Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,27
traversed a couple more streets that led them into more of a warehouse and business area of the city before coming across a chain-link fence surrounding hundreds of storage units. When he tipped his head back, he almost fell over, so he lowered it again.
When he staggered to the side, Callie braced her legs apart as she tried to support his weight. He was skin and bones but far heavier than she expected.
“We have to… to…fin… find a way in,” he slurred.
Callie searched the fence, but she didn’t see an opening, and spirals of barbed wire covered the top. “There is no way in, and there are cameras on some of the fence posts.”
“Stay away from them.”
“That might be impossible,” she muttered as she led him to the left.
She tried to keep them away from the cameras, but she had no idea if she was doing a good job of it or walking straight through the video feed of every one of them. The fence bordered the street until they arrived at an area where it ran along the back of a couple of large warehouses. When they turned the corner, an opening in the fence came into view, as did a guardhouse.
“There’s a guard up ahead,” she said.
Lucien had taken control of that woman’s mind while he fed on her, but she’d been mostly asleep and more malleable. He didn’t know if he was strong enough to control someone awake and capable of fighting against him. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any other choice.
“Let’s talk to the guard,” he said.
“Yeah, fantastic idea; you’re talking so well now.”
If he were capable of doing so, he would have chuckled, but he barely felt capable of standing right now. Still, he gathered the scattered pieces of his mind and focused his attention on the guardhouse. He had to do this; it was the only way they would survive.
The guard looked up as they approached, set down his paper, and frowned at them over the edge of his glasses. His gray hair and lined face said this was most likely his retirement job, but the look on his face made it clear he wouldn’t take any shit from anyone.
The booth was tucked securely behind a rollaway section of the fence. It had a metal bottom, and plexiglass windows surrounding the top so the man could look out in all directions. Parked next to his booth was a golf cart, but Lucien didn’t see a car. The man had to have one somewhere.
“Are you okay?” the man asked Callie as he stared warily at Lucien.
“Yes,” Callie said.
“Is he okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lucien said as he focused his attention and power on the man. The effects of the drug still had such a powerful hold on him that he couldn’t tell if it was working, but he held the man’s eyes. “Let us in.”
The man blinked at him before laughing. That laughter broke through his drug haze and sent a bolt of fiery rage down his spine. He was tired of being weak and useless. He needed his strength and abilities back to keep her safe.
“Let us in,” he said more sharply.
The man’s laughter abruptly stopped; he blinked at Lucien before shaking his head as if he were trying to shake off Lucien’s words.
“You’re going to let us in,” Lucien stated.
The man’s eyes took on a glassy stare Lucien recognized. It was working but not as well as it should. However, that would come with time, and all that mattered was getting inside this place.
“And once we’re inside, you’re going to forget our existence,” Lucien continued.
The man didn’t blink as he stared at him. Then he stepped out of his booth, grasped the edge of the rollaway gate, and pulled it back to allow them entrance.
Callie was so astounded by this turn of events that for a second, she couldn’t move. She had no choice but to move as Lucien started forward, pulling her along with him. He seemed stronger and steadier as he stopped in front of the man.
“You’re also going to go through the camera footage. If you find anything with us on it, delete it,” he commanded.
The man’s eyes remained glassy, and his mouth parted as he nodded.
“Repeat to me what I just said,” Lucien demanded.
“I’m going to delete any footage with the two of you on it,” the man said.