Fitzy laughed. “Guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Shut up, Fitzy! I’ve heard enough out of you tonight.”
“I’ve heard enough out of you to last a lifetime,” he retorted.
While they argued, Beck listened to the sounds of metal and mechanics, of a handgun being reloaded bullet by bullet.
Fitzy had indeed brought extra ammunition.
“How do you two even know each other?” Adi yelled, sounding like he’d finally snapped.
“Oh, darling, we met plenty of times at the studio last season while Ranielle and I were discussing the terms of our agreement.”
“Did you just call me ‘darling’?You’re trying to kill me!”
“You aren’t exactly giving me a choice, are you?”
“Yeah!” said Adi, exasperated. “The choice is tonot kill me.”
Symphony made a sound in her throat like he was being unreasonable. “I am not going to prison because you and your geeky little friends couldn’t mind your own business. Fitzy, what’s taking so long with those bullets?”
“I’ve been stabbed in the shoulder, bitch!”
Beck looked around, frantic for a weapon, or an escape, or hope, any sort of hope, really.
What he saw were two dozen creepy statues staring down at him, and the names of a bunch of dead people, and a mausoleum that might have offered shelter if it wasn’t for the keypad promising that he wouldn’t be getting in without a code.
He read the words on the door, chiseled into the marble:
THE FAMIL DRACULA
FROM D ATH WE H VE RISEN
IMMO TAL WE STAND
TRONGER IN NITY
UNDIVIDED BY U BRAGE
OR DEATH
He stared, the words blurring together as sweat dripped into his eyes. It took a long time to notice the missing letters, but once he did, the clue was obvious. “Year sum,” he said to himself. Then, to the others, “We need to add the years together. That’s the code.”
“What?” snapped Sierra. “All of them? There are more than twenty gravestones here! We don’t have time . . .Crap, crap, crap.Where are the police?”
Beck looked at the nearest gravestone.
ABIGAIL COVALI B.
1766—D. 1792
And the stone beside it, with a name he recognized.
MORGANA DRACULE?TI
B. 1449—
No death date because, of course, she hadn’t died. She was a member of the Dracula family. She was immortal.
