Dentelle (33 page)

Oh my God! If Kieran was dealing with Neo…and
the last time I’d been near Neo, he’d been attempting to kidnap Izzy…did that
mean the one package he thought Kieran would be so pleased about was an
Amethyst? Suddenly, my throat was beyond dry; it was totally parched. Could
this situation get any worse? What did Kieran want with an Amethyst if he had
me? Maybe I was jumping to conclusions. But no…he’d told Aria to put
them
in separate rooms. What besides
people would he want in separate rooms? Animals maybe? No. That didn’t make
sense; if he wanted animal Essence he’d go claim it himself. Innocents? No, he
could easily capture them anytime. Guardians?

Tripping over the last step, I cursed my high
heels and Kieran too. If what I thought was true, I’d have more than just Ava
Rose to worry about. One way or another, I’d get to the bottom of this and
figure something out. I wouldn’t allow Kieran to hold anyone captive,
especially not Amethysts or Guardians. Who knew what he might be planning.
Torture? Experimentation for stealing Essence? Whatever it was, it was sure to
be heinous. And in the end, he’d kill them.

As I sat down at the table, I frowned at the
Piña Colada and grabbed the glass of ice water. I chugged nearly three quarters
of it down before realizing my strange behavior might give me away.
Nonchalantly, I set the glass down again. But for once, Kieran wasn’t paying
any attention to me; he was scanning the dance floor below, so I followed his
gaze. When he caught sight of Aiden, he waved and motioned him up.

“Lexi, I have some things to take care of. You
stay here with Aiden and if you have to use the bathroom, he’ll take you. Got
it?”

“Sure do,” I said. He looked at me funny, and I
realized I was being uncharacteristically agreeable, so I grumbled, “But it’s
not like I need his help, you know.”

After exchanging a few words with Aiden, he
hurried down the stairs. I had a hard time keeping track of him because of all
the people and the flashing lights. I was so intent on Kieran, I hardly noticed
Aiden, but I felt a rush of air as he plopped down in the chair next to me.

“You want to give me a hit of your Essence?” he
asked, his tone that of someone who knew they were breaking all the rules but
didn’t care.

I twisted in my chair, glared at him, and said
snidely, “You want me to report you to Kieran?” He called me a couple nasty
names and then picked up Kieran’s beer and took a swig. About then, the
waitress with the tight blue dress arrived and greeted him by name. He invited
her to sit down, and even though she kept insisting she couldn’t while she was
working, she did it anyways. I shook my head. Obviously, his jaw-dropping good
looks were worth the risk of losing her job. Sad. Silly, shallow girls
exasperated me.

But right now, I didn’t care about her or him.
They leaned in close and started talking, so I turned my attention back to the
horde of compressed, gyrating bodies below. If nothing else, I hoped to get a
glimpse of Neo. As luck would have it, I spotted Kieran at a small table for
two several feet off the dance floor. His back was to me, but as if sensing my
stare, he whipped his head around. Quickly, I averted my gaze in the opposite
direction. I moved my head and tapped the rail to the rhythm of the beat,
pretending to be engaged in the music. After a minute or two, I glanced back
his way. As luck would have it, for once, a guy with jet black hair and skin
paler than the moon sat down across from Kieran.

I had to assume this was the infamous Neo. Two
of the most evil Ray-pacs I’d ever encountered and there they were sitting
across from each other – surely discussing their dirty business. Too bad there
was nothing I could do to stop them. Squinting, I tried to make out Neo’s
facial features, but with the flashing lights and people continuously walking
by their table, that was impossible. But with skin so light and hair so dark, I
thought I’d probably be able to pick him out of a packed football stadium if I
had to. Someday, if I lived through this ordeal, tracking Neo would be the next
order of business. Whether that was for the Bellingham Circle to take on or
someone else, I would make this issue a priority at the next Senior Council
Meeting. Being a member had definite advantages.

For now, though, I needed to keep my eyes on
Kieran…as well as Aria, Aiden, Zola, and Rafe, and now apparently three more:
Storm, Milo, and Rose. Having downed my water, I emptied a couple pieces of ice
into my mouth and chewed on them. Now I had to worry about how many other
Ray-pacs Kieran had lurking in the shadows.

Another fifteen minutes elapsed before Neo got
up and left and Kieran returned to my table. After a short exchange with Aiden,
Kieran sent him on his way and sat back down. He was extraordinarily chatty and
energetic, which clued me in that his business dealings with Neo had been
successful. My stress level quadrupled. Much to my chagrin, it wasn’t long
before Kieran had us back out on the dance floor where he kept us dancing for
another couple of hours. It was a horrible night. And while I didn’t learn much
more, I did hear Aria informing him that his packages had been safely delivered
and deposited into their own rooms. After much deliberation, I came to the
conclusion that these rooms were probably located in Kieran’s other building
next door.

Dangerous times were fast approaching; I was
going to have to take some risks and find out who was being imprisoned and whether
or not I could free them. But one haunting question kept repeating itself over
and over in my brain. If he was holding an Amethyst hostage, what was he going
to do with her or him? I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer. I just knew it was
time to take advantage of that broken camera on the ninth floor. I needed to
sneak out tonight, climb down the scaffolding, and find a way into the other
building. And I needed to do it without getting caught.

By the time we finally left Club Blaze, I
feigned exhaustion in hopes Kieran would allow me to go straight to bed after
we arrived back at his place. Luckily, that worked. For once, he actually
seemed just as anxious to be rid of me as I was to be rid of him. We were
probably both antsy to get to the same place. He’d want to inspect his packages
before going to bed. Good news – with him out of the main building, I’d have at
least one less thing to worry about when sneaking out. Bad news – I’d have to
be extra careful if and when I managed to make my way into the other building
in case he was still there.

I had a long night ahead of me, and I wondered
if this was a suicide mission. I decided it didn’t matter. Crazy or not, I
needed to find out what was going on in that other building.

Swinging and jumping from balcony to balcony on
the outside of a twelve story building turned out to be much easier than
anticipated. Of course, I had to stop glancing at the pavement below, ignore
the fear clawing at my insides, and stop psyching myself out. I didn’t know if
Essence could heal a spattered body, and I had no intentions of finding out. A
combination of precision and athleticism was necessary to pull off this little
stunt. After climbing over the ninth floor metal railing, I hung from the
bottom rail, swinging back and forth until I had enough momentum to jump onto
the balcony below.

Memories of elementary school flashed in my
mind. My friends and I would swing from the playground bars, laughing and daring
each other to try different stunts when the playground duty wasn’t watching. At
the time I’d thought those moves were dangerous, but they were nothing compared
to this crazy business. Having picked up enough speed, I jutted out my feet and
released. Gliding over the rail, I landed roughly and toppled over. Hurriedly,
I pulled my body together and scrunched into the corner. The camera’s only
blind spot was directly below it, that’s why I needed to stay low in a crouched
position upon landing and do it successfully eight times in a row. Scanning the
balcony, I caught my breath. I hadn’t spotted any motion detectors in my
earlier inspections and hoped that was truly the case, but I wouldn’t put
anything past Kieran. For all I knew, he had hidden heat sensors or something.

I brushed my hands against my legs after making
my final drop to the ground. Inhaling through my nose, I welcomed the fresh
scent of recently watered grounds. I could even hear sprinklers somewhere close
by. Freedom at last, I thought as I exhaled. Except not really, because I
wasn’t going any further than next door.

Sticking close to the brick walls, I decided to
do a perimeter walk of the condo building first. I was in no mood for
surprises. Silently, I made my way around all four sides. I had to duck behind
bushes and backtrack a couple times to avoid being seen by two guys on patrol.
After watching them for a few minutes, I memorized their routines, including
the amount of time it took them to complete a full circle around the building.
Even though I detected links, they were very, very faint. It was strange; I
couldn’t tell if they were way off or if there was some kind of interference.
At least none of the patrolling guards were Ray-pacs. I looked up at the clear
sky and thanked my lucky stars that my link was undetectable. That one little
ability allowed me to sneak around without worrying about any Ray-pacs
perceiving my presence.

Making my way across the grounds to the other
building required a little more stealth. I dodged between construction
equipment, which I’d noticed hadn’t moved since the day I’d arrived. I also
crawled through the shrubbery in order to avoid being seen. But I was soon
cursing under my breath when I felt moisture from the damp earth seeping
through my jeans. Unfortunately for me, this bed had already been doused by the
sprinkler system. At least I’d had the sense to change out of the dress. Lying
on soggy bark underneath a small tree, I ignored the droplets of water plopping
onto my head as I scoped out another set of guards. I counted four in all –
also linkless. I found it strange there wasn’t any light coming from inside the
building, until I realized all the windows were completely boarded up.

The moon, almost full, seemed to flood the
landscape with light. Since there was never a moment when one side of the
building was left unguarded, I wasn’t sure how I was going to sneak by the
guards unseen. Getting inside the building was going to be even more difficult.
The chance of any door being unlocked was highly unlikely, and because of the
heavy patrols, it would be near impossible to test the ones I did find.
Frustrated, I waited, watching from the shadows while considering my options.

Just when I was about to make a rash decision
and run for it, James came trekking across the sidewalk, calling out orders to
the guard nearest him. They exchanged a couple words, and then the guy hurried
away towards the condo building. My heart sped up. I hoped they weren’t on to
me. I didn’t think they were. James was too calm. He walked up to the building,
took something out of his pocket, and glanced over each shoulder. Then he took
the thing in his hand, which I realized was his key access card, and slid it
into a slot next to the door.

Jumping to my feet, I realized this was my
chance. I looked both ways, making sure the coast was clear, and then I flew
out of the bushes and sprinted towards the door. I made it there just in time.
Slipping inside before the door latched, I narrowly avoided getting my hand
crushed. Even luckier I suppose, was the fact that James hadn’t pulled the
heavy door shut behind him. I would have expected such carelessness from
Vincent, but not from James. He was usually Mr. Meticulous. Apparently, he had
more pressing matters jumbling his mind. I just hoped those matters didn’t
pertain to me escaping the condo.

 
Peering
down the long corridor, I caught sight of James nearing the other end. I froze
in place and tried to mold myself into the wall – as if that would do any good
if he turned around. Fortunately, he was traveling at a fast pace, definitely
on a mission. Standing there, I waited breathlessly and studied my
surroundings, which were nothing more than a long corridor with several doors.
In fact, it looked more like I’d entered a basement rather than the main floor
of the building. Slab grey cement under foot and unfinished, rough concrete
walls told me this place hadn’t gotten very far in the renovation process. Then
again, if Kieran meant this building for other purposes, like Ray-pac business,
maybe this was how he intended to leave it. Might fit his needs better, and the
thick walls would certainly soundproof whatever activities he carried out in
here. Deep chills accompanied my morbid thoughts.

Hardly daring to breathe, I remained perfectly
still. When James rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, the tension
eased out of my taut muscles. Thank goodness he hadn’t turned around or I would
have been toast. Even though the lighting was dim, it would have been
impossible not to notice me in the otherwise bare hallway. I glanced up and
shook my head. This was an electrician’s worst nightmare. Wires, cords, and
sporadic light bulb fixtures hung in tangles from the open ceiling. Surprised
but delighted, I didn’t spot any cameras and decided it was safe to continue.

When I’d entered the building, the Ray-pac links
I’d sensed only faintly before, had immediately become much stronger. I figured
that meant they were gathered somewhere inside. Probably admiring Kieran’s
purchases. At least I hoped that was all they were doing. Just the idea of that
many Ray-pacs assembled in one place kicked my adrenaline up a notch; I knew it
was time to be on high alert, especially since I was probably heading straight
for them.

This is stupid. This is stupid. This is stupid,
I kept telling myself over and over again in my head.

Easing away from the wall and down the passage,
I noticed all the doors along the way were closed and bolted. I decided my best
bet was to follow James. Running at a rate much faster than he could ever go, I
reached the end of the corridor and peeked around the corner just in time to
see him disappearing into another passage. Only when I came to it, I found it
was actually a set of stairs leading down. Waiting until I no longer heard his
footsteps, I tip-toed down the stairs. I plugged my nose as a damp, musky odor
infiltrated my senses. This was not a good time to start sneezing. Due to the
fact that a lone, dangling light bulb lit this passageway, it was much darker.
Occasionally the bulb blinked on and off like a dim strobe light, adding an
eerie effect to the already unsettling staircase. It looked like a scene
straight out of one of those paranormal horror movies Ben always made Ally and
I watch with him.

After going down one flight of stairs, I came to
a locked door. No matter how much I prodded and pulled, I couldn’t budge the
handle, not even with my extra strength. So much for expanded abilities.
Noticing the card reader, I pulled my own key card from my pocket and shoved it
in the slot. As expected, it didn’t work. My only option was to continue down
the dank stairwell. Just when I’d descended another fifty feet underground and
was thinking the steps might never end, they did. But this time I stepped into
a well-lit, completely finished, narrow hallway.

Taking a couple tentative steps, I noticed there
were rooms on both sides of me, one right after another. Each one had a huge
steel door with a single small window, the size of a porthole. Stepping up to
one, I gazed inside. The chamber was strangely similar to that of a jail cell –
not that I’d ever been thrown in the slammer, but I’d toured Alcatraz once. It
was uncanny how similar this room set-up was to the ones I’d seen on that
notorious island – with a toilet, a small sink, a chair, and a mattress low to
the floor. Except the mattress didn’t sit on a typical bedframe. Instead it
rested on some kind of iron framing with huge posts extending well above the
bed. A series of straps were attached to the center of the bed. Chains and
shackle-like devices hung from all four corners of the iron posts. Except the
chain links were immense, at least ten times larger and more solid than those
on any dog chain I’d ever seen.

Another strange element of the room was the
shiny metallic material that comprised the walls, ceiling, and floor. Something
strong…and fireproof…and unbreakable? Lead? Pressing my nose against the thick
glass, I stared at the shackles. The entire room was designed so a Guardian
wouldn’t be able to escape. Gasping, I lost my footing and fell away from the
window. Suddenly feeling extremely cold, I shivered and rubbed my arms. This
was an underground Alcatraz made especially for Guardians. And probably
Amethysts, too.

Disgusted, I finally collected my wits and
continued on, peeking inside each of the windows as I progressed down the
bright, sterile hallway. All the rooms were identical in size and appearance.
The walls between them were thick, maybe a couple feet of concrete or something
even stronger. I’d already examined the first six rooms, all of which were
empty, so I almost didn’t bother with the last two. But something compelled me
to look inside. After all, Kieran had to be keeping his purchases somewhere,
and I’d hate to take a shortcut and miss something…or someone.

I was totally unprepared when I looked in the
last room on the left and saw someone actually chained to the bed. I couldn’t
see his face clearly because it appeared his head was also strapped down, but I
was certain it was a guy because of his short black hair. He was struggling,
jerking his arms and legs, but there wasn’t much slack, and his movement was
limited. I could easily read the frustration in his body language. I could
almost taste his rage and feel his fear. Furious myself, I cursed Kieran. Not
only had he caged someone like a wild animal, but he’d buckled them down, too.
In that instant, I felt a familiar tug – one that indicated the guy on the bed
was probably linked.

Oh crap! Kieran really did have a Guardian
locked up. I supposed there was always a possibility the guy was a Ray-pac, but
I highly doubted it. What reason would Kieran have for locking up his own kind?
A more pressing question was why was his link so faint? Of course, if the
concrete walls really were lined with lead, identifying a link would be nearly
impossible. At least I thought Jason and Max had once said something about lead
impeded the detection of links but not the actual bond between two linked
people. If that was true, I was probably only sensing this guy’s link through
the compressed layers of glass in the small window. I tried pounding on the
door, but it was so thick, I don’t think the guy even heard the sound on the
other side. It came across as a faint, dull thud on my own side, too. I even
tried kicking the handle and entering my key card, but neither of those methods
worked either.

Abruptly, I remembered Kieran had obtained more
than one package. Alarmed, I bolted over to the last room. My chin hit the
floor, and I choked on my own breath when I gazed through the window and saw,
of all people, Dakota. Only she wasn’t strapped to the bed like the guy in the
other room. Instead, she was utilizing her Flair, flying around the room,
kicking the ceiling and banging into walls like she’d gone berserk. When she
flung herself at the door there was a brief instant when we made eye contact
and shock registered across her face. That was in the split second right before
she slammed into the door. Her face hit the window, squishing her nose and
cheek against the glass, and then she slid down and out of sight. It was like a
scene out of a cartoon.

Anxiously, I waited for her to stand up again. I
couldn’t fathom how Dakota could have ended up in Kieran’s hands. But I figured
he’d probably purchased her from Neo. I had the feeling Neo was some kind of
bounty hunter – for Amethysts and Guardians. He probably sold his wares to the
highest bidder, too. Enter Kieran – undoubtedly Neo’s number one customer. But
how in the world did Neo end up with Dakota? Nothing made sense.

It wasn’t long before she was on her feet,
staring at me through the glass with her lips moving a mile a minute. Only
problem was I couldn’t hear a thing she was saying. “I can’t hear you,” I said,
and my voice echoed loudly through the corridor. Surprised at the amplification
of my words, I covered my mouth and looked over both shoulders in a panic. This
was not the time to draw attention to myself. But I needed to see if I could
communicate with Dakota and learn what was going on. Figure out a way to break
her out.