by Michael Todd
“I don’t know,” Damian admitted, standing up.
As he was about to go check the large sliding metal door to the building creaked open. Damian got into his stance, his sword at the ready, waiting to see who was coming out.
He slowly began to relax as Katie turned the corner, now normal-sized. What was left of her clothes barely covered her body.
She walked toward Damian and Eric with a smirk on her face. As she drew closer, she pulled out the cross and tossed it up and down a couple of times.
When she reached Damian, she tossed it to him.
“That fucker choked on it.”
24
After a change of clothes Katie, Korbin, and Calvin decided to scope out the damage, so they made their way to the roof.
Katie sat down on the edge and dangled her legs over, watching as Korbin sat down on one side of her and Calvin on the other. The place was smashed: buildings demolished, walls crumbling, power lines down and sparking. It looked like a war zone around there. It was mildly depressing.
Katie scrunched her nose and leaned back on her hands.
“Sorry about demolishing your other buildings,” Katie said.
Korbin sighed. “It’s all par for the course. To be honest, this place is just not safe anymore. The demons know where we are, and if we don’t leave, they will just keep coming back until we are all dead. They took one of us tonight, one of us who deserved a lot more time on this Earth and on this team, and we can’t afford to lose anyone else. I can’t take it, and I won’t allow it.”
“I know you want to protect us, boss,” Katie told him. “But you have to remember that this is our life, and it will be all of our deaths at some point or the other. I agree we need to move on from here, but I can’t let you take responsibility for our deaths. You are not accountable for us, and you need to stop letting yourself fall into that pit.”
“That is easier said than done, kid.” Korbin sighed, then stood and walked around. “When you are the leader, you are responsible for your team—alive and dead.”
Katie nodded and looked down at the ground below. “Where to now?”
“Don’t know.” Korbin replied. “I just know we need to move. Joshua and the others, they almost got stuck in our fucking war. That was more than irresponsible of me. It was reckless.”
“We need to find another safe haven,” Calvin added. “Somewhere we can feel comfortable laying our heads down at night. Where we can train and get ready for the next time this happens. I just don’t know where we can go, you know?”
“I think we all need to stay together,” Katie said. “Splitting up the team—and that includes Joshua, who killed four demons during the fight—would be bad; really bad for us. One of the reasons we work so damn well together is because we are each other’s family. If we split up, we’ll lose our familiarity and bond with each other. I don’t want to fight with a stranger who looks like Korbin, I want to fight with my brothers. I want to know they have my back and I have theirs…and that is something that we all have, including Joshua.”
“I don’t know what to do, Katie.” Korbin looked around at the damage. “I need a day to let my brain settle. Right now all I can see is that battle and Jeremy’s body. I am not in a good place at this moment to make a long-term decision like that.”
“Knock, knock,” Mamacita called from behind them.
Katie turned around. “Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey there, pretty girl,”
“I heard you were one badass bitch today,” Katie told her, rolling her feet back over the wall and standing up to hug her. “Thank you for being there for us; for putting your life in danger for all this. We couldn’t have made it through without you.”
“Aw, you would have been fine,” She smiled and kissed Katie on the cheek.
Korbin looked at her and noticed that she had changed. She was no longer dressed in a suit or wearing robes in the brothel. She was just wearing normal clothes.
Her hair was straight and pulled back at the nape of her neck, not up and wild like she usually wore it. It was refreshing to see her that way—just a regular woman for once.
“I have to say,” Mamacita began as she walked over and sat down on the ledge, “I was a little misinformed.”
“Why do you say that?” Calvin asked.
“Well, what you guys do and what I thought you did are very different,” she admitted, chuckling. “It was definitely a new experience.”
“Yeah,” Korbin snapped at her. “An experience you should never have been a part of. You could have been killed, dammit! You were supposed to stay down there with those girls to keep them calm and protect them, not come bolting up the tunnel like a wild karate master, trying to take down demons you know nothing about.”
“I deal with you every day, don’t I?” Mamacita snapped back.
“Not the same. You could have died in a heartbeat!” He sighed, rubbing his face and calming his voice before he spoke again. “We did lose someone, and we almost lost two of your girls, too. I don’t understand why you aren’t taking this seriously.”
She turned her head slightly to look at him. “I am! Why do you think I risked my ass to come topside and fight that nasty-ass crusty demon with you?” she retorted. “It definitely wasn’t for the hell of it, that’s for sure.”
Korbin sighed, wiping his face. “Well, I have to admit that your moves were damned impressive. I had no idea you had anything like that in you.” He mumbled something that sounded like an apology.
“I didn’t learn to fight overnight,” she told him, picking up a stone and looking down at her hands. “I trained in martial arts until my early twenties. That was when I ran from the cult, and please make no mistake about it—it was a damned cult.”
“Is that how you ended up at the house?” Katie asked.
“Yeah, sort of,” Mamacita replied. “I am the niece of the original owner of the house, and I worked really hard to make it a place where girls could go when they didn’t feel like they belonged or didn’t have a family to help support them. I wanted to give girls another option than just going into an empty marriage, being homeless, or joining a gang. Perhaps my option was not that great. Maybe it was immoral or a bad choice, but it was all I knew. When I was out on my own, sex was how I stayed alive. It paid for my food every night, and a hotel room most nights. Over time, it became a business; something I could rely on, get an apartment with. Then I took over the house, and that was when I realized I had the opportunity to help other women. So I did.”
“And how do you feel about it now?” Korbin asked.
She chuckled and shook her head. “Now that I see the reality of the world, I can’t go back to that. Actually, it’s more like I won’t go back. My life has been a beautiful thing since I met you guys, from Armani originally to these business opportunities to watching the girls grow and forming friendships. I learned about the world in a way I never thought I would, and I cannot just walk away from that.”
Korbin shook his head and sighed, raking his hands through his hair. He didn’t know what to say, since he didn’t want to put Mamacita in harm’s way—not even for a second.
But at the same time, she really only had two options at that point. It was the rule, no matter who it was. She knew the truth, as did those girls, and that was going to hurt the Killers if they didn’t follow guidelines. He turned back to her and put his hands by his sides.
“There are only two options, Mamacita—”
“My name is Stephanie Lee,” she interrupted, watching them eye her. “I had mixed parents. My mom is Hispanic, which is where I get my dark skin and dark hair. It’s also where I get my damn temper.”
“Well, that makes sense now,” Calvin agreed, nodding.
She shrugged. “My dad, he was calm, and always about the body and his martial arts.”
“We are going to have to leave here,” Korbin told her. “This place is not safe for anyone, and I don’t just mean because of the construction zone. We
are now on the map for the demons, and I know if they are given a shot they will come back here and finish us off. I don’t want to give them that shot. We can split up for now—go over to other teams—or I can start looking for a good piece of property, or we can become Korbin’s Homeless Killers.”
“You know,” Stephanie mused. “I actually might have a solution. I have some property with a large building on it on the northeast side of town. It’s about forty-five minutes from here, out toward Area 51. We could set everything up there like it was here.”
“That’s really sweet of you,” Korbin said, “but trust me, you’ve done enough. Believe it or not, our project—this whole thing—is even more secretive than Area 51. If we were to move over in that direction and end up in another firefight like the last one, I can guarantee that the Feds would start bitching. They are supposed to be protecting the oh-so-precious Area 51. Besides, I think that it’s finally time that we just bite the bullet, no pun intended, and build a full-out war base. Something that is hidden and can be heavily fortified, and will be around for a long time. We need our own airfield and our own transportation on call, and we need to feel safe and secure at the place we call home.”
“Can we have a tank?” Katie asked.
He chuckled. “Sure.”
“Then I might be okay with it, as long as I don’t have to wear a uniform,” Katie replied.
“No, no uniforms,” he said, shaking his head. “Just safety—that’s all I’m saying. Bunkers for nights like this. Places where we can hide out and be safe, or hide the people we care about. I don’t want to keep burying people because we aren’t prepared. We should have been prepared for something like what happened. It was crazy not to think they would come looking for us, but I just let it slip my mind—and then there they were, knocking on our front door.”
“We were preparing the place.” Katie waved a hand around. “We just weren’t fast enough.”
“And that isn’t an excuse,” he answered softly. “Anyway, I need to get some work done.”
“And I need some sleep,” Stephanie said.
Katie waited until Korbin and Calvin had said goodnight and disappeared back into the building before she turned to Stephanie.
“Are you really determined to fight?” Katie asked, one eyebrow raised.
She pursed her lips, nodded her head, and walked off without another word.
The next morning, Katie woke up ready to get her day started. She couldn’t seem to get Mamacita off her mind—and the reaction that Korbin was having toward her.
She got dressed and headed down to Korbin’s office, determined to make him talk about it; to find out why he was pushing Mamacita—or rather, Stephanie—away so hard.
When she got to the main area, Eric and Derek were sitting in the living room thinking about the service they wanted to have for Jeremy. They asked for her input, but she had none.
Katie felt strange about it. Obviously she was sad, but she was also numb—as if there wasn’t a reason for her to grieve. She thought that if she started, she would be grieving the losses of her friends forever.
At the same time, she knew that eventually it would come up in her mind. She just assumed she wasn’t ready for it.
“Hey.” Katie knocked on the doorframe when she reached Korbin’s office.
“Hey,” he said.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. “What’s up?”
“Are you going to let Mamaci—I’m sorry, Stephanie—join our team?” Katie asked.
“Close the door, please,” he said, nodding at it.
She shut the door as she entered and sat down in front of him. He stayed quiet for several moments, mulling Katie’s question. Katie could tell he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure he should.
After the silence became too much, Katie spoke up.
“You can tell me the truth. Like, the real truth. I’m old enough, Dad.”
He chuckled. “I know. I’m worried that my feelings for her are messing up my decision-making process.”
“Ahh, I see.” Katie smiled. “So because of that, you’re going to be a dick and choose something for her that goes against what she actually wants. Right. Got it.”
“No, not necessarily,” he admitted. “I’m conflicted.”
“It’s not like she didn’t prove herself,” Katie pointed out. “She’s already made her choice, but you are blocking her from joining the fight. I just don’t get it! We need strong, capable people on the team, and she wants this.”
“She’s not even Damned,” Korbin retorted. “And this would be her whole life.”
“So? It’s her decision,” Katie replied. “What are you going to do, wipe her memories?”
“You can still do that, right?” Korbin asked, eyeing her nervously.
“Really?” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yes, I can do that. But please, Korbin, don’t make me.”
While Katie and Korbin talked in the office, the rest of the house was quiet. Some were mourning, others planning their next steps, but the sounds of happiness and joy were gone.
The last thing Katie wanted to do was remove someone’s memories, especially someone she cared about. Several minutes later she came out of Korbin’s office and closed the door behind her. As she made her way to the elevator, Pandora finally popped her head out.
So, I think today should be a soaps-and-game-show day, she said. We both kicked ass, and it’s time to relax.
That actually sounds really nice, Katie replied. But unfortunately, we don’t have time to do that right now. We have been given a job.
Ugh, Pandora grumped. We are always doing something. Why can’t we just chill out and be done with it?
Katie chuckled. Soon. How about this: I’ll get you some donuts.
Fucking deal, Pandora agreed. Wait, how many is “some?”
I don’t know, like two?
Make it three, and it’s a deal, Pandora told her.
You got it. She laughed.
25
Katie pushed the button for the headlights, but instead the windshield wipers came on. She turned the knob frantically to try to stop them while still paying attention to the road.
It was late morning so she didn’t need the lights, but it was an old habit her mom instilled in her when she was first starting to drive. Finally she got the wipers off, and decided that was enough playing around for one car ride.
She put both hands on the steering wheel and focused on the drive to Mamacita’s house in Las Vegas.
She had a mission to carry out, and she needed to concentrate on that. However, every time she glanced at the seat next to her, all she could think about was her Ferrari.
Goddamn this fucking SUV, Katie bitched. I want my car back. I paid a lot for it and I really loved it, and your fucking brother took it back to hell with him. He doesn’t deserve a vehicle that sophisticated and fine. And God, I paid for it in CASH. It’s not like I had insurance on the sonofabitch. All I wanted was something nice of my own, and I was fucking robbed.
Okay, and what may I ask would you have put down on the form when it asked you for the reason for the claim? “Drove car to hell can’t get it back?”
Maybe, Katie said with irritation. Or that it was stolen, even. I could have reported it stolen.
And had the cops come take a statement at the base, where the walls are falling down and there is demon ash everywhere? Pandora asked. Besides, I overheard the payouts for these different demons. Seriously, another big one and we can move on up to that Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, like in a sweet sparkly black and shit.
So I can get it smashed to hell? Katie scoffed. No thanks.
And then, Pandora continued, ignoring her negative comment, when we take out my fucktard of a brother, we can go for the 918 Spyder Hybrid and still have enough money left over to do whatever you want. He is worth some real cash, woman. I was surprised, since he is the same level as me. I am fucking pricey.
At least his ass will be worth something in my lifetime, Katie grumped. He can pay me back for the car with his fucking life.
That’s morbid, Pandora responded, waiting a moment before adding, “I like it.”
Katie pulled up to the gate at the house and rolled down the window. She reached out and pressed the call button, waiting for someone to answer.
She looked down at her nails and sighed, figuring there was no point in a manicure if she was constantly punching demons in the face.
“Hello?” the girl on the other end answered.
“Hey, it’s Katie,” she said.
“Come on up,” the girl said cheerfully.
The gates slowly opened, and Katie pulled through and around the circle to the front of the house. She sat there for a second, still stewing over her car. She just couldn’t stop being so bitter about it.
You sure have gotten comfortable with this place, Pandora told her. Am I finally getting you comfortable with your sexuality?
No, Katie said flatly. But we kicked ass together, and I won’t disrespect them by thinking of them as anything less than equals.
You sure? Pandora picked at her. Not even the slightest bit? You never think about big dic—
Stop, please God, Katie groaned, getting out of the car.
Well, I’m not the Big Guy, but if you want to pray to me… No? I thought I would try it. It’s the least I can do.
When Katie got to the front door one of the girls, Alice, was already opening the front door.
She smiled and gave Katie a big hug. Katie wasn’t really a hugger, but she knew the girls had been through a lot. She wasn’t going to be that person who acted like an ass about a hug.
Katie walked inside and looked around, noticing that the place was very empty.
“Where is everyone?” Katie asked.
“Oh, most of the girls are at the hospital visiting the two who got hurt,” she said sadly. “And Mamacita will be back in a few minutes. She went out to do something.”
“How are the girls?” Katie asked.
