by Rain, J. R.
“How many are there?” I asked.
“Not sure, but I’d say about ten.”
I thought about how to get her out of there.
“It won’t be easy,” Veronica said, reading my damn mind again.
“Sorry,” she added.
She didn’t sound sorry. “All right,” I conceded. “You’re with me. But on my terms. Got it?”
“Sure,” she said, tossing back the last of her martini.
“We move tomorrow night,” I told her. “Here’s what I want you to do...”
Chapter Eleven
I stepped into AJ’s gun shop.
The shop is located in a not-so-nice area of Hollywood. Hookers, dealers, crazy people with big signs warning of the end of the world. It was late afternoon, and another customer was buying supplies. AJ nodded a greeting to me. I nodded back and waited until the customer left.
“What can I do you for?” There were hundreds, hell, probably thousands of gun and ammo dealers in Los Angeles, but AJ was one of those who respected privacy. And confidentiality. Two virtues that I considered essential. At least in a gun dealer.
“Lock the door,” I said softly. “Turn off your cameras.”
AJ was a tough guy. In his business, you had to be tough. He looked like a muscle-head bouncer, but was far more shrewd. He was six-foot-four and none of his two hundred and forty pounds were fat. His head was shaved, and he had tattoos up and down his massive body, including an unlikely pair of red lips on his scalp.
We’d known each other for a few years, and he respected my work. Hopefully, he still would after my purchases today. He flipped a switch under the counter, turning off the cameras, and crossed the room in two long strides to bolt the door. He also turned his door sign around to: “Closed.”
AJ knew I was in the business of finding lost kids, but he never asked me questions. Smart. The less you know and all that. But he wasn’t quite prepared for this request.
“I need two semi-automatics that can hold silver bullets,” I said, as if I were ordering coffee. Or maybe a Bloody Mary. Pun intended.
AJ regarded me a moment with a stone-faced expression, then went into the back. I listened as he shuffled around a few things, and soon he returned with a long, polished wooden box and a few boxes of ammo. He watched me expectantly, arms crossed over his chest.
“May I?” I asked.
He grinned and opened the box. The inside was lined with red velvet that surrounded the finely made but very lethal rifle. The piece itself was hard, smooth silver. The handle was crafted out of obsidian. It was beautiful, a work of art. If an assault rifle could be considered as such.
“This here’s a Colt M4 Carbine,” he said. “Silver plated. Carries ninety-rounds per clip, and has a custom extended extra clip for easy...ah...access.”
I drew it out of the casing. It felt heavy but comfortable in my hands. I could see the red-aim dot at the top.
“Nice,” I commented. I held the weapon’s butt to my right shoulder and took aim at the mirror. It wasn’t loaded, but I still felt a chill, and a perverse sense of power holding it.
I set the Colt back into its velvet case. “What about the bullets?”
AJ pulled a carrying case out of one of the boxes. “These are lead, but silver chrome plated. They’re hollow points, and the BBs inside are also silver.”
A hollow-point meant the bullet would explode upon impact. It wouldn’t just go inside a person—or vampire—and cleanly out the other side, like a regular bullet. I whistled. Was I really going to do this?
“How hollow are they?” I asked him, maintaining a calm demeanor. I wasn’t feeling too calm, but he didn’t need to know that.
AJ retained his professional attitude as well. “Say from about six feet, a small entry hole, and internal damage about the size of a baseball if you hit your target’s chest. No exit wound.”
I processed this. Apparently I wasn’t the first one to request such a weapon. I considered asking AJ, but he answered questions about as much as he asked. He added, “You hit point blank, you will have a bloody mess on your hands.”
“I’ll take two.” I guess I was going to do this. “How many clips do you have? With the silver BBs?”
“Oh, I think I got seven or eight. You want a carrying case for these?”
“No. Yes,” I amended, reconsidering.
“How many clips do you want?”
“All of them.”
Chapter Twelve
Sometimes the overhead cost in my line of work is a little high, but I really don’t mind.
I considered the rifles a nice little investment. I had also purchased a couple of silver-bladed knives, also with obsidian handles, from AJ. He sent me “packing” with definite inquiries he’d never ask and I’d never answer. All for the best.
I almost smiled when I pictured the look on Roxi’s face if she ever saw this bag o’ tricks. Then again, perhaps she’d be impressed. I didn’t much like killing, but I knew I had to get Natassa out of there. Tonight. Tonight, I would empty those clips with a grand passion.
But the overhead. It was kind of amusing picking out one of those long black coats that henchmen wore in the movies. Even though I wasn’t that tall, it made me feel a little taller. More importantly, it would help conceal my weaponry. I bought a pair of shades that my ego convinced me such a character needed. For the first time in my life, I shaved my head.
I arrived at Medievaland around ten, properly outfitted for the evening I had in mind, including a black hat that very nearly made me look as if I belonged there. I met Veronica in the back near the loading area. I had the two carbines, fully loaded, strapped under my coat.
She was dressed in a wench’s costume, complete with bodice and lace. After our talk the night before, she’d headed down here and talked her way into a job, starting tonight. I suspected her vampire mind tricks might have helped.
She suppressed a giggle when she saw my attire.
“Not the time,” I growled, stepping into the shadows of the tall trees outside the building. “Have you found my client?”
She shook her head. “You still haven’t heard from him?”
“No.”
“Listen, Spinoza, no one likes a little adventure more than I do, believe me. But are you sure you want to free her? I mean, you could be unleashing hell’s fury.”
I took a deep breath. “Like I said, you haven’t seen her. Those eyes—”
“Yeah, yeah, those eyes.” She did a fairly good job imitating me. “Have you ever wondered if those eyes put some kind of a spell on you? And maybe on your client, too?”
I turned Veronica to face me. Drew her chin up so she met my own eyes. “Do I look like I’m under a spell?”
She looked deeply for a moment, then smiled. “A curse, maybe.”
I grunted, then nodded toward the loading docks. “Tell me what you know.”
Veronica nodded in the workers’ direction. “These boys won’t give you any trouble. But I’ve been listening, and they’ve got at least eight guards down there now. From the coven. I can get us in there, no problem.”
I thought about that. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“We should be worrying about you more than me.”
“But you’re just a kid.”
“Only in theory,” she said. “Only in theory.”
I stepped a little deeper into the shadow of the trees. With my back to the squires, I opened my coat to show her my guns. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. I could tell she wanted to touch the semi-automatics, but dared not. Kid or not, she was still all vampire.
“Remind me not to get on your bad side, ever,” she commented as I pulled my coat back over them.
“Never, Sugar,” I said. But she still took a couple more steps back.
She composed herself quickly though, nodding as if to herself.
She shook off whatever it was she was thinking, and shivered.
I said, “When we get down there, w
e’ll come at them from two directions.”
I pulled out one of the knives and a pair of black leather gloves and handed them to her. “These gloves aren’t for my guns,” I said, “but they might come in handy for you.”
She donned them quickly and held the knife, getting a feel for it in her hand. She seemed okay. She nodded again, this time in thanks.
It was almost time. I could see them getting ready to lock up for the night. Veronica took a deep breath, and we confidently, side by side, walked toward the back entrance.
It was go-time.
Chapter Thirteen
There were two of them, guarding the rear entrance near the loading docks.
“Hey Jake,” Veronica casually flirted.
The bigger of the two guys smiled at her. Jake, I assumed. But then he glanced at me and asked, “Who’s your friend?”
I could sense her magic now, or whatever her kind called it. She pushed a thought into his mind and somehow gave me access to it. Yeah, maybe we were telepathically connected. Lord help me.
He’s with me, came her words. It’s all right. You never saw him.
She shifted her glance to the other and gave another slight push. For a second, they looked confused, but only for a second. Then Jake said, “Okay, beautiful.”
Veronica winked at Jake as we entered.
“Very nice,” I said. “And very weird.”
“What can I say?” she said, elbowing me. “I do weird well.”
We strode down the corridor, taking in every detail as we moved. We were approaching the elevators, where I knew the first guards would be waiting. My adrenaline was starting to pump.
Elevator or stairs? she asked me mentally, this time only freaking me out a little.
“Both,” I said quietly. “Let me take the elevator. You take the stairs. When we get down there, you stay on my left.”
I was right-handed, which meant cover would be better on the left. Veronica nodded as we rounded the corner to both the stairway and elevator like two wolves following a scent.
“All right,” she said as one of the guards started to turn toward us. We quickened our pace. Things were going to happen very swiftly now, I knew. I sensed Veronica knew it as well. She looked hungry for a fight. Lord help me.
“Meet you in the basement. We advance together. Just don’t get in front of me,” I told her as I reached into my coat and pulled out my silver peashooters.
She eyed the big guns nervously, as well she should. “Wouldn’t dream of it, babe. Now, can we go kick some ass?”
“That’s the plan,” I said, and stepped into the elevator.
Chapter Fourteen
The guard who turned toward us had time to register the fact that we were personae non gratae, but that was about it.
I whipped up my rifle like a pro and let out a spray of bullets that wiped out him and the other guard, too. When the bullets entered their bodies, it sent them both flying up against the wall—they howled loud enough to wake the dead before evaporating into thin air.
Okay, that did not just happen.
But it did—and I had no time to think about it. Fortunately, the elevator door was open. I stepped in as Veronica headed toward the stairs.
* * *
It was the longest ten seconds of my life.
I knew those death-screams had alerted whoever was below, and they could move a hell of a lot faster than this rickety old thing. I prayed that Veronica was safe for those ten seconds. The first time I’ve prayed in a long while.
I could hear commotion as the metal box lowered itself. A couple of vicious growls. Veronica doing battle.
Sweet Jesus...
The elevator was taking forever. I banged my gun against the walls, partly out of frustration and partly to create a distraction. Veronica was tough, but this was my fight. A lot could happen in a few seconds. Believe me.
I would have started shooting as soon as the doors finally opened, except for Veronica. She was smart enough to stay out of the way, but I had to make sure. I had the gun raised and my finger on the trigger.
Another guard evaporated before my eyes. Veronica was to my left, holding the knife that now dripped with blood. She was right in front of the chamber that held Natassa. Veronica was fighting Matrix-style with another vampire. She bared her teeth and kicked her enemy in the face hard enough to kill any mortal.
I stepped out of the elevator, pivoting first to the right and then the left, where three more of the coven rushed me. I sprayed them with staccato shots, but took only one down. Another was almost on me. I still had surprise on my side—they hadn’t quite realized about the silver. I shoved my rifle into his chest and fired. As he screamed not unlike the ones above had, the third vampire kicked the rifle out of my hands and went for my throat.
I’d been in enough fights to act on instinct. While I ducked, my left hand gripped my knife. He went for my throat but I ducked around and kicked him. The vampire disappeared for an instant, then swooped down on me from above. He knocked me over, but when he jumped on me I plunged the silver blade into his heart.
I was sweating now, but there wasn’t a second to lose. I shoved the bloody knife into my belt and drew out my other gun. Veronica was suddenly beside me, her opponent gone to the coffins in the sky, or wherever they went.
The quiet was deafening. We were back to back, scanning. But we were alone. “Seven down, three to go. Right?” I whispered.
I sensed her uncertainty. “No,” she whispered. “Four…or five.”
We spread about a foot apart, me moving toward the chamber as she checked the stairwell. Clear. She joined my side again.
“They’re in there,” she whispered. “Wait!”
I didn’t want to wait, but I was good at it. Veronica closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she said, “One of them is not an enemy.”
We moved like cats now, silently. “One of them is her,” I said.
“No. Besides her. There are six of them in there, one is her and...one is...” she didn’t get a chance to answer. We both heard the cry of pain within the chamber walls. My client was in there too. From above, we could hear the black stallion kicking up a storm.
Okay, I thought as we now faced the door. My adrenaline coursed through my veins. I was ready for anything. Itching to finish what I’d begun. Easy does it, I thought to myself. Got to be careful who we kill. It’s not a large room.
Right, she thought, the word appearing in my mind. I didn’t have time to be irritated at her telepathy. Kind of came in handy. Saved time.
We both took a deep breath as I stepped to the side. I motioned for Veronica to get behind me as I blew off the lock from an angle, so as not to injure anyone. Just yet.
The door burst open. I thought I was prepared for anything, but I was wrong. And like I said, it all happened so fast.
The four vampires facing us were expected. I didn’t expect to see Natassa hanging in silver chains that were bolted to the ceiling, with my client, I knew, in similar chains just to her left. They both looked incredibly weak, especially him. His hands were raised above his head, bound in silver barbed wire. Blood trickled down from his arms and his head hung to one side. His eyes were almost lifeless. Almost.
Natassa was bound tightly, but her eyes still shone from behind the mask. She looked at me pleadingly. “Don’t hurt him!” she cried.
Veronica and I acted as one now. Probably because she could read my thoughts. In an instant, she flipped into the air and landed behind the two on the left. She picked up my client by his feet, raising him to the ceiling. I let out another smattering of bullets, taking down the two who had been in between him and me. She dropped him like a hot potato and he screamed in agony, but Veronica flew onto the third vampire’s back as I took on the fourth.
She fought like the devil. Or a cornered hellcat.
Still reading my mind, we maneuvered ourselves into the middle of the room, separating these last two guards. My foe closed in on me but when
his body connected with my firearm, he recoiled. I shot him almost point blank. AJ had been right; it was a bloody mess, but only for the few seconds it took for him to disappear.
I turned back to Veronica. She had just side-kicked the last remaining guard and he ricocheted up and across the room. He landed on me, knocking me face down to the floor, my deadly rifle under me. He could feel its presence, but he slammed my head to the floor and before I knew it I was in a stranglehold.
The guard looked up at Veronica’s frozen stance. “Who do you want more, bitch?” His voice reverberated throughout the small room. “Him?” He tightened his grip and I started gagging. “Or them? You can’t have both!”
The two chained prisoners watched helplessly. Veronica took a step toward me, and the grip tightened. But this vampire didn’t know me very well. Or Veronica either, for that matter. Nobody told me what I could or couldn’t have. Except God, perhaps. But I didn’t have time to think about my son. This vampire had a hold on me, but if I could just move a little, either the silver knife or the gun would do it.
“I’ll snap his neck!” the guard threatened.
“No, you won’t.” Veronica was vibing now, the room electrified. That’s the only way I can describe it. She locked eyes with the one who held my life in his hands and she didn’t waver.
“You would unleash her?” he hollered. “She is the devil!”
“You know,” Veronica’s tone was dead serious now, and she inched forward a little, eyes bearing down on the vampire, “I was a little hesitant at first. Just helping my buddy here. But look at what you’ve done. Look!” She gestured at the two prisoners but her gaze never left him. “She is no devil,” Veronica spat. “It is you who do evil here. Anyone who does this,” she jerked her head, “deserves the same. There is no torture more horrible than this! And you know it.”
Veronica was concentrating hard now. Thought manipulation was more difficult with a vampire than a human, I suspected. But she was making progress. She held his gaze and his hold on me loosened a little. That was all I needed. I slammed my foot down behind me, drawing all my strength to turn over. I grasped the rifle to edge it between him and me. He hissed and raised himself up. I fumbled to get the gun pointed at him.