The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

Chapter 22

I rolled back the sleeve of my sweatshirt and with a shaking hand, lowered the tip of the knife to the spot on my arm where the micro tracking chip had been inserted. Aden said it had been deactivated, but if that was completely true, why hadn't he taken me to Paris so she could remove it? Though no one had said anything about my little overnight field trip to the lab, I wasn't taking any chances, not this time. The tip broke my skin, and I bit down on my lip hard as I dug around for the chip, forcing myself to stay calm. It wasn't very deep, less than an inch, and once I saw the chip, I lifted it out of my skin with the tip of the blade.

I put the chip in my pocket and, despite being incredibly dizzy, managed to clean up the blood I'd spilled on the floor. I slapped a Band-Aid across the wound and rolled down my sleeve, then reached over and turned off the shower. After combing through my wet hair, I unlocked and opened the door.

Aden was standing right outside. I jumped, startled. "Hey," I breathed, trying to calm my racing heart. "Did you just get home? You missed dinner."

"I had to wrap something up at the academy. Apparently a virus ate through our security cameras about two hours ago and knocked out coverage of the entire grid."

I tried very hard not to look excited by this. "Yikes. That sucks."

Aden didn't appear very pleased. "Yes, well, Angel said she would have it recovered by midnight."

I smiled inwardly. Perfect timing.

Aden tugged at his shirt sleeve, but not before I noticed another bandage at the crook of his arm.

"Giving blood again? You're awfully generous."

"What can I say? I like to help out however I can. Did you know vampires can still donate blood to humans, and it won't change them?"

"Shut up."

"It's true. Paris has been playing around with it. As long as there's not too much vampire blood in their system, they won't turn. Blood types still have to match, though."

"Hmmm... interesting." It was kind of ironic, thinking of a vampire donating blood to a human.

My eyes flickered behind him and to the clock on my night stand. 11:45 PM. If I didn't hurry, I might miss my chance at meeting up with Leo, if he had even gotten my message. I hadn't been back to Angel's to find out.

I gave Aden a tense smile. "It's been a long day," I said, trying to move past him. "I think I'm going to crash early."

"Oh, okay." He sounded disappointed.

I paused. "What?"

He blushed slightly, looking down. The carpet had suddenly become very interesting to him. "It's nothing. I was just wondering, you know, since it's Friday night and all, if you'd be up for watching a late night movie with me?"

I blinked, surprised. "Um..." I chewed on my lip. "I'd love to, but I kind of have this awful headache and really would like to crash." I gave him a hopeful smile. "Can I take a rain check?"

He looked at me, smiling back. "Of course. Have a good night."

He started walking toward his room, and I ducked across the hall into mine. I thought I was home free, but then he paused and sniffed the air. "Hey, did you lose a limb shaving or something? It reeks of blood."

I froze but laughed before I could panic. "I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and clipped my shin pretty good." I shrugged. "No big deal."

Aden gave me an amused smile before shaking his head and disappearing into his room, closing the door behind him.

I shut my door and raced through my room, collecting my things: a flashlight with extra batteries; the kitchen knife; the map of the tunnels, which, upon studying them, I had discovered were laid out in the same grid as the Pittsburgh White Sector; a watch with a glow-in-the-dark face, which I put on; and a change of clothes. I twisted my hair up into a wet bun and pulled on my black sneakers. Reaching into my pocket, I removed the chip and laid it in a small, empty jewelry box under my pillow before going to the window.

It slid open easily. I hoisted myself over the ledge, slowly lowering my body until I hung from my hands. The drop wasn't far. I let go, catching my fall on the balls of my feet and the palms of my hands with all the grace of a cat.

I ran, trying to make as little sound as possible as I sprinted toward the mausoleum. The base was deserted. Everyone was at home by now. Along the way I encountered a handful of guards, but I was easily able to avoid them. Other than that, I didn't see much of anyone else... until I got to the mausoleum.

I frowned as I knelt next to one of the fake rose bushes. I counted at least ten guards surrounding the building; no doubt Aden's doing after the other night. I didn't blame him. I'd be worried about me escaping, too.

I looked around, seeking some way to distract them. A stray thought streaked across my mind.

I wonder how far my glamour would reach...

Feeling bold, I crept closer to the mausoleum and settled in the bushes a few feet from two of the guards. They clutched big rifles, and I saw taser guns at their belts. Each of them wore a bullet proof vest and a headset.

I shook my head, somewhat flattered Aden considered me this much of a threat.

As he should, but did he honestly think a few studs with guns would stop me?

Focusing on one of the guards, I pushed my thoughts upon him, willing him to believe something was happening near the alley on the opposite side.

He blinked, shaking his head.

His comrade eyed him with concern. "Hey man, you okay?"

I pushed harder, feeling the thought harden as it took solid form in his head. "Yeah," he said slowly. "There's something going on in the alley. We should round the others up and check it out."

The other guard looked confused and tapped his headset. "I didn't hear anything."

But the glamoured guard was already gone, running away from me. The second guard paused, debating whether to leave his post. After stalling for a few seconds, he called the other guards about the issue, told them to spread out, and walked away.

Completely alone, I sprang from the bushes, sneaking around the side of the mausoleum and letting myself inside. I flipped on the flashlight and spotted the tomb that marked the entrance. Pushing aside the lid, I descended the ladder into the hole. After rolling out the map, I studied the highlighted route and took off running as fast as I could. I glanced at my watch. Five minutes until midnight.

I wondered what Aden would do when he discovered I was gone. I'd left a note on my nightstand, saying I'd be back in a day or two and to tell everyone I was sick with a stomach virus. Angel had helped me with that. Apparently being a near immortal vampire didn't make one immune to disease.

The tunnels seemed to grow longer the farther I ran, darting this way and that as the grid changed paths. At last, I came to the tunnel I thought led to the park – and the playground – where Leo and I had first met. The ground shifted as the tunnel arced up, leading to a single manhole-sized door. I stopped in front of it, panting.

What if Leo had brought the Black Cross Guild? Even worse, what if they were all armed to the teeth with Scarlet Steel?

Remember why you're here. You're not the type of person to leave your friends hanging. You can't let them die.

I fisted my hand, taking a deep breath. The reason why I'm here... I might not get another chance like this. It's now or never.

Bracing myself for death and accepting the dangers, I pushed on the door and peered through the hole.