“If you are trying to hustle us, you are not going to get far on ten or twenty dollar bets,” Moses said. “Jade said you gals are looking for a ride to Seattle. We are heading that way as well. You are welcome to join us.
“Jade tells me you are a biker as well, so I am going to let you ride Sam’s bike and Sam can ride with Lucky. For the duration of our association you will be called Hustler and your girl will be named Hex.”
Jade insisted I take care of the bar tab and I did before we left, leaving the rest of my winnings as a pretty generous tip. Her goal had been getting there after all and I could tell a few of the group noticed what I did and appreciated it. I got a lot of pats on the back and some rather obvious Hustler comments as we left the bar. I would love to hang out with this group for a while.
Sam’s bike was a big Harley, not one I was used to but I had ridden a few of similar size. Showing off, I lifted the bike a few inches off the ground to test its weight. That got a surprised look even from the two shifters in the group.
“Two mystery ladies,” Moses said, and the group laughed. “Try and keep up, Hustler,” he added. Then we were off, cruising down the road, heading for more trouble, I was certain. We wove in and out changing positions quite often. Jade had her arms around me and I could tell she enjoyed the ride. I doubted she ever did this before. I had a feeling we had made new friends and this was something we would be coming back to when we had a chance. Jade told me this biker group’s purpose was charity and travel. They went up and down the west coast, lending aid in various projects like home building and fund raising. They even had a website and were a popular group.
Jade made me aware she missed some us time, placing her hands a few places that were not really necessary and plastering herself up against my back. Me too, I thought. I was also getting a bit hungry. Both would have to wait for now.
Moses led the way straight to our destination, the Fremont Troll under the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge. The area was like a small park and where we stopped at we could get a good view. We parked and got off. The rest of the group followed as we made our way to the troll. I think they were curious as to why we came here. Moses gave us a brief history of the troll as we got closer. It was really impressive.
The troll looked as though he was in a hole under the end of the bridge. You saw just the upper part of his body from about the chest area up. He looked as if he was about to climb out of that hole. Eighteen feet high from just the chest up and weighing some thirteen thousand pounds, he had a Volkswagen clutched in his left hand as if he had reached up above and snatched it off the bridge. There were a few people around climbing over his hands and snapping pictures.
As we got closer I could tell Jade was sniffing the air in an effort to find Clive’s trail. She stopped about fifty feet away, putting an arm in front of Moses to keep him from going further. He had been walking with her as she led the way. I lagged a few feet behind, taking in the scenery.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jade said.
“It’s just concrete over a steel frame,” Moses said. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
Jade hesitated and took another step forward and the troll came alive.
With great screeching and crunching sounds he crawled out of the hole toward us. We were frozen, staring as people started scattering away from the troll, screaming and running.
“Not good,” I said. “We’re out of here.”
As I turned to run, the troll stood up. Now at least fifty feet high, he took one step towards us, covering half the distance in one stride. He wasn’t exactly fast but that one step made up for it. He headed straight towards Jade. Clive knew we would come looking for him and left us a little surprise. The rest of our group scattered to both sides but Moses stayed with us as we ran.
He quickly fell behind as the troll took another step, now almost on top of us. The troll stepped on a small refreshment hut, crunching it under his foot. I hoped whoever was in there ran in time.
Moses fell more behind us. With our speed we had a chance to stay ahead of the troll if we were lucky but Moses was human and he was about to be crushed. I stopped in mid run and using my vamp trick zipped back to him and threw him over my shoulder and was back to Jade, running again at full stride. That really took it out of me as I had not fed and I doubted I would be able to do it again anytime soon. We ran with the wind, Moses over my shoulder slowing me down just enough to lose a little more ground.
“Hit the ground!” Moses shouted as he looked up from over my shoulder. Jade and I both hit the ground hard, me on top of Moses, scraping him on the pavement. That had to hurt, I thought and the Volkswagen flew over our heads, crashing against a couple of cars parked on the side of the road. The damn troll had thrown it at us.
We were up and running again, Moses trying to tell me how close the troll was. I heard every step he took and he was almost on top of us.
We reached the top of the slope by now and Jade took a turn back onto the bridge itself. I knew she had something in mind.
All of the sudden I heard the motorcycles coming. The rest of our group was on the way. Taking a quick glance back over my other shoulder, I saw we gained a little distance on the troll when we made our turn and the bikes roared between the troll’s legs. Someone had some rope and two of the bikes made it slightly ahead of us. I saw they were going to try and trip the troll up.
As we approached them, still running, they tied the rope off to either side of the bridge, raising it just as we ran by. The rest of the bikes wove in and out from under the troll’s feet, trying to distract it. The troll roared in anger with a sound that probably could be heard a mile away.
Jade was slightly ahead and to the right of us and I saw her pause and turn, flinging a great ball of magic towards the troll. I paused as well and risked a quick glance behind us. The magic hit the troll just as his foot caught the rope. The troll stumbled and probably would have fallen but the rope just didn’t hold, snapping from under the pressure and bending the rails on either side of the bridge with a loud scream of tortured metal before it snapped completely. The troll, stumbling, had put most of its weight on the other foot and it sank into the pavement, shooting pieces to either side. I heard pieces below the bridge breaking as well. It was just not designed for that much weight in one spot.
Ahead of us cars made U-turns and headed back in the other direction. It was a real mess and some had just jumped out of their cars and ran the other way. As we went between the pile of cars I heard the troll stepping on a few of them, crunching them flat. The sound of the motorcycles fell behind us.
The troll gained ground as we made it about halfway across the bridge, I saw water below us. I was tiring, in full vamp mode and my fangs were fully extended. Jade was about ten yards ahead of me. The troll did not have to dodge around and over the cars and in a matter of a few more steps would stomp us like a bug.
I saw Jade take a quick glace behind us again and then she vaulted over the railing out into the air.
“Jade!” I screamed as I heard both the sound of sirens and a great flap of dragon wings.
The troll hesitated and moved to the side of the bridge when Jade jumped. He must have been targeted at both of us as he resumed the chase after me but it gave Jade a few precious seconds to arrive.
She came from the opposite direction from where she had jumped and hit the troll at full speed. Thirty tons of fast-moving dragon did the job to send him leaning just enough that he tripped over the railings and went over the side, falling into the water below. Jade bounced off from the impact and fell to the bridge just ahead of us, crushing a few cars underneath her. She shifted back to human form, naked and beautiful, and we walked to the edge of the bridge and looked at the water below. I stood Moses back up and he joined us on the side as we looked down.
I saw the center of the circle of waves the splash generated but of the troll there was no sign.
“The water should help negate the spel
l,” Jade said. “I doubt that thing is coming back out.”
“Not something you see every day,” said Moses.
“So much for keeping a low profile,” I added as the motorcycles pulled up next to us.
One of the witches gave Jade a pair of Jeans and a T-shirt and between them they managed to find a pair of tennis shoes she could wear. The rest of the gang hovered around, providing some cover, their backs to Jade. It was pretty nice.
We were both in vamp mode by now, with fangs fully extended. I removed my charm and contacts. There was simply no point in trying to hide our identity with this group.
“Jade and Jane, I presume,” Moses said to us.
The sound of sirens grew ever closer. One of the gang found some keys in one of the abandoned cars on the bridge. Moses gave us some cash and his phone, telling us they would send the cops on a wild goose chase but we had better get going.
“Call us if you need anything,” Moses said. “All of our numbers are in the phone.”
We both gave him a quick hug and we were off. I drove because Jade was a terrible driver.
“Look up Thornewood Castle on the phone,” I told Jade as I maneuvered around the cars that remained on the bridge. “Use the GPS.”
Jade gave me directions as I drove, and once we made the interstate it was a pretty straight shot. I had Jade look up a twenty-four hour Walmart near our destination where we ditched the car in the parking lot, close to the front. If we were lucky it would be a few days before someone noticed the car had been there for a while and alerted the cops. We hoofed it from there, walking normally when traffic or people were around, making it just after sundown.
“Mom bought this place after the filming of Rose Red,” I told Jade. “She simply could not resist. It is her namesake and it is a Gothic Tudor, her favorite style. She would use it as an American home but she so rarely made it over here it was just not worth the cost of maintaining the grounds, staff, and property taxes. She later sold it to the head vamp mistress in this area. Her name is Ann Le, and we will ask for sanctuary.”
Jade gradually changed to her full vamp appearance as we drove. I knew it was natural for her to have her body match her current aspect.
“You must maintain full vamp mode while we are here,” I told her. “Otherwise she might not honor your sanctuary request.”
I knew Mom and Ann Le were friends from way back but I was not going to push it. Giving us sanctuary could end up costly for her in many ways.
“Sanctuary! Sanctuary!” we called out as the front door opened. I had explained the vamp protocol to Jade as we approached.
A human servant answered the door, hardly even blinking at our request. He was obviously ex-military and looked dangerous. The bulge of weapons beneath his jacket was also easily seen. I knew they had most likely seen our approach on camera. Ann Le was a target for other vamps desiring of her position and I was sure there were many security measures in place.
Behind him were a couple of vamps armed with automatic rifles, pointing slightly downward but still in our direction. Mom told me Ann Le did away with the tradition of only arming human servants, saying it was stupid to give humans an advantage if they were ever attacked.
“Jane, from Winston, North Carolina,” I said. “This is my girlfriend, Jade.”
“I am Lance,” he said in reply. “I have seen reports of you all over the news today. You bring trouble for our mistress but I will give you an audience.”
Ann Le was an assassin before she was turned by one of her targets. She was trained in every manner of death known to man and continued that training after she was turned. Mom told me she was dangerous but fair in her dealings with others.
Lance led us to her. She was already up and sitting in a small library turned office behind a solid wood desk. She had a laptop up and running. Two oriental swords, unsheathed and of different lengths, were on the desk in front of her within easy reach should a visitor become a problem.
“I just exchanged a few e-mails with your mother,” Ann Le said as we sat in two leather chairs in front of her desk, Lance taking up station to the side. “She saw the news and told me to keep a lookout for you and then you show up. She assured me she will owe me a big favor if I provide you with assistance. That is an offer I can hardly refuse. I will grant you sanctuary and whatever assistance I can give you but if the cops show up with a search warrant you will be on your own.”
“Right now we need coffee, bottled blood, and a place to sleep,” I replied. “We are exhausted and hungry. Did Mom tell you who we are chasing?”
“Yes,” Ann Le said. “A worthy opponent indeed. I have been growing a little bored lately. Allow me to join you in the hunt.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN: KEEP YOUR NOSE ON THE DEMON
A SHOWER AND A short nap later we sat at the small dinette table in the kitchen drinking coffee. Ann Le watched us carefully. She had provided a change of clothes and Jade and I had some bottled blood before exchanging some blood of our own during our shower. Both of us felt better. It was still fairly early in the vamp day, shortly before midnight.
“Before I was turned, I had just become addicted to coffee,” Ann Le said. “Most vamps are going to want the day-walker ability. That is our biggest weakness and will give the vamp with that ability a huge advantage. For me, I just want to be able to drink coffee again.”
Jade and I sat shoulder to shoulder across the table from her. She had several coffee pots going for her human servants. She had called in extra protection and more vamps as well.
“This is really good coffee,” I teased. “Even better than I remembered. It was an unexpected bonus, the abilities from Jade that were transferred to me. Anybody that goes after her is going to have to go through me first. I am not good at sharing.”
“My contacts report several powerful vamps on the west coast are already heading this way,” Ann Le replied. “The temptation is just too great to resist. The smart ones will find me, expecting you will as well. The cops will probably show up in the morning with a search warrant so we need to move tonight.”
“What’s the plan?” Jade asked.
“We have some shifter friends in the local pack in the Seattle area. One of those is a cop, much as you were. I told him to sniff around the area near the troll location to see if he could pick up a demon scent. I am told it’s not something you smell often but this particular shifter knows it well. They have that area cordoned off, but he was able to get access and he did pick up the scent. I spoke to him while you guys were sleeping and he has a location for us to check out.
“He also reported the FBI found some wireless cameras around the troll. It looks like Clive was interested in seeing the troll squash you as you came out of the portal. I expect he hung around to watch the fun, but we will find out shortly. Our cop will meet us at the place he tracked the scent to. It’s a vamp bar, popular among the newly turned vamp crowd. He is taking a big risk to do so but he hates demons and he can be trusted.”
What is the protocol for challenges in your territory?” I asked.
“One on one, no weapons,” she replied. “It’s over when someone yields or is true dead. Continuing the fight after one yields is punishable by death in my territory. There are just not enough vamps around anymore for us to be killing each other. I don’t expect theses vamps to play by the rules, however. The newly turned miss the daylight and these older ones coming will do whatever it takes to get Jade in their hands. These new ones also have no respect for authority or their elders and are a constant pain in the ass to control. Much as you were, Jane, according to your mom, that is.”
“Over the years, I learned better,” I replied. “My mom and I reconciled our differences.”
“She is worried for you both,” Ann Le said. “She will provide whatever financial resources we may need for our hunt. She told me she has a line on some of Clive’s sources of money and will watch that for clues as to where he may be.”
She paused for a moment. “We wi
ll go fully armed,” she continued. “Our first stop is the weapons room. I have arranged a ride and the best of our security will go with us, also armed to the hilt. We will take the initiative and assume the worst in the event of an attack and meet it with an immediate and extreme response.”
One of the many bedrooms was converted to a weapons room. Blades, guns, various martial arts weaponry, even some automatic rifles adorned the walls and tables.
Jade headed straight for the swords and knives, no surprise there. Ann Le insisted she take a couple of handguns along with the sword and daggers she selected. She gave her a rig so she could have the handguns under her jacket, both on her left side as she was right handed. Dressed in jeans, steel toed boots and a leather jacket, she looked dangerous. She had a long dagger at her belt, throwing knives in both boots, and a sword slung crosswise for a draw over her shoulder. She looked beautiful as well as dangerous. Ann Le had a similar look but with leather pants as well. I matched Jade in dress, but none of the weapons was my thing. Jade really needs to start training me, I thought, not for the first time.
“I am likely to shoot myself in the foot with the guns and I would probably slice my hand off with a sword,” I said as I put a couple of small daggers in my boots. Thinking of the time I held my own against an angry mob, I asked, “Do you happen to have one of those metal baseball bats?”
“Some of my security have even played a little baseball on the grounds,” Ann Le laughed. “Three broken windows just this past spring. We will get you one. It might provide a clear visual along with the swords and knives we are carrying.”
Three black, armored SUVs waited for us in the driveway. Security took the front and rear vehicles and we rode in the middle on with one of Ann Le’s shifter guards, an ex-military type by the name of Waco. He had some sort of automatic shotgun with extra shells in a band around him, western style. He looked like you could bounce a dime off his abs. Hard as a rock, smart and vicious, Ann Le had told us.
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