Kissed by Darkness(65)

“Sure. Bye Jack.” Awkward. Why did everything have to be some damn complicated?

I was nearly back to the car when I felt the tingling grip at the back of my skull that told me there was a vampire nearby. I quickly scanned both sides of the street and then I saw him, one of the vamps that nested with Kaldan. He was striding down the sidewalk on the other side of the Park Blocks, completely ignoring everything around him. He didn’t even see me. It was beyond brilliant. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.

Of course, it could be a trap, in fact it probably was, but faintness of heart never kicked evil vampire ass. When opportunity knocked, who was I to question? So, I yanked out my cell phone and hit speed dial.

“This better be good. I haven’t had my dinner yet.” Kabita’s tone was just about sharp enough to draw blood.

“Yeah, yeah, Cranky. Listen. I just spotted one of Kaldan’s flunkies. I’m going after him.” I think the sound she made was something between a shriek and a squeak, but it was hard to tell. It certainly wasn’t a “Yay, go you” kind of sound. It was much closer to a “you crazy lunatic” kind of sound, but I was used to that from Kabita.

“Not by yourself. Do you hear me, Morgan Bailey? Not by yourself, you bloody idiot!” Kabita’s voice had gone high enough to make dogs deaf.

“I’m only going to follow him. Track him back to wherever Kaldan is hiding. I’ll ring you when I’m there.” I disconnected before she could start screaming at me again. I knew that after she finished cussing me out six ways to Sunday, she’d round up Inigo and head my way. At any rate, I’d have a posse at my back before I hit Kaldan’s. I wasn’t stupid. Well, not often, anyway.

I followed the flunky as he hurried through the Park Blocks to Burnside Street and then up the street toward my old stomping grounds. I’d lived in an adorable little studio apartment just off southwest Burnside with a big claw foot bathtub and a bed that slid into the wall under a set of built-in bookshelves before fate, and a bad but thankfully short-lived relationship, had sent me to London.

There were a lot of places vampires could hide in that area, not to mention its close proximity to Pittock Mansion which might explain its popularity as a feeding ground. The underground Shanghai tunnels would make a perfect way to move about during the day without turning into a pile of ash.

Ten minutes later, the vamp stopped and I had to duck behind a parked car while he did a quick check to make sure no one was following him. Either he was really, really dumb, or this was a definite setup.

He hurried down a narrow side street and disappeared through a steel door into the shadows beyond. The door clanged shut behind him. It looked like another one of the many ordinary old brick warehouses in the Pearl District, but looks could be deceiving.

Over the past ten years or so, most of the warehouses in this part of town had been remodeled and turned into everything from trendy art studios to snazzy high security loft apartments. It was more common to see pretentious yuppies than blue-collar workers down here these days. I was betting whatever this particular warehouse had been turned into, the security would make Fort Knox look like a playground. Unless it was a trap, of course, then I’d be able to walk right in.

My pocket started vibrating.

“Where are you?” Kabita sounded pissed. OK, so I couldn’t exactly blame her, but what did she expect? That I’d just let the thing get away? As if.

“Eleventh, just a couple blocks off Burnside. He’s gone into one of the old warehouses in the Pearl District.” I rattled off the building number to her.

“Sit tight. We’ll be there in five minutes. Do you hear me? Do not go in. Morgan? Morgan? Dammit!”

I disconnected and shoved the phone back in my pocket. Going in alone was really, really stupid. I knew that. Five minutes was a long time, though. They could be doing anything in there.

I yanked the phone back out of my pocket to check the time. Four minutes. Shit. I paced back and forth on my side of the street. No windows, one door. I couldn’t see them and they couldn’t see me, but I’d bet anything they knew I was out there just like I knew without a doubt Kaldan was inside waiting. I couldn’t sense him through all the steel and brick, but I knew it without a shadow of a doubt.

Three minutes. “Hurry up, Kabita,” I muttered under my breath. I could only hope the waiting was making Kaldan as antsy as it was making me. Antsy vamps were dangerous, but just like the people they used to be, they were also more likely to make mistakes. Vamps who made mistakes were easier for me to kill.

Two minutes. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Every molecule of my body was screaming at me to get inside, but I knew that was a good way to get myself killed. I couldn’t sense anything through the brick and steel walls of the warehouse, but my gut told me there was a nest in there and going in alone was a really good way to get myself killed, so I stayed melted into the shadows on my side of the street and paced like a good little Hunter.