Page 171 of Death is Familiar

“You’re fine here,” the young man said, stepping through the door way with another, larger, man close on his heels. “We were just sent to check on you.”

Shit, there were two of them. And Jezebel had only been able to get her hands on one pair of fluffy leopard print handcuffs. “By who?”

“Do you need some fresh air?” The bigger man didn’t answer my question, but at least they were smarter than the woman locked downstairs. No, ‘you-don’t-know-me-but-why-don’t-you-come-join-us-in-our-car’ asks here.

“I’m fine, I just need to stay off my feet for a bit, then I’ll be good to go.”

They hovered, both sets of eyes darting to my neck, then each other. But neither took initiative, and I couldn’t take it for them.

Swiveling side to side in my chair, I wasn’t entirely sure what they were thinking. It wasn’t like they’d have an opportunity to bring me outside against my will, without being seen by half the fang ceremony attendees, and their behavior was not begetting trust. Especially, if they continued pressing into the room.

The only real option would be for them to wait for me in the hall, and keep an eye on me throughout the evening.

“We’ll be right outside if you need us.”

Like that.

Making note of the closet as they left, I reformed my plan to account for the second man. Working smarter, not harder was my forte, and the fluffy leopard print cuffs could still come in handy. But what I needed now, was some proof of their involvement.

It didn’t take long for the phone I’d stolen to buzz, a new message appearing in the group chat: We’ve got eyes. Bite confirmed. Surveillance room.

Good enough for me. I flung open the double closet door then smashed the office chair I’d been sitting on into the wall.

Yes, the bass was loud, but the bang I made was louder—for anyone stationed directly outside the door.

Dropping to my hands and knees, the men hurtled into the room, rounded me. “What’s going on? What happened?!”

The larger of the two men was in front of me offering a hand up, the other at my back. If I positioned myself just right, I could get them both in one go.

Accepting the man’s proffered hand, I smashed my knee up into the soft spot between his legs as I made to stand. “Oh my god, sorry!” I stabbed my foot back, feigning a recoil, only to hit a similar target on the man behind me. “Ah sorry!”

Both men doubled over and preoccupied by pain, I slipped their phones out of their pockets and into the bodice of my dress.

“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to.” My foot collided with the larger man’s chest as he made to stand, sending him sprawling backwards with a thump into the back of the closet. “Whoops!”

Okay, that might have been a little obvious.

“What the hell!” The younger man, bounced from foot to foot, still cupping the space between his legs. He looked about ready to pounce.

When he did, I was ready. All I did was stick my foot out, and he tripped himself, stumbling forward until he fell into the closet, landing directly on top of the larger man with a satisfying, “Oof!”

For being anti-vampers, they sure hadn’t trained to take on someone who was prepared to fight back. A fire lit beneath my skin. There were two of them, and they couldn’t even handle me. They were used to preying on the weak.

Handcuffing the closet door shut from the outside, I did my best to quell the rage burning within me.

“You bitch!” they shouted, banging their fists against the closet doors. “Let us out!”

The men continued to yell, bashing themselves against their makeshift prison. With the amount of energy they were expending, they would tire themselves out before any real property damage was done. The closet was solid, the hinges were on the outside, the handles sturdy, I was fairly certain the fluffy cuffs would hold.

The men would be dealt with later. They would get their just desserts.

Ignoring the ache in my back, I took a deep, centering, breath.

With the men locked away, there was only one anti-vamper left, which meant the odds were more than in Fawzy’s favor.

†

Taking a detour onto the terrace, I dropped two of the phones I collected into the pool, and one over the edge of the railing to preserve the messages, before returning indoors. Part Two of Operation Divide and Conquer would be underway soon, and I needed to be in place.