The hour I spent waiting for Trav to call back seemed to drag on for weeks. Thankfully during that time 31 vampires showed up to Sam's house to help us. It was more than we were expecting, and each time someone else knocked I felt my heart get a little lighter.
Mark left me in the kitchen with Amee while he explained the details to the newcomers. I made it a point to meet and thank all of them, but I gave up trying to remember all their names.
Amee and I talked in our secret twin code, coming up with a plan for her to sneak into one of the few vehicles they were going to be taking. Everything was set, so now we just wait. I hated this part.
Finally, after an eternity (but really only an hour) my phone rang and Trav's name popped up on the caller ID.
"Hello." I answered, sounding way more calm than I really was.
"Are we still doing this?" Trav sounded irritated.
"Yes. Me for Sam. And then I'm free too."
"That's the deal. You have one hour to go to this address." Trav rambled off an address while I scrambled to write it down. The address was about a half hour away. "It's a 24 hour diner. Get a seat and order something small. When your order comes I'll come in and join you. As soon as you're done we will leave together and Sam will be set free."
Shit. This is one of the rare times I wished Amee and I were identical.
"Can I talk to him?" I asked.
"I'll see you in an hour. Don't be late." Trav ignored my question and hung up.
"Now what are we going to do?" I asked Mark.
"Viv, don't look so worried. We have an ace up our sleeve. Cody is a shapeshifter. He's a vamp with the rare ability to mimic any shape he wants. All he has to do is touch the object to "scan" it," Mark used his fingers as quotations, "and then he can mimic it. He can't mimic your scent but he can mask his. I'll go get him so he can scan you."
Mark and Cody must have used their vampire speed because they were both standing in front of me 5 seconds later. Mark explained to Cody what he needed to do and Cody nodded.
"May I touch you?" Cody asked. "Just your hand,'' he added.
I nodded and held out my hand. He took it and I guess started scanning me. Cody looked young, he was tall and skinny and his arms and legs seemed just a little too long for his body. He had dark brown hair cut short, and brown, almost black eyes. He had a kind face that was sprinkled with freckles, and a small heart shaped birthmark on his forehead.
After a few seconds he nodded. "Got it."
"Are you sure you can do this?" Mark asked.
Cody nodded. "Sam saved my life so I'm willing to risk mine for his. He's like a dad to me."
"He saved your life?" I asked.
Cody nodded. "When I was about 13 I got really sick. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with me, but it was clear I was dying. I was in the hospital and my mom was asleep when Sam came in. He told me that I would die but I could live as a vampire but I had to choose fast because I only had a few minutes left. I thought I was hallucinating from the meds they gave me so I said yes. I started having seizures and I knew my time was up but Sam turned me before I died for real."
Cody looked sad remembering. "After the funeral Sam helped me out of my grave. He even takes me to check in on my mom from time to time. I know she misses me, but it's been a few years and she's doing better. I know she still cries though."
My heart broke for his mom. "I don't know if there will ever be a time that she won't cry. You are her baby and she doesn't get to watch you grow up." I sad.
Cody nodded. "I know. I miss her so much and I wish I could make her pain go away. But Sam has met her and he's helped her a lot. He even helped her win some money so she doesn't have to worry about finances. So I'm ready to do what it takes to bring Sam home."
I nodded. "Thank you." I realized that Cody was probably one of the rare kids that Sam had told me about.
After a little more waiting everyone was finally ready to go. Cody morphed into me right in front of me. One minute it was Cody's lanky form in front of me, then the air shimmered and he became blurry, then it went away and I was staring at an exact replica of myself.
"I always wanted a twin!" I joked.
"Hey!" Said Amee before she started laughing.
"Stop fooling around." Mark said. "Amee and Viv, it's time for you to go upstairs. Dylan and Javier are going to stay behind with Brian. Everyone else is heading out. Let's go." We all started moving. I was halfway up the stairs when I heard Mark call my name. I carefully turned around. "We'll bring him home."
I nodded and said, "I know."
Amee and I continued up the stairs, and as soon as we were in my room with the door closed I said, "there's not much time, go!"
She nodded and hugged me. "I love you."
I hugged her back until she was a shadow. "I love you more. Stay safe." Her shadow self moved toward the window and I lost track of her when she blended into the darkness of the night.
Now all I had to do was wait. I never felt more alone in my life. It felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. I paced around my room alternating between crying and being angry. About an hour after Amee left Dylan knocked on my door.
"Where's Amee? He asked when he noticed I was alone.
"Oh, um… I was making her crazy so she used the excuse of needing to make a phone call to take a break from me. She'll be back in a few minutes." Dylan nodded. "Have you heard anything from anyone?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Not yet. Cody should have gone into the restaurant about 15 minutes ago so things should be going down soon."
"Okay, keep me posted." I asked him. He nodded again and closed the door.
I went back to pacing and checking my phone every 30 seconds. Almost another half hour went by when the ringing of my phone broke the silence, making me jump.
I didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
"Viv! It's Mark." He sounded out of breath. My heart jumped into my throat.
"I've got him. He was a couple miles away from the diner. My team found him, they're holding off the weres while we try to get away."
Why the hell was he calling me instead of focusing on getting away? I stayed silent as he continued.
"Sam's in rough shape and a mutt got in a few good swipes so I'm not much better. I need you to have one or both of the twins come get us in my car."
"Hang on just a minute." I said as I rushed out of my room and down the stairs as fast as I could go.
"Dylan! Javier!" I shouted on my way down. I expected to see one or both of them materialize, but they didn't. I turned my attention back to Mark.
"I don't know where they are!" I said frantically while walking through the house. It took me longer than I had hoped but I checked every room in the house, calling out for any of them the whole time. I was panicking for sure by now.
"Mark, they're not here! I don't know where they went!" I was crying so hard I'm surprised he understood me.
"Well can Amee come get us? She can bring you if that makes you feel safer."
Shit. "Ummmm… Amee isn't here either. She tagged along with one of the cars."
"FUCK!" Mark shouted. "I'll deal with that later, but we need a ride now. Go into the garage, let me know when you get there."
I followed his instructions and went into the garage. "Okay, I'm here." I told him.
"The third car from the door is a black escalade." Sure enough there was a black escalade three vehicles down. It looked like a very badly concealed undercover cop vehicle. "The keys should be in the ignition." I opened the door and found the keys.
"Okay, I see them." I said.
"I know you're supposed to stay in the house, but unless you can find Dylan or Javier within the next few minutes then you're the only one who can help. If you don't feel safe coming to get us I'll completely understand. The escalade has bulletproof glass and a reinforced frame. It was built as sturdy as a money courier truck."
"Just tell me where you are before I lose my nerve."
"I'll text you our location."
Mark hung up and a few seconds later I got his text. Google maps said it was only about 10 minutes away. I scooted the seat back, got in the driver's seat and was backing out of the slowly opening grage before I had a chance to think twice about what I was doing.
The whole ten minutes I was hyper aware of my surroundings. I felt paranoid thinking every car was following me. I had worked myself up so much I nearly passed the location Mark sent.
I pulled up to an abandoned and half demolished gas station and the escalade's headlights landed on two figures huddled behind a pile of construction garbage. As I got closer I recognized Mark, but the person he was holding up was covered in so much dried blood I couldn't tell if it was Sam or not.
I pulled up as close as I could before putting it in park and hitting the door unlock button. The closer I got the more I could make out the blood caked features of the person Mark was holding up. When my brain finally recognized Sam I sighed in relief.
We got him. They did it.
AN: this chapter is dedicated to the loving memory of my Daughter's pet, Coda. I wrote it shortly after he passed away and wanted to honor him with an awesome character. We don't know what happened, he was just sick one night and passed away shortly after while we were trying to find an emergency vet that would see him. We miss him so very much. And yes, he did have a heart shaped mark on his head. Rest easy Coda, you will never be forgotten.