Luther's Return (Scanguards Vampires Book 10)

Luther tightened the silver chain he’d snatched from a hook on the wall around the guard’s neck and jerked him away from Katie just in time. With his knee, he kicked his opponent in the back, making him not only lose his balance but also the bloody knife in his hand.

Instantly, Luther trained his eyes on Katie: a red bloodstain spread on the white dress shirt, soaking it just above her waist.

“Shit!”

He noticed her sway.

“Hold on, Katie!” he urged her, as he pulled his captive back toward the wall lined with steel conduits. He looped the ends of the silver chain around the thick metal rod and secured it, tying up his prisoner, while Patterson clawed at the chain to loosen it from his neck—to no avail. The silver bit into his skin, burning him, slowly eating away the upper layers.

Angry eyes stared at Luther.

“Don’t worry, you’ll survive.”

“Bastard!” the guard choked out. “I’m gonna get you for this!”

But Luther had already rushed to Katie, who was barely keeping herself upright. “Got you!” He grabbed her with one arm, lifted her off the floor and rounded the console.

“Gotta get out of here,” she murmured, sounding breathy.

“I’ll get you out,” he promised, while he scanned the computer console with his eyes, looking for the right button to operate the door to the outside.

Shit! They’d made some modifications to the original design. Well, it didn’t matter. He’d just have to improvise.

From the other side of the door, Luther heard sounds. Something breaking. Fuck! They’d managed to break down the door whose card reader Luther had trashed.

“In here!” Patterson screamed, alerting his colleagues. “He’s in here!”

Luther flipped two switches on the console, then hit a button. A buzzing sound came from the door to the outside.

With Katie in his arms, he ran toward it, snatched a semi-automatic gun from the rack on the wall and rushed through the opening door.

Before the door could close behind him, he spun around and emptied the entire clip into the center of the console, where the motherboard was located. Sparks flew and the computer hissed just as the other door to the control room burst open and guards rushed into the room.

The door snapped shut, and the sounds of the guards were immediately muffled.

Luther prayed that the backup lockdown mechanism still worked the same way he’d originally designed it, and that by disabling the computer, the backup would immediately kick in, assess the threat, and lock down the facility.

Luther rushed to the last door, Katie clutched to his chest. He swiped Bauer’s access card, and the door to freedom opened. He barreled outside into the open air. The moment the door closed behind him, he heard the sound of a foghorn: lockdown. Relief flooded him. Not even the guards could get out now. It would take at least half an hour for even the best IT expert to override the system and unlock the doors.

Time enough to get away.

“You’re safe, Katie. Just hold on for a little while longer,” he demanded.

The pickup truck he found in the parking lot was perfect. He carefully laid Katie on the front bench, shucked the heavy Kevlar vest and gloves and hotwired the car. Once the engine started, he pulled Katie’s head onto his lap and drove off.

His eyes searched the rearview mirror, but there was no movement, no cars following them as he put miles between them and the prison. For the first time in minutes, he took a conscious breath.

Keeping his left hand on the steering wheel, he reached for Katie with his right. “I’m gonna check your wound. I won’t hurt you.”

She moaned when he touched her left flank. The dress shirt was soaked in blood, and the smell, now that they were in a confined space, filled his nostrils and made hunger surge inside him. He forced it back down.

As gently as he could, he peeled back the ripped cloth and exposed the wound.

“Shit!”

Her eyes shot open and met his. “Is it bad?” she choked out.

“Just a flesh wound. You’ll be all right,” he deflected, choosing not to tell her the truth. “But we’ve gotta stop the bleeding.”

Katie pressed her hand onto the wound. “No hospital, right?” she guessed.

He gave her a faint smile. She was smart. He couldn’t bring her to a hospital. Not only would it delay their escape, the council that ran the vampire prison had spies everywhere. They would know quickly where to find him. By now they would have identified him from the camera feeds inside the prison.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, a gurgle in her voice now. “It’s all my fault. They’ll lock you up again.”