They had always downplayed the violence and harm Joe and Vince had spawned during their breaks. Cliff had too, not wanting his friends to have to contend with guilt as well as the madness. So he couldn’t help but wonder if Bastien and Melanie were doing the same for him now.
Pacing did little to calm Cliff’s mind or banish the anxiety that rode him.
Crossing to the phone, he stared down at it a moment, shook his head, then took another deep breath and dialed the infirmary.
“Dr. Whetsman,” a man answered.
Biting back a curse, Cliff advised himself to remain patient. Whetsman was his least favorite doctor at the network. “It’s Cliff. I could use some exercise. Would you open my door so I can run some miles on the treadmill?” Melanie and Linda wouldn’t hesitate. They even left his door open for hours at a time now so he could roam sublevel 5 and visit Stuart. But it was lunchtime. Melanie and Linda worked the night shift. And Whetsman—
“No. You should be resting.”
—was a prick. Cliff ground his teeth and kept his response calm and casual. “I can’t sleep. I think I just need to get some exercise. Wear myself out a little.” He forced a light laugh. “A run should help.”
Silence. “I think it inadvisable. You can exercise tonight.” Whetsman ended the call.
Cliff slammed the receiver down. “Pussy.” Whetsman was so terrified of the vampires that he made damn sure he was never alone with any of them and was too stupid to realize his fear and his persistence in treating them like escaped serial killers constantly on the prowl for new victims was so fucking annoying that he actually triggered some of the vampires’ breaks.
Cliff resumed his pacing and again found no relief. Stopping, he perused his apartment. His shoulders slumped. Looked like he’d just have to play some video games to try to—
His doorbell rang.
Cliff spun toward the door as someone typed a code into the pad outside it and swiped a security card. Hope rose. Had Whetsman actually manned up and changed his mind?
A clunk sounded. The door swung inward.
Cliff remained where he was, not wanting to spook the asshole.
Instead of Dr. Whetsman, however, Todd—one of the guards who usually manned this floor—poked his head in. “Hey, Cliff.”
“Hey.”
“Mr. Reordon would like to see you in his office.”
Shit. Had Whetsman called Reordon and complained?
What a dick. “Okay.”
Smiling, Todd backed away to give Cliff room to exit and join him in the hallway.
Todd was a good guy. He had been the first guard to stop reaching for his weapon every time the vampires left their apartments. And his relaxed demeanor had gone a long way toward ending the other guards’ tendency to tense up… and had helped Cliff and the other vampires feel more comfortable in their new home.
The guards manning the desk in front of the elevators nodded a greeting as Cliff and Todd approached them.
“How’s it going?” Cliff asked.
A jumble of the usual “good” or “not bad” responses ensued.
When Cliff and Todd stepped into the elevator, five guards joined them.
Todd swiped his security card and typed in a code.
The doors slid closed.
Normally Cliff would crack a joke to ease the tension, but he was too damn agitated today to come up with anything. “How’s Cynthia?”
Todd grinned. “Out of my league.”
One of the other guards snorted. “Way out of his league.”
“Hell yes, she is,” another agreed.
Unoffended, Todd shrugged. “But she loves me anyway.”
Cliff forced a smile. “Lucky man.”
“Damn straight.”
As soon as the elevator reached the ground floor, the guards escorted him to a long hallway that he assumed led to Reordon’s office. Though Cliff didn’t look back to confirm it, his acute hearing told him more guards entered the hallway behind them, hands probably on their weapons.
Cliff didn’t know what to think of it all. This was the first time he had been above ground—except for the night of the attack, that was—since he had surrendered to Seth and the Immortal Guardians. Disappointment filled him as he took in the lack of windows. It would’ve been nice to see some greenery. Some sunlight. Though he supposed it was better for him that there weren’t windows. If any sunlight touched his skin, it instantly began to burn and blister.
Todd led him through a doorway, then paused.
Cliff looked around. The room reminded him a little of the reception room at a high-end doctor’s office. Comfortable seating took up half the space. File cabinets and a