The smile on Gamichee's face fell when he saw the false wall was open, and the hidden stairs were exposed. He walked into his office, seeing the mess on the other side of the room. Slowly he walked over, assessing what was in front of him.

Taking short, sharp sniffs, he could detect that Adley had been here. Which meant that the other three had been here as well. Hearing a muffled sound, Gamichee turned to see that Carson was tied up to his chair, struggling to turn it around. His mouth was stuffed with something, and a note was pinned to his jacket.

Gamichee walked over, pulled the note from his jacket and pulled the material from his mouth. Raising his hand, Gamichee stopped Carson from talking. He read the note that begged him to put Carson over his knee and smack his ass for being a bad boy.

Flicking the note to the desk, Gamichee leaned on the ledge behind his desk and flicked his fingers. Carson took a deep breath.

"I came in here after searching for them. They were playing poker; I think they'd been here for most of the day after we broke into the warehouse on the other side of the city."

"Where were you between then and the time you arrived here?"

"They tricked us into believing they'd entered the sewer system. When we figured it out, we tracked back, but the hatch was locked, so we had to continue back through the sewer. It finishes about a kilometre down the road, but we couldn't emerge because it was direct sunlight."

Gamichee wanted to huff in frustration but didn't.

"Tell me, Carson. What is the one thing that I always say about Lennon?"

"That he's slippery when he doesn't want to be caught."

Chastised, Carson offered a grim smile. Gamichee merely flicked his fingers and wordlessly told Carson to get on with it.

"Adley found the door. They broke into it."

"How did they do that?"

"Merissa."

His eyes closed for a moment, feeling the sting of betrayal.

"It gets worse. They found something down there, I don't know what. I believe they're on their way to Fielding Hall."

"That's the worst?"

Carson shook his head sadly.

"Lyla's a vampire now. Merissa turned her."

Gamichee stared, not believing it at first, but then he knew it as the truth. This would have been Lennon's idea to protect Lyla, but he failed to understand that Gamichee always got what he wanted.

"It's fine." he murmured. "I can't breed with her myself now, but I will still ensure that she produces for me. I will just have to find satisfaction with someone else fathering the children. Perhaps you could do the job."

The withered smile tried to hide his real thoughts. Gamichee didn't like lying about his true intentions for Lyla, but it was for the best.

"But what about my father's efforts in this mess?"

"Alright," he said with another frustrated sigh. "Not you then. I'm sure I'll find someone that will do as they're told. I suppose a night between Lyla's legs will entice many to willingly do the task without complaint."

Carson smirked, thinking that there would be a long line if word got out. That is if they could get anywhere near her. He could see that Lennon was doing his damnedest to keep a firm grip on Lyla.

Untying Carson, Gamichee stepped aside. As he walked around the desk, Gamichee picked up the photo frame and looked at the vampires he considered to be his children. Merissa was one of two children he'd adopted, but he could see that she needed to be in a good home rather than Fielding Hall. Well, it was that or have the nurses strike because she was causing so much trouble.

He'd given her a good life, though he wasn't sure if she actually understood that. She'd been unruly at first, taking a few months to settle down, but eventually, she came good. Gamichee believed that taming Merissa was done by pure love from his dearly departed wife. She'd opened her arms and showered the troubled child with endless love. When Marguerite passed, Gamichee didn't have it in him to adopt anymore. There was one that he'd always wanted to bring into his loving home, to keep close, but for reasons he didn't dare mention, he didn't adopt the child. It was better this way. Gamichee only hoped that everyone involved could see that.

As for Merissa, the years past and he thought that she'd gotten better. Then she found herself a werewolf, and even though he'd threatened to take Adley to the vet to neuter him, Gamichee knew that he wasn't that bad.

With a heavy and slow sigh, Gamichee returned the picture frame and looked at the dishevelled vampire in front of him.

"What now?"

Gamichee picked up the phone and pressed the button for Fielding Hall.

"Now?" he murmured, waiting for the call to be answered. "Now, we wait. Have the staff clean up this mess."

Carson nodded and stalked out of the room. Gamichee waited for someone to answer. The longer it took, the more he feared. How long had they been gone? Were they already there?

Every time the ring echoed through the phone, Gamichee's anxiety rose a little more.

Carson was almost at the door when his name was bellowed. As he walked into Gamichee's office, he hung up the phone with a look of distaste on his face.

"We need to leave now."

Gamichee closed the door to the vault, ensuring that everything was hidden again.

"Do you know what they might have taken?"

"Perhaps a little money, if they're smart. I'm sure they found it all rather boring."

Carson looked at his boss, knowing that it wasn't entirely the truth. In fact, he didn't think that any part of that room was boring. The money was pretty damned nice, but he had his own large stash to drool over. He'd seen the case that was filled with rare stones and was rather enthralled at how beautiful they were. If anything, the only thing in the room that was boring was the filing cabinet. Of course, he knew that the most mundane thing in the room was likely to be the most interesting. He'd never looked in the cabinet, never given the opportunity.

When they reached the garage, Carson entered the security room and grabbed a set of keys for one of the town cars.

"Where's your car?" Gamichee asked with a heavy frown.

"Take one guess."

"Well," He hummed. "I suppose I should order the tow truck now rather than later. At what part of the river do you think they will eventually dump it in?"

Carson stopped and glared at his boss.

"I would hope no part at all. You don't seriously think they'll dump it, do you?"

"That would depend on what they find at Fielding Hall. Remember, Lennon was raised there. If he has access to the files, he will learn the truth, and it's only a matter of time before Merissa searches for her past as well."

As he settled into the back seat, Gamichee pulled out his phone and called Fielding Hall again. This time, he got an answer.