Page 84 of Viktor

“Teagan? Do you know where she is?” she asked, her voice growing louder.

Adam smiled and tapped at his watch. “I think you should stay here until the vampires are gone. We can have that dinner we discussed.”

“I don’t think so.” Waverly scanned the area for an exit, noting a secondary door at the end of the tunnel. Empty paint buckets were stacked in a corner, paint brushes piled onto a drop cloth.

“There was a time we were close.” he smiled. “The fleam was the perfect opportunity for us to connect again. It’s a blessing you found it in the painting.”

“I didn’t say where I got it.” Waverly’s pulse raced. “You can’t keep me here.”

“I’m not doing anything of the sort. You’re perfectly safe. You saw the guards outside.”

“I want to leave. Let me out of here right now,” she demanded.

“I’m afraid you’ll need my fingerprint for that. Please just give me a second. I’ve got a text.” Adam tapped at the face of his watch.

Waverly looked around the room, which appeared to be under repair. She took a slow deliberate step backwards, and quietly brushed her hand over the edges of the stone wall. With the tips of her fingers, she tugged at a loose brick, praying it wouldn’t make noise.

Waverly froze as she heard a woman’s voice call Adam’s name from beyond the second door. His head snapped up in attention, his gaze landing on hers.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her.

“Where are you going?” She swallowed a hard lump in her throat, gaining a secure grip on her rudimentary weapon.

“Don’t go anywhere. We’re going to have that drink,” Adam turned and walked toward the door.

Waverly took a deep breath and tightened her fingers around the brick. Fuck you, she thought as she rushed toward him and smashed the stone against the back of his skull. His body crumpled to the floor with a thud, a trickle of blood dripping onto the floor.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she breathed, enraged he’d planned to kidnap her. The woman’s voice from the hallway grew louder, and Waverly looked to the sliding door that they’d used to enter. Nearly ten feet away, she’d have to move him over to the security scanner.

“You can do this. You can do this,” she repeated to herself as she reached under his arms and began to drag him across the floor.

A surge of adrenaline shot through her as she hauled him toward the door and draped his limp body against the wall. As she reached for his arm he moaned and she released him, afraid he’d come at her.

“What are you doing, Waverly?” he groaned, beginning to come round.

Just do it. You’ve got to get out of here. Heart pumping, she summoned the courage she never thought she’d possessed. She grabbed his wrist, yanked his arm upward and flattened his palm to the reader.

As she released him, he attempted to grab her. Without hesitation she kicked him in the jaw and tore out of the door into the smoky room.

Her heart caught in her chest as she entered the secure storage facility and realized Viktor and the others were missing. She ran down the tunnel, finding her way out, briefly looking back to the security cameras. As she approached the exit, she noticed the guard was missing, the foyer lights flickering overhead.

Broken glass crackled underneath her boots as she stepped through the metal detector. With stealth and deliberate steps, she made her way into the darkened lobby. The doorway came into view, a splatter of light from the parking lot spilling onto the floor.

A low growl sounded in the darkness, and she froze, her focus homing in on its source. Her heart raced as the great beast came into view, a huge brown wolf stalking toward her. No, no, no.

“Easy there.” She held her hand out to it and slowly stepped closer to the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye she spied their limo. Relief shot through her at the sight of its lights shining. Someone’s in it.

The wolf growled again at her.

“I’ve got to go now. Be a good little doggie.” One. Two. Three. Waverly took off running toward the limo.

Her lungs burned as she sprinted past the wolf. A dark shadow whizzed past her, but she kept running. From out of nowhere, a security guard across the parking lot called to her and began chasing her. As the car came into reach, she frantically tugged at a doorhandle, but it refused to budge. She peeked over her shoulder, catching sight of the great beast as it attacked the guard. It latched onto him, its teeth tearing at his throat, blood gushing onto the pavement.

She rounded the car, her mind churning with confusion. Where is Viktor? The wolf howled, rushing toward her. As it leapt into the air, she curled against the car, bracing for impact.

“We’ve got to get out of here. Get in the car,” she heard Rafe’s voice call to her.

“It’s locked,” she managed, shocked to see him standing in front of her, nude.