As much as Doc hated to perform the unpleasant task of informing his boss about the vampires’ leaving, he had no choice. Crawford needed to be informed immediately. If he found out on his own, Doc would lose his job, which would leave the vampires completely at the mercy of his supervisor. And Doc would never let that happen.
Pulling a deep breath into his lungs, he let it out slowly before trudging down the empty hallway to Crawford's office. His feet felt like cement blocks as he forced his legs to move forward. How was he going to tell his boss that Gabriel and Seth had left the program? Worse yet, how could he tell him they’d turned back to vampires? Bracing himself against the wall, he wiped sweat from his brow. After drawing another deep breath, he forced his feet toward his destination.
When he arrived at Crawford's office, the door was already open. Behind the desk, his boss sat signing papers.
Coughing to clear his throat, Peters knocked lightly on the doorjamb. “Excuse me, sir. I need to talk to you about a situation.”
Crawford looked up from a stack of papers and his brow furrowed. “Shut the door.”
With tentative steps, Doc entered the office. He closed the door and stopped at the chair facing the desk. To steady his knocking knees, he gripped the top of the chair and leaned against the back for support.
His boss pushed his chair away from the desk and tapped his pen vigorously against the armrest. “What happened?”
Dreading to relay the information he came to deliver, he shoved his shaking hands into the pockets of his lab coat before proceeding. “Gabriel and Seth have left the program.”
Crawford gripped the pen and glared at him. “And how do you know this?”
“Alex and Roman informed me when they returned to the lab without them.” Here it comes. The lecture. God, I hate this job.
Veins in Crawford's neck bulged, his face reddened and he threw his pen across the room. He jumped from his chair and pounded both fists on the desk—signaling his tirade was about to begin. “I made a monumental mistake when I involved you in the program. Obviously, you weren't up to the task, were you?”
“No, sir,” he answered, studying his shoes.
As Crawford paced behind his desk, his rage seemed to subside. “I'd fire you right now, but you know too much. You also helped develop the formula and you've befriended Roman. He trusts you and Alex trusts him.” He leaned against his desk, and pointed at him with sharp jabs. “I swear to God, if either Roman or Alex leave the program, I will hold you personally responsible. From now on, watch them like a hawk in case Gabriel or Seth try to contact either of them. Your job's on the line. Do you understand what I'm saying?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
You need me more than I need you or this institute. “Yes, sir.” Standing tall, he puffed out his chest. If it wasn’t for his friendship with the vampires, he’d have left a long time ago.
Returning to his chair, Crawford sat and crossed his arms. “So tell me. Have Gabriel and Seth turned?”
“Apparently so.”
“And where do you think your vampires are now?”
Now they're my vampires? He bit his bottom lip. “Roman and Alex doubt they'll remain the area. Hopefully, they're heading to L.A. or San Diego. Because God help us if people around here start turning up dead.”
Crawford spun his chair around and stared out the window. “Where they go is probably irrelevant, because wherever they are, we better pray they can't be traced back to the institute.”