A Fang in the Sass

20

Trevan, Alain, and Roen sat in the dark restaurant, pushing food around on their plates. After leaving the crematorium, their appetites were as dismal as their emotions. How life could mean so little to someone was mind boggling. Those were the ones who didn’t deserve life. But then there was the argument that asked, who was he to decide who should live or die?

Everything was so complicated. All he wanted was his mate on a deserted island, naked. Simple and sweet. Now would be a great time for a beer. Maybe there was a bar open somewhere on this side of town. No vampires allowed.

Trevan pushed his plate away. “How about we find a place to have a drink and shoot some pool. I’m not much in the eating mood.” He grunted. “Never thought I’d say that.” They settled their tab and asked the cashier where the closest tavern was. Of course, it was a block on the other side of the cremation building.

Passing by the place, none in the group looked at it as they drove by. Thankfully, the bar came into sight quickly. Instantly, an eerie feeling settled over him. The place resembled Embraced down to the potholes in the parking lot.

No lights shined through the windows, nor were there any vehicles in the parking lot. Seemed as empty as a lake with no water.

Trevan pulled the keys from the ignition. “You boys thinking what I’m thinking?”

Alain nodded. Roen said no. Both men in front turned to look at him in the back with the damn phone. Roen looked up at them. “What? Unless you were thinking how to get the blue box from the upper left to the lower right in six moves, then I wasn’t thinking what you’re thinking.”

Trevan snapped his hand toward the mobile. “I’m gonna shove that phone so far up your ass, you’ll push your right tit to answer when it rings.” Roen whipped it behind his back.

“Come on, Trev,” Roen whined. “We didn’t have cool s**t like this when we were kids.”

“That’s because we had chores and work to do. Kids today don’t do s**t. Now put it away and act like a responsible adult while we break into the bar.” Trevan and Roen waited in the truck as Alain tried the front door just to make sure it was closed. After a couple tugs on the knob, Alain walked around the side of the building.

Trev and Roen were quick to catch up. “I’m guessing they bring the victims to the back door just like up north. They seemed rather predictable,” Trevan said.

Alain agreed. “Yeah, certainly not a creative bunch. But they’ve managed to blend in well for years on this side of town.”

Trevan slid out his picks from his pocket and set to work on the back door. Within seconds, it clicked. Now the only worry was an alarm system. He opened the door, hoping the vamps’ arrogance at thinking no one would intrude into their place applied here as it did the crematorium. Lady Luck was on their side. No alarm.

Now they needed to figure out where a kidnapped person would be kept. At Embraced, they’d never been inside to see the layout of the back rooms. They had several hours of daylight remaining, so they weren’t rushed.

There had to be at least ten rooms along the back hallway. And each housed a different torture device or b**m setup. Some he wanted to try on his new mate and others he tore to pieces. He didn’t care what others said, no one could want the amount of pain some items could inflict.

“Trevan,” Roen called, “over here. Found something.” The men gathered before a door that opened to a wooden stairway diving into the darkness. The stench of human urine and blood nearly knocked him out. He pulled his Maglite from his back pocket and switched it on. He could see fine in the dark, but he didn’t want someone jumping from a distant corner unexpectedly.

“Alain, keep a watch for anyone up here. Last thing we need is to be locked down there.” Trevan turned to Roen. “Let’s go.” The farther down they went, the stronger the reek became. He pulled the front of his shirt over his nose. How could vamps stand this s**t?

At the bottom of the stairs was a sweaty concrete floor that added a touch of musk to the stagnant, cold air. The roughhewn walls and low ceiling created a cave or tunnel feel. He heard heartbeats and breathing behind the stairs.

Shining his light underneath the steps, he met the most atrocious display of cruelty he’d ever seen. Four females, looking to be in their young twenties, were barely clothed, one not at all, and chained to a cement block wall. They were all so thin that they didn’t look alive except for the small lift of their flat chests with each breath.

Lava-hot rage roared through Trevan like never before. Not even when he found his slaughtered family was he this over the edge. Instead of picking the locks on the shackles, he yanked them from the concrete wall.

The women roused, giving weak cries of defense, obviously thinking the vampires had come for them again. They did their best to reassure the ladies, but Trevan’s focus was getting them to a hospital. Two of the women made it up the stairs, while the other two had to be carried.

Alain pulled the truck to the back door and unfolded blankets to cover the ladies. When Trevan exited holding the last female, Alain’s eyes turned gold and he took a deep breath. The man’s chest rumbled, and Trevan smiled while setting his load in his friend’s arms.

“Thank god I’m not the only one who’ll be going crazy in the next few weeks with his new mate.” Alain slid into the backseat with the other three ladies. Their bodies were so narrow, there was still room for another. He kept his precious cargo in his lap, snuggled to him.