by Justin Sloan
"Suit yourself.” Royland gave them a curt nod before heading off to the cots.
"Sweet dreams," Sandra said, and gave Diego a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to watch for a minute and then catch some sleep next to Valerie."
He smiled and headed off to bed, feeling his eyes start to close before he'd even made it to the cots. He tripped twice on holes in the floor he hadn’t noticed. Turning a corner, he spotted a cot, and practically fell onto it before conking out completely.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Dead silence woke Valerie. The cheering, talking, and other noises she'd been vaguely aware of while sleeping let her rest, but when it was quiet, her eyes popped open and she sat with a start.
Sandra was sleeping beside her, the woman's hair all messed up like she'd either been rolling in her sleep, which didn't seem likely on that small cot, or she’d had Diego's fingers running through that hair. If Valerie had to bet, she'd put her money on the mess due to fingers.
She leaned in closer to Sandra’s hair and sniffed.
Yup, Diego.
A quick walk around showed her that everyone was asleep, except for a few vampires and Weres chatting and having a good time in the old subway area.
"What's going on?" she asked as she watched from the side of the room. "Aren’t you supposed to be resting?"
"We were some of the first to rest," one of the Weres answered. "Then we joined in the sparring, and well, we’re still amped up from it. I didn't realize how cool these guys could be."
"Same goes for you," one of vamps agreed as he stood next to the guy. He punched the Were in the arm with a laugh. "I don't know if I'll ever figure out how to block that fake kick thing you did."
The others all grinned like school children, and Valerie just shook her head. Who knew that if you just let these groups spar, in a controlled environment, they could learn to respect each other. Maybe even become friends.
But then she thought about Diego and realized, yeah, that made a lot of sense. He'd definitely proven himself, and now she couldn't imagine going into a fight without him and Cammie at her back,
"Well, keep it up," she told them and turned around to pull open the door. "But I'm going to start waking everyone. It's about time for us to move out.”
She walked down the passage and could still hear them cheering as the door closed behind her.
***
While others were loading clips and sharpening blades, Valerie found a relatively quiet spot to talk with the cops, Wallace and his partner, Sergeant Peterson. They’d drawn a crude map of the city, indicating the Enforcers main base of operations. That was where they’d attack, so she needed to know everything she could before they made a move.
They’d let the other two cops go, after Wallace assured her they weren’t a threat and making sure they couldn’t find their way back here.
“You’re sure some of those cops aren’t corrupt?” she asked, for what must have been at least the tenth time.
“When cops reach a certain point of respect in Commander Strake’s eyes, he always takes them in to be Enforcers.”
“Meaning when he knows they’ll be on his side,” Valerie said, realization hitting her hard.
Peterson nodded he was. “There’s a damn big chasm between the police and the Peace Enforcers, and I’d be surprised if every damn Enforcer wasn’t on the take.”
“They all answer to Commander Strake directly,” Wallace said. “And if what you say about him is true—”
“It has to be.” She leaned back so that she could see more of them. She wanted to check body language, not just expressions, trying to gauge their thoughts. “Unless someone else was giving them orders and lying about who he was.”
“No, if.” Wallace told her. “No one is going to fake the Strake.”
“Fake the Strake,” Valerie repeated with a laugh. But neither of the cops were smiling. Her laugher dying, she looked at both men, first Wallace and then Peterson, wondering what this attack on their own would mean for them. “You’re both super nervous, but Peterson, you especially.”
“He’s got a sister with the Enforcers,” Wallace admitted, earning him a glare from his partner.
“Don’t you think that’s information we should probably know about?” Valerie asked Peterson.
He licked his lips, then stared at the table as he explained, “She left the family a long time ago.”
Valerie asked, “But if it comes to it, both of you with guns pointed at each other…?”
He simply shook his head in answer.
“I see.” Valerie assessed him, wondering if she had ever felt that way about her siblings. They weren’t her biological brothers, but you could say they were her blood-relatives, in a weird, vampire sort of way.
Her transformation had torn so much from her, including most of her memory from before. Now, she mostly remembered the pain with small glimpses to her past. She couldn’t remember if she’d had any siblings, so she chose to believe she had none. “Is there any chance you could persuade her?”
“Compared to letting her die?” He looked at Valerie like she was crazy. “Yeah, I think it’d be worth a try.”
“Good, I just wanted to make sure we aren’t bringing completely dead weight with us when we invade.”
“Wait, you want to invade Enforcer HQ and you want us to come with a bunch of vampires and Werewolves against, not only humans, but fellow enforcers of the law?”
“Trust me.” She winked at the two police officers and then stood.
Taking another look at the map and attack plans to commit it to memory, she shouted loud enough for the whole hideout to hear her say…
“MOUNT UP!”
***
The night air was still warm from the day as they moved out in small groups so as to not attract attention. Some left by the main exit, while others, including Valerie, exited through various old, abandoned subway stations.
When it was her turn, she pushed up on a rotting piece of wood that shielded their exit in a sunken stairwell. Here there was another barrier of old, abandoned furniture and whatnot, which she shoved aside, then crept up to the edge of the darkened exit. It was on the outskirts of downtown, chosen to avoid drawing attention.
A signal came from the building across the way, a brief hand wave, and she knew it was clear.
“Sandra, I want you behind Diego,” she spoke in a heavy whisper, never looking back over her shoulder.
She’d chosen to go with her normal team—the two she trusted above all else. Cammie had managed to work her way into Valerie’s inner circle, in spite of their rocky start. But the Were had her own team to lead. Additionally, it made sense to spread some of the stronger members of the UnknownWorld among the groups.
“I can hold my own,” Sandra said, clinging tight to the sack slung over her shoulder—her disassembled sniper rifle and several more guns.
“We both saw that on the rooftop,” Valerie agreed. “But the fact is, both Diego and I can heal. You can’t.”
“With your blood—”
“Sandra.” Valerie’s voice was firm, but not fast enough.
“Wait, what?” Diego looked between the two of them, confused. “I didn’t know you two… wait... Sandra’s wrists, that’s you, isn’t it?” He was staring at Valerie with a mixture of disbelief and horror.
“We have a mission,” Valerie said, starting to move.
“You two feed off of each other?” He grabbed Valerie by the arm. “Like, what? Sandra’s your play thing that you suck dry every once in awhile and then replenish so that she’s healthy enough to keep around until you need to feed on her again?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Valerie said, pulling her arm free. But she could tell something about what he’d said had struck a nerve with Sandra, because she was now avoiding eye-contact and holding her left wrist with her right hand—the wrist Valerie tended to favor. “Have we fed on each other? Yes. Is it some twisted using each other relationship, or me using her or whatever
? No.”
“But how—”
“NO!” Valerie said, grabbing Diego by the shirt and pulling him close enough to feel the heat radiating off her face. “Sandra’s my only friend. I love her as I’ve never loved another, and not like some pet or toy, so don’t you dare put ideas in her head.”
He stared back defiantly, then nodded.
“Sandra, you understand that, don’t you?” Valerie said as she released Diego and turned to her.
The woman smiled and nodded, then said, “Yeah, of course.”
Valerie felt her heart sink—that wasn’t a one hundred percent true answer. She knew Sandra too well to believe it, and that hurt.
“We’ll finish this conversation after,” Valerie said, trying her best to hide her irritation at Diego in her voice. “If we don’t move now, it could jeopardize the others.”
Diego nodded, though he did a crappy job of hiding his own irritation.
They darted across the street, then slowed to a leisurely stroll as they turned the corner and entered the streets running parallel to Capital Square. These streets weren’t crowded, but there were enough people walking about, even at night, that no cops or Enforcers would approach them unless they were doing something out of the ordinary.
“Stay calm,” Sandra said to Diego. “You’re walking like you’re ready to pounce.”
He wiped his face, “That’s because I am ready to pounce.” He adjusted the collar of his brown leather jacket, lowering the zipper, and made an attempt to walk normally.
“Now you look like a creepo,” Valerie commented, stifling a laugh.
“So, I fit in.” He frowned and kept walking with that strange saunter. “And I don’t want to hear it from someone who feeds on my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” Valerie asked, and turned to see if Sandra was blushing. She couldn’t quite tell, because while vampires could basically see in the dark, colors were still somewhat muted.
“Yes, girlfriend,” Diego said, wrapping his arm around Sandra protectively.
“Stop,” Sandra said. “Not right now.”
“I was just—” he started to argue.
“Yeah, you’re amazing. We like each other, I get it. I’m just saying not now, and not like you’re rubbing it in her face.”
“Guys, we’re about to put our lives at risk to put down a corrupt police force and then some,” Valerie told them. “Being a third wheel or dealing with jealousy issues or whatever you think this is, well don’t worry, because right now that is the least of my concerns.”
They spotted Cammie at the other end of a side street, and she gave the signal—a hand through the hair. Turn left here.
Soon all of the other groups were in their spots, and Valerie, Sandra, and Diego were climbing up to the top floor of a nearby building—largely abandoned, except for some squatters who gave them no trouble.
From here they could see the layout of the neighborhood, just as Wallace had drawn it. Wallace was at the corner of the square, which meant his partner was on the other side, and—there it was…
Enforcer HQ.
The building was the second tallest in the city, with a long blue stripe running up its side to match the blue stripe that ran up the enforcers’ black pant legs and were on each of their black sleeves. Other than that, it was your typical metal and glass building, gray with black patterns crisscrossing here and there.
Compared to the desolate nothingness that made up much of Old Manhattan, this building was gorgeous. Almost beautiful, if not for the evil Valerie knew was housed within.
“Sandra, that building there,” Valerie said, pointing to another building over, one that would have a better view of the windows and vantage point for sniping. “There’ll be a fallback team stationed near the entrance. I want you at the top, in case you see trouble.”
Valerie turned to Diego, half-expecting him to insist on staying as part of the fallback team.
But his eyes were on Enforcer HQ and he said, “Where do you want me, boss?”
“At my side. I might be fast, but I don’t have eyes in the back of my head and the last thing I need is to be sucker punched by a bear.” She was hit by an image of her brother’s men attacking her, and then Donovan himself kicking filthy water at her face and laughing while she lay there, bloody and battered.
Not this time.
“Headshots?” Sandra asked.
“Only as a last resort. When Donovan arrives, I want as many of these Weres at my side as I can possibly accomplish. And… Generally I’d prefer to avoid death.”
That earned her an annoyed glance from Diego.
“What?” she asked, defensively.
“If it’s a matter of saving my life—”
She held up a hand. “I’ve already proven I was ready to take a life to save a life when I saved your ass last night. Don’t ever question that.”
He nodded and muttered an apology.
Valerie gave Sandra a hug and waited while the other two kissed and wished each other luck. She would’ve told them to get a room, but something about this time was special, and she almost felt guilty for having seen it. Besides, the joke was turning stale.
She needed a new joke.
When Sandra turned to her, Valerie knew she wasn’t looking at a former servant, but looking at her friend who was about to do her damn best to help her keep them all alive.
“Make it count,” Sandra said, with a nod to Valerie.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of loverboy here.”
“And loverboy will take care of you,” Sandra said, looking at him pointedly. “If either of you comes back with a scratch, the other will be receiving a firm tongue-lashing from me.”
“That could mean different things, depending on which of us you’re talking to,” Diego said with a goofy grin. Sandra huffed, “If you know what I—”
“Yes, we all know what you mean.” Valerie put an arm around Sandra, playfully. “And it could imply the same level of dirtiness with me. You don’t know.” She raised her eyebrows a couple of times suggestively.
Diego laughed, eyeing them in a curious way.
“Ewww, gross, both of you.” Sandra pushed Valerie away, playfully. Likely to hide the fact that she was blushing, and because they really did need to get down to business, she turned her attention to unzipping her bag and then assembling the sniper rifle. “Shouldn’t you both be a bit more focused at a time like this? I mean, at least not making jokes like you’re careless teens.”
Diego shrugged. “It’s a defense mechanism. We both know we could die in there. Hell, even with our unique talents, I’d say the chances are pretty damn good we don’t return at all. So that’s a lot of defense mechanisms that need exercising.”
“And don’t forget my brother and the fact that, if we don’t get enough of those Hounds in there on our side, I highly doubt we’ll have what it takes to win that fight.”
“Great pep talk,” Sandra said, and turned from them to look down the scope at the target.
Valerie checked the pistols holstered, one a cross draw under her arm on her left side and one on her left thigh—she kept the sword on the right, so it only made sense. Everything was ready.