Seventy-Three

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and without sudden movements I took it out, glancing at the screen, then to the rearview mirror as my breath caught in my throat. I was in the back seat of the truck, and we headed upstate.
**Shane-** Alex, I’m in trouble.
**Alex-** Shane? What’s wrong? Where are you?
**Shane-** They caught me helping you. The men are taking me to Him…
**Alex-** Shane?
**Shane-** …
**Alex-** Shane!
Shit, and now? I didn’t know what to do. If I told them, they wouldn’t let me sneak into the house and the entire plan would go to waste, and that wasn’t an option. I had to get my sister out of there. It seemed things were getting crappy even before they started, and if they were taking Shane to Him, I could kill two birds with one stone. And to think that all this time it was Radu shitting our lives. Pesky little brat!
I remember his youngest brother as if it was yesterday. Tall and handsome as my Vlad, but where grizzly beauty was more exotic, Radu was classic, aristocratic. I saw him a few times and met him only once around Poenari. Vlad didn’t accept he was in cahoots with the sultan and held a terrible grudge against him, but he inspired pity on me. His eyes were gorgeous, but dead, filling my heart with sorrow for him. And he also held a grudge for Vlad, for some unknown reason.
It surprised me he was the one running the agency. I’d never imagine he also got cursed. How much hate did he have in his heart to have the patience to orchestrate a revenge against his brother for centuries? But it was time for him to know that his sister-in-law had a few tricks up her sleeve now. It amazed me at how comfortable I was in Liz’s skin. It felt like I had woken up from a long sleep and everything went back to the way it should be.
Since the Agency betrayed me, they didn’t know my talents had grown. I may have mentioned to Shane, but he didn’t realise the power I yield. Doctor Blake saw it, but if he wanted to make amends with me, he wouldn’t tell anyone. To my advantage, if something went wrong, I’d just warn the boys, and they’d come in. I hoped.
We were closer to West Point, NY, getting into Harriman state park, and up to MoonBeams Preserve. It was right there, where the bastard hid his sorry ass, then another ping, a video from Shane’s phone. I turned the volume down and pushed play. They were hurting him, torturing him beyond endurance, but how? I couldn’t even let go of my emotions or they would know something was wrong.
**Alex-** You’re dead meat!
**Shane-** Can’t wait...
I turned the cell off, throwing it on the seat. Doctor Blake gave me the directions, but I didn’t know how he got them. I just prayed daddy dearest was true to his promises, or this time he would not survive to see another daylight. Suddenly, Anton parked the car. We were about a mile or a little more away from the place.
“Are you ready, pumpkin?” he asked, turning to me in the backseat. I just nodded, and we got out of the car. “Be careful and keep your mind with ours.” Dad hugged me to him, kissing the top of my head. “Everything will be fine. I trust you.” Ouch! That hurt. If only they knew Shane had contacted me. Dad wouldn’t say that. I flushed in shame.
I went to Vlad and put my hand above his heart. “Everything will be fine. My sixth sense is unbelievably quiet, and it’s a good sign. It doesn’t matter the outcome, we’ll be fine. Remember our deal, you promised me.” The anxiety in his forest greens, staring back at me, made me weep inside. I claimed his lips in a long and deep kiss, meant to soothe, to reassure his soul, to make him understand I was going to come back. “I love you, Grizzly. Wait for me, ok!” I said against his lips.
“Please, keep me informed at all times, dragă.” Gosh, it was so hard, I knew, everything would be fine, but it was hard to let go of the warmth of his body. He was holding himself not to drag and lock me in the car. It was driving him insane. The need to take the lead and put me out of harm’s way gnawed at him. I felt it, and I couldn’t be more proud of him for holding to his word.
I put my night vision glasses on and left. If one asked me how I did it, I wouldn’t know how to explain it. I was so used to it; it was like a second nature to me, as I’ve never thought about the mechanics of it. I concentrated and felt light. Even my footfalls had no sound, not a vibration, nor a movement or a light breeze. Nature didn’t get disturbed by me. If someone saw me would say I glided, and they would be right.
About fifteen minutes later, I checked in with them and stopped analyzing the house. It was a big, simple two-story house with stones on the walls and painted in white, but I thought it would be different, fancier. The forest surrounded it, but also a high chain-link fence. I was sure some sort of alarm would go off if I tried to climb it.
Glancing around, I found some trees close to the fence in a dark spot. I inspected them, and it didn't take too long for me to climb to the thick branch near the fence. With my strength, I prayed to jump over it and fall to the other side, or it'd be an ugly death. I breathed, trying to relax, and jumped, stretching my body in the air and falling on the other side, rolling on the grass and blending into the shadows.
There were three cars parked by the front, but if there were people living in this place, it sounded too quiet for nine in the evening. Something was off, but my senses weren’t blasting the word danger in my brain. According to the coordinates, Alice’s quarters were by the left wing, the second window to the right.
The night air was bone freezing cold. I checked the stone wall of the house. There were crevices where I could hold myself and get to the second floor, but it had snowed a few days ago and the rocks were slippery. I had to be extra careful, and it took me more time than I wanted to get to her windowsill.
There was a crack between the window and the wood. Pushing the glass up, I made my way inside, shutting it behind me. The same dark energy that hit me in the coffee place weeks ago assaulted me. My stomach heaved in protest when I turned from the window, and lights flooded the place, making me blink to get used to it as I pushed my glasses up.
“The little mouse caught in the trap!” A deep and dark voice echoed, and I stepped back, looking around. No one in the room, except the hunk a few feet from me.
If I didn’t know better, I could swear I had Grizzly in front of me, with very few distinctions. His hair was longer than I remembered and he was clean shaven, with the same kissable lips; green eyes with a hint of blue, cunning, but there was something different in them; same height, but slender body. He adapted very well over the centuries, even had a taste for fashion. Italian shoes, nice black pants, his also black fitting shirt with a few buttons opened leaving to the imagination, and rolled sleeves up to the elbows. Yes, brother dearest was a handsome man, too bad he was an evil prick.
“Radu? What the hell are you doing here?” I frowned at him and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to answer me.
*‘Dragă, something is not right! I can feel it.’* Vlad barged into my mind. When did my sixth sense fail me? It didn’t warn me I was walking into a trap again.
‘*Give me just a few more minutes, Grizzly.’*
“Shouldn’t I ask you the same, little sister! I feel my brother and his doormat at close range, so I advise you to tell me where they are, and I may spare their lives.” I fell into a laughing fit and flushed red when I snorted. What kind of criminal was he? So cliché, for crying out loud! I tried to gather myself since his eyes flickered a menacing kind of red, just like dad, but different.
*‘Grizzly, your brother and you suck at negotiating!’
‘Liz! What the hell is going on there? How do you… Liz, we’re moving!’
‘No! You agreed to follow my lead. Trust me a bit more. Please. I’ll broadcast the entire thing to you.’* I hoped the growl in my head was a yes.
“Look, pal, wanna know where they are, produce my sister and Shane, two for two!” I nagged, glaring at him with my hands on my hips, but what I got from him was a sarcastic grin at the mention of Shane. Only now, my built-in alarm wanted to work?
*‘Shane? What did you forget to tell us, Alexandra?’
‘Later, dad...’*
“You didn’t change a bit!” He sneered at me, disgusted. “Follow me.” As he turned, my eyes traveled to his tushy snuggled in those pants. Just sinful, like Vlad’s.
*‘Woman! Take your eyes off my brother’s rear end!’* He hissed, and I rolled my eyes, following right behind him.
I don’t know what this snake had in mind, but he agreed too easily. As he took me through the house, I sent a detailed map to Vlad and dad. Once in a while he turned, glancing suspicious of me. If he could feel energy around him, I had to be careful not to give myself away. We went down several flights of stairs. Now I realised why the house didn’t look opulent, most of it was underground. We stopped at a door and he grabbed me by the arm.
“Have a pleasant reunion, Liz.” He opened the door and shoved me inside. The first thing I saw was my sister huddled in a corner. Her eyes flung to him as he faced her. I wasn’t sure, but for a scant second, Radu’s eyes lit up, then it was gone. “When you’re ready to talk and tell me a few secrets of your own, press that button, otherwise enjoy your stay for the time being.” I knew I had angered him, and once more his eyes flickered, spreading an icy chill up my spine, but this little jerk didn’t know with whom he messed. And daddy dearest must have sold me out.