“When we get there, Magnar and I will go in to check it out. Once I give the signal, you can bring her in,” Eclipse told Miklós.
“Of course.”
“If you sense anyone approaching, I want her back here, immediately.” It wasn’t his first preference, but the Range Rover was moveable as well as bulletproof, therefore, it was their best option.
Miklós met his eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded.
The sound of a magazine being ejected and reinserted was the only sound as they pulled into the parking lot. Magnar always gave his weapon a once-over even though he’d probably done the same back in the garage.
“Apartment two-A,” Miklós instructed as he pulled into a parking space.
Eclipse leaned over and pressed his lips to Orianna’s. “You stay with him at all times. Understand?”
“Yes.”
Without looking back, he climbed out of the SUV at the same time Magnar did, then the two of them blended into the night, slipping around the building toward the rust-colored stairs he’d noted when they pulled in. The place wasn’t so much a complex as it was a couple of ratty buildings dissected into four units in each. The stench of garbage from the Dumpster wafted over as they headed up the stairs, Magnar watching his six, while Eclipse kept his hand on his Glock, keeping it lowered so as not to draw attention.
A curtain pulled back on the window of the first apartment they came to. A set of eyes peered out but then disappeared, scanning right through them as Eclipse shielded them from view.
When they were both on the second-floor landing, Eclipse nodded to Magnar.
The door lock was a joke, the thing slipping free with minimal effort of the mind. Once inside, Magnar went toward the single bedroom at the back while Eclipse detoured through the kitchen. A quick scan of all hiding spots resulted in nothing, which was exactly what they’d hoped for.
Clear, he told Miklós.
“Keep the lights off,” Eclipse instructed Magnar when the male joined him in the living room.
“Copy that.”
Two minutes later, Miklós followed Orianna into the space, the male holding his weapon at his side as he locked the door behind them.
Eclipse removed his shades, his eyes providing plenty of light to see by.
“They haven’t cleaned out the place,” Orianna noted.
“No. From what I can tell, he abandoned it not too long ago,” Miklós explained. “Whatever’s here, he left behind.”
“A month ago? Was Amber with him then?”
Miklós shook his head. “No. But she had stayed here at one point, left, came back. Word is he left for a while, too, but came back, rented the place again, but only stayed for a couple of weeks that time.”
Orianna nodded, heading for a pile of mail sitting on the scarred laminate counter. She skimmed briefly, tossed it aside, and moved into the kitchen. Eclipse watched her, hating the disappointment that replaced her hope. There was nothing here that would tell them anything about Amber’s most recent whereabouts or what she’d been up to on her journey, but he got the feeling it was the closest she’d been to her sister in a while.
By the time Orianna finished checking every nook and cranny, half an hour had passed. While that wasn’t a long time, in Eclipse’s book it was an eternity. They had no idea where those vampires were or their motivations. It was very likely they’d been keeping an eye on the outskirts of Darkness, waiting for them to emerge. To hope they’d given up was too much to ask considering the demons were intent on eliminating theamsouelotsand the bounty was probably high. A traitorous vampire would likely have plenty of patience.
“We ready to head out?” Miklós asked Orianna.
She nodded, her eyes scanning the floor as though hoping something would be there.
“You two clear the way,” Eclipse instructed the two males. “I’ll bring her down when you give the all clear.”
Miklós nodded, then led the way out the door. The lock engaged upon their exit.
“I’m sorry there’s not more here,” he told Orianna, pulling her into his arms, wishing like hell he could eliminate the pain she was feeling.
“I didn’t think there would be,” she said softly. “But hope’s all I’ve had for so long. Never any luck, though.”
“We’ll find her, I promise.”
