FIFTY-SEVEN

Sola woke up in total confusion. She couldn’t remember where she was, and the remnants of a dream about vampires lingered—

Oh, wait.

That wasn’t a nightmare. And yup, she was still in their underground facility, out in the corridor, sitting on the hard floor next to the door to her grandmother’s room. Her butt was flat as a pancake, somehow managing to be both numb and painful as a result of cushioning her weight for—what time was it? How long had she been asleep—

All at once, her thoughts slowed to a halt and she looked across the way. Assail was seated in a mirrored pose, his legs stretched out, his head down chin on chest, as if he were asleep, too.

She hadn’t heard him come out to sit with her.

Looking around, she found that they were alone together, no medical staff walking about, none of the other people she’d met during her time here in sight, either.

Down at the far end of the corridor, she could just barely see the exit that she’d come and gone out of how many times now?

She thought back to when Assail had brought her here as a patient. She had been in such rough shape—head injury, shot in the leg, traumatized to all hell and gone. Doc Jane in particular had been so kind to her. Hell, the woman had been kind to her all along—

From above, there was a rhythmic sound, like a machine turning over, and then she felt a warm fall of air hit the top of her head. Glancing up, she measured the vent that was some ten feet overhead. When she lowered her chin, she jumped.

Assail had woken up and was looking at her with those sad eyes of his. When he didn’t speak, she cleared her throat.

“I’ve wanted to ask you something,” she said in a quiet voice. “Why don’t you just scrub my memories now? I mean, if you can do it, why not simply make all this go away? That way you won’t feel as bad.”

Why was she worried about where he was at? she wondered.

“I will always feel badly and it would hurt you.” He motioned to his head. “If someone has had their memories stripped, but they’re around the very thing that has been taken from them, it is very painful.”

“Oh.”

At that moment, there was a ringing sound and he took out a cheap-looking cell phone. “Pardon me.” After she shrugged, he accepted the call. “Hello? Yes. How kind of you. Yes. In person? Where? When?” There was a pause. “How accommodating of you. Fine. I will be there, yes.”

He hung up and stared at the phone. “I am going to be putting the Brotherhood in touch with a distributor for arms. I must go and meet with her in person. You mentioned you would like to collect your things. Perhaps we can depart soon and get you ready to go? I do not believe the Brotherhood will allow you to bring your car onto the premises. However, we can drive it out from my house, and pack it somewhere safe, such that you will not have to return to my property ever again.”

Assail looked over at her. “You will be free to go as soon as your grandmother is released. Just as you wish. And I promise not to interfere with any of your…I will not get in your way.”

“Will you be coming back here with me?”

His chest—which was even larger now, it seemed—expanded as he inhaled. “I should be the one to rid you of your memories. I will do the most thorough job because I have been there for so many of your experiences.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“So would you like to leave with me the now?”

“I should speak to my grandmother first.” Assuming the old woman would grant her an audience without trying to hit her with a bedpan. “But yes. Thank you.”

“I shall arrange for transport. Excuse me.”

As he got to his feet, there were several cracks as if his spine were realigning itself, and then he walked slowly and stiffly toward the office she had gone through with Doc Jane.

Sola watched him go. And was surprised to find that, like him, she was very sad.

Trying not to dwell on that, she dragged herself off the floor and stretched until things resettled into a more functional order. And then she knocked politely on the closed door she had been sitting vigil next to.

“Vovó,” she said softly. “May I please come in?”

---

As Assail emerged from the office, he was grateful for Vishous being so accommodating. The Brother had just woken up, and yet he was willing to skip First Meal and come down immediately to get Marisol to the glass house for her things. Assail had also contacted Ehric and explained what had happened and why Marisol needed some privacy on the property. Thus his cousins were going to take Markcus out for the evening.

Assail didn’t want her to have to see all of those males. She’d been through enough.

Although now his cousins were heartbroken, too. It was funny how those two females turned that mansion into a home. Without them, it was just glass walls and a view that mostly couldn’t be seen because of the drapes he kept down all the time.

In the end, Assail had decided not to mention the meet-up with the arms dealer to his cousins or to Vishous—because he wasn’t sure exactly who he was communicating with. He didn’t want to waste Vishous’s time if this was an underling—or worse, members of the human-law enforcement agencies on a fishing expedition. And his cousins were frustrated and trigger-happy on a good night. Finding out that they were going to lose what felt like members of the family was not going to help that.

Further, the woman on the other end of the call had requested that he come alone.

So fine, he would go meet her after Marisol was taken care of. And he would return to the training center only when his female was ready to leave.

It wasn’t good for her to be stuck seeing him all the time.

And she wasn’t his female anymore, anyway.

Just as he was coming up to Mrs. Carvalho’s room, Marisol stepped out and rubbed her eyes. He wanted to ask her if everything was all right, but he didn’t think she would tell him—and besides, he knew that answer already.

He cleared his throat so she would realize he was there. “We’re just waiting for—”

“I’m here,” Vishous announced as the Brother came out of the office. “Let’s do this. The Mercedes is down here for a wash. We’ll take that car.”

Vishous nodded at the two of them and then strode by, heading for the exit.

Assail indicated the way forward for Marisol. “After you.”

“Thank you.”

As the three of them walked along, Assail guessed the formality between Marisol and him was better than anger or sorrow. Fates, when she had cried in front of him, and told him the story of her father, he had never felt so small in his life. To have taken her back to that terrible moment—because he had done something similar—was to put a curse upon her.

When their trio came to the heavy steel door at the end of the corridor, Vishous held things open, and then they proceeded across the parking area to a black S600 that sparkled in the fluorescent lights.

“You’re both in the back,” V informed them.

Assail opened one of the rear doors for Marisol, and then he went around and got in himself. The sedan was so long, it felt as though the Brother was in a different zip code, and the heat came on quickly, which was a benefit as no one was wearing a coat.

It was quite an ascent until they got up to ground level, and Marisol stared out of the tinted windows even though there was nothing to see.

“So no one knows where you are here?” she murmured. “No one can find you?”

“That’s the idea,” V said from in front.

“Humans leave you all alone, then.”

“Or we make them.”

Assail cursed and wanted to tell the Brother to ease up on the aggression. Then again, good luck with that. It would be like trying to get a German shepherd to greet hat-wearing strangers with a rollover-rub-my-belly.

“We’d just be hunted,” V tacked on. “So it’s a case of survival for the likes of us.”

“You don’t think you’d be accepted?” Marisol asked.

“How’s that immigration policy of yours working out?” When she didn’t reply, the Brother muttered, “Exactly.”

“Perhaps we should speak of something else,” Assail offered.

Like the weather. Sports.

Anyone read any good books lately? he thought to himself.

“So,” Marisol said as she turned to him. “Are you two going to that meeting alone?”

“What meeting?” Vishous asked as he looked into the rearview.

“It’s nothing,” Assail informed the Brother.

Marisol spoke up. “He’s meeting with an arms dealer—I thought to put you in touch directly with the supplier?” Her eyes narrowed. “Unless that isn’t the case—”

“That’s what he’s supposed to be doing,” V cut in. “I just didn’t know it was happening tonight. Or that he was going on his own. Do you trust these people?”

No. “But of course,” Assail muttered.

The Mercedes slowed and then stopped. After the Brother put the sedan in park, he twisted around. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“I most certainly will not.”

“Who are these people?” Marisol asked. “Wait, did you meet them through Benloise?”

Assail put both his palms up. “I would like to table these discussions for a more appropriate time—”

“I’m going with you,” V announced. “I don’t give a fuck whether you live or die. What I can’t do is lose that connection. You get popped, and I won’t get my ammo.”

“Are you armed?” Marisol demanded. “Do you even have a knife on you?”

Assail rolled his eyes. “I will get something at the house.”

“You sure about that?” she countered.

“Yes.”

There was a very long, disapproving silence. And then she blurted, “I’m going, too. I’m going with both of you.”

Assail glared in her direction. “Absolutely not. I’m not putting you in any kind of harm’s way—”

“But you’re more than willing to go to a meeting like that unarmed, guarded by someone who doesn’t give a shit about you? Are you insane?”

“I was until you showed up, remember,” he said dryly. “And then things got worse after I returned to mental health.”

She looked at Vishous. “Do you have any extra guns I can borrow?”

The Brother started to smile. “You know, I like you. But can you shoot?”

“Only to kill,” she said grimly. “No, I take that back. If someone doesn’t respect me properly, I can get pretty goddamn trigger-happy, and I like places that take a while to heal.”

The Brother smiled, flashing his fangs. “Fair enough. You want to assume the risk on his behalf, that’s on you. Plus frankly, my other brothers are all out in the field. With those attacks happening every night, it’s all hands on deck. If I don’t have to pull one of them in on this, that would be great.”

The pair of them nodded at each other—and then stared at Assail.

Assail was tempted to point out to Marisol that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Except yes, he was pathetic enough to beg for a little more time in her company, even if it was in this context. And no, he knew better than to try to dissuade her from the danger.

No one was going to do that, even though the idea of her getting shot at made him considering the merits of insanity with an open mind.

There was just one rub. “The woman won’t meet with me if I don’t come alone. So this is all a moot point.”

“It’s a female?” Marisol said.

“Aye.” He shrugged. “And now that I think about it, that means both of you will be waiting safely in this car, which I believe is bulletproof, is it not? Funny, now I’m not as worried about this brilliant idea.”

Marisol sat forward in her seat. “Where is this meeting supposed to take place?”

“A warehouse down on Thirtieth Street.”

“Benloise had one there. What’s the address?”

“Four-four-oh-nine.”

“That’s it. That’s the one he owned.”

“You’re not going inside, Marisol.” Assail looked away to the blacked-out window and measured the dim reflection of her in it. “And I’ll be fine.”

Actually, he didn’t care one way or the other what happened to him. But at least Vishous would keep her safe. That was the important thing.

That was all Assail cared about.

“Let us proceed to my house,” he said, “so that we may collect her things. And then let’s go to the warehouse and get this over with.”