by Mary Abshire
“He’ll be there.” Zale shoved open his door and then stepped outside.
The vamp had lived at the address for over fifty years according to the intel Nick from the office had given him. Nick had also mentioned Robert had owned the Camaro for a long time. The comment from the bouncer led Zale to believe they were steady customers. The vamp had routines and a stable lifestyle. He didn’t pick up and move every twenty to thirty years like most. Zale’s instinct led him to believe he’d find the vamp at his home.
After removing his shirt, Zale tossed it on the driver’s seat. He removed his shoes and his pants last. Ray stood naked on the other side of the SUV. He’d already stripped and had left his clothes in the car. While he lowered to a point Zale could no longer see him, Zale secured the locks on the doors and then hid the keys under the rim of the front tire. Following one last scan of the area, he lowered to his hands and knees and called upon his wolf.
His body tingled as energy spread in a massive burst through his body. Bones snapped. The hair on his body twitched as it thickened. His heart rate accelerated while his temperature shot up. He ached and burned as if his entire body were on fire. His senses sharpened and everything seemed clearer. The change never took more than two minutes, but within that time he never felt so much agony and power at the same time. When the brief pain ended, he trotted around the vehicle to meet Ray.
The lighter-colored wolf was heading toward the field. Zale picked up speed to catch up with him. When Ray noticed Zale approaching, he took off running.
Zale’s muscles tightened as he shot after Ray. The soft ground helped him gain more traction and didn’t hurt his paws the way the pavement had. The wind blew against him and carried the smell of fertilizer for the crop planted. Panting, Ray kept a good pace, but it didn’t take Zale long to pass him.
The two-story farmhouse appeared a quarter mile into their run. Although he couldn’t see any colors, he could tell the outside had a light shade compared to the night. He searched for lights and couldn’t find any. As he drew closer he found the dark vehicle parked in the back, outside of a detached garage. The driver’s side door had been left open.
Zale put more vigor into his pace as he approached the gravel driveway. A foot from it, he leaped. He landed on the other side and continued to the vehicle. Seconds later he heard a thud behind him.
With the door open, Zale sniffed around the interior of the car. He dragged his snout down the back of the seat and along the steering wheel. Having memorized the vamp’s musky scent, he backed pedaled and bumped into Ray. The werewolf moved aside to let Zale pass.
While his partner sniffed in the Camaro, Zale strode along the backside of the house. Steps led to a wrap around porch. Several curtained windows showed darkness inside the home. Zale couldn’t hear any movements, but the vampire’s scent traveled up the stairs. He had little doubt the vamp was inside.
Ray came to stand beside him. They couldn’t stay outside for long. Vampires had superior hearing. If Robert hadn’t noticed them yet, he would soon.
Zale trotted around the house to the front. More steps led to the porch. Again, Zale couldn’t see any lights through the windows. Since werewolves were stronger in their natural shape, he decided not to change, which meant the only way in would be through a window.
He returned to the back of the home and found Ray sitting. Zale jerked his head toward the house, signaling for him to join him. Without stopping, he ran up the steps. His nails and Ray’s clicked on the wood. The vampire would’ve heard them.
Zale jogged to the far end of the porch, then dashed forward. Reaching one of the windows at the end of the house, he leaped and threw his back into it. The glass burst and shattered. He hit the hard floor and rolled onto his feet. Shaking off any shards, he quickly scanned the area. Ray jumped through the opening Zale had created and then came to his side.
Heavy footsteps from the lower level of the home grew closer. Zale headed toward the sound. He crossed a hall and then entered a kitchen. Within seconds, the vampire emerged from an open doorway leading to a basement.
Zale bared his teeth and growled. Robert froze. Ray stood in the hall, blocking the vampire’s exit and snarling. Robert’s eyes darted between the two of them. He couldn’t get by either of them.
Robert took a step forward and fisted his hands. “Come on, fuckers.”
Zale yapped at him. He didn’t want to destroy the vamp without getting more information from him, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Robert flee. Muscles stiff, he stared at the vampire and barked at him, hoping Robert would back down. Of course, he didn’t.
Robert darted toward Ray and the werewolf jumped forward. The two fell onto the floor with a heavy thud that rattled pictures on the walls and dishes in the cabinets. Ray tried to get to his feet, but the vampire was pounding his fists into Ray’s sides. Zale waited for the right moment to make his move. A male vampire’s weak spots were their face and groin. Female vamps hated any kind of attack to their face. When Robert rolled on top of Ray, Zale rushed toward the vamp. He shoved his muzzle into the side of his neck and bit into it. Robert screamed and jerked away. In doing so, Zale pulled off a chunk of flesh. Cold blood filled his mouth and he tossed the dead meat aside.
Ray scurried out of the way on the floor as the vampire gripped his neck. Dark fluid gushed from it. But Robert’s fury hadn’t ended. His eyes grew wide and he curled his lips to show off his canines. Groaning, he rushed at Zale.
Ray leaped onto Robert’s back as the vampire grabbed Zale around his neck. Zale bit his nose and ripped it off while hands squeezed him. Ignoring the pain and lack of air to his lungs, Zale rapidly raked his claws down the vampire’s front. At the same time, Ray buried his teeth into the side of Robert’s bleeding neck. The werewolf stripped away another chunk of flesh. Yelling in pain, the vampire let go of Zale and fell to the side, bracing his hands on the floor. Ray and Zale continued their battle, biting and clawing at Robert. In little time the vampire collapsed.
Zale clamped onto Robert’s throat. Filled with rage, he gnawed at it. He growled and ripped away chunks of flesh. When he reached bone, he tugged and raked his sharp claws across it. At the same time, Ray scraped at the vampire’s eyes. Dark fluid covered Robert’s face. The coppery smell filled the air while the taste coated his tongue. Zale hated the cold liquid in his mouth, but he refused to stop digging until he’d separated the head. Upon hearing the bone snap free, Zale ended his fight.
He backed away from the vampire and shook his head. Thick fluid clung to his fur. As he stared at the corpse, he wondered why the vampire had given up his immortality. For love? Because his girlfriend had gone missing? The idea seemed crazy. In all his years, Zale had never seen a vampire act violently out of revenge or while seeking a missing loved one. Zale had served justice for the vampire ending an innocent human’s life. Yet, he wondered how many other vampires might try similar tactics. The UoJ might have a new problem to deal with.
Chapter Eight
Dripping wet, Zale stepped from the shower. He shook his head before he ran his fingers through his locks. The vampire’s bathroom had soft pink walls with black and white tiles on the floor. Zale suspected Bethany had chosen the color and had painted the floral stencil artwork midway around the room. He wished he would’ve known more about her before he’d destroyed Robert. Glad to have the vampire’s blood off his body, he left the bathroom and proceeded down the hall.
Ray stepped out of one of the bedrooms. “Done?”
“It’s all yours.” Zale gestured to his naked and blood stained partner.
“I didn’t find anything interesting in the rooms, but there are several pictures of the happy couple. Do you want to take one back to the office?” Ray asked before he disappeared into the bathroom.
“No, I’m sure we can find a picture of her in the database. I’m heading to the basement.”
“I won’t be long,” Ray said as water splashed in the tub.
> Zale descended the stairs and then headed toward the kitchen. The large home had many antique furnishings and floral oil paintings on the walls. He wondered if Bethany had been an artist. Curious, he came to a halt in front of one of the pieces of artwork. In the corner he found her name. The vampire had had talent.
He continued down the hall. The smell of blood hung thick in the air and sickened him. The sooner they could leave, the happier his stomach would feel. Reaching the kitchen, he paused past the entrance. The vampire’s skin had shriveled considerably in the short time he’d gone upstairs to clean up. Careful not to get blood on his feet, he stepped around the legs of the corpse. Robert had come from the basement when Zale and Ray had arrived. Zale intended to learn what was important enough to hold Robert’s attention when he would’ve known UoJ agents were on his tail.
The floorboards creaked under Zale’s weight. Warm air brushed over his damp skin. Vampires preferred the heat, so he wasn’t surprised to find it blowing from the vents. He paused in the middle of the living room and surveyed the basement. Unlike most farmhouses, this one had been finished. Carpet covered the floor and the walls had been painted a light bluish-gray color. Tiles covered the ceiling. Past the staircase, he spotted a couple of rooms. A soft glow spilled from one of them. He continued toward it.
The room in the back contained standard bedroom furniture. A king-sized bed backed against the wall on the left. Clothes had been left all over the floor. To the right, Zale found the source of the glow.
Zale stopped in front of the desk. The screen saver for the laptop ceased changing the moment Zale touched the keyboard. The monitor showed Robert’s empty email box. Zale moved the curser on the screen to select Robert’s outbound messages. Following a click, a list appeared. To Zale’s surprise, a message had been sent less than twenty minutes ago. Zale opened the message.
“We should head back soon,” Ray said as he strode into the room. He stopped at Zale’s side. “Find anything?”
Zale moved the cursor over the recipients. “Look, he sent this email to three people right before we showed up.”
“Demons have kidnapped my girlfriend. She’s been missing for a week. I tried to find her and get answers. Nobody is talking. I fear she is no longer here. Tell the others. The demons are coming for us. Fight back while you can. The UoJ have come for me. God speed, my friends. Fight for survival. Fight for the future.” From the message on the screen, Ray met Zale’s gaze.
“This does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling,” Zale said.
Ray looked at the screen again. “After we get back to the office, I can research these addresses and see if we can get any hits from them. The staff who come to clean up the mess can grab his computer. We can have techies look at his hard drive.”
“Do that. The last thing we need is for vampires to start fights in public places.”
“Do you think they would actually go to such an extreme?”
Zale headed for the door. “Robert did. We already know vampires are being abducted and destroyed. If someone kidnapped your sister, what would you do?”
“If it was a man I’d hunt down the person and slice off his balls. If it was a woman, I’d make sure she’d pay somehow.”
“Vengeance is a powerful emotion. There’s no reason to think vampires wouldn’t do the same.”
“At least we’d get to go back to hunting them if they started killing.”
Ray’s comment bothered him. They needed to save lives and prevent angry vamps from hurting others. If more vampires hit the streets seeking answers for those of their kind who had gone missing, the UoJ would have their hands full.
“I wonder if any other cities have seen this happen,” Zale said.
“Who knows? Maybe Robert was a little crazy. Maybe there aren’t others.”
Gut instinct led Zale to believe Robert’s actions hadn’t been that of a lunatic. And Ray’s response to his sister being kidnapped proved it.
After reaching the top of the stairs, they changed into their wolf form. It was easier to go out the way they’d come in so they wouldn’t leave prints anywhere.
They ran as quick as they could back to the vehicle. The fresh air helped soothe Zale’s stomach. Clouds had started to hide the stars in the sky and the crescent moon. Although the night seemed peaceful, it was anything but that.
After they made it back to the Explorer, they changed back into human form. As usual, the transformation left Zale sweating. He hurried to dress but Ray beat him. Jeans were difficult to don when they kept sticking to Zale’s sweaty legs. Once he finished, he grabbed the keys from under the rim of the front tire.
“Good news, no missed messages,” Ray said as Zale settled behind the steering wheel.
“Let’s hope we don’t get any new ones.”
Zale navigated onto the road and headed back toward the city. The time on the dash showed midnight approaching. He sped on the dark road while Ray continued to stare at his phone.
Zale’s thoughts returned to the conversation he’d had with Ray before leaving the farmhouse. Had other cities seen any vampires causing problems because of missing loved ones? Finding his cell in the cup holder between the seats, he lifted it.
“What are you doing?” Ray asked.
“I have an idea.” His gaze darted from the dark road to the phone in his hand.
Ray snatched the device from him. “Don’t you know it’s not safe to text and drive? Who are you trying to reach?”
“There’s a phone number with a 219 area code. Find it and call it.”
“Who is it for?” Ray tapped the screen. Two seconds later, the Bluetooth came alive.
“Victor.”
“The DS agent?”
“Zale, I didn’t think I’d hear from you again so soon,” Victor said. “I’m still waiting on a list from the coroner’s office. It’s taking a little longer than I’d expected.”
“No problem. I’m actually calling on another matter,” Zale said.
“What is it?”
“Have you heard of any vampires going into public and causing scenes?”
“Can you be more specific?”
“We know vampires are missing. Has any vampire gone into a public place like a club and raised questions about their missing spouse, boyfriend, lover, or whatever? And if so, have they hurt or killed to get answers?”
“Ah, I understand now. I find this question interesting because we had a report of a vampire going wild at a strip club. His girlfriend had worked there and had been missing for two days. He didn’t kill anyone, but he did beat up the owner and one of the bouncers.”
“If you hear of any other reports, keep track of them.”
“Am I to believe you’ve run into a similar situation?”
“Yes.”
“I can see how this could be a problem.”
“I’ll inform my boss.”
“I’ll have the list of names to you before sunrise.”
“Thanks, Victor.” Zale ended the call from the button on his steering wheel.
“One instance doesn’t mean there’s a problem,” Ray said.
“No, but it could become one. I was curious if anyone else had run into a situation like we had. We need to be aware and figure out how to best prevent vampires from causing public disturbances.”
“We do? Why not the DS? They’re the vampires.”
“Us, them, it doesn’t matter. We’re all working to save lives.”
Ray shook his head as he turned to look out his window. “I liked my job better a month ago. Now, it’s getting too complicated.” He turned on the radio.
For the remainder of the drive, they listened to classic music from the 1980s. Life seemed simpler thirty years ago and beyond. Zale had often wished he could go back in time, but he preferred the technology of the current era.
Back at the pyramids, Ray strode down the center, heading for his office to research the email addresses and contact th
e clean up crew for Robert’s house. Since Zale needed to speak to Gordon, he took the path on the side to get to his boss’s office. The door was open this time, but that didn’t mean Gordon was inside.
Reaching Gordon’s office, he found it empty. The chair had been pushed away from his desk. Zale decided to check back in a little while and continued down the hall.
Zale’s office looked the same from when he’d left it earlier. The three files on his desk hadn’t multiplied, which was a good thing. He had enough on his mind. He dropped into his chair and then logged onto the network. As he started to read through his emails, Gordon walked into his office.
“Hey, we just got back,” Zale said.
Dressed in jeans and a navy blue polo top, he sat across from Zale. “I saw Ray on his way to his office. What happened? Someone upstairs said an ambulance had been called to the club. I was informed police arrived at the scene too and reported a person had died.”
“The vampire was enraged over his missing girlfriend. He demanded answers and when he didn’t get any, he took a hostage. I tried to get him to calm down, but he ran and tore into the man’s throat. There was no way the human was going to survive, but I had Ray call for an ambulance anyway. One of the bouncers told us the vamp, Robert Galloway, and his girlfriend, Bethany, had been customers for many years. Ray called to get the address and we headed to his house.”
“I take it Mr. Galloway is one of the departed now,” Gordon said as he crossed his arms.
“He took an innocent man’s life. After we destroyed him, we looked around the house. I found an email he sent to three individuals. It was basically a stand up and fight message. Ray is going to check on the addresses and have Robert’s laptop picked up. The email concerned me, so I called Victor on the way back. I asked him if he’d heard of any similar situations. He said he had within the last twenty-four hours.”
“That’s interesting. Did you question Mr. Galloway before destroying him?”
“I tried to at the club. He was too angry. Then at his house, we didn’t have a chance. He charged at us.”