The man was a dog, a gutter dog. He could play the cultured, sophisticated gentleman, but in his soul, he was just a dog. Unfortunately, he was a very rich dog and was the only person willing to give Elias’ research a chance. In the beginning, he saw it as a Godsend, but now it was an obligation and a control that ate away at Elias’ sense of self.
“Go, get the fuck off my floor, go back to your dungeon and get me results.” He was shouting by the end of the sentence.Elias nodded and remained as calm as possible, and then hurried from the room. The assistant did not follow. He took the elevator to the basement, then the stairs to the subbasement, and only then did he breathe.
CHAPTER TWO
Kael arrived in Norfolk and immediately began surveilling Dr. Elias Vance. The brief provided him with background information and some personal facts, along with his basic scheduling and responsibilities. The photo he received showed a man who appeared focused, serious, tense, and a little lost. He contemplated that thought for a moment, wondering where such a useless consideration had come from.
Being lost was not something he needed to worry about; it was useless fringe behavior and dangerous sentiment. A thought like that could forge a relationship; even a slight wisp of a sensation of pity or worry could ruin a mission. Cold and focused, that’s how one got the job done, and he was an expert at being both.
He’d followed the doctor home last night, and the guy never had a clue. Kael wasn’t trying to hide and was curious if the Doctor had any sense of his environment. It became clear that he had none. Kael followed him to his doorstep completely unnoticed. Dr. Elias had a tendency to talk to himself, which further diminished his environmental awareness. The self-talk was work-related; it was all formulas and equations.
Dr. Vance lived in a middle-income residential area on the edge of the city. It was about a forty-minute drive to his workplace. By the looks of the place, he’d live there for a while. The lawn was haphazardly dealt with, and the house needed repairs, nothing major, just things that made it look uncared for. This pointed to a man whose work was his life, and everything else was simply an unimportant detail.
He remained outside the entire night after giving the house a walk-through. Dr. Vance smelled oddly of bleach, perhaps a cleaning agent he used at the lab. Dr. Vance spent hours in his living room going over books, papers, and files. He was looking for something, and around three in the morning, he finally gave up and headed to his bedroom down the hall. Kael had stood not five feet from him in the entryway, observing him for over an hour, and he never noticed. The man had zero survival skills.
Kael watched him from the doorway of his bedroom. He didn’t close his bedroom door, simply stripped down to his boxers, crawled into an already unmade bed, and went to sleep. Dr. Vance was spurring interest that was out of place, and it was baffling. Kael kept business and non-business completely separate, not considering the sad life of a target or desiring to know more when enough was clear.
Kael left the house and decided it would be best to complete this job at the research center rather than in the man’s home. Dr. Vance worked alone at night, which made it a perfect location for a clean kill.
He went to his vehicle, which was parked among the trees a half block away, and waited for morning. During the course of the night, his mind returned to the state of the house and grounds, and he wondered if it was thoughtless neglector depression. Depression was common among academics; he wondered if that was his issue.
Dr. Vance was up early, having gotten barely three hours of sleep, and appeared agitated and on edge. There was a car parked out front, and upon investigation, Kael found it belonged to the Mercier Corporation, specifically Orion Mercier.
Dr. Vance normally drove his own car to and from work or took a cab. He must have a meeting with Mercier that morning. Kael also discovered that Dr. Vance worked as a lecturer and a grant writer at the university, but the majority of his time was spent in Mercier’s lab.
Kael followed the black car to the Mercier Center, where he parked and found himself a visitor’s badge before entering the building and following Dr. Vance. He knew all he needed to know.
He watched the doctor last night in his lab; he was working on synthesizing elements of the vampire essence into human plasma. The threat to his species was real and on the verge of being let loose on the world.
“The formulas have been adapted, and preparations are ready,” Elias spoke into the recorder, keeping a detailed record of all his trials and processes. The research had been slow and possessed innumerable setbacks, but he could feel the end drawing near. The calculations were correct, and the results were on the mark. Once he had the serum balanced and ready, he could begin serious trials and ultimately test it on humans.
He could see the end, the cures, and the protections falling into place, and so many people would be saved. Then the memory of Mercier’s comment rang in his ears. The formula was going to be worth billions, and the healing propertieswould allow him to enjoy those billions for centuries. Actually, considering it was untested, Elias had no clue whether the formula would allow anyone to be immortal. But Mercier’s eyes lit up with a terrifying darkness and hunger.
“The first combination was encouraging but not conclusive. He started the second combination with an increased variable and raised the heat.” He was fixated on the second combination, but something caught his attention. He heard something from behind. He was in the lab alone. He always worked alone. No one should be there. He listened, but all he heard was the air filtration system and his own heavy breathing.
Elias continued with his work, and then he heard it again, but this time it was clear someone had walked into the lab. He spun on his heels, ready to chastise whoever it was that had entered, but there was no one there. This was ridiculous. “Who’s there?” He called out, and there was no answer.
Quickly glancing around the room, he noticed the main doors were propped open. They are never left open. The work in this lab was secret, and no one other than he and Mercier knew what he was working on. His heart leapt into his throat, and he slowly moved to the end of the table. “Who’s there?” he called again, certain that someone was there, and this time there was an answer.
“Don’t make this difficult, Dr. Vance.” The voice was low and casual, yet the tone had an edge that twisted through Elias’ veins like a knot. He moved to keep the work table in front of him. The interloper walked slowly along the counter at the wall, running his fingertips across the smooth surface while keeping his gaze trained on Elias. “Let me make this as painless as possible.”
“Who are you? What do you want from me?” Elias tried to remain composed as he moved backward down the long table as the man moved forward. The man's smile was sinister, and Elias felt his blood curdle. This was bad; this was not going to end well.
“What do I want from you?” He mocked. “I want your life, and I’m going to take it.” The man was moving back and forth, taunting and making this some sick game. Then he leapt over the table, trapping Elias between the table and the wall.
He was going to kill him, that was clear, and he was going to enjoy himself, that was also clear. Elias tossed a beaker filled with an acrid liquid, hitting him in the face, and it had no effect. He licked his lips like he found it delicious. That was impossible. What in the hell was this man?
“You could be fun, but sadly, I really don’t have the time.” He moved on him, and Elias fell to the floor and closed his eyes. It was all he had left. The man was going to kill him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Elias had slid half under the table, expecting to be torn apart at any moment, but that moment did not come. There was a clamor and then chaos, and then there was a hand reaching for him. “Come with me.” The voice was different, deep, commanding, and Elias reached out his hand before he even comprehended what he was doing.
He was suddenly pulled to his feet and hurried to a side room. “Stay here.” He said. The man who had threatened Elias now lay dead on the lab floor, and the man who saved him was securing the room in a bloody fashion.
Elias heard more fighting coming from the outer room, but remained hunkered down, hiding in the corner of the little room. Who were these people, and how did they get into his lab?His mind was scattered, and his heart was beating out of his chest. He had no idea what was happening.
Finally, the man who saved him walked back into the small room and crouched down in front of Elias. “They’re gone.” He stated and cupped the side of Elias’ face in the palm of his hand, a very gentle and unexpected gesture, and Elias was surprised by how much he needed such tenderness.
Elias was shaking like a leaf, so scared he could not form words for a few minutes. His eyes scanned the face of the man in front of him, and he was a stranger. His eyes were dark as were his hair and his very persona.
