Darkness Rises(77)

John’s eyebrows flew up. “You’ve been hunting vampires on your own? Damn. That’s ballsy.”
Several of the other guards nodded their agreement as the trio circled the desk.
A pair of elevator doors opened.
John reclaimed his seat behind the desk.
Sean stepped inside the elevator with Cam and looked around. “This is a one-story building. What’s the point of the elevator?”
Cam leaned forward and pressed a button marked S5. “There are five floors underground. We’re going down to the fifth, the sublevel with the tightest security.”
The doors slid closed.
“Why the tightest?”
“Vampires live there.”
Sean stared at him. “Come again?”
“Dr. Lipton’s office is on S5. Her lab is, too. She does all of her work down there and part of that includes working with two vampires who surrendered to the immortals.”
“If they’re vampires, why didn’t the immortals just kill them?” Sean demanded. What the hell? Vampires were the enemy. They were monsters.
“First, you might want to watch what you say because the vampires can hear you,” Cam cautioned. “Second, the madness hasn’t taken them yet. They’re good guys in a messed up situation and have asked for our help. Dr. Lipton is trying to do that. She’s trying to find a cure or at least to find a way to prevent or slow the brain damage they suffer as the virus progresses.”
“Are you saying vampires run around freely down here?”
“No, of course not.”
A bell dinged. The doors slid open.
Sean’s heart stopped.
Two vampires—one African American and one White—stood there, eyes glowing, fangs gleaming as their lips drew back into snarls.
“We do now,” the African-American vamp growled.
Fear shot through Sean. He hadn’t been allowed to bring any damned weapons!
The vampire threw back his head. “Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
The White vampire howled.
A tall, menacing figure garbed all in black suddenly appeared behind the vamps and popped them both on the back of the head.
“Ow!” they cried, grabbing their heads.
“Cut the crap,” the immortal ordered.
Sean recognized him from the meeting, but couldn’t remember his name.
“Aw, come on, Bastien,” the African-American vampire complained. “We were just razzing the new guy.”
“You’re lucky the new guy isn’t carrying. Get back to the lab.”
The White vampire grumbled something and dashed away. The other vampire grinned at Sean and shrugged. “Things were getting boring around here. No hard feelings?”
Before Sean could answer, he, too, darted away.
Sean stepped off the elevator with Cam. Just outside, a dozen men stood at the ready, faces tense, fingers on the triggers of their automatic weapons.
“Relax,” Bastien told Sean. “Those two are harmless.”
Sean tilted his head in the direction of the guards. “If the vampires are harmless, why are these guys so tense?”
He smirked. “They aren’t worried about the vampires. They’re worried about me.” He blurred, zipping down the hallway after the vamps.
Cam cleared his throat. “Would you like to meet Dr. Lipton now?”
“Um. Okay. Sure.”
This shit was weird.
More guards lined the hallway.
They nodded as Cam and Sean passed, boots clomping on the industrial-grade linoleum floor.
“Is security always this tight?” Sean marveled.
“Only when Bastien visits.”
A sardonic laugh floated through an open doorway coming up on their right.
Cam led the way inside what ended up being a large lab with every kind of medical testing equipment a doctor could wish for. The vampire practical jokers appeared to be doing everything they could to burn out the motors on two treadmills placed side by side. A brunet in a lab coat leaned over a desk, writing something in a file while Bastien lounged in a chair nearby, admiring her.
“Dr. Lipton?” Cam said.
Straightening, she turned around. Her furrowed brow cleared as her face brightened with a smile. “Hi, Cam.” Setting her pen down, she crossed to them and offered Sean her hand. “We weren’t formally introduced last night. I’m Melanie. You’re Sean, right?”
He smiled and shook her hand. “Yes.”
“So nice to meet you.” She motioned to the vampires. “Those two are Cliff and Stuart. Cliff’s on the left,” she said, indicating the grinning African American. “Stuart’s on the right.” Both vampires’ legs moved so quickly that they blurred, while their upper bodies remained almost stationary. It was a bizarre effect. “And this is my husband Bastien,” she finished.
Sean nodded to Bastien and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”