“Shit.”
On that note, she broke out into the stairwell and rushed down the fresh pine stairs, entering the code a second time and shoving the lower panel wide. Outside, the night smelled of fresh earth and coming snow.
And soot from the fire.
There was no ambient light anywhere. All she could see were shapes within the darkness: a lineup of vehicles, the soaring flank of the building, the stick-tree forest like a sketch that had yet to be colored in. As she attempted to get her bearings, her thundering heart in her chest was loud in her ears, and her lungs didn’t seem to be working—
What the hell was that clicking sound?
Oh. Her tongue in her own mouth.
Putting out the key fob, she pressed one of the buttons. Somewhere over to the left, there was a beep and a flash of orange, so she hit it again. Tracking the strobing, she found the SUV parked grille-in between a truck and a box van with no side windows.
When she tried the door handle, she realized she’d just managed to lock the thing really tight. She pushed the other buttons, raising the back end, and then—
The alarm was loud as a scream, the flashing headlights and taillights like a bad concert come to life. Shoving the fob out in front of herself, like it was a gun she could shoot the SUV with, she scrambled to—
Silence.
Looking around, she held her breath. When there were no sounds of people rushing up to her—or shooting at her—she scrambled down to the rear hatch and shut it with the fob. As the panel lowered itself automatically, she got a quick view into the back thanks to the glow of the interior lighting. The seats had all been put down, as if there had been cargo of some sort loaded in there, and the white powder residue told her everything she needed to know about what exactly had been transported.
Rio raced around and yanked open the driver’s side door. Getting behind the wheel, she locked everything up and started the engine. As the headlights exploded to life, that was when she got a proper look at the building. It was brick with cream mortar that was streaked with the grime of the ages. Rows and rows of windows stretched five stories up. And wings that seemed the size of airplane hangars flanked either side.
What the hell was this place, she thought as she put the engine in reverse.
Backing out of the spot, she hit the brakes and stared through the windshield.
Fumbling to find the right button, she lowered the window next to her and then she got out the phone and swiped up to bypass the code requirement. She took pictures of everything, including the back door she’d come out of and the burn marks on the pavement.
Then she hit the gas and kept snapping the pictures as she followed the lane down the rear of the building. Emerging from the lee of the wing on the right, she came around the front and stopped again.
“Where have I seen you,” she whispered as she took more pictures with the phone. “I know you from somewhere . . .”
The open-air porches were the thing that jogged her memory: There were open-air porches across all the levels of the wings, the center core of the building the only part that was solid.
“Go,” she told herself. “You have to go.”
As Lucan stood in front of the private quarters, he shook his head at the leader of the guard squad. “Fine, you’re going to have to shoot me if you want to get in there.”
The female seemed surprised he wasn’t following orders, even with the threat of death. But come on, like he hadn’t had countless I’m-going-to-kill-you’s in his life? She was going to have to do better than that if she wanted to impress him.
“I have nothing against keeping human pets,” she said as she got nose to nose with him. “But you don’t shit where you eat, at least not on my watch. She is not welcome here. So you’re going to let me in there to deal with her, and then you’re going to go the fuck down to Caldwell and finish what you started with Mozart.”
Lucan glanced at Apex and Mayhem, trying to gauge their readiness to fight. Both of the males were rock steady, prepared to use their guns.
“You know,” he said, prepared to work his leverage, “if you want to get the deal done, you need me. I’m the only one who knows who the contacts are down in Caldwell. Sure, you can re-create it all, but it’ll cost you time and money. And as for her? I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but you better do the math on her role, too. She’s Mozart’s right-hand woman. You bury her? We lose the deal, and Mozart is going to come after you with everything he’s got. You’ll end up defending yourself instead of making money.”
“You honestly believe humans can get in here? They’re weak, and disorganized on their best night. Against my males, they don’t stand a chance.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
“I gave you an opportunity to be reasonable.” The head of the guards nodded off to the side. “But it is what it is.”
There was a shuffling. A moan of pain. And a scent of fresh blood—
The flank of guards that had gathered parted, and before Lucan’s eyes could properly focus on what was coming forward, Apex let out a curse and lunged forward.
Toward Kane, who was being dragged forward by two heavily armed males.
Lucan caught the other prisoner’s arm and yanked him back. “Don’t give her more than she already has,” he hissed quietly.
Kane’s head lolled on his shoulder, fresh blood running from his raw wounds, his breathing a rattle in lungs that had been burned on their insides.
“Oh,” the head of the guards murmured, “did you think it was your corpse I was going to step over? You’re right. I need you, but I don’t need him.”