Midnight Smoke (The Firebrand Series Book 3)

by Helen Harper

  The room was empty. The wind continued to tug at the white curtain, making it billow into the night air. I checked the bathroom then strode forward, examining the floor. There was a single spent bullet casing near the window but no other sign of any sniper.

  I stepped forward and gazed at the dramatic scene below. Several ambulances had joined the police cars and a helicopter was buzzing overhead. Paramedics, police, even a fire crew were all present.

  ‘I knew that only fuck-ups got sent to Supe Squad,’ sneered a voice from behind me. ‘But I didn’t realise until now how much of a fuck-up you actually are.’

  I turned slowly, my eyes meeting those of DI Collier.

  ‘Still,’ he continued, ‘I suppose you’ve done me a favour. My hands are clean as far as this entire mess is concerned. You didn’t inform me about what was going on, and you made it official by speaking to Barnes behind my back. Not only that,’ he added with a sly smile, ‘but you got Lord Horvath killed. He’s dead because of you. You stood by and let the Lord of all vampires get shot. One less vampire in the world can only be a good thing. Well done, detective. If you weren’t about to be fired, I’d be putting you forward for a commendation.’

  I didn’t think, I simply reached for the small vase on the small table next to me and flung it in Collier’s direction. It smashed into the side of his head. He howled in pain and a trickle of blood oozed down his temple.

  ‘You bitch.’ His voice was low and controlled. ‘You crazy, psycho bitch.’

  ‘Get out,’ I said. ‘Get out of here.’ I reached for another object. Collier’s face twisted into a snarl and he backed out of the room.

  I gazed after him until I was sure he wasn’t returning then I turned to the window, my eyes searching for Lukas’s prone body. One of the vampires was shoving away a paramedic. Several others were lifting Lukas up, preparing to take him home.

  I watched for a moment or two, heaviness descending on my entire soul. My eyes filled with tears and I choked back a sob. He wasn’t supposed to die. There should have been more time. We should have had more time. He was right that I’d avoided his calls and found excuses not to join him for dinner. I hadn’t been sure that I could meld his stature as Lord of all London vampires with my job as the only detective in Supe Squad. I hadn’t been sure that I could trust him, and I was still nervous about forming any kind of relationship after what Jeremy had done to me. I’d stalled because I was scared – and now I’d never know what might have been because I’d been a coward. Lukas was lost to me forever.

  I put my hands in my pockets and searched for a tissue. Instead, my fingers curled around a small glass bottle. I drew it out and frowned. At first, I couldn’t remember for the life of me what it was, then I remembered that Devereau Webb had given it to me. What had he said? That it was something which would help me in my fight against crime? He’d also said it work wonders. As if.

  I shook the bottle, watching as the clear contents sloshed against the sides of the bottle, then I shrugged and pulled out the stopper. I sniffed it; whatever it was, it smelled earthy and clean.

  Without another sensible thought in my head, I raised it to my mouth and swallowed the contents. As I dropped the bottle, my eyes caught the digital display on the alarm clock beside the bed. 11.59pm. How did it get to be so late?

  I rubbed my eyes and was about to head for the door when I spotted the smoke. It was a mere wisp at first, uncurling seemingly from nowhere and rising up from the floor around me. My brow creased. Had the sniper also taken the time to set a fire to ease his escape? I blinked and looked again. More smoke. It wasn’t simply rising from beneath me – now it was swirling into a cloud and wrapping around my body with its tight grey tendrils.

  I started to choke. I flapped my arms to wave it away but it enveloped me. It was everywhere. What was going on? What the hell was happening? What…?

  ***

  There was a loud crackle and bright light. My body was jerked forward suddenly and I heard the sound of crunching metal. I blinked in confusion, just in time to see the front door of a taxi in front of me open and a burly man step out. He marched towards me, glancing first at the rear end of his vehicle before glaring at me. ‘Look at what you’ve done! Look at it!’

  I stared at him open-mouthed. Huh? Blinking rapidly, I shook myself. I was in Tallulah. On a bridge. There was another crackle. My police radio. I frowned at it. Ignoring the taxi driver who was gesticulating furiously, I slowly picked up the radio.

  ‘DC Bellamy, this is Dispatch. Please acknowledge.’

  I scratched my head, dull pain aching in the centre of my chest. Lukas. Oh, Lukas.

  The taxi driver knocked loudly on my window, demanding I roll it down, and the radio continued to demand my attention. I fumbled, finally pressing the button on the side of it to answer. ‘This is … DC Bellamy,’ I replied.

  ‘What is your current location? Your presence is required at the London Eye.’

  I passed a hand in front of my eyes. ‘I don’t understand,’ I whispered.

  ‘There’s a suicidal vampire at the London Eye,’ the radio operator said with a trace of impatience. ‘How quickly can you get there?’

  ‘Uh…’ What? My mouth felt painfully dry. I licked my lips. ‘Ten minutes?’

  ‘Good. I’ll inform the officers on the scene.’ The radio clicked off.

  I stared at it and dropped it. Then I got out of the car.

  ‘What the fuck is your problem, lady?’ the taxi driver bellowed in my face.

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘You will pay for that! This was your fault!’

  I nodded slightly and, as if in slow motion, reached for my wallet. I drew out a card and handed it to him. He looked at it. ‘You’re with the police? I’ve been hit by a damned copper?’ He blew air out through pursed lips. ‘That’s fucking rich!’

  ‘I have to go,’ I said. I could feel the cool breeze on my skin and goose bumps rising across my arms. It felt real. This felt real.

  I cleared my throat and met the taxi driver’s angry eyes. ‘I can be reached on this number. I’ll pay for the damage. And compensation. I admit full liability.’

  ‘You’re bloody well right you will. It was your fault! And you’re not going anywhere yet. I want this in writing.’

  ‘Call my office,’ I said. ‘They’ll sort you out.’ I got into Tallulah. ‘I really am sorry.’

  ‘Wait! Where do you think you’re going?’

  I mouthed sorry at him again and started Tallulah’s engine, then swerved round his taxi as he jumped out of the way. A moment later, I was heading towards the London Eye.

  ‘What’s going on, Tallulah?’ I muttered. ‘I don’t understand what’s happening.’ I’d blacked out – or I was suffering from memory loss. Or something. My brain felt unusually foggy and dim and a pulsating pain was throbbing behind my eyes.

  I drove to the London Eye on auto-pilot, parked badly and walked towards it as if I were in some kind of dream. There was a collection of people hanging around and a police cordon keeping back the gawkers. I frowned at the uniformed officer standing at the front. He looked familiar; he looked very familiar.

  ‘You need to keep back, ma’am,’ he instructed. ‘It isn’t safe here.’

  I continued to stare at him as my jaw worked uselessly. I fumbled for my warrant card and held it up.

  He peered at it. ‘My apologies, DC Bellamy. They’re waiting for you below.’

  All I managed was a nod. I ducked under the police tape and walked towards the foot of the Eye. Hannigan, wearing the same tailored suit as last time, was flapping his arms and yelling. ‘You have to get that idiot down!’ he shouted. ‘There are already news crews here. This is not the sort of publicity we need right now!’

  I stopped and looked at him, then I rubbed my eyes and looked again. My gaze drifted to the man standing beside him and my stomach dropped. No. It couldn’t be. I started walking again. With my gaze trained on him, I took slow deliberate steps. I was d
reaming; I had to be.

  I only stopped again when I was near enough to reach out with one finger and gently poke Lukas’s chest. I ignored the ostentatious frills on his shirt and the gaping astonishment from both Hannigan and Paige.

  Rather than looking surprised, Lukas merely appeared curious. He raised his own finger and, with such a light touch that I barely felt it, poked me back. ‘D’Artagnan,’ he said softly. ‘You look pale. Are you alright?’

  I didn’t answer. Instead I reached up with shaking fingers and ran my hands through his jet-black hair, which was far softer than I’d imagined. There was no wound. No blood. He appeared perfectly fine.

  ‘Emma?’ Lukas sounded more concerned now. ‘What’s wrong?’

  I pulled back a fraction and looked into his eyes. ‘You’re alive,’ I breathed.

  ‘He’s a vampire,’ Hannigan muttered. ‘He’s undead. Not alive.’

  ‘That’s a ridiculous fallacy,’ I said, still staring at Lukas.

  ‘Why did you think I wouldn’t be?’ Lukas asked, ignoring Hannigan.

  I shook my head. Words failed me – everything failed me. I did the only thing that I could do, the only thing that seemed right; I pushed myself up onto my tiptoes, coiled my arms round Lukas’s neck and kissed him.

  Initially, he didn’t respond then his hands reached for my waist and pulled me against his hard body. His tongue pressed into my mouth, hot and insistent. I moaned, unable to help myself. He was breathing. He was alive. I needed this moment to last forever.

  There was a loud cough. ‘What exactly is going on here?’ Hannigan yelled, anger vibrating through his words. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

  Lukas broke the kiss and stepped away. He looked surprisingly flushed and his black eyes raked my face. ‘Emma,’ he murmured. ‘I was about to ask you why you’d been avoiding my calls but all of a sudden I no longer seem to care.’

  ‘What about the vampire on top of my wheel?’ Hannigan screamed. ‘What are you going to do about him?’

  ‘What day is it?’ I asked Lukas, disregarding the irate manager’s complaints.

  ‘Tuesday.’

  ‘What date?’

  ‘June 22nd.’ He hesitated. ‘Emma…’

  Hannigan exploded. ‘The fucking vampire!’

  I shook myself and glanced at him. Paige was at Hannigan’s side, staring at me with a mixture of envy and delight. I managed to give her a brief smile.

  ‘That’s not a vampire,’ I said. Then I froze and stared at my watch. ‘The bank,’ I whispered. ‘I have to get to the bank.’

  ‘What’s going on, Emma?’ Lukas asked.

  ‘Nothing!’ I was already stepping away. ‘Stay here. You can deal with this yourself.’

  He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Where are you going? I don’t understand.’

  I didn’t understand either. ‘I’ll see you later.’ I turned away. ‘I have to go.’

  ‘Emma!’

  I didn’t answer. I was already running back to Tallulah.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tallulah’s engine didn’t start immediately; the collision with the taxi had done her more damage than my confused brain had realised. Her bonnet was crumpled and both headlights had been taken out. I’d worry about that later.

  I crossed my fingers and tried her engine again. ‘Please, baby,’ I prayed aloud. ‘Don’t let me down.’

  She spluttered and choked but her engine juddered into life. A second later, I was careening through the busy city streets. By my reckoning, I had fifty-eight minutes before the robbery began and I had to get there before the bank robbers started shooting. The Talismanic Bank wasn’t that far and I could make it with time to spare but I didn’t want to take any chances – not when lives were at risk.

  With one hand on the steering wheel, I slid my phone out of my pocket and used a voice command to locate the bank’s number. By the time I reached the first set of traffic lights, their phone was already ringing.

  ‘Good afternoon,’ trilled a chirpy voice. ‘You’ve reached the Talismanic Bank. How may we assist you today?’

  I cleared my throat. ‘This is Detective Constable Bellamy with Supernatural Squad. I need to speak to Mosburn Pralk immediately.’

  There was a brief pause. Now the voice on the other end of the phone sounded more uncertain. ‘Mr Pralk is busy at the moment. I can ask him to call you back within the next hour or two.’

  ‘This is an urgent matter. I have to talk to him immediately.’

  ‘I understand, detective, but—’

  I interrupted. ‘Listen.’ My voice was harsh and raw. ‘Lives are in danger. If you don’t connect me to Pralk in the next ten seconds, I will initiate a charge of obstruction.’ That would be difficult, given that I didn’t know who I was talking to, but I had to say something to get through to Pralk.

  The response was stiff but promising. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  Tallulah’s engine rumbled ominously as I changed gear. Lunchtime traffic was a bitch and unfortunately she wasn’t equipped with a portable police siren, so there was little I could do to encourage the cars in front of me to get out of the way. I gripped the steering wheel as I calculated the fastest route. If I turned left up ahead, I’d avoid the inevitable snarl up at the next crossroads. I flicked on my indicator just as I heard Pralk’s deep voice.

  ‘DC Bellamy.’ He sounded cold. ‘Why are you threatening my staff?’

  ‘Because I had to get through to you,’ I answered shortly. ‘In less than an hour, an armed gang will storm your bank. They’re prepared to shoot anyone who gets in their way. Their target is the safety deposit boxes. You need to shut the building down now and get everyone to safety.’

  There was a beat of strained silence before he spoke again. ‘How do you know all this?’

  Good question. ‘I received a tip-off,’ I said. ‘I have every reason to believe it’s genuine. You need to act now. I’m on my way to you, but it’ll be at least fifteen minutes before I arrive. Shut down the bank.’

  Fortunately the goblin bank manager was made of stern stuff. ‘Understood. I’m hanging up now and will do as you ask.’

  I breathed out. ‘Thank you.’ I turned left and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. I’d barely made the turn when Tallulah spluttered. A dark spiral of smoke belched out from her crumpled bonnet. A split second later she stopped completely, coming to a dead halt in the middle of the road.

  Shit. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. Shit. Shit. I tried to re-start the engine but the only response was another plume of smoke. I leapt out without lifting the handbrake and pushed her awkwardly to the side of the street. It was hardly expert parking but at least other vehicles could pass.

  I paused to grab the phone and pick up my crossbow from the back seat, and then I began to run.

  ***

  My newly enhanced phoenix skills meant that I was fast on my feet but I knew that I couldn’t possibly be fast enough. I wove in and out of the pedestrians and the traffic, ignoring the cars that beeped at me in annoyance and the people who scowled. I almost got entangled with a family carrying a bunch of colourful helium-filled balloons who rounded a corner unexpectedly, and I was nearly knocked over by a Lycra-clad cyclist who’d definitely chosen the wrong place for speed training.

  Despite the near collisions, I didn’t give up. My feet pounded the ground and the wind whipped at my hair as I continued to sprint. A shred of tattered hope clung to my heart. Lukas had returned from the dead; the robbery hadn’t yet happened; there was always hope.

  Then my phone rang again.

  I debated ignoring it but eventually I answered, although I didn’t stop running. I couldn’t afford to lose any more time.

  ‘Emma.’ It was Detective Superintendent Lucinda Barnes. ‘What in bejesus’ name is going on? Why am I watching the lunchtime news and seeing reports of a damned vampire climbing the London Eye?’

  ‘It’s not a vampire,’ I said. My heart rate was rising. I swerv
ed round yet another group of idling pedestrians and continued sprinting.

  ‘What? How do you know that? From what I can see, he looks like a vampire.’ She paused. ‘Is Lord Horvath there? That man probably planned this. He probably wanted to remind the world of just how powerful the vampires are. I’m surprised he didn’t arrange for a group to abseil down Big Ben at the same time.’

  ‘DSI Barnes,’ I began, ‘this isn’t a good time. I’m no longer at the Eye. I need to get to the Talismanic Bank. In fact, if you can send back-up there too—’

  Like the worst possible case of déjà vu, I heard voices jabbering at DSI Barnes. I couldn’t make out the words but I knew what they were saying.

  ‘What?’ she snapped. ‘What?’

  ‘DSI Barnes,’ I repeated. ‘There’s an incident about to happen at the Talismanic Bank. You need to send as many officers there as possible.’

  ‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Besides, that bank is the supes’ concern. There’s a problem elsewhere that I need you to deal with. You have to get to Tower Bridge as fast as you can.’

  She wasn’t listening to me. It occurred to me how smart the bank robbers had been. They’d chosen the places for their diversions to create maximum impact. Nobody wanted to see supposed supernatural crimes occurring in some of the busiest, most well-known spots in London. Unfortunately, no matter what I said to the contrary, Barnes would be no exception. Her immediate priority would always be protecting the city and its reputation.

  ‘There are three werewolves there who’ve hijacked an open-top bus,’ Barnes continued. ‘I’ll send someone to the Talismanic Bank when I get the chance. In the meantime, you need to get to Tower Bridge. Now.’

  She hung up before I had the chance to say anything else. I cursed loudly. There was no point in heading to Tower Bridge; the bank was my focus now. I’d explain it to Barnes later, if I ever got the chance.

  I turned right onto the main road that led to the bank. I was starting to feel breathless but it was a reaction born more from adrenaline than any physical reaction to my sustained sprint. At least from here it was a straight route all the way to Grosvenor Road and the bank – and there was a chance I’d catch a glimpse of the gang on their way either to or from the heist.