Page 75 of The Vampire Always Rises
I looked at Merrick.Do you think he’s still here?
We searched the two upper floors.He glanced around with speculation. “The one on the couch, who is he?”
“Giovanni the sociopath. I see Ellis and friends tied him up. He’s Carlo’s henchman, so it was probably he who attacked you guys. Although there was another man with Carlo when we burst in.”
“A third man.” Merrick eyed Ciaran, and said, “Perhaps one of the Dark Ones would help you upstairs to check on Han. He was not awake yet, but should be coming around soon.”
“Sure,” Ciaran said, groaning when he slid off the table to his feet. One hand was gingerly feeling the back of his head. “I’d like to know what they hit us with.”
“Monsieur needs help?” one of the dancers asked, giving Ciaran a long look. “I will be happy to be of service.”
“Thank you,” Ciaran said politely, then added as the two men started up the stairs, “Is there a reason you have hearts cut out over your arses?”
“Is there a basement to this house?” I asked Merrick, puzzling over where Carlo and the other man had gone.
He didn’t answer me, one hand absently rubbing dried blood off his face.
Penny for your thoughts.
Hmm?
I asked you if this villa had a basement.
Ah. I don’t know.
What were you thinking so hard about?
I was wondering what happened to Nico. He was here with Han. I wonder if they captured him, too, or if he escaped?
“Oh man,” I said, suddenly sick to my stomach. “What if they already auctioned him off?”
“Auctioned?”
Ellis and I quickly explained what Carlo was up to.
“Laboratories,” Merrick said slowly, then stiffened. “Genetic experiments. No, he wouldn’t...”
He spun around and ran off toward the back of the house.
“Merrick?” I blinked a couple of times, then looked at Ellis.
“Should we go after him?” he asked.
“I guess so.”Merrick, should we go with you?
No. It’s dangerous.
“Come on,” I said, gesturing to the vampires. “Sounds like we’re going to be needed.”
“To battle!” Ellis called as I ran out of the room, the sound of several vampires following when I rounded the corner into the kitchen, where Merrick was wrenching open a door. One of the vampires, Michel, squeaked something unintelligible from his vantage point at the French doors that led out onto a patio, but I didn’t stay to find out what it was.
Kelso ran ahead of me down a flight of stone stairs into a fully finished lower level, clearly set up as a theater room. Opened doors on either end had me pausing for a moment, straining to hear. The sound of dog toenails scrabbling on a tile floor sent me running off to the right. “Go the other way,” I yelled over my shoulder to Ellis. “Kelso and I will do this side.”
I ran through a series of rooms, one opening onto the other, until I came to a closed door. Kelso stood outside it, whining and snuffling at the bottom of the door.
“OK,” I whispered to him. “We’re going to take them by surprise. Whoever’s in there, that is. When I open the door, you leap in and bark and I’ll disable anyone who might be hurting Merrick.”
Kelso gave me a look that said he didn’t have a lot of faith in my disabling abilities. Since I shared that opinion, I amended the statement. “Fine. We’ll provide the distraction and Merrick can do the disabling and disarming. Better?”
