Warrior (Relentless #4)(25)

It took me less than an hour to reach Portland. Chris and Erik were waiting for me, and the first place we hit was an apartment in South Portland. There were signs someone had been there recently, but it looked like it had been empty for several days. We left it undisturbed except for several surveillance cameras we installed behind the ceiling fixtures.

We had better luck at the second location, a house in Westbrook.

“Look at this,” Chris called from the master bedroom.

I entered the room where he’d spread out a bunch of photos on top of the dresser. In every photo was a blonde teenage girl, and there was a name and address on the back. A quick computer search revealed four of the photos were of the missing girls. The other three girls were alive and well.

“Looks like we interrupted Eli before he could get to all the girls on his list,” Chris said.

I studied the photos. “I wish I knew why he singled out these particular girls.”

The other vampire with Eli had said he preferred brunettes like Sara. So why were all the girls in these pictures blonde? Understanding Eli’s motive for being in Portland would make it a lot easier to hunt him. The fact that he’d taken time to make a list of females was troubling. It was premeditated behavior instead of impulsive, and a vampire with that kind of patience was a very dangerous one.

Eli might have come to Portland looking for these girls, but he’d found Sara. And he wanted her. I’d seen it in his eyes. The chances of him finding her an hour away among the pack were slim, but not impossible. The vampire had proven to be more resourceful than most.

I shared my fears with Chris. “One of us should stay in New Hastings until this is over. I’d do it, but Sara will notice me if I’m there every day. I don’t think that will go over too well.”

Chris nodded. “We’ll alternate days. Don’t worry. We’ll keep her safe.”





*


On Wednesday, I went with Erik, Andrew, and Reese to check out two closed up buildings on the waterfront that were perfect for vampire nests. The first one we searched was clear, but we came across a couple of ranc demons hiding out in the second one.

The short, dark-skinned demons squeaked when four Mohiri warriors interrupted their meal, a small bucket of pig’s blood from one of the local butchers. One of the demons jumped to his feet, kicking the bucket and causing blood to slosh out onto the floor.

“We’ve hurt no one.” His catlike eyes glowed in the darkened room. “We’re just passing through.”

I barked a laugh. Ranc demons were mercenaries for hire, and they never went anywhere without a purpose. The odds of them just “passing through” Portland were slim, especially given the sudden increase in vampire activity. No, they were here for a reason.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“It’s true,” the second demon said in a calmer voice. He waved his arm at the old office they had holed up in. “It’s just the two of us, and we’ll be off as soon as we finish our meal.”

“I see.” I strolled around the room. “Where are you two coming from?”

“Boston –”

“Canada –”

The two demons glared at each other.

“Let’s try this again.” I crossed the room to tower over the diminutive demons, and they craned their necks to stare up at me. “Why are you in Portland? And if I don’t hear something that sounds like the truth, there will be two fewer demons in the world tonight.”

“We answered a call,” the nervous one blurted, ignoring the scorching look his friend gave him.

“What kind of call?” Erik asked.

“My brother and I are trackers,” the quieter demon replied. “We got word there’s a bounty on someone, but that’s all we know. We were supposed to get more information when we got here, but we haven’t been able to contact the one who sent out the call.”

“Who put out the call?” I demanded.

The demon shrugged. “Some vampire, that’s all we know. But you can bet we weren’t the only ones to get it.”

Coldness settled in my stomach. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind this. If Eli had called in trackers, he was serious about finding someone. And my gut told me it was Sara. It could be the bond making me overreact, but I wasn’t taking any chances either way.

I needed to call Chris and let him know what we’d learned. Pulling out my phone, I headed for the door, leaving Erik to decide what to do with the two demons. The phone vibrated before I could make the call, and my steps faltered when I saw Chris’s number. My first thought was that Sara was in trouble.

“What’s up, Chris?” I asked more calmly than I felt.

“Good question,” said an angry female voice.

I smiled as I walked outside. “I told Chris you’d recognize him if he got too close.”

“Great. You won the bet. Buy him a beer or whatever.” Her voice rose. “I thought we had an understanding when you left here last week.”

I leaned against the front of the building. “And what understanding would that be?”

She huffed. “The one where you go your way and I go mine, and we all live happily ever after.”

“I don’t recall that particular arrangement. I believe I told you I’d be seeing you again.” I knew my response would anger her. She’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with us the last time I talked to her, which was why I’d told Chris not to let her see him. But I hadn’t told her I was leaving because that would have been a lie.