by Hayden, Sean
I screamed, and for the first time, I needed to breathe to fight back the fear.
* * *
Suddenly, back in the middle of the street, I spun in a circle. Raphael's absence came to me like a breath of fresh air. I had no idea who, or what, he was, but I gave silent thanks to whoever had sent him that he was gone. I really should have called the cab. Next time I would.
By the time I made it back to the University, Thompson stood by the Suburban with a curious look on his face. I felt like somebody had drugged me. It wouldn't really work if they did, but I imagined how I felt right at this moment would be very similar.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I just had a rough moment back there."
"Sometimes they get away, kid. It's not a big deal." He opened his door and slid in the driver's seat. I opened the door and fell into mine. The SUV started and the cool air from the vents washed over me. I reached over and pointed the other one of mine and one of Thompson's full force on my face. I willed the cool air to wash away what I had seen. "You sure you're okay?"
"Just had an out of body experience and met my dad."
"Excuse me?" He did a classic double take.
"Nothing. Never mind."
"Ashlyn…"
"Please, just let it go, maybe later."
The sign of a good partner is that they care. The sign of a great partner is they know when to let it go. Thompson was better than great. He nodded and became very interested in the operation of the SUV. We rode in silence on the way back to the hotel while I rested my head against the back of the comfortable leather seats. I stared out the window at the starry night sky and thought about nothing in particular, or at least I tried to. I'd never known my mother, only her twin sister. I'd like to think they were very similar, but it's still not the same. I had never, ever thought I would find out who my father was, let alone meet him. Finally, I've met him and not only had he scared the crap out of me and asked me to kill myself, I didn't know if he was even real.
Chapter 21
The Governor's Ball was tomorrow night and Thompson and I hadn't even begun to get everything prepared. The only good news we got was that he and I would be staying in the mansion for the remainder of the night and during the daylight hours of the big day. That gave us plenty of prep time to thwart the attack we were sure would come. Greer wouldn't be the only major political player in the vampire world in attendance either. Every master of every major city in California was on the guest list, and if I knew anything about vampire pride, few had turned down the invite.
Thompson and I walked the entire exterior of the mansion with legal sized pads of paper making notes on possible weaknesses in the security of the governor and his guests. The list kept getting longer and longer, while my feeling of hopelessness got bigger and bigger. The words 'death trap' kept crossing my mind for some reason. Thompson, on the other hand, kept up his positive attitude. I tried not to make gagging faces.
We did settle on who would be doing what during the ball. Thompson would play the role of orchestra conductor while I played inhuman shield to Greer. Thompson didn't see the other masters of the cities as potential targets (or at least important ones), but after visiting the dead master of San Jose, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for those on the guest list. Thompson called it collateral damage; I called it more of my people I would have to protect if I needed to. I gave a little gulp at the idea that I was starting to think of vampires as my people. Especially after the walking, waking dream I had on the Sacramento street the night before. That dream, or vision, had rattled what little I knew about myself and what I was.
"Ashlyn!" Thompson's shout snapped me out of my reverie. I looked up at him and blinked a couple of times.
"What?"
"Get your fucking head in the game, kid, or I'll have you sit this one out."
"My head is in the game. I was thinking about how hard it would be to get Greer to wear a stake proof vest under his tux," I lied.
"Good luck with that. Do you think four FBI SWAT agents will be sufficient to cover the rear entrance?"
"I think so; tell them not to engage unless they can get a clear shot from a distance and radio for back up immediately."
"I said that already, pay attention," he said and gave me a friendly slap on the head.
"Yes, Father."
He started to move on and I followed him. I refused to go back to my thoughts, so I actually looked around for the first time that night. A hundred weak areas caught my attention, and I jotted them down on my growing list of possible avenues of attack. Shit, for all I knew, the vampires were going to drop a nuke on the mansion. How the hell do you protect against that?
"You see anything else?" I looked up and found us where we'd started our rounds.
"Only about a hundred and fifty things."
"Yeah, me too. Let's go compare lists."
That's precisely what we did for the next hour and a half. Thompson saw things I hadn't even noticed. I'm ashamed to say almost every one of mine had already been marked down by him. At least I saw them. I might not be as good as Thompson, but I was getting better. Let's hope I would be good enough by tomorrow night. I really wanted this whole detail to be over.
A knock on the office door where Thompson and I had set up shop came just as we finished going over our lists. Thompson stood and walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a sheepish looking governor standing there. If a man who always expects things done for him and people coming to him ends up on your doorstep looking sheepish, you can bet your ass he wants something you won't want to do.
"Can we help you, sir?" Thompson stood back far enough to give Greer enough room to enter the smallish office.
"Actually, you can. Would you mind if I sat?" He entered the room taking Thompson's recently vacated seat.
"What do you need, sir?" I tried to keep the suspicion out of my voice. That didn't work out so well.
"You always get right to the point. I like that about you, Ashlyn. Let me be blunt. The master of San Diego has agreed to fly in tonight to show her support of my election and attend the Governor's Ball. I gave my oath that nothing would happen to her. What I need from the FBI is her protection. Could you meet her at the airport and make sure she arrives here safely?"
I looked at Thompson and could see the disbelief in his eyes. "How are we supposed to protect you if we're out playing taxi service?"
"I'll go," I offered. I couldn't believe the words flew out of my mouth without me stopping them. I knew the reason though. I had indirectly caused the death of one master. I'd been called in to see the body of another. I'd also been standing in front of another when he'd been blown to literal pieces. If I could stop just one more death from happening besides the governor, maybe this detail wouldn't be a total loss.
"Thank you," Greer said.
"Excuse me?" Thompson's question came out at the same time.
"I'll do it. You stay here and finish the prep work. You have a ton more experience than I do, and I'm better at keeping my ass alive. It'll be okay, big guy. I'll be back before you miss me." I finished with a little smile. Thompson didn't return it.
"Fine, do you have the details of her flight?" Thompson turned to Greer.
"She is arriving at the Sacramento airport in little over an hour. Here's the flight plan. Esperanza Garcia Ramirez will be arriving via private jet at my hangar. At least you can avoid the traffic at the terminal. She will have two guests with her. Would you mind using the limousine?"
"Yes. I'm taking my SUV. I don't know how to drive your limo and I don't trust anybody I don't know with safety right now. I drive, I keep us safe."
"I guess you're right, agent. Thank you."
"My pleasure, sir."
* * *
We pulled out of the hangar in silence. I think Miss Ramirez felt a little snubbed that she had to ride in a lowly sports utility vehicle rather than a posh limousine. I didn't care. She took an immediate dislike to the lowly vampire agent of the
FBI and decided to give me the cold shoulder. I made faces when she wasn't looking.
"Why did Greer not come and meet me himself?" Esperanza finally broke the silence once we hit the highway.
"His duties as governor kept him away, but he sends his apologies. I hope your flight was acceptable, Miss Ramirez." I smiled and did a little dance in the front seat. I was getting good at being polite!
"Dreary, but acceptable. Please hurry to our hotel. I am in need of a bath after traveling."
The incredulous look I gave her in the rear view mirror probably saved our lives. The headlights flying up on us were traveling too fast to be a coincidence. I gave the big SUV a little gas and made an unplanned right hand turn just to be certain. The road we turned onto led back to the airport and looked more like a service road than an actual street. There wouldn't be a reason in the world for the car behind us to turn unless they were following us.
"Fuck," I said when the headlights reappeared. I picked up my cell and speed dialed Thompson.
"Don't tell me, you've been attacked," Thompson said from the other end of the line.
"That depends. Did you send somebody to escort us to the hotel by chance?"
"No. Why? What's going on?"
"I have an unidentified car following us."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Track the GPS in my cell. I'm hanging up now."
"Got it, help is on the way in minutes."
I clicked the end button and put the phone in a compartment in the center console. If we wrecked, I wanted it as safe as possible. I reached over and grabbed the seatbelt I never used and clicked it into place. "Buckle up," I told my passengers who had been listening intently to my conversation with Thompson. At least they listened.
I slowed down and made like I planned on pulling over to the shoulder of the road. I kept an eye on the vehicle behind us and as they closed the distance between us. I gunned the engine and gave the wheel a yank to the left. Not flipping a sports utility vehicle is difficult. Not flipping a full size Suburban is about fucking impossible. I managed to keep it from rolling, but I didn't keep all four wheels on the ground. Usually vampires and other supernatural beings are pretty fearless, especially as far as car wrecks are concerned. Unless the car exploded, the chances of a vampire dying in a car accident are slim to none. That didn't stop my passengers from giving little screams of surprise as I pulled a fast hundred and eighty degree turn.
As soon as we were safely facing the opposite direction, I gunned the engine. All eight cylinders pumped as fast as they could. Three-quarters of a ton of steel accelerates pretty slowly, even with the finest of internal combustion engines pushing it. I turned and stared at the passengers of the strange vehicle as they sped past us. Every one of them stared at us in shock. I could make out the driver and a passenger in the front seat, and three others in the back. All doubts that they were following us vanished when they spun their vehicle in an almost identical move I pulled off. Because they fishtailed on the shoulder of the road, slipping on the loose gravel, it bought us a few more precious seconds as they fought to gain traction. By the time they started seriously accelerating; I'd almost pushed the Suburban to top speed, barreling down the highway like a mini semi-tractor trailer. I needed to install one of those air horn thingies. A good, solid Bwa Bwaaa would have done a lot for my nerves right then.
The lead I'd gained over our friends in the lighter SUV didn't last long. Once I made our way back to the main road, their headlights reappeared in my rear view mirror. I couldn't push the accelerator any closer to the floorboard, so I did the next best thing. I slammed on the brakes. The Suburban's tires screeched against the asphalt and the whole vehicle shuddered. Anti-lock brakes, my ass. I fought against the steering wheel as the mass of metal fought to fish tail out of control. The guys behind me weren't so lucky. They fishtailed and missed my rear bumper by inches as they swerved around me to avoid a collision.
I let off the brakes and gunned it. I felt a small feral smile creep onto my lips as I came to the realization that my headlights were now in their rear view mirror. I must have been a little smarter than they were. I remembered to turn on my high beams. The twin shafts of illumination filled the smaller SUV and the heads of the five occupants became visible. I saw the three in the back seat turn and glare at me menacingly, showing their fangs in the process. I smiled back, until the front passenger pointed a small cylindrical tube out the window and braced it on top of his shoulder.
I'd been standing in front of the master of Los Angeles when he'd been hit by an anti-personnel rocket. I really didn't want to be in a SUV that got hit by one. I saw him pull the trigger and the rocket launched straight at the front of the Suburban. I muttered a quick, "Oh, fuck," and spun the wheel frantically. The SUV spun ninety degrees and tilted over on its side just as the rocket impacted. We took the hit to the roof instead of the engine block. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
Fire filled the Suburban as we skidded to a stop. The concussion from the explosion had been minimal. I heard the boom, but the impact from the roof had set off the detonation. I thanked whoever might be listening that it hadn't pierced the roof and exploded inside the vehicle. Fire I could deal with. Being exploded might be a tad more difficult. Suddenly the expression pull yourself together took on a whole new meaning.
I spun in my seat and looked at my passengers. They were on fire. I mean that literally. Not only did their clothes burn, but they appeared flammable as well. This day just kept getting better and better.
I forgot I had actually used my seatbelt for once and got a sharp reminder when I tried to kick open the passenger door. Mine would have been easier if the vehicle hadn't landed driver's side down. I quickly unbuckled and tried again with better results. By the time I made it out into the relatively (relative to the temperature inside the vehicle) cool air, my passengers screams had reached almost unbearable levels. I stood atop the Suburban and reached down and ripped off the door separating them from me. The blast of air magnified the flames and I reached in and grabbed the first of Esperanza's entourage.
The tall blonde female vampire fought against my hand at first and then realized I was trying to help. She grasped my wrist and I pulled. When she flew up through the mangled door I frowned that she hadn't followed my advice about wearing her seatbelt. My frown dissipated when I came to the realization that right at that moment, it might have been a good thing she hadn't. Once I had her on the roof next to me she jumped off and started rolling around on the ground to put out the flames engulfing her.
Since Esperanza had been seated between the two female vampires of her group, I pulled her out next. She didn't seem as flammable as the other two and maintained her composure as I pulled her out.
Time wasn't on our side. I needed to get the last vampire out of the vehicle before the flames ignited the gas tank. Once Esperanza made it safely to the ground, I knelt down to reach into the Suburban and pull the last vampire out. As soon as my hand closed around the cool flesh of hers, the suburban exploded.
Flames licked my flesh as the vampire I'd been trying to save disintegrated in a ball of fire below me. One moment, I had her hand in mine, and the next it crumbled into nothingness. She didn't even have time to scream. I didn't have time to scream as the force of the explosion hurled me into the air with the force of some sort of medieval catapult. I saw everything below me as I completed the apex of my arc. I could see the other two vampires lying on the asphalt with their hands over their heads. At least I saved the master. My thought came as I started descending rapidly toward the hard earth.
I tried landing on my feet, but gravity had a different plan. I landed on my back with a resounding crunch. I didn't lose consciousness, but the pain wracked my body so bad I almost wished for sweet oblivion. Slowly, the pain ebbed and I rolled over onto my knees. Spasms and the feeling of bones re-knitting themselves together still made it impossible to stand, so I crawled toward the flickering oranges and reds of the bl
azing SUV. About mid-way I felt well enough to stand and slowly walk. About three quarters of the way back I had healed enough to run. By the time I got back, Sacramento's best had arrived and were frantically radioing for medical services. I fished out my FBI badge before walking up. One of the officers standing by the open door of his cruiser talking into his radio spotted me first. I held out my badge and he dropped the radio and trotted over to me.
"Are you okay?" He looked me over. With the amount of burn holes in my new outfit, I couldn't blame him. I needed to invest in some fireproof clothes. I wondered briefly if they sold those at the mall.
"I'm fine; the blast threw me over into the field."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"The blast threw me into the field . . ."
"And you're fine?"
"Yeah, I'm a supe," I said and left it at that. I walked past him and over to the master of San Diego. Three officers stood nervously around her and her remaining companion with their guns drawn and pointed squarely at their chests. "Officers, these vampires are with me," I said and showed them my badge. They didn't look impressed. "Is there a problem?"
"No, ma'am," one of them said and finally holstered his weapon. I noticed he was the only one without a flattop. I briefly wondered if there might be a correlation between haircuts and intelligence quotients.
"Thank you, officer . . ."
"Drake, ma'am," he supplied.
"Officer Drake, would you mind giving me and my friends a few moments?"
"No, ma'am, we'll be right over there," he said politely and motioned with his head toward the ring of police cars a good distance from the blazing Suburban.
"Are you okay, Miss Ramirez?"
"Considering the circumstances, youngling, I'm fine. I wish Daria were alive, but I understand you did all you could to save her. Thank you, agent."