Page 76 of Vanessa’s Bravery

The four-inch gap between the window frame and the window made it possible for him to hear what was going on inside the house, even though the curtain in front of it only offered a blurred view into the dark room. When he’d heard the menacing voice of the rogue vampire, and Vanessa’s and Patrick’s voices confirming that they recognized the man as Milo, he’d realized that they’d stepped into a trap.

Holding on to the window ledge with both hands, Cole lowered himself down to the ground. He jumped the last foot, and ran toward his car as fast as he could. He had to get in before Milo came out with his hostages. His pulse raced as he jumped into the driver’s seat and turned on the engine. His heart pounded, and his palms were damp with perspiration, the fear of what was happening to the woman he loved, cutting off his oxygen.

He looked into the rearview mirror to watch the driveway and the garage. Nobody was parked in the driveway, which meant that the kidnappers had parked their getaway vehicle in the garage, most likely because as full-blooded vampires they couldn’t get into their van while the sun was up. It seemed to take forever until the garage door finally opened. An instant later, a dark van similar to the one Vanessa and Patrick had driven, shot out of it, and turned right.

Cole blessed his luck that the street was a one-way street, which meant that the kidnappers’ van had to pass the spot where he was parked. After they passed him, he merged into traffic and followed them.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. He had to call Scanguards, but he didn’t have their main number. All he had was Gabriel’s cell phone number. But it would have to do. Keeping one eye on the van, he scrolled to his recent call list, when in front of him, a motorcycle swerved and nearly collided with him, had he not stepped on the brake. His cell phone fell into the crack between his seat and the console in the middle.

“Fuck!”

He couldn’t waste time reaching for the phone now. The traffic light ahead of him had already turned yellow, and the kidnappers’ van had crossed the intersection. In order not to lose them Cole stepped on the gas to cross just as the light turned red.

Not being very familiar with San Francisco, he didn’t know which way they were heading. All he was concerned with was not losing sight of the van that held Vanessa and Patrick. He could only hope that the van’s driver and passengers didn’t notice him following them. He was glad that he was driving the Land Rover and not the Aston Martin, which would have been much more conspicuous. At least the Land Rover wasn’t much to look at. The paint was a dark greyish green and had dulled over the years. Nobody would give the car a second look. He hoped the kidnappers didn’t either.

Traffic got heavier, and Cole read some of the street names. He recognized Van Ness Avenue, which they stayed on for only a few blocks, before veering off again onto a smaller street. Cole didn’t catch the street name. Another car was between him and the van now, and while this probably helped should the kidnappers look in their rearview mirror, Cole knew that at every traffic light, he was running the risk of being separated from the van, unable to catch up with it.

Perspiration was running down his nape, disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. He had no experience in tailing somebody, and surprised himself that he was still able to follow the van. He promised himself that when this was over, he’d take a master class in vehicular pursuit, if there was such a thing. And another class in how to defeat and kill a vampire. And whatever else was necessary so he would be able to accompany Vanessa next time she was sent on a dangerous mission. Because he knew enough about her already to know that she would never give up her job. He’d never be able to make her quit. So he might as well join her. But that was a conversation for later. Right now, he had to figure out where the kidnappers were taking their hostages.

After going underneath an overpass of one of the freeways, the van took a sharp left turn, then right again, before it turned into an alley. Cole was about to turn into the same alley, when he realized that it was a dead end. If he did that, they’d realize pretty quickly that he was tailing them. Cole stopped the car and looked down the alley. Milo’s van turned to a garage on the left. It opened quickly, and the van pulled into the building, before the garage door closed with a loud rattling sound made by metal chains.

Cole took a breath. He’d made it this far. He put the car in park, but left the engine running. He reached between the front seats and fished his cell phone out. Quickly, he scrolled through his recent call list and found Gabriel’s number. He punched it and put the cell phone to his ear.

“Cole?”

“Gabriel, listen carefully. Vanessa and Patrick stepped into a trap. Milo was waiting for them at the incel’s house.”

“Fuck!” Gabriel cursed. “How do you know—”

“I followed them. But that doesn’t matter now.”

“Are they alive?” Gabriel’s voice trembled.

Cole glanced down the alley again, making sure the van didn’t come back out. “Yes. Milo and his goons took them. They wanna use them as bargaining chips.”

Cole could hear several voices in the background. It appeared that Gabriel had put him on speaker. “Oh, God.”

“I know where they are,” Cole said quickly, knowing that Gabriel was just as worried about Vanessa as he was. Maybe he should have led with that.

A sigh of relief came through the line.

“But I don’t know the area,” Cole added.

“Drop me a pin from your cell phone,” Gabriel demanded.

“Right.” Cole switched to his map app and did as Gabriel had asked. “Here it is. Do you know where this is?”

“Yes. Are they in a building?”

“Yes, just off the alley that ends in a cul-de-sac.”

“Got it.”

Cole took a breath. “What are we gonna do now? We have to rescue them.”

Suddenly, loud voices could be heard from Gabriel’s phone, and several phones seemed to ring.

“What’s going on, Gabriel?”