28
After convincing Blake that it was unwise to stay on the executive floor, and making sure he left the way he’d arrived, Oliver headed for the meeting room, where the meeting was already under way. The least he could do right now was see if he could help apprehend the vampires who ran the blood brothel. After all, he had some information that he hadn’t shared with his colleagues yet. It didn’t mean, however, that he would stop looking for Ursula.
Oliver stopped at the open door to the meeting room and peered inside. Over a dozen vampires were assembled, and since there was no empty seat, he remained standing at the door.
Zane had arrived in the meantime, and he and Thomas jointly led the meeting, filling in the assembled vampires on what had happened at the nightclub and whatever information Ursula must have given them about the blood brothel. Surprised murmurs went through the crowd.
“We must assume that one sip of the blood these women carry can turn you into an addict,” Zane continued.
“I beg to differ,” Oliver interrupted, drawing the crowd’s attention to him.
“So you decided to join us after all,” Thomas said.
Oliver ignored the stab and stared back at Zane. “I met a previous client of the blood brothel earlier tonight.”
“Why are we being informed of this only now?” Zane griped, clenching his teeth.
“If you hadn’t been so busy getting me out of the way so you could snatch Ursula behind my back, maybe I would have told you earlier!”
Zane made a hand movement, indicating him to shut up. “That’s nobody’s business. So, get to the point, unless this is another attempt to convince us to let you see her.”
Oliver narrowed his eyes, but decided not to fight him on this. There was time for that later. “The vampire was a leech. That’s what the girls at the blood brothel called the clients. Very fitting, I guess. He claimed to have only visited the brothel once, and I could see no signs of addiction.”
Zane huffed as if he didn’t believe him. “What else?”
“He was cooperative and agreed to contact us if he’s notified of the new location of the brothel.”
“How did you verify that he’s a former client? How did you find him when according to you he exhibited no signs of addiction or behavior that made him stand out?”
“I found his wallet.”
Zane raised an eyebrow. “Where?”
“In the building in Hunter’s Point.”
“The building was empty.”
“Not quite,” Oliver shot back, “it had a wallet in it. Ursula had stolen it from a client and then hidden it beneath the floorboards in her cell. I took her back there to search for it.”
“When you were supposed to drive her to the airport,” Zane added.
Oliver folded his arms over his chest and squared his stance. “Which we all know now was the wrong decision. If I had done that, I wouldn’t have found the wallet or the leech.”
But Zane didn’t take the bait and remained cool on the outside. “And when were you going to present us with this evidence?”
“I’m presenting it now, aren’t I?”
“After this meeting, I want to see you in my office, alone.” Then Zane looked back at the assembled vampires. “Now to your assignments. We have no lead yet as to where they might have relocated, but we assume they’re still in the Bay Area, because this is where their clients are.” He pointed to one of the vampires in the crowd. “Jay, you’ll be checking out the background of this Michael Valentine we apprehended. He’s still in our custody. Search his apartment, his mail, his computer, go through his phone, his address books, anything you can find. See if he’s received anything in the last two days that would indicate where the brothel has moved to.”
Jay nodded. “Consider it done.”
“Benjamin, have Jay give you a list of all of Valentine’s friends and acquaintances. Then you, Andrew, and Greg will check up on all the names on that list and see if any of them are also clients of the blood brothel. If they are, put some pressure on them and make them talk. See if they’ve received any text messages or emails with the new address of the blood brothel. We need to find the place. There are still a dozen women imprisoned there. We have to get them out. Quickly.”
Then he let his eyes roam. “The rest of you, you’re on regular patrol duty for those . . . leeches. Go to the clubs and watch out particularly for vampires feeding off Asian women, or even speaking with them. From what we know, they seem to be the only carriers of this blood. If you must, drop a few hints and pretend you know where a vampire can get high. Make sure you have backup. Are we clear?”
Several answered with a resounding “yes”; others simply nodded.
Oliver glanced to his side, having noticed that Eddie had approached. He now looked into the room, his eyes darting toward Thomas, who stood in one corner of the room, talking to Zane as the other vampires got up from their chairs.
As if Thomas could feel Eddie’s eyes on him, he turned his head and looked straight at him. There was an awkward pause before Eddie turned on his heels and left.
After the meeting, Thomas walked up to Oliver, tossing a long look down the hallway where Eddie had disappeared to.
“I need the name and address of that vampire you found.”
Oliver nodded. “Got something to write?”
Thomas handed him his notepad and pen, and Oliver started to scribble down the information.
“Something wrong with Eddie?” Thomas asked casually.
Oliver was glad that he was still busy writing the address down, so he didn’t have to look at Thomas when he answered him. “Didn’t notice anything.” Still feeling bad about what he’d blurted out for Eddie to overhear, he handed Thomas the pad and pen and changed the subject. “Don’t let Corbin know you’re checking his background. He’s cooperative, so don’t mess up the progress I’ve made already.”
“I’m not an amateur.”
A moment later Oliver stood in Zane’s office, tapping his foot while he waited for the bald vampire to make an appearance. He knew he was in for a dressing down, but he didn’t care what Zane had to say to him.
He didn’t have to wait long. Zane barged into the office, slamming the door behind him, reminding Oliver of the mood he was in. Pissed off didn’t even begin to describe it.
Zane pinned him with a glare. “Insubordination. Withholding of evidence. Refusal to follow orders . . . ”
“You’re repeating yourself. Insubordination and refusal to follow orders I believe are the same thing.” Oliver knew he was treading on thin ice, but he couldn’t help himself. Zane needed to be cut down from his high horse.
“Oh, you think you’re so smart! What happened to you, Oliver? What happened to the nice young guy who couldn’t do any wrong? Who looked up to us?”
Oliver fisted his hands at his hips. “That guy became one of you and realized you’re all made out of flesh and bone, just like the rest of us. You’re not any better than me! You’re just a bigger a*shole! So, go ahead, be yourself! Behave like an a*shole like you always do, and let’s get this over with. You wanna dress me down? Take a swing! See if I care.”
The standoff took several seconds, then Zane sighed. “You haven’t changed at all. You’re still a hothead, just like when you were human. Only then, you still had some respect for us. Or maybe you were afraid of us.”
“I was never afraid of you,” Oliver hissed.
“Well then it’s time to make sure you’re afraid of us now. So let me tell you this: you can kiss your job and your association with Scanguards goodbye if you don’t fall in line now. Orders issued by a Scanguards superior are to be followed. That goes for everybody, including you!”
Oliver crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s funny coming from you. Considering that not too long ago you defied direct orders from Gabriel and Samson to be with Portia.”
Zane’s chest rose. “Keep Portia out of this.”
Satisfied that he’d hit a nerve, Oliver continued, “It’s the same thing, so don’t make it sound like I’m the first one in this company who’s ever defied an order when he knew it was wrong. You of all people should understand. But no, you’ve suddenly turned into the establishment. When did you stop using your gut to figure out what’s right or wrong?”
“Don’t tell me who you think I am!” Zane thundered. “I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not working. I won’t tell you where she is. No discussion. You’re in no condition to be around her. Her blood will destroy you. And we all—all of us at Scanguards—care too much about you to let that happen.”
“You have a funny way of showing that!” Oliver grumbled and tuned on his heels.
Before Zane could stop him, he was out the door, slamming it even louder than Zane had only moments earlier.