"I think there's more than three dozen here," she observed.
"Charles says at least double."
"What are they guarding?"
Hector didn't answer but opened the door and stepped into the hallway. They hurried in the direction the vamps had come from, past several more darkened rooms, and into what appeared to be nothing more than a barracks area.
"That's it?" she asked, disappointed.
"This is good," Hector said simultaneously.
Ashley rolled her eyes and gave the room a once over visually. "I see nothing here." And no Brandon.
"Valon had a good size unit guarding this place. If -"
Rustling came from behind them, and they both whirled. Before the hiding vamp was able to flee, Ashley had tackled him to the ground. The sharp, hot electricity of a Taser ripped through her, and she was flung off.
Gasping, she waited for her seizing to subside while Hector smashed the vamp to the floor.
"What is it with vamps and … Tasers?" she grumbled and rolled onto her belly. "You didn't kill this one?" She climbed to her feet with effort and shook off the shock.
Hector hauled the bloodied vamp up and shoved him onto a chair. "We need to know what or who was here." He radioed Charles briefly to report in. "Search the area, Natural."
Ashley sheathed her knives and began wandering through the cots, tables and chairs. "What am I looking for?"
"Anything interesting." Hector said and then smacked the unconscious vamp.
Ashley glanced over her shoulder, uncertain she wanted to see a vamp interrogation. If Jonny's men were as ruthless as he was, it wasn't going to end pleasantly.
She walked without real purpose. There were no bags or belongings anywhere that might identify who was around. A familiar scent reached her heightened senses, and she paused. She stood between two cots, one of which was pressed up against the wall. Both had unfolded blankets as if the occupants had left quickly.
Kneeling between them, she waited for the scent to tickle her nose once more and then stretched for the blanket on the cot against the wall. She sniffed it and almost sighed. "Brandon," she murmured, recognizing his favorite cologne . For once, she was glad he sprayed too much. She shook out the blanket to see if he'd left something there to help her find him.
A pool of blood had soaked through and hardened a section of the blanket. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stared at it. What had they done to Brandon? After a quick search, she returned to Hector, who had managed to rouse the vamp.
"Brandon was here," Ashley said. "What happened to him? Why was he bleeding?"