“APBs ‘av gone oyt on de Governor’s Chief of Staff, as well as an unidentified male an’ female responsible for firing on the crowd. Al’ av whaich are considered ter be armed an’ fierce. They’ve authorized use av deadly force. Yer guys nade ter be wide, don’t get caught in de crossfire,” Speedy told them as he unlocked the driver door and hopped inside the Humvee.
They had parked on the third floor of the parking garage and a line of cars was starting to form as people fled the scene.
“If you’re still inside, yer nade ter git oyt nigh. They’ve also been ordered ter sayle aff an’ detain as many people as possable,” Speedy informed them.
A hand slammed into the passenger door just as he finished backing up and shifting it into drive. Startled, he glanced right and saw Naomi’s face glaring in at him. Her hair was no longer up, her make up looked slightly smeared, and her eyes were glowing hot.
Hitting the unlock button, she yanked the door open and jumped inside. “What the fuck is going on? I told you to get the Humvee five minutes ago.”
“And I told you, I had to deal with a shooter.”
“You? Deal with a shooter? What are you talking about, guero?” she interrogated, moving from the passenger seat and into the back.
He pressed his foot on the gas and lurched forward. “Sorry,” he apologized, hearing her curse. He wasn’t really, and she knew it. “Someone tried to shoot Cassidy, the astronaut. I pulled him out the way just in time.”
“And the shooter?” she asked. He was slowly making his way down to the lower level, but traffic had temporarily halted. He looked in the rear-view mirror and saw that she was in the process of shedding her dress. “Eyes on the road.”
I wasn’t even really looking, he snarked inwardly. “A woman interceded. Don’t know who or even what happened. I got up and they were gone.”
“Not our problem then,” she returned. “They weren’t there for you? You sure about that?”
“No, why would they be?” he responded, confused. “A Fed wouldn’t fire into a crowd like that, too much of a chance at hitting an innocent bystander. Not that I gave them cause anyhow. And would a vampire even use a gun?”
“Why wouldn’t they? They use whatever weapons they have available, especially in full view of a crowd. Either way, had to ask,” she grunted. “When you hit the street, head north. Hoops, you still tracking him?”
“Ezio is on it,” Renny told them.
In his head he imagined Ezio wolfed out and leading Renny along by a leash. He had to crack up.
“Not the time,” Naomi growled.
“Couldn’t help it,” he laughed back as he pulled onto the street and made a right.
Geared up, Naomi retook her seat across from him and gave him a severe look. “Try. Remember, this is your wife’s killer we are chasing. More innocent people are likely to die before the nights out, especially now that his identity is exposed; he has nothing to lose. So wipe that shitty grin off your face and stay on task. Go north three blocks then hang a left.”
“Looks like he’s darted into a church,” Renny told them. “Ezio is going to cover the south side, I’m heading around to the other. We could use backup.”
A car darted into the road, narrowly missing their front bumper, forcing him to slam on the brake. “We’re coming as fast as we can,” Naomi hissed, her hand striking the dash and a flood of curse words swiftly following after. “Do not enter until we get there. Speedy, use the traffic cameras and whatever else you can find, if he leaves, I want to know it instantly.” She then turned and glared at him once more, “do try and get us there in one piece?”
Like I’m trying to do anything else?
Chapter 15
I
He hadn’t finished pulling up at the curb before Naomi hopped out with a “get your gear on” comment just for good measure, like he was going to go into battle with a vampire in a penguin suit.
The street lights illuminated the vacant street and he looked at the dim lights of the building on his left, wondering why a vampire would choose a church amongst the hundreds of others in the vicinity as the place to hide.
Irony?
He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed into the backseat.
“Status check?” Naomi asked over the comms, her breathing rapid as she disappeared around the front of the vehicle.
“Ezio and I have changed places,” Renny informed them.
“No sign that he’s exited,” Ezio added in.
“Okay, you two stay put. There are multiple buildings here and plenty of ways for him to get past us. Speedy, you get the camera feeds up yet?”
“Aye, de bugger ain’t getting’ away withoyt me seein’ ‘im,” Speedy answered after a slight pause. “Peelers are doin’ a root tree blocks ter de south. I’ll warn yer if they git any closer. Try not ter use yisser guns unless yer ‘av ter.”
“Peelers?” he asked, unable to help himself.
“The cops,” Renny offered back.
Oh. I need a universal translator or something. He slid the rest of his gear on and reached for his sidearm. Renny’s and Ezio’s armor and weapons were still in the Humvee, he wondered what they were planning to do when they did catch up with the vamp, throw rocks at him? “You coming to get your shit?”
“As soon as you finish putting on yours and take over for me,” Renny replied sarcastically. “You get dressed like a girl. Get on with it.”
“You best can that shit,” Naomi snapped.
“I wasn’t talking about you, Boss. Everyone knows you’re not a girl,” Renny chuckled into the mic.
“You damn well know better,” Naomi returned. “Seriously, get your heads about you. This son of a bitch is responsible for the death of one of our own. No way we let him keep breathing, this shit ends tonight. Get geared and get into place, I want to move in five.”
He stepped out of the Humvee and looked south. Renny was standing on the corner patiently waiting for him to exit the vehicle. With a grunt, he began jogging in the man’s direction, the crap he was wearing slowing him down and slightly uncomfortable, still needing to be broken in. “Sorry, go ahead. I’ll cover this.”
“Make sure you take the safety off. This bastard is fast. He’ll be on you before you even realize he’s hit the pavement. Trust your instincts,” Renny told him, then pushed past.
Pulling his gun from his shoulder holster, he checked to make sure a round was chambered and that the safety was off, no way this fucker was getting away. He had suffered far too much to let that happen.
“Ezio, you’re probably going to need to wolf out,” Naomi said. “Don’t have time for you to run and gear up too, he’s probably killing everyone inside. He’ll keep a hostage, try to bargain his way out, do not listen to him. He will not let any of us live, it’s him or us. Got it?”
“Roger that,” he muttered, looking at the trees lining the church wall and the darkened windows within.
“Funny how much shit you give me for my condition, yet so eagerly call upon it whenever you have use of it,” Ezio snarked over the comms. “Toto, remember?”
“Get us out of this, I might let you hump my leg. Remember, I used the word might.”
“Now you’re talking!” he heard over the comms, followed by a howl that pierced the sky, making him grin.
Wish I could see that.
“¡Dios mío! I said my leg. Fuck! You probably shifted and can’t hear me anymore. I am not having a litter of puppies, it’s just not happening. How we looking back there Rook?” Naomi asked.
At least she didn’t call me guero or gringo.
“Quiet for the moment,” he replied back, his hand shaking. Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady himself, but his nerves were firing, and he couldn’t help but be excited despite himself. The man responsible for all his misery over the past week was just a few dozen yards away, he might yet exact the justice he so sorely craved.
“We have no way of stopping him should he choose to rabbit, and our reinfo
rcements are still hours out,” Naomi told them.
“I thought they were supposed to be here by now,” Renny commented.
“Got held up, and there’s no way they can get to us now, not with Five-O running rampant through downtown Houston,” Naomi answered. “So it’s just us.”
“Well, not just,” Benji’s calm voice said over the comms. “Sorry I’m late, heard you needed a hand?”
He laughed, he couldn’t help it. “Welcome to the party, pal.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Benji returned.
“You got a weapon this time?” Naomi inquired, all business, not showing in the least that she was grateful for the hybrid’s assistance.
Well, I am. Might have just evened things up a bit.
“My dear, that would be uncivilized. I am all the weapon I require,” Benji returned, refusing to be flustered by her inquiries.
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Naomi told him.
“One less vamp in the world. That should make you happy,” Benji said in an even voice.
“I for one wouldn’t be,” he offered up.
“Okay,” Renny said, hopping out of the Humvee, “are we done with the bullshit or can we get to work?”
“Let’s do it. Derek hook up with Hoops. Treebeards sounds like they are still open, and from the racket I heard passing there are customers in there. I want you to poke your heads in, see if he’s hiding in a booth, but I’m betting you’ll come up empty. Ezio, check that school. We’ll meet at the front steps of the cathedral. Benji, I want you in that courtyard behind the main building in case he chooses to make a break for it,” Naomi directed.
He had been so focused on the sidewalks and streets that he hadn’t even noticed that there was a restaurant on property. How the hell did he miss that? Walking back towards the Humvee, he nodded at the armored man approaching his position, “kind of quiet place to eat. I wouldn’t have realized it was there if she hadn’t pointed it out.”
Renny smiled, “takes some practice, taking in everything but not really paying attention to any of it. You’ll get the hang of it sooner or later. I’ll just poke my head in and ask to use the bathroom. If both of us go in there armed, it might spook someone. We don’t want any frantic calls to the police disturbing our hunt. Here, hold onto my rifle.”
He grunted as he tried to grip the assault rifle and his revolver at the same time. “Little heads up would have been nice. You really want me to just hang out here?”
“If I need you, you’ll know it,” Renny replied, then reached out and pulled the door open, the smell of southern fried chicken drifting out and making his stomach stir. “Damn that smells good. Think she’ll mind if I get me some chicken?”
“More than likely. And didn’t you just have KFC? How much chicken can a guy eat in a day?” he grinned back, then turned his eyes to watch the sidewalk as Renny disappeared inside.
Standing there in what was essentially riot gear, he suddenly wished they had a badge or something to flash when someone walked by. In this day and age, they’d assume a mass shooting event rather than a police action. In fact, wasn’t a church just shot up recently in San Antonio?
“Boss, the restaurant is clear,” Renny said, stepping back out and retrieving his weapon. “If he’d come barreling through there, someone would have noticed, and they’d be talking about it.”
“Our target is probably waiting for us in the main cathedral. You know how their sick sense of humor usually plays out. Ezio, if you haven’t lost your earbud yet, make your way to the east entrance and stay there until needed.”
Renny motioned with his head for them to walk back to the street corner. “Never liked the idea of grits, but it sure as hell looked good tonight.”
“I bet,” he remarked, feeling a bit edgy and nervous.
His newly acquired friend gave him an understanding smile, “just don’t shoot one of us, or a civvie, and you’ll be okay. Everyone gets the jitters first time out.”
“I had that this morning when that group of assholes attacked us,” he admitted. “It’s not so much that, as I want to find this fucker and end him. The life I knew is over, and I won’t be able to move on until he’s just as dead as my wife.”
“Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying,” Renny told him as they rounded the corner and began walking along the iron fence lining the boundaries of the church. “If you let your emotions drive you, you’ll get someone hurt. This is dangerous enough without worrying about one of our own icing us by accident.”
Taking a deep breath, he attempted to slow his heart rate and steady his hands. “Doing the best I can.”
“I know.”
As they rounded the northwestern corner, he saw Naomi standing at the base of the church steps, her eyes on the large brick building before her. A brick wall with wrought iron fencing lined the cobblestoned sidewalk. Trees spaced along the road loomed over the three parked cars, the lights from the streetlamps adding a serene calming influence to the old-fashioned architecture. A parking garage was off to the left, the lights within dim, with no sign that anyone was moving about within.
The world was silent, as if holding its breath to see what happened next.
They stepped onto a handicap ramp that led to the small wooden front door, the glass above casting an orange glow as Naomi stepped up to greet them. “I haven’t heard anything from inside just yet, don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“Well, no way a place like this is totally empty, even if they aren’t having mass tonight,” Renny responded. “I figure, couple of priests, a few nuns at least.”
Naomi nodded. “And as much as you will want to feel responsible for them, to protect them, the target is the one we need to focus on. They may be dead or dying, or he might try to use them against us, but the few lives he takes here pales in comparison to how many will die should he escape. Keep your heads on straight and do what needs to be done.”
“Yes Boss,” Renny returned.
He nodded that he understood as well.
She made the sign of the cross; he didn’t take her for the religious type, so it surprised him. Still, what exactly did he know about her or any of the others? They’d only just met. “Any last words?” Naomi asked, drawing a smile from the both of them.
A howl erupted nearby, making him jump.
“Yeah, didn’t catch that,” she said into her comms with a grin. “Whatever you do, don’t let him do anything more than hump my leg if I kick it. I do not want to come back as a lust-filled mutt.”
“A lust-filled slut is all right then, but not a mutt?” Renny snarked. Naomi raised her gun and Renny’s hands shot up, “kidding. I was serious the last time you asked, someone delete my browser history before Ayana finds it. I want her to remember me as I am, not the pervert who watches dwarves and werewolves fucking while beating off.”
His jaw opened slightly, and he couldn’t find words for a response.
Renny saw that and laughed, “what? It’s a thing, trust me.”
“If I’m going to go, let it be as a man, not the thing these monsters tried to turn me into,” Benji said over the comms in a solemn voice.
“If I die, add my ashes to my wife’s and pour us into the gulf,” he asked, remembering the last moments he’d shared with her, the love he’d felt before she passed. “That’s the way it should have been to begin with, and none of this would be happening if I’d just followed through.”
“You can’t know that,” Renny offered.
“Thanks, but I do,” he returned with a sad smile.
“Okay, sounds like we are all set. Benji, just keep covering that rear exit. Ezio, you’ll know it if we need you. When we go inside, I’ll go left, Hoops you take right. Derek, hang back and make sure he doesn’t get past us.”
Did she just call me by my real name? he inwardly wondered, stunned. Wow.
After a brief delay to steady herself, her hand reached out, grasped the door handle. With a quick pull it swung open, the
unoiled hinges signaling that they had arrived at last. She gave them one last glance, then stepped inside and out of sight.
Please God, don’t let me fuck up.
II
Naomi raised her AR-15 and swept left as Renny went right, both moving with trained and measured steps, their heads pivoting as they entered the hall and faced a large set of double doors. He waited there patiently at the doorway as they investigated the rooms on either end, reappearing almost instantaneously as they signaled all clear.
He was about to say something when Naomi shook her head hard and thrust her hand up. Then she lifted two fingers and pointed at the doorway. Renny nodded as he reached for the right door handle, Naomi’s hand settling on the left.
Hand shaking, he took a long deep breath and tried to calm down; it wasn’t working.
The doors opened to reveal a large chamber, thirty or so pews on either side of the walkway, and large ornate stained-glass windows lit up by the orange glow of the church’s lighting. It had an old London vibe exuding off of it, especially with the wooden beams arched across the middle and the framework over the lifted platform on the opposite side of the room. He could make out the mahogany altar and a blue altar cloth, but it was the two bodies lying on the steps and the man on his knees in front of it that truly drew his attention.
“You’re a bit late for mass,” a voice boomed through the rafters, giving him a start.
His eyes swept to the ceiling and along the multiple beams, but he could not spy the source of the taunting voice.
“We’re not quite ready for guests. However, if you’d withdrawal to our common room for about twenty minutes, we’ll be ready to receive you,” the voice echoed again, a bit of laughter at the end bouncing off the walls and giving him the chills.
It appeared that two women were dead, the man in black, presumably a priest, was on his knees dead or dying, and this asshole was cracking jokes.
“Little late for games, isn’t it?” Naomi asked, her voice raised and light in tone, as if playing along. Her eyes told a different story as she looked to Renny and nodded for him to go right. Then she hand signaled for him to stay put as she slowly inched her way to the left, her eyes transfixed on the fixtures above as well. “Your cover is blown, your face plastered across the news, how far do you think you’ll get before they corner and cuff your ass?”
Legacy Sanguis Page 21
