Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Invisible

The flight seemed to take forever. Edgar called Carl, an associate of his in Arizona, and asked him to arrange a vehicle for him. The address they had was about an hour away from the airport.

“This is the most nerve-wracking flight I’ve ever been on.” Harry stretched his body once he was off the plane.

“Myself included,” Edgar said.

“Hello,” Carl greeted them with a smile as soon as he saw them walking towards him.

“Hello, Carl. Thank you for assisting me at such short notice,” Edgar told him.

“You’re most welcome, Edgar.” Carl handed him the keys to a black Ford Ranger.

“Thank you,” Edgar said. He didn’t waste any more time with pleasantries. He didn’t want word to get around that he had traveled to Arizona. Anyone associated with Elena would recognize him and sound the alarm bells.

Edgar sensed Harry’s rising anticipation as they neared the site. It was a good thing he hadn’t asked Harry to drive. His beta would have probably caused an accident. His own heart beat so hard against his ribcage he was sure Harry could hear it. Both of them were scared of what awaited them at the mysterious address. How bad could it be?

“We’re almost there,” Edgar said, glancing at the map displayed on the GPS. “Are you okay?”

Harry wiped beads of perspiration of his forehead. “Yeah, just a little nervous.”

A little nervous? Harry looked like he was about to burst into flames. Well, that’s what you got for cheating with a ruthless Luna who would stop at nothing in her quest for power and money. Elena could manipulate anyone and any situation to her advantage. He dreaded to think what she would do if she ever found out about his surrogate. Would she suddenly say she wanted a family? Would she miraculously want to settle down with him? Edgar wouldn’t put it past Elena.

“We’re here!” Edgar said, briefly forgetting about Elena.

Harry stared at the site, then the screen. “Are you sure we are at the right address?”

“Yes,” Edgar said, pointing at the GPS screen.

“But…” Harry paused. “There’s nothing there.”

They jumped out of the van and stared at the hectares of vacant land dotted with vegetation here and there.

“Do you think Elena managed to fool us?” Harry asked.

“No,” Edgar said, his voice confident. He leaned against the Ford and crossed his arms. “Think like Elena, Harry.”

Harry grimaced at the way Edgar strung his name right after Elena’s. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“If you were running an illicit business, would you leave it in plain sight for all the world to see? Or would you hide it?”

Harry closed his eyes. To Edgar it looked like he was processing what he had just told him. “I’d hide it.” Harry stared at the vacant land. “Are you saying the business is literally underground?”

“Maybe it is,” Edgar said, sniffing the air, “or maybe it’s right in front of us and we just can’t see it.”

Edgar stood still and focused on the empty space in front of them. He smelled witchcraft. Powerful magic was at play here. Edgar doubted it was the work of one witch or wizard; it had probably taken an army of magical creatures with black and white magic to hide this place. Magic didn’t fool one forever. Had the team that had concealed the place forgotten that? Edgar wondered as he concentrated on his breathing. He was a wolf at heart. Wolves couldn’t be fooled. He glanced at Harry. He, too, had figured out the place was magically hidden from them. They only needed to believe it was there with all of their wolf hearts to see it.

“Do you see it?” Edgar asked Harry.

“Yeah.”

The Evening Club revealed itself from the ground up. It was almost as if the place was being built using computer animation. Buildings blended into the vegetation. There were wide open spaces, race tracks, fighting rings, and an outdoor stadium.

“This place is massive,” Harry said.

“Yeah, it is,” Edgar said, pulling him behind the Ford when two wolves appeared out of thin air. “It seems like they went all out when it came to security.”

“What do we do now?” Harry asked.

“We need to get inside, get some information,” Edgar said. Harry’s face had grown so pale, he looked like he was about to faint.

“How are we going to do that?” Harry asked.

“We wait and watch.” Edgar squeezed Harry’s arms. “Hey, we’re wolves. Don’t forget that. We’re also magical and powerful. You may think of yourself as a beta, but when you need to protect your pack you’re capable of being just as dangerous as I can be.”

Harry took a few deep breaths before speaking. “Thank you. I needed to be reminded.” He glanced at The Evening Club. “What if they suspect us?”

“They won’t. We’re wolves just like them,” Edgar assured him. “Their primary goal is to make money. Fortunately for us, I have plenty of it.”

Harry nodded. “Okay, I see where this is headed. So, do we just stroll in there and throw money at them?”

Edgar shook his head. “No. We need to be invited in.”

“And who is going to invite us?”

Edgar nodded in the direction of a group of scantily clad women headed inside. “Put on your most heartbreaking face, Harry—we’re about to get ourselves a few dates.”

Edgar had to hold himself back from laughing at how shocked Harry was at his plan. Was he so smitten with Elena that he couldn’t even flirt with another woman?

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to bed them or anything,” Edgar assured him. “We just need them to get us inside.”

Edgar undid a few of his shirt buttons. “I suggest you do the same,” he told Harry.

Harry didn’t need to be told twice. Edgar smiled his most seductive smile as the women neared them.

They were human, Edgar realized as he caught their scent. Were they regulars here? The women’s laughter died down when they noticed them. No woman could resist a wolf who had set their sights on them, Edgar thought, as the first woman made her way towards him.

“Hello, handsome,” she greeted, licking her lips. “Are you hungry?”

Edgar smiled. “Hello, beautiful. Why, yes I am. What gave it away?”

The woman laughed. “Handsome and a good sense of humor. Why don’t you and your shy friend join us for lunch?” She extended her hand. “My name is Sheryl.”

Edgar kissed her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sheryl. My name’s Ed, and this is my friend, Henry.” He let go off her hand and joined her group.

Harry remained silent beside him. Edgar nudged him as they entered the gates of The Evening Club. Perhaps Harry was afraid of what they would learn inside. He wished he could tell Harry he was as scared as hell himself, but he couldn’t say a word because Alphas never admitted they also felt fear.

Invisible magic protected the gates. He’d been right—only those with an invitation were welcome inside. Did this mean vampires and werewolves interacted together inside The Evening Club? Forming a pact with vampires was dangerous for any magical creature. The living dead were capable of draining the life out of anyone and everyone to try and satisfy their insatiable thirst for blood.

Edgar prayed to his ancestors for protection as they walked with the women to the bar. He needed to watch both his and Harry’s backs.

***