After checking in with Meagan and Shane, both of whom were very busy kicking butt, she made her way out of the building and across one of the expansive fields that bordered the facility. Though they were situated fairly close to Kansas City International Airport, very few humans had any idea what went on here. The large lot of land and group of buildings was gated off and it was impossible to see what was back here from the road outside.
She loved walking through this field any time of year, even though the grass was dead this late into winter. Still, thoughts of spring and renewal invaded her
Cadence listened to every word Jamie said, taking all of it into consideration. She realized that Aaron was very much a rule follower; everything was black or white. Living in a world where the rules were shifting and bending had to be unsettling. “Answer me this,” Cadence said, turning around so that she was sideways now, facing him, one leg tucked under the other. “If the roles were reversed—if Aaron had died and Elliott had lived, do you think that Elliott would use the portal?”Jamie didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.”
“Jamie’s wrong,” Aaron said, sitting across the table from her in their kitchenette.“I knew you were going to say that,” Cadence said, the ham and cheese sandwich in front of her suddenly looking unappetizing.“Look, Cadence, there’s not anyone whose opinion is going to change my mind. This is a bad idea, and it’s not happening,” he said
There were dozens of strip centers and shopping areas near Blue Ridge and Independence, Missouri, suburbs of Kansas City, and these particular Vampires loved to hit them after closing to feast on late night employees who were locking up or shoppers taking their time getting back to their cars. But they had a tip that the twins would likely be hanging out at Blue Ridge Crossing that evening, so the team assembled there at ten o’clock, which was early for them, but they had to accommodate the Vampires’ schedule.Most of the team had ridden together in an Enclave after a brief meeting
The twins were young girls, in their teens, both with a Goth look from what they’d been told. Apparently, they had always gone everywhere together, except for a certain Halloween party where one of them had gotten herself infected by a Vampire. Once she’d turned, she immediately turned her sister as well. Born together, die together. Cadence couldn’t imagine doing something so terrible to her sister, but then, it had been partially her fault Cassidy had been infected. Giovani had been after Cadence after all. The guilt still kept her up at night sometimes.Shortly after 10:30
While no one could run interference like Elliott could, Aurora had gotten a lot of practice lately, and soon the two employees were settled down and in their cars headed home, probably a bit shaken up but no longer fearing for their lives. The rest of the team began to assemble in the back of the building where they had initially met.Aaron switched to the IAC for privacy’s sake. “I always thought that, no matter how mad we were at each other, we would continue to operate cohesively.”
Aaron’s touch made her tingly, like it always did, but it also made her want to flinch away. She didn’t. Nor did she disagree with what they were saying. After they were done having their chuckle, she said, “Eventually, instinct kicks in. For me, anyway. I don’t really think about what I’m doing. It’s like I see the movements that I need to make laid out in front of me, and I just follow that path.”“But what if the Vampire moves?” Ashley asked, clearly hanging on her every word.
Aaron was no fool, and he had done the only thing a sane person would do and left her alone that night. When Cadence woke up the next morning, there was no sign at all that he’d even been home except for his clothes from the night before in the hamper in the guest bathroom and a slightly damp towel hanging on the rod behind the door.She’d finally fallen asleep the night before after tossing and turning for hours, trying to determine her best course of action. Jamie’s suggestion had been a good one, and it seemed like the smartest location for her to head to for clear skies w
Cadence watched Aaron exit the building completely before she headed over to where Aurora stood with her clipboard in hand, whistle in mouth.“Aurora,” she called as she got within a few yards, “can I have a moment, please?”“Sure thing,” the other hunter called, momentarily stepping away from her troops. “What’s up? You finally going to tell m