“Bel, if we stay, we put you in danger,” Wyatt said in a low, calm voice. “We got lucky with the first attack, but Albert isn’t going to walk away from this. He’s going to come at us with the entire pack if he has to. River and I can’t protect you from numbers like that. W-we can’t lose you.”
“It’s best, safer, if we leave now,” River added.
“Bullshit,” Bel snapped. He paced away from them, head shaking, before turning again. “Do you think I’m a complete idiot? Did you forget that I can feel what you’re feeling? Can guess the stupid shit you’re planning?”
“Our job is to keep you safe!” Wyatt shouted. He took a couple of aggressive steps toward Bel, but the vampire didn’t give an inch. “We brought danger and threats into your life. We’ve torn apart your family. We have to leave!”
“You didn’t do a damn thing to my family. We fight. We argue. And we make up. That’s what family does.”
“But…that night…”
“At Marcus’s? Do you think we’ve been torn apart over one argument?” Bel made a scoffing noise in his throat and threw up his hands. “The Variks are not made of such weak stuff. Yes, we didn’t agree on one matter, and I was hurt, but my brothers would never abandon me. Never.” Bel dropped his arms to his sides and sighed. “One of my brothers, Marcus, tried to be a martyr once. He thought he would become a vampire alone. He used this weak excuse that he would go first and maybe we would change over in five years, but we saw right through him. He thought he’d sacrifice his life to watching over our mother so that we could have normal lives. We called him out on it. Outvoted him. There are no martyrs in family. We stick together. Protect each other.”