Chapter 177
Nevertheless, I was so proud of Brandon, of what he had become already. I had no doubt Brandon would dispatch that stalker, and he’d catch up to us soon. As Zabrina began to drag me down another hallway, I tried to dig my heels in, praying my sister would get there soon. If I was going to Resurrect, I didn’t want to do it alone. I knew I could be compliant. I didn’t want to turn into a monster like the woman who had me by the throat.
Having never been here before I didn’t know where she was dragging me to, though I saw a sign that said “Cira Center” and another that said “Pedestrian Bridge.” I thought maybe she was taking me to a second location. I’d seen on lots of talk shows that you should never let an assailant take you to a second location, though I had no idea why she was taking me anywhere at all or what I could do about it.
My mind wandered back to the note, the one Giovani had left. “Miss me, miss me… you know what comes next.” We had all thought he meant, “Now you’ve got to kiss me,” and wondered why he would threaten that to Cadence. As Zabrina began to breathe a little heavier than before, it occurred to me: that note wasn’t addressed to Cadence. Giovani had been taunting me. This whole time, I had been so insignificant, just a tiny speck in the LIGHTS universe, to everyone—except Cadence. And now, Giovani was doing his best to exploit that. Somehow, I’d managed to fall right into his trap.
But how had he known I’d do this, come to Philadelphia?
I saw Brandon sprinting toward me, and from here he looked unscathed. I wished I could smile because I was extremely proud of him. The hours we’d spent on the train together had been more than just a way to pass the time. We’d genuinely bonded. He was an amazing person, and I was going to miss him if my sister couldn’t figure out a way to keep a Vampire on her staff. I was glad that Brandon had taken care of the creep from the train station.
That was it—the guy from the train station had been in Kansas City! He had followed us here, but if he hadn’t, he was supposed to get me! I would’ve ended up here either way, assuming the Vampire sent to collect me managed to get past Brandon. That explained Brandon’s upset stomach on the train as well as the problems my sister had been having. The Vampire must’ve been close enough to headquarters to send off her alerts. He’d been stalking me. For days.
We were on a bridge now, and it seemed to be made entirely of glass except the floor. I pondered whether or not plummeting to my death would be better than Resurrecting. If I could get away from her, jumping might be my only recourse. Brandon was strong, but I knew he couldn’t take Zabrina, not on his own.
Zabrina came to a halt, and I only wondered why for a moment. Brandon had caught up to us, but Zabrina must not be alone now. I couldn’t turn to look. She had me by the throat, and as Brandon demanded she let me go, she grabbed the hair on the top of my head and pulled my head straight up. It was excruciating, and I couldn’t help but let out a sharp scream. I looked up to see Zabrina’s razor sharp fangs just inches from my flesh and wondered if she even knew she’d already scratched me or if this was all for show.
Brandon’s nostrils flared, and he lunged forward, but he froze at the sound of another voice coming from over Zabrina’s shoulder.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Giovani’s voice was a sound I’d only ever heard before in my dreams, and it was nothing like I’d imagined. He had a faint Italian accent, and his voice was much higher than I expected. “We will not hesitate to turn the younger Miss Findley into one of us.”
Brandon stopped dead in his tracks. He must’ve realized they were not bluffing. Behind him, I could see three figures dressed all in black rushing toward us. I didn’t recognize any of them at first, they moved so quickly, but when they screeched to a halt behind Brandon, I saw Eliza standing in the middle, gun drawn. It would be my luck that the first person to arrive to help just happened to be the woman who tried to steal my sister’s boyfriend. I would’ve rolled my eyes if I could move my face at all.
“Well, if it isn’t the little purple-headed vixen,” Giovani laughed. “Didn’t I shoot you once before?” I had no idea what he was talking about and was staring death in the face, so I wasn’t too concerned, although I did find it even more frustrating that these two had a history. That didn’t bode well for me.
“What makes you think I won’t shoot you right now?” Eliza sneered back at him, her gun drawn.
“No!” Brandon yelled, turning to look at her. Somehow, Zabrina managed to open her mouth even wider. I imagined the feel of those teeth sinking into the flesh of my neck, and even though I already knew I was a goner, I realized I did not want her to bite me. Tears filled my eyes.
Brandon demanded, “Put your guns down,” and once again, I was proud of him. He seemed like he really knew what he was doing. Unlike me. I seemed like Zabrina’s next snack.
“Better listen to the young man,” Giovani advised. “I do not think the elder Miss Findley will look kindly upon you if you force my hand.”
“I don’t care,” Eliza replied, and I believed her. She didn’t care about my sister; she certainly didn’t care about me. Zabrina’s teeth gleamed in the waning daylight, and I swear her mouth morphed even more.
Brandon turned and looked at Eliza and the other two sternly, but I don’t think that’s what made her point her gun to the ground. I imagined someone she did respect was giving orders over the IAC. I prayed my sister would be there soon. She would know what to do. Or Aaron. He would definitely know what to do. I could use a little Jamie right now, too. Maybe he could somehow stop the burning in my injured arm. If Zabrina bit me, I’d definitely need a Healer then.
“What do you want, Giovani?” Eliza asked, glaring at him.
I couldn’t see him, but Giovani’s voice came from just to Zabrina’s right, now. “Funny, I would have thought Cadence would have come herself to save her sister and the son of her friend, but she sent you instead. What a pity. I’m afraid I don’t want anything you can give me. I guess I’ll just take Miss Cassidy here and be on my way.”
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