I feel a slight tremor in the floor and cock my head in an attempt to get a fix on the source. The aluminum shelving unit beside me explodes, and something large and heavy slams into me. I grab the nearest source of support and hang on as I’m driven back. Looking up, I see Jack smiling with glee behind the wheel of the forklift that is now carrying me across the store.
“Need a lift, Mr. Malone?” Jack cackles.
I heave myself onto one of the forks and leap over the lift tower onto the cab. The forklift crashes through another flimsy stand, sending tools flying and skittering across the floor. Gripping the edge of the cab, I swing my legs into the open driver’s seat and kick Jack in the side of the head.
I knock Jack out of his seat, but he maintains his grip on the steering wheel. He grabs one of my legs and gives it a yank, pulling me farther into the cab.
My head is hanging off the left side of the forklift while Jack’s legs dangle over the right. The Hyster crashes into the paint aisle’s endcap and comes to a stop, its wheels spinning in the spilled paint. He regains his feet on the machine’s side, draws his sword from where he had stashed it inside his jacket, and lunges at me.
Still sprawled across the seat, I make a clumsy attempt to parry his thrust and just manage to divert its path. He cocks his arm back and stabs at me again. I reach behind me and grab a can of spray paint from the shelf. Jack’s blade flashes for my face and punctures the bottom of the can.
Jack cries out and recoils when the paint geysers out of the bottom of the can and into his face and eyes. I kick him in the chest and send him crashing into the shelves on the opposite side of the aisle. Bolting upright, I stab for his chest, but he manages to deflect my thrust. I still earn a hiss of pain as my sword plunges into his shoulder. He leaps away and glares at me, the anger in his eyes telling me that he is no longer enjoying our fight.
I swirl my finger in front of my face. “Jack, you got a little something on your face there. You might want to clean it off—unless you are going to lead a Scottish army to fight for independence. Then I think you’re all set.”
“This game has reached its conclusion.”
“Are you sure? I’m just getting warmed up.”
If I’m honest with myself, a solid thirty percent of my confidence is complete bullshit. Jack is fast, strong, and not nearly as stupid as most of the rogues I’ve put down over the years. Fact is, the longer this plays out, the slimmer my odds get of winning. Jack is overfed, and his reserves allow him to dish out and take a lot more punishment than I can.
“It is my game,” he says. “I decide when and where we play and when it is over.”
I turn my ear to the soft thumping of rotor blades drawing closer. “Do you hear that, Jack?”
“Police,” Jack says with a contemptuous snort. “They challenge me at their peril.”
“Wrong. That is the unmistakable sound of a pair of UH-72 Lakota. Sounds like the enclave is sending in some relief hitters. You caught the first squad by surprise. They underestimated you, used bad tactics. Probably under the orders of Frau Fahrvergnügen. I’m going to bet Vincent is commanding this group, if not leading it himself. Do you think you can take us all on?”
Jack sighs. “Perhaps discretion is the better part of valor.”
“Or it’s just being a chickenshit. I guess it all depends on your point of view.”
I can tell by the look in Jack’s eyes, especially the one that is twitching, that he wants to finish me here and now. Part of me hopes he does, but I’m not a hundred percent sure I can hold him off until reinforcements arrive. If I am going to beat him, I need to meet him on a battlefield of my choosing.
“You play a good game, Mr. Malone. I look forward to our next match.”
Jack chooses discretion over battle, and a big part of me feels relieved. The other part makes me feel like a pussy. Half of any battle is making your enemy think you are not afraid to fight him, so I give chase when Jack bolts for the door. My ego tries to veto my brain, but Jack takes the proposition off the table by outrunning me.
I chase him down Merrick, but by the time I reach Archer, he’s leapt onto the overhead tracks and hitched a ride on a passing eastbound train. I watch the train disappear into the fog before turning back to face the Home Depot. The helicopters land in the parking lot, so I don’t see any need for me to go back and check on Sven. His people have him now and I just want to go home and reflect on what a clusterfuck of a day I’ve had.
CHAPTER 13
“This station’s sources report that two police officers and a female civilian are dead. Police have cordoned off a three-block area within Jamaica in the Queens borough. FBI special operations units have been dispatched, and we can hear gunfire coming from within the area.”
Trinh looked over at Carol, who was hunched over her laptop, as she loaded her bag. “What’s the situation?”
Carol looked up from the small image of the reporter in the upper-right corner of her screen. “There’s something big happening in Queens.”
“Vampires?”
“I don’t know, but Malone is hauling ass to the area.”
Trinh walked over, stood behind Carol, and looked at the blip overlaid onto a map of New York. “Why would he put himself in the middle of a fight with police?”
“Should we go after him? Maybe we can get him while he’s distracted, try out those new super muscles of yours.”
“No, we stick to the plan. I caught Malone by surprise when he was weak, and he still nearly killed me. He will have fed knowing that someone is after him.”
“Maybe your memory of him just makes him seem stronger and scarier than he really is. You were just a little girl when he attacked you. He probably looked eight feet tall and wreathed in the fires of hell.”
Trinh shook her head. “No, Malone may not be what he was then. He has certainly changed, but he is still a dangerous monster. We will stick to the plan and try to bring him down without getting ourselves killed.”
“You mean like last time?”
“I let my emotions get the better of me. It was a mistake; one I will not repeat. Do you have an address?”
“Of course I do. It was easier than I thought. He actually advertises on the dark net, if you know where to look.”
“Advertises for what?”
“It sure isn’t for mowing lawns. Officially, he says he’s a private investigator, but you read the subtext, it’s for a lot more.”
“Like what?”
“Bodyguard for high-profile people and criminal kingpins, assassinations, and pretty much anything that involves extreme violence.”
“This certainly involves extreme violence. Good job, Carol.”
Carol clears her throat. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, I mean Circe.”
“I’m in kill mode. You’re damn right it’s Circe.” Carol’s lips curl into a big smile. “Oh, that is totally my new code name—Kill Mode! I feel like a superhero, although it sounds a bit more supervillain…What do you think, Trinh, can I rock the name Kill Mode as a superhero, or is it too ominous?”
Trinh smiled as she hefted her backpack. “Grab your crap, Kill Mode, we have work to do.”
Carol packed away her laptop and grabbed the handle of her rifle case. “Kill Mode!”
***
“What a shithole,” Trinh said as she studied the exterior of Leo’s loft.
“I know, right. I haven’t seen people live in a dump like this since we left our own place an hour ago,” Carol replied through the radio headset.
“I told you, we need to keep a low profile, and we can’t do that if we rent out penthouses all the time.”
“It works for Batman.”
“Batman lives in a mansion.”
“No, Batman lives in a cave. Bruce Wayne lives in a mansion, and I used to live in a mansion, so I don’t see the conflict in living someplace nice during the day while we kill murderous vampires at night.”
“You read too many comic books.”<
br />
“I counter your argument with the opinion that you do not read nearly enough graphic novels.”
Trinh sighed. “Where is Malone?”
“Obviously, I cannot say for certain, but his motorcycle is two blocks from where the cops cordoned off that section of Jamaica.”
“Good, as long as he isn’t coming this way.” Trinh used her night vision goggles to examine the outside of the building. “He has cameras all over the place. There’s no way I can approach without them seeing me. Is there anything you can do?”
Carol tapped on her laptop’s keyboard. “No, there’s no wireless signal. If they are connected to an outside network, I could probably hack in if I knew where to look, but I don’t, and it could take hours or even days to find it.”
“It doesn’t matter as long as the cameras don’t set off an alarm.”
“If you can connect a wireless access point to the system, I can probably disable them.”
“All right. Stand by. I’ll see if I can get to one of the cameras.”
Trinh sprinted across the open ground between her hiding place and Leo’s loft. There was no way to sneak close without one of the cameras capturing her movement, so she forwent stealth and opted for speed. She had always been fast, at least since her infection, easily besting the world’s swiftest runners and athletes, but Dr. Birch’s serum added two more gears to her transmission and doubled her engine’s cylinders. Trinh wondered what the ultimate price of her upgrade would cost her, but she put it to the back of her mind. She had work to do.
Crouching next to the building, she shinnied up a drainpipe with ease. Hooking her legs over a roof joist, Trinh retrieved the wireless device from her bag and connected it to the camera’s coaxial cable.
“Okay, Carol, I connected the device. Can you get in?” Trinh waited for a response. “Carol?” She sighed. “Circe…goddammit, Kill Mode!”
“Oh, were you talking to me? Sorry, you kept asking for other people.”
“I swear to God…”
“I thought you were Buddhist? Shouldn’t you be swearing to Buddha?”
“If you want to get technical, I am an uncommitted follower of Tam Giáo. Either way, I am going to kick your skinny white ass when I get done here.”
“Bitch, I know you aren’t talking trash about my butt. At least I don’t have Asian ass!”
“My ass is perfect!”
Carol snorted. “Yeah, if you want someplace to hang a picture or play the world’s smallest game of beer pong. You should be in AAA—Asian Ass Anonymous.” She mimics a sobbing voice. “Hello, my name is Trinh, and I have Asian ass.”
“Bitch, I swear—”
“To Buddha?”
Trinh growled into her headset. “I am going to break your ass into so many pieces, every god is going to get a chunk.”
“Like Jesus with the loaves and fishes!”
“Dammit, Carol.”
“Wrong. Say my name.”
“Did you get into the system?”
“Say my name.”
Trinh ground her teeth and clenched her fists. “Kill Mode.”
“That’s better, although…technically I am doing computer work not sniper duty, so maybe Circe is more appropriate in this instance.”
“Did you get into the system?” Trinh shouted.
“Duh, you don’t have to bite my head off. I got in while you were talking trash about my butt. It’s an older LaRouche system with proprietary firmware. I wonder who wrote it. Hold on.” Carol scrolled through the lines of code in search of the digital signature almost all coders used to tag their work, much like graffiti artists. “Here we go—Mo’ Money. That name sounds familiar.”
“Is this really important?”
“All knowledge is important.”
“I am hanging upside down like a bat and preparing to kill someone. I don’t think it is important at this point in time.”
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance. If you weren’t a fly-by-night Buddhist, you would know that. Or is that Confucius?”
“I don’t know, but if you do not tell me what the alarm status is in the next two seconds, I am going to have it carved on your headstone.”
“I think your vampire steroids are making you hostile.”
“Alarm!”
“The logs show a motion alert but no alarm, and Malone is…moving, but going in the opposite direction to us, so you’re fine—you know, as fine as a girl with Asian ass can get.”
“Enough, Carol.”
“You started it.”
“For once, I wish you would act your age.”
“You first. I’d love to see you kicking mad vampire ass while wearing a soggy pair of adult diapers.”
“Bitch.”
“Bitch. Love you.”
Trinh was unable to stifle her laugh. “That front door looks like it came out of a fallout shelter, but I can get in through the windows up top.”
Trinh climbed on top of the roof, jogged to the far side, and lowered herself over the edge. Clinging to one of the overhanging roof supports, she curled her legs up to her chest and threaded her body through one of the wide, short windows running the length of the building’s upper reaches.
The interior was predominantly industrial metal framework, making it a simple matter to climb down to ground level. The cavernous loft was sparsely furnished and appeared to be more of a homeless squatter’s camp than an actual home. One of the few amenities droned in the corner of what constituted a kitchen. Trinh crossed the room and opened the small refrigerator door.
“This is definitely Malone’s place,” Trinh said as she looked upon the bags of dark blood. “How am I looking? And don’t you dare make a comment about my Asian butt.”
“Malone’s motorcycle just stopped. That’s weird. He’s at the police station. Maybe he’s reporting you for kicking his ass.”
“I don’t think Malone is the type to report an assault to the cops, and I’m pretty sure I lost that fight.”
“Any fight where you don’t die is a win.”
Trinh raised an imaginary glass. “Here’s to an undefeated record. I’m going to start setting up. Let me know if he starts moving again.”
Trinh began unpacking her laden rucksack, setting out the explosives on Leo’s dining table before affixing them to the steel I-beams holding up the roof. She felt as if she were setting up a party for Malone, and she couldn’t wait to jump out and yell “Surprise.”
CHAPTER 14
It takes a bit of stealth work, but I manage to avoid the police cordon surrounding the shootout for the second time. My fury is divided, and I’m having a hard time deciding who I should hunt down and kill first. Jack is certainly the bigger threat, at least to the city and our security as a whole, but the girl’s attack feels more personal. Besides, the bitch made me crash my bike, and that makes me a special kind of pissed off.
I find my bike just where I left it, which is not a foregone conclusion in this city, especially when the entire police department is distracted. A nearby car door opens, and the interior light illuminates the face of Satan’s mortal form here on earth.
Castillo aims her sidearm at my center mass. “Don’t move, Malone!”
Angel backs her up from the cover of their unmarked car, but he points his weapon down and slightly to the side of my body.
“Fuck off, Castillo, I am so not in the mood for your bullshit tonight.”
“I said freeze, or so help me, I will put a bullet in you!”
“Take a fucking number,” I mumble under my breath. “What do you want, Castillo?”
“I want to see you locked up for the rest of your miserable life, but tonight, I’ll settle for bringing you in for questioning.”
“For what?”
“For fucking everything! You were in a goddam gun and sword battle in the middle of the damn street, and now I find you at the scene of another firefight where two officers were killed.”
“Wasn’t me, and I am
outside of the crime scene, as are a few thousand reporters and other onlookers, so you can take your pointless speculation and stick it up your ass. I’m going home, and you are going to have to shoot me if you want to stop me.”
Castillo steps between my bike and me. “You are going to come with me. I have video evidence of your little street battle. That alone warrants an arrest.”
Fucking cell phones. Fucking YouTube. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she is not going to let this go and wait for an arrest warrant. “Fine, but I’m not leaving my bike here.” I reach for my phone. “And I’m calling my lawyer.”
“Hands!” Castillo shouts and takes several brisk steps toward me.
I sigh and hold my hands away from my body. Castillo pushes me around by my shoulder and pats me down. She confiscates my sword, Shalonda, and my backup Smith and Wesson .40 caliber.
“You’re traveling light these days.”
I shrug. “I’ve been taking these penis enlargement pills, so I haven’t felt the need for more armaments.”
She runs the back of her hand up the inside of my legs. “I suggest you get a refund and start carrying a bazooka.”
I look over my shoulder. “Angel, are you capturing this police brutality on your cop cam?”
“Sorry, Leo, my camera is on the fritz, and I’m pretty sure brutality doesn’t cover hurt feelings.”
“Seemed pretty brutal to me.”
Castillo takes my weapons and tosses them in the back seat of her cruiser. “If you want to see your toys again, I suggest you follow us, and don’t get lost.”
Either she knows she doesn’t have hard enough evidence to arrest me, or her return to active duty requires that she use kid gloves when dealing with me. I’m not going to complain. At least it means I won’t be forced to walk back. Even a small win is a win.
“I’m sure I can find my way. Your place is the one with the big fiery eye on top, right? It’s hard to miss.”
Castillo doesn’t waste any time. She gets behind the wheel of her car, flips on the flashing lights, and guns it across town. Not wanting to deal with any more bullshit than I have to, I follow her on my bike.
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