by Judith Post
Maggie flew into Bart's arms for a hug, and Claudia hurried to Danny. "How's mortal life?" she asked. Voronika watched them, amused. She'd have never guessed how easy it was to get attached to humans.
"Same, old grind," Danny said. "I pick up crooks to lock them away and Maggie patches up the weak and feeble in the hospital. You?"
"Routine, until this war." Claudia shrugged. "Sorry it's in your city again."
"Not your fault. A general came here to hide and got his look-alike staked. That got everything started."
Keb stepped forward. "Then that would be my doing. I thought I'd have a better chance of survival here."
Danny narrowed his eyes and studied Keb. "Yup, the poor guy looked a lot like you. Same pure white hair pulled back in a ponytail. At least you've kept yourself alive."
Enoch introduced the others, and they visited for another half hour before Danny yawned and Maggie said, "Sorry. We have to get to sleep. We keep the flip hours you do."
"I speak for all of us when I say we miss the daylight hours." Elijah’s expression turned wistful.
Maggie didn't know how to answer that. Finally, she said, "I'm sorry."
Danny reached for her hand to slip upstairs.
Voronika stifled a yawn and turned to the others. They spent the rest of the night discussing what to do when the big three arrived. They ended each conversation with the same words, "We can't beat them."
Finally, she'd heard enough. "I thought this was settled! Let Enoch deal with them."
"It won't be that simple." Bart's tone was as sharp as hers. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, and Voronika realized how weary he was. Worry was taking its toll. "We have to be ready for anything. They'll do anything they can to get Enoch out of their way. We all might have to work together."
"Then they'll kill you," she said.
"Maybe, but if we die, I hope it buys Enoch time to win our war."
Men. They could be so stupid. Why not hide until Enoch could deal with whatever the problem was? But then she scolded herself. Bart was right. It wasn't always that simple. None of them were happy with their conclusions when the sun came up. They were all feeling the pressure, and tempers were growing shorter. They straggled to their beds, knowing they hadn't found any good answers.
"Will you be okay in the attic?" Enoch asked Voronika, leading her upstairs, armed with pillows and blankets.
"I'll sleep like the dead." She smiled at her own joke. "I got up early to see Maggie. I'm tired."
He settled her in her bed and gave her a kiss goodnight. She tried to smile her appreciation, but fell asleep before her lips could curve. An hour later, she heard Danny and Maggie in the kitchen. By the wonderful smells that drifted to her, Enoch had made them coffee and eggs before they had to leave for work.
"I could get used to this," she heard Maggie say. "Having breakfast waiting for me in the morning."
"It's part of the service here," Enoch teased.
Voronika glanced toward the painted glass in the window. This should work. Danny and Maggie both set off for their jobs in the sunlight and came back in full light. The big three couldn't touch them inside this house during the night. Yes, Enoch could protect them this way. But she'd thought the same thing when Caleb came for her. And she'd been wrong. There were only six more days before the wedding. Would Danny and Maggie have to run away to get married in safety? She drifted into a fretful sleep. The big three even invaded her slumber.
Chapter 56
Two nights later, Enoch and Voronika were visiting with the vampires when Danny hurried into the kitchen at three in the morning. "I've gotta go. A homicide. Another teenager shot and killed in a drive by. The ninth in four months. A gang war."
Enoch pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going with you."
"But what about them? What happens if the big three come while you're gone?"
"They stay in the house and don't leave it. No matter what."
"The grids…"
"These grids will hold. Doesn't matter. They're vampires. They have to be invited in, but you're easy pickings in the dark. I don't think they'd grab you with other people around, but I'm not sure. They have to be getting frustrated."
On their way out the door, Enoch stopped and turned to Bart. "Even if they have a hostage…"
"We won't be able to save him. We know. We'll be safe. Keep an eye on your friend." Bart locked up behind him and pulled the grid.
Enoch wrestled with worry on the drive to the shooting. Danny glanced at him and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"
"Let's get this over as fast as we can and get back to the house."
"Will do. I tried to get time off, but couldn't. Everyone's stretched too thin right now."
Enoch could understand that. There were strangers' bodies scattered all over the place lately.
"I could use you with me anyway," Danny said. "I know this isn't as big as what you're dealing with, but if you get a chance to touch the body, do it. I'd like to know if some other kid is next on the hit list."
When they parked at the crime scene and got out of the car together, Enoch tried to calm himself and focus on the job at hand. None of the cops on duty looked surprised to see him. As a matter of fact, one of them said, "Where have you been? When you show up, Danny's on his game. He gets a handle on what's up next."
Enoch frowned at Danny, but Danny shrugged it off. "Don't give me that look. My guys aren't dumb. They heard you tell Gino's lawyer that you're a psychic who helps me. They've seen the results. They wondered why I didn't call you in before."
"Is that true?" Usually, even when Enoch had proven his talents and explained his gifts, people doubted. This was a new scenario. He liked it.
"Welcome to the Midwest, pal. We're all about results. Three River's the city of churches and a mindset of what works. You'll do great here."
"So I can touch the body while everyone's here?"
"If you don't, they'll be disappointed. Put on a good show for them."
Enoch shook his head, but knelt beside the body. He put his hand on the boy's neck and closed his eyes. Three more faces swam into view and told him their names. He listed them for Danny, who wrote them down.
The cop who'd greeted Enoch said, "What did you see? How does it help?"
"My gift is limited," Enoch admitted. "I can't see who killed him. I only see the victims that are next in line for that killer."
"And they give you their names?"
"In my mind, when I first see them, they're dead. Then they open their eyes and talk to me. They tell me their names and a little about themselves."
The cop looked sympathetic. "And I thought my job was tough."
"It's hard for anyone who deals with death," Enoch said.
Danny fidgeted while the techs finished up. He motioned Enoch to him and lowered his voice. "As long as we're all together, we're safe, right?"
"As safe as you're going to get."
"Then after they bag the body and take it away, I'll have my men leave first. Maybe if we stick around and a vamp's here, he'll stay and try for one of us."
It was as good a plan as they were going to get, and it just might work, but there was no way to predict what an old, wily vampire might do. Danny sent his men off in mass. When the last rubber necker gave up and left too, he and Enoch started for Danny’s Buick.
Halfway there, Enoch sniffed the air and braced himself. The stench was old and ripe, one of the big three. He looked toward the sky just as Ragnar plummeted down and grabbed Danny. Fury stoked inside Enoch. Why did vamps always hide behind an innocent victim? Why were they so spineless? The fury peaked and he aimed a white hot Light at Ragnar's head. Ragnar turned Danny toward the blast, but Danny knew the routine from experience. He covered his eyes and ducked. The Light hit Ragnar in the middle of his forehead. First, his face turned blazing red, then the heat traveled down his neck to his shoulders, and finally it spread throughout his entire body. Then he exploded. A vile smelling dust flew in all directions, and Da
nny plummeted from the sky. Enoch caught him.
"It's a good thing you know the drill," Enoch said as he stalked toward Danny's car.
"Are you kidding? When I saw the look on your face, I knew I'd better get out of your way." Danny put his key in the ignition, turned on his flashing lights, and raced toward Enoch's house. "You're worried the other two are there, aren't you?"
"They can't enter the house without an invitation, but I'm still worried."
"Hang on, buddy." Danny smashed the gas pedal to the floor and they flew across town.
Chapter 57
They swerved into the driveway, cut the engine, and Enoch was out of the car in an instant. Just as he'd suspected, the other two were there, working together to rip off a grid. When they saw him, they took off. Enoch tried to shoot Light after them, but they were too far away. He ran down the street after them, shooting as long range as he could, but couldn't reach them. Damn! He was an angel. Why was it he didn’t have wings, and vampires did? Finally, he came back to the house and went inside with Danny.
"Guess who's been here?" Bart asked.
"The three little pigs are down to two," Enoch snapped.
Ulrich walked past him and slapped him on the shoulder. "Settle down, old friend. You're mixing up your fairy tales. The pigs hid in the house of bricks, and they were the good guys, remember?"
"This isn't a fairy tale. Ragnar tried to grab Danny tonight."
"And?" Ulrich turned to stare.
"He's dust."
"You killed Ragnar?" Ulrich's tone was uncertain. "All by yourself? That's going to rile up Yerik and Okon even more."
Bart ran a hand through his dark hair, as tense as Ulrich. "That means you've destroyed one third of our enemies, and anyone that Ragnar bit is dust now."
None of them were overly pleased about that. Some good vampires died unless Ragnar had granted them freedom, and he didn’t do that often.
"I’m still here." Ulrich patted himself in surprise. "Enoch’s cocktail worked."
"That means Quinlin….." Keb looked troubled.
Bart flinched. "I liked Quinlin."
"Everyone did," Eva said.
Amado sighed. "Don't tell me that you slept with him too?"
"No, but I fought with him."
A pall fell over them. To lift it, Ulrich said, "You saved my ass tonight, old friend."
"I wasn't here," Enoch said.
"But Ragnar came here first to call on me and order me to show myself. Before, I'd have to obey him. He created me, and even though Caleb took me as a general, Ragnar was still my sire. I would have had to open the grid to go to him. He knew that." Ulrich chuckled. "But since you freed me, I could thumb my nose at the old bastard."
Enoch blinked his surprise.
"You didn't think of all the little subtleties, did you?" Bart asked.
"No."
"Your blood freed us in more ways than you expected. But that just means the big three….” Bart paused and smiled….”make that the big two, will try harder to get to us."
Chapter 58
Danny didn't want Maggie to leave the house the next day. He fussed enough that she called in sick. She wasn't happy about it, but Danny didn't budge. "If the vampires can hire hunters, why can't they pay someone to grab you at the hospital?"
"Do you know how many nurses and doctors are on the floor with me?" she argued.
"Not enough."
"And what about you?" she demanded. "One tried to grab you last night, but you're going to work."
"It's a police station. We're armed and deadly. Let a hunter walk in there."
"There might be more than one." Maggie gave Enoch a pleading look.
"I'll go with him," Enoch volunteered.
"Like hell you will! How am I going to explain that?" Danny asked.
"I'll tell everyone your wife wouldn't let you out of the house unless I was with you."
"I don't think so!" But Danny could tell it was a losing battle. Between Enoch and Maggie, he was outnumbered.
"Better safe than sorry," Enoch said. "I don't want any surprises."
And true to his word, wherever Danny went, Enoch went, until Derek teased them. "What are you two, the Bobsey twins?"
Danny wasn’t in the mood. "Something like that. We were separated at birth."
"Right. You're more like Mutt and Jeff."
Where did the kid come up with that? "That cartoon hasn't been around since my grandpa died. What made you think of it?"
"One of them was tall and skinny and the other one was short and fat. Like Enoch and you, right?"
"I'm not short. And I'm definitely not fat." Danny straightened himself to his full height—six-foot-three, towering above his partner. “Enoch’s only a couple of inches taller than I am. He just seems bigger.”
“Because he’s lean and mean, and you’re pudgy.” Derek laughed at Danny's expression and backed off. "Okay, you’re lovely. It’s a privilege to work with you….”
“Cut the crap.”
Derek grew serious. “Something's up. What's the deal?"
"Enoch's helping me with the drive-by shootings."
"Yeah, right."
Danny leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Something big and ugly tried to sweep me off my feet last night."
Derek’s hand went to his shoulder holster—a reflex reaction. "Shit." He'd had his share of vampires when Vlad came to town.
"You might want to keep your distance from Enoch and me."
"Do you need help?"
“I have my nursemaid.” Danny nodded to Enoch.
“A good thing, or you wouldn’t be here.” Derek left to interview a suspect and Danny gave a sigh of relief.
He grimaced at Enoch. "That kid is too observant."
"That’s why you like him."
When they ran into Tony in the hallway, Danny tried to duck out of the way, but it wasn’t happening. His supervisor barked, "In my office. Now." Sitting across the desk from them, Tony didn’t mince words. “If Enoch’s here, something’s up.”
Danny explained the new developments, and Tony didn't get any happier. "Enoch won a skirmish, so they escalated to a battle. He won that, and they started a war. Now they've sent in the big guns. What do cops do about that?"
"Stay out of it," Enoch said. "Stay as far away from it as you can."
Tony studied him. "Is this what you do all the time, from one life time to the next?"
"Pretty much."
Tony shook his head. "I thought our job was hard."
Danny elbowed Enoch's arm. "See? It's a growing trend. None of us want to be you."
Tony shook his head. "Go on. Get out of here. I have work to do and sometimes Danny does too."
A cheap blow. Everyone knew the hours he spent on the job. Then Tony smiled. “Find something to do. You look like you’re ready to climb the walls, but don’t leave this building. You’ve got plenty of paperwork to keep you busy.”
Danny grinned. “Aww, you care.”
“Get out of here!” Tony waved them away.
But paper work didn’t cut it. Danny shuffled between one case and another. He couldn’t concentrate. He wanted to get back to the stone house to be with Maggie.
Enoch was restless, too. Even Derek noticed.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"No."
Derek stared. "You're our big protector. That’s not what I wanted to hear.”
“You asked.”
It wasn’t like Enoch to be so terse. Derek exchanged glances with Danny. “I don't know what it takes to make your buddy nervous, and I don't want to know, but he’s going to come out on top, right?"
"Let's hope so."
"Do you need any help?" It was the second time he'd asked, and Danny knew Derek would rather be anywhere but near a vampire. He had to give the kid credit.
"This is out of our area of expertise."
Derek nodded Enoch's way. "He helped us. There must be something we can do."
"Even Bart and Claud
ia are hiding from these guys."
Derek took a minute to think that through. “Then you have to win this one.”
Danny motioned toward Enoch. “He knows. That’s why he’s so keyed up.” Not that Danny could blame him. He'd never seen any vampire as big or ugly as the three Enoch fought last night.
The clock finally made its way to quitting time, and Danny gave a sigh of relief. He patted Enoch on the shoulder. "Come on, pal. Let's go home." On their walk to the car, Danny said, "You think Yerik and Okon will attack tonight, don't you?"
"I don't see any advantage in waiting. And they're angry. Most vampires aren't known for their patience."
"But you don't have to leave the house, do you? They can't get in without an invitation. You could just hide in there."
"For how long? I can't keep you and Maggie safe forever. And soon, rogues in other countries will figure out that Bart and most of his men are locked in my house. There’s hardly anyone to monitor them. They’ll have free reign unless the generals risk going after them."
Danny couldn’t let go of the problem. He chewed on it all the way home. When he pulled into the driveway, he tossed out another idea. "Can you force their hands? Grab someone they care about to use against them?"
"And stoop to their level?"
"To save the world? Maybe."
Enoch shook his head. "If I could, I might. But Yerik and Okon don't care about anyone that much."
"So there's no way for you take the offensive?"
"None that I know of."
Maggie was waiting for them when they entered the kitchen. She looked frazzled—unlike her usual, cheerful self. "Today felt like it lasted forever."
"Tell me about it." Danny bent to kiss her. There were still a few hours of daylight left, and he had an idea they were going to stretch into infinity. The three of them tried to pass the time, but they were all antsy, starting conversations and never finishing them. Maggie offered to make supper, but no one was hungry, too nervous to eat. They paced from one window to another, tried to watch some TV, but couldn't concentrate. Finally, when it was close to sunset, Maggie sighed. "We're going to bed. We'll just be in the way tonight."