by Judith Post
Enoch knew that look. He could argue until he was hoarse, but Danny wouldn't change his mind. He turned to Derek. "You're going back to the station. I can't protect both of you if something goes wrong."
Derek looked relieved. He'd been attacked by a rogue vampire on their first case together. "No arguments from me. I'd rather keep my distance."
The dad stared. "I don't know who you are, or what you are, but you're planning on walking into that club alone?"
"It's what I do, why I hunt them. If we find your girls, we'll call you." Enoch started for the door.
"Wait!" the dad called. "What happens if you don't walk out? Who rescues my girls then?"
"I'll walk out," Enoch said. "I always do, but if I need help with clean-up, I'll call in the cavalry."
The man shook his head. "I probably don't want to know."
"No, you don't."
Enoch stalked to his Land Rover. Danny and Derek followed.
Derek hesitated at his car. He looked worried. "What are you going to do, Enoch? Just wade in there?"
"I'll try the welcome to town approach first. I'm thinking they won't want trouble, but your case could turn ugly."
"How?" Danny asked. "What do you mean by ugly?"
"What do we do if the girls have already been turned?"
Danny ran a hand through his buzz-cut, blond hair. "Shit. Do you think that's a possibility?"
"It's a concern."
Derek took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Newbie vamps go through blood lust, right?"
"Usually their sire chains them to a wall and takes the time to train them, but if this is a club, and vamps go there to sip and enjoy, all bets are off."
Danny rubbed his forehead, clearly frustrated. "Crystal's seventeen, a kid. You can't just dust her."
Derek swallowed hard. "Angel's only eleven. But what do you do with them?"
"We hope for the best." Enoch slid behind the steering wheel of the Land Rover and waited for Danny. "Wish us luck."
Derek gave a half-hearted thumbs-up. Not very encouraging. Enoch motioned for him to drive away before he started for Clinton Street. He knew the area the father had talked about. It was tucked between the city and Lake Avenue. Tall, narrow houses bordered brick factories from yesteryear. Most were deserted.
When Enoch pulled to the curb across the street from the warehouse's parking lot, Danny gulped a deep breath. The car was far enough from the warehouse that no one would notice it, but Danny looked worried. As they watched, three shadows plummeted to the parking lot and strode to the back door together. "Maybe you should call Bart and his generals before you go in."
Enoch glanced at his watch, then frowned at the dimming light. "The sun hasn't set yet, but it's a gray day. The vamps can come early. It's a Saturday. The place will be busy."
"Do you think they'll give you the girls if they're there?"
Enoch smiled. "Maybe. If I ask nicely."
"And maybe they'll all jump you and sink their fangs in your veins."
"I can deal with that. The vampires will have more problems than I do, but I don't know what to do with young girls if they've been turned." Enoch shrugged. "I guess I could knock them out and drag them home to chain to a wall."
Danny's jaw fell.
Enoch laughed. "Voronika will know how to help them. We'll come up with something."
Danny locked the doors when Enoch got out of the car. Not that locks guaranteed safety. They both knew better. "Be careful," Danny told him.
"You, too." With a nod, Enoch started toward the warehouse.
Chapter 3
Angel crouched in the narrow opening between two warehouses. Two days ago, she'd watched her mom drink all afternoon before she passed out. She'd been weird lately, getting all nervous whenever Angel pestered her about Crystal.
"You drove her somewhere, Mom. You didn't bring her back. Where is she?"
"I took her somewhere better. If you turn out decent, some day, I'll let you go there, too."
"Where? Why can't I call her? Can we visit her on weekends?"
"Leave it alone. We won't see Crystal anymore."
"But what about school?" Crystal was a straight-A student. She went to school even when she was sick.
"What about it?"
"What are you going to tell Dad when he comes to pick us up?"
"Let me worry about that. You stay out of it."
But Angel knew where Crystal was. At least, she knew what the place looked like. When Mom had asked Crystal to go with her to see friends, Angel had been suspicious. She'd hidden under the clothes and crap Mom carelessly tossed in the back of her car. Mom had driven to an old warehouse in a part of town that Angel didn't recognize. Of course, she'd never gone much farther than their small neighborhood off Freeman Street. She knew the school bus route, the way to the convenience store, and not much else. Mom wasn't into social enlightenment.
Mom and Crystal had walked to the back door of the warehouse, talked to someone briefly, and Mom had returned alone. That was the last Angel had seen Crystal. When she pestered her mom about it, Mom would unscrew the cap on her gallon jug of wine and wave Angel away.
Mom had given birth to her, but Crystal raised her, cared for her. Crystal was forever yapping at her about her report card, lecturing her about preparing for a bright future. Like they'd have a bright future! People who were poor stayed poor. What was Crystal fantasizing about? Crystal was so pretty, though, so smart, that if anyone could escape this neighborhood, she'd be the one to do it.
After two weeks of no answers and no sister, Angel's patience wore thin. She purposely played her music too loud, asked too many questions, so that Mom would retreat into her bottle. Once Mom started, she didn't stop. And when she passed out, Angel would take off to look for Crystal. She started at the library and asked about the city's history and old warehouses.
Angel smiled, pleased with herself. She might not be a good student like Crystal, but she was plenty smart. If she needed to figure something out, she'd find a way.
A few days ago, when she found a picture of the warehouse she'd seen and recognized it, she didn't return home. She walked there to watch it, to see who went in and out. Heavy, metal bars covered all of its doors and windows. Every glass pane on the second floor was painted black. Shut drapes covered most of the windows on the upper floors, but some of the drapes had gaps.
When night came, music blasted out its doors each time someone opened them. And lots of people came and went. If they were people. Most visitors dropped from the sky. Literally. Or materialized out of nowhere. Visitors with leathery wings and sharp fangs. One of her favorite movies was Van Helsing, but it took her a while to admit that vampire myths were true. What else could these things be?
She shivered in shadows the first night she stood watch, scared that someone would see or smell her. Cold. She'd worn a jacket, but she should have brought her coat. She worried about being discovered the next morning, but whatever guests stayed on didn't run about during the day. Even when the skies were gray, they preferred to sleep.
She couldn't work up her courage to look for Crystal that day. What if someone walked out to dump the garbage or breathe some fresh air? But the day stretched away with no activity. Nothing happened until the sun set. Then dampness crept from the bricks and gravel alleyway. Garbage ripened in the dumpsters, making her wrinkle her nose. And then the music pumped and guests jostled in and out.
She watched vampires come and go another night, ate two more of the peanut butter sandwiches she'd made at home, then slept near a vent that kept her warm until she woke late in the afternoon.
Nervous, she chewed her bottom lip. Fear pooled in her stomach. Every old building, except this one, sat deserted. No one came or went. If she got caught peeking in windows, no one would hear her screams or come to rescue her. But Crystal must be in that warehouse somewhere, and she was going to find her.
A ladder, fire escape zigzagged across one side of the building, its metal rusting.
She'd start by peeking in the windows on the first floor, and then she'd work her way up. She hurried to the alley side of the warehouse. A film covered the windows to dim the light, but if she pressed her nose against the glass, she could make out the shapes in the room. She made her way from one window to the next, standing at the far edge of each to peer inside. A long, narrow kitchen stretched from front to back, with big, stainless steel appliances.
She turned a corner and reached the back of the building that bordered the parking lot. The windows sat higher here, but nothing covered them. Thankfully, she was tall for her age. On tiptoe, she gazed at a large room with a bar near the kitchen. She'd never seen anything so fancy. Round tables dotted its center and red, velvet booths lined its far wall. A stage took up an entire corner.
No one moved inside. The bar was empty. She returned to the alley and began to climb the fire escape. Its metal rungs felt slimy and gritty with gravel dust. She could only reach a few windows on the second floor, but she wouldn't have any luck here anyway. Every window was painted black. She pressed her nose to the glass, but couldn't make out anything. At the third floor, the drape at the window closest to her was cracked a few inches to let sunlight in. She stretched over the railing to peek inside, and there, sitting on the edge of a queen-sized bed was Crystal.
Angel's heart skipped a beat. It felt like it clenched. Crystal wore some nightgown with a black corset on top and a long, red, satiny skirt. The top pushed her breasts so high, they looked like they'd fall out at any moment. Angel grimaced. Their mom read romance novels with women dressed in outfits like that. But what really bothered her was Crystal's throat. At the base, near both shoulders, bite marks riddled it.
Crystal leaned down to scoop a red ribbon off the floor, and her wavy, chestnut hair fell forward, hiding her face. Her fingers shook as she picked up the ribbon. They trembled worse when she straightened to tie it around her neck. Her gaze moved to the window, her eyes unseeing. Her expression looked blank.
Angel stepped to the crack in the drapes. She tapped on the glass. Crystal frowned and came toward her. She pulled back a drape and her eyes went wide with fear. Her mouth formed the word, "No!" and she shook her head frantically.
She stepped close enough for Angel to hear. "Run," she said.
Angel crossed her arms over her chest. "Not without you."
Footsteps sounded outside the door to Crystal's room. A key slid into the lock, and Crystal hurried back to sit on the bed. A tall man with flowing, dark hair stepped inside. He closed and locked the door behind him. Angel had never seen a man as beautiful as this one, not even on magazine covers or in movies. His face looked sculpted. His body rippled with muscles. He wore no shirt, and his black pants clung to his physique. He looked at Crystal and smiled.
"Hello, my pretty."
Crystal raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't be here. If Feral finds out, she won't like it."
He shrugged a shoulder. "What Feral doesn't know won't hurt her, and it wouldn't be wise of you to tattle on me. As a matter of fact, if I were you, I'd be especially nice to me. I can make your life much better here."
Crystal glanced toward the window. "The sun hasn't set yet."
"Exactly. Feral's still resting." He crossed the room toward her and pushed her back against the bed pillows. "Let's get to know each other better, shall we?"
As he lowered himself on top of her, Crystal's gaze met Angel's. A warning. Don't watch. Don't make a noise.
Angel stepped out of sight, but she could tell what was happening by the noises in the room. Her mom made the same sounds when men visited her. Soon, though, she heard sucking noises, too. She wrinkled her nose. She didn't know which was more gross. But then Crystal gasped. Angel leaned forward to see what was happening. The man's fangs were deep in Crystal's neck and he couldn't drink fast enough.
Disgusting. The vampire shouldn't be awake yet. Pink still tinged the horizon. Hopefully, he'd finish soon, and Angel could rescue Crystal. They'd get out of this stupid place and be halfway home before the vampires started "dropping in."
The noises changed, and Angel pressed her nose against the glass, worried. Crystal panted and choked, and the man kept drinking. Crystal's hands and arms began to spasm. He was killing her! Angel pounded on the window, screaming her sister's name.
The man jerked up, turning to see who was there. He leapt to his feet and stalked toward the window when the room's door opened again. This time, a woman so beautiful that Angel stared, walked inside. She, too, shut and locked the door behind her.
She turned cold, blue eyes on the vampire.
"Well, well, Desya, what have you done this time?"
The man's fingers curled. He squared his shoulders, and Angel recognized fear when she saw it. He kept his voice smooth, though, when he answered. "I was just looking for a snack before work hours."
"Any of the girls would be glad to oblige. You know the rules. Mortals are off limits to anyone but guests."
He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "But she smelled so good."
The woman glanced at Crystal, lying in a boneless heap on the bed. Was she still alive? She hadn't moved, hadn't made a sound. Had he drained her completely dry? Angel's throat constricted. Tears stung her eyes. Then Crystal gave a low groan. She licked her lips, but her tongue was long and snake-like. Angel's skin crawled. Crystal sat up, and her eyes glowed yellow.
Feral sighed. "See what you've done? You turned her. What good is she to me now?"
To his credit, Desya stared, surprised. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…."
Feral cut him off. "You're such a foolish child. You know Caleb's rules for Three Rivers."
"I meant to be careful. I didn't want to harm her."
Feral's lips curled down. "My mistake. I should have never let you bartend. You weren't ready, but you beg so prettily."
"I'm not a child," he said. "I'm two centuries old. It's time you treat me as an adult."
Feral hesitated, considering that. "You're right. You're responsible for your own mistakes. You know the cost."
"No, wait!" Desya raised his arms in protest, but Feral moved so fast, she was only a blur. Angel glimpsed an arm rise and slice sideways. The man's body dropped to the floor. His head rolled to a stop beside it. Soon, both turned to ashes, and only his clothes remained. Feral looked at them and sighed, a bloody butcher knife gripped in her hand.
Angel swallowed fright so real, she could taste it. The fear turned to panic when two arms encircled her and lifted her off the ground. She wriggled enough to glimpse a vampire, who looked like a bodybuilder. His fangs showed when he hissed his displeasure.
"Come on, little girl. Feral would like to talk to you."
Angel doubted the term "talk" was accurate, but she didn't bother to struggle. He was like beating against a rock. She shouldn't have stayed here. She should have found the warehouse and run for help. Now, she and Crystal were both doomed.
The man carted her up the stairs, gave a quick knock on Crystal's door, and Feral opened it. She motioned for him to dump Angel inside and leave. Feral looked from Crystal to Angel and back again. "Looks like I have a bit of a mess to clean up." Her smile made Angel shiver.
"Crystal, you can hear the blood pumping through your sister's veins, can't you? Do you hear her heart beat? You're so hungry. Crazed with hunger, and I've brought you something to satisfy your craving."
Angel stared. Her jaw dropped. The girl on the bed looked at her as though she were a juicy morsel. That girl was no longer her sister, at least, not now. That girl only knew one thing—hunger.
Crystal poised to pounce. Angel screamed a silent protest. This couldn't happen! Not like this! She and Crystal had always stuck together, watched each others' backs.
Feral stepped out of the way, and Crystal leapt. Angel braced herself for the impact, but the door crashed open. A tall, dark-haired man whipped inside and yanked Crystal out of midair to jam her under his arm. She fought and snapped, but he ignored her, pinning her ea
sily. He turned to Feral.
"We need to talk."
Feral's black brows rose. "Who the hell are you?"
"Caleb's friend, Enoch. This is my city. I don't share it with vampires, so why are you here?"
Chapter 4
Enoch loosened his grip on the girl when she stopped struggling so much. He didn't want to hurt her, only stop her. He had an idea who she might be, but he hoped like hell he was wrong. He looked at the younger girl, standing ashen white and shaking from fear. "Are you Angel?"
She blinked at him, surprised. "How do you know my name?"
"Your dad filed a missing persons report." He gestured toward the girl he restrained. "Is this Crystal?"
Angel nodded, looking numb.
Anger blurred his vision. He turned his attention to the female vampire. "You know Caleb's rules. Who turned her?"
The woman's eyes narrowed. "I'm Feral. I own this club, and I came here because of Caleb's rules. This town should be safer for my girls than any place I've been."
Enoch was in no mood for glib excuses. "Then who turned her?"
Feral gestured toward Angel. "Ask her. She saw it. One of my bartenders snuck up here while I rested." She motioned to the ashes and clothes on the floor and then to her butcher knife. "I already dealt with him. Caleb won't need to." She held up the bloody blade.
"Who's Caleb?" The words shot out of Angel's mouth like an eruption. She put a hand to her lips and blinked back tears. "I don't know what's going on…" Her voice rose, then cracked. "…and I hate it!"
The girl looked ready to freak from fear. Enoch softened his tone. "Caleb's my fellow angel. He created vampires. I came to eliminate them, but there were too many. So we called a truce. No vampire can drain an innocent mortal."
If anything, Angel's coloring went paler. "You're an angel?"
Enoch sighed. Why this girl hadn't gone into shock was beyond him. "Yes, and I'm taking your sister home with me until I know what to do with her. You can come too, if you want to."
"I won't leave Crystal." Some of her fight returned.
