“I checked on the map earlier and did a little research. There’s an abandoned cement factory directly behind the diner.”
“Park in the diner’s lot. We’ll go on foot from there,” Liam instructed.
Eric didn’t bother with his blinker as he made the turn. There was a slight bump as he drove over the low curb before finding a spot on the side of the diner. A place where the lights from the windows didn’t reach.
“What about the humans?” Daniel asked as we climbed out of the SUV.
Through the window, we could see the diner was empty except for a waitress and a single patron seated at a booth. Neither showed interest in our presence, barely glancing in our direction before returning to their quiet evening.
“I doubt they’re going to be a problem,” Liam said, dismissing them.
The night swallowed Liam as he rounded the corner of the building and started for the street behind it. I said “street” but it was little more than a threadbare road that hadn’t been maintained in a long time. Narrow, its edges eaten away through the years, the asphalt was pocked marked and full of holes.
I followed the others toward the faded remnants of a gravel driveway and the sad attempt at a gate that was supposed to be guarding the entrance. One end had listed to the side to lean almost entirely on the ground. The only thing that prevented it from fully falling was the chain binding it to its mate. Trees and vines choked the perimeter, hiding the old cement factory I knew waited beyond.
Alches stepped out of the shadows from those trees, his eyes reflecting the night before he blinked.
“See something?” Daniel asked, perceptive as he scanned the area.
Eric stopped, his gaze lingering on the spot where Alches had been. His forehead furrowed briefly before his expression smoothed out.
“Just an animal. Nothing to worry about,” I answered.
This didn’t seem like the best time to explain Alches and how he’d come to be with me.
Daniel and Eric didn’t press, and we stopped in front of the gate to stare at the labyrinth of buildings that stood like a forgotten monument to days gone by. Nature had already reclaimed a portion of the abandoned factory and surrounding land.
The cement factory possessed the forlorn atmosphere of a building whose purpose had been forgotten. The cement of the parking lot had become cracked from time and exposure to the elements, weeds growing through the gaps with a tenacity that was slightly amazing in this urban environment.
It was difficult to describe the factory itself, the many buildings creating a maze of walls that were perfect hiding spots for someone who wanted to go unnoticed.
And despite its air of neglect and decay, the graffiti covered walls made it clear that it still had its share of visitors.
“How long has this place been abandoned?” Daniel asked, taking in the state of decay with a frown.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
I hadn’t dug too deep into the history of the place once I’d confirmed it as the location of Connor’s phone.
“I’m guessing decades,” Eric said softly, his expression almost sad.
Liam moved toward the flattened path of weeds that bypassed the gate and signified repeated human incursion. More and more, this was looking like the place we wanted. It was exactly the sort of hideout I would have chosen in Ahrun’s place. A consistent human presence that meant a plentiful food source, yet isolated enough that other supernaturals weren’t likely to venture close.
“All that rust. I can practically feel the tetanus.” Daniel’s unhappiness was like a wet blanket, leaving him grumpy and irritable.
“Can vampires get tetanus?” I asked.
“We cannot,” Liam answered for him.
He slid through the parking lot without a sound, easing through the debris that was everywhere, the moonlight illuminating his path.
“Why do you care then?” I asked Daniel, trying not to cringe when my foot knocked a piece of debris into another. Hope Ahrun didn’t hear that and realize we were coming. “I didn’t expect you to be this fastidious.”
Daniel’s frown was just short of a glower. “Why? Because I was born in a time your generation considers backwards?”
“No, it’s because I’ve seen the way you fight.”
Which usually ended with Daniel covered in blood and enjoying every moment of it.
