Relentless (Vampire Awakenings #11) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,76

was the real reason he called and not because Dante helped him in the fire. He would never admit it, but Dante would bet one of his toes that Zan had been looking for Julie and Preston since the night of the fire.

“I’m not letting you go alone,” she said.

“I’ll go with him,” Kyle offered.

Cassidy glanced between them. She’d never be able to sing while knowing they were out there and possibly in trouble. “No. I’m coming with you. I’ll convince Rick I had arranged to leave work early with Kyle. Don’t leave; I’ll be right back.”

Before Dante could protest, she was already vanishing into the crowd.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Dante paid the taxi driver and climbed out of the car to stand behind Kyle and Cassidy on the broken sidewalk. The chunks of concrete standing up at awkward angles reminded him of alligator teeth. Like a hungry alligator, these pieces were waiting to snap someone’s ankle.

His head tilted back to take in the warehouse before them. The blacked-out windows, probably boarded over with plywood from the inside, revealed no hint of light, and no one was on the street outside the building.

Turning his head, he inspected the other worn-down buildings with their broken windows, sagging doors, and brick facades. The forgotten buildings stood testament to the old whaling and manufacturing days when New Bedford was a booming city. Whaling died out before the factories, but many of them eventually followed whaling to the grave. The city was rebuilding some of the run-down areas, but they hadn’t made it here yet.

Now, the hush and darkness of the place reminded him of a graveyard, minus the flowers and headstones. There were probably some ghosts floating around too.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Cassidy asked as she once again questioned if Zan was trying to set Dante up. She couldn’t think of a good reason why Zan would do it, but when it came to Dante’s safety, she didn’t trust anyone outside of her family.

“It’s the right place,” Kyle said. “I’ve been to a party here before. The entrance is around the back.”

“Where are all the cars?” she asked.

“No one brings cars to these parties,” Kyle said. “They’d give away that something was going on. Trust me, if this is Opal’s last hoorah, then the place is packed.”

Cassidy glanced up and down the road. No streetlights illuminated the area, but she could still see fairly well. From somewhere down the street, a cat howled and something metal clattered against the pavement.

She restrained herself from jumping at the sound and shoved her hands in her pockets before she rubbed at the goose bumps forming on her arms. She hated that she didn’t see anyone but felt like hundreds of eyes were watching them from the surrounding buildings.

“Come on,” Kyle said and jerked his head to the right.

Dante settled his hand on her hip and nudged her forward as her brother followed the deadly sidewalk to the side of the building. They entered an alley between the two buildings. Cassidy tried not to let her imagination run wild as they walked, but she still felt as if a thousand eyes followed her.

When they came around the back of the building, Kyle led them to a door. “Here we are,” he said as he stopped outside the solid metal door.

The metal vibrated when Dante stepped forward and knocked loudly. A sliding window pulled back, and Bull looked out at them. The man grunted before sliding the window shut again. Locks clicked as they turned, and the door swung open to reveal the shadowed interior lit only by multiple flashlights resting on a set of stairs fifty feet away.

“Zan told me you were coming,” Bull said. “He’s upstairs.”

“Thanks,” Dante said.

Dante kept Cassidy close by his side as Kyle led the way to the stairs. He didn’t hesitate on the second floor but continued to the third. As they climbed higher, he detected the muffled beat of the music. It wasn’t until they made it to the third floor that he saw why the music remained so faint. Across from the top of the stairs, a single dangling bulb illuminated a metal door.

Grasping the knob, Kyle turned it and pushed open the door. A rush of music drifted out as did the drone of voices and laughter. The music wasn’t overly loud, but Cassidy winced as the influx of noise grated on her ears. The scent of blood and alcohol mingled with the aroma of the numerous vampires