There was silence over the line. Then Nicola whispered, “Fuck me. This is a cluster of epic proportions.”
“You can say that again. Listen, Nicola, the tranq dart was unavoidable. As soon as he calms down, I’m sure the director will—”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m certain he’s… over the edge right now. I’ll keep his goons in line as long as I can. But, Phoebe?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure your director lets him out soon or else I’ll come for him myself.” She paused for just a moment then cleared her throat. “My sister is missing, and Eadric is our best chance of finding her.”
“Understood,” I said. She was right. He was the most well-connected vampire in the city. One way or another, he’d find her… but only if he wasn’t locked in the basement of the Arcane building. “If you hear anything about Willow or Talisen, anything at all, please contact me ASAP. I’ll do the same if I hear anything about Pandora.”
“You got it.”
The line went dead and I shoved my phone back into my pocket. I glanced down at Link. “Where do you think everyone went?”
The dog took a few steps forward, glanced around, then looked back at me and tilted his head as if to say “beats me.”
“Son of a biscuit.” I eyed the computers that housed all the research. No doubt they were each password protected. It wasn’t that I couldn’t hack my way into them. I certainly could without even too much effort, but I wasn’t in the habit of hacking government systems. Not if I could help it anyway. Then there was the fact that the research gurus knew where to look for stuff and had a knowledge base stored in their minds that rivaled the computers’. Because the research staff rarely got out into the field, they thrived on gossip and traded in knowledge—confidential, highly classified knowledge. And if an agent could get one of the researchers to trust her, it was like hitting pay dirt.
I had a couple of people I could count on for inside information, but since the room was deserted, I was on my own with only a shih tzu for company. I let out a sigh and sat at the nearest desk. “Time to suck it up and get to work.”
Being that we were in the Void offices of the Arcane, it took me longer than usual to find a way into the system. Most computer security systems were no match for me and my witchy fingers. Unfortunately, my magical abilities had been neutralized the moment I walked through security, and I had to rely solely on my knowledge of computer systems. It was a damned good thing I’d spent a fair portion of my youth joined at the hip with my brother, the computer genius.
Seth’s goofy smile flashed in my mind and that pang of sadness that always lived deep in my bones washed over me. The weight of his loss was more than I could bear, and I quickly shook my head, stuffing his memory back into the hidden chambers of my heart. Everything about his disappearance was too painful, and the best thing I could do in that moment was focus on finding Willow and Tal.
With single-minded determination, I refocused my efforts, determined to find a way into the database. My fingers ached with the effort as I continuously pounded on the keys. A thin sheen of sweat coated my forehead, and I started to wonder if the security was going to get the best of me. But just as a growl of frustration escaped my lips, the security wall vanished and the main research screen popped up on the monitor.
“Yes!” I clicked the tab that read Identity Search. Another screen came up, and I added in the meager details on the vampire we’d lost the night before. Hair color: red. Vampire age: over one hundred. He was far too strong to be a vampire of the current century. Strength: off the charts. Last known location: New Orleans. There were other input fields, but I didn’t have the answers. Saying a little prayer to the gods, I hit Enter.
An hourglass cursor spun on the screen. In a matter of seconds, it disappeared and was replaced with a long list of names. Beside roughly half the names there were thumbnail pictures of the vampires. I glanced down and groaned. Forty-two pages of results. “Get comfy, Link. We’re going to be here a while.”
The shih tzu let out a whimper and flopped to the floor, resting his head on his paws. I knew exactly how he felt.
I’d made it through nine pages of rejects when I finally clicked on the right record and the vampire in question stared back at me. The word CLASSIFIED was stamped across the screen, and all the information had been blurred. Only those with clearance could see the details. Luckily, the director had given me the full support of the Void on this investigation, which meant nothing was classified if I needed it. Of course, she probably expected me to go through proper channels to secure the clearance I needed, but I didn’t have time for that. Better to hack my way in now and ask for forgiveness later. Especially since the entire research team seemed to be on a field trip.
Settling in, I let my fingers fly over the keys and was gratified when the classified notice vanished and the report on Carter Voelkel flashed on the screen. “I’ve still got it,” I said to myself.
“It appears you do,” a deep voice said from behind me.
Link jumped to his feet and paced behind my chair as if to guard me. In his shih tzu form, he wasn’t intimidating in the least, but I appreciated the effort.
I hit the Print button then turned to give the newcomer my attention. A tall, dark-haired man dressed in a business suit was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing me with suspicion.
“Care to explain who you are and who gave you access to classified records?” he asked. A muscle in his neck pulsed, and tension practically radiated from him.
“Agent Kilsen, and I gave myself access to the records since you all seemed to be taking a siesta.” I gave him a condescending smile and walked over to the copy machine to retrieve my records.
He glanced at the computer station where I’d been working. “Who gave you a clearance code?”
“The director.” It was a complete lie, but I was willing to bet the director would back me up. I had a job to do, and what was a minor detail like an access code? In fact, I was willing to bet she’d be disappointed if I couldn’t hack my way in. The director respected agents who could work their way through just about anything.
The man’s expression hardened. “Well, Kilsen, I’m going to have to confiscate those records until I get confirmation you have the right credentials to be here.”
I laughed and sat back down in front of the computer. “You can try, but I don’t think you’ll be successful. In any case, you can call whomever you want for confirmation. In the meantime, I’ll be right here finishing my research.”
He blinked. “Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?”
“Nope. And to be honest, I don’t really care.”
“And why is that, Kilsen?”
“Because right this minute, a vulnerable fae and her husband are missing, and if I don’t find her, all hell’s going to break loose in the vampire community. Now, you have two choices. You can either help me, or you can be a thorn in my side. If you choose the latter, I’ll just warn you now that I fight dirty.”
The man stared at me, his expression blank for a moment. Then he threw his head back and laughed.
“Laugh it up, geek boy. In the meantime, I’ll be here infiltrating your files.”
“I’ve got to give it to you. You sure are feisty.” He took a seat next to me and powered the computer on. “How about we start over. I’m Razor, the research director. And normally I’d toss your ass in the cells for hacking into my system, but since it appears you’re not here under nefarious motivations, I’ll just take it as a learning opportunity to tighten up the security walls.”
“Whatever, man. Do what you gotta do.” I gave him a cocky smile. “But I’ll probably still manage to get in if I really want to.”
He bowed his head. “Challenge accepted.”
I shrugged, turned back to the screen, and typed in the one word that might be the key to Willow’s whereabouts.
“Asier,” the man said. “What do you know about that?”