by Michael Todd
The second man was middle-aged, short and round, balding, and he carried a pocket handkerchief in his right hand to blot the sweat from his brow. He smiled nervously, and didn’t look the politician in the eyes. He was shifty, with remnants of his lunch on his white button-up. The buttons strained across his belly.
The third man looked like the boss of the group—mid-forties, and his face was stern like a father chastising his son. He was very clean cut, and very business-like. He looked the politician in the eye, shook his hand coolly, and was the last to have a seat at the table.
The waitress quickly brought drinks over, bowing her head as if she were afraid they would eat her right there in the middle of the bar. The middle-aged man slapped the waitress on the ass, and chuckled as she jumped and scampered off with tears in her eyes.
It was obvious he came there a lot and was not a staff favorite, but he had money—and in that town, and probably every other town in the country, money talked.
Anti-harassment legislation didn’t always make it down to the street-level.
The men leaned in and started talking and Charlotte slowly shifted toward them, trying to aim herself in their direction without being caught. She strained her ears, but she couldn’t figure out what they were talking about.
“Is your drink okay, miss?” the bartender asked, startling Charlotte.
“Oh, yes. It’s wonderful, thank you,” Charlotte told the man as she looked at her drink and up at him. “I’m just so into this...this…uh, hockey game.”
She looked up at the television, realizing what she was staring at, and nervously laughed. He raised both eyebrows before throwing his towel over his arm and walking away.
He wasn’t part of it, she could tell, but now he thought she was neurotic.
Maybe she was. She shrugged and picked an olive out of her drink, popping it into her mouth as she glanced over at the table. The round man pulled an envelope from his jacket’s inside pocket and handed it to the leader of the group, who proffered the envelope to the politician. He said something as he held it out, but Charlotte could only make out the words, “this is it.” He put the envelope down on the table and tapped his finger on it before standing up and buttoning his jacket.
Charlotte turned back toward the bar as the other two stood, followed by the politician. The leader of the three men threw some cash down on the table and shook the politician’s hand, smiling. The politician hadn’t changed his blank expression the entire time he was there.
Charlotte turned her head away as the men left the table and dispersed, walking out the front door and then all in different directions. The politician got back into his car, and it sped off. Charlotte looked back at the table and saw the envelope sitting there.
She paid the bartender and walked toward the bathroom in the back, nonchalantly grabbing the envelope from the table and slipping it into her purse.
When she was alone and hiding in a bathroom stall, she pulled the card from the envelope and read it. It was an invitation to an exclusive event in Las Vegas for VIPs, with gambling, an open bar, and a very exclusive party at the end. It was not really a scene for a low-level politician, but knowing what else he was into, this party just might be his next hit.
Charlotte shoved the card in her purse and left, wanting to get the information back to Calvin, Katie, and the others.
Fast.
Derek, Calvin, Eric, and Jeremy were all lounging in the main area, recovering from their day’s shenanigans. Jeremy was reading a book about Area 51 he had picked up, Eric was watching some cooking show on the television, Calvin was eating, as usual, and Derek was slumped in his chair flipping through his phone, occasionally chuckling at some stupid picture he found. The evening was relaxed, everyone decompressing and readying themselves for another training day in the morning.
“Where is Katie?” Damian asked as he entered the main area.
“I don’t know,” Jeremy replied. “Last we saw her, we dropped her off at Bootlegger before heading to Area 51, but that was earlier today. We haven’t heard from her since.”
“Oh, lord,” Damian said, rolling his eyes. “They are probably rolling the girl out of the restaurant at this point.”
“I’ll text her.” Calvin switched to his messaging app, chuckling. “Maybe shake her out of her food coma.”
Calvin typed a text, but before he could send it, everyone heard a car engine revving. Damian walked over to the window and glanced out, and a smile moved across his lips. He shook his head and looked back at the gang.
“I found her.” Damian chuckled, pointing out the window. “You guys might want to see this.”
One by one the guys looked out the window and then ran for the door, taking the stairs two at a time until they reached the door to the outside. Katie laughed when the door slammed open and the guys piled out, oohing and awing at the sleek design of her California T.
They circled the car, reaching toward it but afraid to touch it. She turned off the engine and hopped out, walking over to Damian.
“Wow, that’s a nice ride,” he told her, nodding. “I don’t think they sell those at Bootlegger, though.”
She laughed. “No, I ordered it last week.”
“You ordered what last week?” Korbin asked as he walked up to them.
“That,” Katie said, nodding to her new car.
“Whoa!” Korbin exclaimed, staring from the Ferrari to Katie with an eyebrow raised. “How in the world did you pull that off?”
“Just like that.” Katie snapped her fingers.
“It’s, uh, pretty sweet,” Korbin agreed. “But seriously, how did you pull it off?”
“I got a fake identity—which is actually not fake, just not my original one—and I paid cash at the dealership,” she explained.
Korbin slapped his hand over his eyes and shook his head. Katie could tell he wasn’t too happy, but at the same time he wasn’t making a big deal about it. He took it in stride, which was different for him. He uncovered his eyes and looked at the guys, who were all drooling over the car.
He finally laughed. “That is really awesome. It’s a beautiful car, but I think you unleashed a monster.”
“What monster?” Katie asked, pulling her brows together.
Korbin pointed at Eric.
“Envy,” he said, moving his finger to Jeremy. “And lust.”
Oh, I like this! Right up my alley, Pandora cooed. Those are good ones. Had I known this would happen I would have helped a shit-ton more.
It is not that bad, Katie replied. This is just boys being boys. There’s something about a nice car that makes them drool. I don’t get it—though I am starting to understand with this car—but it is like embedded in guys’ DNA.
Now you are sounding more like me, Pandora quipped. “Boys will be boys.” That they will, and I freaking love every second of it.
You are so carnal, Katie griped. Seriously, you don’t do anything without thinking about sex first, or at least the opposite sex. You need to start being comfortable in your own demon skin so you can take or leave a man.
What is this heresy you prattle of? the demon replied dryly. Who would leave men behind? I mean, they are such beautiful creatures. Even these idiots have worth to them; the kind of worth that would leave me exhausted afterward.
All righty, I guess this conversation is lost on you. Katie laughed. Maybe we will try again in a couple of months.
Mmmhmm, Pandora murmured. Or you will finally see it my way and drop this fem obsession.
It is not an obsession! Katie exclaimed. It’s a truth, but I know the truth hurts sometimes. It’s okay. One day you will ease into it, and you will see why I am so much stronger on my own.
Yeah, but you are a grumpy bitch, Pandora snapped. And I know a little wang in your thang would relax you quite a bit. Maybe you would even smile.
Smiling causes wrinkles, Katie replied.
I don’t even have anything to say to that, Pandora told her.
Good, now
we can get back to our day, Katie shot back with a smirk.
After about two hours of the guys gawking at the car, Katie pulled it into the garage and put the top up. She figured that if she had to leave in a hurry, she would rather have it up than down in the rain.
Like it ever rained in Vegas. This damned area had two settings: none, and “oh my God, it’s the end times!”
The guys were so pumped up. They were wildly reminiscing about their first cars, places they had been, their childhoods, and everything else a little nostalgia could stir up in them.
Katie knew Korbin wasn’t thrilled at what she had done, but he could see the lift it had given the guys. They were alive, they were on-point, and they were in high spirits for the first time in what felt a really long time.
It was a nice thing, she decided, no matter what Korbin thought.
Everyone went inside and sat down in the living room, still talking and laughing. Katie went back to her room to put away her stuff and decompress for a few moments.
It had been an exciting day, and she was tired from that excitement. She sat down on the edge of the bed and laid back, putting her arms under her head. She closed her eyes and relaxed her body, feeling the sleepiness start to creep over her. Just as she was on the edge of slumber the alarm went off, the red light flashing wildly over her door. She rolled right out of the bed and rubbed her face to push away the fatigue.
“Attention! This is not a drill. Please dress for combat and report to the training area immediately,” Korbin ordered over the speaker.
Katie threw off her clothes and pulled out a fresh pair of black leather pants, a tank top, her jacket, socks, and boots, and got dressed as fast as she could. She had not been expecting to go on a call that day, but that was the nature of the beast.
She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror as she pushed her knives into the holsters on her vest. She opened her drawer and grabbed her two pistols, checking the clips and then pushing them into her belt holsters. She grabbed her earpiece and jogged out of her room, pushing it into her ear as she made her way to the elevator.
When she got to the training area, it was only her and Damian.
Korbin walked out to address the team and stopped, putting his hands out as the guys meandered into the room. Katie glanced at Damian and back at Korbin, standing straight and ready.
“By all means, ladies—no offense, Katie—move at a glacial pace,” Korbin snarked as they lined up. “All right, here is the deal: the incursion is in Henderson, not far from here. As usual we have limited intel, but they will be updating us when we get on the road. So, pack up and let’s head out.”
Korbin clapped his hands and the team dispersed, moving quicker now toward the SUVs. Katie opened the back of one of them and started to load the equipment. Jeremy walked up to help, grabbing duffel bags and throwing them in.
“You’re not going to drive your new car to the op?” he asked.
“Seriously?” She looked at him like he was crazy. “You mean take my very expensive, fucking hard-to-purchase and brand-new car to a location where shit gets destroyed? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
“They keep telling me I am.” Jeremy chuckled as he tossed in another bag.
Chapter Thirteen
When the SUVs were all loaded, Katie jumped in with Damian, Eric, and Calvin and they sped off behind Korbin, Jeremy, and Derek. Everybody was silent as they tried to get into the mood it took to walk into an incursion. The moments leading up to the call had been fun and light-hearted, and it was really difficult to just switch over like that—especially when such days were few and far between for the team.
Katie wouldn’t have taken it back, though. They had been normal for an afternoon, and that was worth its weight in gold to her.
As they drove the team put their earpieces in, waiting for Korbin to give them further instructions. They really had no idea what they were walking into, except that the area was really rich. It was known as “The Hills,” and looked down on Vegas from a distance. It was a beautiful view, with the lights of the city in one direction and the rolling desert in the other.
People had to have serious money to live there. It didn’t surprise Katie at all that there was an incursion in one of the homes, though. That kind of place held at least some immoral and unethical rich people.
She just hoped that they didn’t come across any huge demons like the last time. She had just started to feel better, and she knew Calvin wasn’t one hundred percent yet, for all he boasted about his regenerative powers.
Katie looked at Calvin, who appeared to be nervous. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, palms pressed together, looking at the floor. She wondered what he was thinking, and how he was feeling about going back out there for the first time since the cemetery. She wished there was something she could do to help him get his confidence back.
“You all right?” Katie asked, reaching over and touching him on the arm.
“Yeah,” he said, slowly looking up at Katie. “Just giving my demon a little pep talk, that’s all.”
Katie smiled. “Is it working? Because if not, I know someone who could bitch-slap him around a bit,” She paused for a moment. “Literally.”
I fucking resent that…however true it is.
He laughed. “I don’t think that will be necessary. He is already a bit more talkative, just by you mentioning that option. If he chooses to back down…well, then we will revisit it.”
Calvin winked at Katie and she smiled at what he was doing there.
These demons did not want to fuck with Pandora. They would go against everything in their beings to avoid dealing with her. It was actually a pretty good perk of being infected by her…or with her.
Katie never had to worry about dealing with the lesser demons. They wouldn’t come near her anymore. In reality, it had kind of taken away the one fun thing about her job—fighting the smaller demons.
She turned back and looked out the window, wondering what they would find when they arrived. She really hoped it wasn’t a blood bath like the ones in the recent past.
The SUVs began to slow down, and pulled to the side of the road before stopping. Korbin climbed out, and motioned for the rest of them to join him.
When they were all standing in a circle around Korbin, he pointed to the right at a really nice house situated by itself in the hills. It overlooked Vegas, and was obviously owned by some really rich people.
“That is our target,” Korbin began. “The new intel says it was a bit of a bloodbath. There was some kind of party going on when the demons broke through. People are scattered, some inside the house and some outside. We have to eliminate all threats, and from the sound of it there are quite a few, although no large demons have been reported. It looks like we will be dealing with low-level demons, mostly encased in their human hosts. Remember, if there are any Damned you believe can be saved or used for science purposes, please restrain but don’t injure them.”
“And if they can’t?” Eric asked.
“Then kill them right then and there,” Korbin stated. “Don’t risk your life or the lives of your teammates by trying to be the hero.”
Eric nodded. “Understood.”
“Now, we are going to split up into two groups of three, with Derek staying behind in the SUV to run tactical,” Korbin continued. “The first group will be Damian, Katie, and Eric. The three of you will go into the house and clean it up. The second group will be Calvin, Jeremy, and me, and we will be going out into the desert around the property to collect demon heads from those areas. As always, we will most likely come upon human casualties, though I have been told there are no children this time. There was a party going on; a fundraising event, so there were quite a few people there during the attack. From what we know right now, there isn’t a lot of movement anymore inside the house. I am Team Lead for Team Two and Damian will be leading Team One. I want both teams to break out and talk for a minute about str
ategy. Damian, there is a blueprint of the house in the back of your SUV. As always, good luck.”
The teams split up, getting into separate SUVs. Korbin climbed into his, with Calvin at the wheel. Calvin looked at Korbin and nodded, then glanced in the rearview mirror at Jeremy. The man was breathing heavily, but looked ready to go. Calvin winced slightly as he shifted his shoulders, still not completely healed.
“I want you to tell me honestly if you are up for this or not,” Korbin told Calvin. “There is no shame in not being healed enough to go into battle. I would rather have you in top shape ready to fight than lose you for some stupid reason like needing rest but being too macho to admit it.”
“I’m good to go,” Calvin told him, looking straight ahead. “I’m ready to get back into this game and kick some demon ass.”
“All right.” Korbin patted him on the shoulder. “Now, when we arrive we are going to pull up the driveway and park, but as soon as we get out I want it to be go. There is a brick border around the whole property, which is mostly sand, cactus, etc. We will split up, and Calvin and I will go right. Jeremy, you go left. Check all bodies to make sure there are no survivors, and take down any demon bastards you find. If you need backup, click the button on your earpiece and give your location. We will get to you as soon as our feet can carry us there. Are there any questions?”
“No, sir,” Jeremy declared.
“Not a one,” Calvin replied.
“Okay, good.” Korbin turned back around in his seat. “Then let’s get this show on the road. I want to be home in time for dinner.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Calvin laughed, shifting the car into drive and speeding off toward the house.
When they reached the front gate they slowed down, swerving between the bodies along the way. There were quite a few dead lying on the grounds, and there was smoke coming from one side of the enormous columned house. Calvin pumped his brakes, seeing flashes of red eyes in the distance.
Korbin put up his hand and Calvin turned, parking to the side of the drive.