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"As usual. Go in swinging and do our best not to get kil ed. There's no way to know what's going on in there without just charging in. Somehow I don't think applying for a job at Emporium Meats is going to net us an invitation into their so-cal ed factory." Menol y rubbed her hands on the legs of her jeans. "I guess that's al she wrote, ladies and gentleman. Shal we hit the streets?"
"Wait a minute. Morio and Camil e, you'l both have to be very careful. Chances are they've got a nice little stash of Wolf Briar in there. And al bets are on that they'l use it if they see us coming, in hopes of knocking at least a couple of us out. You two better go in on the tail end and wear masks. That won't interfere with your spel casting, wil it?" I frowned, hoping they'd say no.
They didn't make it easy.
"Yeah, actual y, it might," Camil e said. "The best we can do is go in at the back and run like hel if they let loose with that crap."
"Everybody get your weapons. We have to move, because if they haven't kil ed Doug and Saz yet, you know they're planning to. And Amber--it's anybody's guess why--and for how long--they plan on keeping her alive." I stood and stretched. We were headed into battle again, and each time, I always wondered if we'd al make it out alive.
CHAPTER 19
The Emporium Meats warehouse was down past the docks, in the Industrial District of Seattle. The warehouse sat smack in the middle of the wasteland existing past the ferry terminals, a mile or so north of Georgetown. Over the years, Georgetown and the surrounding area had taken on an almost schizophrenic quality. On one hand, charming, neo-bohemian shops and houses were scattershot through the district. On the other, gangs wandered the area, poverty seemed al too abundant, and the grittiness of the industry warehouses and factories, along with the train yard and tracks belonging to the BNSF Railway, lent an air of danger to the streets.
As usual, we were taking two cars: my Jeep and Morio's SUV. Menol y, Vanzir, and Roz were riding with me, while Tril ian, Smoky, and Camil e rode with Morio. I put in a cal to Chase to meet us there.
As we headed south on First Avenue, the streets were fairly clear. A few gangbangers--probably the Zeets--were hanging around, but the night was too wet and chil y for much outdoor activity. We passed the piers to the ferries on our right, and the back side of Pike Place Market on our left, and continued along past the Seahawks Stadium and Safeco Field, also on our left.
As the streets wore along, the charm vanished, and the darker, seedier aspect set in. We zoomed along on the overpass leading over the BNSF train yard--a maze of tracks and boxcars in weathered pinks, greens, whites--al colors from so many different companies and places. The thought of being stuck down there, on foot, gave me the creeps.
We weren't just near gang territory but also vampire territory--and not vampires like Menol y, who did their best to keep themselves in check, but vampires like Dominick and Terrance, who led the cry for vamps to quit trying to assimilate and to create their own culture that didn't try to mimic human culture.
Menol y had been tossed out of Vampires Anonymous, the one group where she might have done some good against the fanged dangers, because Wade--the leader of the vampire self-help group--was afraid she'd spoil his bid on becoming regent over the Northwest Vampire Dominion. We hadn't heard lately how his campaign was going, but I had the feeling next time they met, there would be hel to pay on his part.
As the overpass glided back to street level, I pul ed into a side parking lot shortly after we passed South Dawson Street. We were parked right next to the Emporium Meats warehouse.
"Here we are. And it looks like we're going to have company." I nodded to the parking lot. There were at least five cars that we could reasonably assume belonged to the shifters.
"Camil e and crew are here," Menol y said, as Morio's SUV parked alongside my Jeep. "We're too near Dominick's for comfort."
"Not only that, but take a look across the street--there appears to be a new club in town," Roz said.
We glanced across the darkened road to the neon sign that glowed green. THE ENERGY EXCHANGE. Somehow, I didn't think it was a pay station for Puget Sound Power and Light. No, with a name like that, the joint could dabble in several things, none of them registering good on my internal danger meter.
"I don't like the feel of that," Menol y said. "But I don't think it's vampire."
"No, it's not." I slid out of the driver's seat and stood there, staring at the glowing neon tubes. "There's something . . ."
Just then Morio and Camil e wandered over, gazing at the club's sign. "Sorcery. I can feel it."
"You think Van and Jaycee run that joint, too?" Seattle was becoming a scary place to live. Even as more and more Fae were drawn here, so it seemed were the lowlifes of the Supe world.
"I doubt it, since they're Tregart. But I bet they frequent it." Camil e glanced over her shoulder at the warehouse. "We'l have to worry about this place later. We need to get into the warehouse and see if they've got Amber and the men."
"How we going to do this?" I considered the building. Morio was right--there was an entrance to either side, and the dock had its own door--as big as the entire loading bay. It operated like a garage door, and I wondered if there was a mechanism on the outer wal to open it.
"My guess is they keep that locked from the inside," Vanzir said, fol owing my gaze. "But the side doors shouldn't be hard to break through. The locks look old, and I doubt if they've bothered to buy new ones. After al , who would ever suspect them?"
"Wilbur told me, when I escorted him home, that coyote shifters are arrogant. They never think anybody's going to be able to keep up with their tricks.
So let's give the side door a try." Roz gave me a little push and, in a bad Humphrey Bogart impression, said, "This is your department, dol . How's about you go first?"
I motioned Camil e and Morio to the rear. "You two stay back there. We fight better without men down, and Camil e sure doesn't need to be caught by a flurry of Wolf Briar again. Menol y, you and Smoky up front with me. Vanzir and Roz, bring up the middle."
Grateful to the moody October night for the rich darkness that surrounded us, I led the way across the parking lot to the concrete steps, up to the walkway that ran the length of the warehouse. Briefly, I wondered if it curved around to the sides, but we didn't have time to check it out. Not right now. I headed over to the left-side door and knelt beside it, flashing a penlight on the lock. It was old and looked like it hadn't been used for some time.
Gesturing for the rest of them to stay there, I tugged on Menol y's arm, and we bent low, crossing to the right-side door. The lock on this one was oiled and rust-free. Yep, this was the door they used to enter the building. I'd bet the bank on it. Once again, we crossed back to the left, and I hurriedly whispered my thoughts to the others.
"If we go in here, they won't necessarily be expecting us. If we take the lesser-used route, we may buy ourselves time to root around without being caught. And while I expect we're going to have a fight on our hands, I'd prefer to get in, grab Amber and the guys, and get out again before anybody catches us."
