And there went the brief flare of hope.
A van pulled into the parking lot.
Nick stiffened.
Henderson held up a hand. “They’re from the network. One of our forensic teams. Let me see your phone.”
Nick handed it over, trying to stay calm.
Staring at the screen, Henderson swiped and tapped until he pulled up an app Nick hadn’t even realized was on there. A map appeared on the screen, indicating their current position with a blue circle. Several colorful icons appeared, one by the blue circle, the rest some distance away. Two devices were blacked out.
Henderson swore.
“What?” Nick asked, having no idea what any of it meant.
“All Seconds wear smart watches now so we can use this app to locate them if something foul goes down and they lose their phones. But Oliver’s appears to have been taken offline. It isn’t showing up.” He handed the phone back to Nick.
Seth nodded toward the stairwell. “Let’s get you out of the sun.”
Nick and Aidan followed Seth into the shadows of the stairwell. Tense silence embraced the three of them as they watched the forensic team work.
Nick had never seen such a group in action. He’d seen cleaners. Vampire hunting could be a messy business, and he wasn’t always successful at driving the battles that ensued into areas where they would go unnoticed. So he sometimes had to call in a network cleaning crew to help him dispose of the vampires’ belongings, eliminate the blood spilled on the pavement, and take care of any footage that might have been captured by surveillance cameras.
But forensic teams?
No. He had never needed one of those before.
The men and women in this one reminded him of those he sometimes saw on British television shows. They pulled on white jumpsuits with hoods, donned masks, and even covered their shoes with white booties to avoid contaminating any evidence they might find.
Nick fervently hoped he and Aidan hadn’t done too much damage. The small parking garage was bereft of surveillance cameras that could’ve aided them. If Imhotep didn’t find Kayla and Oliver, the only clues they would have to go on were whatever this forensic team could dig up.
The doors to the building swung open. A man and woman emerged. Both appeared to be professionals whose office or offices had just closed for the day.
The network van blocked their view of Kayla’s car and the individuals in white who studied the pavement around it.
The woman bid the man goodbye and ducked into a parked SUV. Seconds later, she backed out and drove away. The man continued walking in Nick’s direction. He was so busy staring at his phone that he didn’t notice anything amiss until he passed the network van. He glanced at the figures in white, then at his phone, did a double take, halted, looked at Seth, Nick, and Aidan—all tall, imposing figures clad in black—and blanched.
He opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it again. His expression went blank. Seconds later, he returned his attention to his cell phone and casually continued forward as if he’d never seen them. He raised the phone to his ear. “Hey, babe. I’m done for the day. You need me to pick anything up on my way home?” His voice echoed loudly in the empty garage.
The three Immortal Guardians, Henderson, and the forensic team watched him silently.
A woman on the other end of the conversation rambled off a short list Nick couldn’t care less about. His mind was too focused on Kayla and Oliver.
Unlocking the door of his SUV, the man tossed his briefcase inside. “Are those the ones in the pink box or the blue box?” He settled himself behind the wheel. “Nah, I don’t mind.” He closed his door and drew his seat belt across his chest with his free hand. “Hey, you want me to pick up some dinner, too?” He started the engine. “Okay. See you soon. Love you.”
A moment later, he backed out of his parking space and drove away without so much as giving them a second glance.
The forensic team went back to work.
Henderson looked at Seth. “My job would be so much easier if I were telepathic and had your mind-control ability.”
Seth’s lips twitched. “I’m sure it would.”
One of the white-clad investigators approached Henderson and held something out. “We found this on her car.”
Nick stared at the small device but couldn’t guess its use. “What is it?”
Henderson studied it. “A GPS tracker.” He accompanied the man back to the forensic team and consulted them.
Nick looked up at the Immortal Guardians leader. “Who are these guys, Seth? Could they be connected to the base Gershom commandeered?”
Seth shook his head. “There’s no way the two could be related. We tied up all the loose ends with the base. We’ve even located the last missing gifted one.”
The forensic team began to pack up their tools and whatever samples they’d found to study.
Henderson rejoined the immortals. “We’re going to identify the sedative and confirm it’s the same one used on you, Nick, when they attacked you in your home.”
“It is.” Nick didn’t want them wasting time confirming what he already knew.
Henderson nodded. “My guys tell me it’s an animal tranquilizer. We’ve identified the company that produces it and are tracing all recent shipments to Houston and surrounding areas. But it’s a big damn city with a lot of veterinarians.”
“Why the hell would a veterinarian attack me and kidnap Kayla and Oliver?” Nick blurted.
Henderson shook his head. “We’re looking for purchases that didn’t ship to clinics. If we don’t find any, then we’ll look into any police reports made by veterinary clinics who reported stolen drugs.”
That sounded like it could take a long time.
A blur raced toward them from the other end of the parking lot.
Imhotep stopped before them, his face grim. “I lost them on I-45 North.”
Nick took a step forward. “Where on I-45?”
“Close to Beltway 8,” the ancient Egyptian immortal replied.
That familiar feeling of panic gripped Nick again as he looked at Seth. “Do you think they’re heading for the airport?”
Henderson answered. “I think it more likely they’re heading for Brightwood Industries.”
Nick frowned. “What’s Brightwood Industries?”
“One of the companies owned by Richard Roubal.”
Nick stared at him. “You think this was Richard Roubal’s doing?”
“I do.” Henderson’s words carried complete confidence. “Roubal recognizes you at the hospital, shows up at your house. You get attacked shortly thereafter. Now this?” He shook his head. “I don’t believe in coincidences. That’s why I fully expect my team to be able to link the animal tranquilizer to him or one of his subsidiaries.”
“How would that even be possible? When Roubal showed up at my house, Seth erased his memory of it.”
“I did,” Seth acknowledged. “I even erased his memory of running into you at the hospital and erased his son’s memory of the brief encounter. I’m as puzzled as you are.”
Nick thought furiously. “Could he have told someone else? One of his doctors or something?”
Seth shook his head. “I found nothing in his memories to indicate he did, but…”