From what I’d read about her people, they had an interesting mix of vampire and shifter attributes. Like most shifters, they could control how much of their animal side to summon, ranging from completely human to a giant fucking cobra. Like vampires, they had poison; unlike vampires, they could learn to control the type and severity of this poison, as well as create antidotes. Vampires had only three levels of poison: Master Control, Standard Kill, and Causes Moderate Psoriasis.
Nagas weren’t limited to fangs, either. They also had poison glands at the end of their retractable claws.
Claws, for example, like the one Mira had extended and buried into the back of Bert’s arm, paralyzing him.
As if I didn’t like her enough already.
She looked at me, smiling as widely as Officer Porn, but her message in the communicator was far less friendly. “He started doing the ‘jerk-off’ motion when you weren’t looking, so I immobilized him. Please let him know that I will release the antidote, if he swears to behave himself.”
At that moment I heard Bert’s voice in my head, reaching through our bond. It was different than a communicator, but just as strong. “Tell Cobra Commander if she doesn’t take the claw out of my arm I’m going to make her regret it.”
“Be good and she’ll let you go,” I thought in his general direction.
“Fine.”
I nodded at Mira, who furrowed her eyebrows for a second, then pulled the claw out.
“He’ll be fine in a minute.”
Porn studied us. “Is everything okay?”
Yeah, it probably looked weird that we’d been standing there and not saying anything.
“Oh, yes,” I said. “We were just, uh, trying to reach the Bangkok AI so we could connect with everyone here. We might be on assignment for a little while.”
I heard a voice from the other side of the room say, “Porn, if you had any brains to go along with your tits, you’d remember the chief said some VIPs were coming by the office.”
I looked over and saw the speaker was a chubby middle-aged white guy.
Big surprise.
“Be a good girl and escort them to the chief,” he continued. “Some of us are trying to get work done.”
I starting counting to give me time to compose my thoughts before laying into him. Mira didn’t wait.
“What did you just say, you fat pig?” she snapped, storming over to his desk and sticking her finger in his face. “How dare you talk down to your teammate like that.”
He smiled and looked at me.
“Let your chick act big in public? Smart, but some folks might not be so relaxed about it.”
He stood up at his desk and stared her up and down.
“Get it all off your chest there, princess?” He took a meaty finger and poked her breast. “Not a bad chest, actually. Little small for a guy like me, though.”
My vision went red. Without thinking about it, I launched myself at him, knocking him to the ground and grabbing him by throat with my clawed hand.
My clawed hand?
What the fuck?
My eyes locked onto his, which were white with fear. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. That was fine. He’d said enough for the moment.
“Listen carefully,” I said, my voice sounding deeper and more raspy than usual. “You have ten seconds to apologize to my teammate and Officer Porn.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he squeaked. “They just don’t know their place.”
I tightened my grip as the rage intensified. My eyes started burning.
“Five, four, three…”
“Sorry, I’m sorry,” he shouted, or more gurgled. “Please don’t hurt me.” He closed his eyes as a familiar smell hit my enhanced nostrils. “Oh, no.”
He’d pissed himself.
A hand gripped my shoulder, pulling me back.
I snarled and prepared to attack whoever was stupid enough to interrupt me, until I saw it was Mira.
“Apology accepted.”
“Oh my god, that was so hot,” she said through the communicator. “Why do you have to be my boss?”
Just like that, my anger flowed away, replaced by barely controlled lust.
I stepped back, feeling my claws retreat and my eyes stop burning.
Porn walked up next to me, taking my arm.
“I’ve just received word that Chief Rakenchan is free to meet now,” she said, her smile wider than ever. “Will you please follow me?”
Chapter 21
“You really didn’t need to take us to the chief,” I told Porn, as we walked away from the desks. “I can see the chief’s office from here.”
“True,” she said, “but you also didn’t have to deal with Officer Granger. After that, it was the least I could do.” She lifted her hands to her face, in what I’d later learn was a Thai gesture of respect. “You have no idea how many people wish they could do what you just did, but the chief protects him for some reason.”
We followed the wall toward the back of the room. It was lined with photos. Some were of officers who had fallen in the line of duty and others seemed to be of former chiefs.
One picture in the middle got my attention.
“Officer Porn, can you tell me about this picture?” I asked. “The face and name are gone. Except for the first letter, I mean. ‘O’ can’t be this officer’s full name, right?”
She looked for a second, then shrugged.
“I’m not sure. It’s been like that since before I joined the team. We just call that picture Officer O, since that’s the only letter we can make out.” She took my arm and started walking again. “I bet there’s an interesting story behind it, but nobody’s been able to find out anything.”
Less than a minute later I was standing in front of the chief’s office.
“Here we are,” Porn said. “See you around, officer…?”
“Oh, sorry” I said. “I never got a chance to introduce myself. I’m Mark Vedis. Head Agent Vedis, actually. This is Agent Enchada and our special liaison, Prince Volkbert.”
She nodded at my two teammates, then put her hand out for me to shake.
I felt a slip of paper pressed into my palm as she winked at me.
“So nice to meet you, Agent Vedis,” she said. “I hope we run into each other again while you’re in town. Many times.”
I snuck a glance at the paper as she walked away.
It was a phone number.
Nice.
She was very attractive, but thanks to my entrainment, she didn’t do anything for me.
The door to the chief’s office opened almost as soon as I knocked.
It was nice not to be kept waiting, though the look on Chief Rakenchan’s face made it clear that waiting would have been preferable.
She was a strict-looking woman, well into middle age, and she had the vibe of every principal I’d ever crossed paths with.
“Agent Vedis, I assume?”
“Head agent, yes.” I clarified.
Agent was a good enough term most of the time, but since a dick waving contest was brewing, I decided to start the fluffing early.
“Very well,” she said, mockingly, “Head Agent, Vedis, should we start with you telling me why I shouldn’t have you arrested for assaulting one of my officers?”
I assumed she was referring to Officer Granger.
“You mean aside from him sexually assaulting one of my agents,” I countered.
“I saw it on my cameras,” she said, pointing to a monitor full of surveillance feeds. “He barely touched her.”
“So, I should have waited for him to get a good handful then?” Mira asked. “Exactly how much assault is allowed in your precinct, chief?”
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to your superior.”
“Why are you talking to me,” I asked. “Agent Enchada’s the one you’re going to be facing when Internal Affairs investigates. You might as well get used to her face now.”
Rakenchan’s attitude dropped,
instantly.
“Oh, I don’t know that we need to get them involved, do we?” She cleared her throat. “I can see that the situation has resolved itself. I’ll speak with Officer Granger and see that he’s on his best behavior from now on.”
That was bullshit.
I didn’t want to make enemies, especially this soon, but this seemed like a good time to make things clear.
“Good,” I said. “I’m not here to tell you how to run your department, but you should count yourself lucky that I stepped in and kept anyone from being hurt.”
Rakenchan, smirked. “Oh, I’m sure Officer Granger wouldn’t have hurt her.”
I looked at Mira, who was keeping silent.
“Do you want to tell her?”
“You saw?” Mira’s face went pale.
“Excuse me?” Rakenchan said. “What did you see?”
“I saw my agent about to defend herself. It’s hardly her fault that a naga’s instinctual reactions to threats aren’t especially gentle.”
I pointed to one of the camera feeds that was paused on her monitor.
She’d apparently had time to try to dig up dirt on us. It was just after Granger had taken his finger away, no coincidence, I was sure, but before I’d attacked him.
“Look there,” I said pointing to Mira’s face. I could just make out the appearance of two fangs jutting out from her upper jaw. “I’d estimate that Officer Enchada was about two seconds from burying her fangs into Officer Granger’s throat. Judging from her emotional state, I can’t imagine she would have been able to concentrate enough to dilute her poison to the point of leaving him alive.”
Chief Rakenchan’s eye opened in shock, but then narrowed.
“You’ve just told me your subordinate attempted to murder one of my officers. Are you an idiot?” She moved to pick up the phone on her desk. “I think I’ll have you all locked up after all.”
I shook my head, smiling coldly.
“No, you won’t, and not just because her response would have been self-defense. You’re forgetting a few things.”
“Am I?” she asked with a dark look. “Like what?”
I felt a little anger flood into me, making my fingers itch and my eyes burn.
“First of all,” I said, counting, “I don’t work for you. Secondly, if you escalate this, I’ll make you pay. Nobody messes with my team. Finally, and most importantly, you allowed an entire team of special agents to be murdered in your city, which makes you a prime suspect.”
The burning in my eyes intensified and my jaw ached as my teeth reformed.
“I’m here to clean up your mess,” I snarled, “so stay the fuck out of my way while I do your job for you.”
The last bit was said through a half growl.
Bert’s voice in my head broke through my anger.
“Dude, cool it. You’ve made your point.”
Chief Rakenchan had backed her chair up to the wall. The startled look in her eyes matched what I’d seen from Granger.
I had to admit, their fear felt good.
Mira put her hand on my shoulder again.
“I’ve got it, boss,” she sent through the connector. “Relax, Okay?”
I stepped back, feeling the anger recede at her touch.
What was she, a warlock whisperer?
And why the hell was this happening? Bert was in the same room, but we hadn’t merged.
“I know you’re pissed,” I said to Bert, sending my thoughts through our bond, “but we need to talk about this.”
While I couldn’t talk to him as easily as I could with Mira through a connector, if I thought hard enough he seemed to understand.
He looked me in the eyes for a second, then nodded and looked away.
I took a seat and ran through some mental meditation exercises to relax, content to see how Mira would handle things.
I may have been in charge, but I was happy to let her play good cop to my scary fucking demon cop.
Mira worked to calm the situation and things started to go okay, until Chief Rakenchan’s phone rang.
She put it on speakerphone.
“What is it?” she asked. “I told you not to disturb me.”
I heard the voice on the other end of the line say, “It’s Mister Jonah Blue, one of the Thai representatives of The Third. He will be at your door in about two minutes.”
Rakenchan’s face dropped and her hand trembled as she set down the phone’s receiver.
“Who are The Third?” I asked.
“One of the five branches of The Umbra Pentarchy,” she rasped.
“Who?” I’d never heard of them.
“The supernatural mafia.”
She looked up at me.
“We’re in a lot of trouble.”
Chapter 22
“We?” I asked incredulously. “I don’t know anyone named Jonah. Why am I in trouble with him?”
“Jonah works for the Thai branch of The Third,” Rakenchan repeated, as if that was supposed to mean something. “That’s the branch of the Umbra most responsible for…let’s say, mental manipulation.”
“What?”
“Fucking with people’s heads,” she said. “It’s made up of djinns mostly, but there are representatives of all supernatural factions. All of the branches have a mix, to prevent too much infighting.”
This was hard to believe.
“You said this Umbra is the supernatural mafia? Why haven’t I heard of them before?”
“I’m sure you have, under different names. There’s always rumors, but secrecy is one of their tools.”
She pulled a bottle out of her drawer, with two glasses.
Since I’m a girly drink drunk, I couldn’t tell you what was in it. Something amber-colored. Of course, that describes about eighty-percent of alcohol.
She poured a few finger’s worth into both glasses, then took one, tossed it down her throat and refilled it.
“They’ve carved up organized crime into groups all over the world,” she continued. “The Shadow Five, or Umbra Pentarchy, as they call themselves, hold Asia as their territory.”
“And what does this have to do with me?” I asked. “Or you, for that matter. You’re a cop.”
“Look, it’s complicated,” she replied, “but I need your help.”
Seriously?
“Sure,” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “I mean, it’s not like you were just threatening to lock me up or anything.” I then gave her a look of surprise and added, “Oh, wait, that is exactly what you just threatened to do.” I leaned in. “Fuck you.”
“You have to help,” she stated. “He’s a dangerous guy and you’re already on his bad side.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“You attacked Ronald Granger,” she said, giving me a serious look. “That’s what you did.” She nodded. “Yeah, the guy you just made piss himself in front of everyone? He’s Jonah’s cousin.”
“Oh.”
“Why do you think I put up with his shit?” she asked, taking another big swallow from her drink. “He’s been a problem for years, and he’s definitely going to go running to Jonah about what you did to him. So, like it or not, Agent Vedis, he’s about to become your problem too.”
There was a polite knock on the door, followed by the entrance of a tall man wearing a black suit, fedora, and sunglasses.
It practically screamed “mafia.”
Or maybe ‘Blues Brother.’
The swirling tattoos on his skin showed he was a djinn, like my new friend, Officer Porn.
“They found the bodies of four of my men, Vicki,” he said, walking to the desk and sitting down. Mira moved to join me and Bert on the office couch. “Which means you’ve failed me.” He wagged his finger at her, dramatically. “It seems you still lack the motivation to find my missing people, despite all of the favors I’ve done you in the past.”
Favors?
That didn’t sound good.
Plus, keeping a slime-ball like Granger on
her crew was starting to paint a pretty bad picture of the chief.
It looked like Stone had more than one reason to send me to Bangkok, the sneaky bastard.
Chief Rakenchan, whose first name was apparently Vicki, stood up and handed him a glass.
I saw ink swirl from his tattoos pool around his finger as he dipped it into his drink.
“No poison,” he said flatly, “good.”
“I’m sorry, Jonah,” Rakenchan, said, taking a drink from her own glass, “I hadn’t heard. Nobody reported any bodies matching the description of your people in Bangkok.
He took a sip of his drink, then set it down on the desk.
“That’s because they weren’t in Bangkok. They were in the Netherworld.”
The chief looked over at me and my team. “Could you excuse us, please?”
Jonah looked over, seeming to just notice us.
“No,” he said, “let them stay. They might as well hear what I’ve got to say firsthand. One of them might need to take over as chief, if things keep going the way they’re going.”
Yeah, nothing ominous about that at all. I didn’t like Chief Rakenchan, but I liked this guy even less.
Jonah took a slightly bigger drink this time.
“There was some kind of attack at one of the djinn clubs last night,” he explained. “Not one of the ones under Umbra, but whoever did it might have been sending a message.”
“I see,” the chief said. “And this is relevant because?”
“Because four of the attackers were my people. Two mages and two vampires.”
The chief’s face flushed, but she didn’t respond.
I leaned forward in my seat. No way that was a different club.
“Oh, shit. Has to be the same club, right?” Mira asked through the connector.
“Yeah,” I said. “Almost certainly.”
“Oh, so they went rogue?” Chief Rakenchan looked relieved. “Unfortunate, but at least you found out what happened.”
“Not exactly. Something really did a number on them. Their identities were only confirmed by using a DNA scan.”
He stared at her, tilting his head slightly.
“Do you know what the scan found?”
Chief Rakenchan shook her head.
Bangkok Warlock: A Mark Vedis Supernatural Thriller Book 1 (Southeast Asia Paranormal Police Department) Page 12