Chapter 501
I immersed myself in the hunt, hoping that thinking about catching Honey would mean I wouldn’t have to think about what Brandon had just said to me. Eliza was already out of the vehicle and moving toward the club where Honey was still chatting up those dudes by the time I was situated on the couch and back in the game. I hadn’t heard her explanation for how she knew they were there, but I was sure it was on my IAC, so I could go back and look later if I wanted to.
The Hunter with Eliza was a really tall guy named Sergio who spoke in a thick accent, but I didn’t have any trouble understanding him. If I dug into her mind a little bit, I’d probably discover she was kind of in to him, at least it seemed that way. She talked to him like she thought he was hot and stood a little too close to him. Or maybe Eliza just acts like that around all guys. It made me like her even less, if that was possible, but Sergio seemed cool, the kind of guy who might come in handy when a Vampire showed up. He’d been there the other night when Eliza took out all of those other Vampires, but she’d sent him around the side of the building before she went up the fire escape, and by the time he’d gotten back, she’d already killed them all. Except for Honey, who was the mark tonight. She was still in the bar, but not for long.
“You in position?” I asked her, not sure what I’d missed. It looked like they were standing in an alley a little distance from the front entryway of the club, but it was hard to tell. The streetlights weren’t doing a very good job, and the cars that passed by either blinded me with headlights that were too bright or had one missing and did next to nothing to illuminate the streetscape.
“Yeah,” Eliza replied. “Mila said Honey’s still in that club. That right?”
“She is. But she’s not going to be for long. Give her a few minutes once she comes out or she’ll know you’re there and run. She’s already suspicious.”
“You read that in her mind?”
It’s difficult for me to explain exactly how I know things, but I tried. “No, I didn’t have to. She keeps glancing around the room like she’s afraid someone’s going to sneak up on her. She’s not afraid of you, either, by the way. She just has a suspicion you’ll be on her soon, if you’re not already.” I had only grazed the surface of Honey’s mind, but now that the team was in place, it wouldn’t matter if she left the club. I could push harder if I wanted to.
“Got it.” Eliza sounded appreciative, and she should be. If it wasn’t for me, her team wouldn’t be in the right location at all. They’d probably still be driving around Budapest, lost.
It took longer than I’d thought it would for Honey to leave. She was having a hard time choosing which guy to take with her. Eventually, she chose Daven, and even though I wanted to tell him to run home, quick, I didn’t want to tip the Vampire off again, so I let him go with her, assuming Eliza would find a way to get to the bloodsucker before she could turn him. If she listened to what I had to say earlier, about waiting a bit, she’d be in a good place to follow Honey and get her before she acted on the hunger I could feel radiating off of her as she walked out the front door. I let Eliza know she was moving.
The rest of the team was also in place, and I could see Honey passing by a couple of them on her way down the street. Eliza and Sergio were arguing about when they should go so I mentioned to Eliza, “That guy she’s with is still a human, for now. His name is Daven, and he’s worried because his family thinks he’s playing cards at a friend’s house, though he wasn’t worried enough to stay put and not leave with the blonde. She said she’s taking him down the block a little way.”
“Good to know,” Eliza said to me, and then to Sergio, “If you’re done arguing, we can follow the Vampire now.”
Without waiting for him to respond, Eliza took off, out of the alley and down the street, Sergio behind her. Honey was across the street from them, but she still wasn’t aware that she was being stalked. She’d notice soon enough, if Eliza and Sergio or another teammate got close enough, though. She should be able to feel it inside of her, the same way we can sense Vampires.
A guy on the street approached Eliza, asking her for something I didn’t catch, and she shoved him aside, violently. I thought for sure that would let Honey know there was something going on, but the blonde didn’t turn around.
Daven was anxious. He looked over his shoulder several times, and Honey assured him they were almost to the place she wanted to take him. I wasn’t sure what lie she’d told him, but I was pretty sure she didn’t say she wanted him to come this way so she could suck his blood and turn him into a nightmare. I told Eliza, “He’s starting to get worried. She keeps saying it’s just a little further.”
Honey turned the corner, and I was about to make sure Eliza realized that when she said, “Come on,” to Sergio, and shot off across the street, dodging an old car as she went.
The street Honey had turned down was even more poorly lit. It was so narrow, it looked almost like an alley, but it wasn’t. Piles of trash littered the ditches and sidewalks. I have no idea what Daven was thinking walking along with this stranger late at night in such a place. Never go with strangers, kids!
