She fought Chase for a second, then she read the reasons in his eyes. If it was them, he didn’t want her to see them like this. He didn’t want to see them, either. Della leaned against Chase and fought to grasp tightly to her newfound hope. But the smell of death was so strong it threatened to destroy it.
In only a few seconds Burnett came out. He held his arm over the lower half of his face. His gaze went to Della and Chase. He lowered his arm and swallowed hard.
“Four bodies. Three male, one female. They are in too bad a shape to identify.” His voice came out tight as if the sight sickened him.
“It’s not them,” Della said, her pulse racing so fast she felt it fluttering in her throat. “They were alone.”
Burnett looked down as if seeking strength, and then up. “One female and male were alone in a room.”
Della felt doubt cut through her heart like glass.
“There’s still one tomb left.”
Burnett nodded, apparently not throwing in the towel yet, either. He turned to the others and gave orders for someone to call for a van to take the bodies in.
He picked up the sledgehammer, Chase grabbed the other, and the three of them went in search of the last vault. The last one was half way across the graveyard. They didn’t talk as they moved.
The moon gave off just enough light and turned some of the gravestones a milky white. When they came to the raised tomb, taller than Della, she didn’t think her heart even beat. She couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen into her lungs.
This was it. If Natasha and Liam weren’t in there …
The key didn’t want to turn the padlock that hung from the large concrete door. Burnett grabbed the sledgehammer and hit the lock and knocked it loose.
It took both her and Burnett to push the door open.
Darkness hung heavy in the tomb. Burnett switched on a flashlight. The beam of light moved left to right. Only a pile of concrete blocks filled the vault. No Liam. No Natasha.
Chase let out a breath. She felt him pull her closer, and they looked at each other. This near him she could see his eyes looked wet and hopeless. Frustration built up in Della so tight, she wanted to scream. She dropped to the floor, hugged her shins, and buried her head on her knees. They had failed. Della felt sick, her stomach heaved.
“Did you hear that?”
She recognized the voice and pulled in a shuddered breath. It wasn’t Chase or Burnett.
“Hear what?” She raised her face, but saw only darkness.
“That noise,” Liam said.
“They’re burying someone else,” Natasha said. “I don’t want to listen.”
“No, it was different. Listen.”
“No, I’m tired, Liam. I want to go to sleep forever.”
“Don’t say that.”
“They’re here!” Another voice sounded, but distantly, and Della realized it was Chase. “They’re here somewhere!”
“They’re not,” Burnett said. “We tried.”
Della came out of the vision just in time to see Chase grab his sledgehammer. “Do you hear this?” he screamed as he slammed into the stone wall and knocked a hole in the tomb.
He must have been in the vision, too. And somewhere deep in her soul, she remained just enough in the vision to hear Liam say, “That? Did you hear it?”
“They can hear us!” Della screamed and jumped up. She turned in a complete circle searching in the dark for a door or entrance. None existed. Then her gaze fell to the pile of concrete blocks.
“There,” she said. “Under there.”
Burnett didn’t look convinced, but when she and Chase started tossing the blocks to the other side, he helped.
Ten heavy blocks later, Della saw the metal latch that pulled up a steel door. Her tears of regret that had fallen were now followed by tears of joy.
It took all three of them to pull the door open.
Della jumped down into the small space. But she saw nothing but blackness.
Then she heard it. Breathing. She inhaled and caught the scent of vampires. Two.
“Natasha?” Della said. “Are you here?” Her vision cleared just enough to see another open doorway.
“We’re here,” Natasha said and it sounded as if she’d started crying. “We’re … here. Right here.”
Della ducked down to go through the doorway. A beam of light came behind her. She turned and saw Chase with a flashlight.
“We found them.” She smiled up at him through her teary vision.
“I know.” He handed her the light and came to stand next to her. His shoulder brushed against hers and she let herself savor that touch for one second. “Let’s get them out of here.”
Chapter Forty-three
Dr. Whitman and his family were on vacation, so Burnett had a different doctor meet them at Shadow Falls. He put the doctor and his patients in one of the bedrooms in an extra cabin. Della, Chase, Burnett, Holiday, and Hannah all sat in the living room. Miranda and Kylie had stopped in for support. Miranda hugged Della, Kylie just gave a thumbs-up, and then they went on their way.
Chase sat right beside Della, as if it was his place. She didn’t argue with him. They had made a hell of a team. While her thoughts were mostly on the two behind the door, she couldn’t help but think about Burnett’s message about her and Chase: After this case, if you continue to see Chase, your career with the FRU is over.
Did she really have to make that choice?
She glanced at Chase and wondered what the chances were of him coming to work for the FRU.
From behind the bedroom wall, she could hear the doctor moving around and treating the patients. The first thing he’d asked for was extra blood. He’d brought some, but needed more. Burnett left and returned with four pints from his own reserves.
The doctor was going to let them feed and give it to them via IV while he checked them. Finding Natasha and Liam alive had erased Della’s panic, but seeing them so thin and weak brought some of it back. Both of them had been going in and out of consciousness on the way over here.
They looked like the old pictures of prisoners of war. The mood in the cabin now was cautiously optimistic.
Burnett stood on the front porch to make a few calls. Probably checking in to make sure things had gotten taken care of back at the cemetery.
Holiday, with Hannah in her arms, came over and sat beside Della and Chase. She offered Della a gentle, calming touch and then some words. “I’m proud of you. And you,” she said, looking at Chase.
“Thanks,” Chase said and Della saw a spark of pride in his eyes.