Enduring Service by Regina Morris Page A

its way. Have you compromised any wire or trigger device?”
    “I don’t think it’s a bomb, but I hear some noise coming from the bed.” Mason said as he held his hand to his ear. “Something isn’t right.”
    Liam cocked his head, and Mason suspected the human could not hear the noise. He watched as the human carefully entered the room and approached the bed. Even with his ear next to the wooden frame, he still shook his head. “I don’t hear anything.”
    “I assure you, there is a mechanical hum.” Mason watched as the man’s jaw tightened and his eyes hardened as he looked over at him.
    “I’ll need you to evacuate as well.” Liam held out his hand to help him up.
    Mason heard the human’s heart racing and smelled the sweat beading on the man’s brow. The man was brave and didn’t allow his fear to show. Mason respected that.
    “I can help,” Mason said, standing up.
    Liam’s stare grew distant and Mason heard the words through the com unit the human wore in his ear. The bomb squad would be there in under two minutes. Once Liam acknowledged the report, he again told Mason to leave the room.
    “I may not be a demolitions expert, but I can be of assistance.”
    The man bit his lip and looked deep in thought. Finally, he said, “You can assist by questioning the staff. Get the truth out of them.”
    Mason paused. “The truth?”
    “Sir, I need you to leave this room. You can offer assistance with the household staff. You’re…,” he paused a moment, “uniquely suited for that task.”
    Allowing the words to sink in, Mason wondered what Liam hinted at. “I really think I should stay and help,” Mason said as he pointed back to the bed.
    “No offense, sir. But not even your kind is indestructible. I’d rather you compel the humans and find out what they know.”

Chapter Nine
    The Colony vampires sat around the conference room with their laptops at Washington Memorial Hospital. The room usually held board members meeting to discuss malpractice suits and disciplinary actions, but today, with the help of computer hacking and vampire compelling, the Colony had no problem setting up shop. The room seemed the most logical base of operations since Sulie’s abandoned car remained parked in the parking garage.
    Not able to sit still, Dixon stood and paced. He looked from one vampire to the next — Raymond, Sterling, and Ben. All the vamps worked on their computers; none had answers. Dixon had never thought the size of the Colony team was so small before. Now with Sulie’s life on the line, he wished the team had hundreds of members.
    Thankfully, Brandon and Daniel secretly attended to the president at the White House. His seclusion wasn’t the vacation the president had wanted, but he remained safe. With no daily briefings, no press conferences, and no scheduled meetings, the man hid in his own home. Daniel planned to compel the chef to cook for the president. Other than the chef, and a few stewards, the house would be vacated. Even the daily tours of the first floor of the White House had been cancelled due to fictitious repair work Daniel had the press believe.
    Another team member, William, cut his vacation short. He returned to the White House pulling double shifts covering the White House grounds. Any time the president stayed in residency, the grounds were watched. It proved to be a boring task, but a necessary one.
    Dixon welcomed the help. William, his wife, Jackie, and their three young children returned from vacation early so as many team members as possible could search for Sulie. William was a dedicated team member and another lucky human turned vampire. His turning had been done during the height of the equal rights movement and William was a Black Panther who had fought for the cause. He still had that air about him — equality and justice for all. Dixon figured that was what made him so dedicated to the team. Dixon appreciated that quality and knew the White House and grounds