Bitter Blood (Morganville Book #2)

Chapter 9

There was a hidden ladder down to a surprisingly large, well-lit tunnel underneath Common Grounds. It had a false brick wall that led into one of the maze of tunnels that was big enough for cars - and there was one waiting, a big idling limousine. One of my vampire captors opened the back and pushed me inside before getting in with me. The other one took the front seat, and before more than a few seconds passed, we were driving on into the hidden world underneath Morganville.

"Hey," I said. The vampire sitting next to me in the back glanced at me, then away. He was about twice my size, and I had a feeling that he could have broken me in half with a harsh word and his little finger. "What's going to happen to them?"

He shrugged, not like he didn't know - more like he just flat didn't care enough to tell me. The Goldmans didn't mean much to him. I meant even less.

"What's your name?" I asked, and surprised myself. But for some reason, I wanted to know. Dean's brother - he hadn't been just some nameless Bad Guy Number Four. This vampire wasn't, either. He had a name, a history, maybe even people who cared what happened to him.

"My name is none of your business," he said, and continued to stare out the window, even though there was nothing but blurry brick out there.

"Can I call you None for short?" It was an Eve joke, but I didn't think I delivered it very well, because the vampire didn't even blink. He just shut me out.

I concentrated on not thinking about what might have happened to Justin.

The car burst out of the tunnel at a high rate of speed, rose up a ramp, and exited from what looked like an industrial building - another of Morganville's secret roads. We turned onto a residential street near my parents' house - I recognized two of the burned-out homes and the carefully clipped hedge animals in front of the yellow clapboard house on the corner. I'd always thought the squirrel looked kind of crazy.

We didn't slow down as the limousine sped through the streets. People got out of the way - bikes, cars, even one or two pedestrians hurrying home into the sunset. The vampire driver had a blacked-out windshield, but he was still wearing sunglasses, gloves, and had most of his face covered as well. Young, I thought. Older vampires wouldn't care about the sun that much. It hurt them, but it wouldn't kill them. So maybe Bishop had recruited some new guys.

Before I could think of anything else to say that wouldn't get me killed, the limousine took a turn down a shaded wide street. At the end of it, I saw familiar buildings, and the big green expanse of Founder's Square.

They were taking me to Bishop.

I slid over to the far side, taking my time about it, and as the car slowed for the next turn, I tried to open the door and throw myself out.

Locked. Of course. The vampire in the back didn't even bother to look at me.

Another ramp, this one leading down under the streets, and thirty seconds later we were parked underground. I tried to come up with a plan, but honestly, I didn't have much. I'd lost my cell phone when Theo had crashed into me, not that I had even a vague idea of who I could call, anyway. There was a stake hidden at the bottom of my backpack that maybe, maybe I could use - but only if it was one-on-one, and the one was a lot less scary than the two currently escorting me around.

"Get out," the vampire in the back said, as the door locks clicked open. "Don't try to run."

I didn't want to. I wanted to save my strength for something more useful.

Whatever that useful thing was, it didn't become clear as we headed for the elevator and crowded inside. Phony not-really-music was piped into the steel-and-carpet box, making it seem that much more like a nightmare.