by C. J. Pinard
He walked out to the waiting car where Angel was removing the remaining boy and placing him onto the ground. Pascal then got into the driver’s seat, Angel climbed into the front passenger seat. She gave him a sexy smirk. He gave her a nod. They both exited the car, and with very little control left, he grabbed Angel by the back of the neck and threw her down onto the hood of the warm, still-running car, pinning her head down. He yanked her black leather pants down, and pushed her black thong panties to the side. With his free hand, he liberated himself from his own pants and took her right there in the dark of the parking lot of the old gas station. Their moans and yells could be heard for blocks.
The lone gas station attendant working the small convenience store inside didn’t dare venture out when he heard the noises. He’d seen way too many strange and frightening things by making that mistake in the past. Whatever was out there could stay out there. He peered over the top of his Car & Driver magazine to ensure his shotgun was still under the counter where he always kept it, and then continued reading, ignoring the sounds.
After Pascal zipped up, they both got back into the car. He put the old Honda in gear and drove back to Portland. With bellies full and needs sated, the plot on how to get Darius back was discussed.
∞∞∞
The Immortals and Darius pulled up to the abandoned factory but found absolutely nothing. Darius could smell that his boss had been there; he could also smell vampire blood. But he kept those observations to himself.
“Over here!” Kathryn shouted to the group.
They could all see the black blood spatter on the drafting table and the disruption of dust where it appeared somebody had recently been sitting or lying.
“Where in the hell are they!” Jonathan roared. “They were just here!”
“Boss, it took us over four hours to get here, he probably didn’t want to wait,” Thomas said.
He threw Lilly his iPhone. “Find his GPS signal again, maybe he’s nearby,” Jonathan said.
Darius piped up. “You can’t do that with your smartphone. It’s a program on Pascal’s laptop that goes with his phone’s Internet plan. He pays extra for it, and trust me, nobody can just look it up,” he finished. A smug grin on his dark face.
“Shit!” Jonathan finished.
They drove around for about three more hours, but had no luck. Darius had begun to berate them about the impending sun rising and they knew they had to get him indoors before sunrise. As much as Jonathan wanted to see him fry, it wasn’t his job to hand down justice – just enforce the law. He was the cop, not the judge. Well, not this time anyway.
They found a hotel in Klamath Falls for the night and took turns keeping watch over the sleeping, handcuffed Darius.
During the day, knowing they couldn’t leave until dusk, they also took turns.
“I’m hungry,” Darius said after he awoke.
“Too effing bad,” Kathryn replied. “There’s nobody here who’s going to offer you any plasma, you parasite.”
“I can drink from an animal in emergencies,” he begged. His lips were dry and cracked and his eyes were droopy and bloodshot. He was lethargic.
“Or you can wait ‘til nightfall and when we get back to Portland, you can do whatever you do for nourishment. Shut the hell up until then,” Lillian replied.
He stopped talking after that, giving up the fight.
Thomas stepped outside during the bickering. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit a number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Malina. How you holding up?” he asked.
“Oh hi, Tom. I’m good. How are you?” she replied.
“We’re fine. How is Serina?” he asked.
Malina smiled. “She’s just fine, sitting right here, reading a book.” She got serious again. “I’ve been worried about you since you left. Did you find that disgusting Pascal and his mate?”
“No, we did not,” he sighed. “I’m sorry I let you down.”
“Oh, Tom, you haven’t let me down. Not in the least,” she replied.
Thomas let out a large sigh and put his hand on the back of his neck and rubbed. “Yes. I have. I could have easily flashed and caught the vampires in front of your house earlier when they ran off… but I chose not to. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I couldn’t leave you...”
Malina smiled.
A long, awkward pause ensued.
“Look, Tom, you are doing the best you can. These vampires are getting more brazen with every year that passes. I think we all need to meet with the council and discuss not only our strategy, but the Treaty as well.”
“Agreed, Malina.”
He paused again.
“I had another question. The Enchantment – we were due last week – what is the status? I know we let you down, but being that Serina is safe now and all…” he trailed off.
He couldn’t believe he was being this bold. He didn’t call her for this; he truly just wanted to check on her, but the thought crossed his mind and the words just kind of tumbled out of his mouth.
“Of course, dear. I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow. I assume Lillian will be needing her dose since she’s not in Los Angeles to receive hers?”
“I’ll check with her, but I assume so,” Thomas replied.
As he hung up, he smiled. He always loved talking to her. He really did need to make his move soon. What do I have to lose? he asked himself.
∞∞∞
San Francisco – 1947
Sal’s diner was picturesque. Barstools covered in shiny red fabric sat in a neat row under the bar, and the white countertops that lined it gleamed and sparkled. A young man dressed in a bowtie and white apron wearing a paper hat wiped down the counters with a rag. He looked up from his chore when he heard the overhead door bell chime.
“Have a seat anywhere you’d like, gentleman,” he said with a smile. He then continued whistling while he went back to his chore.
The three men had a seat at a booth near the back of the diner. The seats were also covered in shiny red fabric and squeaked loudly under their weight as they took their seats.
“Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. O’Malley. Sorry for the last minute change in location, we hope you understand,” Adam Swift said.
“It’s not a problem, boys. I was hungry anyway, skipped lunch for this meeting. I’ve been wanting to try this diner since it opened. Heard nothin’ but good things about it.” Joseph smiled.
A pretty, gum-chewing waitress in a tight blonde ponytail and bright red lipstick walked over to their table. Her nametag read Sandy. “Hiya, boys. Here are your menus.” She was speaking to all of them but her eyes kept shifting to Tony. She was smiling broadly. She stood there a little too long after handing out the menus.
“Thank you, young lady,” Joseph replied, breaking her from her gawking.
“Oh, you’re welcome. Flag me down when you’re ready to order, boys.” The three of them watched Sandy’s perfect butt swish in her short-shorts as she walked off.
“We’re going to have a discussion about what exactly a liaison for the BSI does,” Tony started, looking at his menu. The others looked at theirs too, deciding what they would eat first.
Joseph looked up from his menu, then set it on the table. “Before we start, I have a question.”
“Okay?” Adam replied.
“Does every police department have a liaison with your agency? If so, how do you know who you can trust?”
Adam waved Sandy over and she came immediately to take their orders. The men placed their orders to the ponytailed waitress, who stood smiling all the while at Tony.
“I’ll have those right out, boys,” she finished by blowing a bubble, and then she was off again.
Tony winked at her, then turned his attention back to Joseph. He knew Joseph O’Malley was going to be a great asset to him. Still, he worried about the close proximity to young Thomas and was beginning to think that Thomas and Jonathan should think about moving out of the San Francis
co Bay Area. That was a discussion for another time, however.
“That is a most excellent question, Detective O’Malley,” Tony started. “The short answer is yes and no. We mainly keep liaisons at the major cities, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, you get the picture. The same with the other states. Your job with the BSI will cover a district, and that is the entire San Francisco Bay Area. Now, you will not have to travel outside of the city much, but it will be your job to pass along any strange reports that you come across from the smaller cities, towns, and counties in this area. Anything strange, no matter how small, will need to be reported to us. We will meet in this diner every Friday at noon. Your supervisor, Sam Brown, is already aware of this. He knows you have taken over for Johnson as our liaison. That is the extent of his knowledge, however. He knows we work for the Justice Department; he just does not know about the BSI, and he never will. Understood?”
Joseph nodded.
“To answer your other question,” Agent Swift started, “as far as trusting people, we’ve been very, very lucky. Johnson was chosen as soon as he got out of the Army. He saw things over in Nazi Germany that were above and beyond anything anyone’s imagination could conjure up.”
“I’ve heard the horror stories, Agent,” Joseph said.
“Oh, we aren’t talking about common war horrors, O’Malley. We are talking about shapeshifters and vampires fighting in wars.
“In some older cultures, the Fae are accepted, and are paid handsomely to fight in wars since they are pretty indestructible. They can take bullets, they have enhanced hearing, and the shifters can turn into animals and attack the enemy without them knowing. Unfortunately for Johnson, he witnessed a few shifters in action, and saw one too many of our enemies take bullets, just to keep going and continue their offensive without even falling over. Surely you noticed that Johnson’s nerves were shot?”
Joseph laughed without a smile. “Oh yes, the guy was taking happy pills and drank like a fish.” He grew serious all of a sudden. “But I don’t want that to happen to me.”
“Mr. O’Malley, Johnson’s problems started in during the War. What you saw of him was a much calmer version of how we found him. The higher-ups in the Department of Defense know about the BSI, and he was referred to us. We got him calm and the rest is history,” Bianchi finished.
“He will be missed,” Adam Swift added.
They then all raised their glasses to the man who was Richard Johnson (Don’t ever call him ‘Dick’).
∞∞∞
Jonathan and Thomas were in the boxing ring again. Thomas was getting in some good shots while Jonathan bobbed and weaved out of his way. Kathryn entered the gym dressed in her business clothes. Her skirt was very short. She caught Thomas by surprise, who let his guard down for a split second and was rewarded with a punch to the gut.
“Gotcha!” Jonathan yelled.
Thomas doubled over, holding both boxing glove-clad hands across his belly as he gasped for breath. “Good shot,” he wheezed out.
Kathryn walked over to the ring. “Jonathan, I need to speak to you. It’s important,” she said gravely.
He turned back to the still-gasping Thomas. “Take five, kid.”
Jonathan ducked through the boxing ring cables and hopped down onto the floor. He and Kathryn walked to the door to the locker rooms and stood next to the large, noisy industrial-sized fan that was blowing cool air into the gym. They both knew why she chose that location. It was too noisy for Thomas to hear their conversation.
“I just saw those two agents from the BSI leaving the building,” Kathryn started.
“So?” he said, plucking the glass of water he had perched on top of the wooden cubbyholes they use to store boxing equipment. He took a long drink from it.
“So – I heard them talking about meeting Detective O’Malley down at Sal’s Diner on Third,” she said. “So you should probably try to keep Thomas here for the time being – don’t let him leave the building. I’ll head over to the diner and pretend to bump into them. Maybe they’ll let me in on what they’re talking about,” Kathryn finished.
“That’s a good idea, Kat. However, I doubt they will. Tony knows what you are, but Agent Swift does not. Which makes me point out that if he thinks you’re human, he also will not let you in on what the BSI is,” Jonathan said. “So many secrets to keep track of.” He shook his head.
Kat chewed on her bottom lip for a minute. She then said, “It’s okay. I’ll go there anyway, say hi, and then sit at the diner and order something and chat up the diner staff. I’ll try to eavesdrop from there.” She finished by pointing to her temple and smiling.
“All right. You be careful. Oh, and Kat, try not to throw yourself at Agent Bianchi, he’s an international playboy. Out of your league.” He smirked wickedly.
“It’s his story, Johnny. I’ll let him tell it.” She winked, and then walked out of the gym. She then turned around and added, “But I know the truth.” And tapped her temple again.
Chapter 14
∞∞∞
Portland, Oregon – Present Day
As night approached, the four Immortals and lone vampire piled into the white cargo van and headed back to Portland. After driving half the night, they deposited Darius off in the iron cellblock Jonathan had constructed into the basement of the Murphy Architecture office building, and each took turns ‘babysitting’ Darius until officials from the Zie could come and get him.
Hours had passed, and it was Jonathan’s turn to sit on Darius.
“If you just tell us where Pascal lives, you can go free. We will drop the charges of feeding off the human girl in the club,” Jonathan said.
Ignoring his question, Darius replied, “Speaking of feeding, I’m not telling you shit until you give me something to eat.”
An evil smile formed on Jonathan’s lips. “Now what kind of cop would I be if I fed you? Then I would never get anything from you, now would I, leech?”
“I’ll make you a deal. Fetch me something to eat, I’ll tell you where Pascal and Angel live, and then you can drive me out of town. Because my ass is grass once I snitch him out,” Darius said.
Jonathan contemplated this. Vampires weren’t known to be the most trustworthy creatures around.
“I’ll be right back,” Jonathan said. He left and went upstairs to the apartment to confer with the others.
Then, all hell broke loose.
∞∞∞
Pascal and Angel were back in their house, and after feeding and sleeping all day, they awoke the following evening, ready to go rescue Darius from the Immortals. Fortunately for them, they knew where the cops lived. Vampires had spies, too. This spy in particular had a job in the Murphy Architecture building as the night janitor – and his name was Steve. Yep, Vampire Steve.
Steve told Pascal that not only do the Immortals live in the building, they have a parking garage below ground which has iron jail cells in it.
Steve had earned his place in the Portland Vampire Clan due to a year of hard work (scrubbing toilets, vacuuming hallways, and of course, snooping), all to find out the juicy secrets of the Immortals.
A text message from Steve earlier informed Pascal that Darius was in one of the cells beneath the building being held, interrogated, mistreated, and starved. Steve was a dramatic vampire.
Tonight, Darius was getting rescued.
Angel and Pascal piled into the backseat of his Lincoln Towncar.
“Michael, we’re headed for the Murphy Architecture building downtown.”
“Yes, sir,” Mike the Meathead replied as he started up the car.
“And step on it, mate,” Pascal added.
The two vampires in the backseat made out all the way there.
∞∞∞
San Francisco – 1947
The bell above the door chimed and everyone in the small diner looked up to see Kathryn walk in. The boy working behind the counter in the paper hat gave the same greeting he had given the men. But Kathryn barely ac
knowledged him and walked right over to the table where the agents and Joseph sat.
“Oh, hello! Fancy meeting you here. I was just on my lunch break and I was coming down here for a bite.” She smiled at them, adjusting her purse to her other arm.
Tony was looking at her. She was simply perfect in that green suit, it made her blue eyes look even bluer, if that was possible. He wanted badly to invite her to join them, but he knew Adam Swift wouldn’t think that was a good idea.
“It’s Kathryn, correct?” Adam asked her.
“That’s right. Call me Kat,” she replied with a smile.
“Kat, this is Detective O’Malley with the SFPD,” Tony Bianchi said after a small pause.
“Hello, ma’am. You’re the receptionist in the Hyde Street bank building, right? I saw you a couple of months ago when I was there visiting Jonathan Murphy. Do you remember?” Joseph said.
She smiled sweetly at him. Pain and sadness emanated off the man, and fear and sorrow consumed his thoughts. She could tell deep down that young Thomas’s dad was a good person through and through. “Of course I remember you, Detective.”
“We’d invite you to join us but I’m afraid this is a working lunch,” Tony said to her, smiling.
“It’s not a bother, Agent. I am just going to grab a quick burger at the counter,” Kathryn said. “It was nice seeing you again, gentlemen.” She sat on one of the shiny barstools and ordered a hamburger and a glass of iced tea.
Agent Swift spoke in a more hushed tone. “Where were we?”
“Getting down to my duties, I believe,” Joseph replied.
“Oh, yes,” Adam answered, “Basically you report everything to us. You have been cleared through your supervisor to do so. You’ll receive our phone number at the office in the Hyde Street building and can call any time of the day or night.”