No Quarter: A Supernatural Action Adventure Opera (War of the Damned Book 2)

by Michael Todd

  “Are there demons involved?” Calvin asked, wishing he hadn’t.

  “Probably.” Russell shrugged and cracked open his crab. “Mexico isn’t at quite the same level as many of the larger countries, including the US, when it comes to trapping and taking care of demons, but then they don’t seem to be as prevalent here either.”

  Calvin grimaced. “They want the US, since it’s considered the most powerful country in the world. They think if they can take America, they can take everything. Mexico is small fry to them; they aren’t worried about it at all.”

  “Good. It’ll keep some peace here for now.” Russell chuckled. “But I wouldn’t be shocked if it came out that some of these drug lords were demon-infested. Of course, at the same time, people aren’t as innocent as we’d like to make them out to be. Some don’t need demons to do horrific things.”

  “That is very true.” Calvin let his gaze wander back to the two women by the water. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world, but Calvin thought that if you needed bodyguards to ensure you survived a walk on the beach, you might need to reevaluate your life. Still, they were perfectly-sculpted and absolutely gorgeous women. He looked at Russell, who was smiling and shaking his head.

  “The view is free, right?”

  Katie left Iris at her office and collected Angie, who was hanging around outside, her mind obviously somewhere else. They made their way through the city, deciding a long walk was better than taking a cab through the traffic. When they reached the Stewart Hotel, Katie went straight to the front desk.

  The concierge looked up from her computer with a friendly smile. “How may I help you?”

  “I’m currently staying on the nineteenth floor, and I want to rent another room on the same floor as close to my room as possible,” Katie told him.

  The concierge nodded. “Yes, of course. Let me just see what I have available. Will there be a specific length of stay?”

  “I was hoping it would be open-ended, like the one I’m staying in.”

  “Of course, madam.” He typed for a few more moments, then pulled out a key and handed it to Katie.

  “You are all taken care of, madam.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Room 1926, just a couple of doors down from your own.”

  “Perfect.” Katie handed the key to Angie. “We will be having a few deliveries to that room over the course of the day, and Angie has my permission to charge whatever she wants from room service to my account.”

  The concierge smiled as he finished typing. “Very good, madam.”

  Katie steered Angie to the elevator, relieved that she was finally settled in and everything was taken care of for her new friend. Katie didn’t know why she had felt the need to take Angie under her wing, but in her mind, there was nothing else she could do. She needed to make sure she was okay after what she had been through.

  “I want you to call the store and have your clothes brought up to you in the room. If you’re hungry, go ahead and order food from room service.” Katie handed her a hundred dollars. “Use this to tip with. I usually do ten to twenty, depending on the trouble they went through. Use your judgment. I suggest that until we know that bastard is going to leave you alone for good, you just stay here and relax.”

  Angie cursed herself for flinching when Katie patted her shoulder. There was a tiny part of her that feared Katie, no matter what she had done for her. She was almost sure she could trust her, but there was still the question of the demon in her. She hadn’t forgotten how easily Katie had delivered the violence that had freed her. She didn’t want to ask, but she couldn’t hold back any longer.

  “Katie, do you really work with the cops?”

  Katie looked at Angie quizzically. She didn’t understand why Angie would question that. Angie’s eyes flicked to hers and quickly away again, and she realized what had spurred the question.

  Katie was infected.

  Don’t take it personally, Pandora told her. She hasn’t met my fabulousness yet. She’ll come around once we get to know each other.

  You’re right. She must be scared.

  Well, of course.

  Katie gave Angie a reassuring smile. “Yes, I’m working with the cops at the moment. I’m helping them take care of the demon situation in the city. I know that’s probably hard to believe seeing that I am infected, but it’s true, I swear. The only demon I’ve met today was the creep of a guy you were living with, though.”

  Katie sighed and looked down at her hands. She understood why Angie was skeptical. Katie had come out of nowhere, kicked her boyfriend’s ass, and turned her life upside down in the space of a day without a word of explanation.

  “You know what you should do?”

  Angie shook her head. “No, what?”

  “You should drop your things in your room and head back down to the first floor. There is a bank of Mac computers there for guest use. I want you to research Katie’s Killers. You’ll find a full explanation of who I am, and what my team and I do. I think once you know a bit more about me, it will alleviate some of those fears you have. I understand that in order for you to work for me, to start fresh, you first have to understand what the hell you’re getting into. I apologize for not explaining earlier. It’s been a crazy day.”

  Angie chuckled. “It’s all right. You were busy saving my life.”

  Katie smiled and reached a little hesitantly for Angie’s shoulder. This time Angie didn’t flinch. “I’m going to go meet with the cops, and I probably won’t be home until two or three in the morning. If I’m still asleep at ten tomorrow morning, knock hard, and keep knocking until I get up. I might be grumpy, but I’ll get over it as soon as we get breakfast. I have a lot to do tomorrow, so I can’t just lie around in bed all day. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth. We usually get food in the morning too, so we can head out for breakfast. Room service gets old after a while.”

  “All right.” Angie clutched her purse in front of her. “I really do appreciate everything you’re doing. I don’t want you to think I don’t.”

  “It’s okay.” Katie nodded. “It’s understandable, really.”

  You know what I don’t find understandable?

  What’s that, Pandora? Katie asked.

  I don’t understand how you think I’ll wait until ten in the morning for you to go get my donuts. And yes, I fully expect donuts. Sure, we can have a nice little breakfast with your new project, but I will be getting donuts.

  I am fully aware. Relax. I can’t help this girl by feeding her dozens of donuts. She obviously hasn’t had nutritious food in a very long time. She’s skin and bones.

  Maybe she needs a demon to help her.

  What? No!

  Pandora snickered. Hey, it worked for you.

  Did it? Katie growled. Because right now, I want to strangle you and send you back where you came from.

  I don’t think even your angel fingers are that strong.

  You are impossible.

  Katie had another thought. “Something else you can look up while you’re on the computers is high-end furniture shops. We’re going to have to furnish the new condo, and I don’t want to put too much thought into it. Find someplace where they’ll assist us with all of that. If we need an appointment, make a note so I can carve out some time for it. For now, I’ve got to get going and make some money if I’m going to pay for all of this stuff.”

  “All right.” Angie nodded. “Be safe.”

  Katie grinned. “Thanks, and you enjoy that room, okay?”

  She saw Angie onto the elevator and turned toward the front door. There was a reason she had found Angie, a reason she felt the need to take care of her, and a reason that all of it had fallen into place so easily. She just hoped that reason came to light soon.

  Katie changed direction and walked to the front desk instead. She smiled at the concierge when he looked up at her.

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “I’m going to be gone until late, but I was h
oping you could keep an eye on my friend Angie, the woman in my extra room. Not babysitting her or anything, just make sure she’s comfortable and has everything she needs. She came from a bad situation, and she’s pretty scared.”

  The concierge gave her a look of admiration. “Of course, madam. I’ll make a couple of calls to her throughout the evening and take up some dessert after her dinner on the house. I believe we also have some hampers with oils and bath salts. I can send one up to help her relax.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Katie looked at the manager’s tag, “Mr. Pine. I appreciate the accommodation.”

  “Of course, and have fun while you’re out and about. The night concierge will be here when you return.”

  Katie nodded her thanks and left the hotel. It felt really good to take care of someone like that. It was a stark change from her usual kill-first-ask-questions-later mindset.

  13

  Katie walked into the Midtown South Precinct, the same one she had been to a couple of days before, and the cop behind the desk recognized Katie from her first visit. He pressed a button, then a buzzer sounded and the door to the back clicked open. She made her way to the pit, finding it just the same as the last time she had been there. Cops milled around, and business was booming. There were suspects handcuffed to benches and others sat sulkily at desks being questioned by the detectives. This time there weren’t any with red eyes, but that was going to change very soon.

  Schultz stood up from his cubicle and waved to Katie. She smiled and skirted the desks, making her way over to the detective. He shook her hand and indicated the office on the right.

  “Thanks for coming. We’re going to meet in Travers’ fancy-ass office.” He chuckled. “It’s a little more private, and away from all these knuckleheads.”

  “Sounds good. Lead the way.”

  Katie followed Martin over to Travers’ office, closing the door behind her. Travers was on the phone, and he waved for them to take a seat without moving it from his ear. Katie sat down in one of the leather-backed seats in front of his desk and glanced at the awards and photos on his walls. He was obviously very proud of his service to the NYPD, and the number of commendations he had displayed spoke volumes about his commitment to the force.

  “Katie, good to see you. Sorry about that, and thank you for waiting. Just a final mop-up on the last murder investigation we had. Messy deal. We thought we might be working with a serial killer, but it turned out to be some kid who had watched too many episodes of the new Hannibal show and decided to try a human art sculpture for himself.”

  “That sounds horrible.” Katie grimaced. “Demon?”

  “He wishes he could use that defense, but no, he was completely clean. Just your friendly neighborhood psychopath.”

  “Well, they’re definitely out there. So, what are we doing tonight?”

  “Right.” Travers took the blueprint from Schultz and spread it over his desk. “This is Lavo Nightclub on East Fifty-eighth Street. It’s a swanky combined restaurant and club that’s a notorious hangout for our more affluent Italian…businessmen, shall we say. Anyway, there’s been a serious influx of red eyes in the joint, and the owner actually reached out to us and asked us to help. He’s losing business because they’re the first ones in and the last ones out. He knows it’s only a matter of time until someone takes it too far.”

  “Okay, and who do we have on this?”

  “The Nineteenth Precinct,” Schultz answered. “Technically, it’s their patch, so we’ll be working directly with them.”

  “Exactly.” Travers nodded. “We respect the precinct boundaries whenever we can. Anyway, we took your advice and came up with a plan. We’ll have the Nineteenth surrounding the building, stomping on the cockroaches as they come out.”

  Katie smiled. “I love it when a plan comes together. I would suggest you use stun guns, since the demons won’t be strong enough to help their human hosts. Then you can cuff ‘em and stuff ‘em.’”

  “Perfect,” Travers replied, writing it down.

  “Once you’ve caught the demons who are actively trying to run and hide—they’re the ones who have a strong grip on their human hosts—you can send them off and get help for the humans who still have a chance. We want to save as many lives as we can, and more often than not these low-level demons are more like hitchhikers than tenants. They can be removed.”

  “Absolutely.” Schultz nodded. “If we kill everyone who’s infected we’re doing the demons’ job for them, so we want to save as many humans as we can—not just rock up and start shooting.”

  Katie was beginning to love this consulting business. She grinned at the detectives. “That’s the plan.”

  Travers returned her grin as he shut the file and stood up. “All right, then. Let’s get out there.”

  Katie followed the detectives to their car. All of the cop cars were backed onto the sidewalk at an angle so they were able to fit on the street. It wasn’t legal for civilians, but in a place where cops had to move at the drop of a dime, creating their own parking solution like that was both brilliant and necessary.

  Katie sat in the back of the unmarked detective car, looking out the window as they passed through town. As they moved through the traffic, Katie felt a hot band tighten her chest, along with an unwavering need to change direction. She had no idea why or how, but she was being drawn to something, just like when she’d found Angie.

  She cleared her throat and rubbed her chest as they came to a stop at a red light. She looked to her right, and the sensation intensified. She couldn’t see anything special, just a row of dingy houses with bars on the windows. There were very few people outside. A splash of yellow against the faded brick caught her attention, a piece of crime-scene tape fluttering from the front of a house halfway down the street which was cordoned off.

  “What’s down there?”

  Schultz turned to see where she was looking. “It’s a gang-infested area. There’s at least one murder a month down that way. It used to be a really nice area, but once the gangs moved in, the poverty level began to rise and the place went downhill. There was a big project a few years ago to clean the place up, but the dealers are harder to stamp out than roaches. They waited until the attention died down, and it just went straight back to what it was before. It’s a shame, really.”

  Katie nodded as the light changed and they lurched forward. She made a mental note to come back when she was on her own time. She could feel the surge of evil coming from there, and after all those donuts last night she could definitely do with a workout.

  They pulled up to the curb about a block away from the club. Katie climbed out of the back and took her hair out of its ponytail, then shook her head, letting the locks cascade over her shoulders. She glanced down at her cleavage and adjusted her top for maximum impact.

  Maybe just a little lower?

  Katie rolled her eyes. Any lower and they get to see the whole show.

  Suit yourself. You look just fine. Finer than fine, actually. I’m a true artist.

  Both detectives shuffled awkwardly on the sidewalk, trying not to stare.

  Katie scoped out her surroundings and spotted nine plainclothes cops spread out all around the club. There was a large truck parked in the alley. It was just like LA, only she didn’t have Calvin there to back her up this time.

  A guy in jeans and a button-up shirt came over, with an older guy smoking a cigar close behind him.

  Schultz got the introductions over with. “This is Lieutenant Brown, who’s in charge of the Nineteenth crew, and this is Detective Lowery, also from their precinct.”

  Katie shook their hands and nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Any words of advice?” Brown asked.

  “Just be ready. Some of these bastards are strong.”

  They all nodded and moved off to their positions.

  Katie headed down the block and walked straight up to the front of the line outside the club. She winked at the doorman, who winked back
at her and lifted the rope for her to slide right past. Once in the club, Katie walked to the side and took note of her surroundings. The interior was a series of open rooms, with tables down one side for people to have dinner and a wide dancefloor as the centerpiece of the room. Lights flashed around the stage at the back where the DJ pumped out electronica and house music.

  Nothing too big in here, Pandora commented. Easy-peasy.

  Good, because I don’t know if those boys are up for anything too hardcore just yet.

  Katie got out onto the dancefloor and began to shake it. She twined her way through the press of bodies, looking for demons.

  Where are they?

  All around us. Just wind those perfect fucking hips of yours, sister. I’ll do the rest.

  Katie threw herself into the music, and people were immediately drawn to the motion of her hips swaying to the beat. There were several demons on the floor around her, and even the female infected began to circle Katie.

  She waited until almost all of them were close by.

  Power pulsated warmly in her chest. She gathered the energy and wound it tighter, until it was a writhing knot inside her.

  Now, Pandora whispered.

  She released the energy. It rippled out, a translucent shockwave visible only to the demonic eye. Katie snickered when the infected bolted as one for the exits, the demons inside them panicked to the core.

  None of them were stupid enough to fuck with Lilith.

  The detectives had watched Katie disappear into the club, the three of them gathering farther down the street. The night was warm and there were tons of people around, but none of them had realized what was going on. They sat nervously glancing at the doors, looking down at their watches sporadically as they waited for something to happen.

  “What is taking so long?” Lowery bitched through a cloud of cigar smoke.

  “She’s working her magic,” Schultz replied.

  “Hopefully in this millennium,” Lowery huffed.

  Without warning, the doors to the club flew wide open and eight red-eyed people came bolting out into the street. The cops jumped into action, using their stun guns to take them down. In the chaos, two of them managed to slip through the net. The ones they caught were thrown into the back of the truck and sent off to their local holding facility.