He walked back down the hallway and lifted something. She couldn’t see around his body but he turned, holding the electronic device so she got a good view. It was smashed, the screen shattered. Her father had probably broken it when he’d been thrown onto the table.

Lavos dropped it and returned to the gate. It was unsettling to watch his expression harden and his eyes start to glow again. But the sight was equally fascinating.

“You can remove your weapons and lay them all down.”

“Not a chance, and your eyes aren’t working on me.”

The corners of his mouth curved upward for a second. “It was worth a try.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

The seconds of silence had her guts twisting. He finally shook his head. “I see no reason to if you help me.”

“I’m not opening that gate across the door. No way, no how.”

“It would be difficult for you to help me otherwise. Have you seen the fifth soldier? We located a man and woman in the woods, then what used to be your father, and Mitch behind me. That’s only four. You said there were five. One is missing.”

“I got a good look at three of them when they were attacking the research team in their trailer. I saw the feeds from their cameras. Then those same three came over here to try to get into the RV before I hit the panic button. They took off after that. High-pitched sirens don’t seem to be their thing. Victor and Mitch didn’t show up until after that. I could describe the three I saw to you. Would that help?”

His mouth twisted into a grim line. “They recorded these attacks?”

She debated telling him the truth but decided to be honest. “Yes.”

“Shit.”

“Are you going to kill me and my father’s team? Last I saw, all three were scared shitless and only wanted to get out of this mess alive. They bit off more than they could chew, pun intended.”

“I don’t like to kill anyone unless I absolutely have to.”

“So what’s the verdict on this mess?”

“I like you.”

“Is that going to save my ass?”

He seemed to relax a little and the harsh expression faded. “That depends on a few things.”

“Name them.” She didn’t want to play games.

“We have laws.”

“That’s what Club Threads said.”

He looked perplexed. “Why do you call him that?”

“Open pirate shirt, slacks and black shoes. He looks like he belongs at a dance club in Miami or something, instead of out in the woods.”

He laughed. “His name is actually Kar. Our laws are clear. We can’t allow the outside world to know about us. You’re smart enough to understand why.”

“History,” she muttered. “You don’t want idiots coming after you, trying to burn you alive. Witch hunts, only the Werewolf updated version.”

“Exactly. But with modern weapons it would be a lot worse than being tied to a pole and lit on fire. You’re taking all of this extremely well.”

“You obviously can’t read minds or you’d know I’m freaking out on the inside. But it’s not a nightmare I can wake up from, and I’d like to survive. That means keeping my shit together.”

Lavos stared at her and gripped the bars with both hands. She tensed, expecting him to test their strength. He didn’t tug or jerk on the metal though. Instead he loosely held the bars between his fingers.

“We don’t kill your kind unless they pose a threat. We protect them from assholes like the one on the floor stirring behind me, or the Vampire masters who made him. Keeping our existence a secret is priority number one. Do you pose a threat to me and mine?”

His words and their meaning sank in. “I see no reason to ever tell anyone what actually happened here tonight. I’ve heard about Vampires since I was a little girl, and you won’t find any news footage of me being interviewed about their existence. I…I’m also pretty sure I’ve seen a few over the years. I got the hell out of dodge.”

“Excuse me?”

“I used to love to go dancing, but not after I thought I’d spotted a couple Vampires. They’re hard to distinguish unless you know what you’re looking for. I decided club hopping wasn’t good for my health, to be on the safe side. I didn’t even tell my dad. He and his team would have gone after them—and gotten themselves killed a lot sooner. Live and let live is a good motto. I still can’t believe they found any out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“Your father wanted to prove their existence, right?”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t? I find that hard to believe.”

“You didn’t have my childhood. It was hell. Everyone knew what my dad did for a living. They made fun of me. I was always the freaky kid with the nutjob for a father. I like having a normal life and not being the poster child for weirdness. Is that so tough to understand? The last thing I want is for more people like my father ending up with his fate. I kept telling him it was dangerous.” Pain rose and she fought tears. “Look where it got him. That wasn’t the man who raised me that you saw. My dad would have done anything to protect me, but that thing wanted to hand me over to the dickhead behind you. He’s trying to crawl toward the door, by the way.”

Lavos released the bars and strode back down the hallway, grabbing Mitch and hauling him to his feet. He pushed him toward Jadee but stopped at the bathroom. He shoved him inside.

“Stay put and be still or I’ll rip your fucking head off.” Lavos closed the door, then addressed her. “I’m hoping your father’s team aren’t immune to my eyes. I can wipe their memories and send them safely home. I’ll need to destroy any evidence they have too. Otherwise there’s no guarantee how this is going to end. They do this for a living in hopes of proving our existence, but you see the problem with that. I would like your help.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I’d like for you to talk your father’s team into calmly meeting me.”

She was immediately leery. “You could kill them.”

“Your immunity to my eyes is very rare. I’m hoping they’re able to be memory wiped.” He blew out a breath. “I don’t want to kill anyone except bad guys.”