Page 71 of Bound by Vengeance
“They left ten minutes ago.”
“They’re not to enter that stronghold onfoot. When they get there, they’re to find a helicopter and rent orbuy it, whatever it takes. They’ll inspect the stronghold from thesky and report to us before any further decisions are made. No oneis to enter the stronghold until we have a better idea what we’redealing with.”
Alejandro digested Nathan’s commands. Neverbefore had he told another stronghold leader how to handle theirhunters, but if those men went into the stronghold on foot, Nathansuspected they might not come out alive.
“What is going on?” Alejandro inquired,intrigued rather than annoyed by Nathan’s order.
“I’m not sure,” Nathan said. “I’d like tosay it’s a fluke, some anomaly, an earthquake, or something else,but I don’t think it is, and I’m not taking a chance with anyhunters until we know more.”
“I’ll tell my men.”
“Also tell them to video whatever they seedown there. Call me when your men are overhead.”
“Will do.”
“Do you know where all of your huntersare?”
“I have two who called yesterday to tell methey’d run into some problems and were hiding out together. Ihaven’t heard from them since. I planned to send out a search partytonight.”
“Don’t.”
Alejandro hesitated, and this time when hespoke, Nathan detected the annoyance in his voice. “They are mymen; I’m not leaving them out there.”
“You might end up losing more of your men ifyou send them out. Hold off on the search until we know more aboutSan Francisco.”
“It could cost them their lives.”
“That’s a risk they agreed to take.” Itsounded callous, and he hated saying it, but they couldn’t riskmore men when they didn’t know what was happening. “Keep your menin tonight.”
“Should the women and children go to themission?”
The mission was a bunker in everystronghold. It had been the first thing they’d constructed on thisproperty. Not only did the mission house the hunter history forevery stronghold, but it was also a safe place where the women andchildren could hide and survive for at least a month. Nathan fearedit could also become a place where they could be cornered.
“No,” Nathan answered. “You might have toprepare your hunters to relocate, but not until we know more aboutSan Fran.”
“What are you thinking, Nathan?” Alejandroasked.
“Nothing good, but I’m probably being overlycautious.” At least, he hoped he was.
Nathan hung up and focused on the screen asRoland slowly rewound the camera footage from San Fran. Leaningcloser, Nathan studied the few hunters who were awake during theearly morning hours. They all walked backward as the footagecontinued to rewind.
While he watched, he started calling theleader of every stronghold to prepare them that they might have tomove.
Few of the leaders were as courteous asAlejandro. New Delhi, Prague, and Cairo pretty much told him to gofuck himself, and Marat in Moscow refused to answer. He’d riskedlosing their loyalty when he revealed the alliance, but they had toknow not all vampires were monsters, and working with them wouldsave lives.
He hung up after his third try of callingMarat. Blood roared in Nathan’s ears, and he almost crushed hisphone. He could feel everything his family had worked thousands ofyears for crumbling in less than a year of his leadership. Hisfather must be rolling in his grave, and his ancestors howling tothe heavens about their failure of a legacy.
“Pull up footage of Moscow,” hecommanded.
Roland rolled over to another computer. Thekeys clicked as he typed, and then the central common area ofMoscow appeared on the screen. The clock at the bottom revealed itwas seven P.M. there. Few hunters were outside, but everythinglooked normal.
“You said San Fran could have unpluggedthemselves from the network,” he said to Roland.
“Yes, but I don’t think it’s likely.”
Remain in control. Think. Figure thisout.Losing himself in despair or rage wouldn’t solve athing.
Clear head, clear mind;it’s what hisfather taught him and the motto he lived by.
