Laurell Hamilton - Hit List

“We can’t leave Tilford hanging just because the psychic may see something she shouldn’t,” I said.

Edward nodded. “I know.”

“What are you going to do?” Ethan said.

“We’re going to the crime scene,” I said.

“What will you do about the Williams lady?”

“We’ll try to stay at a distance,” I said.

“Will that help?”

Edward said, “Will it?”

I thought about it. “She’ll be in the middle of experiencing a very violent crime scene. If she’s like most psychics, especially the good ones, she’ll be overwhelmed with violent images and really bad emotions. She probably won’t be able to tell our stuff from the crime.”

“Probably,” Edward said.

“ Probably is the best I got unless you want to leave Tilford to hunt these guys without us.”

Edward sighed. “No.”

“Then we go,” I said.

He nodded.

Ethan asked, “Do you really think I’m in danger?”

I looked at Edward. He motioned at me. “I’m not sure.”

“He can’t go to the crime scene with us,” Edward said, “so he’s safer staying here, just farther into the underground where they’d have to fight their way in.”

“If I knew for sure he was a target, then I might disagree, but I think it’s the best we got.”

We all agreed. I made sure that the two guards on the door outside walked Ethan back away from the entrance. One of the guards asked, “What about you guys? You’re only human. He’s not.”

“George is carrying my bullet in his side, not anyone else’s. I think I did okay.”

“He moved through us like we were standing still,” the guard said, and his eyes looked haunted. “None of the rest of us could touch him. You did better than just okay, and you know it.”

“Thanks,” I said.

He motioned to Ethan, and the three of them walked down the corridor. I unholstered the Browning and put a round in the chamber.

Edward looked at me.

“I shot him because I had the gun out and aimed. If I’d had to draw first, I’d have missed.”

Edward didn’t argue, he just got out his Glock and jacked up a round, ready to fire. “Any other advice?” he asked.

The fact that he asked me was very high praise. “I appreciate your asking, but no.”

“Let’s go see if Morrigan is as good as her rep, and if Raborn will really let Tilford order a full-blown hunt on the basis of a psychic’s vision.”

“I’m betting he won’t,” I said.

“I’m betting you’re right,” Edward said.

“Which is another reason Tilford wants us there. If Raborn doesn’t sign off on it, then we’ll be going in with just the marshals with us and some of the locals.”

“Yep,” Edward said, already sliding back into his Ted persona. He started up the tunnel, and I fell in beside him. We walked out with our guns drawn and ready to fire. There were no bad guys waiting for us, but I didn’t feel weird about having my gun out and ready, I just felt safer.

When we got to the SUV we put on the full gear for monster hunting, including the vest, which I hated the most. It hampered movement and it wouldn’t stop either a vampire or a wereanimal. They’d peel it off us like getting a turtle out of its shell, but regulations stated that the vest was part of the outfit. I had to change out my holsters to accommodate the vest, so that I could still get to the Browning, but the Smith & Wesson had to move even more to a front cross draw. Only the knives got to stay put.

“Hate the vest,” I said.

“Think of it like an air bag on your car.”

I looked at him. “You wearing yours more often?”

“Some.”

And just like that I knew Edward had changed. Or was it me? I was harder to hurt and healed almost anything short of a death blow and Edward didn’t. He was more fragile than I was; it seemed so wrong.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” And, in the end, there really was nothing to say but it made me sad.

EDWARD’S PHONE RANG. He slipped it from his pocket. “Forrester here.”

I heard the murmur of a man’s voice on the other end but couldn’t tell more than that. Edward made little um noises, and then finally said, “We’re ten minutes out. Wait for us.”

He listened some more and then turned to me, phone still to his ear. “The psychic has pinpointed the vampires as very close to the first kill site here. Close enough to find them and stake them before full dark. Some of the other police are pushing Newman to be a man and go into the woods before we get there. Apparently the fact that they think we’re fucking has cost both you and me credibility.”

“They’re going in with SWAT, then?” I said.

“They didn’t think the vampires would be in the woods. They didn’t put out a full call, and by the time they get out here to the middle of Bumfuck, Nowhere, it’ll be dark.”

“The vampires are still asleep, but the wereanimals aren’t. There is at least one wereanimal near the vampires, maybe more, I’ll guarantee that.”

Edward handed me the phone and started driving fast enough to make the narrow tree-lined road exciting, but not in a good way. I held on to the oh-shit handle and hoped it didn’t earn its nickname.

Tilford said, “Why are you so sure that the wereanimals are near the vampires?”

“Because they are their animals to call, which means their main job is to help their vampire masters. If the vampires are just buried in the leaves in a wood, then no way would their wereanimals leave them totally unguarded during daylight hours. A large animal could uproot them and expose them to sunlight. It’s just too dangerous to leave a vampire alone like that. You saw how fast he was, Tilford. Do you really want to go into the woods around here with only a handful of marshals and local PD?”

“No,” he said.

“Then don’t,” I said.

“You know if the rest of them go in, I can’t stay behind.”

“Don’t let them bully Newman, then; protect him, damn it, and protect the rest of them even if it’s from themselves.”

“The other marshals don’t think you and Forrester being here will make that much difference. They’d rather not lose the daylight.”

“Do you believe that less than ten minutes will make that big a difference?” I asked. Edward took a curve and with the phone in one hand I had to brace my leg and hold on to the handle very tightly. I muttered “Jesus” under my breath.

“What’s wrong?” Tilford asked.

“Ted’s trying to cut down on our arrival time. We’ll be there really soon if we don’t go off the road.”

“We won’t go off the road,” Edward said, eyes still on the road as he hit the gas harder, and I tried to pretend I believed him.

“I’d rather have you both with us, but neither of you is exactly everyone’s favorite person right now.”

“Because everyone thinks we slept together?”

“I didn’t say that,” he said.

“Ted said that’s why he lost his street cred with some of the marshals. I know my rep was already trashed.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, which meant it was the truth.

“They’re just jealous,” I said. I fought not to make one of those girly squeak noises as the side of the SUV brushed tree limbs on the side of the road.

“What?” Tilford asked.

“Either they want to know why I won’t sleep with them, or they hate the fact that I fucked someone and I still kill more monsters than they do.”

“I don’t think the first, but the second, maybe.”

“It’s a guy thing, Tilford; it’s not that they really want to sleep with me, it’s just if one guy is, then why not them? It’s just a fucking stupid guy thing.”