It was nearly sunset before they finished going through the entire town. There were several vamps hidden in various locations, but Vincent was nowhere to be found. Bill thought he found the vamp’s daytime hideout in Nick’s house, but he wasn’t there now. Lily could tell everyone was disappointed that they didn’t find him. Maybe he knew they were coming? But then why would he have sacrificed all his vamp lackeys and Veronica?
During their search, Nick made James rear guard now, and Lily noticed he kept his distance from her. James was doing the same thing, except he wouldn’t even look at her still. It was enough to make her want to tear her hair out. She didn’t like not knowing what was going on with James, and she hated that he was purposely shutting her out. Only finding Veronica’s research and makeshift lab in the high school chemistry class was able to distract her from her brooding and ever growing anger.
“What happened?” Bill asked as they drove back to the hotel.
“What makes you think something happened?” She replied back, flipping through the vampire’s research.
“You wanted to ride with me instead of James and Nick,” he replied. “And you don’t need to be a wolf or a vamp to feel the tension coming off of both men and the anger coming off of you. So something happened. What?”
“None of your business,” She shot back then sighed, setting down the papers and leaning back in the seat. “James flipped out, put Nick in a headlock and made him turn a pretty shade of purple before I got him to let go. When he came back to himself, he said something about the vampires when Silvano had taken him, but quickly went into stupid man mode and brushed me off.”
She saw Mitchell stiffen in the front seat when she said James name.
“What happened with the vampires?” Bill asked.
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it and after today, I really don’t feel inclined to talk to him,” Lily said with a nonchalant voice.
Bill made a laugh and grinned at her. “Funny, coming from the queen of evasion.”
“I am not the queen of evasion,” she shot back then rolled her eyes. “Well okay, maybe a little, but James isn’t me. He’s the nice one, I’m the bitch. He doesn’t just brush me off.”
“Talk to him later in private where he knows whatever he says won’t be out for everyone to hear and try to keep your mouth shut,” Bill told her.
She narrowed her eyes at him as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. Lily was just about to demand what he meant by that last part when she saw Wendy running up to them. “I can’t find her! She was in her room, and I just left to go get us some lunch,” she yelled.
“Whoa, whoa Calm down, Wendy,” Nick said getting out of the car. “You can’t find who?”
A knot wedged itself into Lily’s stomach as she waited for Wendy to reply. The teen swallowed and tried to calm her breath. “I can’t find Tristen. When I got back to her room the door was open and the room was a mess. I looked everywhere, Dad! She’s gone,” she said with wide eyes.
“No,” Lily said, dread and anger wrapping around her like a blanket of thorns. “No, no no! You have got to be kidding me” She shouted, running to the room. This couldn’t be happening! The room was just like Wendy said it was, but she could smell Tristen’s fear. The girl left the room terrified.
“Don’t worry we’ll find her,” James told Lily as he set a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked her shoulder away from his hand.
“So you’re talking to me now?” She asked him, the bitterness making her voice hard. “And of course, we’ll find her.” She turned around and marched out of the room.
James sighed and let his hand drop. He’d have to talk to her later, explain what happened back in town, but not when there was so many people around. He was embarrassed enough as it was, losing it in front of Nick and the kid. He didn’t want everyone else knowing that the smell of so many vampires makes him flip his lid.
“Is it true?” Zander asked, his hands in fists at his side. When Lily scowled with a nod, he cursed colorfully and loudly. “How? How did they get her?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Nick said, walking up to them. “My men say they’ve not seen any come in and only one car left.”
“Who was in the car?” James asked, glancing around the parking lot.
“I don’t know yet. I’m in the process of accounting for everyone,” Nick explained.
“We have to find her, Nick. We have to find her now,” Lily said in a growl.
The alpha gave her an irritated look as he blew out a noisy breath. “We can just go run in some random direction and hope we get luck here Lily. We have to figure who took her, where they took her and make some kind of plan. Anything else will just end up getting Tristen killed or worse.”
“Then give me something to do. Because if I don’t do something I’m going to start clawing at the walls,” she told him.
“What you can do is help me locate all our people. Find out if anyone is missing or someone’s slipped in. That goes for you too, Zander and James. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get her home,” Nick finished.
Lily nodded and turned on her heel, walking towards the hotel. James chased after her, asking her to wait. “Not now, James. You had your chance to talk,” she snapped at him.