2 Vampires, Warlocks, And Exes by Laura Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

afraid someone will discover the hatch? Like say, oh, I don’t know, the cleaning crew?”
    He chuckled. “Not at all. As far as anyone who might happen upon this entrance is concerned, it is simply the staircase to my private wine cellar.” He gestured for me to step in. “Please, after you.”
    I hesitantly took his hand as he guided me towards the stairs. I walked down about a dozen creaking steps and found myself standing in a room about twelve feet wide and twenty feet deep, lined with red brick and cedar wine racks. The shelves were filled to capacity. Curious, I inspected the labels on a few bottles. Most people would probably not understand the value in this room, but I was well aware that the bottle I was currently holding was valued at well over three thousand dollars. The occasional high roller asked for one to impress the bimbo on his arm.
    “Wow, this is some stash you have here.”
    He circled me and eyed me inquisitively. “What made you select that particular bottle?” he asked.
    I thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I was just drawn to it , I guess. Why?”
    He grabbed the bottle from my hand and placed it back on the rack. Before I could question him , he rotated it forty-five degrees counterclockwise. I heard a series of clicks before the rack dropped back into the wall about six feet revealing another staircase below. He looked back up at me and smiled. “Good instincts.”
    “Holy fuck .”

 
    Nine
     
    I took Leo’s hand to descend the massive staircase. He reached above my head and flicked a switch, which sealed the entrance above and bathed us in a soft light. I paused for a moment to assess my surroundings. The walls were carved out of reddish-orange-colored sandstone, like the kind you would find in the desert but they were smoothed and sealed to perfection. Elegant tapestries hung at even intervals, depicting Old English art with frosted glass sconces in between. Under my feet were stairs made of a thick, golden marble with perfectly polished hand rails on each side.
    “Wow ,” I said in awe.
    He smiled. “Wait until you see the rest.”
    You would think being underground would feel cold and confining, and inspire claustrophobia perhaps, but the further down we went, the warmer and more cavernous it became. We finally reached the bottom and were met by a long corridor made of the same smooth stone, lined with iron sconces with small flames casting shadows on the walls. There were several large, dark wooden doors on each side with a wide open arch at the end. The ceiling was at least twenty feet high with a large antique iron chandelier hanging from the center. The floors were made of the same polished marble as the stairs, Persian rugs adding to the opulence. 
    “My God , Leo, this is amazing,” I exclaimed. “Exactly how rich are you again?”
    He laughed. “You can say I am more than comfortable for several immortal lifetimes.”
    I released a breath. “How far underground are we anyway?”
    “About three hundred feet ,” he replied.
    “Three hundred ?”
    He nodded. “Yes. Would you like a tour? You have the honor of being my first official guest.”
    I jumped up and down like an excited toddler. “Yes! Omigod, yes!”
    He held his hand out with his p alm turned upward. “Shall we?” he asked.
    I took his hand and saw firsthand exactly what a seemingly endless supply of money could get you.

                                                                      *****
    He open ed the first door to our left which led to a control room of sorts. There was a giant wall containing dozens of security monitors. On them I saw Leo’s office, every other area of the club, the front and back parking lot, an underground garage filled with fancy cars, an elevator, a large vault, several long tunnels leading to places unknown...Wait, an elevator?
    “Where is that elevator located?” I