Summit at Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 3) (38 page)

Caleb reached out to grasp Dori’s arm to halt her. She curiously looked at him, and he consulted his watch.

“This is turning out to be a dead end,” he said. “Listen, it’s almost sunset, and I don’t want to be caught out when the vamps come out to play. Besides, somebody’s going to miss us before long. At least we can say that we tried.”

“It’s a little disappointing,” she admitted. “You’re probably right, though. They’ll be missing us soon, if they haven’t already noticed us gone.”

They turned and walked back through the oppressive passageway towards the entrance. After passing the first illuminated side corridor, they picked up their pace. They abruptly heard Slovene-accented voices coming from the direction of the entrance, and they stopped dead in their in their tracks.

Caleb heard a voice that he recognized, and a sour feeling formed in the pit of his stomach.

“Why did you idiots wait on me?” complained Dominic Ambrogio. “Get in there, you fools!”

“Shit,” whispered Caleb. “Sunset already arrived.”

Dori reached into her satchel, retrieving an automatic pistol.

Caleb’s eyes widened, not expecting a firearm, and he stared at her.

“Who
are
you?”

“Never mind that. Start backing up as quickly and quietly as you can.”

He quietly retreated back down the passageway with Dori covering them.

“I can smell them,” Ambrogio seethed. “And I recognize one in particular.”

A shiver went up Caleb’s spine as he heard the pounding of multiple boots coming closer towards them. Within seconds, a man wearing a woodland camouflage uniform appeared around a slight bend, immediately raising and firing an assault rifle. Bullets ricocheted around them, causing Caleb to crouch involuntarily.

But Dori expertly raised her pistol, firing twice. The man groaned, falling to the floor clutching his chest.

“Run!” she yelled.

The sounds of firing and ricocheting bullets reverberated through the corridor as they fled headlong into the darkness. Dori managed to grab Caleb’s arm to divert him down the illuminated side corridor to their left. The echoing sounds of gunfire were nearly deafening in close quarters.

“
You
!” Ambrogio shouted from the end of the short passageway.

Dori turned and fired twice as Caleb dove headfirst into the storage room they had investigated earlier. A roar that chilled Caleb’s soul followed, along with Dori at his heels. He turned to see the vampire’s pulsating blue eyes and look of rage as blood ran down his forehead.

Dori managed to push against the door, but the vampire’s arm reached inside, preventing it from fully shutting.

Caleb grabbed a solid-looking metal pipe and swung it downwards with all the force that he could muster from all the years of playing baseball in college. The pipe impacted the vampire’s arm with a bone-crushing thud, eliciting an anguished, painful scream.

The arm disappeared, and Caleb helped Dori shut the door. Gunshots sounded, followed by the impact of rounds against the door. Fortunately, they failed to penetrate. Dori quickly slammed the door’s deadbolt into place.

Both were breathing heavily while leaning against the door. Then a huge object slammed into the door, causing a reverberation that rumbled through Caleb’s chest.

“Oh, he’s mad now,” Dori announced.

“Gee, you think?”

He looked back at the wooden benches and hurriedly pushed one against the door with Dori’s assistance. His vision fell upon some empty cardboard light bulb packaging labeled
UV Fluorescent
along with high-value wattages.

Suddenly, he realized where the menacing light bulbs used in their suite must have come from. Dori caught his gaze and looked down at the tabletop.

“One mystery solved,” she acknowledged. “Now if we can just live long enough to reveal it.”

He didn’t like the way she said that, but he found it hard not to concede the gravity of their situation.

*    *    *    *

Chapter 10: Choices

Paige sat at her desk in the security office listening to Aiden describe a series of advanced concepts in modern building electrical circuitry layout. Until that day, she had a functional understanding of basic AC and DC circuits, but lacked the advanced knowledge to fathom some of the intricacies of what had happened in Katrina and Caleb’s suite.

“Am I going too fast?” he politely asked.

“Nope, got it.”

The young electrician shook his head with wonder. “Well, you’re the first person who’s new to this type of information that grasped everything we’ve talked about in only a single conversation. I mean, it took me months of studying and hands-on apprenticeship to become comfortable with this.”

She shrugged. “Survival mechanism for vampires,” she offered. “You either learn quickly and adapt, or you’re dead. Anyway, I’ve tinkered with basic electrical work before.”

“Okay, then. Let’s move on.”

Following two additional hours of discussion, including a sidebar of questions for clarification, Paige felt more comfortable with the theory of operation for the advanced concepts. At least, it all made sense to her after he had explained it. Granted, it wasn’t as if she were ready to become a trade electrician, but she would at least be able to conceptualize the things he had described.

“Thanks, Aiden,” she offered. “I owe you one.”

Then she turned to the female vampire manning the surveillance system.

“Hey, Satish. Get hold of Caleb and get him down here. I have a few questions to ask him.”

“Right away, Captain,” the vampire replied and reached for a nearby phone.

Aiden tried to ignore the exchange while gathering up the notes that he had written out for Paige. He neatly arranged them and handed them over to her. Then he gathered up his can of Sprite and headed for the door.

“Thanks for the drink,” he remarked while reaching for the handle.

“He’s not in his room,” Satish remarked. She quickly scanned the video screens before her and spoke into her headset, “All eyes for Caleb Taylor. Report.”

“No problem, Aiden,” Paige absently remarked.

Then she looked up. “Hey, do you know where I can find Caleb?” Aiden paused but didn’t turn around.

“Me? Nah, haven’t seen him since this afternoon.” He opened the door and stepped across the threshold.

She frowned, noting the discreet tension in the man’s body.

“Aiden,” she prompted.

Satish looked up from her screens and turned to face Paige. “Captain, all units reporting in. Nobody has eyes on Taylor, and the screens aren’t showing anything. He might be in another guests’ room,” she ventured.

Aiden turned to look at Paige with an innocent expression. “Yes, Captain?”

Paige’s bright blue eyes bored into the young man’s, and he swallowed hard. It was just a hunch, but she decided to play it.

“Where exactly did you last see Caleb?”

*    *    *    *

Katrina idly wondered what Dominic Ambrogio had been in a hurry to attend to, while also partly listening to some very good suggestions being offered by Hakizimana. In particular, he suggested a cooperative agreement for the use of Sunset Air services and other resources as an incentive for membership towards a worldwide consortium of vampires. She was really surprised by how many useful suggestions the ancient vampire had brought up.

And to think, he had been opposed to even being here leading up to the conference
.
Alton must be beside himself with glee now.

A knock sounded at the door, ushering in a hush across the room. This time, instead of the security guard, a very concerned-looking Paige Turner entered, directly walking to Alton and Katrina.

Katrina’s optimistic features fell, and the pit of her stomach soured.

Paige handed a note to each of them, saying, “My apologies for the interruption. An urgent matter.”

And how
, she grimly thought.

Katrina’s features turned to stone as she read the note:
Caleb and Dori both missing. Aiden helped to distract a guard so they could leave the property.

“Bloody hell,” Alton cursed under his breath in uncharacteristic fashion, trumping Katrina’s own pending exclamation of surprise.

Instead, Katrina immediately rose, demanding, “Gather an escort.”

Paige nodded, and Katrina followed her from the room in a rush.

“What’s happened?” demanded Rianne.

Everyone else looked up with a mix of concern and curiosity.

Alton clenched his jaw. “I’m afraid we must adjourn for the day, everyone. An urgent personal matter has arisen requiring immediate attention by both the chair and the co-chair.”

Baldar Dubravko chuckled, breaking the silence in the room. “Let me guess, Rutherford. Your humans are running amok again, aren’t they?”

Alton ground his teeth and marked the vampire with contempt in a stare that would freeze open flames. “We will resume discussions tomorrow. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience.”

With no further comment, he stalked from the room.

*    *    *    *

Katrina and Paige watched as Alton quickly removed the tracking unit from the black storage case in his suite. Within seconds, he had powered it on and was initializing the system for use.

“I just don’t understand what they’re trying to pull,” Katrina angrily complained. It was upsetting that not even the threat of homing transmitters could keep the two troublemakers on site.

It’s worse than raising teenagers
.

“Any idea where they went?” Alton demanded as the system finished initializing.

Paige’s expression spoke volumes of the worry that she felt. “Maybe. From what little the surveillance cameras show, they likely hopped into the back of a linens truck bound for town.”

Alton paused, sharply looking up at Paige.

Katrina took immediate notice and demanded, “What? What are you thinking?”

“The mines,” Alton muttered. “Dori tried to tell me there was something suspicious about those damned mines near the storage building where they were first apprehended. I told her that she was grasping at straws.”

The tall vampire strode to a nearby closet, removing a leather briefcase. Inside was an array of small weapons. He tossed two combat knives to Katrina and withdrew a knife and automatic pistol for himself.

“Come on, let’s go,” Paige insisted. She fingered the hilt of a large combat knife tucked into her waistband and concealed beneath her blazer.

“No,” Alton countered. “I need you to stay here and coordinate efforts. If I need more people, you’ll need to dispatch them. I don’t have confidence in the major’s competency as of late.”

Paige didn’t like staying behind, but she immediately took note of Alton’s suspicions concerning the major. A number of things didn’t set well with her either, but she had thought it was just because she personally didn’t like the guy.

“Fine,” she reluctantly conceded. “There are four guards sitting in two SUVs waiting out front for you.”

Alton and Katrina stormed from the suite in a blur of motion.

*    *    *    *

Dori and Caleb stacked three more benches in front of the storage room door. The sound of a large object battering against the other side of the door reverberated through the room, jostling the benches with each impact.

Their expressions mirrored the fear and anxiety that each felt.

“That won’t hold them forever,” Dori warned.

The battering stopped, and moments later, all the lights went out. In the darkness, the only sound was their heavy breathing.

Then the battering began again on the door.

Caleb activated his flashlight, and his mind raced for any useful ideas. His light beam swept the perimeter of the room, and he noticed three small crates labeled as explosives.

Dori stared at where his light shone and began shaking her head.

“Don’t even think about it, Taylor,” she warned. “It’ll kill us all.”

He jolted as another massive impact hit the door. He continued sweeping the area with his flashlight and found the UV light bulbs. Nearby, he noticed electrical extension cords alongside light ballasts, and an idea formed.

“How many bullets do you have left?” he asked.

She paused to count. “Twelve, spread between two magazines.”

Another crash landed against the door, and the hinges squeaked loose.

He steeled himself for what was coming. “If...When that door comes down, I’m gonna need you to shoot any humans that you can.”

“There’s also at least one really pissed off vampire out there.”

He grabbed some side cutting pliers from the floor and began stripping back one end of electrical cable from one of the light ballasts.

“True. But I’ve got an idea.”

*    *    *    *

The tracking device didn’t register any beacon signals from the immediate vicinity around the conference site, but as Alton and Katrina’s entourage raced towards town at breakneck speed, a faint blip registered. The sun was already hidden by the horizon, leaving only a fading glow that illuminated the countryside barely enough for a human to see without artificial light. The ambient UV radiation was more than tolerable for vampires, for which Katrina was particularly grateful.

The two SUVs raced through the center of Podjelje, heedless of the display they were making. Upon arrival at the small garage near the souvenir shop, Katrina pointed to the small dirt road leading into the forest towards the mountain.

“There,” she urged, at which Alton gunned the vehicle down the road.

“I can go faster by foot,” she argued while reaching for the door handle.

“No,” he admonished. “We still have to conceal our existence to the general public. Things are bad enough, and containment’s going to be questionable as it is.”

She grit her teeth as countless seconds passed. Once the vehicles were heading through the trees, she leapt from the vehicle and ran well ahead of them.

Dodging trees in a blur of movement, she quickly arrived outside the small storage building where she spotted three vehicles: a police car, a small truck painted in forest camouflage, and one of the tinted-glass SUVs from the conference site that was parked right next to the building’s entrance.

She approached the small building and immediately spied a secret entrance into a darkened cave-like interior. Hearing the sound of pounding inside, she entered as the two SUVs pulled up outside.

A man wearing a hunting outfit and carrying an assault rifle appeared in the entryway. Rather than speaking, he immediately raised his weapon to fire.

Katrina sidestepped the burst of gunfire and threw one of her combat knives, squarely catching the man in the chest. Additional rounds ricocheted harmlessly around the room as the man spun to the floor.

Alton appeared inside the doorway, quickly assessing the situation. He heard shouts of voices from inside and motioned to the vampire guards as he brandished his automatic pistol.

“Two inside, two outside. Eliminate anyone who’s not ours,” he ordered.

Two of the guards sped past him into the mine, and the other two took up positions outside. Katrina darted in behind the guards with Alton closely following.

Fresh gunfire quickly erupted.

*    *    *    *

As Paige paced the floor of the security office waiting for word from Katrina and Alton, some motion caught her attention beyond the front office window. She saw the major talking to Baldar Dubravko in the lobby. Pietari hastily surveyed the lobby and gestured towards the security office with one hand.

Something that Alton had said earlier replayed in Paige’s mind, and she reached into her desk drawer to withdraw a small digital recorder. Picking up a handful of reports from her desk, she moved like a blur to enter the major’s office.

She tossed the paperwork onto his desk and activated the recorder, which she slid behind a line of books on a shelf suspended from the wall behind the desk.

The door to the main office opened and Pietari and Dubravko entered. Paige acknowledged them in passing on their way to the major’s office.

“Papers on your desk to sign, Major.”

“Fine, thanks,” Pietari distractedly replied and closed the door behind them.

She returned to her desk and scowled.

For once, there’ll actually be a fly on the wall. Or at least, in the bookcase.

*    *    *    *

Caleb relied on Dori’s flashlight so that he could use both hands to work. He had already rewired one of the small ballasts to a long, heavy-duty extension cord. After inserting two of the fluorescent UV bulbs into the ballast, he picked up the connector plug at the other end of the cord. Using his own flashlight, he located an electrical outlet that had been spiked into the mine wall and anxiously looked up at Dori.

Another heavy impact strained against the door’s hinges. The top bracket barely remained secured to the rafter.

“Let’s hope they only turned out the lights and not the entire system,” he suggested and plugged the cable in.

A warm glow emanated from the bulbs.

“Yes!” he exclaimed.

The echoes of gunfire erupted from beyond the door, but they sounded more distant than earlier. In addition, the pounding on the door abruptly ceased.

“Help me move the benches,” Caleb urged as he slipped on a pair of old gloves lying nearby.

“You’re insane!” Dori seethed.

“Hey, everyone says that the best defense is a good offense,” he countered.

She shook her head and helped him push the benches aside.

The sounds of additional distant gunfire continued outside. Then the pounding on the other side of the door renewed, and it nearly came off its hinges.

Caleb signaled to Dori to open the door, and with one fluid motion, she disengaged the bolt and flung open the door.

Ambrogio appeared surprised as the door opened to reveal his grimacing face. Caleb turned the full force of the light ballast onto the vampire, and his exposed skin immediately sizzled.