by Judith Post
He didn't like the idea of Amado even touching her. "I'll teach you."
"No, you're too protective, it won't work. Amado understands and volunteered to work with me."
The two men's gazes met. "I bet he did," Enoch said.
A challenge blazed in Amado's eyes.
Voronika raised a brow at him. "Don't you trust me?"
"Trust you to what?" Enoch wasn't sure what she was asking.
"To be faithful."
"You've never promised me that." He waited, hoping the words would come. They didn't.
"I give you my body all the time."
"That's sex. I want more." Another long wait. She looked away from him. He sighed and turned, slamming the door behind him as he stalked to his car.
He didn't return to the house. He went to his apartment instead and paced away the hours. By the time Bart and the others stirred, he was on watch at Gino's hotel. He expected the hunters to stay in town this evening instead of going to the nightclub. Once it was dark, they'd start making the rounds, hoping to find Keb's nest. If they could, they'd stake Keb during the day while he slept. Eva said that was impossible. If she was right, they'd have to try to shoot him while he flew. Their last resort was face to face combat. Vampires had the advantage there.
Enoch was listening to Mozart when his cell rang. It was Danny. "Want you to know Kandice doesn't work tonight. Tony said she has a date with her boyfriend, a big deal—getting all dolled up for a fancy restaurant."
"Thanks for letting me know." Enoch settled in. That meant that Gino would be with Kandice for most of the evening. But when the date was over? Would he join his friends and hunt?
The aromas of juicy steaks and grilled fish wafted into the evening air each time the hotel doors opened. Enoch thought about popping inside for a meal. He'd forgotten to eat. He doubted that Gino and Kandice were there. They'd have gone some place more exclusive—some place stellar where Kandice could show off her new clothes and high heels. He looked around the parking lot, and sure enough, Gino's Audi was missing. Donato's Buick was parked in the third row, though.
If Enoch was right, when Gino finished their date, he'd drop Kandice off somewhere so that he and his friends could be out and about. If they separated, Enoch decided he'd follow Gino. He was the hunter who killed the man in the office building. That meant Gino was the hunter sent after Keb.
Hopefully, Donato and the third hunter were waiting for their friend. Enoch stayed where he was and watched. At nightfall, Gino pulled into the lot, alone. The minute he got out of his car, the other two joined him. Donato looked surprised. "Where's the girl?"
"I dropped her at her mother's house. They're doing a movie night. I pick her up tomorrow."
"Manny called. Our informant found the vamp we're after, but we can't reach his nest. We have to take him out when he flies tonight."
Good. Keb and Eva must have separated. Enoch frowned at the word informant. Who'd inform on vampires?
Donato went on. "There was another vampire with him for a while."
"Two of them? That hasn't happened before, has it?" Gino asked.
"Who cares?" the third man asked. "Let's dust them and get out of here. This job gives me the creeps. Staking them in their sleep is one thing. Face to face is another."
The three of them went to Donato's car and grabbed gym bags similar to the one Enoch used for his crossbow and stakes. Then they walked off together. A hunting expedition. Enoch stayed in the shadows, following them. Even if he didn't see them, his hearing was keen enough to let him know where they were. They headed north on Lafayette Street, turned at the Gas House on the corner, and strolled through both sides of Headwaters Park. They glanced up and around as they walked.
They stalked the park’s length and back before Gino's cell phone rang. He listened carefully. "Got it. We're on our way." He told the other two, "We have a solid sighting." Enoch hoped to hear the exact location, but Gino took out a notepad and scribbled the information on it. "I'll stay here and look for the girl vamp. You two deal with the guy."
Was he nuts? Did Gino think because Eva was a girl she'd be less formidable? He obviously had never seen a vampire in the flesh before. Enoch sent both Eva and Keb quick mental messages. "They're looking for you. They're armed and ready to stake you. There's an informant running around town somewhere, too. Pay attention to what you're doing." Then he returned his attention to the hunter on hand.
Gino walked the entire area, passing the city jail and going all the way to the city-county building and the courthouse. Enoch kept a big distance between them. Why three men thought they could deal with vampires made him wonder, but then he realized they must know about Caleb's promise. They were counting on the fact that vamps weren't allowed to drain humans in Three Rivers. Somebody must have forgotten to tell them that vamps weren't allowed to hunt mortals here, but they were always allowed to defend themselves against them. He was still trailing Gino when his cell phone silently vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at his watch. It was three in the morning.
Danny didn't mince words. "You're gonna want to see this. Get here as soon as you can." He gave Enoch directions and hung up.
Enoch turned on his heel and hurried back to the hotel. He drove south on Clinton, watching for an old, stone church with a sign, advertising a food pantry for the poor. Danny waved him into an alley behind the building. Yellow, police tape blocked it a short way in, and Derek stood guard at the scene of the crime.
"This must be weird," Enoch said. "Danny says he gets you every time a case is freaky."
"Freaky? It's downright sick." Derek frowned. "What's with you? I've never seen you in jeans before."
"My day off."
"In this line of work? It doesn't happen." He nodded as Danny walked farther between the two buildings. "He's getting impatient. This one's ugly."
Danny called, "Go home, kid. Enoch will wait with me till the clean up crew gets here."
Enoch raised his eyebrows. "Clean up crew?"
"You heard him right." With a quick nod, Derek started to his squad car. "I don't like dealing with vamps, especially whichever one did this. I'm out of here."
After he left, Danny said, "Come on, bud. We don't have a lot of time."
Shadows—cast by a single street light, the only one on the block that worked—stretched across the alley's cracked pavement,. Straining to see, Enoch followed Danny to the back door of the church, to a spot where a heap of dust lay next to Donato's body…or at least, what was left of it. Danny turned on a halogen flashlight, waved it back and forth. Scraps of flesh littered the area. Blood was spattered everywhere—on the church walls, the door Donato had tried to kick open, and on the crumbling cement. "I waited for the techs to leave before I called you," Danny said. "The clean up van will be here next, but I thought you'd want to touch that first." He shined his beam on a pile of ashes. "Know him?"
Enoch's stomach sank. "I can't tell. I only see the next victim." But maybe that was the clue he needed. Enoch's skin went cold. He knelt and reached out a finger, silently praying that it wasn't Keb. If it was, Nula's face should be next in line. He closed his eyes and waited, but no faces flashed before him. At first that puzzled him. But then he understood. They wouldn't, would they? Donato was dead. His list was finished. He probably made the kill before Eva attacked him. No, not Eva. She wouldn't do this, leave this carnage. Enoch opened his eyes.
He was pushing himself to a standing position when a blur dropped from the church's roof. Enoch bodily picked up Danny and moved him behind his back. Then he braced himself for the vampire who lunged at him. Tall and massive with bulging muscles, the blond giant sprouted monstrous fangs. Enoch knocked him away. "Hands off! He's a friend."
The vampire looked surprised. "What are you? Not as strong as you think. You're both going to be mine." Long hair fell to the vampire's shoulders. A mustache skimmed his thin lips. His blue eyes gleamed with malice.
"You must be Gunther. I'm Enoch…." That's all he got to s
ay before wings sprang from Gunther's back. He bulked up and tried to shove Enoch out of the way, to reach around him to grab Danny.
"I said no." Enoch grabbed Gunther by the throat and slammed him against the stone wall, pinning him there.
Two more blurs flew past him. When he turned to deal with them, Keb and Eva planted themselves on each side of Danny to protect him. Gunther took advantage of the distraction and head-butted Enoch, knocking him backward.
"Calm down, Gunther," Eva warned. "We don't want to fight you."
He started toward the others, but Enoch grabbed his shoulder, yanking him back.
Gunther struggled. "Let me go, or I'll…."
"What?" Enoch crushed him in a tight grip, both arms circling Gunther’s midsection, until he grimaced in pain. "I'm just trying to get your attention."
Gunther took a deep breath. As he released it, he changed back into his regular form. "Are you happy now?"
"I'm not letting you go until you promise not to attack. Everyone here's working together, and everyone needs to be safe."
"Safe? Horace is dead!"
Enoch loosened his grip.
Gunther pulled on his blond beard, his gaze accusing. He glanced from Eva and Keb to Enoch and back again. "Is this a new alliance? A mutant, some mortals, and a few vampires who've sided with the slayers?"
"If you were the only one on their list, I'd be tempted." Enoch scowled. "I'm not a mutant. I'm working with Bart to keep good vampires alive."
Gunther sneered. "Then you're not very good at it. Horace was safe until you called us. We were staying in Spain when we got Bart's orders."
Danny cleared his throat. "You might want to see this." He took a plastic, evidence bag from his jacket pocket and pulled out a passport—Donato's. He'd just come from Spain. "He'd have found your nest there."
"Coward! Killing vamps while they sleep!"
Keb stepped forward. He didn't look happy. "Bart warned you to go straight to the safe house on the edge of the city to report to him. What were you doing in town?"
Eva's hands went to her hips. "You wanted to find the hunters on your own, didn't you? You wanted to rip and kill before Bart stopped you."
"It's your fault Horace is dead," Keb said.
"Take that back!" Gunther's ham-sized hands balled into fists.
Keb was unimpressed. "You talked Horace into going for the kill instead of going to Bart. He'd be alive if he'd done what Bart told him to do."
Fangs sprang past Gunther's lips, and he pounced. Enoch grabbed him by his blond hair and yanked him back. "Will you stop doing that?"
Gunther turned on Enoch, furious. "We're generals, damn it! We don't hide behind mortals or angels for protection."
"Angels? So you do know who I am."
Gunther glanced sideways, refusing to meet his eyes. Before Enoch could say more, he sensed a movement behind him. There was a sharp twang, and Enoch stepped in front of Keb. A stake sank deep into his chest.
Enoch looked at the hole in his cotton T-shirt, directly over his heart. He pulled the stake out. There was no blood. The flesh healed itself seamlessly.
The vampires stared. So did Danny. "Damn it! I'm never going to get used to that!"
Then Enoch looked at the alley's opening. Gino stood, eyes wide in shock, watching him. When Eva sprang toward him, he raced to his car. The engine was running, and he slammed the door shut. He jammed his foot on the accelerator. Enoch made it to the sidewalk just in time to see Eva land in front of the Audi, holding it in place with her hand.
"Don't even think I'm inviting you inside." Gino pointed toward the sky. The horizon was rimmed in pink.
Eva hissed and jumped to the alley. She grabbed Keb and Gunther's hands. "We've got to go."
Enoch watched them fly toward the stone house.
Gino's car tires squealed, gripped the pavement, and the Audi raced out of sight.
Danny came to stand beside Enoch. "Give me your shirt. I can pick up Gino now. I saw him shoot the stake at you." He pointed to the hole. "Here's the proof."
Enoch pulled the tee over his head and tossed it to him. "This might confuse the issue. There's no blood." He pointed to his chest, completely healed. "No wound. Gino knows he shot me. He knows it didn't hurt me, too."
"I can still pick him up for questioning. And we have the body of the poor shmuck who worked late in his office. If I can't lock him up for shooting you, maybe I can pin that on him."
"If we catch Gino, they'll just send another one, and someone else after that."
"It's a start, though." Danny nodded to the mess in the alley. "Who are we bagging up?"
"Gino's friend, Donato."
"Wasn't there another hunter, a third guy?"
"He and Donato came here together. They meant to stake Keb." Enoch headed back into the alley. Danny followed him, shining his flashlight in broad arcs. Soon, they found two gym bags thrown on the cement. One was partially unzipped. The other looked as if it was tossed when its owner took off running.
"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Danny asked.
"Would you stick around after watching Gunther rip someone to shreds?"
"Guess we can cross that hunter off our list." The sun was over the horizon, and the world seemed more normal again. The body baggers pulled to the curb and Danny showed them what needed done before he walked to the Jaguar with Enoch. He still had to wait for the clean up crew. "Damn, I love this car."
"I'll let you borrow it sometime."
"Really?" Danny stared. "I'm moving up in the world. There was a time you'd hardly let me sit in it."
"You're always rumpled."
"Still am." Danny hesitated before asking, "Are you going to be okay?"
"Me? Fine. A stake can't hurt me."
Danny nodded toward the remains of Donato in the alley. "That's not what I meant. That's what the vampires did to your friend in New York, isn't it? That's why you came here, to catch the vamp who did it."
Enoch's expression clouded for a moment. "There wasn't that much left of Alessandro when they got done with him."
Danny recoiled. "Could you bury him?"
"Didn't need to. I used the Light. Killed every vamp who attacked him but the one who came here. I made Alessandro ashes, too. It was better that way, more dignified."
"The rest of Bart's generals aren't like Gunther, right?"
"He's the only one. That's why Keb and Eva came to control him."
Danny looked relieved. A truck lumbered down the street toward them. "Finally. I feel sorry for these guys. What a mess, but I can go now. Lots of paper work on this one. I'll call you before we question Gino so you can sit in."
"Tony will be okay with that?"
"Are you kidding? This guy's dating his daughter. He'll be all for it, especially after he reads my report."
They parted ways, Danny driving off in his unmarked Buick, Enoch heading home. Or to his temporary home. The vampires should be asleep when he got back. Unless Amado was training Voronika again. He throttled his steering wheel until he made his hands relax. But with Gunther, Keb, and Eva's return, there'd be lots to talk about, so maybe Amado wouldn't be a problem.
Chapter 23
Gino sank onto the bed in his hotel room. He rested his elbows on his knees and hid his face in his hands. What the hell were those things in the alley? Vampires, yes. But the guy from the bar—the guy who sat there and sipped wine—calmly pulled a stake from his chest and grabbed vampires by their hair. Who did that? What did that?
He took deep breaths, trying to collect himself. If the strips of flesh on the alley floor and the blood spattered on the wall were what he thought it was, Donato was gone. Where was Carlo? Had a vampire grabbed him and flown off with him? Gino couldn't believe how fast the girl vamp had sprung in front of his car, how long her fangs were, and how scared he'd felt.
He walked to the bottle of whiskey on the table in the corner and, with shaky hands, poured himself a stiff drink. As he gulped it down, he thought about
his options. He could walk away from this job, but was that a smart thing to do? If Manny had teamed up with these monsters, where could he run? Where did you hide when the mob and vamps were both looking for you? If Carlo had bolted, Manny wouldn't be happy. Would he punish him for it? If he sent monsters with wings to get him in the dark, what chance did he have?
Gino reached for his cell phone and dialed New York. When Manny picked up, he said, "We have a problem. We found our guy, but he was with more of his kind. Donato took out one of them before they got him. We lost Carlo. I don't know where he is—if they carried him off or if he ran. I thought you said they couldn't hurt us here. There was a rule."
"They can't drink your blood, and they can't stalk you, but self-defense is a different thing. Anyone's allowed to protect his own neck, even them. What the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you go for them while they slept?"
"Our shadowy friend said we couldn't get to their nest."
Curses filled the air. When Manny settled down, he said, "Okay, so you've seen them. You know what you're sent to whack. You know what they're like when they're awake. So don't be stupid again. Find their nest and off them."
"I'm not talking two of them," Gino argued, his voice rising as he got riled. "I'm talking four at least, a cop who acted like he knew them, and some guy who pulled the stake I shot at him out of his chest. I watched the skin heal back over it."
"You have to shoot them in the head or through the heart. Anything else and they heal."
"I shot him in the damned heart. It didn't faze him."
"There are rumors…" Manny was silent a minute.
"What is he?"
"I'll get back to you. And if Carlo shows up, let me know."
Gino hesitated. "They creeped him out. I don't blame him if he ran."
"I do. He left you and Donato to cover your own asses. Now Donato's dead."
"Carlo might have watched what happened to him and that's when he took off."
"I sent him to do a job. He should be doing it."
"This is different. We're not used to vamps."
"Get used to them. You're going to be seeing more of them."
