by Megan Hawke
My hands were still useless, torn and broken. They were healing, and fast, but it would be minutes before I could hope to use them. Any fight coming would be long past before they would function.
"Halt!" Billy Grinstead cried. I turned to see him standing in his door, aiming his pistol at me. Ali Parker was in the middle of morphing into a wolfwoman. She was fast. Definitely alpha. "I'll shoot."
"Bite me," I said, and took off running. And he shot me. Bastard. "God dammit! Fucking silver bullet."
So much for flying away. So much for kinda easy. Parker howled, now a fully formed wolfwoman. I froze, gawking at her. She was one powerful wolf. She grew to at least six foot five. It was hard to tell, since they usually stood kinda hunched over in wolfwoman form. She had to have doubled or tripled her mass. The maximum was quadrupling your mass for a werewolf, and those were the premier wolfs so rare to be more legend that fact.
"Damn, Ali, you got big old hairy tits," I said.
That made her pause, and Grinstead glanced at her. All I needed. I took off running. She came after me with a low growl. Sirens filled the cool night air, mostly coming from Deep Ellum. I guess Morris had finished pooping his pants and was coming to join the party.
Even a werewolf can't take an alert vampire by surprise. I say alert because I obviously dropped my guard earlier. So I could hear the big bad wolf girl gaining on me as I raced around the first corner, scattered a small group of teens and jumped over a parked car. Her claws scraped the concrete loudly. Her heart pounded with exertion. I could still hear it all. I knew when she leapt at me, so I cut left and made her miss.
"When my hands finish healing, I'm going to tear off your fluffy tail!"
Crossing the street, I jumped up onto the roof of a car, and launched myself through a second floor window. I hit the floor rolling, and took off out that office door. Ali landed loudly in the room behind me, coming through the same shattered window. She grunted and growled. I smiled, imagining her cutting her paws on the broken glass.
Turning into another office, I kicked out the window and ducked behind the door. A second later wolf girl raced past me and out that window in hot pursuit of nothing. I returned to the hallway and found the stairs, taking it up to the third floor, the top floor. It was an old building, just as the edge of downtown. Entering a corner office, I dared a peek down to the street. Ali Parker was in the intersection, looking all around, sniffing the air and not finding anything. After a moment she looked back at my building.
"Figuring it out, are you?" I whispered, waiting. "Come to Momma, baby."
My hands were mostly healed. Healed enough for limited use. Not healed enough to fight. Not yet. But my hands didn't bother me nearly as much as that blessed silver bullet in my guts. Now that hurt. Like Hellfire. But I needed healed hands to remove it.
"Good girl," I said when the wolfwoman turned and ran back to the shattered window.
I heard her downstairs, growling and sniffing. It wouldn't take her long to sniff me out. So I slowly, quietly eased open the window. Just enough to squeeze through, and jumped down. Just my luck, three squad cars and two unmarked pulled up as I jumped.
Cops shouted, and immediately started shooting. I ran as fast as I could. A second later wolf girl came crashing out of a window and after me. So much for my clever ploy and escape. Some nights I just can't catch a break.
She chased me into the small park at Pacific and Interstate 45. Really, it's just a patch of grass with clusters of pine and live oaks. Detective Parker grabbed my left arm just above the elbow. I spun around, sending a powerful roundhouse at her big wolfy face. She ducked, and my kick continued around to break her grip on me. Stepping inside her guard, I punched her in the throat.
That did it. She fell back clutching her throat. With my strength that punch would've killed a mortal. It only hurt her. She would recover fast, but now she was vulnerable. I could kill her pretty easily. But she was a cop, just doing her duty. I actually had a pang of guilt about hurting her. I got over it.
Nothing to do but run. My hands were pretty much healed, but were still tingling. I had to be careful until the tingling stopped.
A squad car raced in front of me, hitting the brakes to cut me off. I leapt over it and kept running east on Pacific. Right down the middle of the road. I'm pretty fast, even in heels. But even in running shoes I couldn't outrun a car or Ali Parker.
Glancing back, I saw her emerge from the little park and lock eyes on me. She looked even more pissed than before. Then more cop cars turned onto the road in front of me. Every direction I looked was flashing red and blue lights. Civilians were pulling over, getting out of the way. I spotted a motorcyclist on a Honda Interceptor. It was all black and beauty in motion. Even the rider was in all black leather and black helmet.
As Detective Parker came running after me, I ran up to the motorcyclist and kicked him off his seat. The bike toppled over, but remained running. I snatched it up and mounted. One last glance at Parker, followed by a smile as I put the bike in first, and then gunned it.
"Wahoo!" I cried, leaving a cloud of burnt rubber behind me. I drove between two squad cars.
Detective Parker chased me down the street, back into Deep Ellum. She kept up for about two blocks, which I found astonishing. Who knew she was that fast? But after I hit third she had no chance. Not like I was going to stop for stop signs or red lights.
"Add grand thief auto to my charges," I said.
Chapter 13
I dumped the motorcycle in the middle of a bridge over Central Expressway. The police would find it faster that way. The owner would get it back faster that way, too.
Next thing, I found a fast food place still open, and got a knife out of the plasticware tray. I had no money to buy a proper knife. I didn't even take a credit card with me to meet with Longhouse. Why would I need it? My mistake. Won't happen again.
Plastic knives don't cut human flesh very well. But they do cut. Not as clean a cut. Much more painful. It still beat powering my fingers through my flesh, which I could do, but was even more painful. The burning bullet was removed. I immediately felt my powers return, and felt my family through our links. Dane was furious. Desiree frightened, but defiant. Gabe felt annoyed, confused. Heidi was hungry.
"What's going on?" I felt them all, except for Sabrina. Heidi was linked to her, not me. But they weren't in the same place. Dane and Desiree were west of me, and felt like they were at Lew Sterrett. Heidi and Gabe were east, and not too far away. "I need a phone."
There was nothing saying Heidi or Gabe still had their phones on them. The police probably had all of our phone numbers, and might try tracing us if we used our phones. I doubted it, but once bitten…
Extending my wings, I took off toward Heidi and Gabe. I found them in Lake Highlands, inside an empty house. There was a For Sale sign in the front yard. The house was an older brick, with big trees and a large yard. I landed on the roof, and used my vampiric senses to study the surrounding area. I didn't put it past Longhouse and Morris to use my friends as bait in a trap.
Straddling the peak of the roof, I spoke in a normal tone. "Heidi. Is it safe?"
"Sable! I thought that was you," she cried. She didn't have to shout. I could've heard her as well as she heard me. "Come in the back door."
I did a little hop, without needing my wings, landed on the back patio. Heidi was already outside waiting. Her arms wrapped around my neck in a fierce hug.
"I felt your shock, and then the abrupt cut off from our link," she said. "I thought they staked you."
"Magic handcuffs," I said, grinning as Gabe came out naked as the day he was born. "So you had to morph to escape?"
"Yeah, and it was close at that."
"How did you escape fully clothed, and no damage from bullets," I said, looking Heidi over in the dim light. Heidi was in a silver mini dress and strappy stilettos, lots of jewelry, and fully made up for clubbing. "Did you leave before the police arrived?"
"No. I was downstairs
getting dressed."
"Hey, that's my dress."
"That's not important," she said, and grinned. "What is important is that they never found your secret entrance to the basement, and apparently didn't know there was one. I heard what was happening upstairs, and felt it best if I escaped."
"So you did nothing?"
"What was I going to do? Go up and get captured? Shot full of silver? I heard Dane yell, 'Stay down.' I figured he was talking to me."
I felt her fear of my disapproval, felt her shame, felt everything profoundly. Heidi was usually so cavalier, but this had her rattled. It had me rattled. I never trusted the police, but I trusted Longhouse. I wouldn't make that mistake again.
I looked at Gabe. "What happened? Why didn't anyone else escape?"
Gabe filled with shame, too. "I'm sorry. The instant I realized we were under attack I reacted. I morphed into a wolfman. I think Dane could've gotten away, but stayed for Desiree and Sabrina."
"At least four S.W.A.T. teams attacked us," Heidi said. "In helicopters."
I looked at Gabe. He nodded. "She's right. The helicopters swooped in fast, and the cops repelled out. At least four SWAT teams, maybe more on the ground. My flight or fight kicked in. I might've stayed and fought, but Dane yelled for me to run for it." He looked guilty and shrugged. "I never hesitated. I jumped through a window and ran for all I was worth. They shot at me a moment. Automatic weapon fire."
My eyes widened. Wow. That was so dangerous for them to do. The police were usually so hesitant to use automatic weapons, especially in residential areas. They could've easily killed an innocent bystander.
Heidi spoke up. "I heard him leave. That's when Dane ordered Sabrina and Desiree down to the floor and cover their heads. The cops charged in seconds later, smashing on both front and back doors."
"They broke down my doors? Bastards."
"Yep. I heard them remove the others pretty fast. They were in a big hurry. Some of them searched the house, top to bottom. Very fast. I think they were just looking for people hiding. I swear, they weren't inside more than ten minutes, then everyone was outside."
"They just left?"
"No, they are still there," she said. "The SWAT teams circled the house and waited. I don't know what they were waiting for."
"Maybe they were afraid you'd escape and come back," Gabe said. "Or they were waiting for Heidi, since they didn’t find her."
Heidi shrugged. "I don't know. I took that old laundry chute up to the second floor, then snuck up to the widow's walk. I just sort of surged away, so no one would see me go."
"You surged down off the roof? Three stories?"
It was officially a two-story house, but the attic was a full story, too, accessible by stairs and had dormer windows. It was habitable, with central air and heat, and just waiting for me to divide it up into rooms. So, if you counted the attic and basement, the house was four full floors.
"No, I surged straight out over the houses to the next street."
"I didn't know you could do that." I said.
"Neither did I." She grinned. Heidi liked being able to do things that I couldn't. She taught me how to surge, and it was a lot of teaching before I got it. I still wasn't as fast as her. "But sometimes you just have to try and see what happens."
"Well, I'm glad you both escaped and found each other," I said, to their great relief. "I'd hate to be alone right now."
We went inside. There was electricity, but none of us needed light. It was best no one saw a light in an empty house anyway. So we sat in the middle of the carpeted living room and I told my sad story. I left nothing out.
"So Sergeant Longhouse betrayed us?" Gabe said tightly, shaking his head. He turned angry eyes on me. "You can't trust cops, man."
I wasn't Longhouse's biggest fan at the moment, but… "I'll never trust him again. Not like before, but I don't think it is entirely his fault."
"What are you? The world's sweetest vampire?" Gabe said. He sounded incredulous, looking at me like I’d lost my mind or something. "He set you up and lured you into a trap. You could've been killed. Hell, he was willing to send you to your death in that damned Sun Room."
"Gabe's right."
"I know. But Longhouse is first and foremost a cop. He thinks and feels like a cop. He only wants to find bad guys, and if someone convinces him that I am a bad guy, then he has a boner to catch me." They just looked at me like I was crazy. "Someone told him, no, they convinced him that I was the one controlling the murderous vamps. That person or persons had the clout to convince him, too. Or, his bosses ordered me arrested and that is all he would need. Cops obey orders."
"Wow, you're very forgiving," Gabe said.
I sighed gustily, and then struggled to smile at him.
"I never said I forgave him. I doubt he wants my forgiveness. I understand him," I said. I shook my head, recalling a time I thought the same way. "At least a little."
"I wish you hadn't ditched the motorcycle. We could use some transportation," Gabe said. "I have some vehicles stashed."
"Where?"
He gave me a suspicious look. Gabe was so damned secretive. "Various places, but the nearest is in Richardson. An old Jiffy Lube. I have a pickup, sedan, and a Harley. All are old and battered looking. Nothing special to draw any attention."
"I love you, Gabe. You always come through," I said. He smiled tightly. Gabe didn't really like to share his vehicle with me, since I had a bad habit of losing or wrecking them. "What about weapons? Are you still keeping that armory over on Harry Hines?"
"Of course. No vehicles there, though."
"Great. I think our best course of action right now is to go to Richardson, pick up all three vehicles, and take them to the armory," I said. They nodded. "Did anyone manage to escape with any cash or credit cards?"
"No."
"No, in the excitement I forgot to bring my purse."
"Damn."
We all had credit cards and cash at our various residences. Heidi had a Deep Ellum loft and Gabe had a house nearby, too. Since the police had figured out where I lived, we had to assume they knew where Gabe and Heidi lived as well.
"I can get a credit card," I said. "Let's go."
Gabe gave us the address to his abandoned Jiffy Lube. I flew above them, as Gabe morphed into a wolf and ran, and Heidi surged ahead at one mile increments. When Gabe caught up, she'd surge ahead. I didn't know the limit to her surging, but I felt her growing tired as we went. Gabe was doing fine, as was I. We made good time, but it still took almost an hour to get there.
The building had three bays, with all the glass replaced with wood. No key, so I kicked in the door. The only thing stored there was the three vehicles and their keys. Heidi and I waited while Gabe reconnected all of the batteries.
Gabe took the pickup. It was a battered red Ford F150, short bed. It had mag wheels and a thunderous engine. The sedan went to Heidi. She wasn't dressed for motorcycles, though she could ride one. I taught her in exchange for her teaching me to surge. It was a Chevy Nova. Very old. Also with a big engine. Gabe and I shared a love of fast cars and motorcycles. The Harley Davidson was mine.
"Take care of it, Sable. I know how hard you are on vehicles," Gabe said. "It's a 2000 Heritage Softail Classic."
Gabe was obsessed with Harley-Davidsons. What can I say, he was a biker. Looked and dressed like an old outlaw biker most of the time. I was a cyclist, and he was a biker. His definitions. "I've only had it for six weeks."
It was big and blue and looked powerful. No saddlebags, but it did have a windshield. He gave me the key and I cranked her up. Talk about a deep throated roar. I was in love. I put her into first as Gabe opened the bay door.
"I'll meet you at the armory."
"Where are you going?" Heidi said.
"To get that credit card I promised. There's a vamp that owes me a favor, and I'm going to collect tonight."
With that I left. The Harley felt good. It was the first that I ever rode. Well, I had ridden behind Ga
be on his chopper a couple times. That wasn't the same. I was in control. I liked it, but still would rather have my Kawasaki Ninja.
The Harley made a lot of noise. I received more than my fair share of looks, too. Harley's make an impression. Just a fact.
I drove up Skillman to Swiss Avenue. Valerie St. Clair's house was on Swiss. Not one of the big mansions, though, it was a little further down the road, but it was still an impressive house. Not as big as mine, but in a more prestigious neighborhood. There was no guarantee she still lived there. She'd been Changed into a vampire since the last time I visited her house. Most vampires moved once Changed.
The big house was lit up when I arrived. I parked the Harley on the sidewalk, and walked up to the front door. I sensed three people inside. Mortals. I knocked. A young Goth answered, wearing more makeup than me and black velvet Renaissance clothes. He couldn't have been more than nineteen years old. He looked at me like I was the sweetest piece of candy he'd ever seen.
"Is Valerie home?"
"Who's asking, babe?"
"I'm Sable. Tell her I’m calling in my favor."
He sobered right up. At least he understood the significance of a favor to vampires. I was told to wait, and he closed the door. Very rude. It doesn't even do any good. I heard them fine. Heard every word. There was only a brief exchange, and Valerie commanded him to let me in.
When he opened the door, I stepped past him before he invited me in. Besides Goth boy, Draco Barnabus, there was a young woman named Cicely and another young man called Shawn with Valerie. Shawn was on all fours before Valerie, and wearing the oddest outfit I'd ever seen. First, he had a harness over his head with blinders. Yeah, horse blinders. He also wore a spiked slave collar, elaborate harness over his chest, penis ring, and boots that ended in horse's hooves. There was a shiny black saddle beside Valerie's chair that would fit his back nicely.
Cicely looked early twenties, with spiky blonde hair with pink highlights. She wore only a red leather thong and matching pumps. Her boobs were small, but perky. There were reins in her hands, attached to the harness over the young man's head.