9781936653027BorntobeWildArsuaga

by Cynthia Arsuaga

  “Man, I told you this is a dungeon. A BDSM dungeon. You know, the bondage and discipline kind of shit. The chick was into being tied up and whipped to get her jollies off.”

  “What? I thought this kinky kind of stuff was for the real sicko psychos, not nice girls like Alina.”

  “No man. It’s a whole lifestyle for quite a lot of fine upstanding, well-educated people. You’d be surprised about the number of people into kink.”

  “I guess you’re right. I have been living under a rock.”

  “Yeah, and add the vampire blood and sex to the mix and you have one hell of a combination. There is a real black market for this crap. It’s getting bigger than the guns and other street drugs. The DEA and ATF are having a vacation compared to what we’re starting to see. I got a feeling there are some changes coming down from Washington as to who has jurisdiction over this shit.”

  “How do you know all about this?”

  “I keep my ear to what’s happening. I plan on moving up the ladder fast in the Bureau. Do you think I want to stay here in Miami forever? Hell no! I want to be in Washington where you play the politics of the game. Ha, maybe one day, you’ll be calling me boss, old man.” He fist punched Johnson in the arm, almost knocking him off-balance.

  “Hey, I’m not much older than you punk. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I call you my boss, kid.” He returned the punch.

  After six months undercover, Johnson didn’t think he was in touch with the happenings of the Bureau, a problem he had to correct. He wanted to move up in the Bureau the same as Palmer, and he’d be damned if this pretty boy, fast-talking ass kisser would get promoted before he did. Johnson heard rumors about the guy, even before he was assigned to Miami Beach. He’d ignored them at the time, like he ignored all the trash talk around the office. Whether the rumors were true or not, Johnson would have to keep his guard up with Palmer.

  Now was the time for Johnson to bring on his A-Game and solve this Vampire Virus Case.

  “I think we’ve seen enough of this for now.” He drew the white sheet back over her body in an effort to give Alina an element of dignity in death, the least he could do for her. He motioned for the coroner’s office technicians to remove the body.

  “So now what?” Palmer asked. “You want to divide and conquer, you take half the employees, and I’ll take the other half?”

  “Sure. Let’s get this over with. My guess, no one saw anything.”

  The two agents walked out to the front of the building. Several hundred feet of glowing neon yellow tape cordoned off the crime scene. A uniformed officer from the local force patrolled the entrance, a paunchy young Latino man, sweat beading on his brow and staining his short-sleeve blue-gray shirt. The South Florida heat during the summer was brutal.

  “Officer Martinez, we’re ready to interview the employees. You can let a couple in at a time.”

  The rest of the afternoon would be long and tedious.

  Chapter 15

  Next Morning, Miami Beach

  “So who did Dad say we’re meeting?” Alex asked Jordan.

  “A dude named Agent Martin. Ted, Tad, Todd something or the other. I don’t remember the first name.”

  “These security lines are horrendous. You wouldn’t think this many people would be trying to get into the FBI,” she said, half-jokingly.

  “We’ll be fine, sis. Our appointment isn’t until ten. We’re not late, yet.” He assured her by rubbing her shoulder. “You did leave your stakes, holy water, and knives in the car didn’t you?”

  Rolling her eyes, she cut him no slack, “Smart ass.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were seated outside the office of Division Chief Todd Martin.

  “Hello, I’m Special Agent Todd Martin, the Division Chief for the Vamp Unit.” The older, slightly overweight man extended his hand when he opened the door. “You can shorten it to Chief Martin. Well now, you must be Bobby and Katie Carlton’s kids. Come on in.”

  “Jordan Carlton and this here’s my baby sister, Alex Carlton.” Jordan grabbed Martin’s hand firmly and nodded toward Alex.

  “Hey, Alex Carlton. Nice to meet you, Chief Martin.”

  “Alex. Your parents sure have a sense of humor, naming their only daughter a boy’s name. Especially, a cute one like you,” Martin said, chuckling.

  “Actually, it’s Alexandra, but everyone calls me Alex for short.”

  “Well, have a seat and let’s see what I can do for you.”

  Alex sat in one of the two standard Government Issue occasional chairs, navy blue upholstery with wood legs and trim along the edges. Surveying Martin’s space, she noticed his desk had many files stacked on the top, neatly placed in several piles on both sides, leaving a small space in the center. They smothered the lone picture of a woman she assumed was his wife, a handsome woman with gleaming eyes of blue. Chief Martin was in his early to mid-fifties Alex assessed and well-respected in the FBI according to her dad. Behind him, on the wall, several plaques expressed appreciation for the work he’d done for the Bureau, admiration well-earned for vanquishing vamps and other criminal elements. Alex’s parents had known Martin for over thirty years. To hear her father’s stories about their friendship, he schooled Martin in vamp hunting. Martin was a new recruit with the Bureau and met her dad on a case in Louisiana, and well, the rest was history. They had been friends ever since. Martin, now the Bureau’s Division Chief for Vamp Enforcement, a position he took seriously and proudly held, judging from the commendations mixed in with the plaques on the wall. There were a lot of crazy vamps to watch and keep in-line.

  “So your dad told me a few things about what you need. You want to fill me in, Jordan?”

  “Actually, this is Alex’s baby. I’m along for support this time.”

  Martin crinkled his brow. “Really? Okay then. Alex, you want to fill me in?”

  “To be concise, I have tracked a vampire I believe to be the one responsible for the virus.”

  Martin squirmed in his chair. “Okay, why involve us? You need help capturing him?”

  “Because she, the vampire, is linked to an international drug company here in Miami, I can’t breach them. We don’t have jurisdiction, you do.”

  That got his attention. Martin sat up in his chair and leaned forward. “You mean a pharmaceuticals company? What is the name of this company?”

  Reaching into her tote, she pulled out her notepad and pen. “I’m not sure how it’s pronounced, but I’m taking a stab, SanGeneMur Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Ring a bell?”

  “Holy shit! Excuse me a moment.” He picked up the handset to the telephone and pressed a few buttons.

  Alex heard a phone ring outside the office and a man’s voice answer.

  “Johnson, my office, now.”

  Alex and Jordan looked at each other, raising eyebrows.

  Moments later a tap came to the office door.

  “Come in,” Martin said.

  The door opened, a sandy brown-haired man in his early thirties stepped in. Alex turned her head to catch a glimpse of the well-dressed agent. He was tall, at least six feet, well-defined muscles, but not overtly so—athletic and in-shape physically, because his job demanded it, not because he liked working out. He seemed more a pretty boy, a take care of me type. This must be Johnson. Not my type, but nice package. Is it Bob Johnson, Tom, maybe Chance, or Billy. Hmm. She smiled up at him.

  “Yes, sir. If this is about the report, I should have it to you within the hour. I’m waiting for the lab reports.” Johnson fidgeted walking across the room. He glanced over at the two guests seated, taking particular note of the cute redhead. He returned her smile.

  “Forget the report. This here is Jordan and Alex Carlton. They’re vamp bounty hunters.”

  “Really?”

  “Agent Johnson is the lead on a recent murder of an employee of SanGeneMur and he’s working undercover inside the corporation.” He had a scowl on his face, directed more at Johnson, as he spoke to Alex. “Miss Carlton can
you tell Agent Johnson what you just told me. I’m sure he’d be interested in what you have to say.”

  “Uh, okay. I’m tracking the rogue vampire with the killer virus. I connected her to this drug company here in Miami. I’m sure she’s using a human to transmit the contagion, but I haven’t figured out the why yet. I thought at first it was for personal reasons, but now I think it’s a conspiracy because of the link with this big corporation.”

  Johnson’s eyes widened and his body tensed. “What’s this boss, you trying to fire me?” He looked intently at Alex. “And how did you find all this information out, Miss Carlton? Your great bounty hunter skills, read it on the Internet under Vamp Conspiracy Theories?” His sarcasm did not sit well with Alex. No one insulted her hunting abilities.

  “I’ve been physically tracking this case about a week, but I’ve been following it online since it hit the underground network about six weeks ago. The trail led me to Virginia and back here, where it began about eight or nine months ago by my estimations. How about you? Where did you get your information?”

  “You’re telling me you figured out the rogue after a week of tracking? I’ve been undercover for six fucking months at the source and haven’t gotten a single clue. No fucking way! This is a set-up. I don’t believe it.” He crossed his arms defiantly and, gritted his teeth. “No I don’t believe her story.”

  Alex jumped up out of the chair, knocking it over. “You don’t fucking believe me! You lousy, pretty boy, prick! You don’t know what I’ve gone through to get the information on this psycho bitch vamp that attacked and almost killed me. So don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m doing. I came here for help because this virus thing is more than hunting a rogue. It’s a goddamn conspiracy to harm humans, vamps, both or maybe something worse. And I sure as hell wasn’t willing to stand by and let that crazy wacko vampire get away with it. I want her brought to justice.” Hands fisted at her side, eyes glazed over with anger and bored into him like a drill, she stood within inches of Johnson ready to do physical battle if necessary.

  Johnson swallowed hard. “Well aren’t we a feisty little one. No offense doll, but are we having a PMS episode this morning?”

  Wrong statement to make.

  Jordan leapt up quickly and restrained Alex from behind, grabbing her arms. “Alex don’t. He’s a Fed.”

  “You bastard! You wouldn’t know how to catch a bad guy if he walked up and kissed your ass, you stupid insensitive asshole.”

  “Okay, okay, let’s settle down here. Johnson you need to apologize to Miss Carlton. She’s the daughter of an old friend and is obviously an asset to this case.” Glaring at Johnson, Martin waited for him to respond. “I suggest you apologize or I will fire you.”

  He gritted his teeth and acquiesced. “I’m sorry, Miss Carlton. I don’t know what came over me. My only excuse is the woman murdered yesterday happened to be my contact. Hit close to home. I would be interested in hearing what other information you have concerning this vamp.” He made a head gesture to Martin.

  “Now that’s more like it. See boys and girls, we can all play nice in the sandbox. Let’s sit and talk, shall we.”

  Jordan nudged Alex. “Fine, I apologize too.” She mumbled, begrudgingly.

  “What is the name of this rogue vampire?” Johnson asked.

  Jordan righted the chair for Alex and she sat. “Ecaterina Tomescu. Except I think she goes by Cat Tomas now.”

  “Why does that name sound familiar Johnson? Didn’t you mention her name in a report once?”

  “Yeah, she’s Emil Dragomir’s girlfriend from most sources I’ve verified. She’s been with him for years, but my sources say she disappeared several months ago. Rumors are she went back to Europe.”

  “Well guess what? A little road trip up the East Coast was made, and my guess on orders from this Dragomir dude. She wasn’t alone either. I can’t prove my theory, but I think she used a human to transmit the virus. The human male is infected. A vamp bites him, sucking his blood, and gets the bug. It’s like a damn mosquito. They live for what a couple weeks, bite, suck blood, die, and the cycle repeats. The first human host died, I met the second man, and I bet there is a third by now.”

  Johnson shook his head with disbelief from the comments. “You said Ecaterina attacked you? You found her out and tried to capture her?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “If you didn’t capture her, where is she? Here in Miami? Is that why you are here?”

  “One of the reasons.” She looked over at Jordan. “We think the vamp came back to Miami to put the final parts of the plan into action. My guess, this Dragomir dude wants to corner the market on vamp blood, take it off the free market and put it under his control.”

  “Hmm, an interesting theory, but I think Dragomir wants more. There are some top secret projects going on at the factory. I’ve heard rumors about new blood experiments at the factory in Europe are taking place. Whatever Dragomir has planned, it’s not good,” Johnson said.

  “If he’s half as crazy as that psycho bitch, then we’re all in trouble,” Alex said.

  “So, where do we go from here? We have a possible suspect vampire, who is a psycho bitch as you describe her, a conspiracy theory involving a madman mega-billionaire corporate giant, a fresh dead body, possibly the fifth one murdered here in Miami by a killer virus, which also could be the same virus threatening to decimate the human race by the same madman and psycho bitch. Did I pretty much sum it up?” Johnson asked sarcastically.

  “Sounds like you nailed it. So, call in the CDC. They can shut them down, right?” Jordan asked.

  Martin and Johnson laughed.

  “Not unless we want this to go public and cause a panic, as well as a backlash against the vamps,” Martin said.

  “Oh, I just figured them being a drug company, coupled with a disease, you know.” Jordan’s voice trailed off and he slumped in the chair.

  “What new dead body were you referring to earlier? A vamp or human?” she asked.

  “A human. My contact at SGM. We should have the preliminary cause of death soon. Most likely due to the virus,” Johnson said. “Let me call over to the lab and check on the report. Excuse me for a second.” He stepped out of the office and reached for his cell from his jacket pocket.

  “Well Alex, I see you have your mother’s fiery temper,” Martin said with a snicker.

  “I’m so sorry about that outburst. I’ve been so freaked out since I was attacked. I thought I was infected with the virus at first, but I know that’s false. Problem is she can track me, unless I destroy her.”

  Martin cocked his head. “Alex you’re not using us to exact revenge on this vamp are you?”

  “No, it’s much bigger than any vendetta. I’m not after her solely for personal reasons. What she has done is despicable.”

  “I agree except we have to follow the rules of law. We can’t go in guns blazing and arrest the owner of one of the largest drug companies in the world claiming they are harboring killer vamps and manufacturing viruses killing humans. We’d be in so much shit and tied up in court for years, our grandchildren will be fighting the cases. No, we have to plan this carefully.”

  “In all due respect, this is bullshit Chief Martin. Would my dad or grandfather have put up with this crap when they were tracking a renegade vamp in their days?” Alex asked. Leaning forward and propping her elbows on the desk, she sat on the edge of the chair.

  “Hell no, but times are different now Alex. My hands are tied.”

  Johnson tapped on the door and stepped back in. “Okay, the lab is faxing over the report. Alina died from a toxic substance and the lab unofficially confirmed it as the vamp virus. The strain is unlike anything they’ve seen before, so they are keeping it quiet under orders from higher up.”

  Alex scooted back in the chair.

  “So, we’re back to square one. I’m not giving up. Where do we go from here?” she asked.

  “Boss?”

  “Is your cover intac
t? No one suspected anything yesterday when you got to the lab?”

  “No. There was talk about Alina’s death. Nothing other than the usual shock stories. I put on a face of grief. No one suspected anything. I’ll push harder to get information about Dragomir and see if I can transfer into the other lab area where Alina worked. The secret projects take place there.”

  “Do you think they infected her with the virus because someone found out about a connection with you?”

  “I doubt it. She was into kinky vampire sex and messed with the wrong one. I don’t think working at SGM had anything to do with it,” Martin said.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure to dismiss her that way. Alina never mentioned anything about a bondage and discipline sex club,” Johnson said.

  “My point exactly,” Martin said.

  “No. The rogue left Miami months ago. The virus would have been long gone by now. Why did this case show up again? Alina was on to something. This wasn’t a random act of getting the virus from sex with an infected vampire. I feel it in my gut, this was murder,” Johnson said.

  “What did Alina do at SGM?” Alex asked.

  “A lab tech like me. Why?”

  “Hmm. Well, maybe the company is in need of a new lab tech. I can apply for the job.”

  “You? And what do you know about medical research? That’s the department Alina worked.”

  Alex rolled her eyes. Jordan snickered. Johnson was in trouble.

  “Before I went in the family business, I was in pre-med, studying to be a doctor. Does that answer your question, pretty boy?”

  “Open mouth,” Johnson began to say.

  “Insert foot and I kick your ass with mine,” Alex finished.