by Michael Todd
Have you met our military? The higher-ups aren’t too bright.
Just then the road began to clear, and the drivers took the opportunity to swing a right and speed off, leaving the crowd behind. The guys in the front pouted, loving the festivities and attention, but Katie and Brock were satisfied to ride along in the quiet.
“All right, General, I’m almost to the thing we talked about. The other cops will be there, too. If anything comes up, you know how to get me.”
“Sounds good, Katie, and good job on the morale boost. Not just for them, but for the citizens as well. We all really needed that.”
“You know me, a regular cheerleader.”
“Ha! Maybe if there are enough nine-year-old little girls, but otherwise I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
“You are probably right. Best to not get your hopes up.”
The Humvees took them completely out of the city and into the suburbs of the Greek District. They drove quietly through the neighborhoods and out to a small plain cinderblock building inside a fenced parking area. The guys climbed out of the Humvees and looked around, raising their eyebrows at Katie. It wasn’t quite the party spot they had been imagining.
One of the guys said what they were all thinking. “So, they throw ragers out here in the suburbs in shady gray buildings?”
Katie smiled and winked. “No, this is actually a surprise for you guys, and some training at the same time. You will find out about the new shit my company is putting out before anyone else.”
“Your company?” one of the guys asked.
“Just trust me.” She slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, they are waiting for us inside.”
Brock laughed. “Who? The demons?”
“Nooo, the cops.” She grinned at the reaction she got.
The guys looked at each other with curious faces. Being in the military, they didn’t have any fear of cops, but they weren’t sure what she was talking about. The sign on the door said the business was closed for a special event, so they went in and looked around. To their surprise, they were in a gun range. Several cops were milling around the refreshments that had been set up in the back.
“All the fun is in the guns today.” Katie smiled, indicating the selection of drinks. “Nobody wants this shit to blow up in the wrong direction, right?” They all snickered at that. Katie winked and continued her reveal of the fun she’d planned. “This is a local gun range, mostly used by cops in their off-duty time to practice and just enjoy shooting. Grab a donut and some soda or juice or coffee and make yourselves comfortable. I have some shit that will blow your mind.”
The guys chuckled and headed over to the food, which was no surprise to Katie.
She spotted Angie at the front and walked over to meet her. “Everything ready to go?”
Angie glanced down at her ever-present clipboard and nodded. “Yep. I made sure to give the bags to the detective you told to meet you here, and he set everything up. They are in the back lounging until the presentation begins. Apparently, this is like a family watering hole for gun lovers and cops, so they all know each other.”
“That’s a good thing. It means they can trust the people they are around.” Katie winked. “And by the way, while I have you in front of me, you did a fabulous job planning everything for me. The guys are having a ball, and I can’t lie—I’m enjoying the downtime, even though I have to watch them to make sure they don’t do anything too dumb. The last thing I need is to lose one of the prized demon fighters in the city.”
Angie’s eyes sparkled with repressed laughter. “Yeah, that would be bad.”
Detectives Travers and Schultz came from the back, nodded to Katie, and took a seat. The rest of the cops followed to watch the presentation, carrying their donuts and coffee with them. Some of them were on duty and some off, but they were all stoked to get an invite to check out the newest demon-slaying ammo that they would hopefully soon be using to help with the incursions. Angie nodded at Katie and took a seat to the side, staying through the presentation to clean everything up afterward.
Katie stood up at the front and took a deep breath, smiling at the group. “Ladies, gentleman, I know you guys are hella busy out there with the influx of minor demons, so thank you for taking time to be here today. I promise you will not be disappointed.
“I am just going to jump right into it. For those of you who don’t know, I am Katie Maddison, lead of the mercenary company Katie’s Killers. My company supplies the demon-killing arsenal we have all come to love and depend on. Our team is tireless in their dedication to bringing you what you need to fight this war and win. Your feedback has been invaluable to refining the product line. Consequently, I thought it would be fun if you all got to test the newest arrivals to the arsenal.”
Katie winked at the guys sitting in the front row; their joy brought joy to her. Those bullets would save their lives during future incursions, and they were clearly stoked to be some of the first to get to use them.
Katie turned and pointed at a dummy in the shooting range. It was modeled after a large demon, with a hide simulated to be just as thick as the real thing. Angie had stuck a couple of donuts over the eyes to lighten the mood.
“Our new bullets have been designed to not only penetrate the flesh of some of the largest demons we have come in contact with, but to continue to work their way through once the ammunition has gone through the first layer. We all know how tough a demon’s scales can be, and that has been one of the main concerns. We will produce these bullets in all sizes, so you will not have to switch out your weapons for new ones.”
Katie pulled one of her smaller pistols and loaded a magazine of the special bullets. She turned and fired at the target, a small ‘x’ on the center mass of the dummy. She pushed the button to retrieve the dummy. The bullet hole was smoking and she smiled, looking down at her watch.
“Give it maybe...five more seconds.”
She counted down in her head and then pulled the demon hide off of the dummy, holding it up in the air. She looked straight through the hole in the flesh and smiled as the guys clapped. Inside the dummy was a large rubber heart, a hole in it as well and the bullet lodged right in the center.
Katie plucked one of the donuts from the dummy’s head and took a bite. “And that is how you get it done.”
Calvin pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose nervously as Sofia’s parents got out of their rented SUV and took care of the valet.
Sofia smiled at Calvin and squeezed his hand, not wanting him to be so nervous. She knew she probably made her parents sound like tyrants, but they weren’t. They were just traditional. They had always been supportive of her decisions, which made Sofia want to make decisions they would approve of. She was hoping that today wouldn’t be the day that support ended.
They had decided to take her parents to a nice restaurant in the Gaslight District, somewhere they could sit outside on the roof and enjoy the cool San Diego breeze. So far they had been pleasant and welcoming to Calvin, but then they hadn’t yet dropped the twin bombshells—that he was much older than their daughter, and that he was one of the Damned.
Calvin was worried they would reject him for being infected, no matter how many lives he had saved or how much time he had spent fighting for the right side.
Calvin opened the door and smiled as Sofia’s mother and father entered the restaurant. He followed Sofia in and stood waiting while the hostess prepared their menus. Sofia rubbed her hand across his back.
“Don’t be so nervous. They like you so far. I’m sure they will get used to the rest of it,” she whispered.
“Why can’t the focus just be on my skin for once? Why my eyes? If I am going to be judged for ridiculous reasons, I’d rather have it be something I have a good argument against.”
“You do have a good argument. You are a freedom fighter, and you have saved hundreds, probably thousands of lives. Just give them a chance to see that.”
They hurried to catch up with
Sofia’s parents. Korbin and Stephanie followed a distance behind, heading up to the rooftop bar to be able to keep an eye on them. They didn’t want to freak her parents out, but they wanted to make sure Calvin and Sofia could focus on what they were doing, not on what everyone around them was doing. So far, there hadn’t been a single issue during the trip, not even when Sofia had arrived back by herself for a few hours before Calvin had gotten there. Still, they couldn’t be too careful. This was a potentially dangerous situation, and everyone involved had to be protected.
“At least I can have a beer.” Korbin smiled, rubbing Stephanie’s knee.
Stephanie grinned. “For some reason, something about this just feels normal.”
“I was just about to say that.” Korbin chuckled. “Let’s see how the night goes, and see if we feel the same way then.”
“Agreed,” she replied, kissing him on the cheek.
She lifted her drink to her lips, but stopped halfway. She narrowed her eyes at a couple of guys dressed in suits standing at one of the cocktail tables in the corner, who were watching Calvin very closely.
“Look to my three o’clock,” she whispered to Korbin. “Those guys seem to be very interested in what is going on with Calvin and the others.”
“And they are packing,” Korbin pointed out, putting down his beer. “Let’s move over to the hallway next to them, discreetly grab them and pull them into the bathrooms. We want to eliminate the risk and figure out what the hell they are doing here.”
“Good plan,” Stephanie agreed, throwing back her drink and getting up.
They walked quickly but quietly across the floor, reaching out as they passed to put a strong hand on each of the guy’s arms and drag them off. When they got them to the bathroom door, they threw them inside.
Korbin pulled out his gun and pointed it at them before they could pull theirs. “Put your weapons in the pretty lady’s hands, very slowly.”
The guys gritted their teeth and pulled out their pistols, handing them to Stephanie with sour looks.
Korbin waved the barrel of the gun toward the wall. “Now back up slowly and put your hands behind your heads, and tell me why the fuck you are stalking Calvin and Sofia.”
The guys did what they were told, and the one on the right nodded in compliance.
“We are Mexican federal agents,” he told Korbin through a thick Spanish accent. “Check my right breast jacket pocket and you will find my ID.”
Stephanie walked over and threw his jacket open and pulled out the ID. She examined it and nodded at Korbin. “So, like he asked, what is the interest in our friends?”
“It’s not about them, it's about the parents. They are going to try to take Sofia back to Mexico, and that would cause a problem for both Calvin and Katie.”
Korbin and Stephanie tilted their heads and looked at each other, and then back at the agents. Stephanie burst into laughter. “You are worried about Calvin and Katie? This is a riot.”
“We are worried about all involved, but they have been important to our country’s peace.”
“All right, all right.” Korbin nodded putting away his gun. “Let’s just let you share this with them. I think they can clear all of this up really fast.”
They marched the two guys out onto the floor and up to the table, interrupting their dinner. Sofia’s parents looked at them nonplussed, then at Sofia and Calvin for an explanation.
“Friends of yours?” Sofia’s father asked.
“Actually, they work for me.” Calvin sighed. “What’s going on here?”
Korbin indicated the agents with a wave. “We found these two stalking you guys from across the room. They are Mexican federal agents, and they are here because they heard that Sofia’s parents were planning on taking Sofia back to Mexico with them.”
Sofia snapped her head to her parents. “Mom? Dad? Is that true?”
Her parents looked genuinely shocked. “No, not at all true,” her mother assured her. She frowned at the agents. “We weren’t going to pull our daughter back to Mexico. She has school and a life here.”
Sofia’s dad swallowed his food calmly and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “I have a few questions. First, why are the two of you scared, even if we were to bring Sofia back to Mexico, and what is going on that the two of you need bodyguards secretly lurking in the back of the restaurant? Let’s start with you two.”
Everyone looked at the agents, and Stephanie and Korbin released their grip on them. “Calvin and his boss Katie have disposed of a record number of cartel members, including three demon-infected drug lords. We haven’t seen this kind of peace in our country for a very long time. It has been a very long road for us, and when they came in, they set our country on a new track. Calvin is very important to us, and we were concerned that you would upset Calvin by taking Sofia from him, which would make it harder for us to continue building communications between his boss and us. We are sure you are all nice people, but our duty lies with Mexico.”
Sofia’s mother chuckled, looking at Calvin. “I knew you looked familiar. And we would never do anything to stand in the way of our daughter’s life, not unless something was hurting her. We are traditional Mexican people, and we live in Mexico. We know what hope his actions against the cartels have brought. Calvin is a hero.”
“Wait,” Calvin shook his head. “Are you insinuating that if they took Sofia, I would do something to hurt them?”
The agent paled. “We know you care for the girl more than your own safety, señor. We were honestly worried about all parties involved, especially the safety of a pair of Mexican citizens, and the future of our country. You have to forgive us; we are not used to working with the infected. All we know is what we see during the battles. You scare the shit out of us, if I’m honest.”
Calvin glanced at Sofia’s parents and sighed, taking off his glasses. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
Sofia’s parents weren’t sure which issue to deal with first—that their daughter had a demon as a boyfriend or that there were Mexican agents following them around, concerned for their safety and the safety of their country. It was all a shock, and people were starting to stare.
Sofia, on the other hand, was more than a touch amused by the whole thing. Calvin had been worried for nothing in her opinion, and there was no way she would have let her parents take her back to Mexico.
“Okay, I think this needs a bit of an explanation,” Sofia admitted.
“I think that might be wise,” her father replied.
“You know when I went to Cabo this spring?”
“Yes, for spring break,” her mother recalled.
“Well, I didn’t exactly come back when I said I did. I have been doing most of my classes online, and rarely getting to come across the border. You see, I met a man when I was in Cabo, and at first, I thought he was a kind, handsome, well-to-do businessman. He was just a few years older than me, and…well, I got caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all. He spoiled me rotten, convincing me to stay a little longer, and a little longer, putting me under this spell I didn’t even realize I was under.” She looked down and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Then the truth started to slowly seep out. I found out he was married, and that the house he had welcomed me into wasn’t his main residence. Of course, immediately I wanted to leave, but his hooks were in, and he revealed the truth. He was Manuel Sosa, the heir to the Sosa drug cartel. He lived with his wife and children at the family compound, and I was his mistress, a possession he was not willing to give up. After that, I found myself guarded at all times, watched like a hawk. He would send me nice things, send me on trips, send the other mistresses with me to try to keep me happy, but in the back of my mind, I knew I had to find a way out. I tried to contact you, but he threatened to kill my whole family and me. After that, the abuse came often, always in places that people wouldn’t notice, but it put the fear of God into me. I felt like I couldn’t get away.”
Her mother reached out and took her hand.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
Sofia breathed out heavily. “Then, one night when I was escorted out with the other women, another cartel attempted to kidnap me. That was when Calvin showed up. He rescued me, and got me on a jet to the States. Then he faced Manuel and the men from the other cartel at the border. He was heroic, taking them all down; not without injury to himself, but successfully. After that, we came to my home here, and a few days later more men came after me to get revenge for the new leader’s fallen cousin. Calvin quickly shipped me to his base in Nevada. He is a mercenary with Katie’s Killers. They took care of me there while Calvin and Katie went to the family compound and exorcised the Mateo’s demon. That was where I was when you called—Nevada. We wanted to make sure it was all over, and that no one else was coming for me.”
“And that is where these two come into play,” Calvin interjected. “They are very trustworthy uninfected friends of mine who have agreed to watch out for Sofia. I have to get back to work soon, and she needs to go to school. Until we can figure out the rest of it, they are willing to stand guard over her.”
“Do you think she would be safer with us in Mexico City?” her father asked.
Calvin shook his head. “I wish I could say yes, but I think that would just put all of you in danger.”
Sofia’s mother grasped her father’s hand, thinking about everything that was just said. They looked at Calvin, who was smiling sweetly at Sofia and holding her hand gently. It was obvious that he cared for her deeply.
“I don’t know if I speak for my husband, but I am going to speak anyway,” her mother began. “You are an adult, Sofia. A beautiful, mature, and obviously well-protected adult. Normally, we would not only caution you about dating an infected, but dating someone so much older than you. However, it looks as if this situation is unique. Calvin has shown that he cares for you. He has shown his bravery and his dedication to your safety. You found yourself in a very dangerous situation, one all parents fear, and without Calvin, I can’t even begin to think where you would be now. It was he who saved your life—more than once, it sounds like—and it was he who continued to do so for not just you but for all of us as well. In my opinion, that makes him more honorable than most men I know—besides your father, of course.”