Page 69 of Relentless
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 ispacked.”
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 and people gathered inside. Beneath it all, she detected the smell of sex.
She wouldn’t let them do this by themselves, but she wished she wasn’t here right now. After her last experience in a vamp bar, she loathed the idea of being locked inside a place again. However, they had no other choice.
Cassidy glanced at her brother to discover his hands fisted as he surveyed the room. His eyes lingered on a couple of women dancing together. It could be another year or more before Kyle fully matured, but she suspected her brother was on the verge, and because of that, he was having a tougher time controlling himself.
Her heart ached for her twin, but the only help she could give was to stand by and support him. Resting her hand against his arm, she gave it a tender squeeze. His head turned toward her, and he gave her a pained smile.
“Welcome to the party,” he said.
She could tell he was trying to sound carefree, but his voice came out flat and strained.
“We won’t be here long,” Dante said.
He didn’t know what was going on between the siblings, but being here was not making Kyle happy. When they moved further into the room, Dante shut the door behind them.
He surveyed the room for Preston or Zan, but it was Zan he spotted first as the tall man broke away from the crowd and glided toward them. The dim overhead lights reflected off the dark glasses shadowing his eyes.
“I didn’t know you were bringing company,” Zan said when he reached them. His head turned toward Kyle, and though Dante couldn’t see his eyes, he sensed his disapproval. “Youshouldn’t have come here.”
“He’s my new brother-in-law,” Kyle said as he pointed his thumb at Dante. “I have to protect his back.”
Dante did a double take at his words; Cassidy was his mate, they’d established a bond, but he hadn’t expected her family to accept him so easily. Her family…hisfamily. The realization sent a jolt of alarm through him. He’d already lost one family; he couldn’t stand to lose another.
He wouldnotlose another. He didn’t care what he had to do to make sure that didn’t happen. He wouldn’t lose anyone else.
“Still, you knew the rules, and you broke them,” Zan said to Kyle.
“I’ll wait outside,” Kyle offered. “And I’ll never come back again… unless my family needs me.”
