Patrick watched the car stop in the clearing in front of the gate.
Two of his soldiers opened the doors and led the hostages inside.
Once they stood before him, he looked them over carefully.
"Dr. Madison Silver and Dr. Mu Yang," announced the werewolf who had brought them.
One of the soldiers stepped closer to Patrick and whispered something in his ear.
Patrick's eyes widened, and a smile stretched across his lips. "We've got Christopher Barclay's mate. I couldn't have asked for better. Give me her phone."
The soldier handed it to him, and Patrick passed it to another werewolf, who unlocked it and gave it back.
Patrick quickly found Christopher's number and initiated a call, putting it on speaker.
"Madison!" Christopher's voice rang out clearly into the night.
"She's here with me. If you want her back alive — and her colleague — you'll come to the location I tell you. Alone."
"Let me talk to her."
Patrick held the phone out toward the woman.
"Don't come, Christopher. It's okay."
"Oh, how noble. But know this — if you don't come, their deaths will be very slow... and very painful."
"Tell me where."
"No!" Madison screamed.
"I'll send you the location. You have one hour to get here," Patrick said, then ended the call. He sent the coordinates of the building they were in and turned off the phone.
"Take them inside. Don't let them out of your sight."
---
Outside the city, Christopher pulled the cars over. "We need a plan."
Markus retrieved a drone from the trunk and launched it into the air. "Give me time to study the rendezvous site."
"Are you sure they won't notice it?" Christopher asked, stepping up beside him.
"It flies high and makes almost no noise."
"I don't want Madison's or her colleague's life put at risk."
"Don't worry — I'll be careful."
Christopher zipped up his jacket and walked a few paces away.
He knew that if he went in alone, he wouldn't come out of that building alive.
But that wasn't what worried him most: he was just as certain that once he was dead, Patrick would kill Madison and Mu Yang too.
He didn't know Patrick, didn't know what to expect — but he had no intention of trusting his word.
"Chris," Michael said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Markus has the first images of the site."
They returned to the cars, and the Swede showed them a picture of a large stone building surrounded by cleared ground. Six cars were parked in the courtyard.
"That one's Mu Yang's," the vampire said, pointing at one of the vehicles.
"So, at least ten people inside — assuming two per car," Lucian said aloud. "If he's not an idiot or suicidal, he'll have assumed you wouldn't come alone. Markus, can you send the drone back along the road and check for lookouts?"
The Swede nodded and guided the drone back along the route. On the screen, the road appeared in night vision. Markus also activated heat and motion sensors — the road was unlit, making it hard to spot hidden cars or people.
A small red shape caught their attention — and then another, farther down on the opposite side of the road.
Markus marked the locations where they had spotted movement, then continued scanning but saw nothing else.
"Once Christopher has passed, I'll block their communications, and you can take them out," the Swede said.
Christopher nodded. "Can you show us the building again? Are any entrances or exits visible?"
"From the outside: here and here," Markus said, pointing to two sections of the outer fence. "The wall looks broken, and there are no guards. We should be able to get in unseen."
"From there, we can reach the cars and the building to neutralize the outside guards," Lucian added.
"For the inside, I'm trying to locate a floor plan. I don't want to fly the drone too low — they might see it."
Christopher checked his watch. "We're almost out of time. Leon, Ty — scout ahead and find the best way in. Markus — deal with any security cameras if they have them. Michael — you're in command once I leave."
Everyone nodded and returned to their vehicles.
Michael and Markus got into the other cars, leaving Christopher alone. He started the engine and drove off.
Lucian handed Jia Hao an earpiece and a microphone.
The vampire got ready and climbed into the car, his heart pounding. His thoughts were fixed on Mu Yang.
Almost as if reading his mind, Lucian gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"We'll get him out of there. Safe and sound."
Jia Hao nodded.