A Brush With Death

  Mist poured from her outstretched palms, filling the street behind them. As the dense vapor settled, Kasey led the way along East 10th Street.

  They avoided the sidewalk, instead weaving their way through the parked cars as they hurried down the street. They altered their path in a zigzagging motion to avoid the chance that any stray rounds might find them out of dumb luck on the shooter’s part. Kendra moved along behind Kasey, continuing to produce the concealing fog like a human smoke machine.

  Shouting came from somewhere behind them as the shooters lost track of them. Occasionally, the bodyguards would let off a round, usually aiming down at the ground for fear of hitting an innocent bystander. The sound of gunfire when she couldn’t see who was firing was a truly harrowing experience.

  “The Ninth Precinct will be all over this,” Kasey whispered as she led the way. “We are right in their backyard. If we can stay alive, the numbers should swing in our favor.”

  Kendra nodded as they reached Thompkins Square Park. A set of basketball courts occupied one end of the park while a series of paths divided the grassy expanse that occupied the rest.

  Kendra ceased her spell. It was simply too large an area to try and cover, but neither could they run across the exposed ground, leaving themselves open to attack from behind.

  Kendra’s bodyguard paused as they reached the edge of the park. “If we hide out here, the three of us should be able to cut them down as they come out of the fog.”

  “You're heavily outnumbered,” Kasey replied.

  “Point-blank ambush with automatic weapons,” the bodyguard replied. “We will even the score pretty quickly. You two get moving. We'll cover you.”

  Kasey didn't like the idea of leaving them behind, particularly outnumbered as they were, but if she and Kendra stayed, they could all be trapped.

  “Okay, happy hunting. Give us a minute to cross the park, then fall back toward the precinct. We'll cover you. Remember there are people back there. Watch your shots.”

  The leader nodded, and the three bodyguards spread out, using the plants for cover, and trained their weapons on East 10th Street.

  Kasey and Kendra made it to the edge of the basketball courts before the bodyguards opened fire. They were quick disciplined bursts, followed by a series of shouts and anguished screams as their bullets found their mark.

  There was a crunching thud behind them. Kasey snuck a look over her shoulder to see the preacher standing atop a sedan parked outside one of the apartment buildings. Its roof had been caved in and glass was scattered all about it.

  Kasey let out a groan. This man was really starting to get on her nerves. One of the bodyguards turned on him and let out a three-round burst. Two of the shots struck home but the preacher ignored them. Leaping off the sedan, he covered the distance between him and the shooter with inhuman swiftness.

  The bodyguard's gun ran dry and before he could load another magazine, the preacher was on top of him.

  He grabbed the back of the man's head and drove it into the concrete before launching himself at the second.

  The bodyguard got off a few rounds but in his panicked state, they were well wide of the mark. The preacher grabbed him, yanking him around in time to use the man as a human shield.

  The third bodyguard, the leader, had already squeezed the trigger. His rounds pummeled into his ally as the preacher threw him forward.

  The preacher launched himself over the bodyguard in a gravity defying leap, landing behind the team leader as his own dying companion collided with him.

  The second bodyguard dropped to the ground, as the preacher grabbed the leader’s gun and tore it from his grip.

  The preacher grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it behind his back, and used the leverage to force the man to his knees. Then in full view of Kasey and Kendra, he sank his teeth into the man's neck. Blood seeped from the wound, and Kasey’s fears were confirmed.

  The preacher wasn't a preacher at all. He was a vampire here to exact revenge for the death of one of his masters. He'd simply used the illusion as a disguise that would help him achieve that end.

  The bodyguard's eyes went wide, even as his body relaxed. The vampire’s venom helped incapacitate its victims so that they would be more pliable participants in the entire macabre process.

  The vampire had been wounded by the gunfire and was seeking to recover its strength. Kasey had encountered its like before. She couldn't afford to give it any opportunity. Nor did she wish to see the bodyguard suffer. He deserved more.

  Kasey summoned her will and channeled her power, releasing it in a thin lance that shone like the sun as it cut through the man's bulletproof vest and into his heart, killing him instantly and granting him the same mercy Kasey hoped someone would grant her if she was ever stuck in a vampire’s grasp.

  The beam cut through the bodyguard and bit into the vampire's flank. The vampire tore its jaws free from his victim’s neck.

  The vampire’s face was a bloody mess where he had gorged himself. His illusion dissipated, revealing his pasty white flesh and those dark soulless orbs that served as eyes staring back at her. The fact that the creature had been comfortable in broad daylight as it had protested outside the Ninth Precinct spoke volumes as to its strength. It clearly also knew magic, or worse yet, had been a wizard before he had been turned.

  “I don't suppose you’ve got any garlic in that dress of yours?” Kasey asked.

  “It’s a vampire,” Kendra breathed.

  “Yes,” Kasey replied. “Half measures won't work. We need to take off its head or put something through what's left of its heart. Be warned, it's a small target.”

  “You play offence, I'll play defense,” Kendra replied as she lifted her hands into a defensive stance.

  Now that she was in the park, she had more room to move and less chance of catching a bystander in the crossfire. Kasey drew on her power and let loose. She hurled three fireballs at the vampire in quick succession.

  The undead creature raised a hand and spoke a word of power. A jet-black shield opened before it like an umbrella. The fire washed over the shield, sliding off it like water as the vampire advanced.

  The vampire raised its left hand and three inky black orbs shimmered into being above it. With a nod, the vampire launched the three spheres at Kasey, each of them taking a different path around the creature’s shield.

  Kendra was ready and her shield flickered to life, interwoven with threads of sapphire and ruby arcana so bright they shone like stars in the night sky.

  The orbs struck the shield and detonated, blasting the ward apart as if it was nothing.

  The vampire advanced, a smile spreading across his cheeks as the force of the explosion battered Kasey and Kendra to the ground.

  “Little children playing at being heroes. You should have stayed out of the Court's business,” the vampire hissed.

  Kasey started pushing herself to her feet. “You should have cut your losses and stayed home. I’m batting two for two with the undead, and you’re about to make it a trifecta.”

  “Unfettered arrogance,” the vampire said, as he swept his hand before him.

  A wave of power struck Kasey and Kendra, tossing them backward like a haystack in a cyclone. Kasey landed on her back, and the force of the blow knocked the wind from her lungs.

  The vampire raced forward, grinning as he lunged at her.

  Kasey planted her foot in the vampire's sternum before grabbing his suit coat and hurling him over her head.

  The vampire got a mouthful of Thompkins Square Park, as Kasey continued the roll and rose to her feet.

  Quick as a cat, the vampire sprang to his feet, but Kendra was waiting for him.

  “Gefystlian,” Kendra shouted, and a crimson fist smacked the vampire like a runaway train.

  The vampire soared back through the air. Kasey grabbed Kendra and made a run for it.

  They had made it a handful of steps when a voice called through the park.

  “Kasey, get down
.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kasey would know that voice anywhere—it belonged to Detective Bishop.

  She tackled Kendra to the grass as gunfire erupted along the Avenue A side of the park. Detective Bishop and more than a dozen officers at her back, advanced across the park, service weapons raised pouring fire into the undead creature. One round clipped the vampire's ear, narrowly missing an opportunity to lobotomize the undead warrior. Several more rounds punched into the creature’s chest as the weight of fire increased.

  Kasey knew from her previous encounter that it took a lot of killing or a clean strike to put the creatures down for good. Kasey focused her mind on where she anticipated the vampire's heart to be and drew on her power.

  She hurled a sphere of golden arcana that blazed like a miniature sun as it shot toward the vampire. The creature spun, black mist rising from the ground to conceal its presence as the orb simply sailed into the darkness and disappeared.

  When the mist cleared, the vampire was gone and an army of officers from the Ninth Precinct stood over her.

  “Take your time, Bishop,” Kasey said, rising to her feet. “Cutting things a little bit fine, but I'll take it.”

  “I'm sorry, Kasey. Keeping up with the things that are trying to murder you is proving to be a full-time job. If you want to be a smart ass, we can always head back to the station. Seems like you were doing perfectly well on your own.” Bishop’s customary sarcasm was a welcome sign that the detective had recovered from her earlier injury.

  “What was that thing?” an officer on Bishop's flank asked. He was in his early twenties and looked fresh out of the academy. Nothing he had learned there would have prepared him for this.

  “A vampire,” Kendra replied, dusting off her dress, which was looking surprisingly intact in spite of her ordeal.

  Kasey shook her head. She had to be freezing out here but to her credit, she wasn't complaining.

  The rookie looked at Bishop for confirmation, and she simply reloaded her Glock.

  “I hate vampires,” Bishop muttered.

  “Then we better get off the street, before his reinforcements arrive,” Kasey replied.

  “Let's head back to the station,” Bishop said, leading the way. “After what went down at the church, the chief has called in more reinforcements. Speaking of the church, how did you get clear of it?”

  “I didn't. I was kidnapped by the same gnomes that hit us this morning.”

  “Persistent little jerks,” Bishop replied, holstering her weapon. “I figured you wouldn't have left me behind if you'd had a choice.”

  Bishop was right about that. Kasey would have never left her exposed like that voluntarily. Smith and Wesson hadn't given her much of a choice in the matter though.

  “I was checking on you when they nabbed me. When I came to, I was in a warehouse. They were going to sell me to the Feudal Court when they received a competing offer. Fortunately for me, they were outbid.”

  “Outbid?” Bishop's eyebrows rose. “Hades?”

  Kasey laughed. “That's what I thought. Turns out, I had someone else watching out for me. Bishop, this is Kendra Harrington.”

  “Harrington as in Harrington Industries?” Bishop asked, studying Kendra with renewed interest.

  “One and the same,” Kendra replied. “We are old friends. Kasey helped me out with something last year and I was only too eager to return the favor.”

  “And why is this the first I'm hearing of it?” Bishop asked as they turned onto East Fifth Street.

  “It was a family matter, Detective. I asked for Kasey's discretion, and she has been good enough to keep it in confidence. Please don't hold that against her.”

  “Well, I'm Diane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, Detective. I've been following you with interest ever since the incident with the Shinigami. A human willing to stand up to a wizard. You are an impressive individual, Detective.”

  Bishop blushed a little. “Well, I wasn't really thinking about it at the time and Kasey did most of the heavy lifting.”

  “Modest too,” Kendra replied. “If I'm not mistaken, you put three rounds through Akihiro and bought Kasey the time to finish him off.”

  “How could you know that?” Bishop asked. “It wasn't in the video and it's not public record.”

  Kendra laughed. “My resources are considerable, and I have elected friends who rely on my family’s largess for their careers. They were willing to indulge my curiosity. Rest assured I haven't told a soul.”

  That was news to Kasey. Kendra had clearly devoted considerable resources to tracking her and Bishop's activities. It was a little disconcerting that she was privy to information that shouldn’t have been readily available to the public, but it was also the least of Kasey’s problems right now.

  As the group reached the Ninth Precinct, they passed through a veritable army of uniformed officers. Chief West, it seemed, had called in several of the neighboring precincts to fortify the station. It was a good move; one that would allow them to present a more unified front against any aggression. Separated, they could be isolated and potentially overwhelmed, but with the manpower of several stations concentrated at the Ninth, it was going to take an army to try and shift them.

  Officers pulled open the front door for them to pass through and Kasey uttered a quick thank you as the press of bodies forced her inside.

  “Kendra, you're welcome to hole up here where it's safe but I need to borrow Kasey for a few minutes. Someone's been waiting to speak with her.”

  Kendra looked disappointed but nodded. “I'll call for an extraction team, but it may take some time. Is there somewhere I can sit? Kasey, where do you normally work when you're here?”

  “I spend most of my time in the morgue,” Kasey replied, “but it's not really for the fainthearted. Let me see if we can find you an office.”

  “The morgue will be fine,” Kendra replied. “I dare say I've seen worse.”

  Bishop turned to the rookie beside her. “Stubbins, escort Ms. Harrington down to the morgue and introduce her to Dr. Khatri. I'm sure he'll be delighted to have a captive audience.”

  Stubbins led the Harrington heiress to the bank of elevators while Bishop guided Kasey through the station to a set of interview rooms. Bishop pushed open the door to the first room, revealing a large man in a well-fitted black Italian suit sitting next to a much leaner man in a charcoal suit. The smaller man had a briefcase open on the table and was rifling through some paperwork when Bishop's appearance caused him to jump.

  Kasey knew the larger man at a glance. Vinnie Camarano was the current head of the Bonanno crime family. The wiry sidekick had to be his lawyer. Vinnie's eyes met Kasey's but he was silent as he seemed to weigh her presence.

  “Detective Bishop, my client and I have been most reasonable. We came down here of our own accord and you seem to be deliberately wasting our time. If there is nothing else, we really must be on our way.”

  Vinnie put his hand on his lawyer's shoulder and the man stopped speaking.

  “Leonard, this is Kasey Chase,” Vinnie began. “It's good to see you again, Kasey.”

  Vinnie gave her the kind of smile she imagined graced a lion's face right before it devoured a gazelle.

  Kasey and Bishop strode into the room and sat down opposite them, at the table.

  “Is it, Vinnie?” Kasey asked. “Because only a few hours ago, one of your goons tried to mow me down outside my family home.”

  “As I explained to Detective Bishop—” Vinnie began.

  “In front of my mother,” Kasey said, cutting him off. “He crossed a line, Vinnie. Whatever beef you have with me, you can settle with me. You do not want me responding in kind.”

  It was a bluff. Kasey had no desire to massacre innocent family members, no matter whose family they had the misfortune to be a part of, but she had to do something to try and keep her family out of the fray.

  Vinnie rested his elbows on the a
rmrests of his chair and placed one fist in the palm of his other hand.

  “As I told Bishop, Luca was off the reservation. What went down today, happened without my knowledge and certainly without my direction,” Vinnie replied.

  “You expect me to believe that?” Kasey asked.

  “Five million is a lot of scratch. Enough to make men do stupid things like ignore my standing orders. The only reason we are here is to assure you in person that what Luca did, he did without the blessing of the family. I have further clarified my position with my subordinates, and I assure you that you have nothing to worry about from us.”

  “What makes you think your men will listen this time?” Bishop asked, leaning back in her chair.

  Vinnie's eyes gleamed as he replied, “I showed them the video. They understand. If she doesn't find them, well, let's just say someone else will.”

  “Vinnie,” Leonard warned, as Vinnie moved closer to incriminating himself.

  “Video?” Bishop asked. “And who is she?”

  Kasey had a feeling she knew exactly what Vinnie was referring to. Clearly her mother had moved quickly.

  “She would be Kasey's mother, and the video I am referring to is the one she filmed standing over the flaming wreckage of Luca's car,” Vinnie replied, clearly taking pleasure in knowing something that Bishop did not.

  Bishop looked at Kasey who simply shrugged. “She took the attack personally.”

  “You said it was self-defense,” Bishop replied.

  “It was,” Kasey replied. “There are two dozen slugs in the front of my parents’ home to prove it. My mother just felt it important that others understand she would not tolerate further incidents on her property.”

  Vinnie pointed a finger at Kasey. “You tell her that her message has been received loud and clear. You tell her that Vincent Camarano apologizes without equivocation for the disruption at her residence.”

  “Vincent, please,” Leonard said, “they will charge you as an accessory.”

  “She will burn us alive,” Vinnie replied. “Jail is the least of our problems. The Stonemoore woman is not to be trifled with.”