Charlie thought furiously while they passed the next few minutes in silence, the weight of their situation growing heavier. Viktor eventually pulled into a motel parking lot.
"Stay here," he ordered, climbing out of the car. "I'll get us a room."
Once Viktor disappeared into the office, Brent turned fully toward Charlie.
"How long has this been going on?" he asked quietly. "The vampire thing."
"For as long as I've told you."
"All this time…" Brent's shoulders slumped. "I never believed you."
"To be fair, it is pretty unbelievable."
"I should have believed you anyway." Brent stared out the window at the dark parking lot. "I'm your best friend."
The simple statement hit Charlie harder than he expected. "You are," he agreed. "And now you're in danger because of me."
"No, I'm in danger because some creepy organization decided I had good genes or whatever." Brent's jaw set in a determined line. "And unlike you, I'm pissed about it."
Charlie blinked. "You think I'm not angry?"
"Dude, I've known you since college. Your default setting is 'apologize and hope people stop being mad at you.'" Brent turned to face him fully. "Even as a vampire, your first instinct was to hide and try not to bother anyone."
"That's not—" Charlie stopped because, well, Brent wasn't wrong.
"It's okay to be angry, Charlie. These people were going to turn me into some kind of half-vampire science experiment. They took your boyfriend. And I bet they still want to kill you."
Before Charlie could respond, Viktor returned with a room key. They grabbed their meager belongings and followed him to a ground-floor room at the far end of the building.
The room smelled of industrial cleaner and traces of nicotine. It held two double beds, a small table with two chairs, and a television that might have predated Charlie's birth.
"Home sweet home," Viktor said dryly, dropping his bag on the nearest bed. "At least until we figure out our next move."
"Which is what, exactly?" Brent asked, sitting on the edge of the other bed. "Break into vampire hunter headquarters and rescueCharlie's stalker-not-stalker before they completely brainwash him?"
"That's about the size of it," Viktor confirmed.
"With what resources?" Charlie paced the small space. "We don't even knowhowto break in."
"I know," Viktor said. "I worked for them for sixteen years. I know the layout, the security protocols, everything."
Charlie stopped pacing. "You know how we can get in?"
"Not easily. But maybe." Viktor rubbed his face. "The building has multiple entry points, but they're all heavily guarded. We'd need a distraction, specialized equipment, and a miracle or two."
Charlie resumed his pacing. "There has to be a way. I'm not leaving Simon with them."
A knock at the door made all three of them freeze.
Viktor moved silently to the window, peering through the gap in the curtains. His posture stiffened.
"Who is it? The organization?" Charlie moved toward the window, but Viktor held up a hand to stop him.
Another knock, more insistent this time.
"I know you're in there," called a cheerful voice. "The longer you make me wait, the more attention we'll attract."
Viktor exchanged a glance with Charlie before cautiously approaching the door. He opened it a crack, his body positioned to block entry.
