by Judith Post
They drove to the north side of town in silence. Derek's expression matched the weather outside—dark and gloomy. Danny didn't feel much better. When they pulled up behind the nightclub, their headlights shone on the blood splattered wall. Both men stalked to the cordoned off area, bracing themselves for what they'd see.
The cop on duty—a rookie named Pierce—motioned toward the club's back door. "Looks like she came out for a smoke and someone was waiting for her."
She'd pulled on sweats and a glitzy red coat that looked like lots of boas sewn together, but someone had ripped them to shreds while they slashed almost every inch of her face and torso. The only way Danny recognized her was by her signature wavy, strawberry blond hair.
Derek looked away. Danny turned to see if he was all right, and a fast motion plummeted downward past the parking lot's lights, so fast that whatever caused it was a blur. Danny had seen that effect before. "Hit the dirt!" he cried.
Danny and Derek dropped to the ground instantly, pulling their guns from their holsters, but Pierce stood there, frowning. A vampire snatched him off the ground and sank his fangs deep into his throat. With a ripping motion, he tore his neck open. Blood spurted everywhere. Danny aimed and put a bullet in the center of the vamp's forehead.
The vamp looked at him, surprised, before bursting into dust. Pierce's crumpled body fell to the cement with the vampire's ashes.
The club's front door opened to spill customers outside. They'd heard the gunshot and wanted to see what was happening, but Danny yelled, "Lock the door! Keep them in the building!" to the club's bouncer. He hoped to hell the bartenders and bouncer could control them. If they came out here, who knew what would happen?
Danny and Derek were struggling to their feet when five more vampires landed in a semi-circle and walked toward them.
"Let's shoot the bastards," Derek growled. But before either detective could get off a shot, a female vampire swooped to the ground and braced her feet, facing the rogues.
"One more step," she warned, "and you deal with me. I promised Enoch that I'd protect these humans." Danny had the distinct feeling she added those words for their benefit, and he couldn't believe how grateful he was to hear them.
"She's a friend," he told Derek. "Don't shoot."
One of the young vampires laughed. "There are five of us. One of you. Vlad sent us for those two. He knew a dead body would bring them. Get out of our way and we'll spare you."
"You must not be his favorites if he sent you here to die. He knows Caleb's promise. He knows Bart and I are here."
That made them pause. They looked at each other, worried. "You're Bart's mate, Claudia?"
"That's me, and I've dealt with the likes of you for centuries. If you're smart, you'll go."
They conferred with each other, but it was obvious they'd rather face Claudia than their master, so they rushed her as one. Talons sprang from Claudia's fingers, long and deadly. She rose off the ground and whirled in a circle, arms out. When she settled back to the cement, the five vampires pressed hands to the deep gashes at their throats before exploding into dust. The wind blew their ashes away.
Claudia turned and looked at Danny and Derek. Her expression softened. "I'm sorry about the woman and your fellow soldier."
"We're not soldiers. We're cops," Derek said as if by rote.
She shrugged. "Same thing. Vlad didn't expect to be able to grab you. This is his way of introducing himself. He sent these idiots to die."
Danny could hardly contain his anger. He motioned toward Silky and Pierce. "Is this going to keep happening? Because I won't let it. We'll do something to stop it."
She shook her head. "Vlad likes to push his luck, but he knows better than to push Caleb too far. Another performance like this, and Caleb will send a band of generals to cart his favorite back home. He'll be under lock and key for a few decades."
"So this is it? No more carnage like this?"
"Vlad did it as a wake up call. He wants Enoch to know that he's here and serious."
Danny's lips pressed in a tight line. "No wonder Enoch wants to kill this guy. Look what he did to her."
"He didn't do it. He sent someone, probably the rogue who killed your friend. He won't kill you," she told Danny. "He doesn't want to make either Caleb or Enoch that angry, but you…" She motioned to Derek. "You're dispensable. I'll have Bart send someone to guard you."
Derek's blue eyes went round. He swallowed hard. "You mean a vamp?"
"What human could protect you? You've seen what you're up against."
Derek's expression mirrored his battle within. Fear—two vampires had attacked him so far. And hope—this vampire had saved him. Finally, he nodded. "Thank you."
Claudia smiled. "Your odds just got a lot better." She jumped into the gray sky and flew off.
Chapter 43
Enoch was parked in the last row at the pizza parlor, watching people come and go as he had before. There was a respectable amount of customers, but the restaurant wasn't bustling. Danny's Buick flew into the lot and jerked to a stop next to his Land Rover as the black pickup from the other night parked near the door. Danny slammed out of his car and slid onto the passenger seat next to Enoch. His face was white, his expression furious.
"I want this Vlad. I want his dust swept into a glass jar and I want to flush them down the toilet myself."
"What happened?"
Danny yelled the night's events. He didn't mean to. Enoch knew rage and frustration when he heard it. He felt them all too often.
"Why Pierce?" Danny ended. "There wasn't any reason to kill him."
"Vlad's followers don't need a reason." Enoch's fingers clenched the steering wheel. This was exactly what he'd tried to avoid—innocent victims.
"Claudia said this wouldn't happen again." Danny's voice held a question. He wanted reassurance, but how could Enoch give it? With Vlad, he never knew. Even Caleb's promise wasn't a sure guarantee, but it was the best he could do. "She put a vamp bodyguard on Derek," Danny finished.
"How's he doing?"
"What do you think? This is the second time a vamp's come after him."
"Is he going to be all right?"
Danny rubbed his face with his hands, a tired gesture. "Neither of us has ever had to cope with shit like this. It's going to take us a minute."
"Where is he?"
"At a men's club, working a case. That's good. He needs to be around people."
"I'll talk to Bart when I see him."
Danny's voice went flat. "Silky had two kids. She stripped to support them."
"Does she have any family?"
"Her mom took care of the boys when Silky worked."
"Money won't replace their mother, but I can make sure they're well taken care of financially."
"You can do that?"
Enoch nodded. "She didn't deserve what happened to her. Neither did they."
Danny sighed. "Thanks, pal. I have to tell her mom what happened. This will make it a little easier."
It wasn't enough. Both of them knew that, but it was one worry Enoch could eliminate. "I'll stay here and watch over Paige."
Danny climbed in his Buick and drove away. Enoch didn't envy him his job. There was no good way to tell someone they'd lost a loved one. He tried to return his attention to the black pickup. It sat just as long this time as it had before. Finally, tired of being in the car and letting his mind go over and over Silky and Pierce's deaths, Enoch went inside to have some supper and to check out who was there. The manager came to bring his order after he phoned it in. Paige was sitting at a booth, talking with a customer.
“That guy’s been coming every night for weeks to grab take-out,” the manager said. “Lately, he’s started coming inside to eat, and he always talks to Paige. Now, he times his suppers so that Paige can sit with him during her break.”
“Things must be getting serious,” Enoch said.
The manager shook his head. “Not usually. The girl's boy crazy. She'll drop anything when a
guy shows some interest in her, but it doesn't last long."
"She's never found a keeper?"
"She scares them away. She eats, sleeps, and breathes them."
Enoch frowned at the bruises that circled her neck. "From the new guy?"
"They haven't reached that stage yet. Nah, she’s been moping around since she broke up with her last boyfriend. Those are his." He looked at the pick-up window. "Gotta go. There's a carry-out.”
Enoch studied the man with Paige in the corner booth—medium height, medium build, with scruffy, dark hair and azure blue eyes. Maggie's attacker was blond, but hair color was an easy switch. This guy wore jeans and work boots. Blue collar. He looked nice enough, even though he did fit the description of the clown killer. But then, there was an abundance of men who fit that description.
Enoch ate the hoagie he’d ordered and glanced over at them occasionally. Paige’s happiness radiated across the restaurant to him. For her sake, he hoped this guy was the one, the man who'd stick around.
Paige glanced at the huge round clock on the wall and finally pushed herself away from the table. The man followed her lead. When Paige headed to the kitchen to report back to work, she carried a bouquet of flowers with her—carnations and baby's breath. The man tossed a few bills on the table, took his doggie bag, and left. Enoch finished drinking his glass of wine. He was about to leave too when Paige hurried toward him.
“I just want to let you know that you don’t have to watch over me this coming weekend. I have a date when I get off Friday night, and I’m going to stay at his place till my shift starts on Monday.”
Enoch shook his head. “I thought you were working Glory's shift Saturday and Sunday.”
Her face went hard, settling into a stubborn expression. “I traded with Donna. She's covering for me."
"What about the extra money for Christmas?"
"I'll work the weekend after that. I like Adam. I don’t want to blow it.”
“I'd rather you stayed put until we catch our killer. I want to keep an eye on you." What he really wanted to do was check out this new boyfriend. How did the killer work? Did he stalk his victim before he murdered her? "You don’t really know this guy. A date isn’t worth risking your life.”
“But I already told him I’d go out.”
“Okay then, go, but I’m going to follow you. I don’t want to take any chances.”
She gave him a dirty look. “You mean you’re going to watch everything we do?”
“As much as I can. I’ll shadow you wherever you go.”
Her mouth scrunched into a thin line. “Never mind. I’ll tell Adam that something came up that I have to do this weekend.”
Enoch studied her. “Is that a promise?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, and thank you. It will only be for one week, then I'll figure out a way that you can date and stay safe.”
She didn’t look happy. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
Enoch paid for his supper and ordered a cup of coffee to go. When he got back in his Land Rover, he called the station on his cell phone. Danny wouldn't be back yet, and if he was, he wouldn't be in much of a mood. He got a detective named Rob. “I've been working with Danny."
"Yeah, we all know about you—Danny's psychic. What can I do for you?"
"A guy’s been showing a lot of interest in Paige. It wouldn’t hurt to check him out.” He gave Rob the description of the pickup and the license number.
“This is a cinch. I’ll get back to you in a minute.”
While Enoch waited, he thought about what Rob had said. Everyone knew about him. They thought of him as a psychic. How long could he keep his secret? How soon would it be before they started putting things together and realized he was something else? He wondered what Danny told Pierce's family. He couldn't exactly say that Pierce was attacked by a vampire.
His cell phone rang. Rob said, "The truck’s owned by Adam Dexler, thirty-two, lives in a rental on Spy Run, no track record, but bad credit. Does that help?”
"Yeah, that's the name she called him and the right age. Got an address?"
Rob listed it for him.
“Thanks, when I'm done watching Paige's house in the morning, I might drive by his place, see if he's there.”
“Won't do you any good. He works first shift like most of the world, drives for a trucking firm that hauls sand and gravel. You’ll have to try to catch him when he’s off the clock.”
“Will do. Thanks.” He was about to hang up when Rob said, "Are you going to help Danny with Silky and Pierce?"
Enoch hesitated. What had Danny told people about their deaths? "I thought it was a one time thing."
"Let's hope. Danny got a shot off at the crazy who killed them, but he got away. They don't think he'll make it, that he'll probably bleed out somewhere. But you could tell, right? You'd know if he'll go after someone else."
"If I touch Pierce's body."
"Then do it, will you? I'd like to know this guy's dead."
"I'll go to the morgue with Danny." That satisfied Rob, and it would put a decent ending on this mess. Danny had come up with a good story, a crazed killer who ran off, but wouldn't survive. This way, there wouldn't be a massive man hunt and some poor guy wouldn't be dragged in for a crime he didn't commit. Enoch had had plenty of time to find which explanations worked best when dead bodies were found and vampires were dust.
Rob dropped his voice. "Look, we all know you don't have to do any of this. We give you credit, man."
"Thanks." If only they knew. Would they still appreciate his help? When they hung up, Enoch forced his mind back to Paige. The pizza parlor would close soon. He made a mental note to drive past Adam’s house the first chance he got. It would be tricky to catch him since their hours clashed. That meant Enoch would have to wait until the weekend, but it would make him feel better to check out the guy’s background before he went out with Paige. And that was inevitable. Paige might have changed her plans for this weekend, but she wouldn’t say no again. At the moment, though, there was nothing to do but wait and watch… and try to keep Paige alive.
Chapter 44
Paige glanced over at Enoch's Land Rover as Gary walked her to her Ford after work. The rich guy wasn't as smart as he thought he was. Sure, he was parking outside her house every night, protecting her. But what right did he have to tell her what to do? He probably never had a problem getting a date in his whole life.
She slid behind the steering wheel of her car and turned the key in the ignition. The car sputtered, started, then died. It didn't like cold, damp weather. She turned the key again and pumped the gas. It coughed, hesitated, then chugged to life. If she tried to leave now, it would quit again, so she waited a few minutes for it to warm up. Rich guy probably never had to worry about coaxing an old car through the winter either.
She smiled. If he knew the real reason she didn't have to work this weekend, he'd split a vein, but the big tips he left each night more than covered the money she'd make on Glory's lunch shifts. Take that, dumb ass, she said in her rearview mirror as he followed her home.
She turned on the side street and parked on the gravel that made up their back yard. She watched Enoch pull into the transmission shop across the street. What was a rich guy like him doing stake-outs for anyway? Who'd suckered him into something like that? She pulled her coat closer and made a run for the back door. Salli opened it. She looked tired.
"What's with you?" Paige asked.
"My foreman was there all night. I couldn't take extra breaks."
Paige shook her head. She knew how Salli loved stretching her fifteen breaks into an hour or two.
"You?" Salli asked.
"I made some decent tips. We did an okay business tonight, even with the bad weather."
Salli shut and locked the door, and Paige followed her into the kitchen. They each got a beer and headed to the living room.
"Was your new guy there again?" Salli wanted to know.
"He asked m
e out this weekend."
"Really? You go, girl!"
Paige nodded. "I traded shifts with Donna, so everything's covered."
"And your stalker?" Salli nodded to the transmission shop across the street. "He's okay with that?"
"Fine with him, as long as I'm not alone. Adam promised to keep me safe."
"Well, halleluiah! This Adam must be some guy."
"That he is," Paige said. She waited for Salli to climb the steps to bed before she reached for her cell phone and made a quick call.
"I thought I told you not to call here anymore," Jay growled.
"I'm not trying to get back together with you or nothing," Paige hurried to say. "But I left some of my CD's at your place, and I want 'em back. Can I come get 'em Saturday morning?"
"As long as you're in and out and don't hang around. I don't want none of your nonsense."
"It'll only take half an hour, if that." When she hung up, she had a smile on her face. Rich guy only thought he could tell her what to do.
Chapter 45
After what happened to Silky and Pierce, leaving the apartment lost most of its appeal for Voronika. Enoch was grateful that she was determined to find things to occupy her time. She cooked occasionally, but the sewing machine was proving more challenging than she expected, so she immersed herself in reading, trying to plow through one classic a night. "That way, I'll get caught up." It kept her inside and happy, a huge relief for Enoch. He had more than enough to juggle at the moment.
On Friday, when he went into the pizza parlor for his supper, Paige hurried to his table with his glass of wine. “I need to talk to you. The manager said that I can take my break when I bring your pizza. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” She seemed nervous. Enoch sipped his wine and wondered what was bothering her. She hurried back in a few minutes with his chicken club pizza and sat in the swing across from him.
He raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you could make a pizza that fast.”
“I’ve learned your routine. One night, you order a hoagie of some kind. The next night, you order a small pizza—always the chicken club. This is your pizza night, so I put in your order when I saw you leave your car.”
