“How long have they been using this as their backup? They had to have been the ones who dug the tunnel. It’s not like it was an easy feat, either.” Jose walked around to the back of the house and yelled out for us to join him.
“They had a small backhoe and worked the tunnel from this side. It probably only took them a week with this equipment.” Jose pointed to a small black and white piece of heavy equipment with a giant scoop on a long arm.
“They could have worked their acolytes during the day, and no one would have noticed, not on a bank foreclosure. People tend to ignore contractors coming and going on houses like these.” The vampires did something like this at least ten years ago. This group must have thought we wouldn’t catch on. They were right.
“We’re going to have to pay more attention to contractors and empty houses. Man, we could have found them sooner, if we had been paying better attention.” I really screwed up this time. It was imperative I get my head back in the game.
“Jose, get with Joseph when we get back and see if the witches can perform a locating spell. Since we know where they have been, I’m hoping we can find where they are now.” Normally, the witches didn’t work with us, but with the high profile case of the storm girls, I was betting they would want the vamps found as soon as possible.
“Come on. Let’s get back to the storage facility and see if we can find the trail for the girls.” I led my guys back through the tunnel.
Damien waited for us next to the elevator on the second floor. “Boss, any sign of them?”
“No. The tunnel is a recent excavation and led to a garage about 2 blocks west of here. The perfect escape route for vampires. They may have left one of their vehicles in the garage of the foreclosed house. I doubt they’ll come back, but we should at least put a tracer on it. Just in case.”
“Great. Detective Adams has some questions for all of us before we can leave.” Damien led me to the Detective who spent the next two hours grilling us.
“How did the elevator get down to a basement? Something like that had to be planned in advance. The concrete looks professional,” Jose asked.
“I had one of my guys look into permits for this place. The company hired an elevator crew to put it in a few months back. Apparently, they needed a storage area. They planned to excavate and create a basement storage for the storage company, instead of using any of their units.” The detective had already done some great investigative work.
He’s someone I wouldn’t mind interviewing for my company, if he ever decides to quit working for little pay and no recognition.
“Here, here’s my card. Call me if you ever want to look at going into the private sector. Every time we meet, I’m impressed with you.” I handed him one of my business cards.
“Thanks, but I would rather stick to working for the government. These cases, where I always meet up with you and your friends, are my least favorite.” He pocketed my card. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t have done so.
Interesting.
“Well, if you change your mind, you know how to find me.” Next on my agenda was checking in on Jenna. She had to be going crazy.
Chapter 22
Jenna
Rico leaned over the back of my booth and rubbed my shoulder. “Hey, sleepyhead. Can you wake up?”
My hands instinctively went to my eyes to rub the sleep away. It felt like I had just lain down. “What? What time is it?”
“You’ve been sleeping for almost three hours. I can’t believe you slept through Jimmie’s lunch crowd.” Rico smiled down on me from his perch on the booth.
“Wow, I feel like I just laid down. I can’t believe I slept so long.” I sat up with a start. “What happened to the girls and the vamps? Did you get them?”
“No, they got away. How many of them did you kill?” Rico sure knew how to wake a girl up.
“Wow, no ‘Hi, how are you?’ Just straight to the punch, huh?” I needed caffeine if I was going to have this discussion again.
“Here, your favorite coffee.” Damien put a grande cup of coffee from Lola’s on the table in front of me.
I sniffed the tantalizing aroma. “Mmm, you are an angel. Thank you Damien.”
“It was Rico’s idea. How many spells did you use? We saw evidence of quite a few.”
“Um, my charm bracelet worked quite well at expelling fangs from my body. Then I think I used four or five more? It’s all kinda fuzzy right now. You can count the spells in my bag and see what’s missing. I took one of each.” I lifted my bag up to the table.
“I see you didn’t use the red one, that’s good. When I noticed you had used spells, I feared you might have used the red one and hurt someone.” Rico moved around the booth and sat next to me.
“No, I saved it as my Hail Mary move. It was too cramped in the hallway of that building to use a bomb. The force field was awesome! I want more of those. Too bad it only lasts for one minute. I almost made it out when I threw it at them. There was another vamp who practically ghosted to the exit and blocked my escape. Eventually, I got him outside, and he went up in smoke.” At least, I killed one of them.
“Jenna, while I am eternally grateful you made it out in one piece, why were you there to begin with?” I could tell Rico was frustrated. He was breathing out of his mouth and kept running a hand through his hair. It was one of his ways to try and calm himself.
“Rico, I did need some storage space for the store.” He didn’t need to know I used it as an excuse to check off one more place on the search grid.
“Why did you take so many spells with you if you just wanted to check out some storage space?” He had a point.
“After my last experience, just doing an errand, I decided to be prepared.”
“It wasn’t the closest storage place to your store. Why did you choose this one?”
“Okay, so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. I thought using a second story of a storage facility would be a smart way to hide and wait out the storm. The guy with the zodiac boat and beer inspired it.” It was the truth.
“Why Castle Storage? Was it the first one you checked out?” Now Damien was interrogating me?
“I used a map of storage places and cross referenced it with cemeteries. This was the closest one to a graveyard. Plus, the name kinda spoke to me.” I should have known I’d get busted.
“I have to say, I didn’t think it would be dangerous. I had no clue their acolyte was helping them to snatch women.” At least, he got what was coming to him.
“What? They’re letting acolytes lure women in to them?” Rico was fuming. His nostrils flared, and he slammed a fist down on the table causing my drink to rumble around.
“Don’t worry, they killed him for his efforts right in front of me. They had told him to stop bringing them women. Also, the vamps knew who I was and how I’m connected to you. They were worried about getting you involved.” They should have just let me go to start with.
“Too late. They are all going down! I can’t believe an acolyte actually lured women to their death.” Rico and his pack wouldn’t stop until this band got what’s coming to them, I knew it.
“I think he did it in order to become a vampire. He was trying to prove his worth. Either way, he got the death coming to him, just not the one he wanted.” I yawned and took a sip of my piping hot café au lait.
“Why am I so tired? I’ve fought vamps before and didn’t feel this awful.” My body ached, and I really could use more sleep.
“It’s all of the magic you used. Because you aren’t a witch, those spells took power from you. Your body needs to recover. Let this be a lesson, don’t use more than 3 spells. Unless, of course, your life is in danger like today.” How much did Rico know about using magic?
“Do you use spells? Have you experienced this before?”
“I have only been given a few spells to use, besides my protection amulet. The protection amulet doesn’t take anything from me. The witch who created it gave up some of his power to make the
charm work. Which is why they are so rare and expensive.” Rico touched the amulet hanging just under his tight black t-shirt.
“What about other spells, Rico? Have you used any of them?”
“Only a handful. I once fought alongside the council when a group of werewolves had made their way to town. The lead witch on the hunt gave me a few red charms along with the brown and pink ones. I’m with you, I like the force field charms the best. Once the fight was over, and we had destroyed the weres, I had to give them back any remaining charms in my possession. Too bad. I used one red stone, and it packs a punch.” Rico’s eyes were glazed over as he recalled the event.
“You were smart to hold off on using it when you were inside the building. It most likely would have collapsed all around you.” It was very odd Rico had to give back the charms, and we are allowed to use them.
“I did need extra rest and food after the battle. As a paranormal creature, my magical aura helped to sustain me and the charms I used. Since you are a human, it takes more out of you. Please remember this.” He squeezed my hand, and my heart fluttered.
Darn it! Why did I have to respond to his touch like this. One of these days I’m going to break down and kiss him. Then our protection will be gone. I have to get him out of my system.
I pulled my hand back and made it look like I was just taking a sip of my coffee. “I think I should go home and sleep some more. Will you and the pack keep looking for the girls?”
“Yes. I’ll walk you home, and then I’m going back out to search again.” Rico scooted out of the booth, and I followed.
“Once I’m rested, I want to join you in the search. You said I could. I think I’ve proven I can take care of myself now I have the magical charms and amulet.” I really didn’t understand my desire to go back out and fight vamps again.
I was almost killed earlier, and the after-effects from using magic are worse than any hangover I’ve ever experienced.
Do I have a hero complex or something?
“We’ll see. I don’t want you to push it. Using too much magic too soon could seriously hurt you.” I let Rico walk me home, but we weren’t done with this conversation. Not by a longshot.
My sisters were even worse.
“Jenna! Thank the good Lord! What were you thinking? Going after vampires on your own? What a stupid thing to do!” Kat could be a bit overprotective at times.
“Kat, it was daylight. How was I to know an acolyte worked at the storage facility? If he wasn’t trying to impress the vamps, I never would have been in any danger. Besides, I’m safe. The magic worked.” All I wanted to do was take a bath and go to bed. Maybe for a couple of days.
“I’m just glad you’re home. Promise, no more going out looking for trouble by yourself?” Sam grabbed me and hugged me tightly.
“I promise. You gotta know, I really thought it was safe to go during the daylight. I just wanted to see if my idea was a good one. Turned out, I was right on.” I shrugged.
What could I say? It was a dumb move. One I wasn’t going to do again.
“Look, I’m exhausted from using so much magic. I’m going to take a hot bath and then go to bed. Rico can explain the side effects of using magic for mundanes.” I didn’t even wait for anyone to say anything.
After grabbing my pajamas from my dresser, I headed to the bathroom where I set up a relaxing bath with a jasmine bath bomb.
Chapter 23
Jenna
“Mmm.” I stretched my arms above my head and rolled over in bed. It was dark out.
“I must have slept the entire day away.” My stomach gurgled, letting me know I also skipped eating all day.
When I went out to the living room, all was quiet. The living areas were void of life. Strange.
Everyone was in bed. They must have been, I realized when I looked at the clock on the microwave. It said 3:24 am.
“Huh, I slept for about twelve hours. After sleeping three hours at Jimmie’s. Guess that means I really did use too much magic.” It was strange talking to myself but even stranger having no one to chat with.
With a house full of women, there was always someone up to talk to.
There was a note on the kitchen table with an iPhone 7 on a charger. “Jenna, here’s a new phone. Same number. This time don’t lose your phone during a battle. I got you one of those hard case protectors as well. Please use it.” Rico bought me a new phone.
Next to the new phone was a purple, hardcover case. The type you could use underwater or drop twenty stories, and it would survive. Clunky, but for me, it was perfect.
There was a text message on the phone for me. “I hope you slept well. Please text me when you wake up, just to let me know you are alright. Rico.”
I texted back, “Rico, thank you so much for the new phone! I’ll pay you back. I’m fine. Slept soundly & raring to go.”
Within a minute the phone beeped.
“Stay home tonight. Tomorrow you can join us. We’re almost done. Found nothing. Will speak with vamp queen tomorrow.”
It was too bad Rico and his pack didn’t find anything, but it meant I had a chance to help out.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Kat schlepped into the kitchen rubbing her eyes and yawning.
I jumped when I heard someone behind me. “Kat! You startled me. Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I heard something, so I got up to investigate. Guess it was you. I see you found your new phone. Rico really is good to you.” Kat reached into the fridge and pulled out a container of orange juice.
“He’s good to us all, and yes, he’s especially good to me.” I sighed.
“Why aren’t you two together?”
“You know why, Kat. Even you said it was wrong.”
“I never said it was wrong, just bad timing. I know you, Jenna. If you think it’s going to go down badly, it will. Once you believe in yourself and Rico, I will totally support you. Until then, you will be ruining the best thing to ever happen to you.”
“Kat, that’s not fair.”
“It’s the truth and deep down you know this. Think about it. If a customer came to you about a guy she liked, but was afraid because she always messed things up. what would you say to her before selling her something?”
I scratched my head. Kat had a point. “Probably something similar to what you just said, and then I would most likely sell her over $100 worth of potions.”
“Potions which would work because she believed in them. The power of positive thinking is crazy. The reverse is true, too. If you believe it’s going to fail, it will. Plain and simple.” Gah! Why was Kat always right?
“You’re right. I’ll try to work on this.”
“You’ll stay away from Rico, romantically, until you believe it could work?” Sometimes, Kat felt more like a mother than a sister.
“Yes, Mom. Until the right time, he’s just a friend and protector.” I put a chocolate pop-tart in the toaster and pushed the lever down. It wasn’t the best choice, but if I was going back to bed, this was all I needed until morning. It was a good thing Indie didn’t know about our stash of processed foods.
I almost forgot about Rico.
“Hey, Kat just walked in. I’m gonna eat something and go back to sleep, if possible. Chat tomorrow.” I put my phone away, after the message sent.
“What did I miss while I was out to the world?”
“Indie and Joseph came back with a van full of stuff. Most went to the pack, but we now have a fully stocked pantry. Nothing much else.” Kat sat at the table and sipped her juice.
The toaster popped my pastries into the air, and I grabbed them.
“What about them? Do you think they should wait to start dating?” I didn’t think they should wait. They were the perfect couple.
“I’m not interfering with them. You know how Indie is. She’s going to make a Joseph doll in case they break up. She’s not as bad as you are, but she does do some really psychotic stuff once in a while. I don’t want her messing with Joseph.”
“Who’s messing with Joseph?” Indie walked into the room wearing her tank top and cotton shorts she loved to sleep in.
Oh shoot! Indie wasn’t supposed to see my processed toaster pastry!
“Speak of the devil. I was asking if you and Joseph had hooked up yet.” I took a bite of my chocolate toaster pastry. A small amount of hot chocolate oozed out of the pastry and landed on my chin.
Indie looked at me and pointed to my chin. “You got something on your face. Looks like enriched flour, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, and a plethora of other deadly chemicals.”
“Yummy.” I licked my chin but couldn’t get the chocolate off. In the end, I needed a napkin to clean it up.
“Chill, Indie. You were the one who decided we needed to go all organic. You didn’t even give us a say in the matter. For the most part, we have changed our diet. Stop bugging me whenever I eat something you wouldn’t approve of.” It’s not like I ate processed food all of the time, just when I was stressed or didn’t have time to prepare something healthy.
“So, what about you and Joseph?” I wasn’t going to let Indie change the topic.
“We. Well, we had fun yesterday. That’s all I’m going to say right now.” Indie wasn’t going to get away with this secret.
“You stinker! Come on, spill. Is he a good kisser?” Kat and I both broke out laughing.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” Indie’s red cheeks gave her away.
“Oh! You did kiss! Come on, how was it?” Kat asked.
“Stop! Leave me alone. You know better than to jinx things with guys. Leave it alone. When there is anything to share, I will.” Indie crossed her arms over her chest.
“Hey! What’s going on? A family meeting? Someone forgot to tell me.” Sam pursed her lips and walked into the kitchen. “Where’s the coffee?”
“Sam, it’s too early for coffee. Sorry we woke you up. Kat and I were just teasing Indie about Joseph. They kissed yesterday, but she won’t spill the beans.”
“Is that all? Of course, they kissed. It was just the two of them all day long. I heard him confirm their date for tomorrow night before he left. I’d say they’re an official couple now.” Sam had eavesdropped? Sneaky!
Hurricane of Magic Page 13
