When Callum’s driver drops us off, he reiterates that he does not want Helen finding out. The driver nods, and I’m honestly not sure of the relationship between Callum and Helen and their assorted employees because I’d assume they all report to Helen. However, they seem to also have Callum’s back, so maybe he’s closer friends with a couple of them?

I don’t have time to dwell on it because Callum guides me away from the car and to the long line into the building. We don’t have to wait long; thankfully the bouncer doesn’t recognize us and guides us to the entrance door after eyeing us up and down and looking at our eyes. 

The inside is impressive, honestly. It does have a small dance floor in the center of the room and there are already vampires dancing on it, though the dancing is more rubbing against each other as closely as possible. A side effect of the scent blocker is that I cannot pick out scents as easily, so I’ll have to pay closer attention to pick out Ramsay. 

Around the dance floor are assorted tables, all of them built like booths for the purpose of privacy. There are tall walls that surround the booths, even in between them. We’re here a bit earlier than Ramsay should be here in order to put our plan in action. 

Callum leads me to a booth and taps the wall beside us that blocks our view of the other booth. “He sits there. I’ll go order us drinks,” he says, clicking a few buttons on his phone and taking a roll of duct tape that he brought in the small backpack he likes to carry around when it’s necessary. “And I’ll put this into place.”

Tonight is one of those necessary times. 

I stay in my seat, tapping my foot impatiently. This place gives me a bad vibe and I really hope that Callum and I are overreacting and Ramsay just wanted more vampire friends. Besides, he’s allowed to come in here without an ID, so it must be nicer for him. 

While I’m alone, I survey the club and watch as the dance floor slowly gets busier. No one looks like they’re dancing how the people do at Vampieress’ Dungeon. There, they all dance with the look in their eyes that shows it’s for the sole intent of getting laid, but here they dance, get close together, and then disappear to tables for conversation. 

Callum returns with two old fashioned glasses with a red liquid inside of them, but it’s thankfully too transparent to be blood. I’m not sure if this place serves blood but I wouldn’t put it past them based on the vibe it’s giving off. 

“What is it?” I ask, wrinkling my nose. 

“Mine is a vodka cranberry and yours is just cranberry juice.”

I frown. “Rude.”

“You’re underage and it’s human vodka, so it’s not like it’ll do much anyway.”

“Why would they serve human vodka?” I ask, my voice hushed. “It’s an exclusive club and I doubt they actually let humans in.”

Callum shrugs, taking a sip of his drink before sliding it to me and letting me take a sip. We sit in the booth and hang out for a half and hour before Callum nods toward the door and slides me one of his wireless headphones. 

I put it in and then turn to follow his gaze, my eyes finding Ramsay as he enters the room. I’m wearing one of Callum’s jackets, but it doesn’t have a hood so I make sure to keep myself mostly concealed within the booth and just peek out at him. 

He isn’t alone; the blond guy from the restaurant isn’t here, but there are two other guys accompanying him. Well, it looks more like he’s the one accompanying another vampire, as he’s standing on his left side and is slightly behind him. Despite this, he doesn’t look demoralized or agitated; he looks kind of smug. 

The man on the other side of the leading vampire looks how I would have expected Ramsay to. He looks demoralized and anxious, his hands writhing together as he stands beside the leader and keeps glancing up to look around before he refocuses on the floor. Honestly, calling him a man feels like an overstatement; he can’t be older than myself or Ramsay. 

The Ramsay I’ve grown up with never walks behind people as a follower; he’s a leader and a confident one. He’s cocky sometimes, but he’s not smug in the way he is right now and he doesn’t hang around places like this. 

Maybe I don’t know my brother as well as I thought I did. 

It’s clear I never knew Raina, so her revelation wasn’t the most shocking thing in the world for me. It was shocking, yes, but not as shocking as seeing Ramsay walk into a place like this with that kind of expression. I’m not sure what he’s hiding, but my stomach is turning uncomfortably. 

“Lennox,” Callum whispers, getting my attention. He can definitely tell that something is off with Ramsay, probably just based on my expression. “Just listen to what they say.”

I purse my lips in irritation as the earbud starts to crackle and I hear people starting to talk. 

“You’re still bringing Gates’ mole?” a raspy voice asks, and I assume it’s someone who was already at the table because he sounds older and it doesn’t feel like his voice matches any of the people I saw with Ramsay. “You could always hire someone more… exclusive to bring us drinks.” 

“He’s nothing like Samuel,” someone younger and smooth voiced responds. “He’s far easier to work with.” 

The raspy voice is the next to speak. “I remember working with Samuel. I hope for the sake of our privacy that you are right and he is nothing like his father.”

“The fledgling was raised with Samuel’s dead wife’s core values beat into his head and he still came running to me as soon as he could. After confirming the rumors he heard… the fledgling pretty much cut off all ideas of trusting Samuel.”

I feel something touch my hand and I find a napkin slid over. It has a ring of water on it from the condensation of his glass, which now sits on the table. The napkin has some small writing on it and I lean over to read it. 

Isn’t Samuel your dad???

I nod, so many different ideas coursing through my head as to what they mean. I know that Dad mentioned something about rumors, but what are they and how can we know if they’re true? And how can Ramsay mindlessly trust people who clearly hate Dad? 

Callum reaches across the table and holds my hand, and I’m sure he’s trying to offer me some comfort. 

It doesn’t work. 

Over the earbud, I hear the sounds of glasses touching the table, but only three taps of glasses. I suppose it’s possible that the anxious looking guy has a raspy voice and that there’s only three people?

“Thank you, Ramsay,” the smooth voice says. 

“Yeah,” Ramsay says, and I hear him sit down. “Are you sure that you didn’t want-?”

The smooth voice cuts Ramsay off. “Ramsay, you are to address me, not him. I make his decisions for him, you know this.”

“Sorry,” Ramsay says, sounding dismissed. 

Callum gives me a weird look, and I’m sure it’s in response to what the smooth-voiced guy said to Ramsay. He seems just as confused and disturbed as I feel. I take a sip of my drink, a little irritated that it’s just juice because I could really use some supernatural liquor to help me calm down right now.

“The event this evening,” raspy-voice says, before pausing briefly. “You sure you want to bring him? It’s one of Irving’s events. If he messes up there-”

“Then he will deal with the consequences. I think I can manage my protege,” smooth voice cuts in, sounding as smug as Ramsay looked earlier. “Now, if you’ll excuse us for a few minutes, I’m a bit parched.”

Movement plays over the earbud and I assume smooth-guy and Ramsay took off. 

“May I ask a question?” Ramsay’s voice chimes in, loud and clear. 

I expected him to have been one of the people that left, and from the expression on Callum’s face, his mind went down the same path that mine did. We share another look of confusion before going back to listening to the conversation, 

“What do you want?” the raspy voice asks.

So there are four people there total… So why has one of them refused to speak?

“I have done nothing but show respect and assist Conrad for the past few months. The same goes for you, and I really do respect you, but you still hate me. Why?”

The raspy voice laughs in what sounds like a mocking way, and if I wasn’t so invested in what Ramsay’s involved in and trying to stay hidden in this booth, I’d kick his ass myself. Gods, my brother is chaotic and clearly involved in something he wants to keep secret, but I still want to protect him. 

“I don’t have to answer any of your questions, fledgling. I’ve been around far too long to answer to someone who doesn’t even have the minimum to bid.”

“I have no interest in bidding,” Ramsay says, sounding a bit irritated but trying to keep his composure. 

Raspy voice laughs again. “Following Conrad, you will. Tonight is your first event, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll see how Conrad is there.”

Conrad, smooth-voice, returns to the table and loudly announces that they need to get going pretty soon. He sounds much more alert and upbeat than he was before. 

“We’re going to follow them,” Callum whispers. 

Their conversation ends and we hear them get up. Briefly, I stand up and peek along the side of the booth and see them walking away from the exit door. I slide out of my seat and Callum follows me; we rush by their booth, grabbing Callum’s phone from under the table. 

I can see the group ahead of us, but Callum grabs my arm to slow me down. I push forward and keep walking toward the back where a black curtain is blocking off the entrance to wherever Ramsay and his group went. Suddenly, Callum grabs my arm and pulls me abruptly toward the bathroom and locks the door behind us. 

“Callum, what the hell?” I snap, growling at him. 

“Charles Irving,” Callum says softly. “I just saw him.”

“Who is he? This Irving guy?” I ask in a harsh whisper. 

“It took me a second to recognize the name,” Callum mumbles, guiding me to a tall table in the back of the room where we’re alone. “Helen has mentioned the name a few times, but I didn’t add up the pieces.”

I narrow my eyes. “I need you to tell me what is going on. Right now.”

“That blond guy that we saw Ramsay with? His name is Charles Irving. I’ve seen a picture, but it was from a long time ago and I didn’t really focus on him too much during our date because he was facing away from us… Gods, how could I be so stupid?! Lennox, we need to leave.”

“Why?!” I exclaim. “We still don’t know what Ramsay is involved in!”

Callum looks frantic when he shakes his head at me and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Yes, we do. Charles Irving runs one of the biggest human trafficking groups for vampires in the states. He holds auctions after kidnapping humans and making them into living blood bags.”

“So… that means that Ramsay…” I trail off, unsure how to finish my sentence. 

Callum looks pained, but he nods. “Ramsay is a part of the human trafficking ring.”