I had expected the evil vampires we were tracking down to have an evil mansion somewhere. Maybe even a spooky one like Slayer, Inc. had. Or perhaps, I had thought, they lived underground in some kind of creepy crypt or catacombs like the French vampires had in that Interview with a Vampire book.

So imagine my surprise when, as the sun rose over the horizon, Rayne directed me to the gates of a swanky golf course resort instead.

“This is where the evil vampires live?” I asked skeptically.

“I know right?” Rayne rolled her eyes. “They go on and on about wanting to go back to the “old ways” and yet, when it comes right down to it, they don’t want to give up all their newfound luxuries. I mean, a true old school vampire would live in a dark, dank, leaky hole somewhere. But not these guys. They want to take over the world—without missing their tee time.” She snorted. “Pathetic, if you ask me.”

I nodded slowly, not sure what to say. I mean, it did seem a tad inauthentic, but at the same time, I was kind of relieved. After all, I wasn’t sure my nerves could take one of those dark, dank holes.

“So how are we going to break in?”

“Well, that’s the best part. It’s morning. See the sun is rising? So they’re all about to go down underground and sleep. And the golf course will open up to mortals.”

“It will?” Now that was shocking.

“Yup! Crazy, right. But vamps need money, too. And without the Consortium’s backing, these guys are strapped for cash. So they’re forced to find ways to make an income while they try to take over the world.”

“By letting humans in.”

“Only the richest ones. It’s all very exclusive. And everything shuts down promptly at six pm. So the workers can clean it before the vampires wake up.”

“Wait a second,” I said, something suddenly occurring to me. “You’re a vampire, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“So how are you out in the sun?”

“Oh. Right. Well, I’m sort of a mutant. It’s a long story. Jareth, too. We can both go out in the sun. Which is a pretty amazing vampire superpower if you ask me.”

I silently agreed. Maybe I wouldn’t mind being a vampire so much if it wasn’t for the sleep all day, party all night thing. I had always been more of a morning person.

“Anyway,” Rayne said, back on topic. “I figured we could pose as caterers. No way are they going to believe we are members. We can slip in through the back door and grab aprons in the kitchen.”

“And then we search for Logan?”

She nodded. “My guess is he’s in some kind of underground area. A basement of some sort. Probably all the vampires are. Look for a door with a big lock. Or maybe an armed guard or two.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How are we going to get past an armed guard?”

“Don’t worry. I have my methods,” Rayne replied. “Now come on. Let’s go!”

We walked around the back of the golf club, sure enough finding a service door by the dumpster. We walked in and made our way to the kitchen, grabbing aprons off a hook by the door. A few employees gave us curious looks, but said nothing. I was guessing this place had high turnover with the staff; they probably just assumed we were new.

Finding the secret door, however, proved a lot trickier. The place was huge, with long hallways and a gazillion rooms. And let’s just say they didn’t exactly advertise their vampire subbasement as one of the amenities.

After about a half hour of searching, Rayne turned to me. “I think we need to split up,” she said. “Text me if you find the door and I’ll do the same.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the creepy feeling in my stomach as I watched her walk away. After all, she had all the weapons, all the experience. What would I do if they caught me?

I shook my head, trying to clear it. There was no use thinking of worst case scenarios. And if Logan was here, well, he needed our help. He had sacrificed himself to save me. I wasn’t going to let that be in vain no matter how freaked out I was.

I walked into the next room. A beautiful library with mahogany furniture and built-in bookshelves rising to the ceiling, stuffed with leather-bound tomes. It was the kind of library I always wanted in my home—complete with the little ladder to reach the high shelves. Of course the room was larger than my entire apartment. So that might not work.

Forgetting my mission for a moment, I walked over to the shelves. I pulled out a book at random, pulling it to my nose and breathing in its warm scent. There was just something about the rich smell of old pages that made me calm.

“Hannah? Hannah Miller?”

I whirled around, horrified at the sound of my name. My heart leapt to my throat as a woman rose from one of the armchairs. I hadn’t realized anyone was here. And I certainly hadn’t realized the president of RAINN, Malory Murphy, was.

For a split second I wondered if I could run out of the room. Maybe she’d think she made a mistake. But no, she was standing between me and the door, a puzzled look on her face. There was no getting out of this.

“Hey!” I cried. “It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s great to see you, too,” she said. Then her brow wrinkled. “Are you…working here?”

“Oh!” I glanced down at my apron, barking out an uneasy laugh. She had to know I made millions with my books. Why would I be here, moonlighting as a caterer? “It’s…well, it’s a long story.”

“I always love your stories,” she replied with a smile, relaxing a bit. “How’s the new book going anyway?”

I bit my lower lip, my mind racing. “Well, that’s an interesting question,” I said, suddenly getting an idea. “And exactly why I’m here.”

“That sounds mysterious!”

“You ever hear of method acting?” I asked. When she nodded, I went on. “I’m, like, method writing. The plot of my new book involves an exclusive golf club that’s actually a front for an evil vampire coven.”

She burst out laughing. “I love it!” she cried. Then she leaned forward conspiratorially. “Most of these guys are quite the bloodsuckers anyway,” she said. “Might as well make it literally.”

“Actually the true vampires live under the golf club,” I explained. “They just rent it out to rich people during the day.” I beamed, getting into the swing of things. After all, writers are good liars. That’s basically what we do for a living.

Though in this case I was pretty much telling the truth.

She shook her head in amazement. “You are so creative,” she said. “I wish I had a mind like yours.” She paused, then added, “And it’s great to see you getting out, too. I worry about you, you know.” She paused, giving me a meaningful look.

I nodded slowly; Malory was one of the only people still in my life who knew what had happened to me that night with Jake. When everyone at school had turned their backs on me, I’d called the RAINN hotline feeling like I had nowhere else to turn. I’d talked to one of their counselors. They’d hooked me up with a local sexual assault survivors group, where Malory worked part-time. Without her I might have never moved forward with my life. My books.

And now…

I looked around the room, amazed, suddenly at where I was. What I was doing. She was right; I never went anywhere. At least not without a major anxiety attack. And now, here I was posing as a caterer in a huge golf club run by vampires, trying to stage a dramatic rescue. The thought was both terrifying and thrilling.

“So, can I be a character?”

I turned back to Malory, cocking my head. “What?”

She grinned wickedly. “In your book, of course! Can I be the one who leads you to the vampire’s secret lair?”

“Oh!” I said, taken aback. “Um, yeah? Of course! That would be…great!”

“Hm.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Now if I were a vampire, where would I hide?”

“How about a basement?” I asked, my pulse kicking up in excitement. She was a member here. Maybe she’d have some information that would be useful. “Do you know any basement entrances here?”

“There is a doorway at the back end of the club,” she mused. “It’s always guarded. At least every time I’ve ever been here. I figured it was just, like, the club’s president’s office or something. But…” Her eyes flashed with excitement. “From now on I’m going to assume it’s the entrance to a secret vampire lair.”

“I love it!” I cried, playing along, even as my insides started dancing with joy. A room in the back with guards? That had to be what we were looking for!

I needed to go find Rayne. Now.

“Well, thank you for your help,” I told Malory. “You will make a great character in the book.”

She laughed, looking pleased. “Thanks Hannah. And…it’s really good to see you out,” she added again, placing a warm hand on my arm. “I hope we’ll see more of you soon.”

I nodded. “You know what? I think I can make that happen.”

And with that, I left the library, hurrying down the corridors. I needed to find that door. To find Rayne. To find Logan. And there was no time to waste.