Recombinant

by Shannon Mayer

I motioned for her to follow me as I ran to the far side of the roof. There was only one way this was going to happen. Before she could protest, I grabbed her arm and threw her over the gap between the buildings. She let out a squawk, but I was impressed. She didn’t scream. I backed up, took two running steps, and leapt across the divide.

  Rachel was standing there glaring at me when I landed. “A little warning would have been nice.”

  “I wasn’t sure you’d let me toss you.”

  A shot zipped by us again, but it went wide.

  “They have to be on the roofs by now, too.” She shook her head. “This must go deeper than I thought if they’re willing to go to these lengths to keep me quiet.”

  It was my turn to shake my head. “I don’t think it’s just you. You were bait, Rachel. They knew I would come looking for you. You can’t think they didn’t know you were in that vent…”

  She was silent as we jogged to the far side of the roof. This one she could jump on her own. We jumped three more rooftops before I stopped her. “Time to double back.”

  “Those creatures are back there.”

  “I doubt it.” I took a deep breath. We were downwind of where we’d started and I was getting nothing. Retracing our steps, I stopped her when we reached the building I’d originally thrown her onto.

  “Time to get back to your apartment.” I kicked open the rooftop door and peered inside. Steps led down to a second door, which was unlocked. I ducked my head in and then motioned for her to follow me. The long hallway of apartment doors was silent.

  “My apartment is going to be the next place they look,” Rachel said.

  “I know. Which is why we have to hurry. I left Calvin there with a hungry vampire.”

  “You did what?” She grabbed my arm. “A hungry vampire?”

  I flashed her a smile. She was a protector of others. Just like me.

  “Like I said, that’s why we have to hurry.”

  CHAPTER 22

  RACHEL

  What I really needed was a few minutes to clear my head, but Lea was right. Time was not on our side. I wouldn’t be surprised to find Sean’s friends—or the supposed terrorists—waiting behind my front door.

  I turned and looked at the woman next to me. I’d met her less than twenty-four hours ago, yet here I was, literally trusting her with my life. Letting her make major decisions that could get me killed.

  All I had to go on were my instincts. They’d served me well in Iraq. I’d be stupid not to listen to them now. And everything in me said she was my best option—at least at the moment.

  “You don’t seemed too fazed by any of this,” I said, hustling to keep up with her brisk pace. “This must be just another day at the office for you.”

  “I could say the same about you.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Nice shot, by the way.”

  “It helped having a dad and brothers who were all about teaching me self-defense.”

  “That was well past self-defense.”

  I grinned. “Let’s just say I’m an overachiever.” We were silent for a moment, then I asked, “So this is what you do? Run around catching monsters?”

  “Something like that.”

  “And Calvin…he’s your…” My voice trailed off.

  Her back stiffened. I was slightly worried she’d turn around and literally rip my head off, but hopefully our girl-time with monsters would protect me. I was surprised when she answered, “He has been my partner for over fifty years.”

  Partner? As in business or significant other or both? I wanted to ask her, along with how old she was, but I figured that would be pressing my luck. Besides, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. “So…just you and Calvin? No one else? No family?”

  “No.”

  Her answer caught on the wind, but I still heard the loneliness saturating that one word, which seemed to carry centuries of desolation, and I felt a tie to her I’d never felt with anyone.

  For the first time, I felt like I’d found someone like me.

  Raised in a house full of boys, I’d never fit in with the girls in school. I was too much like the guys, which was one of the reasons I’d adapted so well in Iraq. But it was a lonely existence, and after Sean cheated on me and Derrick left, I never let myself get close to anyone.

  When we were close to my apartment, I grabbed Lea’s arm and pulled her to a halt.

  She obviously wasn’t a touchy-feely person because she jerked back and her dark eyes flashed at me with a feral wariness that quickly faded. Note to self: refrain from touching the vampire hunter.

  “I have a way into my apartment that might keep us from being seen.”

  Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “I’m listening.”

  “We head down this alley and sneak in the back door of the apartment building next door. Then we take the stairs to the roof, leap over to my building, and take the fire escape stairs to my apartment.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why don’t we just go straight to your fire escape? It seems much easier.”

  “Because they’ll be watching the ground. They won’t think to look up.”

  A slow smile spread across her face and I got the distinct impression I’d passed some kind of test. She swept her arm toward the alley in a graceful flourish. “Lead the way.”

  I hung to the shadows while I dug out my lanyard of keys, finding the right one with the help of the streetlights. When we were close, I stopped, my back hugging the side of the building. “Do you see anything suspicious?”

  “Do you?” There was a hint of challenge in her voice.

  “No, but I figure you probably have a special skill set I don’t. Might as well combine our assets, right?”

  She smiled again.

  I strode to the back door of the neighboring building, looking like I owned the place, then slipped the key in the lock and opened the door.

  “Where did you get a key?” she asked as we headed into the hallway.

  I snuck up to the front entrance, looking out onto the street for any obvious signs of surveillance. “The maintenance guy.”

  “And he just gave you one?” I heard the smile in her voice.

  There were no signs of Sean’s buddies, or whoever they were, but they knew I’d be looking for them now, so they’d be more discreet.

  I turned back to give her a wicked grin. “Like I said, skill sets.” She probably thought I’d slept with him, but all it had taken was a little flirtation and some sleight of hand.

  I led her to the stairwell. No sense taking the elevator and risking witnesses in case Sean’s guys were smart enough to figure out my secret route. I was in great shape, but I was out of breath when we reached the roof. Lea acted like she’d done nothing more strenuous than stroll down the hall. She looked around the skyline, then at the gap between the buildings.

  “Smart.”

  I shrugged. “Always have an alternate exit. Or two.” I looked over the edge to make sure no one was looking up at us, then leapt over the edge, landing on my feet. I turned back to look at her, but she had already landed and was walking toward the door to the stairwell. Damn vampire speed.

  “So, it’s true,” I whispered as we descended the one flight to my apartment. “Vampires are fast.”

  “You’ve seen it for yourself.”

  “I have no idea what’s fact or fiction, so I’m just making a list for future reference. I have to say I’m relieved you don’t sparkle.”

  To my surprise, she chuckled.

  “No sparkling. But as you’ve probably figured out, our sense of smell is very acute.” She paused as we reached the door to my floor. “No fresh scent of your friend.”

  “Sean? He has a distinct scent?” But then she’d told me so earlier today.

  “Everyone does. How do you think I found you?”

  Well, shit. I hadn’t even considered that part yet. I’d been too busy trying to not get killed. God, I was getting sloppy and stupid.

  She opened the access door and strode toward my door, her
grace and confidence assuring me of what I already knew—she was a deadly force to be reckoned with. I had no desire to see her skill set turned on me. Lea currently considered herself my friend, but I needed to think about how to defend myself if she changed her mind.

  She rapped on my front door with a series of knocks and hand slaps and the door opened, revealing Calvin. At least Lea’s vampire friend hadn’t eaten him. Yet.

  Shit. What if he wanted to eat me?

  Lea looked over her shoulder. “You’re perfectly safe.”

  Could she read minds too? Or could she smell my fear? I hoped it was the latter as I followed her into my apartment like I was the fucking guest.

  A handsome young man was reclining on my sofa, his arm extended across the back. His eyes lit up with excitement as his gaze traveled up and down my body before landing on my face. “Lea, you didn’t exaggerate about your friend.” He actually licked his upper lip, his fangs hanging out in what I figured was the equivalent of a vampire hard-on.

  Great.

  Rather than respond to the kid, she directed a pointed glance at Calvin. “Any trouble?”

  “No.”

  If Lea could smell fear, then her boy-toy could, too. This was my goddamned house. My anger superseded my fear. Forcing myself to release the breath I was still holding, I headed to my fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Holding it up, I said, “I’d offer you guys one but…” Then I shrugged and screwed off the cap. “Lea, care to introduce us?”

  “Louis, Rachel.”

  He patted the seat next to him, keeping his hungry, albeit slightly confused, gaze on me. Good God. How old was he? Of course, that was probably a complicated question.

  I rolled my eyes and perched on a barstool. “I’ll pass. I gave blood last night.”

  He turned a confused look up at Lea.

  She gave him a patient grimace. “A little pre-dinner conversation first.”

  I leaned forward. “That means the grownups are going to talk now, sweetie.”

  His smile was gone in a flash, replaced by a snarl of anger.

  Lea sighed. “Rachel. Please.”

  I sat back on the stool and took another swig of water. “What are we doing? We need to get out of here before the people from that bakery show up at my front door.”

  “We need to figure out where to go next.”

  “That’s easy. We get the fuck out of the city.”

  “But I think what we’re looking for is here in the city.”

  “The lab?” I asked, incredulous. Would someone—government or terrorists—actually build a dangerous lab in such a populated area? That seemed insane, and far from inconspicuous. But then I thought again about what we’d seen in the alley and what Brian had told me. He’d seen a monster. For that matter, so had we.

  I stood and began to pace, no longer afraid of the danger on my sofa. At this point, he was low on the ladder of life-threatening concerns. “We need to pool our information.” I stopped and looked her directly in the eye. “You first.”

  Her eyebrows rose in challenge.

  Calvin began to laugh, a deep phlegmy sound. He sat on the side of my armchair, trying to recover. “You really have met your match, Lea.”

  She studied me for a moment. “I found my patron. Victor.”

  I held up my hand. “Wait. Brian, the bartender, used to work at a place owned by a guy named Victor. He said it was frequented by vampires. Amore Sangre.”

  She gave a slight nod. “It’s his place.”

  “Brian said he saw a monster there. A former patron. He said she was a vamp tramp, but her vampire stopped coming to the restaurant. He found her locked in the storage room.” So much for letting her spill her information first. “He met Derrick online a year ago in a conspiracy theory forum.”

  “A year ago?” she asked in surprise.

  I thought about the creatures in the alley. “Brian was able to recognize her. But those things we saw…they were not even close to human.”

  “I saw another creature when I found Victor. It had a tiny human body, but a bat-like face. Definitely unrecognizable as a former person.”

  “So maybe the woman Brian saw was an early experiment?” I shuddered at the thought. “I’d been chasing a story about disappearing inmates. Sean said they’d been buying inmates and using them for experiments. But it’s like we have two separate events going on. The blood-drained bodies. What do they have to do with the lab and the monsters?”

  “The blood-drained bodies...I think they were to get my attention. The journalists specifically called them ‘Vampire Murders.’ Not exactly subtle, but it worked.”

  “And why would they want you exactly?”

  She gave a half shrug. “Probably to off me. If I’m gone, they can come out of hiding.”

  It seemed like a lot of work to kill one vampire hunter, but we had no other theories at the moment.

  “Back to your patron—Victor. We know he had something to do with the creation of the monsters. Why would he do that?”

  “Power. Respect. He wanted to be a vampire, but I refused to turn him.”

  “So why didn’t he just get someone else to do it?”

  “The council,” Louis said. “The way I understand it, if you ask a powerful vampire to turn you and they turn you down, you can’t ask someone with less power.” He shrugged. “Not to mention the council regulates the more powerful vampires. They don’t want them to upset the balance of power.”

  I shook my head. “Wait? There’s a council? A vampire council?”

  He gave me an exasperated look. “Of course. Someone has to run things.”

  I shot Lea a wide-eyed look of disbelief, then turned my attention back to Louis. “So if Victor wanted power, he’d have to find another, even more powerful vampire to turn him.”

  “Yeah, but lately the council has lifted the quota ban on new vamps because so many are getting killed. The older and more powerful ones are disappearing.”

  I cocked my head. “Disappearing how?”

  He shrugged. “The council doesn’t know. They thought it was the Cazador, but now they think it’s something else. That’s part of the reason they let me be turned.”

  “How old are you?” I blurted out.

  He looked surprised. “Nineteen.”

  “You’ve been a vampire nineteen years?”

  “No. I’ve been a vampire for a month. I guess I’ll forever be nineteen, huh?”

  “Enough,” Calvin barked. “Back to what’s going on here.”

  I turned to Lea. “Why don’t we ask the council to tell us what they know?”

  Lea’s eyes darkened. “Think about our vow.”

  Louis looked from her to me. “What vow?”

  “Shut up,” she snapped at him. His jaw closed with a click and he sat quietly. Well trained, at least.

  Oh, my God. I’d vowed to kill all the vampires. Which included the man on my sofa. Nausea turned my stomach. He was a baby. Literally. When I’d made the vow, I’d met one other vampire—Caine, a true monster. What had I agreed to?

  She saw the horror in my eyes and held my gaze. “We can’t go to the council.”

  Of course we couldn’t. She wanted to kill them all.

  You’re the Cazador, I mouthed, not daring to say the words out loud. If Louis heard them, he’d be gone.

  She continued to hold my gaze, practically daring me to judge her. But I couldn’t. Not until I had more information.

  “So you found Victor?” I asked, breaking her hold on me. Had she tried to use her vampire voodoo to get me to do what she wanted? If so, it hadn’t worked.

  “Yes, he tried to tell me the facility was in Ohio, but I saw through his lies.”

  “What did you find?”

  “Money, a folder with Asclepius Project stamped on the inside. The folder was empty. He admitted he was helping fund the government project.”

  “Sean said it was conducted by terrorists.”

  She lifted her eyebrows in a look of st
rained patience.

  I’d known Sean was likely lying, so why did the confirmation stab me in the gut? Dammit. “Why would Sean come up with that elaborate setup?”

  “Me,” Lea said matter-of-factly. “They want me.”

  “No offense,” Louis said. “You’re pretty and all, but why would they want you? I know there’s a group who put a price on the Cazador’s head. The council is trying to find her and turn her over to them in some type of exchange. They’ve tried to lure her out.”

  Lea turned her now deadly cold eyes on her guest. “What does your council,” she spat the word in thinly veiled disgust, “tell you about this Cazador?”

  “She’s been a vampire hunter for hundreds of years. Even after being turned into a vampire herself, she chose to hunt us instead of joining us.”

  “And they would murder innocent people to find her? Enough to make the news?” Lea asked.

  His eyes widened in fear as he started to connect the dots. “Oh fuck,” he whispered, scrambling to his feet.

  I had to defuse this situation. “Sean’s not done with me. He gave me a card with an address on it, and told me to meet him in two hours with Derrick’s information.” I glanced at the microwave. “Which gives us about twenty minutes.”

  Lea turned her attention to me.

  “I have to meet him,” I said.

  “It could be dangerous.”

  “Could be? I know it will be. But I have to find out what’s going on.”

  Her jaw ticked. “I’m coming with you.”

  I started to protest, but I had to admit I liked the idea of someone having my back. Especially someone as powerful as Lea. “We need to leave now, but I have to grab some things first. I suspect I won’t be back here for a while. If at all.”

  Louis was pressed against the window, terror in his eyes. I couldn’t go without dealing with him first.

  “Lea, I’ll let you come with me, but you have to agree to let him go.” I motioned to Louis.

  “He knows too much,” she snarled.

  “Can’t you spell him into forgetting this ever happened? And maybe convince him that he can have a snack without killing his food?”

  “It doesn’t work that way with vampires.” But I saw her resolve slipping.