Kidnapped by Vampires ✔ (The Broken Trilogy Book 1)

Chapter Forty-Five

When we got back to the institute, we made a beeline for Moira's office, hoping she was still there. Ethan burst through the door and saw his mother drinking coffee with some man I had never seen before. He had dark red hair, strong chin, and looked to be in his late fifties.

I looked over at Vince and saw he was standing straighter than he was a second ago. This must be his father.

"Vince," his father's voice filled the room and he didn't even look up from his coffee cup. "It's nice of you to join us."

"Sorry I was late, sir. We were running down a lead."

Moira pointed to the couch and chairs sitting across from them, telling us to have a seat. We sat down and Ethan started explaining what happened. I figured that was probably best because I might offend someone or something. These people seemed very set in their ways. Especially Vince's father.

"The shipping yard," Moira said when it was all over. "Alright. We'll gear up and hit them in the morning."

"There's one other thing you should know," I said before I could stop myself. Moira and Vince's father looked at me like I was growing a second head. I know I would say something stupid but this has been bothering me since that man winked at me.

"Moira, who is this?" Vince's father asked.

"Aldo, this is Mia. Lora's daughter."

He looked back at me now with astoundment. No one ever told me what made my mother so great, but I kind of liked that it shut him up for a second.

"Please proceed," he said.

"When I was in the room with Ellis and this man, I think he knew that I was there."

"Ellis?" Moira asked.

"No, the other one. When they left, there was a brief second where he and I were in the room alone. He looked at me, winked and then left." Moira and Aldo exchanged glances. "I was still invisible so I don't know how that's possible, but..." I racked my brain for an explanation but couldn't find one.

"So, it's true," Moira said and set her face in her hand. She looked tired. "Ellis has an oracle working for him."

"That's not possible," Aldo said. "They were all taken out years ago."

"It's not unlikely that one was able to escape."

Everyone was silent. I couldn't stop shaking my knee, wondering why he winked at me. Did he know me? What was an oracle anyway? Maybe it was a trap. If he knew I was there and he knew I was listening for where he was, maybe he wants us to go to the shipping yard. Wherever that is.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Vince and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and had a small chuckle.

"It's possible, but we still have to take the chance that it isn't," Moira said. She lifted her head from her hand. "We'll keep a significant amount of security around the vault in case they try anything, but when first light hits, we attack the shipping yard."

***

Moira dismissed everyone to get plans ready and the word out to all of those who would help the attack. I was a newbie so I would be staying behind. I went to my room to see Kevin and play with him for a while. With everyone away training and preparing for tomorrow, I should probably just stay out of everyone's way.

About an hour later, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to see Aldo standing there. I looked around to see if there was anyone else but it was just him.

"Hello?" I said, but it came out as more of a question. I was really confused about why he was here.

"I know we just met in Moira's office, but I thought I would come down here to formally introduce myself. I'm Aldo, the head of the Valentino family. It's nice to meet you, Mia." He held out his hand for me to shake. It looked as big as my head. The man was a tree.

I shook it anyway. My hand almost cracked he held it so hard. "Nice to meet you, too. Your son is probably one of the few people I like around here."

"That's good. Our families were close while your mother was here. I'd like it if it could stay that way."

I felt a weird ping in my heart, but I couldn't place the feeling. "Did you know my mother?" I asked.

He nodded. "Very well. She started her time as a hunter down here, then eventually moved up north with us."

"What was she like?"

"Strong-willed, stubborn. I only ever saw the fighter side of her. The more personal side... you might want to speak to my son, Jesse. He was her closest friend while she was here." He started to walk away, but then stopped. "Although, I would appreciate it if you didn't ask him until after the attack tomorrow. Bringing up old memories might distract him, and I don't want him to lose focus before a fight."

"I understand."

He nodded and left down the hall. I closed my door and looked down at Kevin. He was rolling back and forth on the floor. I don't understand why Jesse wasn't the Valentino heir if he was my mom's friend when she was here. Would that mean he was the oldest? Why was Vince in charge?