by Noree Cosper
I tossed the smoke bomb at his feet. It flared to life in a quick flash, and the scent of garlic and sulfur filled the air. The vampire stumbled out of the smoke and pulled his gun, his gaze landing on me. He fired several shots off. I dove behind the shelf, hitting the ground. The bullets hit the boxes with a dull thud.
“What the fuck is going on up there?” the other vampire called.
“I thought you had him?” I asked Esais.
“Their minds are slippery,” he said. “I will deal with him.”
The thin vampire moved until he was only a foot from my cover. He turned his head back. “Just a pest, I have her trapped.”
I lunged at the vampire and swung my sword at his neck. He stumbled back with wide eyes, his aim going sideways as he fired his gun again. The shot echoed against the concrete as bullets careened into the boxes above us. Esais hopped over the rails and disappeared from my view. There was another shout from the vampire below, and I grinned at my opponent. It was time to send the dead to their eternal slumber. If it had to be with blades and stakes, so be it. He raised the gun at me point blank.
“Let’s see this miss you,” he said.
I spun my wrist and brought the blade up again, severing his hand. It and the gun clattered to the floor. The vampire looked at the bleeding stump and his face twisted, the cheeks becoming hollow. His roar bounced off the metal walls, becoming louder and louder. Viktor leapt out of his hiding spot with a stake clutched between his hands. He raised it and jammed it into the vampire’s back. The creature spun around with black veins creeping into the whites of his bulging eyes. The shadows that belonged to the shelves bent and flickered, twisting into thin whips.
“What the hell?” he snarled.
“Damn,” Viktor said. “That’s harder to aim than I thought.”
“Try the front,” I said.
In a flash, the black tendrils ensnared Viktor’s arms and legs, forming in viselike grips. He fought against him, but they tightened around him until he could barely move. The bonds lifted him off of the ground, stretched him out spread eagle, and started pulling. The damn vampire was about to draw and quarter Esais’s lover. Not if I had anything to do with it. I brought my sword up in an angle slash along his back. He ducked out of my swing and grinned, flashing his fangs.
Viktor continued to struggle in his bonds, but they had stopped pulling. I feinted to the left, twirled, and came up behind the creature. His momentum brought about his doom quicker as my sword was already swinging at his neck when he tried to turn and face me. Small tufts of shadow drifted where he once stood. Viktor dropped to the ground with a mix between a groan and exhalation of breath. He stood slowly, rubbing his shoulders, eyes scrunched up and lips pressed together. The other vampire shouted in pain from the dock. At least someone seemed to be doing well.
“Esais?” Viktor called, and he ran towards the loading dock.
I pulled myself off the ground and joined him. Esais had another stake in his hand, and he seemed to be facing the vampire. Half of its face was in ruin from what looked like acid. I hopped down and joined Esais. The vampire snarled at the two of us and leapt at Esais. He slowed in midair. Esais slipped underneath him and rammed the stake into his heart as I ran my blade through his neck. His body didn’t even hit the ground.
I sheathed my sword and pulled out the charges. “Let’s set these and get out of here.”
We each took two and split up. I took the upstairs with the offices while Esais and Viktor divided up the ground floor. We crept from the warehouse and across the parking lot like the shadows we’d just fought.
“Mission successful, here,” I said. “Everyone else alive?”
“Yes,” Adrian said in a grim voice. “Are you away from the warehouse?”
“Yeah, we’re three blocks away,” Esais said.
“We’re done,” Marge said. “Why did I get the warehouse with no action?”
“Look on the bright side,” Tres said. “You get to push the button and get a light show.”
“Send the signals then,” Adrian said.
Esais pulled out a small remote and pushed a button. It gave a small beep. Yellow and orange lit the sky form the direction of the warehouse and a large boom reverberated through the night. Smoke billowed up like a giant cloud. I crossed my arms and watched with a smile. I was starting to like fire; it had a certain beauty in its finality.
“We shouldn’t stay here,” Esais said. “We’ll meet back at the office.”
“Great, you’re buying drinks,” Tres said.
I chuckled and followed Esais and Viktor back to the car. I couldn’t blame Tres for wanting to celebrate. We’d finally had a victory in this whole mess. I wanted to hold onto this feeling of triumph for as long as I could.
Chapter 22
Tres met us in the lobby when we arrived. “Any injuries?” His gaze landed on me in particular.
I rubbed my shoulder. “Just sore this time.”
He gave me his charming smile. “Well you know, I could give you a massage. Rub the aches away and a few others.”
“Mmm, still haven’t given up, I see,” I said.
“I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“Stick to you courtesans,” I said. “They probably appreciate the flattery.”
Esais gave a soft chuckle and shook his head. “I’m going to grab a sandwich. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
“Me, too,” Viktor said. “I’m starving. Does hunting always build an appetite like this?”
“Only the good ones.” I glanced at Tres. “Where’s Marge?”
“She said she had better things to do than sit around and talk. If we need her, call.”
I shook my head. “And Adrian and Lucy?”
“They just went upstairs to talk.” His phone buzzed and he put it to his ear. “Hey, beautiful. Give me a little longer.”
I left Tres to his current flavor and headed up the stairs. Now that we had a victory, we needed to keep the momentum going, Adrian had to have had more information, maybe on where they were making Synergy.
Adrian’s voice left his room. “Is this from your mother?”
I stopped at the hint of cold accusation. Damn it, Lucy. She’d said she would be careful. I warned her of this, and Adrian, out of all of them, had discovered her secret. At least with Esais or Tres, there could have been a little more understanding.
Lucy sighed. “Look, it’s not a big deal. I’m still the same Lucy you’ve always known.”
“If we ever really knew you. You’ve been hiding this our whole lives, haven’t you?”
“So, I heal really fast. That’s actually a boon to being a hunter. You don’t have to worry about me being injured. Tres doesn’t have to expend energy. It’s really useful.”
“So, this would make you immortal, like Gabby.”
The elevator dinged, and Esais, Viktor, and Tres stepped out, chatting and laughing. I stepped into Adrian’s office. Lucy turned with her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. Adrian sat at his desk with his chin resting on his hands.
“Maybe this is a conversation that should be shared with everyone,” I said, keeping a pointed gaze on Lucy.
“You knew about this?” Adrian asked.
“Know about what?” Esais asked from the door.
“Wow, things look a little tense,” Tres said. “This must be good.”
Lucy looked directly at me with her eyes narrowed. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. “Fine. I guess you were right.”
“Who was right about what?” Esais asked, looking around. “What’s going on?”
“Apparently, Lucy has been hiding a gift of her own all these years,” Adrian said. “I watched her get almost eviscerated by a vampire only to have the wound disappear.”
Esais and Tres turned confused looks at Lucy. She raised her arms in a half shrug and chuckled.
“What can I say? I’m difficult to kill. Not like Gabby, of course, but I get by,” she said.
“So
, you’re an emissary?” Esais asked.
“No, I’m like your boyfriend who’s hiding in the hall. You can come in, dearie. Let’s all join in on this little drama.”
Viktor stepped in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, hun, this didn’t seem like my business.”
“Why have you never told us?” Esais asked.
“Because there are some things in my life I don’t like discussing,” Lucy said.
“But you can heal yourself.” Tres’s eyes were alight. “This is part of what you are.”
“Reckless,” I said under my breath.
Lucy gave me another silent glare, which she then turned on the brothers. “Well, I wasn’t the only one to hide things from this family, was I?”
Esais cleared his throat and stuck his hands in his pockets while Tres looked down at the floor. Adrian met her gaze unflinching. He would, of course. He was still in denial that he had any power at all.
“I mean, I had to hear about your abilities from Gabby when she called me last month. So, don’t play that betrayed act with me.” Lucy let out a huff and crossed her arms.
“We haven’t seen you in years, Lucy,” Esais said. “I mean the most we had was phone conversations with you and Uncle Jonah.”
“Yeah.” Tres snorted. “Not really the best way to have that conversation.”
Viktor stepped forward and gave her a wide grin. “Great to meet another one. You know any others?”
She looked him up and down before a smile of her own crept to the corners of her mouth. “No, I haven’t looked. I’ve never really been interested.”
Viktor’s smile faltered a little. “Well, just know you’re not alone.”
“She never was,” Tres said.
“You honestly have no problem with this, do you?” Adrian sighed. “Of course not.”
“Why do you have such a problem?” Tres asked. “It’s Lucy.”
Adrian stood, resting both hands on his desk. “Because all these gifts are poison. We know nothing about the entities that supposedly granted them. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Esais swallowed and crossed his arms with a long sigh. “We have no idea if they even ask a price.”
Adrian shook his head. “This is going to turn on us, eventually.”
“If you say so,” Tres said. “As much as you hate them, these powers have saved our asses, or your asses, more than often.”
“For now,” Adrian said.
Tres shook his head. “So, what now? The warehouses are gone.”
“We need to find the factory they made Synergy in.” I looked to Adrian. “Where is it?”
He sat back down and began typing on his laptop. “I’m still looking into that. This information is heavily encrypted.”
“So we’re back to waiting,” Tres said. “Excellent. I know how I plan to wait.”
“Actually, no,” I said. “We still need to find Cambione. John mentioned that he runs in a more expensive crowd than the dens, and his runners usually hit clubs.”
Viktor nodded. “Like I said, there are rumors. And I noticed some new regulars.”
“So, we start there,” I said. “We find one who can lead us to Cambione. Also, we need to find someone on the drug for Jonah. He wants to study the effects before they are possessed.”
“So we’re adding kidnapping to breaking and entering, and arson.” Viktor chuckled. “Life has gotten more interesting.”
“Don’t forget supposed murder,” Tres said.
I shrugged. “Call it that, but maybe we can find a way to help these people. They’re as good as dead after they get possessed.” I looked to Adrian. “Can you come up with somewhere we can hold the ones we bring?”
“I suppose I could multitask,” he said.
“Try to be gentle. These people don’t really know what they’ve gotten into,” Esais said. “We’ll split up. Tres and I will join Viktor while he works.”
Lucy crossed her arms and grinned at me, her annoyance forgotten. “Looks like I get to show you around my favorite spots.”
Chapter 23
I scanned the few patrons of the bar. “This place seems pretty empty.”
Lucy chalked the tip of her pool cue. “Yeah, most are at Paradise Lost for the Sons of Salem concert tonight.”
“Paradise Lost, really?”
She looked up and smirked. “We’re heading there next.”
“Why not first? That sounds like the best place.”
She shrugged. “It hasn’t started yet, so I figured we could check this place first.”
The worn, green felt dragged against the calluses on my fingers as I arranged the multi-colored balls into a triangle on the pool table. The light reflected off the balls from the hanging lamp above the table. I scooted out from between the tables, grabbed my own pool cue, and motioned for Lucy to start the game. She leaned over, positioning her cue and aiming for the white ball. The colored balls clinked as the white one slammed into them then spread across the table.
Layers of posters, flyers, and Polaroid’s covered every inch of the walls. I wrinkled my nose at the charcoal, concrete floor. It had probably been closer to white at one point, but years of neglect would do that. A boy with spiked blue hair fed coins to the jukebox and pressed a few buttons. Megadeth blared as he made his way back to the bar and slapped his palm down several times. The bartender’s stretched t-shirt slipped up off his large stomach as he walked to the boy. At the other end of the bar, a couple leaned in close to one another, laughing and slamming back shots.
“All in all, things turned out all right,” Lucy said. “You didn’t really have to nose your way in.”
“I still think you’re lucky that Esais and Tres found out as well.” I took her place at the table, aiming for the number two ball. “You still haven’t told them everything. You and Jonah.”
She cleared her throat. “That’s a bit more complicated. I don’t know how much Dad wants to talk about that, and it would raise a lot of questions if I just talked about my part.”
“Well, you both should consider it.”
She chuckled. “You are just tired of being called an old woman.”
I grinned at her. “I’m still older than both of you combined.”
The white ball sent the number two spinning towards the center left pocket. It slid in with a thump. I stood and scanned the bar again, this time with my second sight. The pinks and oranges of lust swirled around the couple. Ahh, young love. The bartender had a dull brown of boredom. The boy’s aura was a mess, however. All throughout the dull gray of illness and the bright red of anxiety was rot I bumped Lucy’s hip with my own and cleared my throat. When I gave a slight nod to the bar, she glanced at me and then behind her. The boy tapped his foot against his stool and downed the last of his beer.
“Dealer?” she murmured.
I shook my head. “I think he’s waiting for one.”
“Then we wait, too. Your shot.”
I approached the table, took my shot, and missed. Lucy took over again. I tapped my fingernail on my pool cue as I watched the man for a few more minutes. He looked like he would bolt at any sudden movement. I needed to approach this a little more gently.
“I’m going to get us some beers.” I headed to the bar and slid in the seat next to the boy. “Two Guinness.”
The boy looked me up and down and gave a thin-lipped smile.
I smiled back. “It’s quiet in here.”
“Won’t be after the concert.” The bartender set two mugs in front of me.
I looked back. “You not interested in the band?”
“I’m waiting on someone,” he said.
I nodded and tried to look disappointed. “Ahh, a girlfriend.”
He stared at me for a moment and laughed. “No, no. Just someone I’ve got to meet first. Though if you’re going and you want to meet up, I’m all for that. What’s your name?”
I grabbed the mugs and stood up. “Gabby, and I’ll think about it.
”
Lucy was leaning against the table. “Well?”
I handed her the beer. “We wait.”
I sipped my beer and set it down. I wanted to keep a clear head, but it would have looked odd to be at a bar and not drink. After fifteen minutes of switching back and forth on the pool table, Lucy nudged me.
“Isn’t that?”
I looked up and blinked at the familiar redhead that came down the steps from outside. “Tres’s courtesan.”
Lucy snorted. “That’s too pretty of a word. Whore works fine.”
She did look the part as she unzipped her leather jacket to reveal a black bra underneath. She nodded to the bartenders and sat two stools away from the spike-haired boy. He flicked his gaze to her and said something. I moved around the table and bent over, so I could look like I was focusing on the game and still keep an eye on the two of them. The rot had eaten away at her aura, worse than the boy next to her.
“She looks a lot different than she did the other day,” Lucy said.
The short dress she’d worn at the office was an entirely different style than her hard rock leather now. Her attitude here was more laid back, less impatient. The bartender set a small glass in front of her. She downed the liquid and gave a high pitched laugh.
“If she’s the dealer, maybe it’s not a coincidence she was with Tres,” I said.
“You don’t think Tres . . .” Lucy said.
I shook my head. “But he has a weakness for women and demons play on weakness.”
She stood and pulled out a cigarette and nodded up the stairs. She and the boy headed out.
“Well, Dearie, I feel like a smoke,” Lucy said. “Care to join me?”
“Sure,” I said.
I paid the tab and headed up the stairs with Lucy. When I stepped outside, a brisk wind blew through me and carried the sound of the cars on the road to my ears. Delilah and the boy stood near an alley several buildings away. She glanced at us as she slipped something into his hand. Her eyes widened, and she turned to rush away in the opposite direction.