Charlotte gripped the steering wheel tighter, her fingers flexing, trying not to gnaw on her lips since Vincent was still speaking to Stone on the phone and waited for it to be her turn for the round of questions that she was dying to ask and pressed on the gas taking them down the highway with the lanterns flashing by illuminating small disks of shadows through the car.
All in all, she shouldn't be surprised if the mayor of the city was a vampire, because at this point, it seemed as though those who were in power didn't come by it naturally but instead by their long life.
But who knows? The mayor didn't have any negative scandals around his name and had only been the natural successor due to his family being powerful political leaders.
Nothing much had changed within his leadership but maybe it had been for the better since there was no treacherous chaos that ensued. Normal life was what most people wanted, not wanting to mess with the status quo.
If one had asked Charlotte what she would be doing only a few months earlier, she would have never imagined a whole new world would open up for her.
It might have been for the better, but only time will tell since nothing would matter in the long run if her parents and her family were hurt and broken apart. She hoped to see them soon with that thought and slid a glance over to Vincent who had just ended his call with another swift answer and blank pause.
"Is Stone on his way?"
"Yes," Vincent replied while circling the silver watch on his wrist. "He brought in the squad that normally does clean up for situations like this. I told him that were heading over as well."
Charlotte pursed her lips. "Is it the mayor? Is he the one leading all of the vampire hunts?"
"No. It's not the mayor. But I think that the vigilantes are going to break into the mayor's mansion next."
"I'm surprised that he's not a vampire since I'm now realizing that vampires have ties to everything."
Vincent lifted a shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did know the existence of vampires though."
Charlotte nodded at Vincent's response and sighed. She was getting antsy considering that her world was falling apart, and it would have been the icing on top to hear that the leaders and authority above her weren't even of her own kind. Then again, she supposed that it didn't make much of a difference now.
"What does the mayor have that the vigilantes want? Is the mayor even human?" she asked.
Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose. "The mayor is human. I'm going to assume that the vigilantes are going to try and get inside his secret vault."
"Wow, the vigilantes are growing more challenging by the day," Charlotte muttered. "I can tell they're having so much fun."
"It's nothing new, Charlotte," Vincent said. "We're so close. Once we get them in action, we'll be able to draw more information about where their lair is at."
Charlotte gave him a brisk nod. "Let's do it."
The mansion of the mayor was as she had expected with beautiful white columns going around the base with large aristocratic features that could be seen from a mile away that fit in well with the old money scheme and well-kept gardens that were of lush green with pops of a bright violet that were meticulously placed.
Charlotte couldn't drive in too close due to the barricade around the mansion which was an electric wired gate along with undercover bodyguards that were littered around, and she parked under the trees in a nearby park which was still too lit up for them to be hidden anywhere.
Back in the middle to outer rings, their forms could be hidden well and slip away at any moment within the shadows yet here they could easily be caught with one wrong move. People were constantly monitoring the area, so it would not be an easy feat to get inside regardless of if one was of a vampiric disposition.
The windows of Vincent's car were darkly tinted, so they did have an inch of privacy to do whatever they needed to do. Vincent pulled out a briefcase that consisted of many different gadgets, and Charlotte leaned over to see what he was planning to do.
"How do we plan to get in?" Charlotte asked.
"Our team will be able to hack into the security system to disable it for a five-second interval where it'll be all up to us to get over the gate and inside. From there, I have a keycard that would allow admission."
"On paper, this should be somewhat simple," Charlotte pondered. "I highly doubt it's going to go that way."
"You just have to follow my lead," Vincent said.
She met his eyes. "As I have always done."