Chapter 8
“What do we do now?” Reyna asked. “What’s plan B?”
Meghan shook her head. “There is no plan B.”
“What the hell kind of plan is this?” the other woman asked.
“Look, keep your heads on. Obviously someone discovered that Reyna was missing or that you were missing,” she said, pointing at the second woman. “Or reported our behavior or noticed the cameras are down. I don’t know what happened, but we still have time to get to our rendezvous spot. We have two more flights of stairs and an exit to get to. We can do it. We have to.”
“Then let’s move,” Reyna said.
The other woman agreed, “No way am I going back.”
The stairwell door burst open beside them. Meghan grabbed the other woman and Reyna followed suit and started to haul her up the flight of stairs. Reyna tucked her chin slightly. She didn’t know how many people actually knew that she had been held captive below Visage. Or if any of them would even recognize her face. But she’d rather be safe than sorry.
A flood of people filled the staircase as they continued to climb. It was as if someone had pulled the fire alarm and everyone was trying to hurry outside.
“Christ, I hate these drills,” one woman said at Reyna’s shoulder.
“Tell me about it,” the man next to her agreed.
“Someone said this isn’t a drill,” another man piped in. Reyna tensed waiting for someone to blow their cover. “That the boss himself is going to be waiting to speak with all of us and give us all permanents.”
Reyna blew out a breath. Okay so they didn’t know what the alarm was for. They thought that instead of rotating blood escorts every couple months, they were all going to get permanent live-in blood escorts like what she had been to Beckham.
“I thought only senior officials were getting them,” the woman piped in.
“With the Census finished in the city, they can begin to transition the humans to us.”
“I don’t want a human to live with me permanently,” the first man grumbled. “How invasive.”
“Don’t you miss the good old days?” the woman intoned.
Reyna chewed on her lip and tuned out the rest of their conversation.
After the second floor, Meghan tried to direct them out of the crowd and toward the door. A few people grumbled at them, but they maneuvered through and out. But when they reached the door, a guard stood there, impassable.
“No exit, ladies,” the vampire said with a smile. He glanced down at Meghan’s chest and then back to her face.
She didn’t miss the look either. A smile hit her lips and she simpered up at him. “Look, I don’t want to take this girl through all these people. She has that pesky thing going around. Can’t we pop out the door and take her the long way?”
“Sorry. Boss’s orders. Everyone up to the top level for assessment.”
“I know. I know,” Meghan said with a bat of her eyelashes. “But do you really want me to bring her up there? She’s not an employee. And she’s sick.” She emphasized the last word until he glanced down at our sick patient.
“Sick with what exactly?”
“Are you sure you want specifics? I’m a little worried about having her around any of the vampires at all. We thought the corridors would be empty as we transported her.”
The vampire narrowed his eyes. “The blood thing?” he asked uncertainly.
Meghan latched onto it. “Yeah. Severe case.”
He took a step back. “It’s contagious. What is she even doing in the stairwell?”
“Like I said, it was supposed to be cleared for us. It’s already ravished her body. Look at her.” Meghan pointed at the woman’s skinny arms and narrow waist. “I don’t want this to continue to happen. It’d be easier if we could avoid all of this entirely.”
“Maybe I should radio down…” He trailed off as Meghan stepped closer.
“Plus…the sooner I’m finished the sooner I’ll be free for lunch.”
His eyebrows rose. “Lunch?”
She was shameless. She tilted her neck sideways as if in invitation. “I know a great place.”
He laughed. “Okay. Go on ahead. But be quick. I’ll meet you up front at noon for lunch.”
“Can’t wait!” Meghan said with a girly giggle before shoving both of us through the open door.
She blew out a heavy breath as they tried to seem unhurried as they disappeared from the man.
“That took forever,” Reyna mused.
“We’re late. I can’t think about it.”
The rest of the trek was tense. None of them knew if the cameras were working overhead or if they were being followed already. They kept expecting someone to jump out at them and steal them back to the basement…back to hell.
None of them dared to speak. Reyna found she was even holding her breath as if one exhale would threaten everything they’d worked for. Her gut was twisted up in panic and anticipation. She never stopped hoping that they’d make it out, but she couldn’t think beyond that. Couldn’t imagine what would happen if they didn’t. There was only this one moment and then the next. Putting one foot in front of the other and facing down the dark alley.