“That’s the warehouse. There’s an entrance door to the right here, but from the blueprint we know that there are two other doors in the back. There’s been no activity, which would be consistent with the information we have: since it’s still daylight, nobody is going in or coming out. And even if it were night already, this video wouldn’t help us. Unfortunately as we all know you can’t tell on a video feed whether you’re dealing with a vampire or not. Their auras can’t be captured on camera. So we’ll need to send somebody there to confirm first.”
Oliver shook his head. “And waste more time? No. Corbin said that this might only be a temporary address. We can’t risk them slipping through our fingers.”
“I agree,” Samson said. “Nevertheless, let’s send over a couple of our best human guards while it’s daytime and have them do some reconnaissance for us. That won’t cost us any time.”
Oliver nodded. “Fine.”
“And I think to be cautious we should get confirmation of the address from another source.” Samson turned to Thomas. “How’s Eddie coming along with breaking that password on Valentine’s second phone?”
“He said he’s got it under control.”
“Okay, then let’s go over weaponry,” Oliver suggested. There were many ways to kill a vampire, and while he would love to see those bastards suffer the most horrible deaths possible, he was smart enough to know that Scanguards had to employ the most efficient methods to ensure the safety of the women.
Small caliber handguns with silver bullets were still the most effective way to kill a large number of vampires without having to get too close. Several of their group were sharpshooters, Thomas being one of them. While everybody discussed the merits of one weapon versus another, Quinn leaned in, speaking quietly.
“I’m very proud of you. And I’m sorry we doubted you. I always knew that when push came to shove, you would pull through.”
“It’s not over yet.”
“I know. But it’s a good start.” He tossed a look at the screen and the blueprints that were spread over the table. “When all this is over, we’ll talk about Ursula.”
Absentmindedly Oliver nodded. Shit, he hadn’t told Ursula yet about the latest developments. And he had to tell her that he wouldn’t be able to stop by tonight since they would be going on the attack tonight. He didn’t want her to wait for him in vain and possibly worry.
It was almost sunset by the time Oliver was able to slip out of the situation room and find a quiet office where he could make a phone call without being overheard.
He dialed the pre-programmed number while keeping an eye on the door.
“Oliver?” Ursula’s voice came through the line.
“Yes, baby, it’s me.”
She sighed.
“I have exciting news. We know where the blood brothel has relocated to. It’s over in Oakland now. We’re going to attack tonight and get the women out.”
“Oh my god! I can’t believe it!” Excitement colored her choked up voice.
“It’ll all be all right soon.”
“What will you do? It’s going to be dangerous, isn’t it?”
He chuckled. “Are you worried about me?”
“What if I am?”
Pride made his chest swell. Ursula cared about him. “I promise you I know what I’m doing. And my colleagues do to. We’re discussing strategy right now. Don’t worry, we’re going in with guns blazing.”
Her breath hitched. “But the girls. You can’t hurt them.”
“We won’t. We have some excellent sharpshooters on our team. None of the girls will be harmed. I promise you.”
“It’s so good to know it’ll soon be over. How did you even manage to find the place?”
“I got a call from Corbin, the vampire you stole the wallet from.”
“He found out where they moved to?”
“Yes, he got an email notifying him of the new address. Damn lucky too! Since he’d only been to the place once, he didn’t think they’d even notify him.”
“What?”
“I said damn lucky—”
“Oliver, Corbin didn’t just come once. I saw him many times. He was a regular.”
Surprise flooded him. “But he said . . . are you sure?”
“Believe me . . . Oh damn, I think Vera is at the door. I’ve gotta go.”
“Wait—” But the line went dead. “Fuck!”